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Clasificación:
Explícito
Advertencia de archivo :
No se aplican advertencias de
archivo
Categoría:
M/M
Fanático:
天官赐福 - 墨⾹铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú -
Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

Relación:
Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú)
Caracteres:
Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Hua Cheng
(Tian Guan Ci Fu), Yǐn Yù (Tiān Guān
Cì Fú) (fondo), Personajes originales
Etiquetas adicionales:
Ciudad fantasma (Tiān Guān Cì Fú),
Universo Alterno - Divergencia del
Canon, Universo alternativo: primer
encuentro diferente, Usted sabe lo que
quiero decir, Quemadura lenta,
Identidad secreta, Identidad porno,
Anhelo mutuo, Angustia con final
feliz, Pelusa, Amistad, Familia
encontrada, Primer beso, Primera
vez, Violencia típica del canon,
discusión sobre el suicidio, Trastorno
de estrés postraumático: trastorno de
estrés postraumático, Ataques de
pánico, Masturbación, Spoilers de
libros, Herido/Confort, Sexo
semipúblico, Traducción disponible,
Перевод на русский | Traducción en
ruso

Idioma:
Inglés
Serie:
Parte 1 de Compass + Extras Próximo
trabajo →
Estadísticas:
Publicado: 2022-12-12 Terminado:
2023-07-23 Palabras: 178.731
Capítulos: 11/11 Comentarios:
1.619 Prestigio: 5.845
Marcadores: 2,265 Golpes:
145.844

'Hasta que
nuestra
brújula se
detenga
edenwolfie

Capítulo 10
Notas:
¡Gracias por tu
paciencia mientras
terminaba este fic!
¡Vaya, mi salud ha
sido como un maldito
yoyo estos últimos
meses! También
puedes notar que ha
habido un aumento
en el número de
capítulos, eso se
debe a que este
capítulo terminó
demasiado largo y
también decidí que,
dado que volvemos a
sumergir un poco los
dedos de los pies en
la sopa de angustia
para terminar
algunos hilos, eso Yo
dividiría el capítulo.
Sin embargo, no
temas, el fic está
terminado y el
capítulo final se
publicará en una
semana una vez que
se hayan completado
las ediciones.

Como siempre,
gracias por todos los
encantadores
comentarios,
encantadores y
maravillosos lectores.
Te amo, te atesoro,
¡disfrútalo!
(Consulte el final del
capítulo para obtener
más notas ).

Xie Lian se despertó por segunda

mañana consecutiva sintiéndose bien
descansado y cálido. Estaba contento
de encontrarse envuelto alrededor de
Hua Cheng, con Xie Lian de frente a
su espalda. Había rodeado sus brazos
alrededor del estómago de Hua Cheng
y sus piernas estaban dobladas detrás
de las del otro en una curva. La cara
de Xie Lian estaba aplastada contra la
parte superior de la espalda de Hua
Cheng, su mejilla apoyada contra el
colchón.

Respiró profundamente, dejando que

sus ojos se cerraran nuevamente y
disfrutando de la alegría del
momento. Sentirse tan seguro y
amado era como un lujo. Los últimos
días se sintieron como un sueño
febril: demasiado buenos para ser
verdad para su suerte.

“¿Estás despierto, gege?” La voz de

Hua Cheng retumbó, el sonido resonó
contra su rostro donde estaba
presionado contra la espalda del
fantasma.

Xie Lian tarareó sin comprometerse,

sonriendo para sí mismo, pero apretó
sus brazos con más fuerza.

“¿Gege se siente cómodo entonces?”

"Mn", respondió con la voz apagada.

"Muy. San Lang es muy cómodo.”
Dejó que sus dedos se deslizaran
placenteramente arriba y abajo por el
pecho y el estómago de Hua Cheng,
deslizándose de vez en cuando debajo
de su ropa para sentir la piel
desnuda.

Una mano atrapó la suya y la levantó

para darle un beso en la palma antes
de soltarlo. “¿Espero que Gege haya
dormido bien?”

"Si, gracias. Me gusta mucho tu cama

".

"Nuestra cama."

Xie Lian simplemente se abrazó con

más fuerza, sonriendo
estúpidamente. Nuestro .

Tiró de Hua Cheng para que se

acostara boca arriba, su espeso
cabello cayendo en ondas alrededor
de las almohadas. Xie Lian se movió
para que su torso descansara sobre el
de Hua Cheng y sus piernas se
juntaran debajo de las sábanas.
Primero besó el pecho de Hua Cheng,
justo en el centro, antes de salpicar
más y más su cuerpo antes de
finalmente llegar a su boca.

“Si esta es nuestra cama, ¿eso la

convierte en nuestro hogar?” Xie Lian
preguntó en voz baja, sintiéndose
tonto y presuntivo por querer y
mucho menos preguntar, pero Hua
Cheng hacía que las cosas parecieran
muy fáciles.

Hua Cheng sonrió de una manera que

hizo que el corazón de Xie Lian se
derritiera, el hermoso rostro debajo
de él se iluminó de alegría. "Creo que
finalmente podría llamar hogar a este
lugar si gege aceptara tal cosa",
respondió Hua Cheng, girando un
mechón de cabello de Xie Lian
alrededor de su dedo. Se inclinó para
robar otro beso. "Qué escandaloso
que Gege se mude aquí antes de
casarnos".

Xie Lian se rió. "Estoy seguro de que

Yanxun seguramente tendrá alguna
idea al respecto y... ¡ oh!" Se sentó
de repente y la comprensión lo golpeó
como una roca en la cara.

¡ Estaba tan preocupada! Ella había

pasado brevemente por su mente
ayer, pero no había pensado en
enviarle un mensaje o...

“¿Gege?” Un toque vacilante en su

hombro.

"¡Me acabo de dar cuenta!" exclamó,

volviendo a centrar su atención en
Hua Cheng, su cabello suelto
deslizándose de sus hombros y
abanicándose sobre el pecho de Hua
Cheng. “Nos fuimos bastante
abruptamente. Probablemente Yanxun
esté preocupado. Ella es…consciente
de buena parte de nuestra historia.
Especialmente las cosas más
recientes”. Xie Lian se encogió.
“Afortunadamente ayer no debía
trabajar. Me olvidé por completo de
todo: San Lang distrae demasiado”.

Hua Cheng estaba muy callado. Muy

silencioso.

"¿Qué es?" Preguntó Xie Lian,

inclinándose hacia abajo y tomando la
mejilla de Hua Cheng en su palma.
Hua Cheng no lo estaba mirando y no
le gustó. "¿Qué ocurre?"

De mala gana, Hua Cheng dijo: "Lo

entenderé si no soy la única persona
que tiene el corazón de Gege..."

"¿Qué quieres decir?"

Hubo un largo momento de

vacilación, luego los hombros de Hua
Cheng se relajaron, como si estuviera
derrotado. "Este San Lang se da
cuenta de que Gege ama a todos sus
amigos en la Guarida", se lamentó,
mirando con tristeza hacia un lado.
"Ese gege no tendrá tiempo para este
San Lang hoy".

Ah, que producción teatral . Hua

Cheng parecía la viva imagen de una
esposa abandonada, cuyo marido
había dejado su cama fría durante
semanas. Xie Lian no pudo evitar
encontrarlo entrañable, el pequeño
puchero triste con el ojo abatido y
bajado realmente lo golpeó
directamente en su corazón. Si Hua
Cheng necesitaba garantías e iba a
jugar sucio para conseguirlas,
entonces Xie Lian, por supuesto,
aliviaría esos temores.

"San Lang", lo reprendió Xie Lian

suavemente, inclinándose hacia atrás
y besando su mandíbula con toda la
ternura dentro de su alma. “Siempre
tendré tiempo para ti y siempre
volveré a ti. San Lang es mi persona
más querida”.

Hua Cheng se relajó de inmediato y

miró a Xie Lian con una expresión de
mezcla de asombro y adoración.

“¿Seguramente tienes cosas que

debes hacer también?” Sugirió Xie
Lian con una sonrisa. "Le he quitado
bastante tiempo a Hua Chengzhu".

"Nada es más importante que gege",

dijo Hua Cheng con el ceño fruncido.
Luego suspiró y añadió de mala gana:
"Tengo algunos asuntos que debo
atender".

Xie Lian tarareó, fingiendo algo de la

misma energía rechazada que Hua
Cheng había puesto. “Chengzhu es
muy importante. Muchos exigen su
atención…”

"Gege se está burlando de mí ahora".

Xie Lian sonrió. “Mmm. ¿Podría

pedirme prestada algo de ropa otra
vez? preguntó mientras bajaba de...
su cama.

"Gege, ya sabes la respuesta que te

daré", dijo Hua Cheng, contento de
observarlo desde su trono de
almohadas.

"Quizás simplemente me gusta oírte

decirlo".

“Todo lo que es mío es tuyo”. Hua

Cheng tarareó pensativamente y
luego agregó: "Aunque casi sugeriría
que Gege era tan hermoso que no
necesitaba cosas tontas como ropa,
pero esa basura no es digna de
contemplar tal divinidad".

Xie Lian se sonrojó y se agachó de

nuevo en la cama para besar los
melosos halagos de los labios de Hua
Cheng. Se demoró mientras se
alejaba, sonriendo ante el aleteo de
pestañas que le valió. Oh, qué
tentador era volver a acostarse con él
e ignorar sus responsabilidades del
día. De nuevo.

Xie Lian endureció su determinación,

se separó de Hua Cheng y rebuscó en
el armario. Encontró algo sutil pero
bonito en los cofres que Hua Cheng le
había indicado ayer. Era blanco, como
él prefería, con bordados
blanquecinos de pájaros, flores y
mariposas esparcidos por todas
partes. Una vez más, encajaba
perfectamente: Hua Cheng realmente
había pensado en todo.

"De hecho, hoy necesitaré una tira de

seda", dijo Xie Lian cuando estuvo
vestido, señalando el grillete
alrededor de su cuello como lo había
hecho ayer. “¿Hay alguno que pueda
usar escondido en alguna parte?”

El ojo de Hua Cheng se dirigió hacia

donde Ruoye se había sentado
cómodamente en la muñeca de Xie
Lian con su vendaje, la pregunta era
obvia. Sin embargo, Hua Cheng no
preguntó y finalmente se dignó dejar
la comodidad de su cama y mostrarle
a Xie Lian dónde estaban guardadas
esas cosas.

Xie Lian was immensely grateful. He

did not wish to ruin today by
explaining why having Ruoye around
his neck made both he and Ruoye
intensely uncomfortable.

“San Lang looks very powerful today,”

Xie Lian noted when Hua Cheng had
finished dressing himself. Today he
was back in what Xie Lian considered
the Full Crimson Rain Sought Flower.
Dressed in the richest fabrics and
wrapped in his finest, brightest
jewellery, Hua Cheng was easily the
most stunning creature in any room
by a long shot. He’d also shifted his
appearance in a handful of subtle
ways, standing slightly taller than
moments before, with his teeth and
nails a little sharper.

“Thank you, gege,” Hua Cheng said as

he finished clasping his bracers
closed.

“Do you have business elsewhere you

need to see to?” he asked, because
that was usually what this sort of
appearance meant—someone was
about to discover who they shouldn’t
have crossed or really regret a choice
they had made.

“I do,” Hua Cheng sighed, stepping up

beside Xie Lian, his boots jingling. He
bundled Xie Lian into his embrace, a
hand around his waist. “Would you
like to walk to the Den or go via
dice?”

“Hm. I worry if we walk we’ll never

make it to the Den.”

“Oh? Is gege planning on cornering

this defenceless ghost in another alley
on the way?” Hua Cheng suggested
cheekily. He leant in closer, the hand
on his waist wandered lower as
though they had not already spent
more than enough time in each
others’ arms last night.

Based on how this city worked, what

had transpired in the Den two days
ago had probably become something
mythological in the eyes of Ghost
City. He had lived here long enough to
watch a rumour circle the city and
come back completely changed by the
time he heard it again—especially
with anything to do with Hua Cheng—
and they had caused quite the scene.

“No, no, more that there has likely

been a lot of gossip about what
happened two days ago. I doubt we
will get far easily.”

“The short route it is, then,” Hua

Cheng replied, his crimson dice
appearing in his hand.

They arrived in the centre of the

Den’s main hall, stepping out from
the entrance to Hua Cheng’s private
room which was enough to turn the
majority of heads in their direction.
He was sure these ghosts were aching
for a show of some kind with how
things quieted for a split second
before hurried whispers began
circulating the room. Within the
admittedly large crowd he sighted
Lianzhu, inhumanly tall amongst the
ghosts. She was staring very intently
at them and whispering something to
someone beside her that Xie Lian
couldn't see

Hua Cheng made to turn towards his

alcove, climbing up one step, but Xie
Lian didn’t move.

“What is it, gege?”

Xie Lian glanced toward the hanging

curtain to the kitchen at the back of
the Den. “I’m going to go speak to
Yanxun,” Xie Lian said. “Will you be
alright out here?”

“Of course. I’ll distract the rabble for

a short time, then head off on my
business,” Hua Cheng replied. “Will
you be alright if I leave you here for a
time?”

“Yes, of course. When will you be

back?”

“Before midday I should hope.

Certainly before dinner.”

Xie Lian nodded, saying, “I look

forward to it,” and then made to move
away.

The hand around his waist tightened

as Xie Lian moved, halting him in his
exit.

Xie Lian turned back to look up at

Hua Cheng, still one step above him,
radiant in the crimson glow of the
Den. “San Lang? What is it?”

“I just wanted to say goodbye, gege.”

Hua Cheng’s fingers danced delicately
up Xie Lian’s side and he sucked in a
breath.

Xie Lian opened his mouth to wish

him goodbye when Hua Cheng
swooped in and kissed him. His
mouth was soft with a touch of
tongue, just enough of a promise to
send a thrill down Xie Lian’s spine.
Somebody whistled, and it broke the
seal on whatever quiet there had
been.

“Give it to him, Chengzhu!” someone

shouted. It sounded a lot like
Chunchun.

An excited cheer went up, with other

voices adding to the call of,
“Congratulations!” and, “Show us how
its done, Chengzhu!” and, “Fuck him
on the table!” and several other
suggestions that Xie Lian did not wish
to think too hard about—some
because they were too scandalous
and others because they so
shamefully echoed thoughts he’d had
before.

Xie Lian’s body turned hot and he

pulled back. He hid his face in Hua
Cheng’s neck, caught between
laughing and cringing away in
embarrassment.

“Don’t pay any attention to them,”

Hua Cheng assured him quietly,
nosing at his cheek. Xie Lian could
feel the wicked smile on his face as
he murmured, “Just focus on me,
gege,” before leaning down and
kissing Xie Lian again.

Xie Lian let himself be distracted by

Hua Cheng and the soft intertwining
of their mouths—then was equally
distracted by the sudden flash of
killing intent that struck the Den,
originating from the ghost before him.
Several nearby cups shattered and
the crowd exclaimed in a different
way that suggested more than a few
damp laps. It made Xie Lian’s knees
go weak—and it was assuredly not
from fear.

When Hua Cheng pulled back, the

room was quiet and the ghosts had
reluctantly returned to whatever it
was they were doing.

“I will return as soon as I can, gege,”

Hua Cheng said quietly. “You are sure
you wish to stay?”

Xie Lian smiled and nodded in assent,

his cheeks still warm. A little
embarrassment wasn’t enough to
deter him. “Mn. I will be fine. Be safe,
San Lang.”

He felt ghostly eyes track him all the

way to the nearest staff door at the
edge of the room. He let out a breath
as he entered, feeling the scrutiny
dissipate. He was so out of practice at
being the centre of attention. He
wasn’t sure he had missed it. He had
unquestioningly accepted it as a part
of life as a boy and a young man and
a god. Then it had all fallen apart and
anonymity was much, much safer.
Though, with Hua Cheng making a
statement like that, he doubted many
would try to move against him—and it
wasn’t like he couldn’t fully defend
himself if needed. He’d publicly shown
that two days ago.

“Hello!” Xie Lian called as he entered

the kitchen. Five heads snapped in his
direction, two of them bending very
unnaturally.

“Wujin, what the fuck!” Yanxun

shouted, leaping over the counter to
throw herself at him. Her hands
gripped his shoulders, looking him
over carefully. “Are you okay? I went
to Paradise Manor but that fucking
Waning Moon Officer turned me away
—”

“Huh, he is pretty handsome though,”

Baihua said behind her. “Yanxun, you
said he wasn’t.”

“I said he wasn’t my type, idiot, I

never said he wasn’t good looking,”
she retorted, then slyly turned her
focus back to Xie Lian. “Though from
what I’m hearing around town you
shouldn’t say such things about
Chengzhu’s new wife, huh? Seems
dangerous to covet something that
isn’t yours.”

Baihua blanched, swore at her, and

went back to chopping vegetables,
though both their ears were perked in
Xie Lian’s direction. How predictable.

“Wujin!”

Xie Lian turned to see Dianshui,

Chunchun, and Lianzhu pushing in
through the hanging cloth of the
entry, with Longtan and Wang Lu
close behind, all with their masks
pulled up. Apparently the allure of
gossip was too strong to be resisted,
even at the expense of running the
Den.

“Ahaha, hello,” he called back,

sending them a little wave.

“Damn. You were right, Chunchun,

gege is cute,” Dianshui noted, eyes
roving over his face as they came to a
stop.

Xie Lian resisted sighing. Was his face

so exciting?

Chunchun squeezed his cheek gently.

“Don’t make that face at your
meimeis! We’re here to congratulate
you! It looked like Chengzhu had his
tongue pretty far down your throat
just now.”

They hadn’t been quite that

shameless, but—

Three more bodies squeezed their

way into the kitchen, Huxue, Duxin,
and Lin Zhan somehow finding space
in the room and waving excitedly at
him.

“So, tell us, tell us,” Yanxun cut in,

swatting Chunchun’s hand away from
Xie Lian’s face and dragging him over
to the nearest table, maximising their
kitchen audience’s ability to hear
everything while also freeing up a
little floor space. He sat down and she
set a plate of almond biscuits before
him. “Is it true?”

“Thank you for the food.” Xie Lian

laughed, picking up a biscuit and
chewing blissfully. Ah, her cooking
really was excellent. “Is what true? I
don’t know what’s being said.”

“Hmmm,” she considered. “Well I

think my favourite one is that your
mask fell off and Hua Cheng instantly
fell in love with you because you were
so beautiful, then he fell to his knees
and begged you to be his bride. Last I
heard you were ma rried under the
light of the full moon.”

“Neither of the last two nights were a

full moon,” Xie Lian countered.

“So?” Yanxun shot back. “It’s

romantic.”

“Auntie Lu who lives in my street said

that she heard that Hua Chengzhu
has been secretly married to you for
years and years, and when the mask
came off so did the enchantment
revealing a Heavenly Goddess in
matching red things to Hua Cheng,”
Lianzhu added. “Said you were
dripping in gold and jewels and
covered in love bites.”

Xie Lian laughed. “That doesn’t even

make sense. That’s not how those
masks work.”

“Sure, but it is funny,” Longtan said.

“Besides, you’re the purest little white
lotus we’ve ever had in here.”

Xie Lian certainly wasn’t that

anymore, even if he had been upon
his arrival. There was certainly a non-
zero number of well come by bruises
on his skin right now. Ah, how
strangely things had changed—how
wonderfully.

“The shopkeepers in the East Market

said that you were some cursed little
creature, forced into servitude to Hua
Chengzhu for something—I’ve heard
three different reasons so far—but
since you had managed to become so
close to him, when you fell to the
blades of the attackers, Chengzhu
kissed life back into your body. The
kiss broke the curse broke revealing a
lost princess of unparalleled beauty.
He swore he would marry you on the
spot,” Duxin chimed in.

Well, that one at least made some

sense and was quite a romantic story.
He could see why it had spread.

“I heard that a ghost attacked you

and ripped off all your clothes and
mask to reveal the most beautiful
man the world had ever seen. Hua
Chengzhu was so taken with your skill
and your body that he fucked you
right on the floor,” Sun Liao said with
a shit-eating grin.

“Oh,” Xie Lian whispered, flushing at

the suggestion. They had nearly
gotten close to something like that.
Thankfully some common sense had
kicked in before then. Honestly, he
was just impressed that Ghost City
had managed to come up with such
variety in their rumours within what
had essentially been a day and a half.

“Some of the fishwives were saying

that you’re the long lost love Hua
Chengzhu has been searching for for
all those years he fucked off for,”
Wang Lu said with stars in her eyes.
“When your mask came off he
realised who you were and pledged
the rest of his life to you.”

Xie Lian opened his mouth, and then

closed it. “That one’s probably the
closest,” he admitted bashfully.

“Really?” Yanxun asked, her head

coming to rest on her hands as she
stared at him intently. “So did he ask
you to marry him?” she cooed,
fluttering her eyelashes at him.

Heat flashed across his face and he

hurriedly shoved another biscuit in his
mouth, trying not to make eye
contact with anyone.

“What?” she gasped. “No! No! I was

kidding, are you kidding me?”

“How could you be his lost love?”

Xinku pressed. “He’s one of the oldest
fucking things in this city!”

“Well,” Xie Lian said when he had

hurriedly finish ed eating—Dianshui
had started to look like she was going
to rip the food out of his mouth soon
if he didn’t hurry up. “I met San Lang
when I was about seventeen, he was
ten at the time, so I’m a little older
than him.”

“Holy shit,” Longtan breathed out.

“How the hell are you so old? You look
barely twenty.”

“It’s complicated,” Xie Lian said, while

Yanxun piped up.

“You all should be bowing right now,”

she said oddly proudly. “Lian-ge here
is both a crown prince and a god.”

“Yeah right.” Duxin returned

sarcastically, though Lei-ge’s head
turned toward Xie Lian. He leaned
forward on the bench and gave Xie
Lian the distinct feeling of being
examined.

Chunchun looked pensive. “I had

wondered why Hua Chengzhu called
you Your Highness the other day.”

“Lian-ge,” Dianshui scoffed at Yanxun,

“What, he gave you his name too?”

Yanxun replied with an indignant, “Yes

—”

“Any god we ever heard of then?”

Baihua asked, long past pretending
not to be listening.

“Oh, ah, a banished god, I should

clarify, thank you Yanxun,” Xie Lian
said. “I think the only well known
story now would be The Crown Prince
Who Pleased the Gods?”

“One of the Four fucking Famous

Tales?” Wang Lu said disbelievingly.

“Hang on,” Lianzhu mused. “I

remember you—Crown Prince Xie Lian
of Xianle? I think you were an old God
of Misfortune in my time?”

“Mn, yes, that’s me as well,” Xie Lian

said bashfully, scratching his cheek.
“Though the first time I ascended I
was a martial god.”

“You do look a lot like that statue in

the temple near the lake,” Lei-ge
finally said, then rounded on the
kitchen. “Alright, pay up everyone,
Jianrupanshi has won the bet—”

There was a chorus of lamentation

and loud voices as an argument
began on that side of the kitchen.

Chunchun tittered to herself, ignoring

Lei-ge, “Of course you wouldn’t bend
your cultivation for us but you will for
Chengzhu.”

“Did you?” Dianshui asked in

fascination, leaning on the table and
staring as if she could see it on him.
Her cool fingertip tugged at his collar
where she was very likely to find the
remnants of love bites from last
night. Perhaps she could see it on him
then. She gazed at him
conspiratorially. “Seems like
something happened, huh, gege?”

Xie Lian nodded, cheeks warm, but

he’d known this was coming. There
was no way these two were ever
going to let him go unscathed. Best to
just tell them what they wanted.

They cooed at him while Huxue

slapped him companionably on the
back, looking strangely pleased about
the whole thing.

“Will you at least tell us if he’s any

good?” Chunchun asked, waggling her
eyebrows.

“Very good,” Xie Lian squeaked out.

“Asshole. I can’t believe you,”

Dianshui grumbled, knocking herself
against his side. “I spend nearly two
hundred years trying to get Chengzhu
to even look at me, and you did it in
one.” Then she smiled, bumping him
a little gentler. “Congratulations on
the engagement.”

“You’re not…upset?” Xie Lian asked

hesitantly.

She laughed. “What for? You know I

don’t wanna marry him. I just wanted
to fuck him once or twice, make him
cry a bit, that sort of thing.”

Xie Lian stared at her in confusion.

Why would she want to make him
cry…?

“A-Shui, don’t talk to our dear, sweet

Wujin about advanced techniques,”
Chunchun said conspiratorially.

Xie Lian glanced between them,

curious, but not daring to engage
them in this topic.

Perhaps he might benefit from a

conversation with Dianshui at some
stage though. Not yet, certainly not
yet, but Hua Cheng had done his
research, and Dianshui was a
professional who had never been shy
in sharing her thoughts. Maybe—

“So when’s the wedding?” Wang Lu

asked excitedly, bouncing in place.
“When? When?”

“Now that’ll be a party,” Lianzhu said

cheerily.

Xie Lian began, “A year or so was—”

“Oh good, we have time to find

something really pretty then—”

“Do you want help? I know this tailor

on the other side of town who makes
the best—”

“Oh, oh, we should try and contact

that ghost from…where was it, Jishui?
The one who does those amazing
fireworks for New Year and
Zhongyuan—”

“Has anyone told Xu Hao yet? He’s

going to want to start making larger
alcohol orders if—”

Xie Lian’s head spun with the

suddenly very enthusiastic
conversation going on over his head.
This all seemed very complicated. Of
course it must be, he’d seen enough
weddings to loosely understand the
intricacies, but, he’d never intended
to marry so he’d never worried about
it. Should he be worried about it?

“Leave them to it,” Yanxun whispered

to him, linking her arm in Xie Lian’s
and dragging him through the curtain
to the main floor before moving them
to the nearest corner. Xie Lian
grabbed a handful more biscuits as
they went, hiding them in his sleeve
for later. Hua Cheng might enjoy one.

“You’re really alright?” she asked,

looking him over closely now and
setting right his collar where Dianshui
had yanked it. “He didn’t hurt you or
anything?”

Xie Lian shook his head, smiling

widely. “I don’t think he could.”

“Good,” she said firmly. “So what

happened? I’ve heard bits and pieces.
Chunchun was saying Hua Cheng was
fucking speechless to see you, then
shouted everyone out—we didn’t
know back in the kitchen, can’t hear a
damn thing back there. Dianshui
came in the back door for her shift a
little after that, and she said hello and
went out there for a whole five
seconds, then returned in here
grinning like all her dice had come up
sixes—apparently you were kissing
Hua Cheng quite passionately on the
floor?”

“Oh. Um. We probably were,” Xie Lian

replied quietly. “We cleared up a lot
of…misconceptions we both had.”

“So you were the beloved he told you

he was searching for?”

“Apparently,” he said, fingers twisting

at his front. “You remember after
Zhongyuan I told you I had saved
him.”

“Yeah, amongst other things.”

“I—” Oh how embarrassing. He

lowered his voice further. “I saved
Hua Cheng’s life as a child—the tale
of The Crown Prince Who Pleased the
Gods, the child I caught, that was
him.” Her eyes went wide in
comprehension. “Later, when he was
going through a…a difficult time and
he didn’t know what to do, he asked
one of my shrines what to do and…
and I told him to live for me, to make
me his reason for living—and it seems
he did, amongst other things.”

Yanxun stared at him, her mouth

agape. Then she burst into laughter.
“Oh my Gods,” she cried. “You did this
to yourself. You cocky fucking
bastard, who says that to someone!?”

Xie Lian couldn't help but join in with

her mirth. She was right of course. He
could never have the face to say such
a thing now. He had to be glad he had
said it that once though—had to be
glad for Hua Cheng.

“You’re happy though?” Yanxun asked

once she finally regained control of
herself. “This is what you want,
right?”

“Yes. It really is. I don't know, it's just

so…strangely nice to know that we’ve
both seen each other at our worst and
—he still loves me,” he said, barely a
whisper. “And I still love him.”

Yanxun’s eyes softened, her lips

pressing together as she stared back
at him fondly. “I understand,” she
replied, stepping in and pulling him
into a tight embrace. He went
willingly, wrapping his arms around
her torso. “I hope he makes you
disgustingly happy,” Yanxun
whispered beside his head. She pulled
back and lightly tapped his chin,
grinning widely. “Heavens know Hua
Chengzhu deserves something lovely
like you in his life. I expect a proper
chat soon so you can tell me
everything, everything.”

“Within reason—”

“Hey! You! Come take my order! I’m

fucking thirsty!” a ghost called,
waving his skeletal arm in their
direction.

All the serving staff and croupiers

having vanished to the kitchen meant
that, aside from Shi-ge standing
menacingly at the head of the room,
Yanxun was the only one on the main
floor dressed like Den staff.

“What, you wanna upset Chengzhu’s

betrothed?” Yanxun asked sharply,
turning on the patron and gesturing
sharply at Xie Lian. “You can wait a
fucking minute! We’re busy!”

All the nearby heads swivelled in their

direction, followed quickly by intense
whispering. A few ghosts even left
their seats in a hurry, apparently
going elsewhere with this news. All of
Ghost City was going to know within,
oh, an hour at most about the
engagement. Oh well, it saved him
having to tell anyone.

“So you didn’t win the bet?” Xie Lian

asked. “I had thought you’d have the
best chance.”

“Shi-ge really lucked out. He’s gonna

be thrilled. It’s a huge pot.” Yanxun
shrugged and quietly added, “I was
never going to win anyway. I forfeited
my bets after Zhongyuan.”

Ah. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“Lian-ge, I cannot tell you how much

I absolutely did.” She touched her
hand to his. “It went from being fun
to being awful very quickly in my
heart. I couldn’t bear it.”

Xu Hao’s voice echoed through the

entryway to the kitchen behind them.
“Hey! Stop fucking gossiping, and go
do your damn jobs, or I’ll have
Chengzhu disperse you all!”

Several muttered curses came from

the collection of ghosts in the kitchen.

“I better get back to it or else Xu Hao

is gonna find my ashes and burn
them. Go kiss your Ghost King or go
be helpful, the past few days have
been so busy,” Yanxun suggested,
then paused, frowning at him. “Do
you still work here?”

“No idea,” Xie Lian said brightly.

“Haven’t heard I can’t, though.”

“Have fun then!”

They parted as the wave of

disgruntled ghosts came streaming
from the kitchen. Chunchun hooked
her elbow in his, continuing to talk
excitedly at him about weddings while
she took orders. He sincerely hoped
that Hua Cheng had half an idea
about what he wanted to do for their
wedding because Xie Lian certainly
didn’t. Half of the things Chunchun
was saying were going directly over
his head.

When he finally escaped her, he fell

into his normal routine of taking
orders, tidying up, and serving drinks
or meals. It felt strange, working
without a mask. To feel the air on his
face and to exist in the city without
the cooling sensation it had always
lightly covered him in was freeing, if
odd. Of course, he drew more eyes
like this, very obviously human and
alive. Though he suspected that even
if he was a tantalising prospect
without the protection of the
enchantments, no-one was about to
attempt to eat what had been named
as Hua Cheng’s. It might be nice to
get a mask again though, just for the
anonymity of it for here or out in the
city. On the other hand, he didn’t love
the idea of hiding himself from his
beloved again. He’d have to talk to
Hua Cheng about it.

Xie Lian had a brief interaction with

Xu Hao, who must have been
apprised of the day’s gossip, as he
had cornered Xie Lian in the back
halls as he headed for the kitchen
with a tray of used cups.

“You know you don’t have to work

today,” Xu Hao said, paused, and then
added, “probably at all, really, if what
I’m hearing is correct.”

Xie Lian laughed and replied, “I

wanted to. San Lang has business
somewhere else so I might as well
help until he comes back.”

Xu Hao gave him a sceptical look, but

didn’t argue and let him return to
work. It was a good decision as the
gossip clearly was getting around
town as the Den was soon bursting
with ghosts.

The hours passed easily, Xie Lian

keeping himself occupied in the
mindless routine of his work. The
kitchen wormed a little more gossip
from him when he was sent back in
there for his lunch, before being
released back onto the main floor. As
the tide of ghosts just did not recede
as time went on, more staff were
called in when a few of the others
were due to go home. Inevitably, he
was cornered by the newcomers,
eager to hear the truth from him
before Xu Hao again caught a handful
of them whispering to him in the halls
and had to chase them back out
again. It was lovely though. Everyone
was just so happy for him and for Hua
Cheng. It was far more than Xie Lian
could have ever hoped for.

He did discover the few perks of the

ghosts knowing exactly who he was
to Hua Cheng. One was that they
were unusually polite to him when he
took their orders or served them. The
other was that he ended up with far
more tips than usual, which he quietly
reverse-pickpocketed into his fellow
staff member’s pockets.

The downside was that Xie Lian felt

himself the central focus of many,
many ghostly eyes. None dared speak
with him of anything other than their
orders or requests, but they certainly
quieted whenever he spoke with the
other workers, ears pricked in interest
or whispering excitedly the moment
he left them. It would be endearing if
it were not also slightly unsettling.
The ghosts currently before him had
been leering at him as he leant
between them to set their cups upon
the table. They hadn’t said an
untoward word so far, so he was
ignoring it, but—

“Gege,” a smooth voice said from

behind him. A familiar hand pulled the
tray he had been holding from his
grasp and unceremoniously put it on
the table of the ghosts he had been
serving. “What are you doing?”

Said ghosts looked decidedly more

nervous than they had mere
moments before.

Xie Lian turned to smile warmly up at

his beloved, hungrily taking in his
visage. “Helping. It was busy.”

“Gege doesn’t need to.”

“Maybe, but I like—” His eyes caught

on a splash of dark liquid up the side
of Hua Cheng’s robes that was
definitely not part of the patterning.
“San Lang, is that blood?”

Hua Cheng glanced down to the hem

of his robe. “Hm, I must have missed
some.”

Xie Lian cupped his face, drawing Hua

Cheng’s attention down to him. “Are
you alright?”

“Of course.” He turned his head to

kiss Xie Lian’s palm. “It’s not mine. I
have returned to you unscathed.”

Xie Lian kissed him, unable to help

himself, before remembering they
were in a public place. That Hua
Cheng had a reputation. A loud
whistle came from somewhere in the
back before being quickly hushed by
ghosts who had clearly learnt their
lesson earlier.

“Sorry,” Xie Lian whispered, pulling

back.

Hua Cheng blinked at him. “What

for?”

Xie Lian glanced at the crowd very

much within viewing distance. The
ghosts right beside them were
observing intently. Whispering, he
said, “I don’t want to hurt all your—”
and gestured loosely at Crimson Rain
Sought Flower.

Hua Cheng made a face, turned on

his heel, and set a light hand to Xie
Lian’s back to lead him up the stairs
to his private room. Jianrupanshi,
who was still standing on guard by
the chamber, winked at him as they
passed with a subtly mouthed thanks
thrown in Xie Lian’s direction. He just
smiled back and hoped Shi-ge
enjoyed his winnings. Xie Lian was
enjoying his a great deal.

The voices in the Den dropped away

as the curtains fell into place and Hua
Cheng turned to face him, expression
still tight. “Gege, were you trying to
say you didn’t wish to affect my
reputation?”

Xie Lian nodded. “You do have one. I

heard so so much living and working
here, and I don’t want to—”

“I don’t care about any of that,” Hua

Cheng assured Xie Lian quickly,
stepping closer with his cool hand
moving to Xie Lian’s cheek. “I always
wish for His Highness to be kissing
me.” He punctuated the statement
with a kiss to Xie Lian’s forehead,
then the corner of his mouth. “Gege
can do whatever he likes in front of
that trash. I will always enjoy it.”

That seemed…scandalously tempting.

At his silence, Hua Cheng asked,
“Does gege mind when I kiss him like
that in public?”

“No, no, not at all,” Xie Lian assured

him. “San Lang can kiss me anytime
he likes as well.”

Grinning victoriously, Hua Cheng

swooped in again to do exactly that.
He suckled on Xie Lian’s lower lip
before indulging in several slow
presses of their mouths, kissing him
like they had been parted for another
six hundred years and not the six
hours it had been.

“Did gege like the thought of my

showing them how it’s done,” Hua
Cheng teased. He ran his thumb
along Xie Lian’s cheek and along the
seam of his lips. “Gege turned a
beautiful colour this morning.”

The thought of Hua Cheng fucking

him on one of the tables for anyone
to see? Mortifying, absolutely not. He
knew the people who worked here.
Just because they were the pinnacle
of shamelessness did not mean he
had to be. The thought of Hua Cheng
doing such things to him in an empty
Den though? Or a quiet, locked room?
Ah, he could probably be convinced of
that.

“You are thinking again, gege,” Hua

Cheng purred and Xie Lian twitched.

“Mn,” Xie Lian replied, voice barely a

whisper. He fiddled with the silver
buckle around Hua Cheng’s waist,
unwilling to look up at him lest he
decipher his thoughts. Hua Cheng
really was too clever.

“Oh?” The hand which had been

casually resting on his waist slid
lower, squeezing at his hip before
tentatively sliding to palm his ass and
drag Xie Lian closer into his embrace.

Xie Lian went willingly, hiding his face

in Hua Cheng’s shoulder and shaking
his head in answer.

Another kiss was pressed to his hair.

“Gege can keep thinking about it
then. Come, sit.”

Hua Cheng pulled away with

reluctance, as though it pained him to
do so, and sat down on his throne.
Xie Lian only now realised how
spacious it was as Hua Cheng held his
hand out to him. He suspected a spell
had been laid upon the chair, he was
sure it had not had quite that much
seating room the last time he’d seen
it.

Xie Lian took the offered hand and

slid in beside Hua Cheng. Taking
advantage of the high sides of the
chair, he leant his back against it and
hooked his legs over Hua Cheng’s lap.
He leant up for a passing kiss,
because he had not been able to all
day and he had missed it.

It was so easy to fall back into Hua

Cheng. Just like breathing.

“Where did you go?” Xie Lian asked,

his mouth still just touching Hua
Cheng’s.

Another slow kiss was given to him

before Hua Cheng was pulling back, a
hand stroking the loose hair by Xie
Lian’s ears. “I had to take care of
those who hurt gege.”

“I thought I had?”

Hua Cheng smiled. “Gege did a

wonderful job, but I had Yin Yu look
further into it yesterday while we
were preoccupied.” Hua Cheng kissed
his cheek, then kissed the place
where the ghost had broken his mask
in the centre of his forehead, the cut
that had been there now long healed.
“Apparently, they work for some
upstart who Xu Hao had you help sort
out. Some piece of shit who was
cheating.”

Xie Lian frowned. “From...two years

ago? The one with the talismans?”
That made sense at least. The ones
who had attacked him had had some
rather impressive obscuring talismans
on them.

“Mn.” Hua Cheng’s expression turned

thunderous. “You ruined their
operation here. They had been
planning their revenge for a while,
but then I returned. They waited for
me to leave Ghost City for long
enough to enact their plan—to get
gege without my protection nearby.
Of course, in their observations they
also realised I was quite attached to
you, gege, so you only became a
more enticing target.”

Xie Lian nodded in understanding.

They must have had a lot riding on
their ability to scam to Den to care so
much about him uncovering the
scheme. How foolish. Their revenge
had been a nuisance at best, and it
had ensured he and Hua Cheng
sorted through their
misunderstandings in the end, so
really he should be thankful to them if
anything.

“How did you know to come the other

day?” Xie Lian asked. “Did Xu Hao
send a talisman?”

“No,” Hua Cheng said, “though E’Ming

did alert me to the incursion.” The
way he said it suggested there was an
and to that sentence, as did the way
his focus hovered about Xie Lian’s ear.

“And?” Xie Lian pressed.

Hua Cheng bashfully twisted the lock

of Xie Lian’s hair he had around his
finger. “I had placed an enchantment
on your mask when I cast the illusion
spell in the mortal realm. Just a
tracking spell. Just in case—I was
terrified to lose track of Your Highness
again if you ever left. I felt the spell
break when your mask did.”

Xie Lian nodded.

Hua Cheng’s focus returned to him, a

fire in it. “Gege need not worry
though, they won’t be bothering you
or anyone ever again.”

It felt strangely nice to have someone

looking out for him, slightly
murderous as it was. Someone willing
to fight his battles for him, wanting
to, even as Hua Cheng knew Xie Lian
could fight them himself. He could, of
course, have dealt with it had he any
desire to, but to know someone would
stand beside him, help him without
needing to ask? It was a balm he
could barely communicate. “Thank
you, San Lang,” he said, tipping his
head up and lightly guiding Hua
Cheng’s forehead to his. “I appreciate
your care.”

“How was gege’s day?” Hua Cheng

asked.

“San Lang,” Xie Lian cried, sitting up

as the many conversations of the day
hit him again. “Weddings seem very
complicated to plan!” Hua Cheng was
already smiling at him, the demon.
“The others were talking about hair
and dress and wine and fireworks and
all of that seems so much, especially
for a whole city—do you know what
you’re doing? Because I don’t and—”

Lips met his, cutting off the anxious

stream flowing from them.

“San Lang,” he grumbled insincerely

as Hua Cheng pulled back.

“I am glad that you are already so

invested in our wedding, gege,” he
said, running his hand over Xie Lian’s
cheek soothingly, “but you don’t need
to worry so much. I am very good at
organising such chaos.”

“You said yourself that you don’t

handle the Zhongyuan Festival,” Xie
Lian pointed out, though his shoulders
slowly relaxed under the touch.

“Mn, because I don’t need to,” Hua

Cheng said. “So long as we set a date
and organise ourselves, I’m sure the
city will follow—presuming gege
wants the city involved?”

“I…think so.” He really hadn’t thought

about it. He’d just kind of assumed.

“We need not worry for a while, so

you have time to consider what you
want until then,” Hua Cheng added.
“Though, if you would like to be
involved in the planning, I would of
course eagerly welcome your input,
gege.”

Good, that was good. Everything had

been so overwhelming these past few
days. He should adjust properly to all
the changes before throwing himself
into this. He’d made Hua Cheng agree
to a year in the first place just for
that reason. Xie Lian nodded and
tucked his head further into Hua
Cheng’s shoulder.

Xie Lian let his focus wane, the

excitement of the day slowly
unwinding from him as Hua Cheng’s
voice rumbled beneath his ear. He
listened to Hua Cheng take the odd
bet through the curtain, accepting
many to the joy of the patrons if the
way they first offered their fervent
congratulations of his engagement
before even asking for their bet was
anything to go by. Hua Chengzhu was
in a good mood and thus the city
eagerly followed. A few even won
what they sought.

All the while, Xie Lian was fixated on

the slow, soothing motion of Hua
Cheng’s thumb and fingers where
they curled around his upper arm,
keeping Xie Lian snug against him.
His other arm was draped over Xie
Lian’s knees, hand resting on the arm
of the chair as he tapped absently at
it as he thought. Often, he would
glance down at Xie Lian on his lap for
long moments, content to just look
for a time before returning to focusing
on the Den.

Xie Lian’s own fingers wandered a

little, mostly tracing loose shapes
along the pattern of Hua Cheng’s
tunic and feeling the delicate shapes
of his jewellery.

“What are you thinking about?” Xie

Lian asked the next time Hua Cheng
was staring at him again.

“You.”

Xie Lian huffed out a breath of

laughter. “How so?”

Hua Cheng tipped his head to the

side, changing the angle of how he
observed Xie Lian. “How for five years
I was looking for you out in the world,
when really I should have just waited
here and you would have fallen into
my grasp. How you were here for two
whole years without me.” This
statement was punctuated with Hua
Cheng’s other hand reaching over and
running his thumb along Xie Lian’s
jaw.

“Maybe I was waiting for you to come

back and find me,” Xie Lian
suggested.

Hua Cheng smiled at him, the hand

around his arm squeezing lightly.
Then he returned his attention
outward as another ghost stepped up
to the curtains, asking for something
that Xie Lian didn’t care enough to
focus on.

“Do you want to leave?” Hua Cheng

asked softly an indeterminate amount
of time later, pressing his chin gently
against the top of Xie Lian’s head.

“Mn,” Xie Lian replied. He was sure to

fall asleep soon if they did not get
moving. “Paradise Manor?”

“Yes, if that is where you wish to go.”

“Yes, though could we go by my

rooms—the ones I’ve been living in? I
would like to get some of my things if
I am to come live with you.”

“Of course, gege,” Hua Cheng replied.

“You can bring all you like. You can
keep the room if you want as well.”

That was a thought. “Maybe just until

—until we get married?” That
sentence still felt so surreal. “I would
like to stay with San Lang still,
between now and then. But I would
feel…more comfortable, having
somewhere that is mine—kind of. I
don’t know. I’m sure I’ll make use of
it somehow…”

“Of course. Gege has had a

tumultuous few centuries.”

Xie Lian laughed—so easily seen

through!—and turned his head to kiss
what he could reach of his ghost.

Hua Cheng did not press the matter

any further, and Xie Lian removed his
legs from Hua Cheng’s lap and
hopped up, offering Hua Cheng his
hand. His beloved followed and took
his hand with great joy. He twisted
their fingers together as they
returned into the main hall of the
Den.

Xie Lian waved goodbye to the others

on the floor and led Hua Cheng out
through the familiar streets, back to
what had been his home for over
three years. They certainly drew a
few stares as they walked, hand in
hand and pressed close against one
another—but Hua Cheng had said he
didn’t mind it, so Xie Lian would
greedily take it.

“Yutu!” came a long cry from an alley

to their left. Xie Lian turned to see Ju-
er come running towards him with A-
Qin right behind. Both thudded hard
into him, one child to each leg,
catching him in place. Thankfully, with
Hua Cheng at his back, he was at no
risk of being bowled over.

Ju-er loudly cried, “Yutu-gege, we

heard you’re gettin’ married!” and
turned every head in the street in
their direction. Clearly word had
travelled as fast as expected to get to
the kids.

“Were we right?” A-Qin asked

excitedly. “Is Yutu-gege marrying
th’other bunny from the festival?
Shushi said you’re marrying Hua
Cheng but I think—”

“That was Hua Cheng at the festival,”

Ju-er told her seriously.

“Was not, you liar,” A-Qin shot back.

Indignant, Ju-er shouted, “It was, I

saw him—!”

Hua Cheng chose that moment to

step out from behind Xie Lian,
clearing his throat and gazing down at
the two small ghosts with a raised
eyebrow. A-Qin’s black eyes went
wide, hastily letting go of Xie Lian’s
leg and standing tall before the Ghost
King, her chin aloft.

Ju-er continued to hold on to Xie

Lian’s leg, triumphantly muttering,
“Told you.”

She glared darkly at him. “Shut up.”

Xie Lian petted the top of Ju-er’s

head. “Yes, that particular rumour is
true.”

“So you really are a princess from a

far off land?” A-Qin asked. “Gege is
pretty enough. I liked the bunny
mask though.”

“Crown Prince,” Hua Cheng clarified

and Xie Lian stared at him. Don’t
encourage them!

“Yutu-gege is’a god,” Ju-er groused,

quickly back on his Jade Rabbit
theories.

“Ju-er, that’s not—” Xie Lian tried,

attempting to distract Hua Cheng
from giving the children the wrong
idea.

It was a futile effort.

“Gege is God,” Hua Cheng said

fiercely.

Well, there went any chance of

controlling whatever rumours were
going to spread from this interaction.
Already Xie Lian could see words
being exchanged by nearby groups of
ghosts. He supposed he really should
give up worrying about it. He knew
this city and he knew this was
coming. Ah well, at least it might be
entertaining.

“San Lang,” he grumbled, knocking a

hand against Hua Cheng’s side.

Hua Cheng fixed him with an

obstinate expression. “You are.”

Xie Lian just sighed.

“See!” Ju-er exclaimed at A-Qin. “You

all said I’mma stupid baby but I’m
not, I’m right!”

“No, you’re not stupid,” Xie Lian

agreed, petting his head again. “Ju-er
is very clever.”

Ju-er beamed up at him. “So you’re

really gettin’ married then? Can we
come?”

“We are engaged, yes,” Xie Lian

confirmed and crouched down to be
at eye level to both ghosts. “We only
agreed yesterday and haven’t done
any planning yet, so we don’t know
what’s happening. I will let you know
if you can come when we know
more.”

“Okay. Oh—!” Ju-er was suddenly

scrounging around in his sleeves for a
moment before pulling out a very
ratty looking fabric doll. “We found
this today. Can you fix her?”

“Yeah, can you fix ‘er?” A-Qin asked

with excited eyes, suddenly forgetting
all her reverence towards Hua Cheng.

Xie Lian picked up the doll and turned

her over. She would need a thorough
washing and stitching in a few places
and likely needed the stuffing
replaced too given the odd smell. He
was fairly certain he had some good
scraps of fabric still around he could
use for her at least, and some wool
should be easy enough to come by.
“En,” he said, nodding. “I think I can.
Leave her with me?”

They nodded excitedly.

He pulled out a couple of the almond

biscuits he had stolen from Yanxun
earlier in the day and handed one to
each of them.

“Thank you Yutu-gege for th’Immortal

Elixir!” Ju’er exclaimed dramatically,
raising his biscuit up like a trophy or
great jewel.

“Yutu-gege has blessed us!” A-Qin

echoed, holding her biscuit aloft.

Xie Lian laughed, shooing them away.

“Off you go now. San Lang and I have
places to be.”

Both ghosts glanced at Hua Cheng,

nodded again, and scurried off with
the biscuits already between their
teeth.

“Do we have places to be?” Hua

Cheng slid up beside him and
wrapped an arm around Xie Lian. He
tucked his face in beside Xie Lian’s
ear, kissing his skin slowly before
asking, “Gege’s bed perhaps?”

Xie Lian laughed, leaning back into

Hua Cheng and turning his head
enough to catch those lips in his. “My
bed is not that exciting.”

“If gege is in it, it is.”

Xie Lian smiled indulgently at Hua

Cheng and held up a biscuit to his
lips. It was eagerly taken between his
teeth and Xie Lian led him the rest of
the way to his building, ignoring Hua
Cheng’s muttered, “Thanking gege for
his Immortal Elixir.”

Ruoye brought out the key from

within his robes as they ascended the
steps, handing it over to Xie Lian with
a flourish.

“Thank you, Ruoye.” Xie Lian

unlocked his door and paused, half
turning to Hua Cheng. “It’s not
much.”

A firm hand came to rest on his back

as Hua Cheng moved past him. “I’m
sure it’s lovely, gege.”

Xie Lian followed.

“Gege has decorated very nicely,” Hua

Cheng noted, smiling as he looked
around.

“Thank you,” Xie Lian replied, coming

in and setting the pot to boil. “I don’t
think I have any snacks around, but
I’ll make us some tea.”

Xie Lian watched Hua Cheng slowly

circle his small abode and investigate
every little trinket and scrap piece he
had scattered around. He inspected
the kitchen to begin, eyeing up Xie
Lian’s collection of chipped cups,
bowls and plates, with the occasional
decorative piece he’d found hidden
somewhere in the city. Then he
moved onto the table with the worn
cushions and small shelf he’d fixed
up, now covered in little gifts and
trinkets from the other ghosts. Then
Hua Cheng was inspecting his bed,
the window, the next bit of shelving,
all his bits and bobs laid about for him
to enjoy.

“I would be happy to move in here

with gege if he wanted,” Hua Cheng
said idly as he wandered. “Gege has
all sorts of interesting things.”

“Thank you. Yanxun helped me get it

started. It was very drab before that.
It’s nowhere near as lovely as
Paradise Manor, of course,” he said.

“It has gege and gege’s things in it

though,” Hua Cheng returned, smiling
at him from across the room. “Those
are my favourite things.”

“I think it would terrify my neighbours

too much to have you here
permanently. Plus, I think San Lang’s
neck will get sore—the ceiling here is
not the highest.” He looked pointedly
at the way Hua Cheng was faintly
stooped in his taller form to avoid
hitting his head on the ceiling.

Hua Cheng immediately shifted his

form into the San Lang that had
joined him on their trip to the mortal
realm and the Zhongyuan Festival.
“That’s no problem, gege.”

Xie Lian laughed, shaking his head.

He should have known.

Hua Cheng paused as he came to the

small battered desk he had recently
procured off the street and had been
using for his little projects. There was
currently a pile of scraps he had been
working on fixing up, tools and loose
pieces laid on the wood as though
he’d only put them down for a
moment. “You kept the earrings,” he
noted softly.

Xie Lian followed his line of sight to

where the two white earrings Hua
Cheng had gifted him were laid
carefully on a small scrap of cloth to
keep them safe from rolling away. “Of
course I did.”

“You stopped wearing them?”

Xie Lian nodded and moved closer,

unable to wriggle his way out of this
one and spare Hua Cheng’s feelings.
“Mn. I didn’t want to get rid of them,
but I also didn’t want…I didn’t want
the reminder knocking against me all
day long.” Already he could see Hua
Cheng’s expression darkening, clearly
directed towards himself and not Xie
Lian. Still, time to see if he could
head it off at least. “Would San Lang
put them back in for me? I have
missed them.”

Hua Cheng’s attention immediately

shifted to him. “Of course, gege.” He
leant down and picked up the
earrings, stepping up beside Xie Lian.
As he had done the first time, Hua
Cheng’s fingers were attentive with
him. His digits brushed tantalisingly
against Xie Lian’s skin as they moved
his hair aside, before cupping the lobe
of his ear. Hua Cheng touched his
neck incidentally as he carefully slid
the metal through, Xie Lian
instinctively leaning his head from
side to side to let him. It always felt
far more intimate when Hua Cheng
did it. Mu Qing had always been
careful, but mostly perfunctory and a
little exasperated that Xie Lian hadn’t
figured out how to do it himself.

“Thank you, San Lang,” Xie Lian said

and leant in to kiss Hua Cheng in
gratitude, hands coming to rest on his
chest. Because one kiss could never
be enough, Hua Cheng returned for
two, three, more, until Xie Lian
suddenly found there were hands
around his waist with a little
exploratory movement of one at his
belt. Xie Lian let his mouth wander a
bit, placing tender kisses to Hua
Cheng’s cheek and jaw and throat—

“Gege, your pot is boiling,” Hua

Cheng murmured, the skin beneath
his lips vibrating slightly.

“Oh!” Xie Lian pulled back quickly,

turning back to the kitchen and
fetching a towel to pick up the pot
from the hook. He went digging in his
cupboards for the nice teas he kept
for when people were visiting. There
was a good oolong here somewhere…

“Is gege not going to return to my

arms?” Hua Cheng asked woefully.

“There’s time for that later. Let me

make you tea.”

He just sighed and Xie Lian smiled to

himself as he measured out the
leaves and added them to the pot.
They had things they needed to
discuss, then he could be persuaded
into being distracted by Hua Cheng’s
wiles. Until then, tea was the way
forward. Besides, it was a little
domestic fantasy come true, having
Hua Cheng here with him.

Once the tea was brewed, Xie Lian

carried it over to the table and
selected his two favourite cups before
sitting down. “I was speaking with
Yanxun and Xu Hao earlier…do I still
work in the Den?” Xie Lian asked
conversationally as he poured them
both tea.

Hua Cheng thought about it for a long

time, slowly walking over and sitting
down on the adjacent corner of the
table. He held the cup Xie Lian had
pushed towards him between his
hands and tapped a finger against the
side.

“Do you want to work there, gege?”

he asked finally, his eyes lifting to
meet Xie Lian’s.

“I don’t if the idea of it makes you

unhappy.”

Hua Cheng shook his head. “It

doesn’t. Is it what you want, though?
You don’t need to work there
anymore,” he said seriously. “I swear
I’ll take care of you. You don’t have to
earn it in any way.”

Well, he had assumed that was the

case, but it was nice to hear it.

“I do like it,” Xie Lian said. “I enjoy

the work and everyone else who
works there. I wouldn’t necessarily
want to work as much as I did
though. Perhaps just when you’re also
in, or if you had to leave town like
today.”

Hua Cheng nodded.

“Think of it as part of our marriage,”

Xie Lian said, and that got his
attention. “San Lang agreed we share
everything now—I think that should
include your work in the Den.”

“Gege is using my words against me,”

Hua Cheng lamented, though Xie Lian
could tell he didn’t mean it. He petted
Hua Cheng’s hand placatingly
anyway.

He had no idea about how this answer

might go, but Xie Lian needed to
know it before he did the wrong thing
in the moment. “Can I still keep
stepping in on bets?”

Hua Cheng looked at him with an

expression Xie Lian could not decipher
the meaning of nor the emotion
behind it. This he knew Hua Cheng
would understand at least. Xie Lian’s
need to help people. Of course he
would still want this, and so of course
Hua Cheng didn’t ask that question.

“Yes,” he said slowly, and Xie Lian

smiled. “On one condition, if gege
would allow it.”

Xie Lian nodded, waiting for whatever

it could be.

“You can take as many years as you

like, for as long as you like,” Hua
Cheng said, his gaze steely, though
his hands had receded from their hold
around the cup to ball tight on the
table. “But if there ever comes a day
you wish to leave—leave me—then all
time you owe me is void. You are free
to go anytime you wish, Your
Highness.”

Oh.

“San Lang,” he breathed, voice barely

audible over the aching of his heart.
He reached out and covered one of
Hua Cheng’s hands with his own,
uncurling his fingers and twisting
them together. That he could be so
sure of his own unwavering devotion
but still worry that Xie Lian could
change his mind. He had to know— “I
don’t want to leave you.”

“Do you agree?” Hua Cheng asked

seriously.

He didn’t want to, but he understood

what Hua Cheng meant by it—that he
refused to tie Xie Lian here truly
against his will. Xie Lian, on the other
hand, liked it immensely. He wanted
to be tethered to somewhere,
someone, who wouldn’t leave, but…

“If San Lang agrees to the same,” Xie

Lian said finally. “If you even want me
gone, you can release me.”

“Gege, I would never.”

Xie Lian waited him out.

With a sigh, Hua Cheng relented.

“Yes, gege, I agree.”

“Good. Then I agree as well,” Xie Lian

said, quickly reiterating, “but I don't
want to ever leave you.”

“But if Your Highness did—”

Xie Lian leant in to kiss him, just so

he didn’t have to hear it again. “Stop
talking,” he muttered against Hua
Cheng’s mouth. Xie Lian tried to press
every inch of his love for Hua Cheng
into that kiss, seeking to convey how
much he adored him.

“I do like this place,” Xie Lian said a

short time later when they had
finished their tea. Standing up, he
looked around his room again.

All his little bits and pieces of the life

he had made for himself in Ghost City
was laid out visibly for all to see. The
bed and the table and cushions could
stay, just in case he wanted a night
here or wanted visitors here. Perhaps
a pot and a few cups could stay too
then. Maybe he’d keep all his scraps
here as well. It would be nice to have
a dedicated space in the middle of the
city where he could work on those
kinds of things and not clutter up
their rooms too terribly with it. A little
work space of his own. His clothes
could come with them, as could most
of his little trinkets and gifts from
various people.

“I think a lot of it could come with me

to Paradise Manor,” he said as he
finished his turn and leant up against
the window. He would miss this place
if he were to ever truly abandon it. It
was the first place he felt truly safe
and comfortable in a very long time.

Hua Cheng followed Xie Lian over,

settling himself between his legs. A
hand came to rest at Xie Lian’s back,
keeping him secure and not in danger
of falling out the window. “All of
gege’s things are welcome, though
my offer of moving in here still
stands.”

Xie Lian leant up and kissed his chin.

“You have made such a wonderful
home in Paradise Manor, though. I
wouldn’t want to waste it. All my
things are easily moved, though they
don’t quite match the aesthetic.”

“Red?”

“Expensive.”

Hua Cheng laughed.

“Besides, my bed is much smaller and

less comfortable than the one we
shared last night,” Xie Lian conceded.

“Is gege concerned I won’t be able to

pleasure him comfortably?” Xie Lian’s
cheeks flushed. It had crossed his
mind, yes. “Gege shouldn’t worry. I
wouldn’t let him suffer. This devoted
servant would lay on hot coals and let
gege sit atop him and—”

“San Lang,” he hissed.

“We can do such things here,” Hua

Cheng assured him as the hand at his
side stroked slowly down his hip
before veering off course and sliding
tantalisingly slowly up the inside of
his thigh. Xie Lian swallowed thickly.
“I can be convinced to do all kinds of
things anywhere, anytime if gege is
amenable.”

Fine, the lowest pit of honesty it was

then. “I don’t want to live here
because Yanxun would be able to
hear us,” Xie Lian whispered, flushing.
“The walls are not thick”—he gestured
to the wall that connected them—
“and she’s right there.”

“Hm, gege does make the most

beautiful sounds,” Hua Cheng
considered, a rakish eye dragging
over Xie Lian. “I should hate to
share…of course, I do have spells and
wards that—”

“San Lang, just let me move in with

you!” Xie Lian cried, grinning widely.

“Of course, gege, but let me have you

in this bed just once,” Hua Cheng
whispered coaxingly, leaning in close
and nosing roughly at Xie Lian’s
cheek. “No more tea. Your neighbours
are all at work.”

Xie Lian chucked. “San Lang makes

such a convincing argument.”

“Good,” Hua Cheng said fiercely.

Strong hands picked him up around
his thighs with a flourish. “Hold on,
gege.”

Xie Lian did as instructed and

wrapped his legs around his waist
quickly, arms latching onto his
shoulders and clinging tight as his
stomach swooped. In a move that
belied Hua Cheng’s strength, he knelt
down with Xie Lian still wrapped
around him and managed to lay back
against the blankets of his bed,
settling Xie Lian carefully over his lap.
Xie Lian had no doubt in his mind
exactly what Hua Cheng wanted just
now.

“Hm,” Xie Lian considered, drinking in

the visual of Hua Cheng laid beneath
him, hair spread wildly over what had
been Xie Lian’s pillow for quite some
time now. He could perhaps see Hua
Cheng’s point of how this would be
fun. “I see San Lang would like to
make good on his earlier promise.”

Hua Cheng smiled, all teeth and a

slow, butterfly batting of his eyes.
“This believer is nothing if not
dedicated to taking care of His
Highness to his utmost.”

Xie Lian kissed him.

At some stage, when they were sated

and wound up in a haphazard pile of
limbs and clothes and blankets, there
was a firm knock at the door and
Yanxun’s voice came calling through.
“Gege, Chengzhu, you have ten
minutes to make sure you’re dressed,
then I’m coming in with dinner. I have
a key, don’t forget!” A pause, then
she added, “Also, Lian-ge tell your
man to reign in the aura, he’s
freaking out the building.”

Xie Lian burst out laughing, asked

Hua Cheng to do exactly that, and
redressed his sweet, pouting Ghost
King back into his own clothes.

The months that passed were

different and yet everything remained
wonderfully the same.

As agreed, Xie Lian continued to work

at the Den on occasion, most often
when Hua Cheng was there
entertaining the crowd or off on
whatever Ghost King business needed
seeing to. Xie Lian had quickly
decided he needed a mask again
because otherwise he just got stared
at the entire time. Being the only
living worker immediately identified
him as the pretty thing Hua Cheng
had warming his bed and was to be
wed to, and it honestly just got tiring.

Xie Lian didn’t want to hide himself

from his beloved at all, not after
doing so for so long, but he did
desperately miss the modicum of
anonymity he had had before. So, he
and Hua Cheng managed to reach a
decent compromise and
commissioned a new mask from
Meiyun that only covered the top half
of his face and whose enchantment
did not work on a ghost of Hua
Cheng’s power. Xie Lian of course
requested it to be of the same rabbit
design as his previous one. He had
been quite attached to the thing.

The ghosts, apart from Yanxun, did

not tend to use his real name even
though they now had it. Those in the
Den had decided he was still theirs
and they would call him whatever
they pleased. Some continued as they
had in the past with daozhang and
gege scattered through, while some
still preferred to call him Wujin, and
Xie Lian honestly didn’t mind it. By
far, the most common and widely
used name was Madam Hua. Yanxun
had made a joke of it once and it had
spread like a wildfire.

They may not be married yet, but

Ghost City had worked out exactly
where Xie Lian lay in Hua Cheng’s
heart and had quickly followed suit,
showing him all the deference
deserved of their Chengzhu’s future
spouse. Hua Cheng had flushed and
gone quiet the first time he’d heard
someone call Xie Lian that, and when
he had cornered Hua Cheng about it
later, he had admitted to having
always dreamed of a wife to come
home to. Xie Lian knew that the wife
in this little daydream was of course
him. So, since Hua Cheng seemed to
adore it and Xie Lian thought it was
sweet, it stuck.

Xie Lian continued to spend time with

Yanxun and all the others he had
before, meals and outings and little
activities around town at someone’s
suggestion still filling his time.
Sometimes he would go on his own
and sometimes would drag Hua
Cheng along with him. It was taking
time to get all parties relaxed around
each other. Some, like Yanxun or
Dianshui or Wang Lu, shifted with the
change like a river in a downfall,
quickly and naturally, while others
found it trickier and Hua Cheng didn’t
tend to make it exactly easy, though
he was clearly making some effort.
Xie Lian suspected he really hadn’t
had much in the way of friends over
the years that were not in some way
beholden to him, just like he himself
hadn’t had anyone for a very long
time, but he had no doubt Hua Cheng
would work it out.

The same held true for the street

children and the citizens Xie Lian did
little jobs for around town. Hua Cheng
would very occasionally come on
those expeditions, though if he did,
he made sure to appear as San Lang
and kept his aura completely
contained or else the tone of the day
tended to be derailed very quickly by
overeager citizens. The kids at least
liked him a lot, losing any reverence
they had for him very quickly and
instead treating him as Yutu-gege’s
clingy suitor.

Overall though, he and Hua Cheng

spent more time together than they
did apart, having quickly fallen back
into their old habits and routines from
before their little misunderstanding.
Sparring continued to happen both
often and eagerly, Xie Lian openly
continued to pursue his new
cultivation path, and calligraphy
lessons…well…Xie Lian certainly tried
to make them productive, but Hua
Cheng was a terror who had been
spoiled far too much.

Hua Cheng was determined to court

him properly, now that Xie Lian had
put the idea in his head. Xie Lian was
showered in little gifts and outings.
Some of these were spent in Ghost
City, exploring the restaurants and
streets for fun, while others were
spent in the mortal realm. Hua Cheng
often took him out for a day or two
for short trips to interesting locations
or rare events. It was delightful every
time, each trip always a surprise and
always engrossing in one way or
another. Hua Cheng completely
spoiled him and Xie Lian did his best
to do the same, often buying Hua
Cheng little trinkets he came across in
town or when out in the mortal realm.
His betrothed was just so terribly
attentive and loving and endlessly
coming up with ideas of things to do
together and Xie Lian loved him so
very much.

Their bedroom activities (and

activities that were frequently not
confined to the bedroom) continued
to be equally wonderful, Xie Lian
feeling more and more confident in
them and enjoying himself
immensely. They had been branching
out a little bit of late with Xie Lian
sharing some of his fantasies, and
managing to coax a few from Hua
Cheng in return. One of Xie Lian’s
fondest memories was of his first
attempt at using his mouth on Hua
Cheng. Perhaps Xie Lian should have
reminded Hua Cheng about his sword
swallowing prowess before unleashing
it on the unsuspecting ghost, because
Hua Cheng managed to destroy three
pillows in a fit of uncontrolled spiritual
energy. Xie Lian had had to pull off,
laughing so hard it made his stomach
ache. Flushed and pouting, Hua
Cheng had attempted to throw the
remaining pillows at Xie Lian, who, so
lost in his giggling, had let each
bounce off of him until they’d both
calmed enough to try again. He
hadn’t resorted to seeking advice
from Dianshui yet, but the idea was
certainly crossing his mind more and
more.

Beyond each other, Xie Lian also met

Black Water Sinking Ships properly,
instead of just being crushed under
the weight of his spiritual power. Xie
Lian wasn’t sure what to make of the
man, who he now had permission to
call He Xuan, but he and Hua Cheng
clearly got along in an odd, debt
riddled way that seemed to suit the
both of them just fine. It hadn’t been
revealed to him just yet what it was
they often conspired on. He suspected
it must have something to do with the
heavenly realm, as realistically both
were more than powerful enough to
handle quite literally anything else
outside of the heavens on their own.
He was sure Hua Cheng would reveal
things to him in time, so he didn’t
worry about it. Mostly, Hua Cheng
had used their introduction as an
opportunity to very casually invite
Black Water to their wedding, positing
it in a way that very strongly implied
he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So, Black Water had agreed to attend.

They had also, on Xie Lian’s gentle

reminding, begun their slow
investigation of what had been the
Yong’an and Banyue border for any
word of Ban Yue. It was, as Yin Yu
had suggested, difficult to find out
much of anything when there were
very few living people in the area and
the ghosts were too weak or too new
to be helpful.

Months later, when they ran out of

border settlements, some more inner
Yong’an towns, and they had heard
more than one rumour of caravans
going missing in the desert over the
past months, they decided to go to
the main city of Banyue. Yin Yu had
said the only ghosts he’d found with
any sentience were in the capital,
though he’d not managed to get
anything out of them as they had
immediately attacked him, and Yin Yu
had fled directly out of there.

On arrival, it looked very different to

how he remembered it. Xie Lian had
only come near the city on a few
occasions when his little portion of
the Yong’an forces had been shuffled
around or sent on longer patrols.

Where the city had been bright and

clean and very clearly alive, this place
was dead. The buildings were falling
apart and the few remaining fabrics
faded or charred, likely through
fighting and fire judging by the
damage, as well as a certain amount
of natural erosion by the strong winds
that swept the desert. He and Hua
Cheng had found out some of the
history of what had happened here
over their investigations, but—

“Hey! You! Stop!”

Xie Lian startled at the sudden deep

voice, forcibly dragging up his
memory of the Banyue language. He
and Hua Cheng turned to see several
large, burly men moving towards
them, weapons drawn and scowling
menacingly. These must be the spirits
Yin Yu had encountered.

“Gege, what would you like to do?”

Hua Cheng whispered to him.

“Go along with it? If we’re compliant,

they may not attack, ” he replied
quietly. Then, louder, he asked the
ghosts in their language, “What can
we do for you?”

The ghosts startled at his words. The

largest of them stepped out from the
front of the pack of men, his clothes
of slightly finer make than that of his
fellows. Likely a soldier of a higher
ranking. “You know how to speak our
language? Where are you from?”

“I’m from the Midlands,” Xie Lian

replied honestly.

The hand at the soldier’s sword hilt

tightened. “Descendants of Yong’an?”

Hua Cheng answered for both of

them, “No, we’re not.”

Many eyes were narrowed in their

direction. “Come with us,” the same
ghost said and a handful of the other
soldiers surrounded them. Not a
request then, Xie Lian thought.

“Still going along with it?” Hua Cheng

asked in a hush.

“En—San Lang, you speak the

language too?” Xie Lian asked,
stepping close to his beloved and
hooking their arms together as they
began to walk.

“Not as well as gege,” he replied. “I

just took a few books and scrolls from
where we’ve been visiting.”

Xie Lian blinked at him. “You worked

it out from some books?”

“Mn.” Hua Cheng nodded.

“San Lang really is very clever,” he

praised, squeezing Hua Cheng’s arm
in his grip.

Hua Cheng mirrored the action. “It’s

no big thing. Is there a plan here,
gege?”
“I figure we see where they’re taking
us. It may make them more
comfortable speaking with us, then
we can try to ask our own questions.”
Xie Lian smiled at him. “If we want to
leave, we leave.” He pressed his hip
against the disguised hilt of E’Ming to
get his meaning across. Xie Lian had
a blade hidden away in his sleeve too.
Just in case.

Hua Cheng smirked. “Of course.”

They had only been walking for a few

minutes when every soldier around
them tensed. In unison, they pulled
their blades free and moved into a
tight formation, leaving Hua Cheng
and Xie Lian entirely free to run off if
they so desired. There was a long,
tense silence as the group stared
intently at the buildings around them,
as though expecting something.

“There!” one of the soldiers shouted,

pointing up towards a nearby rooftop.

A small figure stood on the roof

against the glare of the sun. Xie Lian
couldn’t make out much about them,
their body cloaked in dark robes with
what looked like a hood pulled up
over their head to protect them from
the daylight.

The figure leapt down at the soldiers

in a flash, a blast of spiritual power
knocking them apart from their
huddle like seeds blown from a
dandelion.

Hua Cheng cocked his head to the

side. “That’s quite a strong ghost,” he
muttered.

“Oh?” Xie Lian asked.

“A Savage, I’d think.”

How interesting. Why were they

fighting each other then? The soldiers
had certainly seemed to have
expected the intruder to some degree
—they had grouped up quickly
enough. There were shouts from the
soldiers, swearing violence and
revenge on…the traitorous Guoshi?
Was that what they were saying? Xie
Lian frowned, trying to catch the
phrase again.

Ignoring the taunts from the soldiers,

the supposed Banyue Guoshi began
focusing on one man, trying to split
him further from the pack.

“Ah, excuse me!” Xie Lian called,

walking towards the isolated soldier
and the intruder. He waved his arms
to try and get their attention.

“Gege…” Hua Cheng called weakly

behind him, but Xie Lian continued
on.

“Can we stop fighting for a moment?”

The intruder turned their head quickly

to glance at him, before striking the
soldier again. Then they paused, and
quickly looked back to Xie Lian.

“General Hua?”

Xie Lian’s body felt like he’d been

struck by lightning, his heart lodging
itself in his throat. The voice was
slightly different, older and a little
deeper than that of a young girl, but
the intonation was the same. The
admiration and affection still hung in
the way she called him.

He looked around, trying to pinpoint

the voice. “Ban Yue?!”

The Banyue Guoshi moved suddenly,

long robes shifting like banners in the
wind as they rushed him. Xie Lian
tensed as the body collided with his
and—!

Arms wrapped close around his back,

and small hands—the size of a young
woman’s, his mind supplied—held
tight to him.

“General Hua!” Ban Yue’s voice cried

from his chest. “General Hua, you
remember me!”

Xie Lian’s arms came around her

quickly, mind spinning to piece
together these events. He quickly
pulled her away from the others,
keeping her out of harm's reach while
he figured out what had happened
here. “Of course I remember you. I’ve
been looking for you.”

Ban Yue nodded and sniffed, looking

all the younger for the tears in her
eyes and splotchy cheeks. “General
Hua, I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologise, Ban

Yue—”

“But I wanted to save the common

people like you said!” she cried, her
hands tugging at his robes.

Ah, he had said that, hadn’t he. He

really should stop saying that to
people—

“Hey!” the higher ranking soldier

shouted, stalking towards them, his
blade raised. “Hand her over!”

Xie Lian looked to Hua Cheng

beseechingly. “San Lang, could
you…?”

“I’ll keep them occupied,” Hua Cheng

said with a grin, pulling E’Ming from
his sheath. “Take as long as you like,
gege.”

Xie Lian smiled back at him. So

dependable. He walked himself and
Ban Yue a short ways further off,
enough to still see Hua Cheng, but
out of the way to let him work.

“What’s going on? Why are you

attacking each other?” Xie Lian asked,
holding Ban Yue at arm’s length to
just look at her.

More than anything, she looked tired.

Her form was clearly still relatively
new as it wavered at the edges,
though exhaustion could be
contributing as well. Her hair was
long and unkempt, roughly tied into
twin braids. Her body was just as
skinny as he had always known it,
almost dwarfed by the long sleeves
and hems of her much finer dark
robes. Her large, deep eyes were still
the same as he remembered.

“They keep killing the people!” Ban

Yue despaired. “Grave-robbers and
people stung by the scorpion-snakes
and lost wanderers. Ke Mo and his
men capture them and throw them
into the Sinner’s Pit to feed their
brothers!” She gestured wildly
towards a large tower further into the
city. “That’s why I’ve been trying to
get them all in there. They can’t hurt
people if they can’t get out.”

“Ban Yue, Ban Yue, wait. Please

explain everything.”

Piece by piece the whole tale fell from

Ban Yue’s lips to the chorus of blades
singing in the background. It seemed
she had tried to do her best, had tried
to do what she thought was right and
would save lives, but it had all fallen
to pieces around her. Empathy pulled
at Xie Lian’s aching heartstrings and
he held her tight.

“Come to Ghost City with me,” he said

when she was finished.

“I can’t leave them, General Hua, it’s

my—”

“San Lang and I can sort it out,” Xie

Lian promised.

For the first time, Ban Yue glanced

back at where Hua Cheng continued
to hold the soldiers at bay with ease.
“Who is he?”

“Ah, San Lang, that is, his name is

Hua Cheng.”

She blinked at him, frowning.

“Crimson Rain Sought Flower? The
Ghost King?”

“En, that’s correct. I promise to

explain everything later, but is there
any way to set them free?” Xie Lian
asked.

Ban Yue shook her head. “They crave

the flesh of Yong’an’s people. Ke Mo
believes it will set them to rest if they
eat enough of it. They will just kill
more innocent people.”

Xie Lian understood. “If we deal with

them, would you come back with
me?”

“It’s my mess, General Hua,” Ban Yue

said quietly.

“I know, but you shouldn’t have to

deal with it by yourself either,” Xie
Lian said. “You’ve been doing your
best on your own. Let us help now?”

She was silent for a long moment,

then Ban Yue nodded. “Thank you.”

Xie Lian laid a gentle hand to her

shoulder. “It’s no problem. Back then,
I promised I’d look after you, didn’t
I?”

Ban Yue smiled, her eyes filling with

tears again. She sniffed, and turned
her head away, so Xie Lian let her
have some privacy.

“San Lang?” he called.

“Yes, gege?” Hua Cheng replied

calmly, fully turning his back on the
soldiers as he released his grip on
E’Ming and let the blade do all the
work.

Xie Lian met him in the middle and

explained as much as he could.

“I’ll take care of them, gege,” Hua

Cheng said, E’Ming flashing behind
him. He took Xie Lian’s hand and
pressed his dice to his palm. “I’ve
given you some of my luck. The dice
will work for you. Go home. I’ll meet
you there soon.”

“You’re sure?”

“En.” The hands around his tightened.

“Tell Yin Yu to find rooms for your Ban
Yue.”

Xie Lian leant up and kissed him.

“Thank you. Don’t take too long.”

“I promise to hurry back to you,

gege.” Then, slyly, he added, “General
Hua, was it?”

“I went by Hua Xie while I lived on

the border,” he explained.

Hua Cheng leant in, a fox-like grin on

his lips. “Gege is so eager to be my
wife he was using my name before we
met again.”

“It’s sweet you think I haven’t

realised you stole Hua from my
Heavenly Title,” Xie Lian returned with
a laugh, petted his bold ghost on the
cheek, and turned back to Ban Yue.
Within a roll of the dice he whisked
them back to Paradise Manor.

It took time for Ban Yue to settle into

Ghost City. She only stayed in
Paradise Manor for a short period
before she decided she wanted
somewhere of her own. Xie Lian
supposed it made sense, she’d been
living on her own and been entirely
self-sufficient in all the years they had
spent apart. Just because she was
still the sweet little ten-year-old in his
heart, did not mean that was who she
was now. So, Hua Cheng offered her
a position in the Den and a room to
go with it which she readily accepted,
though Ban Yue made it clear that she
wouldn’t want that forever, and would
want to make her own way
eventually. Hua Cheng had just
shrugged at her and told her she
could do as she liked.

It was reassuring to know where she

was though. He hadn’t realised how it
had been dragging at his heart
alongside all his other regrets until
the burden was suddenly gone. Xie
Lian now knew she was alright—or as
alright as she could be given her last
decade of life—and out of danger, now
free to live out the rest of her
existence as she saw fit. It was really
all he could ever hope for for her.

Xie Lian made time for her as often as

he could, initially speaking together of
their shared past and telling of the
things they had missed in each
other’s lives. Ban Yue had been
riveted by the story of his life,
especially the way Hua Cheng
embellished the tale when he was
present. Eventually, she came to take
some further lessons from him,
wanting to continue where they had
left off on the borderlands. She’d
learnt much in their time apart, but it
was not magic he had known, and she
wanted to improve her hand-to-hand
skills. Apparently it was where she
had been lacking in her tussles with
the Banyue soldiers, especially when
dealing with a group of them. Yanxun
had also roped Ban Yue into Xie Lian’s
cooking lessons upon learning that
the girl had learnt to cook from Xie
Lian and declared that a criminal
offence. Ban Yue enjoyed the lessons
though, seeming to slowly take to
Yanxun as more of a role model than
a friend.

When she started working at the Den,

Xie Lian introduced Ban Yue to
everyone there, and so far she
seemed to be getting on well with
both Dao Jian and Duxin. She
predominantly worked at the Den as
another guard, often on the days Xie
Lian was in, lurking in the rafters and
keeping her keen eyes on the chaos
of the gambling hall. Of course, her
being new meant a few ghosts had
decided to try their luck and the city
swiftly learned not to cross the new,
small ghost in black. She was
stronger than she looked.

Xie Lian had completely lost track of

time. He was deep within the back
streets of Ghost City with the kids,
scavenging through someone’s
twisting, abandoned basement filled
with all sorts of exciting scraps and
discarded items. Hua Cheng had been
out of the city for a few days—it was
the first time since they had fallen
back together that he was gone for
more than a day trip—so Xie Lian had
been doing his best to entertain
himself. Hua Cheng should be back
around sunset, if everything had gone
to plan, so Xie Lian had decided it
was the perfect day to scavenge
through the city with the kids. It
always chewed up time so quickly and
he was aching to see Hua Cheng
again. He had very quickly discovered
he didn’t enjoy sleeping in their bed
alone.

Wedding preparations had been

coming along well. An auspicious date
had been set so they were now only
two months off of their bows. Ghost
City had been advised of the chosen
date as he and Hua Cheng had
decided that while they would have
their actual wedding in private, the
celebration afterwards would be an
open invitation for Ghost City. So, the
whole city was treating it as a huge
festival. Already Xie Lian had heard
countless conversations in the street
of who was planning on wearing
what, discussion of all the produce
and wines that would need to be
ordered and organised ahead of time,
and a whole lot of speculation on
what Hua Cheng and his bride would
wear. Xie Lian was glad the city was
as excited as he was. It was certainly
shaping up to be quite the spectacle.

Xie Lian knew what he would be

wearing—or rather he didn’t, as he
had left it in Hua Cheng’s capable
hands at his betrothed’s request—but
he knew there would be clothes ready
for him and that was enough for him.
In all honesty, Xie Lian would be
happy to wear exactly what he was
now, so long as he got to marry Hua
Cheng, but he had agreed to do
things properly and so he might as
well adjust to the fact he was
marrying a very wealthy and beloved
Ghost King.

“Yutu, Yutu, look,” A-Kui called,

pulling him from his thoughts and
dragging up two halves of a broken
comb from behind a crate. It was a
pretty, decorative thing, carved from
wood and adorned with small inlaid
pieces of coloured glass, though a
couple appeared to be missing. A-
Kui’s form had solidified now after
nearly a year in the city. Her
fluctuating appearance had settled
permanently into her having two
small cat ears peeking out from the
top of her head, rather than human
ones at the side. Her eyes had ended
up being different too, the right a
green cat’s eye, the left a more
human brown. “What do you think?”

“I think I could fix that up for you,” he

said, picking his way over the trash
towards her. “I could turn that into a
pretty hair piece for you? Or do you
want to resell it.”

“I want it!” A-Kui excitedly handed it

over to him and he was careful to
avoid her sharp nails.

“Gege, do you want this too?”

Tongtong asked next, wandering up
next to them with an armful of fabric
scraps. “They’re real dusty, an’ not
big, but the patterns is kinda nice.”

“Oh, thank you, let me see.” Xie Lian

put the comb pieces in his sleeve and
took the pile off of Tongtong, laying it
on a nearby crate so the two of them
could carefully inspect each one. She
was right, the patterns were pretty,
and made of pretty decent fabric too.
A couple wouldn’t be good for much,
given how moth-eaten they were, but
most, if given a good wash, could
probably clean up quite well.

“I like this one best,” Tongtong said at

the end, tapping at a piece that was
predominantly blue with a pattern of
little orange flowers on it.

“Once I’ve cleaned it, do you want it

back?”

“En.”

After that Shushi dragged him off for

a long conversation about how to
break into a wooden chest. Xie Lian
used it initially as a short lesson on
how to pick locks, something he’d
picked up over the years, though he
was not the best at it. When they
both failed at it, Xie Lian kicked his
foot through the wood. It splintered
easily, revealing a trove of trinkets
and fabrics to pilfer through.

“Yutu-ge is too strong,” Shushi

muttered, though did sound
impressed. Xie Lian smiled at him. He
should show the kids his boulder trick
some time. They’d enjoy that.

When they finally emerged back to

street level, all of them covered in
dust and dirt and Xie Lian’s sleeves
full of loose scraps, he discovered it
was long past dark. Xie Lian cursed to
himself and quickly wished all the
children a hurried goodbye before
making a direct line for the Den
where they had agreed to meet on
Hua Cheng’s return.

He saw Lianzhu first, standing

anxiously at the door to the Den,
staring out at the crowds with a
determined eye. When her gaze
landed on him, her whole body
relaxed. “Gege, get your ass in here
right now,” she shouted at him.

His eyebrows rose at the tone but he

did as asked, pulling his mask off,
shoving it in his sleeve, and hurrying
up the steps to where Lianzhu was.
“What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Hua Chengzhu is—”

“Gege!”

Xie Lian was enveloped in a crushing

embrace as crimson filled his vision,
barely even catching a glimpse of his
beloved before being pulled to his
chest. Desperate hands clawed at his
waist and pulled him closer before
touching just about every inch of Xie
Lian that he could reach.

He held Hua Cheng in return. As

confused as Xie Lian was, he couldn’t
bear so much frantic worry from him.
What had happened? “I’m here, San
Lang,” he said soothingly. “What’s
wrong?”

His shaky voice whispered, “I couldn’t

find you.”

Oh.

Xie Lian leant his cheek harder into

Hua Cheng, one hand petting his hair.
“I’m sorry. I was scavenging with the
kids. I lost track of time.”

“It is not gege’s fault,” Hua Cheng

murmured, pulling away. His mouth
was still pulled tight with worry.

“Why don’t you take us home?” Xie

Lian suggested.

Lianzhu nodded enthusiastically from

behind Hua Cheng. He really must
have really been in a foul mood to
make her so keen for Xie Lian to take
him away.

He kissed Hua Cheng lightly, smiling

up at him. “I’ll make us dinner.
Anything San Lang likes.”

“I like everything gege makes,” he

said, already pulling the dice out.

In a breath they were within the

kitchen of Paradise Manor.

Xie Lian kissed Hua Cheng again,

cupping his jaw and dragging him
down to where Xie Lian could reach.
Hua Cheng held him tightly back, a
ragged inhale followed by a tidal wave
of desire. He backed Xie Lian up
against the counter, half bending him
over it as Hua Cheng kissed him with
bruising force. Xie Lian held him back
just as tightly, his hands fisted in Hua
Cheng’s clothing, parting his lips to
welcome his beloved in.

Oh how he had missed him. Four days

was far too many.

“I want you, gege,” Hua Cheng

moaned against his mouth,
punctuating it with a roll of his hips.

“I can feel that,” Xie Lian whispered

back with a laugh.

A wandering hand tugged up Xie

Lian’s skirts and toyed with the tie to
his pants, though not without feeling
Xie Lian up a little as he went.

Xie Lian shifted his hips forward

encouragingly, muttering, “Please,
San Lang.”

Hua Cheng leant their foreheads

together as he let out a pleased hum.
His eye enraptured with Xie Lian, the
hand at his waist made quick work of
the ties. Hua Cheng tugged Xie Lian’s
pants down while Xie Lian attempted
to kick off one of his shoes, though it
didn’t quite work. He reluctantly
pulled himself free of Hua Cheng to
lean down and tug it off. Tossing the
shoe aside, he pulled that leg free of
his pants as well to get it out of the
way. Right now, all he wanted was
Hua Cheng inside him as soon as
possible.

“So eager for me,” Hua Cheng

rumbled, grasping Xie Lian by the
waist and lifting him to sit on the
edge of the bench.

Warmth spilled lower and his stomach

swooped at being lifted so
unexpectedly. Xie Lian leant forward,
reaching in turn for the bindings of
Hua Cheng’s pants, hotly confessing,
“I missed you so much, San Lang.”

Hua Cheng tipped forward and nosed

at Xie Lian’s jaw. His breath warm
against the side of Xie Lian’s face,
Hua Cheng murmured, “Has our bed
been lonely, gege?”

Teeth scraped just beneath Xie Lian’s

ear as he shoved Hua Cheng’s pants
out of the way. He latched onto his
prize and revelled in the breathless,
needy sound Hua Cheng let out,
pressing his cock further into Xie
Lian’s grip.

“It’s been awful without you,” he said

honestly. He stroked Hua Cheng
slowly up and down, his hand
teasingly light. “Next time take me
with you.”

“Of course. Anything, gege.”

Xie Lian smiled and even thought that

he would have received the same
answer if he didn’t have his hand
around Hua Cheng’s dick. “Oil?” he
asked, because all he had on him was
an eclectic pile of scraps, and none of
it was about to be useful.

“Here,” Hua Cheng said, pulling a vial

from his sleeve and pressing it into
Xie Lian’s free hand.

“And San Lang says I’m the eager

one,” Xie Lian teased, squeezing his
beloved roughly before releasing him.
He rapturously drank in the way Hua
Cheng’s mouth fell open in a silent
moan, his eye fluttering prettily. With
a shaking, anticipatory hand, Xie Lian
poured the oil onto his palm. When it
felt sufficient, he set the vial aside
and reaffirmed his grip, working it
along Hua Cheng’s heated flesh in the
same unhurried rhythm as before and
with complete intent to rile Hua
Cheng up.

“God, gege,” Hua Cheng whispered

brokenly, thrusting into Xie Lian’s
hand while his mouth worked a
winding trail down Xie Lian’s neck.
Then, pulling roughly at the collar of
Xie Lian’s clothes, he continued
further along his collarbone, branding
himself into Xie Lian’s skin. Xie Lian
shivered, shifting his hips on the
bench and squeezing his thighs
together to try and get any kind of
friction against himself. It wasn’t
nearly enough, but it still pulled a
sigh from him.

Noticing the movement, Hua Cheng

batted Xie Lian’s hand aside,
relocating his own hands down to
grasp at Xie Lian’s hips and moving
him to sit right on the end of the
bench. Hua Cheng’s hands then slid
slowly down his thighs and Xie Lian
had to suck in a steadying breath to
compose himself at the sudden flare
of lust. Using the distraction, Hua
Cheng shucked Xie Lian’s robes up
and out of the way, slipping his
fingers up the inside of his thighs and
applying a light pressure. Xie Lian let
himself be guided under Hua Cheng’s
gentle hands, spreading his legs apart
so his beloved could settle himself
between them.

Xie Lian leant up to kiss him again

now that he was close enough to do
so, his hands cupping Hua Cheng’s
beautiful face. Xie Lian licked boldly
into his mouth and shifted his hips to
offer himself up at a better angle. He
wanted him so terribly, breathlessly
begging, “Come on, come on, ah,
please, San Lang—!”

With an equal level of desperation,

Hua Cheng kissed the mutterings
from Xie Lian’s lips and began
pushing himself within his body. Xie
Lian practically stopped breathing. His
mouth fell open and head tipped back
as Hua Cheng slid home with long,
slow thrusts. Xie Lian couldn’t help
but let out shaky exhales at each one,
the stretch hovering on the edge of
pain, but not quite tipping past it. It
was exactly what he craved. To feel
Hua Cheng. To know he was home. To
make Hua Cheng know that Xie Lian
was still here and that he wasn’t
going anywhere.

“Gege, I want—”

“Anything, please,” Xie Lian replied.

He wanted to feel this tomorrow. He
wanted to go to sleep and wake up
feeling every mark on him, knowing
where it had come from.

It was a wonderful if contrasting mix

of sensations. Hua Cheng fucking him
languidly but hard, pressing in as
deep and as firmly as he could within
Xie Lian’s welcoming body. He felt the
rhythm of Hua Cheng’s cock inside
him like a drawn out drum beat—like
a new pulse of his heart keeping him
alive, his life entirely at Hua Cheng’s
mercy. Long nailed hands and sharp
teeth roamed greedily over every inch
of Xie Lian that Hua Cheng could find,
this touch far rougher than the
sensual rock of their hips. Hua Cheng
somehow wormed his way into Xie
Lian’s clothes, gripping his flesh
roughly, kneading at any patch of skin
he could claim, and sucking deep
marks onto him. Each touch left a
searing trail of heat across Xie Lian’s
body, drawing soft moans from him.
He did his best to hold on tight, his
legs latched around Hua Cheng’s
waist to drag him ever closer and his
hands lost in the crimson robes that
still graced his form.

Hua Cheng kept letting out these

small, beautifully breathy cries as he
lost himself in Xie Lian. Each one sent
a searing flash of want right through
him, only adding to the overwhelming
slow burn of pleasure being wrung
from him. He was far too hot, sweat
gathering at the dips of his body from
the warmth of their motion and the
clothes they both still wore. At least
his skirts and the weight of Hua
Cheng gave his cock something to
press against, though Xie Lian’s
clothes were losing shape by the
moment. His chest was fully exposed
now, his sleeves slipping from his
arms from Hua Cheng’s chaotic
disrobement—a veritable feast for his
beloved if the pleased sounds he
continued to let out were to be
believed.

Xie Lian wanted this to last forever, to

hover on this agonising precipice with
the man he loved until the end of
time, bound together and never be
parted. He finally felt whole again, the
aching loneliness that had been
growing in his chest these last few
days being filled was only intensified
the unrelenting storm of hunger
within. Xie Lian could barely breathe
for it all, drawing in any breath he
could before the air was knocked out
of him at a deep thrust of Hua
Cheng’s hips, setting his body aglow
from within. His head spun and he
had lost all control over the
shameless sounds he was making,
whispering at Hua Cheng for more,
please, San Lang—!

Hua Cheng’s mouth, having finally

had its fill of Xie Lian’s body, released
him and Hua Cheng’s head popped
back up before him. Xie Lian longingly
took him in: the pitch black eye, the
wet, slick lips, and the heavy breaths
Hua Cheng was pulling in, even as he
continued to fuck Xie Lian with his
unfalteringly steady rhythm. He was
irresistible, and Xie Lian swooped in,
kissing his beloved ghost frantically,
aching for anything more he could
steal from him. He tugged Hua Cheng
with him, leaning back until they were
practically laid on the bench. Xie Lian
held them up on one elbow while his
other arm looped around Hua Cheng’s
neck, keeping him close.

He’d missed him—he wanted—

“Come for me,” Xie Lian gasped

against his mouth.

Hua Cheng obeyed. His hips stuttered

as he buried himself deep within,
spilling inside the warmth of Xie Lian’s
body. Hua Cheng moaned out
something unintelligible as he did, a
prayer or a name which was lost to
them both. The sound of his beloved’s
pleasure, the familiar flood of spiritual
energy, and the sudden desire that
rushed over him to feel how much
Hua Cheng loved him, tossed Xie Lian
over the edge. He let out a hoarse cry
and hid his face in Hua Cheng’s neck
as he spent within his clothes,
untouched by either of their hands.

Xie Lian collapsed back onto the

bench, his beloved atop him.

He basked in the feeling of Hua Cheng

against and within him, now still even
as Xie Lian trembled from the
aftershocks of his own orgasm, but
still just as inexorably wound
together. He caught his breath, now
that he could freely do so, smiling
foolishly to himself. His fingers
stroked shakily through Hua Cheng’s
hair as he rested his head against the
bench, the dizziness and ringing in his
ears slowly subsiding.

Hua Cheng eventually pulled back,

kissing him softly, with hands
lingering on Xie Lian’s body as they
parted. When there was space, Xie
Lian sat up and slipped down from the
bench, legs unsteady beneath him.
Hua Cheng offered him a supportive
hand which was gratefully taken.
Quietly, always still touching, they
tidied up and put themselves back
together.

“I’m sorry,” Xie Lian said again after

pulling his pants leg and shoe back
on. “I really am, I had meant to be
back at sunset for you but we found
so many interesting things and—”

“My fears are not gege’s fault,” Hua

Cheng said. He meet Xie Lian’s gaze
earnestly as he assisted in setting the
robes he had so needfully pulled
askew back into place.

“I know, but is there anything I can

do?” Xie Lian asked. “It’s not just you,
San Lang. I would prefer to be able to
find you too. If you ever vanished
from the city or you were hurt and I
didn’t know I—I don’t know what I’d
do.” A familiar fear clutched at his
heart and his voice wavered. “I was
so scared after Zhongyuan that—that
you wouldn’t ever come back to
Ghost City. That I would have to live
the rest of my life without you—I
understand—”

Xie Lian was embraced again, a firm

kiss gifted to the side of his temple. “I
will always come back for you,” Hua
Cheng said fiercely. “Always, Your
Highness.”

Xie Lian hoped beyond everything in

this world that those words were true.

“Gege, give me your hand,” Hua

Cheng said, suddenly pulling back.

Xie Lian did so without question,

offering his hand up to him. Hua
Cheng seemed to fiddle with
something over Xie Lian’s hand and
he felt something thin brush against
his finger. When his hands retracted,
Xie Lian was greeted with a red
string.

“It’s like yours,” Xie Lian said,

inspecting the little red bow on his
finger. “Is it a spell?”

“Yes,” Hua Cheng replied, holding up

his own hand to reveal that it was in
fact the same string, the two ends
tying them to one another. “This
string won’t break, it will grow and
shrink between us. If the string is still
there then it means the person on the
other end is alright. Unless the other
person is dead or dispersed, it will
lead you to me, and me to you.”

Xie Lian observed the thread in

fascination, tugging his hand this way
and that. He grinned widely and
wandered around the kitchen,
watching as it stretched and
contracted between them at the
different distances.

“Amazing, San Lang! I love it!” he

exclaimed, grinning up at Hua Cheng.
His smile was met with Hua Cheng’s
own, who looked equally pleased at
his excitement. Xie Lian observed
how the string caught for a moment
around a corner of the table.
“Though…I suspect it might be a
nuisance to others…and perhaps too
much of a giveaway as to where
either of us are if it’s visible all the
way along…”

“I can make the thread invisible,” Hua

Cheng suggested.

Xie Lian returned to where Hua Cheng

was standing, taking his hand with
the matching string on it. “Not too
much of it if possible?” Xie Lian
requested. “I really do love it. I don’t
want to get rid of it completely.”

“I can make it invisible from a short

distance from each of us,” Hua Cheng
suggested. “Enough to gauge
direction.”

Xie Lian kissed him, murmuring a

soft, “Thank you, I love you,” against
his mouth. “What would you like for
dinner?”

Hua Cheng bit lightly at his lip.

“Gege.”

Xie Lian laughed, shoving playfully at

his shoulder. “You just had me. Maybe
later. Dinner first. I want you to pick.”
Xie Lian stepped away from him and
his grabby hands. “Sit down, sit
down.”

“Hm,” he grumbled, but Hua Cheng

did so. He leant his elbow on the table
and cradled his jaw in his hands,
staring longingly at Xie Lian.
“Noodles.”

Xie Lian nodded and went to fetch the

ingredients. “We have a lot of nice
mushrooms at the moment,” he told
Hua Cheng. “How about something
like that? A noodle stir fry with
mushrooms? I think there’s some
fresh cabbage in here somewhere
too…”

“En. That sounds good, gege.”

Xie Lian put Hua Cheng in charge of

washing and slicing the vegetables
while he made the noodles and the
sauce base. Xie Lian’s lessons with
Yanxun were clearly paying off
though, as this meal turned out
unburned, the right colour, and yes it
was perhaps a little to far on the spicy
side, but neither he nor Hua Cheng
minded it, so Xie Lian would count it
is a rousing success.

As they ate, his eyes kept darting

back to the little red thread around
his finger, unable to keep a secretive
grin from his face each time he
remembered it was there. He ran his
thumb over it as he had used to do to
the rings he had worn as Crown
Prince, comforted to know it was
there. He couldn’t lose Hua Cheng
now. He could always find him. So
long as the both of them remained in
this world, Xie Lian could find his way
back to him.

“Gege?”

“Mn?”

“Since we have already had an…

emotional conversation today, would
gege like me to ask a difficult
question now or wait for another
day?” Hua Cheng asked, poking at
what might have once been a
cabbage leaf in his bowl.

Xie Lian watched him do so with a

smile. He thought their earlier
conversation had ended quite well,
and the lead up had been very
pleasurable, all things considered, but
— “Difficult for me or for you?”

“For you, gege,” Hua Cheng said. He

hesitated, then added, “Potentially. I
don’t know enough to know to be
sure. I may worry for nothing.”

Well, Xie Lian’s day had been quite

good, really, his yearning for Hua
Cheng to return aside. One potentially
tricky question seemed fine. “Ask it.”

“Since we are doing our bows in

private, I wanted to know how you
wanted to go about them?”

Xie Lian nodded slowly, sensing where

this was going and feeling a nervous
tightening begin in his chest.

“I already have a tablet for my

mother,” Hua Cheng said and Xie Lian
was unsurprised that his father was
left unmentioned. Hua Cheng refused
to speak of him beyond biting
comments and, piecing together what
he knew, Xie Lian suspected he had
not been a kind man. “Would you also
like me to make tablets for your
parents, gege?”

No. Xie Lian knew where his parents

were. White No-Face had told him
exactly where they were.

“I know where they are buried. I

think I would like to bow to them”—
he pulled in a slow breath, knowing
he would have to explain, but—“and
to Ruoye.”

Hua Cheng had been nodding along,

but then frowned as though
mishearing something. He clarified,
“Ruoye, gege?”

“Mn,” Xie Lian confirmed, trying to

find the words to explain. He didn’t
want to hurt Hua Cheng with the
truth, but he knew he surely would.
There was no good way to tell this
story, not for either of them. He
glanced up to his betrothed, voice
already thick as he said, “Please don’t
interrupt. I don’t think I can explain
this twice.”

Hua Cheng’s expression turned

serious and he nodded solemnly.

Xie Lian broke their eye contact then,

certain he couldn’t say these words
looking into Hua Cheng’s caring eye.

He managed to get it out.

Of the silk that constricted his body

on the altar, drenched in his blood. Of
the same silk that held his parents up
by the neck, long gone cold and
lifeless. Of the same silk that
encircled his own neck, praying to
die, hoping to die, and being denied,
denied, denied—until Ruoye had
uncurled itself from the beam.

His hands shook and his throat was

rough, but Xie Lian didn’t cry. He still
couldn’t look at Hua Cheng though.
He needed Hua Cheng’s face to be a
void of all emotions or else Xie Lian
was certain he would shatter across
the hardwood floor.

“Ruoye has taken care of me for so

long, and sometimes I feel like I can
sense…echoes of them in it, even
though I know it can’t be and I—”

Hua Cheng embraced him tightly and

—ah, there were the tears.

Xie Lian sobbed messily into Hua

Cheng’s shoulder, loud and ugly and
broken. He felt his whole chest
constrict like there wasn’t enough air
in the world—like there wasn’t any
space in himself anymore. He could
hear Hua Cheng whispering to him,
telling him to breathe, and he tried to
follow, but he could barely hear it
over the sound of his own helpless
sobs. Hua Cheng began rocking him
then. A repetitive, rhythmic, back and
forth, and eventually, with the motion
helping to steady him, Xie Lian
brought himself back under control,
able to breathe slowly if shakily. His
tears slowed to a trickle and he
sagged in Hua Cheng’s grasp,
suddenly too tired to hold himself up.

He’d known that story was going to

hurt but…he hadn’t quite realised how
much.

There was a clack of dice and Xie Lian

suddenly found them in their
bedroom. Hua Cheng guided them
over to the nearest divan and sat
himself down, leaning against the
pillows and the back of the seat. He
pulled Xie Lian gently forward until he
climbed beside Hua Cheng, curling
half on top of him so his head rested
on Hua Cheng’s chest. Ams wrapped
around his body to hold him close,
and Xie Lian buried his hands in the
fabric of Hua Cheng’s clothes in
return. Hua Cheng was breathing for
him still, slowly taking breaths in and
out in an even pulse that Xie Lian
clung to.

“Of course we can bow to Ruoye as

well,” Hua Cheng said softly when
they were both calm, their breaths
slow and matching. “Are you alright,
gege?”

He nodded, glad Hua Cheng had

understood. “I want to tell you about
the coffin.”

Xie Lian startled.

He hadn’t realised the words were

going to leave his mouth until they
did.

He hadn’t meant to say them.

Hua Cheng froze, apparently just as

caught unawares as Xie Lian was.
“Gege, you don’t have to. This has
already been difficult for you.”

Xie Lian let the thought actually settle

in his mind.

He…did want to tell Hua Cheng the

truth. He hadn’t the last time he had
asked, enveloped in his beloved’s
arms as he cried into him, because
he’d been scared of what Hua Cheng
might have done with the information
of his immortality—if he could have
figured out who Xie Lian was. Now, he
wanted Hua Cheng to know all of him.
He’d shared so many of the few good
memories he had over his years
wandering, but…

“I know, but I want you to know, and

now seems as good a time as any.”
Xie Lian laughed weakly. “I’m sure to
have nightmares tonight anyway,
might as well get it all out at once,
right?”

A bent finger lighted beneath his chin,

drawing Xie Lian’s focus up to Hua
Cheng’s face, his cheek equally damp
with tears. “Only if you really want
to.”

He wiped at Hua Cheng’s face with his

sleeve. “Will you be alright to hear
more, San Lang?” Xie Lian asked. “I
don’t mean to overwhelm you like
this.”

“Not knowing is worse,” Hua Cheng

said, trailing his fingers through Xie
Lian’s hair. “I’ve thought about it a
lot, gege.”

Xie Lian nodded. He’d probably given

Hua Cheng enough information before
now to paint a fairly terrible picture
that he could only extrapolate from.

“Well. San Lang already asked how…

how long I was in there,” he began
hesitantly, knuckles white where he
held Hua Cheng. “I don’t have exact
dates, but around a hundred years.”

Hua Cheng sucked in a harsh breath,

his fingers twitching, before his
breathing quickly smoothed out
again.

“I couldn’t get out, I could barely

move,” Xie Lian said flatly, trying to
focus on the words and not the
memory of it. “There were three
layers to the coffin and…and a dowel
in my stomach.”

“Gege—”

Xie Lian held a hand to his lips. “You

have to promise me you won’t speak
a word of this to anyone,” he
demanded. Then, remembering Hua
Cheng’s previous actions against
those he perceived as having
wronged Xie Lian, added, “And you
can’t kill anyone mentioned.”

Hua Cheng scowled, not at all liking

either stipulation. “Gege…”

“Promise me.”

Sighing, he leant his forehead against

Xie Lian’s. “I promise, Your Highness.”

He managed to tell this tale too, his

body quivering under Hua Cheng’s
comforting embrace and slow strokes
of his hands, How he had come to be
the Yong’an Guoshi, what it had been
like, how hopeful it had all seemed—
until it suddenly wasn’t.

“I didn’t mean for it to go wrong,” Xie

Lian admitted finally. “I just thought
—”

“Better you suffer?” Hua Cheng

finished.

Xie Lian smiled tiredly, acutely aware

of the upset in Hua Cheng’s tone. “I
know. We’ve spoken of this before,”
he allowed, kissing Hua Cheng’s chin.
“I thought I’d just…die for a time and
move on as I always had. I didn’t
think it would…though I really do
deserve the blame—”

“How so?” Hua Cheng cut in. “From

what you’ve just said, and all the
stories I have ever heard of the
Guoshi Fangxin, you killed two people
to save countless lives, and then you
offered yourself up as the culprit—”

“I still killed two people, San Lang.

One was the last of my line, the other
a King who had been so kind—and it
was best that Lang Qianqiu believed it
was me.”

“Two people’s deaths have so far

ensured a hundred years of peace,
Your Highness,” Hua Cheng argued.
“How could you have done it any
better? You made the right choice.
How could you deserve the blame and
the torment—?”

“I really didn’t think it would spiral so

poorly but...I didn’t want Qianqiu to
experience what I did,” Xie Lian
admitted softly. “No one should have
to. I thought I could spare him that
pain, let him keep believing that if he
did the right thing, if he was kind as
his father was, then the two clans
could live peacefully. That it wasn’t all
some fanciful dream—which is why
you can’t ever tell him. He can’t know
the truth.”

“I know,” Hua Cheng replied, though

his voice was stone. “I promised.”

Xie Lian squeezed his hand.

Hua Cheng turned his face into his,

murmuring, “No wonder I couldn’t
find you, gege. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, I’m just glad to

know someone was looking,” Xie Lian
replied, leaning back into him. “Thank
you for trying, San Lang.”

They sat in the quiet for some time,

each lost in their own heads. Xie
Lian’s body felt heavy, his eyes and
heart raw from sharing so much so
quickly, but he did feel somewhat
unburdened to have shared it with
another person—with his San Lang.

“If you feel up to it, how about we

have a bath, get dressed into
something nice, and go find dessert in
town,” Hua Cheng suggested
eventually, kissing the edge of his
mouth.

That…sounded good, honestly. He’d

really prefer to set aside both these
conversations for now.

Xie Lian nodded.

Once they were clean and dressed

and Xie Lian felt more like a person
again, rather than a leaky, cracked
pot, they headed out into the city.
Strolling hand-in-hand through the
streets, Hua Cheng led them in the
general direction of the lake as ghosts
greeted them excitedly.

Xie Lian leant into Hua Cheng’s side

as they wandered the stalls, speaking
softly to one another about the
different offerings. Hua Cheng
eventually chose a stick of tanghulu
and Xie Lian couldn’t help himself in
teasing him for managing to be so
dedicated to one colour. Xie Lian
picked out a sugar pig sculpture from
the next stall over. He’d taken some
time to choose exactly which little
animal he wanted, getting caught up
in the abundance of choice and a
mundane problem.

“Not the rabbit, gege?” Hua Cheng

asked as he paid the vendor.

“Look how round this pig is though,”

Xie Lian said, excitedly holding the
sugar sculpture up. “It’s adorable.
Clearly it’s been well fed.”

Hua Cheng’s face was the picture of

affection, soft as silk and warm as a
bonfire.

They wandered a short time longer

until Hua Cheng guided him down a
back street and under the deck of a
building above them. The deck itself
extended a short way over the lake,
and while the space beneath was not
much, it was enough for the two of
them to duck a bit and find a
secluded spot away from the prying
eyes of Ghost City.

Hua Cheng pulled him to a stop in the

centre of this hideaway. The light was
dim from the flames from the nearby
lanterns and the moonlight reflecting
off the lake, but it was enough to halo
the edges of their faces in a warm
glow. The air was faintly damp and
smelling of the summer grasses
beneath their feet, fresh and cool.

“I thought somewhere like this would

mean we were unlikely to be
disturbed.” Hua Cheng turned his
body to face Xie Lian, his hand
nervously waving his tanghulu. “We
can go somewhere else if gege—”

“No,” Xie Lian cut in. “Here is perfect.”

Right now, all Xie Lian wanted was
Hua Cheng as close as he could have
him.

“San Lang, come here,” Xie Lian said,

sitting down on the grass and leaning
his torso up against one of the
support pillars. Using one hand, the
other still holding the stick of his
sugar pig, he shuffled his robes into
place,

Working out what he wanted, Hua

Cheng sat down between his thighs,
his back against Xie Lian’s front, and
leant against him. Xie Lian wrapped
his arms around him immediately, his
free hand coming to rest on Hua
Cheng’s stomach, the other careful to
avoid whacking him with his dessert.
Hua Cheng made a sound of
contentment, a little sigh with a hint
of vocal tone to it, and settled his
head back against Xie Lian’s shoulder,
smiling blissfully up at him.

“Gege is most comfortable.”

Xie Lian kissed his forehead. “I’m

glad.”

They ate their desserts in the stillness

of the evening—or a still as Ghost City
ever was. Inevitably there were loud
cries and shouts through the night air,
with voices and footsteps above them
on the deck.

Xie Lian felt far more settled than he

had an hour before. He was grounded
by the weight of the body against his,
made falsely warm with the ghost’s
power. Like this, he had free reign to
enjoy the view—of both Hua Cheng
and the moonlight glittering off the
lake like diamonds, silhouetting the
little fishing boats offshore. He
suspected that just now they were
more likely drinking and laughing and
enjoying the fine night rather than
actually fishing. Hua Cheng was, of
course and as always, distractingly
beautiful. He was only made more so
with the way he nibbled at his
tanghulu and Xie Lian had to
physically drag his own scandalous
thoughts away from that temptation.
Perhaps later they could return to
that, Hua Cheng had certainly not
seemed fully sated by their earlier
tumble, but then again, when was he
ever?

Xie Lian laid his finished sugar stick to

the side, and, hand now unoccupied,
moved it to rest against Hua Cheng’s
chest, feeling his hair tickle his
fingers.

“San Lang?” He gave a little tug to

the end of Hua Cheng’s braid with the
coral bead at the end.

Hua Cheng’s hand moved to

encompass Xie Lian’s, drawing slow
lines along his skin. “Hm?”

“You know you can tell me anything

as well,” Xie Lian said softly. “I want
to know everything I missed in our
parting.”

Hua Cheng looked up at him for a

long moment, his eye flitting over Xie
Lian’s face as though looking for
something.

“It doesn’t need to be now, I think

we’ve both covered enough for
tonight,” he added with a tired smile,
“but I would like to know everything
about you, as much as I want you to
know everything about me.”

Hua Cheng stared a moment longer,

then his eye shifted away from
meeting Xie Lian’s gaze. Subdued, he
said, “It’s not pretty, gege.”

Unseen, Xie Lian smiled sadly down at

Hua Cheng, He thumbed at the coral
bead again before turning his hand to
tangle their fingers together. “I don’t
think anything I told you today could
be considered pretty.”

Hua Cheng turned his attention

outward, contemplating the request
for a long while. He appeared to stare
at the rippling water of the lake, the
small waves lapping softly at the
shore in a muted whisper.

“Not tonight,” Hua Cheng said finally.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Xie Lian

agreed, kissing his hair. “I will wait.”

Notes:
More art appears!!
The
theungracefulone8 on
tumblr drew a
gorgeous comic of
the opening scene of
this fic! Please go
check it out HERE!

I also did a little

sketch of Lianzhu,
Chunchun, and
Dianshui. Can be
found HERE!

Final chapter will be

up in a week (Jul
24)! Wedding time
babey! They deserve
it (❁´◡`❁)

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