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When Hua Cheng regained consciousness, he could tell before he even opened his eyes that there was something wrong with him. Something was lacking.
The odd thing was that, despite this nagging feeling, the Ghost King couldn’t even begin to ascertain what this missing part was supposed to be. His powers were intact, though his spiritual energy was somewhat turbulent. His form was solid and uninjured. He could feel E’ming at his side slowly gaining awareness itself, teeming with demonic energy… And yet it was as if someone had taken a rusty spoon and carved out the very essence of him, leaving Hua Cheng nothing more than a deficient empty shell.
Hua Cheng tried to recall what had even brought him to such a state.
He’d been out on the road searching for… something important? Someone? Hua Cheng quickly went through his mental catalogue of all the fools which either owed him or had crossed him recently only to come up with nothing. He’d either sent Yin Yu to deliver them messages of his upcoming arrival- which was decidedly not on this day- or their debt was still being overlooked and left to accumulate until it became crushing leverage against them in Hua Cheng’s hands.
All that Hua Cheng knew for sure was that he lay on the ground, head pillowed onto something lumpy. Someone was kneeling down at his side, presumably watching over him. He felt no killing intent, malice or even spiritual energy from the presence at his side, though there was an evil aura clinging onto the person. Since neither the human nor the presence seemed likely to make a move on him, Hua Cheng kept his eyes closed as he attempted to piece together how he could end up passed out on the ground.
…
Try as he might, nothing came to mind.
But that didn’t scare Hua Cheng. Memory eating demons were on the rarer side, but not impossible to encounter. If one had truly managed to ambush him- well, that would quickly turn into a very unfortunate pile of bloodied remains as soon as he found it again. Hua Cheng’s attention shifted back to the human at his side. He couldn’t say for sure whether this person had just found him laying around in the aftermath of whatever happened to him, or if he’d witnessed anything relevant, but one thing was certain- Hua Cheng wouldn’t find out more about the situation if he kept pretending to be out of it.
When he finally opened his eyes and sat up, Hua Cheng was met with the most beautiful man he’d ever seen in his entire existence.
When Xie Lian ended up right in the middle of a powerful yao’s territory, he greatly lamented his choice of going mushroom picking in the area. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t defeat the beast, but Xie Lian was still healing from a broken leg. That made it much harder for him to move around as agilely as he usually did and even though he barely felt any pain, his slowed movements meant he couldn't properly focus his sword strikes on the yao’s weak spots.
To top it all off, his sword even ended up shattering upon the beast’s tough hide in the middle of the fight!
Xie Lian had really hoped this old jian he’d gotten from a former soldier’s household a few months prior would’ve lasted him longer… Alas.
This left Xie Lian with only the use of Ruoye at his disposal. He kited around the frenzied beast’s attacks, stumbling on his weak leg once or twice, while he tried to figure out a way to retreat. It was no use for him to force himself when his chances of dying were this high.
When Xie Lian finally spotted a way out and went for it, the first branch he leapt upon gave under his weight and snapped, making him crash down to the ground. He barely registered the new wave of pain that radiated from his broken leg, but it still didn’t bode well for him. If the bone had snapped once again it would be nearly impossible for him to outrun the yao.
Xie Lian turned towards the beast, only to see the yao readying itself to throw a blast of energy his way. He tried to get up, but his injury made his leg give out under him. Back to the ground he went in a disorderly fashion.
The yao finally sent its attack Xie Lian's way.
Time slowed down as Xie Lian watched the sizable blast wreak havoc in its path towards him, obliterating trees as it went. Even if he were to use Ruoye to pull himself away, the chances of him escaping were low. He dispassionately wondered how long it would take him to recover this time, mentally throwing a random guess of a couple of months just because.
But the blast never hit Xie Lian. Something flashed in his field of vision and soon enough all he could see were red robes. Everything was over before Xie Lian could even process what happened.
It took Xie Lian a moment before he snapped out of his stupor.
Had someone just saved him?...
When he finally got his bearings together, Xie Lian realised that this stranger had cradled him to his chest, using his own body to shield Xie Lian from harm. But the arms around him had gone slack and the one holding him was no longer breathing.
Xie Lian's entire body began trembling as his back became drenched in a cold layer of sweat.
No… Please, not again. Not like this, not for my sake…
With shaky arms and dread pooling into the pit of his stomach, he gently pried the stranger's body apart from his, holding the other by his shoulders. The stranger's head lolled to the side, allowing Xie Lian a view of his profile.
The man looked young, maybe twenty. His skin was pale as snow, his long lashes fanned out alluringly over his cheek and his full lips were slightly parted. His black hair had been put up in a simple high ponytail.
For some reason Xie Lian found himself choking up at that last observation. He reached a trembling hand up to fully turn the stranger's face towards him, only to jolt upon being met with skin as cold as a corpse’s. The shock was enough to pull Xie Lian out of his dazed grief.
If this person had been alive just before the blast hit him, then there should still be some lingering warmth to him…
Xie Lian quickly let the stranger's head drop, moving his hand to the other's wrist where he could check his meridians. The seemingly boundless amount of spiritual energy that Xie Lian found there made his entire being sag in relief. This stranger turned out to be a ghost- a very powerful ghost who had only passed because the blast he'd taken disturbed his inner equilibrium. He should be waking up when it all settled into place once more.
Xie Lian couldn't help but chuckle wryly as he carefully laid the other down on the ground. Once again, the ghost’s head lolled to the side making Xie Lian frown. He took his bag of scraps from his back, pulling out whatever was too sharp or hard and then fashioned the rest into a makeshift pillow that he placed under the ghost’s head. He didn't know why this stranger had chosen to save him from the yao…
Belatedly, he realised that after the ghost shielded him, everything had gone quiet in the forest. No more beast's angry roars, no more frantic stomping coming his way.
Surely enough, when Xie Lian looked towards the direction the yao had attacked from, all that he saw was a myriad of silver glowing butterflies, lazily drifting about. They were like little glimmering stars dancing slowly in the waning daylight. There was no trace of the yao left. His gaze fell on the slumbering ghost once more.
“These critters must belong to you.” He murmured, voice tinged with awe.
Now that the whole ordeal was over and Xie Lian had somewhat calmed down, he could finally take notice of the silver vambraces the ghost wore on his forearms. They were beautifully engraved with not only butterflies but all other kinds of beasts too. As the time passed and as Xie Lian settled himself to wait for his saviour to regain consciousness, the butterflies would slowly return to those vambraces one by one.
One and a half incense time passed before the ghost finally opened his eyes.
Warm honey-brown eyes met Hua Cheng's, as the one who'd watched over him gave him a bright smile. The young man looked to be on the cusp of adulthood, slender, clad in white travel-worn cultivator robes. They were stained with grass at the knees, ripped in a few places and threadbare at the sleeves. Above his collar and peeking from under his sleeves, the youth had bandages covering his neck and forearms. But none of that, not even the streaks of dirt or the scratches across his cheeks could take away from the jade-like skin beneath it all, the symmetrical, gentle, almost feminine features of his face or his overall saintly bearing. There was kindness radiating from this youth’s gaze, one so genuine that even a cynic like Hua Cheng felt compelled to believe in it.
Hua Cheng had the sudden inexplicable urge to bundle him up, see to his wounds and drape him in finery. He was certain beyond any doubt that this young man would look like a prince if dressed appropriately.
“You're awake!” The divine creature said, for someone as beautiful and graceful as him could only be part of the divine.
Hua Cheng pointedly ignored the voice at the back of his mind which reminded him he hated everything that had to do with the Heavens. Even if that was true, he somehow knew on a deeper level that the one in front of him was worthier than any of the phonies currently up there of such a label. For the first time since he could remember Hua Cheng felt as if he’d come face to face with a true god.
Perhaps another time Hua Cheng might’ve questioned whether he’d completely lost any sense of reason or not, but he was currently too busy taking in the young man- it was as if he couldn’t bear to look away for even a second. He realised he’d been staring too long once the smile faded from the youth’s face, only to be replaced by worry.
“Are you okay?” He asked, reaching for Hua Cheng’s wrist and Hua Cheng, who decidedly hated the idea of others touching him, just let him do as he pleased. “Your spiritual energy seems to have settled but it was a heavy hit that you took in my stead.”
The youth might as well have told Hua Cheng that he’d decided to start building temples for the Sweeping General and General Ju Yang. He, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, taking a hit for someone else? Ridiculous…
Although, looking at the youth’s dejected expression, Hua Cheng thought that the notion he’d try to protect him of all people might not be so far-fetched. Something about this young man resonated with him and it struck Hua Cheng just how little he actually minded it.
“I’m fine. Tell me what happened.” He said, deciding to stop gaping and staring like the village idiot but quickly frowned at his commanding tone. “Please.” he added more pleasantly.
The youth startled a bit upon hearing him speak at last before he started explaining what had happened to him.
“I was foraging around this area when I encountered the yao who’d made its home here.” He scratched awkwardly at his cheek. “I tried to fight it when it attacked me, but my blade broke into pieces, and then I tried to escape but the tree branch I hopped on broke and I fell down. The beast was about to blast me away when gongzi showed up.”
Hua Cheng took a moment to consider their surroundings. Some fifty metres away he could make out the spot from which the yao had sent out its attack. Everything between there and the place the two of them sat had been uprooted and destroyed. It wasn’t hard to tell what such a powerful attack would’ve done to a human body. Hua Cheng’s eyes fell on the other again as he mindlessly asked.
“Are you all right then?”
Judging by the slight surprise flashing on the youth's face, he'd expected a different reaction from Hua Cheng.
“I'm fine. You… protected me.” The youth’s features were tinged with awe as if it was beyond his wildest imagination that someone would save him from harm's way, let alone by using their own body to do so. Hua Cheng felt inexplicably bothered by the observation.
Before he could say anything the youth’s expression shifted. “Ah, but I haven’t even told you my name. I go by Xie Lian.”
Xie Lian- the name rang over and over again in Hua Cheng’s mind like an answer that he’d been searching for for centuries.
“I was third in my family so daozhang may call me San Lang.”
“San Lang-” Xie Lian smiled at him once more. The urge to preen before it took Hua Cheng by surprise- he mercilessly stamped down on it. “I’m just a wandering scrap collector so I don't have much, but if there's anything I can do to repay your kindness, you need only let me know.”
“Anything?” Hua Cheng raised an eye-brow. It was fairly obvious by that point that Xie Lian had no idea about his true identity. He wasn’t exactly in disguise at that moment and most would’ve recognised him by his red robes, chain boots and silver vambraces alone, but Xie Lian had looked at and addressed him as he would a complete stranger.
Still, to make such a promise to a Ghost King of all beings… Something stirred in Hua Cheng's gut at the thought of all of the possible outcomes.
“En! Despite my looks, I’m actually good at lots of things…” As Xie Lian continued to enthusiastically enumerate a plethora of skills ranging from field sowing, well digging and brick laying all the way to busking, playing instruments and dancing, Hua Cheng found himself hopelessly charmed by it all. Xie Lian looked so eager to find anything he could offer in return for Hua Cheng's help…
In his six centuries of existence he'd seen countless times how such sincerity was taken as a sign of weakness and turned into a weapon to be used against the person offering. Hua Cheng decided in that moment that this sweet gentle heart shouldn’t be allowed to fall into anyone’s hands. The world would only try to take advantage of it before trampling it underfoot.
No, it would be far better if Hua Cheng were to take care of it instead.
“Daozhang is so talented but I would ask for something far simpler and more indulgent in nature.” As he smiled back at Xie Lian, Hua Cheng also sent a message to Yin Yu to prepare Paradise Manor for a guest.
“What does San Lang want then?”
“I want daozhang to keep me company for a while.”
Going by the way Xie Lian's eyes widened, he was even more surprised by the thought of someone seeking out his company than he’d been by the idea of being saved. There was a reluctant sort of hope glimmering in his eyes just beneath the disbelief. Xie Lian quickly snuffed it all out, schooling his features back to neutrality.
“How long is a while?” He asked.
“As long as you’d like for it to be.” Hua Cheng reassured. He had no desire to force anything onto the youth and watch the light fade from his beautiful eyes. Granted, Hua Cheng was also willing to take the necessary steps to make “a while” stretch on for as long as it possibly could- just… a lot more gently than he usually would when approaching something he really wanted.
A few moments passed in silence as Xie Lian considered his words. Hua Cheng couldn’t help but think that he looked somewhat conflicted. He was about to make a different request when Xie Lian spoke at last.
“If that’s what San Lang wants, then I’m happy to join you, but you should know that my luck can be ridiculously bad.” He smiled wryly, gesturing around them as if to say “these are actually normal circumstances for me to find myself in”. If Xie Lian thought that this would deter Hua Cheng, then he was adorably wrong. The ghost grinned at him conspiratorily.
“It just so happens that my luck is ridiculously good daozhang. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
It took another moment for his words to fully register to Xie Lian, but once they did the youth let out a few chuckles, the sound of them going straight to Hua Cheng’s long dead heart.
“If you say so.” He said, still smiling, as he started to get up from the forest floor. Hua Cheng did the same, quickly standing up with graceful ease.
He was just in time to catch Xie Lian by the shoulders when the youth stumbled on his right leg.
“What happened?!” Hua Cheng's eyes roved over Xie Lian's body much more attentively this time but with Xie Lian's robes in the way, he couldn't get a proper idea of how wounded the other was.
“Ah, the fall I took aggravated a leg injury that had yet to heal. I'll be fine San Lang, just give me a moment to adjust and we can set out.” Xie Lian smiled reassuringly. There was no sign that he was in pain anywhere in his demeanor and yet, Hua Cheng couldn't escape the nagging feeling that there was more to it.
“How bad?”
“Not too bad. Don't worry San Lang.”
Hua Cheng frowned, both at Xie Lian's casual attitude and at the burning anger which had nearly clouded his mind out of nowhere when he figured Xie Lian was actually hurt despite his earlier reassurances.
What had Xie Lian been through for him to so easily dismiss his own well-being?
His displeasure only grew further at the thought, but it was not the right moment to pry into the past.
Careful as to not jostle him too much, but decisively as to not give him a chance to protest, Hua Cheng moved to pick up Xie Lian in a cradle carry. Watching Xie Lian’s face turn to pure bewilderment as he reflexively grasped onto Hua Cheng’s shoulders for support was nearly enough to make him burst into laughter. When Xie Lian finally met his eyes, the youth looked like a cross between a startled deer and an offended royal.
“You… San Lang, put me down!” Xie Lian demanded, trying to sound stern despite his flushed cheeks. As much as Hua Cheng would’ve loved to tease him for it, he wiped any traces of mirth from his face and voice.
“Daozhang, if I listen to you and let you try to walk on your own, won’t that just make your leg injury even worse?”
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll be fine!” Came the immediate reply, accompanied by fussing. Hua Cheng merely held tighter onto Xie Lian, putting a stop to his attempts to shimmy down from his grasp.
As if I’d let you get away when you’re like this.
“Will you truly?” He met Xie Lian’s outraged gaze head on, raising an eyebrow and daring the youth to deny the obvious. Whether for a few moments, a minute or much longer, the two remained locked in a silent stalemate. It was Xie Lian who broke it first, looking away as he let go of Hua Cheng's shoulders to cross his arms over his chest.
“San Lang, you really are a stubborn one.” He said, the tiniest bit of petulance colouring his otherwise calm voice.
“In that regard we are well-matched daozhang.” Hua Cheng grinned at the youth, having to hold back his laughter when his words made Xie Lian turn away from him even more to hide whatever expression he made.
Hua Cheng was willing to bet a sizable sum of gold that Xie Lian was pouting.
But Xie Lian soon faced him again with a hopeful kind of glimmer in his eyes.
“Will you at least let me down so that I can gather up my bag of scraps?”
Hua Cheng took a moment then to look at the ground. The lumpy thing his head had been pillowed on turned out to be Xie Lian's bag. Around it lay scattered all kinds of chipped ceramic crockery, a few old fans and some miscellaneous metal parts.
“That won't be necessary daozhang.” Hua Cheng smiled at Xie Lian, part fond, part mischievous and called a few of his butterflies to gather everything up neatly. Xie Lian wasn't too disappointed that his second attempt to escape had failed, seeing as he watched the critters fulfill their task with rapt attention.
“San Lang, your butterflies are really beautiful.” He said, eyes still trained on the few that were now carrying his bag of scraps.
Hua Cheng summoned another one closer to them, letting it land on the finger Xie Lian offered to it. The youth studied the wraith with a smile for a bit before letting it drift away.
“So where does San Lang wish to go?” He asked.
“My house.”
The first thing Hua Cheng did upon their arrival at Paradise Manor was to call upon Yin Yu.
“I'll send you an enchanted pair of dice. Investigate the area where they take you for any traces of a memory-eating yao.”
“Understood, Chengzhu.”
He’d nearly left the communication array when Yin Yu spoke again.
“I've prepared the room in the East Courtyard according to your wishes and called for a proper dinner. Congratulations Chengzhu.” With that Yin Yu was gone before Hua Cheng could question him on why he’d prepare a room in the same courtyard as Hua Cheng’s chambers, and more importantly, what was there to congratulate him for?
“San Lang, your manor looks so lovely.” Xie Lian’s words cut through his train of thought. His attention immediately shifted back to the one in his arms, all intentions of questioning his aide fading from his mind.
“Does daozhang like it?”
Xie Lian didn’t even look at him, too busy taking in everything they walked by as Hua Cheng made his way to the East Courtyard.
“En!”
Good. That means you’ll be more likely to stay.
When they finally entered the room Yin Yu had prepared, Hua Cheng was somewhat taken aback to find that, rather than the dark reds the rest of the manor was decorated in, this particular place had been done in light, elegant shades of white and cream with dark brown accents. Even the furniture was a lot more delicate than what Hua Cheng would usually pick. It baffled him that he couldn’t recall ever arranging such a room in the manor, though if he thought about it, this aesthetic seemed like it would perfectly suit Xie Lian.
But Hua Cheng had more urgent matters to deal with than mismatched interior design choices. Finally, albeit with great reluctance, he set Xie Lian down on one of the divans in the room, kneeling before him and reaching for his right leg. Almost instantly, Xie Lian tensed up.
“What are you doing?”
Hua Cheng met his eyes then- Xie Lian didn’t look afraid, rather he looked conflicted.
“Taking care of daozhang’s wounds.” He said neutrally.
But Xie Lian pursed his lips, clearly not happy with that answer.
“San Lang, it’s fine, I’ll heal on my own soon enough.”
When all that Hua Cheng did was to give Xie Lian the same stare he had earlier in the forest, Xie Lian let out a defeated sigh.
“You’ve already jumped in to save me from certain death, you only asked for my company in return and you’ve even invited me into your home. I can’t help but feel…”
“Indebted?” Hua Cheng continued when it became clear that Xie Lian wouldn’t.
“Something like that.” Xie Lian smiled wryly.
Hua Cheng pretended to ponder things for a moment, before giving Xie Lian a mischievous smile. “Don’t worry about it daozhang, my intentions are rather selfish actually. I plan to drag you with me to all sorts of gruesome places for the following days.”
That earned him a chuckle. “Places like?”
“There’s an entire city of ghosts beyond the walls of this manor. It’s pure pandemonium out on those streets, so daozhang needs to be at full strength if you’re to join me.” Hua Cheng left out a few facts, such as who ruled over the aforementioned city and that nothing would ever harm Xie Lian out there so long as he was present.
Surprise flashed across Xie Lian’s features for a moment. “Are we in Ghost City by any chance?”
“En. How much have you heard about it, daozhang?”
“Just a couple of things here and there over the years. I haven’t paid much attention to what goes on outside of the Human Realm.”
“So you wouldn’t know who’s in charge then.” Hua Cheng said offhandedly, curious to know if any of the rumours Xie Lian had heard even mentioned him at all.
“That would be you San Lang, wouldn’t it?” A self-satisfied smile played at the corners of Xie Lian’s lips when he saw Hua Cheng’s eyes go wide. It took longer than what he would’ve liked for him to regain his composure. Had he just been tricked?
“What makes you say that?” He asked without inflection.
“You just don’t seem like the kind of person who’d live under someone else’s roof.” Xie Lian said good-naturedly.
A moment later Hua Cheng burst into pleased laughter. Perhaps he’d worried too quickly about this wonderful youth… Not that the realisation changed any of his plans, but it was delightful to know that Xie Lian could read those around him so well.
“Daozhang is very sharp! He figured me out so quickly!” He took a few moments to enjoy the way Xie Lian was smiling at him before he continued. “But I won’t be distracted that easily.” With that, Hua Cheng finally placed a gentle hand on Xie Lian’s right knee.
“I wasn’t trying to-” Xie Lian rushed to argue until he saw Hua Cheng’s grin. “San Lang, you-”
“Yes?” Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for whatever accusation Xie Lian wanted to levy at him.
“Go ahead if you insist.” He ultimately sighed, accepting his fate.
Feeling like he’d already pushed Xie Lian enough for the time being, Hua Cheng went about healing what turned out to be a broken tibia in a detached manner. He parted Xie Lian’s robes, lifted his pant leg just above his knee and laid an unintrusive hand over his calf. For the next few minutes, Hua Cheng passed a steady flow of spiritual energy to the other, making sure that the bone knitted itself back together at an adequate pace and that whatever other wounds Xie Lian had would also recover in the process.
“San Lang, you can stop now, I'm alright.” Xie Lian called out to him eventually, breaking him out of the trance-like state he’d fallen into. Hua Cheng rearranged Xie Lian’s clothes and stood up from the floor.
He was about to make another offer when he noticed that the youth was looking at him expectantly- Hua Cheng paused and waited.
“Aren’t you going to ask?” The question was uttered without any particular emotion, but Hua Cheng could tell from Xie Lian’s stiff shoulders that the topic wasn’t one he would speak about easily.
Would Hua Cheng like to know why a cultivator with a perfectly healthy and strong core had no spiritual energy whatsoever? Of course he would, especially since he’d decided he’d be watching over said cultivator from then on. But there was a time and place for everything. He was in no rush to verify the few theories he’d already come up with.
“Do you want to tell me?” He countered gently.
Taken aback by this response, Xie Lian’s eyes widened before he looked away from Hua Cheng altogether.
“Maybe another time.”
Was it shame urging Xie Lian to avoid his gaze? Had he done something in the past to be punished by having his abilities suppressed? Whatever it was, Hua Cheng did not like to see that kind of expression on his otherwise serene features. He decided in that moment that Xie Lian should simply not be burdened by such things ever again.
“Does daozhang want to have dinner first or take a bath beforehand?”
Xie Lian had gratefully accepted the subject change, even livening up at the suggestion of a bath.
“Ah, I’d love to freshen up, thank you San Lang!”
After that, Hua Cheng had pulled a set of white silk robes out of one of the chests at the foot of the bed, offering them to Xie Lian before he left for his own rooms.
“I’ll leave a butterfly at the door. It’ll guide you to the dining room once you’re ready.”
He only thought to question why there would be a chest full of robes, all seemingly in Xie Lian’s size, all white with different patterns of golden embroidery, once the youth showed up at the dinner table looking as princely as Hua Cheng had predicted he would dressed in finer clothing. Hua Cheng quickly discarded the thought, adding it to the list of things he’d question Yin Yu about once his aide returned from his assignment.
“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting for too long.” Xie Lian said, taking the seat next to him. The youth’s posture was prim and proper, as if he’d been taught proper etiquette from a very young age, but his mien was open, friendly even. He seemed relaxed and content to be there- Hua Cheng found he appreciated that look on him quite a bit.
“Not at all daozhang.”
As a matter of fact, Hua Cheng had just gotten there two minutes ago after spending far longer than he would’ve liked to admit even to himself wondering if he should change his clothes, or even his form to something more appealing. In the end, he’d settled on not making a show of his intentions just yet and only swapped his outer robe with another one that wasn’t covered in dust from the road.
He gestured for his attendants to set the food on the table, dismissing them once a proper feast lay before them. Xie Lian eyed it with a mix of surprise and concern on his face, but ultimately made no comment on the blatant excess. He picked up a few savoury baozi and placed them on his plate instead.
“San Lang, will you tell me more about yourself?”
Hua Cheng felt the corners of his mouth quirk up. “What would daozhang like to know?”
“Hmm…What is your actual name?”
“As a ghost I chose to go by Hua Cheng.” He offered with a smile. “Though most also know me as Crimson Rain Sought Flower.”
He watched attentively for any glimmer of a reaction but it turned out that Xie Lian had truly never heard of him beforehand in any shape or form. For a moment, Hua Cheng couldn’t decide whether that was to his advantage or not. He found himself torn between not wanting to lie to the youth about the kind of being that he was and an uncharacteristic reluctance to reveal anything that might frighten Xie Lian.
“Hua Cheng-” Xie Lian called, snapping him out of his thoughts “it suits you.” He smiled.
“I’m glad daozhang thinks so, but I’d rather he still called me San Lang.” At first, Hua Cheng had made the request on a whim, but over the past shichen he’d come to find he rather liked when Xie Lian addressed him like that.
“And what about the title of Crimson Rain Sought Flower? How did San Lang come to earn that?”
Hua Cheng proceeded to tell Xie Lian the story of his moniker, and much more. Through it all, it was somewhat surprising to find that the youth had never heard of the Four Calamities before or Mount Tonglu for that matter. But even as Hua Cheng described the kind of endless slaughter he’d had to prevail over to gain his power, Xie Lian never seemed to look at him with anything other than curiosity, or even muted awe in his gaze.
It was… intoxicating to say the least. It pushed him to reveal more than he would’ve liked, all in an attempt to find a hard line his past misdeeds might cross.
When he didn’t, Hua Cheng was left somewhat at a loss. Every sharp instinct he’d honed for centuries told him that Xie Lian was, in many ways, opposite to him. He could never see the youth resort to violence or intimidation as a solution. Neither did he think that Xie Lian was the type of person to care much about his own power and influence. But despite that, he seemed to understand Hua Cheng’s reasons for operating the way he did without passing any sort of judgement.
Truly a rare soul.
As their conversation continued along with their meal, Hua Cheng made sure to innocuously place a little bit of everything onto Xie Lian’s plate. When he’d carried him earlier that evening, he had the thought that the youth felt far too light in his arms. Hua Cheng would make sure to rectify that in due time.
Eventually, the topic shifted from Hua Cheng’s exploits over the centuries to Xie Lian’s own adventures as he’d wandered around from place to place. Initially, he’d kept things vague enough for it to be hard to tell where he’d been or when, but as night fell and as their talks stretched longer and longer, he’d let slip a detail here and there. That in itself wouldn’t have raised much suspicion, but Xie Lian would mention places that had either completely changed or disappeared decades ago or customs long forgotten by the humans of today. He’d reference events from ages past like he’d lived through them.
The more he spoke, the more Hua Cheng’s theories about his nature solidified in his mind.
But Hua Cheng didn’t really care about that- Xie Lian could keep his true identity secret for as long as he wished. The only thing the Ghost King wanted was for this lovely “youth” to remain at his side.
Last night, once he’d noticed that Xie Lian was adorably struggling to keep his eyes open and his head up as he sat at the dinner table, Hua Cheng had sent him already half-asleep to bed.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, he was leading the youth on a proper tour of the manor. They’d started out with the gardens, where Xie Lian looked at swings Hua Cheng couldn’t remember adding with just the tiniest bit of longing in his eyes.
“I really loved playing on the swing as a child, but I’m a bit too old for that now.” He’d said when Hua Cheng asked him if he wanted to take a turn on it. Hua Cheng shelved the thought of insisting for another day and took Xie Lian to see the library he’d accumulated over the centuries instead.
On their way there he showed Xie Lian some of the mechanisms he built inside the manor when he’d gotten bored in the past- corridors that ended in seemingly dead ends and required the one passing through to figure out how to make them open up and reveal the rooms they led to, doors that connected to unlikely places through various arrays, statues that worked as deterrents if one tried to reach the parts of the Manor Hua Cheng wanted restricted access to and so on.
“There’s a dungeon below this manor?” Hua Cheng had just pointed to him the respective statue standing guard over the one place in Paradise Manor all dreaded to “visit”. He raised an eyebrow at Xie Lian’s surprised mien.
“After learning of my reputation, is daozhang really so surprised?”
Xie Lian eyed the statue for a moment longer before he let out a chuckle. “I suppose not.”
With every bit of Paradise Manor that Xie Lian got to see, his appreciation only became more vocal. Despite how little Hua Cheng usually cared for the house he occasionally deigned to reside in, for once the Ghost King felt pride in his centuries-worth of building and repeatedly tearing down the place only to remake it grander.
It was intuition that made Hua Cheng leave the armoury for last. If the rest of the manor had made Xie Lian pause to take in the decor, the rare treasures or simply the architecture and mechanisms, the armoury made his eyes gleam with unfettered elation. Hua Cheng had barely opened the doors when the youth let out an audible gasp, rushing into the two-storied room and flitting to and fro between the various weapon racks displayed. For the next incense time, Hua Cheng just sat back and listened with a smile as Xie Lian animatedly commented on each weapon that caught his eye, showing a breadth of knowledge that rivaled Hua Cheng’s own.
As always, his gut feeling proved very keen.
When Xie Lian finally paused long enough to realise he’d been lecturing his cheeks turned a very appealing shade of red. It was obvious he was about to start needlessly apologising, so Hua Cheng spoke up before the youth could.
“Would you like to spar?” He offered one of the finer blades around to the other.
That made Xie Lian forget about any sense of embarrassment in an instant and they moved to an open space just outside of Ghost City.
Given that Xie Lian wielded no spiritual power and that Hua Cheng had no idea about his skill level, the ghost had initially wanted to start with a warm up match- nothing too taxing beyond trading casual blows. When Xie Lian opened by lunging for him in one swift but decisive move, Hua Cheng quickly understood that he need not be so considerate. As he raised E'ming to counter, he thought that he might have to hold back on using spiritual power for fairness’ sake, but he would likely need to make full use of his martial arts to keep up.
Xie Lian's own martial arts incorporated moves coming from all across the land- it wouldn't surprise Hua Cheng to find that Xie Lian had learned something new from every place he'd wandered to. At the core of it all though, Hua Cheng recognised the long lost combat teachings found in the kingdom of Xianle. The realisation sparked a fleeting impression at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t take the time to consider it. Any distraction would cost him the fight.
Sparring with Xie Lian turned out to be the most exhilarating combat experience Hua Cheng had gotten since…well, ever. He was precise in his attacks, knowing when to push an advantage or withdraw, and adapted just as quickly as Hua Cheng to his opponent's fighting style. With inhuman speed and strength that belied his identity as a mere human, Xie Lian pushed Hua Cheng on the defensive time and time again.
Had Xie Lian been uninjured, that beast would've barely posed a challenge for him- that had become certain quite early into their duels.
A full shichen and a half passed in the blink of an eye. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian would fight each other to a draw countless times before starting new match after new match.
And because he simply could not help himself…
“Daozhang you’d put martial gods to shame.” Hua Cheng could think of at least two whose underwhelming performances often bored him during Zhongyuan festivals- they weren’t even worth comparing to Xie Lian. As for the rest of the trash up there, only Jun Wu had the ability to pose a challenge.
“Ah, San Lang, you're such a flatterer.” Xie Lian dismissed him with a wave and a flushed face. Though Hua Cheng had just taken them back to the manor for lunch after they’d reluctantly finished their spar, he knew physical exertion wasn’t the only cause behind those reddened cheeks.
He grinned. “I assure you, I’m being very sincere.”
“Do you want to visit the city today daozhang?” Hua Cheng would ask later in the afternoon. They’d continued their talk from the night prior over tea in the garden. Words flowed easily between the two, without much care for the topic at hand, but Hua Cheng had noticed during the past half an hour that Xie Lian would occasionally glance towards the garden walls that separated them from the chaos beyond.
“I’d love to!”
Xie Lian’s enthusiasm made Hua Cheng have to stifle a chuckle. Most, be they human, ghost or god, wanted to run around in his city and carry out all sorts of business, yet none before had looked so innocent or out of place. It was endearing… and somewhat troubling. Though he knew better from their previous conversations, there was still a small part of Hua Cheng that worried Ghost City would end up as too dreadful of a place for Xie Lian’s taste.
When it came time to leave the manor, Hua Cheng stopped them just before they could step through the main gate.
“Who does daozhang want to accompany him on this outing?” The implications of his question were rather obvious. Hua Cheng could either step out in a form that all would recognise as himself or choose a disguise that allowed for anonymity.
Xie Lian considered it for a bit before answering at last. “I must admit, I’m curious about Chengzhu.”
Hua Cheng felt the corners of his mouth curl up. “Very well then. Please close your eyes for a moment.” But once Xie Lian did, Hua Cheng found choosing an appearance much harder than he'd anticipated. No matter which of the forms his citizens recognised as their lord, they all towered above most people, draped in lavish garb and fine jewellery carrying sharp features and a cold, indifferent look. In short they had all been created to signal his authority and intimidate others.
Should I soften one of them around the edges?
For one fleeting moment, he even considered shifting to his true form… One glance at Xie Lian's saintly beauty quickly pushed that idea entirely out of his mind. Still, the look that he ultimately went for was the closest he’d ever gotten to showing his true self. Beyond making the contours of his face less pronounced and giving himself two dark eyes instead of one, it was nearly there.
“It's done.” His now mature voice was doing a good job at hiding what Hua Cheng had a hard time accepting to be nerves.
Then again, he did wish for Xie Lian to look upon him favourably in every possible way.
Xie Lian opened his eyes, noticed his companion had grown taller than before, and proceeded to silently stare at him for quite a bit. That he hadn’t shown any fear or disgust was already doing unspeakable things to Hua Cheng’s allegedly dead heart, but the slight rosiness dusting Xie Lian’s cheeks might just be the end of him. Once again, he found himself wanting to push further- perhaps he should just shift his appearance all the way…
All in due time, Hua Cheng pointedly reminded himself.
With faux non-chalance coloured by a tiny bit of cheekiness, he asked “So what does daozhang think?”
Xie Lian blinked once, then another time as if snapping out of a trance and glanced away before meeting his eyes again.
“Ah- it really suits you San Lang!” He said with a sincere smile. Hua Cheng could feel his own lips curl up.
“Shall we?” He offered and Xie Lian followed him into Ghost City.
Over the centuries, Hua Cheng had grown used to his appearances in Ghost City causing a huge ruckus without fail. For the most part, he tuned out his citizens’ overt displays as he went about his business, only putting a stop to them when they became too idiotic to ignore. But not even Hua Cheng with his centuries of experience could’ve predicted how much more riled up the crowd would get the moment he showed up accompanying a guest.
At first, they’d mostly taken note of him.
“Chengzhu is finally back!”
“You better not be lying! It’s been a year since we last saw him.”
“Welcome back, Chengzhu!”
“Ooohhh? Is that a new look? He’s never shown this one before!”
“Wait really? Get out of my way, you’re blocking the view!”
“Fuck no! Find your own spot.”
“Ah, he’s so handsome… Our Chengzhu really is the best!”
“Pft! Quit mooning like that, you’ll never get the chance.”
“As if I don’t know that myself! I’m pretty happy looking from a distance though, unlike someone else here.”
“Hey! Stop being so loud-”
It wasn’t the comments about him that pushed him to the limit though. It was when they all turned their attention to Xie Lian and started spouting bullshit.
“Look at that person next to him, isn’t he human?!”
“Not only that but he’s dressed like a cultivator.”
“What is Chengzhu even doing with that guy? He doesn’t like cultivators!”
“To be fair, he doesn’t like anyone.”
“Maybe he plans to eat him?”
“Are you stupid? When has Chengzhu ever eaten humans?!”
“Well, you never know when someone changes their mind…”
“Chengzhu, sir, do you need our help to properly season the human? Old Zhao knows a lot about cooking hu-”
“Scram!” Only once no other ghost remained in sight did Hua Cheng turn to Xie Lian with an apology at the tip of his tongue but the young man, already failing to restrain his amusement, spoke before he could.
“So, has Chengzhu changed his mind after all? About eating humans that is.”
“...Daozhang.” Hua Cheng lamented, letting out a long-suffering sigh. When Xie Lian burst out into laughter, he had to fight hard to keep up the theatrics. Something about Xie Lian’s joy simply made Hua Cheng happy in turn, even if it came at his own cost.
“Ah, I’m sorry San Lang.” Xie Lian looked entirely unapologetic. “Your citizens are certainly very lively.” He added in a tone that signaled he genuinely meant those words, looking in the direction they’d all fled towards with amusement still shining in his eyes.
“Daozhang remains a gracious person. Lively is not the word I would choose.”
Fools was probably the most diplomatic way Hua Cheng would be tempted to describe them. Xie Lian peeked at him from the corner of his eye and though he said nothing in return, his face seemed to spell “Oh, I know” all over it. Hua Cheng held back a grin.
“But now that the trash has given us some space, let us carry on daozhang.”
For a while, Hua Cheng let Xie Lian wander and look around as he pleased, providing stories or answers whenever Xie Lian became particularly interested in one place or another. From all kinds of vendor stalls selling items both grotesque and ordinary, tea shops and restaurants hidden in-between motley buildings to grander structures like the Gambler’s Den, they ended up walking and seeing quite a bit, followed around by many curious eyes watching from a distance.
After that initial outburst though, the ghosts knew better than to make another spectacle, so the rest of their time was spent pleasantly in their own little bubble.
At least until they came across a temple of all things…
“There's a temple in Ghost City?” Xie Lian’s eyes widened. He stared at the grand structure illuminated by countless lights for a long time. If Hua Cheng were to guess what was going through the youth’s mind, he’d likely say Xie Lian must be remembering something from the past. But Hua Cheng was too busy staring himself to wager such a guess, trying to mask his own bewilderment.
Why couldn’t he remember building this place? Because none other than Hua Cheng could’ve placed such a structure in his own city. There were a few things that hadn’t made sense ever since he woke up on that forest floor yesterday. While it was easy enough to blame an ill-fitting room and swings in the garden on his ever-changing whims or attribute a mysterious chest of robes to the meticulousness of his aide, a grand temple that could rival even those of the Heavenly Emperor was just too suspicious.
In that moment, he knew for certain that he’d forgotten something very important to him. His palms started to itch as an odd sensation began to poke at the back of his mind. There was a growing urge in him to return to that forest and take over Yin Yu’s task… Ultimately, Hua Cheng didn’t do any of that.
“Yes.” He answered Xie Lian’s question with a calm he didn’t really feel.
“Is it for you San Lang?”
“I’d rather not give those fools in town even more room for spectacle.”
Neither of them took their eyes off the temple.
“Someone else then?” Xie Lian continued distractedly.
“No.” At least Hua Cheng didn’t think it would be for anyone else. He’d never worship any of the trash currently in Heaven.
That sensation at the back of his mind only became more insistent, especially as he led Xie Lian inside the temple.
There was an altar, but no statue. The inside was just as grand as the outside, but there were no cushions to kneel on… There wasn’t even an establishment plaque for the temple, which given its general grandeur, made everything all the more confusing.
As his eyes roved over walls painted by his own hand, Hua Cheng tried very hard to piece together the logic behind his own decisions, but it was as if heavy fog enveloped any answer he might be able to come up with. He needed to remember-
Hua Cheng’s eyes caught on a small, white wildflower placed upon the altar- the only offering there. Such a simple offering would be considered insignificant or even an insult by most gods. The flower was the kind one could easily find in a field, and it was even half-wilted…
Hua Cheng frowned- that shouldn’t be. The flower on the altar should’ve been replaced by a fresh one yesterday and then once again that morning. It had been an unbroken ritual ever since Qiandeng Temple had been built four centuries ago. It was the least of what His Highness deserved… Hua Cheng’s eyes snapped back to Xie Lian, as he felt pain start to pulse at his temples.
The fog began to clear.
All at once he was assaulted by memories of himself, weak, dirty and alive- filled with burning hatred one moment and all-consuming awe the next- memories of himself falling from a great height only to be caught by-
His Highness, the Royal Crown Prince of Xianle…
Memories of a slightly older street urchin finding home and solace in a small temple where the statue was but a poor representation of his god. Nevertheless, he always made sure to place a fresh white flower in its grasp before he prayed-
The Flower Crowned Prince…
Flashing images of an entire kingdom’s fall that left him numb, because despite the plague and the carnage going on around him, he’d only ever cared for one thing and one thing only-
“I won't forget! I will never forget you!” **
Death coming for him when he was all alone on a bloodied battlefield clutching the crushed remains of a small flower in his hand. Not an ending though, only the beginning.
“I have a beloved who is still in this world.” **
Echoes of a night he’d almost count forgetting about as a blessing. Pained screams that tore all the scars on his heart open over and over again. Hatred strong enough to burn sinners- no, the entire world, to ashes.
So much regret, so much self-hatred over his own powerlessness.
Memories of following his god even in his grief, somber and ready to destroy the world if that was what he chose to do, yet also unwilling to let him fall into the pits of abject despair.
If dying for you is the only thing I can do right now, then it will be my honour to wear a smile as this curse takes my soul.
And finally, endless centuries of searching for the only person he’d ever given a damn about-
Xie Lian- my god, my beloved…
With each scene flooding back into his mind, the pain only increased in intensity, until Hua Cheng felt like his head was about to split open… After all, taking back six hundred years of memories about his tether to the world was bordering on too much even for a calamity like himself.
He thought Xie Lian might be calling out to him- his lips were forming words that looked a lot like “San Lang, are you alright? What’s happening to you?!”- but he couldn’t be sure. He was slowly losing his grasp on consciousness, black spots appearing all over his vision.
The final words going through Hua Cheng’s mind before he passed out for a second time in as many days were-
Beloved, how could I ever forget about you?
Another year on the road had almost come to an end for Hua Cheng.
The current trail that he was looking into, one he hadn’t expected much from, led Hua Cheng to the South, to a quaint town located on the outskirts of a dense ancient forest. He’d gone through his usual routine of pretending as if he were in dire need of a cultivator, and when that yielded no information about Xie Lian, he’d moved on to questioning the merchants on whether they’d bought any scraps recently.
“A beautiful young man traded me some old silk fabrics for a new set of simple white cotton robes a few days ago. He had a pretty hefty bag on his back but he said he wanted to collect some more things before he sold them all.” The seller from the fifth stall he’d visited had said.
“I haven’t seen him since then and I couldn’t tell you which way he went gongzi.”
Being just a few days late and not knowing which way to head towards was, by that point, the one thing Hua Cheng could ironically predict without fail in his search for Xie Lian. He’d had six centuries of “practice” after all. And yet, the feeling of disappointment would always taste as nauseatingly bitter as it had the first time.
When he left the town a few hours later, he spread out his butterflies on a hundred li radius just in case. Though Xie Lian could usually cover long distances in just one day from what he’d been able to figure out over the years, there were also times when he moved at a far slower pace for one reason or another. Hua Cheng was always thorough in checking every bit of land as a consequence.
He almost didn’t believe it when one of his butterflies came across the very object of his desperate search, but Hua Cheng didn’t have any time to sit in his stupor- Xie Lian was about to be blown to pieces by a powerful beast!
Hua Cheng didn’t think- he instantly teleported to the spot and dashed towards his god at full speed, barely overtaking the yao’s blast by a mere second. It all happened too fast for Hua Cheng to even begin to process the fact that he was finally holding Xie Lian in his arms. He felt no pain as the tremendous ball of spiritual energy hit his back, only a brief spark of utter relief and unspeakable joy.
A moment later, he was passing out.
When he regained consciousness at last after an indeterminate amount of time, he did so with the image of his beloved nearly getting blown to death in mind. Hua Cheng sprang up from where his head had been pillowed onto Xie Lian’s lap, turned around to face his god in a blur of red and desperately grasped at his shoulders.
“Your Highness, are you alright?!”
Xie Lian met his frantic eyes with momentary confusion. For a while, neither one of them spoke a word.
“San Lang, I should be the one asking you that question.” Eventually, Xie Lian placed a gentle hand over Hua Cheng’s, speaking softly as if he was soothing a startled child.
At that moment, all of the events from the past day and a half returned to Hua Cheng with a final, far more bearable headache.
“I’m fine, I just-” Just forgot everything about you and only you.
Although it was a consequence of saving Xie Lian from harm, and although nothing bad had come out of it, Hua Cheng felt anger unlike never before shoot through his entire body in one scaldingly hot flash.
How dare that creature rob him of his beloved, how dare it make him-
“You don’t look alright to me.” The concern on Xie Lian’s face was akin to summer rain, cooling him off almost instantly.
“I’ve only just fully recovered from that beast’s attack. It turns out the fiend was a memory-eating yao.” Normally, it should’ve taken Hua Cheng’s entire memories with that hit, but given that his butterflies had killed the beast, what transpired was probably a final curse from the yao.
That thing died far too easily… Bloodlust ate at the edges of Hua Cheng’s mind. He wished he could revive that beast and-
“You remember me now.” Xie Lian said carefully, an affirmation rather than a question.
“I do.” The words tasted so bittersweet on his tongue- one half of Hua Cheng was exhilarated to know that his search was finally over and that he’d even been able to take Xie Lian back with him despite it all, but the other half was still unable to let go of the fact that he’d forgotten. The mere idea was antithetical to everything Hua Cheng-
“Ah.” Xie Lian’s sigh broke him out of his thoughts, making him turn his attention towards his god in full.
What Hua Cheng saw tied a knot right in his throat- all of the prior joy and tranquility had entirely bled from Xie Lian’s persona. He sat stiffly in front of Hua Cheng, looking as if he was ready to bolt out of the temple at any moment.
“Your Highness, what is it?”
“Nothing-” Xie Lian tried to dismiss, turning his head slightly to the right and waving his hand in a half-hearted gesture.
“Your Highness, please, tell me.” He pleaded without any sort of shame. Despite the chaos sweeping through his mind Hua Cheng could not bear to see such poorly hidden sadness in Xie Lian’s eyes. He had to pull himself together to fix whatever was wrong.
“You were very upset just a moment ago-” Xie Lian started, then paused for a long time, as if what he was about to say would taste awfully bitter.
“That was-”
“Was it because of-”
They eventually spoke at the same time, pausing mid-sentence. After a few moments of silence, Hua Cheng gestured for Xie Lian to go first.
“Is it because of me?” The words were quiet and resigned.
“What?” At first, Hua Cheng couldn’t properly grasp the meaning behind that question. How could he ever be upset he’d finally found his beloved…
Xie Lian forced a wry smile upon his face. “In the past, when people still recognised me, they-”
Hua Cheng didn't need nor want to hear the end of that sentence. He cut Xie Lian off. “Your Highness please stop. I could never be upset that it's you, as a matter of fact I've been…” Between revealing a past he would’ve wanted to keep to himself a while longer and letting Xie Lian believe for even a second that he was unwanted, the choice was rather obvious… However, that did not make speaking the words any easier.
“I've been looking for you for all of six centuries.”
Xie Lian’s entire face morphed with surprise and disbelief. For a while, he kept looking at Hua Cheng like he was waiting for him to take back what he’d said, calling it all a joke or something of the sort. When he realised Hua Cheng was being entirely sincere, Xie Lian’s expression began to change. It was as if hope had lit up his eyes from within, tentative joy softening his gentle features.
“Who are you really?” He finally asked, curious, eager to know and not one ounce repulsed.
Something very warm settled in Hua Cheng’s chest- he couldn’t help but smile.
“That is a long story, Your Highness.”
Xie Lian smiled back at him.
“I’ve got nothing but time.”
Omake:
Some two hundred years later
It had taken a few hours of coaxing and plenty of promises that he’d be on his best behaviour for a while- a very short while as they both knew, alas- but Hua Cheng had finally convinced his beloved to return to their bed that night after the entire debacle with the memory eating demon.
Currently, he was running a comb through Xie Lian’s silken hair- the last part of their routine before sleep. Though it was usually a moment of leisure for them when they talked about anything and everything, Hua Cheng had been quiet all throughout the process… and so had Xie Lian. There was clearly something on his beloved’s mind, but Hua Cheng had chosen to wait and see if Xie Lian would speak up.
But Xie Lian hadn’t even noticed that Hua Cheng was done with his hair.
“Gege what are you thinking about?” He asked as he put the comb to the side. Xie Lian didn’t turn to him, giving him a distracted answer.
“I was just wondering what it would be like to meet a version of San Lang that doesn’t remember me.”
“Haven’t you already gege?” Old bitterness almost made it into his voice. To that day, Hua Cheng was still furious at that beast for making him forget.
Although- he hugged Xie Lian from behind, pulling him flush against his chest and resting his chin on his beloved’s shoulder- two centuries of marriage had done a pretty good job at soothing most of that anger.
“But I didn’t know you back then.” Xie Lian looked at him, clearly still caught halfway in his thoughts. He only realised he’d given a “wrong” answer once he saw Hua Cheng’s lips curl into a grin.
“Ah, I see what this is about. Gege wants to bully poor San Lang in retribution.”
“That’s not it-” Xie Lian tried to draw away from Hua Cheng to properly face him but Hua Cheng wouldn’t let him. He tightened his hold and stubbornly pressed his chin down. Xie Lian, already used to such treatment, didn't even flinch. “I just want…” He trailed off, face growing redder by the second.
This would’ve been the moment Hua Cheng would tease further, but given all the effort it had taken for him to be allowed in Xie Lian’s vicinity so soon after he’d crossed the line earlier, he merely closed his eye and leaned his weight even further on the other.
“I think I have an idea of what gege means.” He felt Xie Lian relax again.
“I haven’t killed that yao yet gege. I just sealed it away for the time being.” He added after a few more moments, the implication of his words quite obvious.
Xie Lian only let out a hum in acknowledgement, but he did place his own arms over Hua Cheng’s.
Hua Cheng couldn’t help but smile. He’d already wanted to broach this topic some other time- this had just given him the perfect opportunity.