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“Tea! Sweets!”
Xie Lian stands behind his small stall, watching the stream of people that passes it by with a small smile on his lips. He arrived at this village just yesterday with the intent of selling his treats, special-brew tea and sweets that he’s sourced from his travels, at the local Fire Social. He also has pieces of fresh fruit cut into fine and beautiful flowery shapes; lotuses and some nameless wild flowers he’s seen during these centuries.
Standing there for hours, his feet are tired but his mind is as sharp as ever. Among all the miscellaneous work he’s done during these years, selling these small treats at these odd regional festivals seems to yield the best income. People are happy and eager to get rid of their coins, and Xie Lian has come to understand that even mediocre tea and simple sweet treats feel like luxury to the common people if there is something to celebrate, making it all worth his while.
“Tea! Flower fruits! Sweet treats!” he calls out with a melodious voice. For once he’s happy for all his humiliating experiences with busking because now he knows how to use his voice to excite people, knows what to say to make them listen. He’s quite proud of the fact that nowadays he can make even plain tea sound like it’s an exotic delicacy.
Smiling cheerfully, Xie Lian looks at the small queue in front of his stall.
“What can I get you? Tea? Sweets?”
“Daozhang,” says one lady wearing a silly animal-shaped mask. “What do you recommend?”
Xie Lian hums and pretends to look indecisive, as if trying to figure out which one of his treats would suit the lady the best. “Miss. Are you merely thirsty, or are you more interested in gifting your taste buds a piece of heaven on this earth with some well-delivered sweetness?”
His face melts into a smile again as the young lady tells him that yes, she would indeed love to have all that Xie Lian has to offer.
“Here you are,” he says, handing the treats and accepting the copper coins in return.
“Keep the change, daozhang,” says the lady, and oh—this is one of the reasons Xie Lian truly loves selling his treats during festivals. People are so kind, so joyful, so carefree.
Next up there is a family of four, hustling and bustling with the kids running around their parents in circles, after which a young couple arrives at the stall. Xie Lian smiles gently: the man is clearly trying his best to court what Xie Lian assumes is his beloved, a pretty young village girl who is ordinary yet with a look of calm kindness in her eyes.
Xie Lian gifts her an extra sweet.
As is always the case, the flow of people lessens after these bursts of customers. This continuous ebb and flow gives Xie Lian a moment to breathe, which he does. He flexes his shoulders, stiff from serving all these treats and for a moment his expression falls. He loves this, he really does, being able to participate in these festivals like this, even if it’s only from the periphery as a silent observer whom no one cares about. Having lived this long, Xie Lian has no real friends, no acquaintances, no one to keep him company. No lovers, either, because for some reason he’s still choosing to believe in his cultivation, although it's quite clear that all that is in vain.
He loves Fire Socials, but can’t help but feel an utterly lonely pang in his heart, a whispering want inside him that fundamentally craves some form—any form—of emotional connection. But with all his powers sealed and his luck as abysmal as it is, Xie Lian is powerless in the face of passing tides.
Deep in his thoughts, he doesn’t immediately realize that a group of wealthy-looking customers approaches his stall.
“Our good daozhang,” starts one of the men, tall and thick, looking at the simple menu Xie Lian used a lot of time to write. “Tea and some fruits for all of us.”
Xie Lian smiles immediately and nods. One, two… altogether seven people. This is a good sale that will keep him afloat for a long time. “Coming right up, young master.”
As he prepares the foods, he idly listens to the conversation that floats into his ears from the other side of the stall.
“Did you hear? Apparently there was yet another fire in one of the Yong’an Temples of Cultural Heritage. No one died but the temple is completely ruined. Destroyed.”
“Really? The god of that temple must be furious. But hasn’t there been quite a lot of fires lately around here?”
“Well. Lately and lately. All the news travel so slowly but indeed, the past few years have seen quite a lot of fires here and there. Buildings burning down in flames, wild fires engulfing whole villages.”
“Yeah. There seems to be surprisingly much damage to the building stock but I hear casualties are nonexistent. It’s all just… a lot of material misery.”
“Mm. Do you think these incidents are connected?”
“Well. I wouldn’t put it past a ghost or some other resentful spirit being fixated on a specific area. There are those ones who materialize only at certain spaces and places, so maybe it’s a vengeful version of such a thing.”
“Hmm. Well. I think that that should be looked into in more detail before all of Yong’an burns down! Maybe hire a group of cultivators to exorcise the spirit.”
“Or just pray to gods to help.”
“Yeah, that too. I myself have been praying very hard just to keep this lil’ village of ours safe.”
”Aiyah! But let’s stop with this gloomy talk. This is a Fire Social and not a Bloody Fire Social—we should at least try to forget all those strange happenings for tonight.”
Xie Lian takes this as his cue. ”Young masters,” he calls out, interrupting the gossip, face relaxed, lips smiling. ”Your treats. I hope you’ll find the taste bearable.”
”Thank you, daozhang,” says the one who’s placed the order. He digs his money pouch and gives Xie Lian an appropriate amount of copper coins plus some extra. Xie Lian bows and thanks—with a smile, of course.
He serves a few other customers but once the start of the celebratory parade is announced, the influx of people to his stall comes to an abrupt end, people flocking to roadside to get a good spot to watch the annual festival event. Xie Lian sighs, leaning against the counter. For a moment he's engulfed by a gripping sense of loneliness, even worse than before, just from watching everyone else have someone to celebrate with.
Xie Lian is too old to have any of that because while he lives, everyone else dies, leaving him endlessly in the loop of loss and mourning.
Letting his chin rest against his hand, he reflects on what he has just heard. Village and temple fires, all around Yong’an. Quite interesting. Staring at the horde of people, he hums a tune that is originally from Xianle; a slow, lamenting swan song that his mother sometimes used to sing to him. It’s completely at odds with the celebratory joyful atmosphere of the Fire Social, but Xie Lian doesn’t care.
Suddenly he feels like he's being watched. Raising his gaze he finds himself staring directly into a set of two dark eyes on a handsome face, the glint in those eyes accompanied by a mischievous grin.
“Young master,” Xie Lian huffs, startled. “Apologies. I was too deep in my thoughts and didn’t realize you were there.”
The youth smiles, white teeth flashing in the darkness of the night gorgeously illuminated by celebratory lanterns and handheld firefly lights. He’s tall, definitely taller than Xie Lian, and wearing fine clothes of maple red and pristine white. He’s got a belt cinched on his lean waist and silver jewelry adorning his body. His smile is alluring, maybe a bit wicked in a way that makes Xie Lian’s heart skip a beat, and Xie Lian finds himself staring into two bright black eyes helplessly.
However, despite the overall look of opulence and poise around the youth, his ponytail is terribly crooked. Xie Lian immediately wants to reach out and fix it.
“Forgive me, young master,” he apologizes again, plastering his best smile on his face. “I was daydreaming. Would you like to order something?”
“Hmm,” the youth says and steps closer until he’s standing right in front of Xie Lian, just the narrow wooden counter separating them. “Gege can daydream as much as he wants. I don’t mind. As for the order, I’ll have whatever gege recommends,” he says brightly, eyes never leaving Xie Lian's.
It's unnerving, the way he looks at him, so Xie Lian turns around, his heart beating fast. The way of addressing him feels intimate in a way he cannot quite grasp, but he decides he doesn’t mind being called ‘gege’ by this stranger if it makes him buy something which, in turn, makes Xie Lian’s life a little bit easier at least for a day or two—before his bad luck eventually catches up with him. It always does. Xie Lian already knows that much and has no delusions. His shackles itch and, as if it isn’t enough, he’s sure the youth casts a meaningful look at the bandage he’s got wrapped around his throat.
Feeling awkward under that gently scrutinizing gaze he prepares a cup of tea, also handing the stranger a small plate full of his finest fruit cuts.
“Thanks,” says the stranger and takes the offered tea and treats, seemingly marveling the detailed shapes of the fruits. “Gege is really talented with a knife,” he hums before plopping a piece of fruit into his mouth, chewing on it thoughtfully.
“It’s nothing,” Xie Lian laughs. “Just pieces of fruit cut into pretty shapes. You should thank the farmers for growing such delicious things.”
“Maybe,” says the young stranger. “Regardless, it takes a steady hand and an immense amount of skill to carve shapes like this out of a pulpy lump.”
Xie Lian shakes his head but cannot hide his vaguely amused grin. Clearly a flatterer. He expects the youth to leave immediately after he’s finished with his treats but he does nothing of the sort, merely standing there and looking at him with an indulgent smile on his face.
Xie Lian clears his throat, flustered. "Is there something else you'd like?" he inquires softly, cocking his head and feeling his long hair swish with the movement.
The youth grins. "Gege should be careful for what he offers," he states enigmatically but falls silent afterwards, merely continuing to watch Xie Lian.
Quirking his eyebrows quizzically, Xie Lian starts to feel oddly awkward. "What is your name?"
The young stranger looks pleased with the question, inching closer on the other side of the stall. "You can call this one San Lang."
Xie Lian nods. "Well then, San Lang. I'm terribly sorry I don't have more treats to offer in this humble stall of mine. I've been told my cooking is quite subpar, so..." he stares at San Lang unblinkingly. He really doesn't have anything else to sell to this young, handsome stranger. "Surely there is somewhere else a handsome young man like yourself would need to be?"
San Lang actually laughs at that. "Nah. I'm pretty good just being here with gege." Then he perks up even more. "But gege thinks this San Lang is handsome?" For some reason he looks like he's preening at Xie Lian's innocent observation.
Xie Lian blusters. "Hahaha, San Lang. You are too much," he says, embarrassed. Had he known his words would be used to tease him like this, he would have just swallowed them up. He turns around and starts to clean some of the tea cups which have already been returned by customers.
San Lang sighs behind him. “Another cup of tea, then.”
Xie Lian nods and prepares the tea, handing San Lang the cup and taking the previous one back. He turns around to return to his chores, only for San Lang to call out after him.
“Gege. Won’t you share the tea with me?”
Whipping around, Xie Lian merely stares at this stranger. “Sharing the tea?” he notes blandly.
San Lang smiles crookedly and takes a sip of the tea. “Yes. See, now it’s gege’s turn.” He hands the cup to Xie Lian who takes it hesitantly, terrified of angering his well-paying customer.
“Go ahead, gege.”
Xie Lian sighs and nods, finally taking a sip from the cup.
San Lang looks delighted. “A few more times, gege. I like to be able to share this with you.”
Xie Lian shakes his head. What an odd young man. In the end they end up drinking from the same cup three times, and only then is San Lang satisfied.
After the cup is empty, he looks at Xie Lian brightly. “I get it; gege is here to make a living. And since gege has ran out of things to sell, how about gege tells me stories? A copper coin for a story."
Xie Lian's hands freeze mid-movement and he almost drops the cup he's holding. He blinks and looks at San Lang, who is staring at him with a burning, piercing gaze. Despite the heat of that gaze, the air itself seems to frost over and Xie Lian shivers. "Stories?" he says hesitantly. "San Lang wants to pay me for storytelling?"
San Lang nods and the intense look on his face melts into something more mellow, yet still sharp. "En. Gege looks like he's got a lot of stories to tell. This San Lang would be delighted to hear them all."
Xie Lian actually huffs a laugh at that, the odd mood broken. "San Lang would be here for days, just listening to me talk."
"I couldn't possible dream of anything better," says San Lang and smiles charmingly.
Still holding the tea cup, Xie Lian stares at San Lang. What an impossible young man, he thinks, but finally gives in. "Alright. But San Lang must tell me if I start boring him."
"Oh gege," San Lang says, but instead of laughing his voice is suddenly filled with gut-wrenching anguish. "That could never happen."
Feeling somewhat conflicted about the whole situation and this odd youngster, Xie Lian just shrugs. There are no other customers because everyone is waiting by the road to see the parade, so he really does have time. And it's been so long since anyone has wanted to listen to him talk, even if it's paid entertainment.
He ignores the stab of shame that he feels at the thought, watching with a detached gaze as San Lang places one small copper coin on the counter very carefully, moving it on the wooden surface with his forefinger to where Xie Lian's hands are resting. The tea cup, too, is now safely placed on the solid surface of the counter.
Their eyes meet, and Xie Lian opens his mouth.
He has no idea how much time has passed since he started, but suddenly he’s shaken out of his trance, looking at the small pile of copper coins now on the counter. San Lang is still there, unmoving and with an entranced expression on his face, looking like Xie Lian has swallowed the sun itself. He’s barely aware of the sounds of the people drawing closer, a clear sign that the parade has ended.
“One more,” says San Lang with a quiet tone. “Although it seems that I’ve run out of coins. How about gege has this instead to do as he pleases?” He fishes out a dazzling ring dangling in a silver chain from his pocket.
Xie Lian’s eyes widen impossibly. There is absolutely no way he can take something like that!
However, San Lang is adamant, reaching out and taking his hand, spreading his fingers and, after putting the ring and the chain on the palm of his hand, closing his fingers around it to form a safe cocoon for the accessory. “Gege. Do what you want with it. It’s just a trinket.”
Xie Lian opens his mouth, then promptly closes it again like he’s a fish on dry land. What is he supposed to say? Refuse? Pawn it later? San Lang looks like he won’t take a ‘no’ for an answer. Making up his mind, he fastens the chain around his neck and hides the ring inside his robes.
“Is San Lang satisfied now?” he huffs incredulously.
“Very,” San Lang says easily, but there is a clear dangerous edge to his voice.
Xie Lian opens his mouth again, maybe to ask if San Lang would like to hear another story—free of charge, of course—or maybe to blurt something silly, but he is interrupted by a shrill shout.
"There! That's him! I saw him there when the last village fire started!"
Xie Lian's head whips around and he immediately sees a thin, bearded middle-aged man who is pointing his finger at him.
Him.
His blood freezes.
The mass of people murmurs and mutters hesitantly, everyone looking at each other as if not knowing what to do, but the man is adamant, yelling that yes, that's really him, he is responsible for the fire, it wasn't a vengeful spirit after all! And seemingly that convincing tone is all it takes for the people to spring to action.
Xie Lian barely has time to look at San Lang with a horrified expression on his face before people flock to his stall like a tidal wave of human flesh, tearing down his small pennants, throwing away his fruit and sending the tea cups clattering all over the ground. The assaulting mob is so vicious that Xie Lian cannot even try to explain before he is grabbed and hoisted and jostled, ropes tied around his body and wrists to hold him still.
Every part of him wants to scream, because suddenly he remembers that time when there had also been a mob, when he had been tied down, when he had bled into the stones of the altar, died over and over and over again, but absolutely no sound comes out of his mouth.
The last thing he sees before he’s dragged into the dreary cell in the outskirts of the village is San Lang, staring at the sight with his eyes blazing with world-destroying terrifying rage.
Inside his tiny cell, Xie Lian slumps against the wall, his hands still bound tightly together. He knows how all this will go from here, knows these interrogations where he’ll probably be whipped and tortured until he confesses that yes, he's the arsonist.
Hugging his knees close to his body with his tied hands, Xie Lian sways slightly, the earlier shock of being manhandled not quite leaving his body. There's nothing to worry, he tells himself over and over again, feeling the cold of the wall against his back. He will figure out something, because he always does.
Everything will be alright.
An incense stick of time passes, then another. Xie Lian is deep in his thoughts, staring at the door forlornly. He’s got nothing to defend himself with since he’s sworn not to use Ruoye against humans.
Abruptly, he hears muffled screaming and vicious growling from outside, the sound of swords clashing and a demon howling, only to have everything fall silent in a flash of a moment. Crawling to the far end of the cell, Xie Lian huddles against the wall. The sound of the approaching footsteps thunders against the stone floor and Xie Lian turns his head away from the door, making himself smaller, more insignificant.
The footsteps still and Xie Lian hears a low and quiet whisper like a caress—“Eming”—followed by the whipping sound of a sword flying through the air. The steel bars of his cell are instantly hacked to pieces and blasted apart, leaving nothing but a gaping hole where previously a door was.
"Gege," his unexpected rescuer sighs. "I'm sorry I'm late.”
Xie Lian blinks as a familiar form steps forward.
San Lang?
He blinks again slowly, but the sight that greets him now is different. Whereas San Lang was handsome in a very boyish way, the tall man that meets him now is of extraordinary beauty with chiseled features and an eyepatch covering one eye, the other twinkling with both mischief and anger. His inky black hair is long and wild, and his crimson robes are made of the finest materials.
Xie Lian’s attention is drawn to his sharp canine teeth that peek enticingly as he grins that easy grin of his. His gaze drifts downwards to the exotic-looking sword that the man is holding, now dripping with blood. The aura around the man is murderous, dangerous to the utmost, but somehow Xie Lian doesn’t feel scared.
"San Lang?" Xie Lian asks tentatively, although he knows the answer already.
“En. I’m finally here.” The man flicks his sword, sending droplets of blood flying around.
“What happened?”
“One of the villagers managed to invite a Wrath ghost to the party. Too bad I happened to be around.” He shoots Xie Lian an enticing smile.
“Are they dead?"
"Nah," replies San Lang and suddenly starts to explore his nails in a relaxed manner. "The humans are out cold; they’ll survive. I know gege would never forgive me for killing those useless things. As for the Wrath… I hate to say that there isn’t much left of him.”
Xie Lian stares, he can’t help it. To take down a Wrath like that means that San Lang must be of even higher rank. But there's only one, which is that of a Supreme, and... It can't be.
“You’re a ghost?” Xie Lian asks slowly.
“Mm. I guess my secret’s out now.” San Lang doesn’t look like he’s very concerned about the fact at all.
“You must be pretty powerful, I guess, since you were able to kill that Wrath so easily,” Xie Lian continues, regarding the man before him carefully.
San Lang laughs then, boisterous and confident. “En. The most powerful.” He casts a coy look at Xie Lian. “I’m the boss.”
Xie Lian nods, his head spinning. “I see. Well. Thank you for helping me.” He tilts his head contemplatively. “Is San Lang your real name?”
San Lang steps closer and the sword in his hand vibrates with excitement. “To most, I’m known as Hua Cheng. But I’d prefer it if gege were to call me San Lang.”
“Alright. Well. Thank you again.” Xie Lian sighs ruefully and his fingers twitch. "I didn’t expect this Fire Social to become a real Bloody Fire Social.” It must be because of his luck, he’s sure of it. “But why are you here?"
San Lang—Hua Cheng—steps closer until he’s almost at an arm’s length from Xie Lian, staring down at him with an amused expression. "Oh gege. I'm here for you, of course."
The air itself seems to crackle.
"Ah," Xie Lian croaks. “I don’t—“
Hua Cheng grabs his hand, then, and stares at him peculiarly. “Come with me. I’ll take you away to somewhere where they can’t find you.”
Xie Lian doesn’t say anything but dares to hold Hua Cheng’s gaze silently. His mind is running. He could try to escape now, but there is no telling of how vicious the villagers would be now that they’ve gotten it into their heads that Xie Lian is the arsonist. They might give chase and at some point Xie Lian’s bad luck would definitely catch up with him. The fight between Hua Cheng and the Wrath also wasn’t exactly silent, so more people are probably on the way already. In fact, Xie Lian can hear distant yelling and shouting.
The other option, of course, is to trust Hua Cheng and let him whisk him away. Xie Lian would just need to repay correctly, of course.
While he’s evaluating his options, Hua Cheng idly traces an abstract pattern on the skin of his hand. It tickles and feels nice, and Xie Lian’s eyes flutter shut. He lets out a slow exhale.
"Come with me," Hua Cheng says, a request, a wish, a demand all at once, and Xie Lian finds himself nodding, clutching at the ring he’s received from Hua Cheng absently. Hua Chen smiles softly and brings his hand to stroke his cheek, a fleeting touch that leaves Xie Lian light-headed.
“Good. Now, with that settled, I’ve brought you a change of robes.”
Xie Lian huffs in surprise but as he looks down, he can clearly see why: his current white robes are torn and dirty after being manhandled and tied up by the villagers. Embarrassment swells in him but he takes the offered bundle, only to take a shocked step backwards after realizing what he’s holding.
"San Lang. But these are... wedding robes."
Hua Cheng grins and locks his eye with Xie Lian. The look on his face is dark, elated, victorious and possessive, all to the extreme, as he finally answers. "I know. Now, gege should get dressed before they get here." Then he turns around and makes a point of not watching, leaving Xie Lian to do as he’s told, shocked to the bone.
“I’m ready,” he announces finally with a steady voice that is a total contradiction to the maelstrom of emotions swirling inside him.
Hua Cheng turns around and the look on his face is raw and hungry. “Good,” he murmurs and reaches out with his hand, beckoning Xie Lian to take it. Once he does, he’s immediately pulled into Hua Cheng’s side. “Now. Hold tight and we’ll be right there.”
Then he tosses his dice and everything goes black.
"Where are we?" Xie Lian asks and frowns, feeling slightly dizzy and confused from jumping through the dice-array. The space they're in isn't cramped but not very spacious either. He can hear rambunctious shouting and roaring from the distance and stares at the red curtains that seem to float in the air, no doubt separating them from whatever is happening on the other side.
"This?" Hua Cheng quirks his eyebrows, making him look both amused and devilish. "This is the Gambler's Den."
"The Gambler's Den?" Xie Lian asks. "I've never heard of such a place, even though I've been muddling on in this world for quite a long time."
"Ah," intones Hua Cheng easily. "But gege probably hasn't been to Ghost City before."
A chill runs down Xie Lian's spine. Ghost City. Sure, Hua Cheng is a ghost, but generally speaking, his history with ghosts isn't anything he would particularly like to think about. A fleeting sense of fear assaults him.
Surely he isn't here, that creature of his worst nightmares?
"Gege, relax," says Hua Cheng with a low voice and walks to where Xie Lian is standing and staring at the red silky curtains with wide eyes. He places one large hand on his shoulder and Xie Lian feels both dread and comfort drip down his body like poisoned honey, an odd heady cocktail of conflicted emotions.
"En," Xie Lian notes quietly. He turns around but the hand on his shoulder remains, the touch burning despite the coolness of Hua Cheng's hand. Silver vambraces glimmer in the air and for the first time Xie Lian pays attention to a string of red tied to the ghost's middle finger. The ends flutter in the nonexistent breeze.
Hua Cheng tracks his gaze and hums, and the hand on his shoulder grips him tighter.
"Now what?" Xie Lian asks, feeling breathless like the air itself has been sucked out of him. The roars of what he assumes are gambling ghosts seem to disappear even further away, and he wonders if Hua Cheng has put an array around them. His ears ring regardless.
"Hmm. Now what, indeed," Hua Cheng muses, his other hand moving to take a lock of Xie Lian's hair which cascades down his shoulders and back from below the wedding veil and fiddling with it. Xie Lian sucks in a breath and trembles. It's such an intimate touch, he doesn't remember a time when someone else would have touched his hair for purposes other than to grab and tug and pull and hurt.
"I think," Hua Cheng starts slowly, still holding onto his hair and shoulder, his proximity nothing short of intoxicating, "that this San Lang deserves a reward."
"A reward?" Xie Lian chokes, confused.
But of course it's true. Hua Cheng has gone into great lengths in helping him; he should be properly compensated for his efforts. It's just that...
"I'm sorry, San Lang, but I don't have much. Would you like me to return your copper coins?" The words feel stale and humiliating on his tongue. "Or maybe there is some work I could do to in this city to pay off my debt? A tea stall I could manage?"
The word spill from his lips even though Xie Lian has a distant idea that trying to negotiate a deal with a powerful ghost at the Gambler's Den—probably owned by that ghost—with his bad luck isn't going to end well.
Hua Cheng chuckles fondly. "Oh, gege. None of that now."
Confusion must be visible on his face when Xie Lian looks at Hua Cheng.
"Gege," Hua Cheng sighs and closes his eye. "I’m a simple man with simple wants. How about a kiss?"
The hand on his shoulder is a heavy weight, anchoring Xie Lian to reality as it suddenly spins around him wildly.
"A kiss?" he croaks.
"Mmh," says Hua Cheng lazily and keeps twirling that innocent lock of hair.
The tugging and pulling sensation on his scalp isn't bad, thinks Xie Lian faintly. The air around them is thick and heavy, and he barely registers the noises from the Den anymore.
He closes his eyes.
It's alright. It's just a kiss, he can do this. One kiss won't destroy his cultivation and he'd rather pay back now when he has a chance. Something tells him that becoming indebted to Hua Cheng might not be his smartest move.
"Alright," he says timidly and steps closer until he's standing right next to Hua Cheng. Raising on his tiptoes he carefully lifts the veil still covering his face, just enough to give his lips a free access. Moving closer still, he vaguely registers how Hua Cheng's eye flutters closed and his lips part in anticipation.
And then, before his nerves get the better of him, he pecks Hua Cheng's smooth cheek once and pulls away, letting the veil fall in place once more.
Hua Cheng's eye opens in surprise and the next moment Xie Lian finds himself pushed against the wall insistently, caged in by Hua Cheng's strong arms and his broad, tall frame, his obsidian eye boring into Xie Lian’s.
"I see," Hua Cheng growls with a dangerously velvety voice. "Gege thinks that a tiny little kiss like that is enough to reward this poor San Lang for his efforts?"
Xie Lian opens his mouth to answer but no words come out. He's too aware of Hua Cheng and the power he holds, and it sets something aflame inside him. He opens his mouth to speak, say something to explain himself, but is immediately stopped when Hua Cheng grins ferally.
"Too bad this San Lang isn't quite satisfied."
"Not satisfied?" Xie Lian breathes out, balling his wrists. The audacity of this ghost. He feels hot, off in a way that makes him shake and tremble.
"En. Not satisfied. You see,” Hua Cheng muses, “gege is here, wearing his wedding robes, wearing my ashes—"
Oh, gods. Xie Lian pales and his ears start ringing and he unconsciously grabs the ring that Hua Cheng had gifted him as payment. He has heard of the tradition of a ghost's ashes, but how come?—why?—
Hua Cheng moves even closer, one hand coming to stroke Xie Lian's cheek, the soft airy fabric of the veil pressing into his skin. He exhales a shuddering sigh.
"We also shared a cup of tea, did we not?" Hua Cheng continues. “Three times.”
Xie Lian's stomach drops, because he has an idea of where this is going. In retrospect, he should never have shared any drinks with customers nor accepted any payment for just stories. Unease rolls in him in waves, disbelief at how easily he had been played.
Laughing softly, Hua Cheng continues mercilessly. "It’s dusk now. I fetched you; you are in my City. You know what it means and considering all this, I think this San Lang deserves a proper kiss."
“I…” Xie Lian chokes pitifully, the flat of his fingers pressing against the wall so hard that they must be white.
“Beloved,” Hua Cheng coos, slowly lifting his veil. “Don’t be afraid.”
Xie Lian knows he should protest, tell the ghost to move away and let him go, but his whole body is frozen on spot by Hua Cheng’s words. Beloved. His eyes fall shut and lips part, a tiny puff of breath slipping from them. A cool hand cradles his face gently and his cheek is stroked by a strong thumb, leaving the skin tingle in its wake. Another hand cups the back of his head, weaving itself into his hair and tugging lightly. His scalp, too, tingles.
He's never kissed anyone. His cultivation forbids it, he's never been interested and he has no idea what to even expect because his only experience of anything related is that time in that sordid cave, poisoned by that horrible lust pollen. He had driven a sword through his belly, then, just to avoid… this.
His mind blanks out at the first touch of Hua Cheng’s lips on his. There’s softness and an insistent pressure as Hua Cheng presses his lips tighter against his, angling his head so that their mouths are slotted together perfectly. Everything tingles and prickles, sparks shooting up and down his spine at that small touch. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands; they just hang limply at his sides as he lets himself be kissed.
It’s chaste at first, just their lips touching, and Xie Lian thinks that it’s not so bad. He’s regaining control of his mind again, he can do this, it’s really not so bad—
Hua Cheng laughs against his lips and suddenly the kiss turns into something else altogether as the ghost forcefully slips his tongue inside Xie Lian’s mouth, making him part his lips, open his mouth and accept the passionate fervor with which Hua Cheng attacks his senses. He trembles, knees going weak with the sensation of Hua Cheng’s tongue inside his mouth, rubbing against his own. The hand that was caressing his face now moves to his waist, grabbing it possessively and Xie Lian finds himself being pulled flush against the other man, their fronts plastered together from chest to thigh, Hua Cheng’s strong arms keeping him in place as the ghost skillfully plunders his mouth for all it’s worth.
A filthy whine escapes his mouth and Hua Cheng growls, lips moving against him relentlessly. There’s drool and spit as Hua Cheng traces even the ridges of his teeth with his tongue, and Xie Lian cannot do anything else but to take it. To his horror, he realizes that those limp arms of his have now wrapped themselves tentatively around Hua Cheng’s shoulders, holding onto him like his life depends on it as he starts answering the kiss, moving his lips, touching Hua Cheng’s tongue with his own and licking into the ghost’s mouth tentatively.
He thinks he might have been cursed at some point during tonight’s events, because there is simply no other explanation as to why his whole body feels like it’s been set on fire or why surrendering like this suddenly doesn't feel bad at all.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Hua Cheng releases him. A string of spit dangles in the air between their lips and Xie Lian watches in a daze as it connects with the crimson plumpness of Hua Cheng’s mouth. His own lips feel swollen to the point he finds it difficult to speak.
“Gege,” Hua Cheng growls and his voice is hoarse, completely affected by their fervent kisses. “Now that was a proper kiss.”
Xie Lian feels the heat on his face trickling downwards and Hua Cheng’s eye instinctively follow its path. A devious spark alights his visible eye and he takes one of Xie Lian’s hands, pulling him with him as they tumble down the divan, Xie Lian ending up sprawled on top of Hua Cheng in his red wedding robes, veil discarded somewhere. He’s instantly pulled down to another searing kiss and this time his hands seem to have a life of their own, eagerly grasping Hua Cheng’s hair and his face in a manner that is completely shameless and makes Xie Lian scream with embarrassment on the inside.
“I knew it,” Hua Cheng hisses between their kisses. “You were made to be kissed by me.”
A realization hits him suddenly and he pulls away, panting and red, eyes unfocused, mind in tatters. Hua Cheng chases after his mouth insistently, the dark of his pupil blown wide as he stares up at Xie Lian.
“San Lang,” Xie Lian whimpers. “This is… we’re at… there are others.”
He can suddenly hear the roars and shouts on the other side of the curtain through the ringing of his ears. He can’t believe this is happening. He can’t believe himself: just a few sweet words and he’s behaving like a… like a harlot.
Well. He is yet to try death by humiliation.
“They won’t dare to come here,” says Hua Cheng. “Gege need not worry.”
Then Hua Cheng pulls himself upwards until he’s half-sitting, half-lying on the divan, jostling Xie Lian until his body is secured between his strong thighs, back against Hua Cheng’s chest. There is no sign of breathing, no sounds of a beating heart, and Xie Lian probably should be more unnerved that he actually even is. Instead, he closes his eyes and when he opens them again, he’s faced with the sight of the red of their robes mixing on that divan in what he thinks is a terribly lustful display.
Wedding robes.
He takes a trembling breath.
“Gege seems worked up,” Hua Cheng whispers above his head, and his arms wrap around him extremely possessively. “Forgive me. Now that we’re here, why don’t we gamble a little?”
Xie Lian barks a half-laugh, half-sob. “My luck’s extremely bad,” he says and thinks that this whole situation is an extremely good demonstration of it. How else would he end up being ensnared by a powerful ghost like Hua Cheng?
Or maybe that’s the best luck of his life, whispers a tiny voice inside him, and the thought sends a shiver down his spine.
Behind him Hua Cheng laughs, loud and rude, and the roars on the other side of the curtain fall silent.
“Chengzhu is here!” the ghosts and spirits erupt in gleeful joy as the croupier announces Hua Cheng’s presence, shouting and stomping their feet.
Chengzhu? City Lord? So Hua Cheng is indeed the ruler of this whole city. The knowledge makes Xie Lian swallow audibly.
Behind the curtain the croupier raises her voice and utters a steely “silence!”. The Den falls silent in an instant.
When Hua Cheng speaks, his voice is smooth yet easily carries over to the other side. “I’m on a good mood today and willing to play a few rounds. Line up and prepare your bets.”
Xie Lian shifts between Hua Cheng’s legs as the ghosts downstairs start another ruckus, this time over who gets to play with the City Lord himself first. Hua Cheng’s hands are splayed against his belly possessively and for some peculiar reason Xie Lian finds himself not caring. Just the touch of those fingers is enough to set his whole body to a low-burning flame. He stops paying attention to what’s happening around him, completely focusing on those large hands on his body.
“Gege. High or low?” Hua Cheng’s voice interrupts him.
“Huh?” Xie Lian croaks, voice hoarse.
Hua Cheng laughs and his body shakes behind Xie Lian. “Do we bet high or low? Gege can choose what he likes.”
“I, uh…” Xie Lian starts. “I’m not very good at this but… high?”
“Good choice,” says Hua Cheng and sounds delighted. Before Xie Lian has any time to react, his sash has already been untied, his lavish wedding robes falling open to bare his chest and belly.
He freezes. Above him Hua Cheng sucks in a breath which he probably doesn’t even need.
“What are you—” Xie Lian starts, suddenly anxious. Kissing is one thing, but this, whatever it is, makes him burn inside in a way that he knows is completely against Dao De Jing.
“Gege betted high,” Hua Cheng whispers and his hands return to Xie Lian’s body, caressing and stroking the soft skin of his chest and belly, the tips of his fingers drawing an invisible map of passion on his skin. Xie Lian’s breath hitches and he feels faint. He should struggle and yet, here he is, again completely frozen as if his body really was made to be touched like this by Hua Cheng.
He really doesn’t know what to make of it all.
When Hua Cheng finally brushes against his nipple with his cool hand, a very unbecoming moan spills from Xie Lian’s lips. He shudders, nerves completely frayed, as those fingers start to play with the tiny bud on his chest, teasing and tormenting, flicking and twisting and pinching, only to soothe the skin immediately after by a broad sweep of his hand. Xie Lian stares down with wide eyes and sees his both of his nipples harden under Hua Cheng’s ministrations.
To his horror, his cock starts to harden, too, and no matter how he closes his eyes and silently recites the ethics sutra, he knows it’s still there.
“Oh, gege, look at you,” Hua Cheng whispers and his hands become even more insistent, both of them now playing with those tiny buds, bullying them thoroughly. Xie Lian arches into his touch and his hips cant upwards as if on their own, seeking for friction.
“You’re so sensitive, aren’t you? I’m just playing with you and you’re already like this. You’re driving me crazy.” Hua Cheng’s voice turns into a desperate growl, and when he grinds his own hips against Xie Lian’s lower back, Xie Lian immediately feels exactly how affected Hua Cheng is.
His own cock throbs and Xie Lian is so torn between his wants and his cultivation that he just doesn’t know what to do: to arch into that touch, or to struggle free and run away. But he can’t deny it. Even amidst his monumental-scale existential crisis, his body simply yearns for more of that pleasure that Hua Cheng inflicts on him with every touch and caress and pinch and stroke.
A desperate groan rings in the air and it takes Xie Lian a moment to realize it’s him.
Hua Cheng laughs breathlessly, the sound victorious, grinding his cock against Xie Lian lazily while tormenting his poor nipples that are now swollen and red. When he takes one of Xie Lian's hands and sucks his finger into his mouth, Xie Lian pants, pants like a dog, unable to bear it any longer.
“Gege.” Hua Cheng’s voice finally shakes him out of his stupor, his wet finger falling from his mouth. “This round ended already but there’s another coming up. Shall we bet high or low?”
“Low,” croaks Xie Lian and his hips buck upwards involuntarily when Hua Cheng suddenly dips his finger into his belly button.
“So be it,” Hua Cheng announces and, without any warning, pulls Xie Lian’s pants down just enough to release his cock. It springs free, already hard and red and throbbing, and Xie Lian stares at it with wide eyes because he has never seen it in such a state.
“N-no…” he squeaks but Hua Cheng merely kisses the top of his head and rubs his hipbones soothingly, murmuring nonsensical words of encouragement into his hair. And when he confidently wraps his hand around Xie Lian’s shaft and gives it a tentative, gentle pump, Xie Lian shouts, a pitiful high-pitched sound that he hopes no one hears.
“So fucking sensitive,” Hua Cheng groans and pauses his hand as if to catch his breath. He then adjust their positions so that he’s able to rest his chin on Xie Lian’s shoulder, no doubt staring down at Xie Lian’s straining cock which is now secured in his fist.
“Please don’t look,” Xie Lian begs pitifully, head heavy with embarrassment, his cheek rubbing against Hua Cheng’s.
Hua Cheng sighs and hugs Xie Lian even closer. “Hush. Gege, how can I not look? You’re the most beautiful thing in all the three realms; you have no idea what you do to me.”
“But… my cultivation,” Xie Lian utters, but as soon as the words leave his lips he understands there’s no real conviction behind the words anymore.
Even Hua Cheng seems to understand it, pecking his cheek lightly and humming. “You’ll be alright. We’ll figure it out. Let me make you feel good like you deserve, Your Highness.”
Xie Lian freezes just as Hua Cheng strokes his slit with his thumb, smearing the precum that’s oozing out all around his thick cockhead with smooth, teasing movements. He knows, his mind screams but words refuse to leave his mouth, his body reduced to nothing but a pulsing container of complex wants and desires.
No! He wants to say. “M-more,” he gasps instead and bucks into Hua Cheng’s fist wantonly, deeply embarrassed.
Hua Cheng hisses sharply next to his ear and sounds wrecked, and his hand starts to move up and down his shaft, sometimes teasing the foreskin and stroking the sensitive head, sometimes tracing the pulsing vein, sometimes just holding Xie Lian in his hand like he’s the most precious thing in the world. The rhythm of his hand is steady and languid, just enough to make tiny firecrackers bloom behind Xie Lian’s eyelids whenever he closes them.
Xie Lian can hear the ghosts in the Den hoot something through the thrum of blood in his ears but he’s too gone to care, his body busy chasing this unknown, secret pleasure that Hua Cheng is gifting him so freely. His body is an obscene sight, the wedding robes splayed under him and himself displayed there like a feast for Hua Cheng to devour.
Suddenly that large hand starts stroking him faster and faster, the other grabbing his balls and fondling and caressing them with a maddening teasing movements.
“Ah, ah!”
Xie Lian feels an insistent pull in his stomach, a tingling sensation that refuses to go away. He wants more, he wants so much more, he wants it all. Nothing else matters because ultimately, nothing has mattered in centuries.
“More, San Lang,” he pleads, wanton and flushed all the way down to his chest, spreading his legs to give Hua Cheng an even better access. He can hear Hua Cheng huff and feel him buck his hips and rub his own thick arousal against Xie Lian’s body and those fine wedding robes.
Each stroke takes him closer to that mysterious edge that is right there but still out of reach, each circling motion of Hua Cheng’s thumb sends him falling further into the abyss. He snaps his hips upwards into Hua Cheng’s fist, then grinds down against his big arousal, brain a mess.
When Hua Cheng starts teasing the sensitive underside of his head, wicked and merciless, Xie Lian hisses and groans and bucks and rolls his hips, wanting, wanting, wanting—until finally he snaps and screams, mind blanking and ecstasy washing over him as his balls draw tight, his stomach muscles spasm, his thighs tremble and his cock pulses in Hua Cheng’s hand as he paints himself and Hua Cheng’s hand white with his release.
And his hands, those hands that had served tea and treats to meaningless passers-by earlier tonight, they are now tangled in Hua Cheng’s hair, cradling his head and holding tightly for dear life. In fact, Xie Lian never wants to let go.
Trembling and shaking, he rides out the first orgasm of his life with his eyes closed. Feeling utterly boneless, he slumps back against Hua Cheng’s strong chest, not really even caring about the mess or the fact that those pretty robes must be thoroughly destroyed.
“Gege, gege,” he hears Hua Cheng repeat with reverence like it’s a mantra of his, and Xie Lian smiles faintly, head still spinning and his whole body still pulsing.
When sanity finally returns to him, he tilts his head to face Hua Cheng, only to be flipped around and pulled into a deep kiss immediately. This time it feels more familiar, the feel of Hua Cheng’s plump lips on his, the coolness of his touch a welcome feel on his heated skin.
“San Lang,” he mumbles unintelligibly directly into Hua Cheng’s mouth. The ghost swallows every sound and whine greedily as if he’s feasting on Xie Lian’s essence.
Suddenly Hua Cheng hoists him in the air and in no time Xie Lian finds himself lying on the divan in a half-sitting position with Hua Cheng straddling him. He takes a good look at his delicious tormentor and is blown away by how handsome and wicked Hua Cheng looks with that half-crazed look in his eye and flushed against all odds.
Xie Lian can barely breathe.
Hua Cheng grins darkly. “Gege’s so good at betting,” he says conversationally, a hand coming to pat the top of Xie Lian’s head. “We won both rounds. Gege can claim his prize now.”
Behind the curtain the ghosts yell something and it almost sounds like there’s a fight. Xie Lian doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the situation he’s currently in. “Must be beginner’s luck,” he gasps.
Hua Cheng laughs but his expression falls dark and teasing in an instant. “Well, then. I suggest we continue practicing because based on this beginner’s session, the results will probably be nothing short of extraordinary.” His full voice is nothing but a sultry rasp and Xie Lian loves it. All his other remaining thoughts are promptly blown away when Hua Cheng unties his robes and pulls down his trousers, freeing his cock, and gods.
Xie Lian can’t help but stare, because Hua Cheng’s cock is not only big yet perfectly proportionate, it’s also beautiful: slightly curved to the left, leaking, red. Not too veiny, more velvety and smooth. His mouth waters and his brain rattles. In fact, there probably isn’t a part of Hua Cheng that isn’t wonderful to look at, his body nothing but a beautifully sculpted work of art. Pretty, wonderful, supplies his lust-addled mind just as he hears a furniture get blasted to pieces in the Den.
And no matter how embarrassed Xie Lian is or how confused he feels, he realizes then that he just simply cannot resist the whirlwind that is Hua Cheng.
“Open your mouth,” Hua Cheng whispers as if reading his thoughts, shuffling closer. Xie Lian watches with morbid fascination as his cock bobs with every movement until Hua Cheng is right there, his cock in front of his face, hands petting his hair and glaring down with a hooded gaze. Obediently, he opens his mouth and squeezes his eyes shut—he can’t bear to look—just as Hua Cheng places the heaviness of his cock against Xie Lian’s lips. Then he stills, patiently waiting for Xie Lian’s next move.
For a moment, Xie Lian has no idea what to do. However, he tries to recall the things that had felt especially good when Hua Cheng had played with his dick. Blushing, he suddenly feels spirited, tongue darting forward to tentatively feel the solid silky softness of Hua Cheng’s cockhead.
Hua Cheng reacts to the touch immediately, shuddering and bucking his hips. Invigorated, Xie Lian opens his mouth wider and sucks in the head, letting himself get used to the feel of it in his mouth. Hua Cheng groans an unintelligible garble and Xie Lian actually smiles, lips stretched wide around that hot, thick length.
Hesitantly he brings his hand to hold Hua Cheng’s cock as he takes it a little bit deeper, only to release it completely and give the slit a few flicks of his tongue, nothing but messy, clumsy kitten licks. Beads of precum ooze out and drip into his mouth, and Xie Lian drinks it all down. It doesn’t taste much like anything, probably because Hua Cheng is a ghost.
Returning his attention on Hua Cheng’s cock, Xie Lian tries to figure out what would make the ghost groan and tremble and shiver and hiss, what would make him yelp and moan, buck his hips and shout out obscenities. He mouths at the shaft, tracing the outline with his lips until he’s at the base, only to make his way back, covering the whole of Hua Cheng’s cock with a generous amount of spit.
He really cannot believe himself.
He really wants to be disgusted by Hua Cheng’s cock but he isn’t—quite the opposite, in fact, because he loves the feeling of Hua Cheng in his mouth, the weight of his dick against his tongue, the way his lips are stretched wide around it. He loves how he chokes on it when Hua Cheng finally stops being careful, grabbing Xie Lian’s head and pushing deep into his mouth, unrestrained, filling his mouth completely. Xie Lian finds it easy to relax his throat and his eyes flutter close as his nose meets the trimmed dark hairs at the base of Hua Cheng’s shaft. Tears gather at the corners of his eyes.
He locks his hands around Hua Cheng’s body and grabs his ass, forcing Hua Cheng even deeper into his throat as he swallows around the thickness, again and again, breathing through his nose. Hua Cheng squirms and tries to pull out, only to push in again until he’s fucking Xie Lian’s mouth without any inhibitions. And Xie Lian takes it, he loves it, this heady corruption, this beautiful desire that blooms between them, this feeling of completion which isn’t dirty at all although he always thought it would be because this is him losing all the last vestiges of his cultivation.
But it isn’t like that at all.
Hua Cheng finally comes with a broken, uttered “gege”, shooting his release down Xie Lian’s throat, his hips moving to better use Xie Lian’s mouth. Xie Lian keeps working his mouth and his throat and his tongue until Hua Cheng pulls out with a pained groan, shuddering with overstimulation. He immediately slumps forward and attacks Xie Lian’s lips, and they fall into the divan in a heap of limbs, bodies rubbing together and hands exploring feverishly.
It’s so good, so, so, good, Xie Lian’s whole brain is rattled to the core and he’s getting hard again; he just wants to—
“IS CHENGZHU STILL HERE? I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR MY TURN FOREVER!”
“SHUT UP ASSHOLE! CHENGZHU OWES YOU NOTHING YOU FUCKWAD!”
“YEAH! SHUT UP AND PISS OFF!”
Xie Lian freezes just as Hua Cheng huffs an annoyed growl into his mouth. “Guess what, gege?” he murmurs, biting Xie Lian’s lips not too tenderly. “I’ve changed my mind. I won’t risk anyone hearing you during the next part.”
Xie Lian’s eyes widen. “There is… more?” he croaks, his hands stilling where they are currently scratching bloody welts into Hua Cheng’s shoulders.
“Oh, beloved,” Hua Cheng says in a tone that tugs at some distant strings of a memory in his mind, but before he has any time to swell on it further, the ghost has already tossed his dice and in a blink of a moment Xie Lian finds himself sprawled atop a luxurious bed with soft sheets.
“San Lang?” he inquires questioningly, but Hua Cheng shuts him up by another kiss. The passion is there, raw and unfiltered, but suddenly Hua Cheng pulls away.
“Let’s get you out of those robes.”
Xie Lian lets out a small, strained laugh. “After making such a show of gifting them to me.”
“En. I’m happy I did, my beloved is gorgeous in his wedding robes.”
Something hooks his heart at the words. Has he truly been tricked into a marriage with this mischievous City Lord? Does he even care? All the centuries of loneliness—Xie Lian suddenly feels a burn in his eyes.
So what if he’s been forced into this. So what if he’s to spend the rest of his life here. It can’t be worse than what his life already is.
“Gege, gege. Look at me,” Hua Cheng says with a tinge of worry in his voice. “You’re crying.”
“It’s… all a bit too much,” he says and lets out an ugly snort, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I know, I know. Beloved, you’re so brave and beautiful. You don’t have to be alone anymore. Let this San Lang take care of you now.” Hua Cheng then proceeds to wipe away all his tears with his thumbs, drying his face. “It will be alright.”
Xie Lian hiccups and his sobs slowly die away. “I believe you,” he says after a while and, for some unknown reason, he really does. “Was there something else San Lang wanted to show me?” he asks then, trying to sound confident but can’t prevent the way his voice trembles a little.
“Mm. But we don’t have to do anything. The Gambler’s Den… gege. I can’t believe you let me… That was already…” And for the first time since meeting Hua Cheng, he’s completely at a loss for words. “I can’t believe you let me bully you like that.”
Xie Lian blushes. “It wasn’t… I mean. Ahem. It was—” His voice cracks as the words tumble out of his mouth.
Hua Cheng only stares at him for a while before moving closer, slowly like a predator, eye alight with desire so deep it threatens to shake Xie Lian to the core. “I see. Gege loves to be bullied by this San Lang.”
“San Lang. That’s not what I’m—”
Hua Cheng leans forward and bites his lower lip. It stings and Xie Lian moans. “Hush now. I believe I was going to undress you properly.”
With those words, Xie Lian is rendered immobile. He nods mutely and lets Hua Cheng slowly unwrap him from whatever pieces of clothing that still remain on his person like he’s a precious gift. He trembles as Hua Cheng moves his hands to his neck, slowly removing the bandage to reveal the cursed shackle on his neck. Shame flares inside him, but instead of shying away, Hua Cheng leans forward and kisses his neck, licking and biting around the shackle, making him feel so good that he actually forgets the offensive thing for a while.
When the other shackle is revealed on his ankle, Hua Cheng makes a point of kissing it too, mouthing the skin and peppering it with tiny reverent pecks, moving further down and suckling on each one of his toes like they’re the sweetest of sweets. Then he undresses himself and finally they’re both naked, languidly moving together on the bed with their bodies entangled, mouth locked together. Xie Lian is hard again, but this time he doesn’t panic. What is done is done. All that remains is that fiery desire that Hua Cheng has awoken in him.
Hua Cheng spends a few moments kissing his face, his ears and his neck, seeking all the spots that make Xie Lian sigh and gasp from pleasure. His eyes cross as Hua Cheng moves lower, taking one of his tormented nipples into his mouth and rolling it between his teeth, flicking it with his tongue and finally sucking on it until it becomes even redder, even puffier. Then he repeats the action on the other nipple, kneading Xie Lian’s chest with his hand.
“Haah,” Xie Lian cries out, nerves alight as he pushes his chest upwards and deeper into Hua Cheng’s touch, wanting more. Hua Cheng bites his nipple then, making him sob but not with pain. His hands are once more in Hua Cheng’s hair, he really loves the soft feel of it against his fingertips which, upon a closer look, reveal the hardships of his life.
Hua Cheng hums against his skin, sending tiny sparks of electricity zigzagging across his body. He’s so hard now; he can feel himself throb and leak, desperate for any kind of friction.
“Look at you now,” murmurs Hua Cheng against his stomach, swirling his tongue across the skin and dipping it into his navel, “hard and aching, begging to be bullied.”
“San Lang,” Xie Lian wheezes, closing his eyes. He wants Hua Cheng to go lower, he wants Hua Cheng’s hands and his mouth, he wants it, expects it to happen as Hua Cheng shuffles lower…
But what happens isn’t what he expects. Hua Cheng expertly flips him around until he’s lying on his belly, cock trapped between the sheets and body, precum staining all the fine fabrics on Hua Cheng’s bed. And then Hua Cheng’s mouth is indeed on him, just not on his cock but his ass, biting his ass cheeks and sucking a bruise or two on that precious skin.
Xie Lian cries out, feverishly rubbing his erection against the sheets, hips canting up and down. Growling, Hua Cheng spread his cheeks and before Xie Lian has any time to feel embarrassed, licks his pink hole once, twice, before retreating, only to bury his face completely between his cheeks and start kissing the area around his hole with great enthusiasm.
“San Lang!” Xie Lian shrieks. “Sa—n L-la…” He’s rapidly losing his skill to form any comprehensible words as Hua Cheng teases his rim with his tongue, nipping and licking, grazing it with his tiny fangs, sucking on it afterwards with those lush plump lisp of his. Then he pushes his tongue inside, only a little bit, pulling away only to repeat the action.
With every push his tongue goes deeper into Xie Lian, opening him up, making him lose his mind completely. He’s so worked up, desperately trying to get away from Hua Cheng and that overbearing pleasure of being eaten out, only to grind his cock harder against the bed.
“Hahh. Ha. A-aa. Sann. Lahh.” Tiny sounds of absolute pleasure tumble out of his mouth constantly and Hua Cheng rewards him by accompanying his tongue with one thick, long slick finger.
“Oh gods,” Xie Lian wails, the stretch both exquisite and uncomfortable, both of them wonderful visceral sensation he’s letting his body feel for the first time ever.
“Gege. You’re doing so well,” mutters Hua Cheng against his ass, pulling away that devil tongue of his and replacing it with a finger, two of them now inside Xie Lian, pumping in and out, scissoring him open gently but insistently.
Xie Lian’s brain is a befuddled mess as he pants and drools on the sheets, wiggling his ass to silently beg for more.
“Ahh,” Hua Cheng groans, placing one of his large hands on Xie Lian’s buttock and cupping it, kneading the flesh while his fingers are buried deep inside Xie Lian. He wiggles them around, twists and turns them, crooks them until suddenly Xie Lian’s whole body jolts and he sees stars, a desperate wail escaping his throat.
“Oh, OH, Wha—what?!”
Hua Cheng chuckles and crooks his fingers again, stoking the fire inside Xie Lian until his whole body is shaking and burning with every touch of those fingers against that something inside him. Then he swats his ass gently and removes his fingers, only to return with three, the stretch more prominent now. But Xie Lian is too far gone to care, his body moves on its own, sweaty and worked up, pushing against those fingers.
“Gege loves this, doesn’t he?” hisses Hua Cheng and slaps his ass again, not too hard but enough to make it pink, make it jiggle. Then he bites down and sucks a mark on that round globe. “I can’t believe you’ve been chaste for centuries. You were made to be fucked.” Another slap and a twist of those long fingers.
“I—I—” Xie Lian starts desperately, only to be hushed by Hua Cheng.
“It’s alright. Of course you were chaste. If anyone had as much as looked at you I would have had to kill them on spot and made sure they were dispersed into oblivion.”
“Nnh,” croaks Xie Lian, slumping forward and seeking friction against his cock as he is incessantly tormented by Hua Cheng.
“I think you’re ready now,” Hua Cheng rasps finally and crawls on top of him, his tall body blanketing all of Xie Lian. His soft ink black hair falls from his shoulders like a waterfall to pool next to Xie Lian’s head just as Hua Cheng pushes his dark brown hair over his other shoulder, baring his back completely. Placing a few chaste kisses here and there, sucking marks on his shoulders, nipping at his neck and licking his spine, Hua Cheng then spreads his cheeks with one hand, guiding his cock to Xie Lian’s fluttering hole with another.
Xie Lian’s whole body is taut as a wire with anticipation and he sobs from the storm of emotions that threatens to get the best of him. He never knew he could feel this much of anything except rage.
Finally, Hua Cheng nudges his cock against his rim, slowly pushing against it until the thick cockhead breaches him and slips inside, Xie Lian’s hole sucking it in greedily. Xie Lian howls and claws at the sheets, trashing slightly, sweating and flustered as Hua Cheng starts pumping his hips carefully, pushing further in with every movement and feeding his cock into Xie Lian’s body. It stings but Xie Lian finds himself not minding, all but floating in a cloud of bliss as Hua Cheng spears him ruthlessly and they become one.
“San Lang, San Lang,” Xie Lian whines. He wiggles and convulses around that thick length inside him, only to be pinned down efficiently by Hua Cheng who huffs raggedly.
“Gege. Stay still.” There is a clear warning in his tone.
“I can’t,” Xie Lian moans and squeezes, loving the way Hua Cheng twitches inside him as he does that. And so he does it again, enjoying the feel of his hole and walls hugging Hua Cheng's dick tightly, making sure he's snug and stuck inside him. Gods, he never knew he was so greedy.
“Gege,” Hua Cheng groans and his whole body trembles on top of Xie Lian. “Stay. Still.”
“No,” Xie Lian whines, a trail of drool seeping from his mouth. “San Lang, move.”
Hua Cheng bites the shell of his ear. “Brat,” he chokes out affectionately, and for some reason Xie Lian feels like it’s the best endearment he’s ever received. He smiles, filled to the brim with happiness and cock.
Finally Hua Cheng seems to have regained some of his composure. With his chest heavy on Xie Lian’s back, he uses his hands to spread his cheeks and pull out until only the tip remains inside. The he snaps his hips forward and pushes back inside, the drag of his cock against Xie Lian’s walls absolutely unbearable in how wonderful it feels.
“Again,” Xie Lian begs, punched out of breath. He feels so small and full and when he sneaks his hand under him to touch his belly, he can actually feel Hua Cheng’s cock. The thought leaves him light-headed as he begs and pleads for more, for Hua Cheng to fuck him faster and deeper, to rail him until he can’t remember who he even is. The movement of that long, thick cock inside him, the stretch of his sensitive rim, the drag, the pull, the way Hua Cheng fills the emptiness inside him so completely makes tears fall from his eyes.
It feel so good. Xie Lian never knew he would even deserve good, and yet here he is, with this powerful ghost, naked and bared all the way to his soul, fucked within the inch of his life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hua Cheng pulls away and manhandles Xie Lian to lie on his side, tugging his legs into a fetal position. Xie Lian barely has time to squeak until Hua Cheng pushes in again, feet against the floor for support, and this time it’s a tighter fit, his ass all but hugging Hua Cheng’s cock even harder, desperate to keep it inside and milk it dry.
“Ah, ah, ah!”
Hua Cheng hits his prostate and his world threatens to shatter into pieces. He grabs his own cock, snug and tight between his thighs, and starts tugging at it clumsily.
“Gege, you’re so fucking tight,” Hua Cheng grits between his teeth, moving inside and out, the slapping sounds of skin meeting skin resonating all over the bedroom. Xie Lian lets out a hysterical snort. Thank gods they’re not in the Gambler’s Den anymore.
He tilts his head and stares up at Hua Cheng in wonder, at his handsome features twisted with raw unfiltered pleasure as he fucks Xie Lian hard and fast and so, so good. The he surges down and they’re kissing with wild abandon, bodies molding together with Xie Lian tucked into Hua Cheng’s arms, into his embrace, Hua Cheng’s cock inside him, his tongue inside him. He pumps his own cock hard as Hua Cheng keeps hitting his prostate and it’s enough to send him over the edge, shouting into Hua Cheng’s mouth as he explodes into his mindless, earth-shattering orgasm.
"Inside me," he manages to wheeze as powerful tremors wrack his body.
Hua Cheng follows him immediately, no longer able to contain his own release. He bottoms out and yells sharply, cock pulsing heavily as he spills his cum deep inside Xie Lian, who lies there in a daze as he’s filled with a copious amount of ghost qi.
Xie Lian thinks he actually blanks out at that point but he does it with a blissed out smile on his face.
Afterwards they lie on the bed with their limbs entangled. Xie Lian feels the weight of the small ring on his chest and the sting of their activities all over his body. He's been claimed and he knows it. He’s lost his cultivation and he knows that, too.
It doesn't feel bad.
He can feel the distant hum of Hua Cheng's ghost qi and spiritual energy circulating in his immortal body, a feeling he knows he might get addicted to. Strong arms pull his even closer to that cool, tall body, and a kiss is placed on his marked shoulders.
"Your Highness,” Hua Cheng sighs. “I kept looking for you for so long."
"How did you find me, then?" Xie Lian asks curiously, voice thick and sated. He absently traces the outlines of the nonsensical tattoo on Hua Cheng's forearm.
Hua Cheng hums and tightens his hold, tracing his lips across every part of Xie Lian’s skin that he can reach.
"I followed the fires."
Xie Lian stills completely, all air punched out of his lungs. His stomach lurches.
His secret is finally out.
"I—" he starts. Letting out a despondent breath, he cannot totally avoid the flare on anger that surges through his body. He speaks, voice frosty all of a sudden. "Why should the people of Yong'an be allowed to have their homes when I have none? Why are they allowed to be happy when my people suffered so much?"
His core feels rotten all of a sudden.
"Gege," Hua Cheng says and turns Xie Lian around so that they're facing each other. He cups Xie Lian's face. "You have a home now, there's no need for any of that anymore. Why don't you let it go?"
Xie Lian blinks. His eyes burn. "I always made sure the people were safe. I only wanted to... I don't know," he mumbles.
"Gege, I know. You would never hurt the people, even if they'd deserve it. I would offer to be your blade if you wanted to slay them all, but I know you would never want that."
"But I didn't burn the temples," Xie Lian continues miserably.
"I know."
"How?"
"That was me," Hua Cheng smirks and pulls Xie Lian in for a long, gentle kiss. "Why not cause the Heavens a bit of trouble? They can handle it."
Xie Lian actually laughs at that, wobbly and teary, weaving his hand into Hua Cheng's thick inky hair. He plucks a few hairs from Hua Cheng’s head, then from his own and proceeds to tie them around both of their middle fingers. "I believe we didn't do this part of the ceremony yet."
Hua Cheng merely stares at their entwined fingers with a greedy look of awe on his face, as if he’s not believing what he sees.
"But San Lang, how do you know me?" Xie Lian asks.
For a moment it's deathly quiet in their bedroom. Hua Cheng stares at him, he stares back. He feels his thighs get wet from the seed that is trickling out of him.
Finally Hua Cheng speaks. “Your Highness. I've always watched you. You see, I have a beloved in this world, a brave, noble, and gracious special someone. He's saved my life; I've looked up to him ever since I was young. But, I wanted to catch up to him more, and become and even stronger person for him. Although he might not remember me well. We never really talked but I want to protect him.”
Xie Lian's eyes go impossibly round and his mouth falls open, a memory from times past popping into his mind.
Hua Cheng smiles at him ruefully and continues. “Gege. You might not remember, but how about this? To die for you in battle is my greatest honor." His face flickers, covered by a smiling mask, only to return to normal in an instant. However, it’s enough for the realization to sink in.
“San Lang…” he whispers, feeling both stunned and cherished beyond belief.
Chuckling, Hua Cheng pulls him in for a kiss, tangling their legs together and smearing his release all over them both. "En. And even though I would give my life for you a thousand times over, you once told me to live for you. And do you know what, gege? This time I intend to do exactly that.”
Yet another revelation and Xie Lian doesn’t know if he can take it anymore. All the ugliest moments of his life have been witnessed by Hua Cheng. And yet, here he is, in his third life, still wanting him.
Him.
The thought is humbling.
Hua Cheng pulls him so close that it’s difficult to say where one ends and another starts and for a moment Xie Lian allows himself to be weak.
”San Lang,” he blurts.
”Mm?”
”Do you think the ghosts would like a flower fruit stall?”
Hua Cheng laughs and kisses him, deep and loving. ”Gege. They would adore it.”
Then he climbs on top of Xie Lian again and licks his neck, hands groping his sides possessively. Xie Lian smiles.