Chapter Text
“Gege’s cooking is as excellent as always.”
Xie Lian buried his face in his hands, half laughing, half crying. “San Lang, please don’t tease.”
Hua Cheng promptly ate another jiaozi. “I’m not teasing! They’re very good. I like the filling,” he said, holding a hand in front of his mouth, a happy glint in his eye.
Xie Lian threw the jiaozi a dubious look. It was true that the taste wasn’t too bad this time and he would have called them a success if the wrapping hadn’t fallen utterly apart. He didn’t even know what he had done wrong this time, they had just sprung open sometime during the cooking.
Of course, Hua Cheng wasn’t deterred by such a small mishap. Instead, he simply used his chopsticks to expertly pinch them together at the top and dip them into the soy sauce before eating them, all the while complimenting him profusely. Xie Lian would have thought that the other was merely being polite if he hadn’t already eaten ten of them.
Still blushing behind one hand, he took another jiaozi for himself with the other.
“Does San Lang already have plans for the evening?”
Hua Cheng hummed. “Not really. What was Gege thinking of?”
Xie Lian drew his fingers over the smooth wood of the kitchen table. “Oh, I didn’t have any specific plan. I just thought it would be nice to just… we could sit by the fire in the library with some tea?” And talk, Xie Lian didn’t say.
Hua Cheng smiled at him. “That sounds good. Did Gege already finish ‘The Travels of-” A knock coming from the door cut Hua Cheng off mid-sentence.
They both turned to see Yin Yu enter the kitchen. He looked vaguely apologetic for interrupting their meal as he bowed. “Chengzhu, there’s a disturbance in the Gambler’s Den. One that requires your intervention.”
A few seconds of silence followed and then Hua Cheng’s face turned dark. Were they talking over the communication array?
“I see.” Hua Cheng turned to Xie Lian. “Does Gege want to join me? It shouldn’t take too long and you can choose to stay hidden if you want to.”
Xie Lian was honestly rather curious to see Hua Chengzhu deal with a disturbance so he nodded. “If I won’t get in San Lang’s way?”
“I’d be honoured to have Gege by my side.” They stood from the table and Hua Cheng turned back to Yin Yu. “You should go ahead and see if Bai Lian has everything under control.”
Yin Yu raised his eyebrows before he nodded and left.
Hua Cheng drew his dice out of his pocket and rolled them. Two sixes and a portal opened before them. Hua Cheng stepped to the side with a playful bow. “After Gege.”
When Xie Lian walked past him, he noticed out of the corner of his eyes how Hua Cheng’s smile grew a little strained. Then he was stepping through the portal and into a dim side room of the Gambler’s Den.
He hadn’t been here since the first time he had met Hua Cheng, but he could already hear the yelling and laughter of the gamblers and the footsteps of people walking past the door. Behind him, Hua Cheng appeared in the room and the light of the portal slowly went out, leaving only the light shining in from the hallway.
There was a beat of silence between them before Hua Cheng stepped forward, offering him his arm. “If Gege is ready?”
Xie Lian took it and they walked out into the brightly lit hallway. Out here, the racket was much clearer and Xie Lian couldn’t help but smile at a loud crash coming from one of the rooms as someone threw their cup to the ground.
“San Lang,” he said quietly.
“Hm?”
“If there’s a danger, shouldn’t we evacuate the patrons?”
Hua Cheng gave an amused little snort. “No need, Bai Lian is already keeping an eye on the intruders. She’ll take care of them if they act up too much.”
He squeezed Hua Cheng’s arm. “That’s good.” Xie Lian hadn’t been in Ghost City for very long but he had already grown a bit fond of its residents. He didn’t want anything to happen to them.
They finally reached the end of the hallway and stepped out onto the landing overlooking the main hall. For one moment Xie Lian was confused by the strange angle until he realised that he was standing on the opposite side of the landing from last time. Now they were only a few feet away from the narrow staircase that led down to Hua Cheng’s throne.
A woman was standing at the top of the staircase, her hands folded in front of her and a serene smile on her face. One of the attendants from last time, Xie Lian thought, but there was no way to tell which one.
“Hua Chengzhu,” she said, her voice a little throaty. “What are your orders regarding the Heavenly Officials?”
Heavenly Officials? So that was who the intruders were. Xie Lian briefly wondered if he knew them but just as quickly discarded the thought again, unlikely as it was. Gods rose and fell all the time, by now most of the members of the Heavenly Court would probably be utter strangers to him.
Hua Cheng lifted the arm that Xie Lian wasn’t holding in a careless shrug. “Let them say what they came here to say. Might as well hear them out.”
He guided Xie Lian down the staircase but turned back to Bai Lian for a second. “Oh, and make sure they can’t run away before we allow them to.”
The smile on her face got a smidgen wider. Then she bowed and left.
They walked down the stairs to the room Xie Lian had only seen for a few seconds the last time he was there. But he was sure there had only been one throne before. Now, there was a second, just as ornate chair standing beside the first one.
Hua Cheng guided Xie Lian to the chair on the left. Xie Lian kept him from stepping away and pulled him down to whisper: “San Lang, isn’t this… isn’t this a bit too much?”
A slow smile curled Hua Cheng’s lips. “Where did Gege think he would sit then?”
Ah, in truth, Xie Lian hadn’t really thought about it. He’d had a vague idea of standing in the shadows behind Hua Cheng’s throne and maybe having a quiet chat with Yin Yu while they were watching the other rule over his subjects. This blatant display of equality hadn’t been what he’d expected. Maybe he should have.
After a moment, he let go of Hua Cheng’s arm and the other stood upright, looking down at him with a slight smile. From this angle, the smile looked less amused and more wistful than before. “It’s only right for my bride to sit beside me, is it not?” Hua Cheng asked, and his voice sounded quieter than usual.
He turned around to sit on his own chair before Xie Lian got a better look at his face.
There seemed to be a slow awareness spreading through the gamblers in the hall, heads turning around to look at the two figures sitting behind the curtain and excited whispers breaking out. A few people at the back of the hall even stood to get a better look.
Xie Lian felt a little uncomfortable, but he knew that kind of attention couldn’t be avoided if he was associated with someone like Hua Cheng. And he didn’t really mind it that much, he thought as he looked at the man sitting next to him, sprawled out on his chair and an amused expression on his face.
Hua Cheng must have felt his eyes on him because he turned to smile at him. “Does Gege want to wait for the rats to come out or should we bait them a little?”
Xie Lian laughed quietly and looked back to the hall. “San Lang is acting so mysterious.” Then he thought of something. “Although, I do have another question.”
“What is it?”
“The woman who met us at the top of the stairs, was that Bai Lian?”
He turned back to Hua Cheng when no answer came. The other was looking at him with a slightly bewildered smile. “Yes,” he finally said. “That was Bai Lian.”
Xie Lian smiled abashedly. “It’s just, I noticed how similar the attendants all look. Maybe it’s the clothing?”
Hua Cheng kept staring at him, his smile widening until a breathy laugh escaped from between sharp teeth. “Yes, they’re Bai Lian too.”
Xie Lian’s mouth fell open as he realised what the other was saying. “They’re all…”
At that moment, an outcry spread through the crowd outside. Xie Lian’s back straightened as he tried to look for what had caused the disturbance. He spotted two men making their way between the tables, shoving the hands of the patrons who tried to grab them off their shoulders. One gambler had put himself in their way and was yelling something at them. The man on the front snapped after a few seconds and pushed the gambler into the table next to him, causing even more chaos.
Ah yes, those were gods alright.
After a few moments, the two men fought their way through the crowd and stopped in front of the steps leading up the curtain. The bulkier of the two stepped forward confidently and his loud voice echoed through the hall when he spoke.
“Hua Cheng!”
Xie Lian heard Hua Cheng heave a put-upon sigh at the yell and had to hide a smile behind his hand.
“We’re here to demand that you release your captive to us!”
Hua Cheng stared at them, his eye half-lidded and his fingers tapping a slow rhythm on the armrest.
“And who are you, to come here and demand things of me?” Hua Cheng’s deep voice filled the hall, causing even the last whispers to die.
Xie Lian looked at him questioningly. What captive were they talking about? Had Hua Cheng captured a god?
The gods looked a bit nervous at the sudden silence surrounding them, the one who had yelled before looking from side to side and fidgeting with his sword hilt.
Xie Lian froze as he got a closer look at the sword hilt. He knew that sword. It was one of the swords they’d had to sell off when Xie Lian fell into poverty with the fall of Xian Le. Lingye.
He looked at the men again, the way the man at the front stood with squared shoulders, his brows lowered in an angry glower. And the man who stood behind him, arms crossed over his chest and looking as if he’d rather be anywhere but here.
Ruoye seemed to realise at the same time as him when it suddenly wound itself around his chest and squeezed tightly.
It looked like Xie Lian would meet some old friends today after all.
“I’m Nan Feng,” Feng Xin said, stubborn as ever in the face of a fight he could not win. “And this is Fu Yao,” he pointed to Mu Qing behind him, whose arms fell to the side at his outrage of being talked about like he couldn’t introduce himself.
“Two heavenly officials,” Hua Cheng said, a smile curling his lips. “Barging in here and accusing me of things I know nothing about. How courageous. Or maybe just stupid after all?”
An uproar went through the hall at his words, the patrons only now realising who exactly had sneaked into their midst.
The two gods were visibly taken aback at the sudden yelling behind them, stumbling forwards a few steps in surprise, but they rallied admirably quickly.
“We know that you have taken an immortal by the name of Xie Lian captive and are forcing him to marry you!” Behind Feng Xin, Mu Qing closed his eyes long-sufferingly.
Xie Lian was so distracted by his own surprise that he almost missed how Hua Cheng’s hand tightened around the armrest for a second, before just as quickly relaxing again. But, when he looked up, the other’s face was just as impassive as before.
“San Lang,” he whispered. After a second, Hua Cheng turned to him and leaned closer to hear what he had to say.
“Let me talk to them. They obviously have a bit of a misunderstanding. Maybe we can solve it peacefully.”
Feng Xin only got more agitated by their silence until he couldn’t take it anymore. “Hiding behind your curtain, is Hua Cheng a coward? Show yourself so we can sort this out face to face.”
If the outrage of Ghost City’s residents had been an uproar before, then the reaction to Feng Xin calling Hua Cheng a coward could only be called a storm. The only thing holding them back from trying to beat the two gods up was the strict ‘no brawls’ rule in the Gambler’s Den.
Xie Lian winced. It had been many centuries since the two had been his friends but he didn’t exactly want to see them die at the hands of an angry mob either.
Hua Cheng was still looking at him silently, his chin propped up on his fist and his gaze revealing no emotions.
“Please, San Lang,” Xie Lian said quietly. Hua Cheng looked downwards in response, his eyelashes throwing long shadows over his cheek for a moment before he straightened and looked forwards.
“Everyone else, out,” he said. The gamblers visibly hesitated for a second after his announcement came, and then they started filing out of the room under loud grumbles.
Utter silence followed in their wake, only broken when suddenly, attendants stepped through the doorways, the women appearing on silent feet and closing each door behind them before coming to a stand in front of it with completely identical smiles on their faces.
Uneasy, Feng Xin and Mu Qing flinched back when two of the women walked through the hall, brushing by them without a care, and climbed the few steps to the curtain. With sure hands, they drew back each of the curtains and pinned them to the walls, revealing Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.
At the sight of Xie Lian, both of them stiffened. Enraged, Feng Xin drew his sword, Mu Qing following after him.
“What have you done to him, you bastard?” Feng Xin growled at Hua Cheng. Xie Lian didn’t quite know if he should be offended. What did Feng Xin take him for, a trembling maid to be rescued? Brainwashed?
Before Hua Cheng could respond, the attendants all lost the perpetual smile on their faces.
“Fighting on the premises of the Gambler’s Den is prohibited and will be punished,” a clear voice rang through the room, loud enough to make Xie Lian wince.
For a moment, he couldn’t place what had been so strange about the voice. Then he realised what he had thought was only one voice were really all the women speaking at once.
They are all Bai Lian, Hua Cheng had said. Xie Lian suddenly found it a lot more believable.
Feng Xin’s brows lowered until he was glowering at the women in front of him. Then he turned his glare at Hua Cheng and marched forward. “You think you can intimidate us?”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Hua Cheng said, still sprawled out on his chair like he couldn’t care less.
Feng Xin hesitated for a beat, enough time for Hua Cheng to point a single finger towards the ceiling.
Xie Lian looked upwards and, as if on cue, the whole ceiling seemed to flicker. He had to blink before he realised what he had thought was a silver ceiling were in fact thousands of wraith butterflies suddenly coming alive, fluttering their wings and crawling over the wood.
Mu Qing quickly grabbed Feng Xin’s arm, pulled him back and hissed: “Put your fucking sword away, you idiot.”
“But I-”
“This is not something we can win!”
Feng Xin violently pulled out of Mu Qing’s grasp. “I’m not just going to give up, you-”
“Try it,” Hua Cheng said, a feral glint in his eye. “I’m begging you.”
“Alright!” Xie Lian called loudly and stood up, his hands lifted in supplication. “Let’s all calm down for a minute. There’s no need to escalate things.”
Thankfully, Mu Qing and Feng Xin stopped yelling at each other and looked at him.
Ah. Now Xie Lian had to actually come up with something to say. What did he say to two people he hadn’t seen in centuries, but who now came to rescue him from something he didn’t need to be saved from at all?
He walked down the steps, smiling awkwardly as he came to a stop a few feet before them. “I understand that this must be very confusing, but I promise you that I’m here willingly. I appreciate that you came to see if I need help, but I assure you that I don’t.”
“Dianxia,” Feng Xin choked, “you can’t mean that! Do you even know who that is?”
“Ah, Hua Cheng has really been nothing but kind to me-”
“That bastard murdered thirty-three gods!” Mu Qing snarled. Xie Lian paused.
“San Lang, did you really?” Surprised, Xie Lian turned around to look at Hua Cheng, who dipped his head slightly.
“That’s very impressive!” Xie Lian said, ignoring the choked sounds behind him.
Hua Cheng smiled like a fox in response. “Thank you, Gege.”
“What is wrong with you?” Mu Qing said. “Do you have no self-respect, sitting beside that monster?”
Frankly, Xie Lian had lost most of his self-respect a long time ago, but he didn’t appreciate hearing Mu Qing insult Hua Cheng that way.
“Listen, ah…”
“Fu Yao,” Mu Qing said.
“Right, listen, Fu Yao, it’s not as if gods don’t kill people all the time, and you don’t call them monsters, or do you?”
“That’s not the sa-”
“And anyway,” Xie Lian interrupted him, “I’m not quite sure why you care that much. I said I’m happy where I am, didn’t I?”
And it was true, Xie Lian realised. The two of them hadn’t cared to check in on him for six hundred years, but suddenly came running when he did something they didn’t approve of? He didn’t hold it against them. After all, it had been himself who had ended their friendship. In fact, he sincerely hoped that the two of them led happy lives, that they were content and satisfied.
But it also didn’t give them the right to butt into his personal affairs. He was quite capable of deciding who he wanted to keep the company of, thank you very much.
“Now, as I said, it was very nice of you to come to see if I needed a rescue, and I’m sure I would have appreciated it if it had been the case. But as it is, I must kindly ask you to leave now. You see, San Lang and I were just eating dinner and I’m afraid the food has gone cold by now.”
Feng Xin’s hands clenched into fists. “Is it true, then? That you want to marry him?”
Xie Lian allowed himself to look back at Hua Cheng for a moment. The other sat on his throne like a statue, completely still and with no expression on his face. Xie Lian couldn’t read him at all and it worried him. Then he turned back around to meet Feng Xin’s eyes firmly.
“Yes, I want to.”
Feng Xin’s eyebrows lowered in what Xie Lian remembered was concern. “He isn’t coercing you? Or threatening you?”
Xie Lian shook his head and his lips drew up into a smile. “No. I really like him.”
A beat of silence, and then Mu Qing scoffed. “Well, I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.”
At his words, Feng Xin’s fists loosened before he slowly nodded. “Alright.”
Then he looked at Hua Cheng and growled: “You better treat him well, you…”
Hua Cheng’s eye narrowed. “Do you think you have the right to tell anyone to treat Xie Lian right?” His voice was dangerously low.
Feng Xin’s lips twisted and Xie Lian had to suppress a wince himself. Ah, he just wanted to go home at this point.
Unexpectedly, it was Mu Qing who defused the situation. He put a hand on Feng Xin’s shoulder and leaned in. “Come on, let’s just go,” he said.
After a second, Feng Xin relaxed under his hand and nodded again. Then he looked down and noticed for the first time that he was still holding his sword. He considered it for a moment, before sheathing it.
Their departure was uncomfortable for everyone present, or maybe it just felt that way to Xie Lian. They dragged their feet up the stairs to the entrance and Bai Lian, or rather, one of Bai Lian, stepped aside to let them through, her smile back in place. Xie Lian was left standing alone in the middle of the hall.
He felt a bit unmoored, so suddenly drowning in old memories. But he shook his head, trying to shake off the melancholy too, and turned around to smile at Hua Cheng.
“What an excitement!” he said, maybe a bit too forced. The other still hadn’t moved. “I hope you’ll forgive me for the trouble I’ve brought to your doorstep.”
Behind him, he heard Bai Lian silently exit the room, leaving Hua Cheng and him alone.
Finally, Hua Cheng roused himself enough to speak.
“Gege could have gone with them,” he said.
“What?” A cold feeling spread through Xie Lian’s body. He tried to cover it with a laugh. “Why would I have done that? Doesn’t San Lang want me to stay?”
At that, Hua Cheng stood and walked down the stairs until they were only a slight distance apart but he still didn’t smile, still didn’t look any more animated than before.
“Of course I want you to stay,” he said quietly.
Xie Lian felt himself grow heavy with dread at his tone. But, he told himself, he was old enough to deal with whatever was coming. Even if Hua Cheng wanted him gone, Xie Lian would be able to leave. He would tuck the time they’d had together close to his heart and always remember it. He could deal with it. He could deal with everything.
“Does San Lang not want to marry me then, after all?”
Hua Cheng’s face crumbled for a second, but then he closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, his mask was back in place.
“Can I show Gege something before I answer his question?”
“Yes,” Xie Lian said hoarsely, dread clogging up his throat.
Hua Cheng drew the dice again and offered his hand to Xie Lian. He took it tightly, afraid that it would be the last time he would have the chance to. Together, they walked through the portal.
On the other side, they found themselves in a large, empty room. The cloying scent of incense surrounded them, coming from a generous altar table standing before an empty platform. Hua Cheng had brought them to a temple. But why?
Xie Lian turned to look at him questioningly.
“Gege said he wanted to see the temple in Ghost City, didn’t he?” Ah yes, he did, but was this really the right moment?
“Welcome to Qiandeng Temple,” Hua Cheng said and drew him towards the altar table. As they walked around it, Xie Lian was distracted by the offerings. The whole table was covered with flowers, only broken by the incense burner. But before he could ask, Hua Cheng urged him up onto the platform, only releasing his hand when Xie Lian was safely standing on it.
Confused, Xie Lian turned around to look at the other. But Hua Cheng only met his eyes for a second before he lowered his head and sank down onto one knee.
“San Lang!” Xie Lian’s eyes grew wide and then he realised for the first time the position he was in. He was standing where the statue of the worshipped god would normally stand.
“Forgive this lowly worshipper for deceiving you, Dianxia,” Hua Cheng said with a rueful smile.
Slowly, Xie Lian began to understand what was happening, but he stayed silent to hear Hua Cheng out.
“This one has selfishly indulged himself and drew out the engagement, even though he knew he wasn’t worthy of Dianxia’s consideration, much less his hand in marriage. He should have told him the truth from the start, and can only ask for forgiveness and a chance to serve him now.”
Xie Lian looked down at Hua Cheng and a slow certainty spread through him. Maybe he was wrong, but as he looked at the man kneeling before him, and the white flowers lying on the altar table, he didn’t think he was mistaken.
“Wu Ming?” he asked hesitatingly, praying he wasn’t wrong.
“Dianxia,” the other said, lowering his head even further. “Forgive this one for taking so long to find you again.”
His hands felt a little numb. Xie Lian clenched them tightly to wake himself up again.
“San Lang,” he said. “Please look at me.”
Hua Cheng looked up, and his face was more open, more vulnerable than Xie Lian had ever seen it before.
“Please answer me truthfully. I promise I can take it, but I need you to tell me the truth.”
The other nodded jerkily.
“Do you feel anything at all for me except what a worshipper feels for their god?” Xie Lian asked.
Hua Cheng’s eye grew wide and a panicked light entered it. “This one begs for forgiveness,” he finally said after a moment, his voice little more than a whisper. “He promises he will not burden Dianxia with his feelings.”
Xie Lian climbed down from the platform again. It took some time with his strangely clumsy legs. He knelt down in front of Hua Cheng and grabbed his arms tightly. The man jerked in his grip before he stilled.
“San Lang,” he repeated, distantly noticing that his voice sounded wet. “I have fallen in love with you. Did you ever actually want to marry me?”
The other’s breath hitched and Xie Lian wanted to laugh at this ridiculous man who didn’t even need to breathe. Slowly, Hua Cheng’s hands came up to lightly hold Xie Lian’s arms in return.
“A long time ago,” he said. “I told Dianxia I had a beloved who is still in this world.” He looked at Xie Lian so softly, his eye was so bright that he couldn’t misunderstand.
“San Lang, is that beloved me?”
So very slowly, Hua Cheng smiled. “Who else could it be?” His hold on Xie Lian’s arms tightened. “Dianxia, everything I have worked for, it’s all for you. Ghost City, Paradise Manor, myself. I know it might not be much, but, if Dianxia wants-”
Xie Lian laughed wetly and let go of Hua Cheng’s arms to hold his face in his hands instead. “My San Lang,” he said. “Not much. You truly are ridiculous. Don’t you know that this is the happiest I’ve ever been?”
He leaned very close until they were sharing the same air and only had to whisper to be heard. “Do you want to marry me, San Lang? I understand if this is too quick for you, or if you’d prefer not to, but I very much want to marry you.”
Hua Cheng swayed in his arms before he made a noise that sounded as if it was ripped out of him. “Yes,” he breathed. “Gege, I want nothing more.”
Xie Lian took that as permission and leaned forwards to kiss Hua Cheng. He hadn’t quite expected to be the one to make the first move, but Hua Cheng looked so shocked that Xie Lian doubted he would do anything but keep kneeling and looking at him.
Hua Cheng’s lips were soft and a little wet and Xie Lian hoped desperately that he was doing this right as he pressed closer. Finally, Hua Cheng came alive again and surged forward so quickly that Xie Lian almost fell backwards. He scrabbled over onto Xie Lian’s lap and pressed their chests together and Xie Lian laughed into his mouth as they, two six hundred year-old men, pawed at each other like children.
“Gege,” Hua Cheng gasped before he took his mouth again, their tongues meeting in a little touch and, oh, that was good. Xie Lian wrapped his arms around the other’s waist and now he understood why the other was making himself warm as his warmth bled into Xie Lian’s front.
He was so wonderfully close, his nose pressing against Xie Lian’s, their mouths slick and warm where they were connected, their bodies so entwined that it would be impossible to separate them again.
Xie Lian felt a happy laugh rise in his chest until he couldn’t suppress it anymore and had to bury his head in Hua Cheng’s shoulder, his chest hitching with his laughter.
“I’m so relieved,” he said, his hands fisting into Hua Cheng’s robe. “I was so scared, I thought you wanted me to leave.”
“Never,” Hua Cheng whispered fervently, his arm wrapping around Xie Lian tightly. “I never want you to leave. If I could, I’d stay by your side, always.”
“Good,” Xie Lian said just as fervently. “Good. Then let’s do that.” And then he kissed him again.