Since they were still on the outer edges of Mount Tong'lu, the group didn't run into any impressive characters. Most were nothing but frail weeds in a garden of blooming flowers, easy to uproot if they wanted to.
Xie Lian, however, told everyone there was no need to take on useless fights, so they simply went past them as much as they could. Even those few that were foolish enough to challenge them couldn't get a fight, scared away by BanYue's snakes.
It was for the best, really.
Fighting ghosts would probably benefit BanYue, but she already didn't feel the need to gravitate towards the Kiln, and she was already pretty powerful on her own.
In order to gain more power she would probably need to defeat some ghosts substantially stronger than those roaming around the outer perimeter. It was only a time loss, if they wanted to continue together.
«We're going to camp for the night as soon as we reach the second level of Mount Tong'lu», the Crown Prince said after a stretched out silence, the only sounds audible the crunching of leaves and branches under their feet and the occasional scream coming from ghosts and spirits. «It would be dangerous to continue with San Lang still like this».
He could protect him, but Mount Tong'lu was too dangerous for Hua Cheng if he kept his eyes shut and his conscience drifting. Even though it was literally impossible for him to completely dissipate, not until Xie Lian treasured his diamond ashes around his neck, the god didn't want to see him disappear.
«Your Highness, you... you're really close to the Ghost Realm», the former heavenly official commented. Pei Su had already been exiled when the news of Xie Lian being married to Crimson Rain Sought Flower turned the heavens upside down, so he received nothing but bits and pieces of information. Only when the Rain Master picked him up and offered him shelter he finally learned about what he couldn't discover on his own.
Xie Lian gave a faint smile, letting out an amused breath: «I already was, when we met», he confessed, trying not to laugh when he turned and saw Pei Su's dumbfounded expression. «I married San Lang before the BanYue War».
. . .
«Wait», BanYue spoke up, eyes darting between the god and the ghost in his arms. «Is that the reason why you called yourself Hua Xie?».
«Precisely».
The groan coming from right behind him made Xie Lian chuckle for a second, though bitterness took hold of him. He remembered how BanYue would do the same thing, in the past, when she was told something unbelievable that turned out to be true. Xie Lian loved to sit beside the fire with her and tell her a multitude of stories that didn't seem real, if only to get amused at the sheer disbelief she would show when proven otherwise.
Fond memories, all of them.
Xie Lian looked down, still worried, staring at the Ghost King resting in his arms. Now more than ever, Xie Lian wished his husband could have met BanYue when she was still alive, or Pei Su when he still was a young boy. So many things changed since then... it was almost impossible to believe.
As they walked, the woods were growing sparse and the roads wider, traces of habitation coming up every now and then. Xie Lian recalled something about Mount Tong'lu having been a kingdom of its own, in a past older than he could imagine, so he didn't question why there were houses there. Hua Cheng spent some time telling him some history, while they walked towards the place, so he wasn't completely ignorant when it came to it.
He eyed a broken-down, blackened little house on the side of the road and nodded towards it: «Let's camp there», he decided, already walking in that direction. «Pei Su needs to rest, and we can wait for San Lang to recover without moving him around too much».
BanYue spoke up her agreement to that, so neither Pei Ming nor Pei Su himself had anything to say against it. If anything, Xie Lian was more than relieved; despite his more than enough spiritual powers, the god needed some rest and sustenance as well, if he wanted to be at his best shape once they faced the more dangerous areas of Mount Tong'lu.
After setting up camp inside the decrepit house, BanYue dutifully worked on starting the fire and Pei Su went hunting. As for Xie Lian, he put Hua Cheng down and started staring at his face once more, trying to find any sign that told him his husband was having a hard time coming back.
A moment later, instinct made him whip his head around, and sure enough Pei Ming was watching the two of them.
The two stared at each other, and Pei Ming huffed a dry laugh. Before Xie Lian could say anything, however, BanYue walked over with a pot for food in her hands, and called out to her general.
«What is it?».
The black pot in BanYue's hands had a terrified wild chicken within it: «Pei Su-gege caught it to have me cook, but I don't know how».
Right, BanYue never learned how to take care of herself properly. Xie Lian was too incompetent with food to help her – and he really didn't feel like becoming better – so she only learned some basics for survival. Plucking and cooking a chicken on the fire wasn't something she ever did in the past, especially after becoming the Guoshi of BanYue and being treated with food prepared specifically for her in a palace. Of them, Xie Lian knew Pei Su was somewhat of a good cook, he used to make something for both BanYue and Xie Lian before enlisting in the army, but he went ahead to scout after hunting.
Pei Ming, on the other hand, seemed to be dissatisfied with BanYue no matter how he looked at her, and despite the friendly relationship now running between them, Xie Lian truly wanted to slap him across the face for what he told her out loud.
Saying she only fought and killed and couldn't even cook... BanYue wasn't a delicate girl raised in a normal household, and couldn't understand his puzzling words. She grew up in the streets, and then became the fearsome Guoshi that people both hated and loved with passion; what use were makeup and household chores for her?
«General Pei, with all due respect, don't talk to BanYue using that tone», Xie Lian couldn't help but scold him, taking the pot with the chicken from the ghost's hands. «I can teach you, okay? You never could or needed to learn, it's fine if you feel lost now».
Since BanYue already deeply admired him, she happily followed his instructions, while Pei Ming took a couple seconds to recover from the shock of receiving a lecture before jumping into action.
An incense time later, Xie Lian was pulling the colorful feathers off the wild chicken, and Pei Ming raised his blood-soaked hands with some grumbling; the martial god insisted on killing the chicken with his bare hands, a bloody an grimy sight, instead of using a knife. As if they didn't have anything to kill a chicken with.
E-Ming would have done so without caring about being used for such a mundane task, but Xie Lian didn't really want to listen to Pei Ming or Pei Su complain about eating something that had been killed by the cursed scimitar.
Xie Lian threw the fully plucked chicken back into the pot, filled it with water, and started slowly cooking it atop the fire. To add flavor, he threw in some wild herbs as well, but tried to restrain from putting anything else into the mix.
While he was fond of experimental kinds of cooking, and tended to mix anything and everything to see what could work together, he knew that Pei Su truly needed to eat. His hellish cooking wouldn't help him gain some of his strength back, and would probably only make him sick.
So, with a struggle, Xie Lian forced himself to stick to the basics. Just chicken with some herbs, water, and a well-stocked fire. Not the best thing in the world, because chicken was obviously better roasted over the fire rather than boiled, but Xie Lian didn't trust himself too much when it came to roasting things.
The last thing he wanted was to burn the bird to a crisp and have nothing to eat afterwards.
While adding some firewood, Pei Ming stole a glance at Xie Lian and frowned: «Your Highness, I've a question I wanted to ask you», he said, making up his mind. He had actually wanted to have that conversation much sooner, but he didn't feel like talking about it at the time.
«By all means, General Pei, please ask».
It was somewhat surprising that Pei Ming had spoken up so suddenly, and Xie Lian didn't miss the wary look he sent BanYue right after talking; he could guess what he wanted to ask about, but still let him continue without saying anything else.
In that case, if he wanted BanYue out of earshot, Xie Lian wouldn't lash out at him with a scolding again. it was understandable.
Though, Pei Ming simply sat down beside the fire, not a single hit of wanting to throw anyone out in sight.
«I won't ask about the Wind Master, but... how come you're in such a friendly relationship with Black Water? Is it disdain for the heavens, or just closeness to ghosts?».
Xie Lian stared at nothing for a good while, mulling over that question. Then, after asking BanYue to keep an eye on the pot to avoid it from boiling over, he sat down next to Pei Ming and sighed, not really knowing how to say what he wanted to reply.
It was a difficult response to tackle.
«It wasn't always like it is now», he carefully started, choosing his words. «Before the tragedy at Black Water Island, I had virtually no contacts with He Xuan. In fact, I only knew Ming Yi, at the time».
It had been difficult, forgiving Hua Cheng for not telling him the truth about the Earth Master. The Crown Prince only accepted that such a subterfuge wasn't avoidable because he understood how painful and heart-wrenching it was, to have one's life being swept away by the hand of someone else. What Shi Wudu had done, by taking what was He Xuan's and giving it to his brother, might have been out love, but it still brought desperation and devastation over the shoulders of the one who had been robbed.
That much he told Pei Ming, before continuing some more: «I know it's difficult for you to believe, and I understand it, but He Xuan is not a bad person. Not inherently. Not because he wanted to. He used to be a scholar, someone that poured heart and soul in books and scrolls, someone that had a family of his own and wishes of his own. All of that... Shi Wudu took it away. He caused everything that happened to him, to his family, and to his friends. He caused his death».
He Xuan, once, told him the story of how he died. Xie Lian didn't remember how or why it came up, but it did.
Black Water Sinking Ships, the fearsome Ghost King that ruled over many bodies of dark waters, died because his guilt and his pain brought him to the end. The blood on his hands washed away only when he stepped in the water, falling down and down and down until he touched the sea floor, lungs burning as they filled up and he drowned in the deep.
Not many thought about the reason why he was so close to the ocean, and those who thought about it... well, it was safe to say that now the majority of them declared He Xuan claimed the waters for himself to spite Shi Wudu.
But Xie Lian knew.
Another sigh passed through the god's body, and he turned his head to look at Pei Ming: «I learned to trust him on my own. Even if he and San Lang are good friends, I never relied on any good words from my husband to build up a relationship with He Xuan», he said, voice becoming just a tad gentler. «It's not disdain for the heavens, really. I'm not as close to the Heavenly Court as I once was, and I'll probably never be again, but the friendship I have with He Xuan comes from me liking him».
He did feel much closer to the ghosts than he did to many heavenly officials, that was true. It was also true that he felt much more sympathetic towards ghosts rather than gods, in many situations. But what he worked to build with He Xuan, that closeness he refused to almost anyone else, sprouted simply from the desire to have a friend he genuinely liked.
He Xuan was good company, quiet but comfortable to be around if one took the time to learn about him. And his fish, though scary at times, were amusing.
«General Pei, I... I know you'll never be able to see him as anything but a horrible being. I can't give you a different answer».
Then it was for the best that Pei Ming wasn't looking for an answer different from the truth. He couldn't truly believe Xie Lian, he still doubted Black Water was anything but bad news despite the veiled reassurance, but it wasn't that unbelievable either.
Heavenly officials were biased, when it came to Ghost Kings. And Ghost Kings... well, they never really caused too many struggles, if honesty was needed. Most of the disasters troubling the heavens were caused by lower-ranking ghosts, funnily enough, while the Devastations kept to themselves and only showed their faces when provoked.
Pei Ming, as someone who had lost a bright light thanks to a Ghost King, was even more biased.
He clicked his tongue, and added more wood to the fire: «We have different views on many things, Your Highness. But we're both honest, I think».
Of the gossip going around the martial god, after all, none of it talked about lies and deceit. Pei Ming had his questionable habits, at least according to the common and heavenly folk, but he was no trickster.
And then, another question popped up in his mind, though he had no idea if it was appropriate to ask it or not. By the time he decided he wanted to speak up, a movement behind them made Xie Lian whip his head back, and words fell into the void.
«San Lang!».
Heart leaping madly in his chest, Xie Lian immediately went over to help hold Hua Cheng up by the shoulders, seeing he finally sat up. Mad with worry, his eyes ran all over his body, the god delighted to see his form seemed bigger. The ghost now appeared to be at least thirteen or fourteen, and even his voice changed from that of a child to the slightly raspy voice of a teen when he spoke.
Xie Lian, despite the situation, felt his heart tighten.
He'd never seen Hua Cheng as a teenager. He saved him as a child, saw him again as Wu Ming, and then met him in his adult form as a Ghost King. Those years in the middle... Xie Lian never got to experience them with his own eyes. Not even Hua Cheng got to experience them, trapped as he was fighting a war that was already lost.
«I'm glad you're getting better», he told him, voice singing with relief as he raised a hand to brush away some stray hair from his face.
«I am», Hua Cheng nodded, relishing in the soothing touch of fluttering fingers. «Thank you for giving me relief, gege».
«No need to thank me, I... wait», Xie Lian stopped mid-sentence, smile freezing in place. «San Lang, it's not what I think it is, right?».
He couldn't do anything about that, if it was the case. Nevermind Pei Ming, Pei Su and BanYue being there, the ghost was way too young in appearance. Xie Lian was starting to panic, when his husband grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.
Initially, the panic refused to subside, but Xie Lain gradually recognized there were no signs of actual distress coming from him, and neither there were signs of unstable waves of spiritual energy. It was enough to calm him down, and to realize Hua Cheng was now exuding clean ghostly energy rather than nothing at all.
After some time, Pei Ming cleared his voice from behind them and hinted at the bubbling pot on the fire when Xie Lian turned around. By the looks of it, the chicken cooking inside it was ready to be eaten, so the god sent BanYue out to retrieve Pei Su and made his husband sit down close to him.
With all of the group together, Pei Su produced some bowls from the bag he was carrying – it seemed like he was fairly adjusted to the life of mortal needs already – and distributed them; one for Pei Ming, one for him and BanYue, and one for Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. Then, the god ladled up some chicken for everyone to eat, and they all took a bite. BanYue and Pei Su were understandably wary of that food, even if they both admired Xie Lian, but their eyes widened in surprise as soon as they swallowed the first mouthful.
It was good.
Actually good.
«Eat, and then get some sleep», he told Pei Su after giving the rest of his bowl to Hua Cheng. Not that he needed sustenance, but the ghost loved to eat anything cooked by Xie Lian and he was relatively full already. «General Pei, I'd like for you to stand guard while Pei Su rests for the night. I'll jump in if needed, there's one dangerous ghost roaming Mount Tong'lu that needs my intervention», he then added, after receiving a nod from the former god.
«General Hua...?».
Xie Lian turned to look at BanYue: «Uh? Yes, what is it?».
She looked down, embarrassed: «Why was your food so bad in the past?».
At that, Xie Lian didn't know what to answer. He looked away, cleared his throat, and waved a hand: «Don't think about it, and let's just rest».
At the crack of dawn, Hua Cheng jumped up and looked straight east. An overwhelming sense of dread suddenly enveloped him, awakening him to full attention; the ghost immediately realized what threat was coming close, the memory of that ghost still fresh in his mind for how agonizing it had been to be near it, and immediately woke Xie Lian up.
Unfortunately for them, with Hua Cheng's body in that pitiful condition, they couldn't face it head on.
«Gege, that ghost is coming rapidly from the east», he called, watching his beloved open a pair of gold eyes in an instant. «We must get away for now».
Xie Lian looked at Pei Ming, hoping he would catch the hint, and sighed in relief when he bolted to wake up Pei Su and BanYue. As for the Crown Prince, he looked to the east and saw nothing through the endless black night, no figures skulking in the darkness. However, as they stared, the wind brought to them the faint, wailing sound of a whistling instrument, and Xie Lian's blood ran cold.
«We're going to the west», he declared, jumping to his feet and putting Hua Cheng on his shoulders in the same movement. «Now».
As he spoke, BanYue got to her feet and helped Pei Su up, a rather amusing sight only because the ghost girl was considerably shorter, but no one lost any time. Everything was packed up in a matter of seconds, and the next thing the group knew they were out and running, hastily going their way and ready to fight.
Now, opposite to the day before, Xie Lian was prepared to kill without hesitation. That layer of Mount Tong'lu had far more ghosts willing to spark up a fight rather than choosing to run away, so the god grabbed FangXin in one hand and E-Ming was floating around him, ready to strike at the slightest hint of danger.
After running for several miles, though, not a single movement was detected and Xie Lian was rather puzzled.
The only reason that existed to explain why there were no ghosts running about was the presence of a ghost powerful enough to annihilate the competition. If the one Hua Cheng encountered back in his domain was in the opposite direction, why were there no ghosts and monsters in sight?
It was weird, especially because there was nothing amiss to be sensed, no huge spiritual presence to be recognized, no traces of movements.
Suddenly, Xie Lian and the rest of the group stopped in their steps; just ahead of them, a field of corpses was blocking their way, bodies of all shapes and sizes. There were beasts, men, women, even battered souls and ghost fires. An exceedingly chilling sight, one that made Xie Lian's mind do an abrupt jump back in time, when he walked over a battlefield where bodies littered the ground like crops.
«This is the work of one person», Hua Cheng said. «And the kill is clean, there was no actual battle».
To have killed over five hundred ghosts and monsters in such a short period of time... Xie Lian stole a glance at Pei Ming, and then smacked his lips: «Did you ask him to come here, of is he just doing this because he wants to?».
The massacre was too clean and precise to be the work of anyone else but a Devastation. All the corpses where in neatly piles on the ground, not scattered as if they had time to run for their lives; it meant that whoever killed them, they killed all the group at once.
Aside from Hua Cheng, the only ghost currently walking the earth that was able to do something like that was He Xuan.
The Ghost King shrugged: «Who knows, maybe he's here because of someone else».
«Who are you talking about? Who is here?».
Confused, Pei Su eyed the very unusual battlefield and then moved his gaze from Xie Lian to the small ghost on his shoulders: «Is there someone else we should worry about, General Hua?».
Xie Lian shook his head, though he did admonish Pei Su to be less noisy: «Nothing to worry about, it's just-».
«It's just Black Water», Pei Ming concluded for him, ignoring the stabbing look he received from Crimson Rain when he interrupted the other god. «Am I right?».
Pei Su almost tripped on his own feet: «What do you mean "it's just Black Water"?!», he silently exclaimed, a whisper that desperately wanted to be a shout. Was his general in friendly relation with that ghost as well?
What in the world...
Right, Xie Lian forgot that Pei Su only knew about him being married to Hua Cheng. That he was close to He Xuan was something only known to a very small handful of people, the rest of it was only gossip going mouth to mouth in the heavens.
A mess that could have been avoided, especially with Pei Ming being in the picture. They had no need for a Ghost King and a martial god to start beating each other up in the middle of a crisis.
Annoyed, Xie Lian raised a hand to rub at his forehead: «Listen, we have work to do. He Xuan will not bother us, if anything he'll make things a bit easier», he said, trying to ease the mood. «We're going to continue on this path, wait until San Lang is back, and then we will separate».
He turned to look at his fellow martial god: «General Pei, when we separate... don't go around killing ghosts. Take Rong Guang and Ke Mo away, and be of help for the Rain Master». It was preposterous, for someone like him to order Pei Ming around, but what choice did he have? The last thing he needed was for him to get in the way of who needed to enter the Kiln. Plus, YuShi Huang would surely appreciate some help, even if it came from Pei Ming.
Xie Lian would pay gold to see her reaction to him, knowing both their personalities.
«Your Highness, what are you planning? This is highly suspicious».
«Are you going to listen or not?».
They had no time to throw around, Xie Lian got straight to the point. They could discuss suspicions and the like after Mount Tong'lu accepted a new ghost inside its heart.
Taken aback by the abrupt reply, Pei Ming blinked at him, brightly colored eyes looking at him with a dumbfounded expression. Never, in his long life, had someone talked to him using that tone, not even in his mortal years. He was about to give Xie Lian a piece of his mind, but then he remembered that not only His Highness was considerably older than him, he was also far more powerful in terms of raw power and more skillful in terms of sword form.
And he was favored by both the Heavenly Emperor and the Calamity that brought ruin upon the heavens.
Pride be damned, Pei Ming swallowed down his harsh reply and gave a disgruntled nod: «I truly hope this is not something the Heavenly Court will regret».
Yeah, Xie Lian hoped so as well.
As they journeyed, the houses and buildings alongside the roads increased in number, and soon they could even recognize impoverished slums, a theatre house for leisure, the backyard of a wealthy household. The very road they walked beneath their feet was paved by people long lost, the patterns still faintly visible under layers of consumption and dirt.
Xie Lian made a silent note for himself to ask Hua Cheng about the past of Mount Tong'lu in a bit more detail, once they were back to Paradise Manor.
There was an old well on the roadside, and Xie Lian went to check on it. By that time, they had been walking for hours without a break, nothing to drink or to eat in sight, so when the water was pulled up and it looked relatively clean, the Crown Prince called everyone and decided they could rest for a bit.
More importantly, Xie Lian gave Pei Su a bit of water and drank some himself, but made sure the former official still got plenty more.
«Say, San Lang», he asked his husband, eyes running over the few plants growing around them, nature reclaiming its power over man-made destruction. «Do you know if there's some edible plants or berries around here? I don't think we'll find any sort of animal from this point onwards, there's too much chaos happening».
Well, at least not normal wild animals, that much was sure. There was probably some creature roaming the broken down roads, but surely they weren't fit for human consumption.
«General Hua, there's no need for this effort», Pei Su butted in, quickly understanding it was a question mainly sprouted up for him. «I can go for some time without eating, it's fine. Besides, we already ate some meat yesterday».
Not a lot, but surely enough for sustenance. Pei Su, though his days as an official made him used to different routines, was still used to being undernourished every once in a while. It was somewhat of a common occurrence, back when he spent long days at a time in Xie Lian's company.
Mostly because of his dreadful cooking, not that he would ever say that to his face.
Before Xie Lian could say anything in response, Hua Cheng scoffed. While he had close to no care for that brat, he was someone his beloved used to cherish in his BanYue days, part of that improvised family he built while alone in foreign territory.
Xie Lian would be saddened if anything happened to him right under his watch, especially now that justice had been served for committed crimes and there was only help to be given.
«There is something, if you know what to look for», he replied, idly playing with some strands of ebony hair. «I can show you».
At that, however, Xie Lian shook his head, saying the ghost had to rest and shouldn't go around searching for plants. He was so adamant in that statement that Hua Cheng, although reluctantly, had to agree and let Xie Lian go search for them on his own. With E-Ming accompanying him, of course.
The Ghost King shot a sour look at his scimitar, as always entirely too eager to follow the god around, but made sure to describe in detail what plants were edible and what were poisonous, and then watched as his beloved scampered off with a silver flash following him.
Hua Cheng only knew about those plants because of the humans he met back in the days he himself drifted to Mount Tong'lu. Some dropped dead after eating a particular plant, some kept walking for hours after finding something that could be swallowed down with no danger.
Luckily for them, the ghost had a good memory.
Curiosity getting the better of her, and ignoring the warning glances sent by the former official, BanYue pursed her lips and moved to sit beside the other ghost, knees tucked to her chest and chin resting on her knees.
Hua Cheng never treated her badly, while she was in the shrine of her general, and he also gave her a place to stay in his manor rather than telling her to find a house for herself in the city. BanYue had no idea why, after all she kept hearing stories of how merciless and unapproachable Crimson Rain Sought Flower apparently was. What she saw, in the time spent near him, was only someone that deeply cared about the things that had real importance for him.
Any other stuff he simply had no interest in, and preferred to be a nuisance so they could go away and let him focus on what he wanted to cherish.
«Crimson Rain, can I ask you something?».
«Hua Cheng».
«Uh?».
The ghost turned his head to look at BanYue, then went back to stare at the direction Xie Lian ran towards: «Just call me Hua Cheng. No need for the moniker».
BanYue was surprised for a second: «Oh... oh, okay», she nodded. «Hua Cheng, how come this land has so many traces of settlement?».
All the talk she heard about Mount Tong'lu was of an inhabitable place, with only wild animals and creatures managing to survive in its harsh conditions. To see so many houses and buildings... it seemed amiss.
Instead of giving her an answer, he smiled faintly: «You can come back to Paradise Manor after we're done here», he said, eye lighting up upon seeing his beloved finally coming back. «Gege wants to hear it as well, and we don't have much time now».
However, their relative peace didn't last long. After a while, just enough time for Pei Su to munch on some berries that Hua Cheng confirmed were safe for human consumption, a dreadful ghostly energy started approaching them.
Of course, both Pei Ming and Pei Su jumped up, one raising his fists and the other placing a hand on his sword, but Xie Lian walked over and gently placed his palms on top of the back of their hands. There was no need for aggression.
He told the two to go sit back down, though worry washed over him when Pei Ming grumpily complied, then turned to the direction were that spiritual signature was coming from.
«Really bad timing», he commented, not without a hint of bitterness in his voice. «Why didn't you communicate with us?».
The slow crunching of boots on a naked road came closer. Soon, a figure clad in deep black and intense gold appeared in Xie Lian's field of vision, long robes flowing behind him like waves in the wind. Behind him, he heard the stifled, angered gasp.
Really, He Xuan could have chosen any other moment when Pei Ming wasn't present.
Turned out, He Xuan really came to Mount Tong'lu under Shi QingXuan's insistence, and preferred not to communicate because he was only there to keep an eye on the situation. The reason why he slaughtered all those ghosts was that they foolishly attacked him and refused to give up, even when He Xuan first showed them no interest in fighting.
As he told them clearly, he wouldn't have showed up if they didn't find that small battlefield.
«Are you planning to do anything else, now?», Xie Lian asked, him and the two Calamities conversing well out of earshot and protected by an additional layer provided by a muffling spell.
He couldn't leave Mount Tong'lu until after the Kiln sealed, after all.
Before the ghost could have a chance to speak, however, Xie Lian felt someone approaching and turned his head around; sure enough, Pei Ming was leisurely walking towards them, though his fists were clenched on his sides and his handsome brow was furrowed.
He should have seen that coming.
Despite asking both him and Pei Su – BanYue was a ghost herself, and she had no interest in He Xuan – to keep on the sides and store all their questions away for another time, it seemed that Pei Ming had different plans in mind. Not that Xie Lian could blame him, but they didn't need Mount Tong'lu to become a stage for a fight between Black Water Sinking Ships and the Martial God of the North.
«General Pei, what-».
«Your Highness, I suggest a change of plans for the time being», the martial god interrupted him, eyes trained on the – rather unfamiliar – figure standing in front of him. He Xuan had very similar traits when one compared him to Ming Yi, an unsettling alikeness able to make one's legs tremble in confusion. Pei Ming didn't know if the Earth Master was just a different form of his, or if the original Ming Yi was actually similar to the ghost when it came to outer looks; it didn't change the fact that looking at Black Water's real face, one that he'd never seen before up close and in person, was an experience he couldn't describe.
He wanted to run away and face him all at once, his fight or flight instinct spinning wildly in circles.
As a martial god, and one as powerful as him no less, the right thing to do was to face the ghost head on and try to get rid of him, if only to avenge the death of a heavenly official. As a man, however, Pei Ming didn't know what to do.
«You go on with Crimson Rain and your two kids. I'll have a talk with him».
Despite himself, Xie Lian side-eyed him: «General Pei, I don't believe this is a wise idea», he carefully said, unsure about how to react. He didn't even notice the fact Pei Ming called both BanYue and Pei Su his kids, so much was his uncertainty and so many his doubts.
«With all due respect, who are you afraid for?».
Good question. One that Xie Lian didn't really want to answer, though. Of course, he was afraid for Pei Ming, but if he said that out loud, then it would be obvious the god was siding with He Xuan and was insulting the martial god at the same time by implicitly saying he couldn't keep up a fight.
In the current state of things, there was no way Xie Lian could even remotely be worried for He Xuan.
Even in the case he was hit by another wave of disruptive spiritual energy, which was highly unlikely at that point, the ghost was still more powerful than Pei Ming by a long shot.
When Xie Lian didn't answer, and instead he saw his eyes darting between him and Black Water, the martial god sighed: «Listen, I know who you're siding with. I would make a complete fool of myself if I didn't. But – and he turned around, not looking at the Crown Prince – wise idea or not, I doubt we could have a more appropriate arrangement than this to talk».
After all, Pei Ming had no intentions of setting foot on Black Water Island, the lone idea of stepping into the ghost's territory instilling a deep sense of hatred and disgust into his bones, and he was certainly not willing to discuss while in the Heavenly Court.
He didn't particularly care about Black Water himself, in case he was discovered because of careless conversations, but surely Pei Ming cared for the safety of his own person and reputation. Knowing there was a ghost in their ranks and not reporting it was already dangerous enough. There was the possibility of contacting Xie Lian and talking it out in his PuQi Shrine, or even in Paradise Manor, however... the god wanted it to be a heart to heart, just him and Black Water. No one else eavesdropping.
At that, there wasn't much to say save for an agreement. Thus, Xie Lian heaved a deep sigh and took Hua Cheng's hand in his. If anything, he trusted He Xuan not to do anything incredibly stupid.
«Fine», he agreed, reluctantly. «We're going. But after this, use your status as a heavenly official to leave this place and go aid the Rain Master».
No "please" and "thank you" that time around. Xie Lian was, honestly, a bit fed up with all the time that was being lost thanks to the unexpected company. Pleasant, but still unexpected.
He left without adding anything else, though he did leave his communication array with He Xuan wide open and accessible.
They had work to do.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Of all the strange and bizarre things that could have happened in Mount Tong'lu – nothing worse than finding himself in the Kiln with a giant statue of a god staring at him – He Xuan didn't expect that being held back for a conversation by a martial god would be one of them.
Was Pei Ming finally going back on his word, after all? If that was the case, then maybe it was better if He Xuan came up with a contingency plan, at least to keep Shi QingXuan out of the mess.
Though, judging by the conflicted expression scrunching up the god's features, maybe the matter was different.
There was still some killing intent hidden beneath the surface, the ghost could sense its presence. It was faint, like the vague scent of poison wafting through a windstorm, but it existed. He Xuan frowned: «You want to kill me», he pointed out, voice low like the calmest of tides. «And still, you refrain from doing so. Why?».
He wanted to do so much more than killing him. For the first time in his long life, Pei Ming had never wanted someone to kneel down and beg for forgiveness as much as he wanted it now from Black Water. His deepest, darkest wish was to have him on his knees, back bent down and breaking under the weight of his bloodied sins. To see him shattered, destroyed, unable to be put back together even by the most patient of souls.
Pei Ming shook his head, a bitter laugh surfacing briefly: «I will not cause more grief and sadness to Shi QingXuan», he replied, pouring his words out without truly looking at his face. His eyes, gleaming and purple, were now unfocused, walking back a road that brought him to the past.
The Wind Master had suffered enough, both in his mortal life and in his heavenly one. Voices of his history didn't come late to the heavens, after Shi Wudu died and his little brother disappeared in seclusion. Voices of a childhood spent running away from the darkness of misfortune, voices of a godhood stolen from someone who deserved it since birth. Why add to the mix by pulling away yet another golden thread from the tapestry of his existence?
Why have it fray, have it slowly unravel, why ruin it?
«Why is that stopping you?».
Black Water, of course, didn't know.
The martial god could not hide his surprise, upon hearing that question; he believed Xie Lian must have told him, but he really kept to himself. Pei Ming almost felt guilty for being so suspicious of him.
He shook his head, eyes focusing back in the world they were living into, and bore the piercing golden gaze of the ghost with upright shoulders: «I don't want to make assumptions about relationships, so I will not. But... what is stopping me?».
Pei Ming gave a bittersweet smile, and went to sit on a flat rock nearby, probably some remnants of old architecture long lost to the unrelenting hand of time. From there, he kept looking at Black Water, a void of color against a backdrop of faded shades: «I know what it means to lose a person you love».
The grief, the helplessness, the desire to simply lay down and cry until both eyes were empty and the heart cold.
For him, there was no way of knowing what brought Shi QingXuan and Black Water together. But he knew that, no matter how deep their bond was, Shi QingXuan would suffer immensely if he were to lose someone he was so attached to.
That he managed to stay with him even after Black Water killed his brother... it was nothing but a confirmation of how much those two cared about one another.
What filtered through, despite his immense control over emotions and feelings, was genuine surprise.
Never, in his long years undercover in the Heavenly Court, had He Xuan ever heard of Pei Ming being attached to someone. Not to mention of him being in love with someone.
He did remember something truly bizarre about him, an abrupt and bewildering stop to his womanizer habits, but he wouldn't have imagined such a reason behind it.
His shock was so great that he actually asked, blurting out a question before taking hold of his reactions: «You loved someone?»
«Is that so difficult to believe?».
If He Xuan cared about him, he would have raised an eyebrow at the broken tone of his voice. But he didn't, so he frowned instead: «With all due respect, I've roamed the heavens for centuries», he said, not without bite behind his words. «I've never seen love when looking at you».
And he knew what love was like, of course he knew.
He had a life, before being robbed of it. He had a family, he had someone to love all on his own, he could have had so much more. Love was something he almost completely forgot, upon taking the path of revenge, but not something foreign.
He Xuan had lived, and so he had loved. He had the glittering mirth of laughter in his eyes, back in his childhood, and the composed amusement of a scholar in his young adulthood.
How well did Pei Ming manage to hide it, for him not to notice?
Pei Ming clicked his tongue, suppressing a sigh: «No one was supposed to see it. It was his wish».
The one and only thing he outright asked, with no dancing around the issue. Shi Wudu wanted to be cherished, not shared around like a trophy, and Pei Ming didn't complain or argue with him. It was a fine arrangement, one that didn't hurt anyone.
Everything else, from his vow never to touch another woman to his silent gifts, was all Pei Ming's doing. While Shi Wudu wished for there not to be anyone else, he never used his jealousy to explicitly make the martial god drop all his flames. Pei Ming did that on his own accord, out of respect for both their feelings.
Not telling had been difficult, at first. Pei Ming was so used to flaunting around his numerous successes in bed that hiding his biggest one took a toll on his pride, but he managed. And then, after a while, he didn't have to manage anymore, because he was happy.
The god shook his head, lowering his gaze to the ground: «I want to kill you, more than anything I've ever wanted», he admitted, fists clenching on the loose fabric of his robes. «But what I want and what is right aren't on the same page».
By that point, He Xuan could guess why he was being told that. Why Pei Ming cared so much about Shi QingXuan's well being.
For the first time since the day he started plotting his revenge against the god that took his whole world away from him, the ghost felt a tiny, faint pang of guilt deep into the remote recessed of his blackened heart.
Not for Shi Wudu. Not for his death, not for taking back what he had been robbed of.
That guilt was for taking away yet another life, after Ming Yi, that didn't need to be taken. The life Pei Ming could have had, hadn't he murdered the Water Master.
Fate truly loved to laugh in his face.
He made to talk, but the god beat him on time.
«I can't help but resent you, yet I'm aware that you're not that bad of a...ghost».
He caught himself before calling him a person. He just couldn't do it. To him, Black Water was just that, a heap of dark, murky waters waiting for someone to drown in them, rarely seeking but merciless nonetheless.
Something akin to envy flared up in him for a second, thinking about how easy it had been for Xie Lian to befriend such a creature.
Pei Ming looked up once more, locking eyes with the ghost: «Shi QingXuan is not like his brother», he whispered, lacking the strength to be louder. Too many trips down memory lane for him to handle. «Don't make him suffer more than he already did. For Shi Wudu, I will never let you hurt him ever again».
For the love he had for his little brother, for all the worry and happiness and pride he showed with no filter behind closed doors.
Pei Ming couldn't have his old love beside him anymore, but if there was anything he could do to protect what was left of him in that world, he would do it.
He Xuan didn't even need to think before nodding: «I won't».
Pei Ming scoffed: «You better remember that».
Then, he got up from his seat, dusted himself off, and turned his back on the ghost. Although irked by that, Xie Lian had requested something of him that would only help those who prayed to the heavens day and night.
«General Pei?».
Hearing his name being called, the god turned his head and raised an eyebrow: «Uh?».
«Hurting you wasn't my intention», He Xuan said, direct as always. «I didn't know».
«Would that have made a difference?».
When Black Water didn't answer the question, Pei Ming gave a bitter, breathy laugh, and started walking away from him: «I understand why you did it, Black Water. He ruined your life. There's no going back from that».
«But he made yours better».
Steps faltering a bit, Pei Ming still kept going, though his heart wept again and he couldn't help but curve his lips in a sad, melancholic smile: «Yes... yes he did», he murmured, more to himself that to the ghost. «Take care of his brother», he then added. «If anything happens to him, I will find your ashes and make sure you'll drown in your own sorrow».
There were no more sounds as he walked away, save for the crunching of boots on old stone and broken branches.