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Xie Lian had woken up before his husband, which was an extremely rare occasion. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, the god quietly wandered down to the kitchen in his inner robes. He would make breakfast in bed for Hua Cheng. Xie Lian carefully selected his ingredients and began to prepare a new dish, which he had named Morning Dew Congee.
Excited to wake his husband up to a new meal, Xie Lian walked cheerfully into their bedroom in Paradise Manor calling out,
"San lannnnnnggggg! San Lang?"
He paused, nearly dropping the tray of food out of shock.
"Wu Ming?"
Sitting on the edge of their bed was a tall, lanky teenager. He had a long black ponytail, black robes and a smiling mask. His posture was timid and nervous, unsure. He looked over upon hearing Xie Lian's voice, and approached a few steps, kneeling quickly.
"Your Highness," he greeted him.
Xie Lian's head was spinning. He put the tray down shakily, lost for words. Why would Hua Cheng turn into Wu Ming? Sometimes he would allow himself to be Hong Hong-er, but that was mostly for Xie Lian.
"Are… Do you know where you are?" He asked, cautious.
Hesitating slightly, the young wrath shook his head.
"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked gently.
Xie Lian watched Wu Ming's shoulders tense up at the question. Xie Lian knew he would have been… well… not exactly in a good place when Wu Ming saw him last, and it pained him to remember. What he wasn’t expecting was for Wu Ming to say, his voice a little shaky,
"Your Highness found a flower on his altar and you thought it was this one mocking you. I apologize to his Highness for the distress."
Xie Lian's expression drooped. His entire body melted. He dropped to his knees and scooped Wu Ming into a hug, pulling his head to his chest. The god began to cry.
"Oh Wu Ming, this one cannot possibly express how sorry he is! I never should have treated you that way. You were only trying to be kind! I truly didn't believe that I had any believers left in this world. I am so sorry!"
Wu Ming was frozen in place, completely taken aback. His Dianxia, who only moments ago yelled at him and crushed his offering, was sobbing, apologizing, cradling his head, touching him.
"There is no need to apologize, Your Highness!" He said adamantly, pulling away, despite the warmth in his Dianxia’s grasp, in order to kneel again.
"It was my mistake! It will not happen again!"
"Oh, Wu Ming," Xie Lian blubbered. "I treated you so cruelly. You didn't deserve it. All you deserve is love."
For a second time, Wu Ming couldn't fathom what was happening. He looked up at his Xie Lian, his smiling mask hiding his expression of shock, confusion and, somehow, adoration.
"Please, let me hold you," Xie Lian cooed gently, arms outstretched.
Unable to refuse his God, Wu Ming crawled over, allowing himself to be held.
Xie Lian let down Wu Ming's hair and gently ran his fingers through it. Now was his chance to treat Wu Ming the way he deserved, to make up for all of his wrong doings in the past.
"Thank you for standing by me, for being there for me when everyone else left. Wu Ming, my strong little soldier."
Xie Lian watched as tears slid down under the mask and dripped onto his white taoist robes. He wanted desperately to wipe the tears away and kiss it all better.
"Wu Ming?" He asked softly, "would you let me remove your mask?"
"Your Highness may do as he pleases with this one," he said nervously, "but this lowly one’s face is ugly. It's monstrous. His Highness should not have to look at such a face. It is beneath him."
"San- Wu Ming!" He corrected quickly, horrified by the ghost's words. It had been so long since he had heard his husband speak that way. "You are not lowly. You are good, strong and kind. Your face could never scare me. Looking upon you could never be beneath me."
"His Highness does not understand! I am hideous!"
Having realized that he was arguing with his God, Wu Ming tried to cover his mouth, placing his hands over his mask. He began to sob, horrible wrecked sobs. He was arguing with his God, Taiza Dianxia, after he had been kind enough to hold this lowly ghost, to comfort him and to apologize to him. His God apologized to someone as worthless as him and he dared to argue.
"I am sorry, Dianxia! This one deserves to be punished!"
He kneeled again, placing his head to the floor.
It pained Xie Lian to see his husband in this state, to hear him treat himself as if he were a stain on the world, lower than low. It hurt him even more to know that Wu Ming had felt this way all of those years ago, and that Xie Lian had trampled all over him. He had never offered him even one word of kindness back then when he needed it so dearly.
"Wu Ming," Xie Lian purred, voice barely above a whisper, "come here. There's no need to speak to yourself unkindly, and there is no need to apologize. Come here. Let this one see you."
Gently, he held Wu Ming's face in his hands and, with the utmost care, he removed his mask. Beneath the smiling mask was the face of a teenage boy, streaked red with tears. His eyes peered up anxiously at his God, waiting for him to see his cursed, red eye and reel back in horror. This did not happen. Instead, a warm, comforting smile appeared on Xie Lian's face.
"This one thinks that you are beautiful." Xie Lian praised, wiping the tears from his cheeks.
The words enveloped Wu Ming, warming the cold ghost right to his core.
"What a beautiful, handsome soldier," He continued, "Would this soldier like to know a secret?"
He nodded.
"Your memories…. You're missing some very important ones. The things you remember…. Oh I don't know how to explain it without sounding insane! But Wu Ming, those things happened a very long time ago! Things are different now, better. For starters, we are husbands! And this place, it's your home. You are a ghost King, a devastation, the most powerful one. Oh Wu Ming, you have protected me. You've followed and protected me all along, and I love you.
The poor thing blinked a few times, expressionless.
"You are my husband?" He gawked, as if his mind stopped listening after hearing his fact. "His Highness is…. This lowly one’s husband?"
"Yes! Well, no, not lowly one, but your husband, yes!" He exclaimed.
Wu Ming's eyes began to well up once more, this time from joy.
"This- this isn't real-"
"Yes it is!" Xie Lian laughed. "It's very real!"
He grabbed the wrath and wrapped him up in his arms.
"But- but how? I don't understand what I did to earn your love? Where did my memories go?" He asked in dismay.
"Oh… well about your memories… I actually don't know!" The God chuckled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
As if on cue, Yin Yu burst through the door,
"Lord Chengzhu, Your Highness!" He cried, "The shan-zu creature has escaped- Lord Chengzhu?"
His gaze fell upon the peculiar sight, a young Hua Cheng curled up beside his beloved, Xie Lian.
Wu Ming covered his face with his hands once more.
"Ah… That would make sense…" Xie Lian hummed thoughtfully.
A while back the shan-zu had stripped Xie Lian of his own memories, making him believe that he was still the 17 year old crown prince of Xianle. Well then, they know it's possible to return Hua Cheng's memories, it's just a matter of catching the creature. Normally Xie Lian would volunteer to do it himself, but his husband was in a very vulnerable place and he couldn't justify leaving him alone.
"Yin Yu, I entrust the capture of this creature to you and your shidi."
Yes. That should do the trick. Between Yin Yu and the heavenly official, it shouldn't take too long. Truthfully, Xie Lian would never entrust the task to Quan Yizhen alone, but his shixiong and lover was mostly capable of keeping him on task. Besides, Yin Yu had been so busy completing tasks for Hua Cheng that he rarely had the chance to spend some quality time with Quan Yizhen. Xie Lian considered this to be a very kind request.
"Yes, Your Highness," Yin Yu agreed, giving a curt bow and stepping out.
"There. It will all be settled soon, Wu Ming."
"And then I may remember marrying Your Highness?" He asked timidly.
"En. Until then, I want to show you all that you've done, all that you've built. Follow me, we are going into Ghost City."
Xie Lian and Wu Ming left Paradise Manor hand in hand. It had taken some convincing for Wu Ming to believe that he was worthy of holding hands with His Highness, but they got there. Wu Ming had put his mask back on before they left, not quite feeling confident enough to show his face to the crowd. Xie Lian hadn't fought him on this, but instead insisted that he wore robes from Hua Cheng's closet, giving Wu Ming the look of a true calamity. Hua Cheng always had a flair for the dramatics and it certainly shone through in his closet. Wu Ming had chosen a smaller, simpler robe. It was black with tastefully red accents. Xie Lian thought he looked adorable.
As they strolled through the city, fingers intertwined, ghosts gathered around the pair.
"Lord Chengzhu has taken a new form!"
"It is wonderful, Lord Chengzhu."
"Very regal."
They were sure to greet Xie Lian as well, as was customary. The citizens of Ghost City were incredibly fond of Xie Lian, who treated them with kindness and soothed their Lord's temper. Hua Chengzhu was always more agreeable when his husband was present.
"Your Highness," Wu Ming asked softly, "I…. I built this?"
"En. You did." He smiled.
Pride swelled up in Wu Ming's chest. He had built all of this for his beloved, he knew it. All he had ever wanted was to worship his Dianxia and give him all that he deserved. Now as this Lord Chengzhu, he could finally do that.
"Do you want to see something else that you did?"
"En, very much."
Xie Lian led the small wrath to the Temple of a Thousand Lights. The luminous walls towered high above their heads and, as they entered, Wu Ming's eyes fell upon the idol. The statue of Xie Lian was tall and delicately crafted, every curve made with the utmost care. It was breathtaking.
"I- I made this?" The poor thing gawked, his head spinning.
"En. You, my beloved, made this for me. All of it. You are my most devoted believer." The God praised.
From his pocket, Wu Ming produced a small, crumpled, cape jasmine flower. Xie Lian wasn't quite sure where he had gotten this, but it made his heart ache nonetheless as he remembered why the flower must be so crumpled.
Wu Ming approached the crown prince statue carefully, flower tucked gently in his hands. He looked nervously back at his God, and only continued forward when he was met with Xie Lian's gentle nod of approval. He placed a gentle kiss to the flower and, while his lips were close, began to whisper his prayer into it. Wu Ming did not prostrate. He knew better. He knew how his God felt about standing on equal ground with his followers, and how he rejected the notion that one should fear their God.
Xie Lian could hear the soft, earnest prayers in his mind as Wu Ming spoke them, quiet and sincere.
Please wait for me to get my memories back. Please be patient so that I may shower you with everything you deserve when the true me returns. Thank you for your kindness and patience. Thank you for your warmth and understanding. Please accept this flower. I know it is not worthy of you. It is all I have at the moment, but I will have so much more for you in the future. I promise. I offer not just this flower but my whole self. Thank you, Taiza Dianxia.
Xie Lian did not interrupt his husband. He knew how much his devotion meant to him, how much he loved to worship, even if Xie Lian didn't need him to. He watched as Wu Ming laid the flower down at the statue's feet, and began to light incense. When he was done, he walked back over to Xie Lian, and was greeted with an embrace.
"Ah, my Wu Ming. You are too good and kind. You will see when your memories return, that it is this one who is lucky to have married his San Lang."