Archive of Our Own ^beta

Xiao Lanhua suddenly stops just outside the door to her room, spinning around to face him. It forces Dongfang Qingcang to stop as well, barely avoiding crashing into her. But it isn’t a bad thing - after all, now he has an excuse to grab her waist. Their eyes meet, and for a moment, he drowns in her gaze, basking in her presence. The past five hundred years have felt like a long sleep and he never felt too far from his Xiao Huayao, so he never truly missed her, but nothing compares to simply being with her again. To hold her in his arms, and know their hearts are beating to the same rhythm, that their souls are singing the same tune.

She looks up at him from beneath her fluttering eyelashes, her wide grin stretching across her mouth. He is sure his expression is much the same. After five hundred years of making her wait, he can make her happy again, and make sure nothing hurts her ever again.

“Why did you stop?” Dongfang Qingcang says, voice low. 

“Hmm?” Xiao Lanhua’s eyes are glazed over, a dreamy expression crossing her face.

He can not help the smug smirk that pulls at his lips, delighted to see he still holds her attention in such a way. He leans down, bumping his forehead against hers. “Xiao Huayao, aren’t we going to bed?”

At that, she starts, almost jumping out of his hold. Her cheeks flush, and her eyes move away, glancing over his shoulder, as she chews on her bottom lip.

“We are!” she reassures him. “I just…there’s something I need to tell you first.”

He nods, waiting for her to continue even as impatience tugs at the edges of his mind. Surely it is nothing so important that it would prevent him from going to bed with his wife? 

( Yes , he knows they have never had a proper ceremony. But as far as he is concerned, she is his wife. The legalities of it can be settled later.)

Besides, he is rather tired. Unfortunately, he does not think he is quite capable of showering Xiao Lanhua with the adoration she deserves for tonight. Resurrecting has left him worn out, and he is unused to having a physical form once more. It would be nice to sleep on an actual bed for the first time in five centuries. And the sooner he can rest, the sooner he can attend to Xiao Lanhua.

Nothing less than another war and the resurrection of Tai Sui can stop him from taking a nap, he thinks. And even then, he might let everyone else handle it - he had done his part, as far as he is concerned.

Xiao Lanhua plays with the collar of his hanfu, letting out a weary sigh. “You must know,” she eventually says, gaze downcast, “my bed isn’t exactly empty…. That is to say, I have been sharing it.”

Dongfang Qingcang freezes. For a long moment, he does not entirely process what she said. And then, when he does, ice runs through his veins, his heart drops to his stomach, and all he can feel is agony and bitter rage – partially aimed at this unknown person who has managed to enchant Xiao Lanhua and obtain her affection, but mostly at himself. It was understandable, he thought. She needed more than him, she deserved more than him, more than someone who only ever brought her pain. 

“Who is it?” he says. He tries to be calm, but it still comes out as a snarl. Yet he is too desperate to be truly intimidating. 

Surely it wouldn’t be Changheng? That door had seemed closed when Dongfang Qingcang had last seen the God of War. But then again, Xiao Lanhua had married him. Perhaps, after Dongfang Qingcang was gone, she decided she liked Changheng better after all. Perhaps they never got a divorce. Perhaps, fate came through for them in the end.

“It’s not what you think,” Xiao Lanhua hurries to explain. “I was just so lonely without you here, and it was actually Shangque who helped–”

His heart clenches in his chest. Of course she was lonely. She had spent so many years all alone, and then when he had promised to always be with her, he went and left her alone as well. Had he left her alone so long that she had to find comfort in the arms of another?

But what the hell did Shangque have to do with it?

A horrid thought occurs to him. He blanches, wearily eyeing the door.

“Is it Shangque? Is he in there now?” he demands, barely even knowing what he is saying.

“What?!” Xiao Lanhua says, her eyebrows flying up, her cheeks coloring in an embarrassed flush. “Why would Shangque be in there? No, of course not! Why would you even– wait, do you think–?!”

Her strong reaction gives him some semblance of relief, but he is still confused. Especially as Xiao Lanhua continues to mumble to herself and shaking her head, as if trying to figure out how to fix a particularly damaged fate book. But then she looks up at him, resolutely meets his eye, and promptly bursts into disbelieving giggles. 

“Oh, Da Matou. I’m sorry, I think I gave you the wrong impression. Just come inside, you’ll see.”

Shangque and Jieli were the ones who gave her the idea.

As the years passed, Xiao Lanhua largely split her time between her Simingdian in Xishan and Yuezu. Despite her wedding to Dongfang Qingcang never coming to pass, Xunfeng and the other members of the Yuezu still regarded her as their queen. She would often advise Xunfeng, the temporary Yuezun, providing input on what she believed Dongfang Qingcang would want, and even what she wanted. Where she was lacking experience in leadership, her authority as the Goddess of Xilan came through.

But she never stayed for too long. Yuezu and Silent Moon Palace were full of memories that hadn’t come to pass, ghosts lingering on the edge of her vision of what could have been by now if Dongfang Qingcang was still with them. Cangyanhai would be home to her again one day, but that day would not arrive for a while yet. 

Xiao Lanhua’s home was wherever Dongfang Qingcang was. And for now, that meant her home was beside a bone shard, a fragment of a soul, in the depths of the greenhouse in her Simingdian in Xishan. 

Still, she could not deny that it was a lonely existence. Whenever she would go home after a long day away, wishing to be greeted by someone waiting for her, she would only ever be met with silence. Shangque and Jieli had each other and their growing brood of children. Xunfeng had his court and his anticipated visits from the new God of War. Danyin, for her part, had taken to her new role beautifully, and when her responsibilities allowed, she would entertain Xunfeng’s shambling effort of a courtship and Changheng’s friendship.

Xiao Lanhua’s own responsibilities kept her from dwelling too much on the lingering melancholy of her situation, but it was an ever present ache. It was felt especially in moments like this, three hundred fifty years after Dongfang Qingcang’s disappearance, as she and Jieli came back from Jieli’s new storefront to her home with Shangque and were greeted by an excited little girl. Huifen, the latest addition to Jieli and Shangque’s family, was running up and throwing her arms around Jieli’s waist, demanding to be lifted up. And Jieli, despite usually being so averse to physical affection, grinned widely and grabbed the girl under her arms, settling her on her hip. 

“How is my Huifen doing?” Jieli said with a laugh. “Causing lots of trouble?”

Huifen giggled, hiding her face in the crook of Jieli’s shoulder, but otherwise did not answer.

Shangque ran out not even a moment later, sighing in exasperation. “I don’t know where she gets all this energy from. Keeping up with Zunshang in the middle of a war was easier than keeping up with our children.”

Xiao Lanhua softly smiled, content to simply watch the scene of her two closest friends fawning over their daughter. When Huifen lifted her head and planted a loud, smacking kiss on Jieli’s cheek, Xiao Lanhua’s heart twinged, and she had to look away, suddenly overwhelmed. Her eyes blurred, and she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, focusing on the wild begonias by her feet. They were slightly wilted, and Xiao Lanhua thought to herself that she should tend to them before she took her leave.

“Are you alright?” Shangque asked, voice hushed. It startled her, how close he suddenly was. She hadn’t noticed him breaking away from the circle of his family to approach her.

She gave him a weary smile. “I’m fine, Shangque, don’t worry about me. I’m glad you and the children are doing so well. Jieli was telling me all about the renovations you’re planning on making to expand your home and bring in more orphans in a few more years. It’s so wonderful. I’m proud of you both.”

Flustered by her praise, he grinned bashfully and looked away, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Thank you. It means a lot, coming from you, Yuezhu.”

He didn’t say anything else for a long moment, and Xiao Lanhua thought that maybe that was all. She was about to turn back to Jieli and demand that she be allowed to hold Huifen for a while, but then Shangque spoke up once more.

“Have you considered taking someone in?” The words spilled out in a rush, and when she turned to him, shocked, he seemed equally surprised to have said it aloud. 

“I…”

Despite his obvious embarrassment at being so brazen, Shangque forged ahead anyway. “If you don’t mind me saying, Yuezhu, you seem…lonely. It doesn’t have to be a child or adopting like we did. But perhaps you could get a disciple?”

Shangque had always had a hidden depth and perceptiveness. In just a few short sentences, he rooted out her problem and offered a solution. Xiao Lanhua hummed thoughtfully, taking his suggestion seriously. 

“It would be nice to have someone help with the fate books,” she said. “But I would want to do it right. Shifu was like a mother to me. I don’t know if I am capable of taking care of another person to that extent. I’m afraid I will have to settle for my plants as my companions for now.”

From across the yard where she was still entertaining her daughter, Jieli scoffed. “The answer’s obvious then, isn’t it? Just get a pet.”

Well, there was an idea. Xiao Lanhua’s lips curl up, and she found herself already excited at the prospect. 

Not even a week later, she was dragging Shangque into Shuyu Forest.

Dongfang Qingcang blinks. The ying zhao blinks back.

And then it dismissively turns away, curling into a ball on the bed, languidly luxuriating on the sheets as if it is a king and all of Simingdian is its kingdom.

“Da Mutou, meet Little Daqiang,” Xiao Lanhua proudly says. When he does not immediately respond, she pokes his arm. “Say hello.”

“Hello,” he dumbly says.

The ying zhao opens an eye, its dark gaze penetrating into his very soul for a moment. And then it huffs and closes its eye once more, snuggling deeper into the mattress. 

“I don’t think it likes me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Xiao Lanhua says, a cheery smile still on her face. “ He’ll warm up to you.”

“Right, he, of course,” Dongfang Qingcang mutters, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“Little Daqiang probably remembers you trying to kill him during the immortal examination,” she explains. Dongfang Qingcang raises an eyebrow, recalling the incident. Despite his irritation at the creature, a wave of fondness overcomes him. Xiao Lanhua had looked so cute, snatching his sword from his hand and throwing it to the side to protect the ying zhao after it tried to kill her.

Wait, had she just called that thing ‘Little Daqiang’ ?

She continues telling him about how she found the creature, how she brought it - sorry, him - home. All the while, he continues to stare at the ying zhao and how it takes over what should be Dongfang Qingcang’s side of the bed. 

He huffs out a breath.

This is fine, though. He could handle this. He had been preparing himself to come face-to-face with a lover, his mind having jumped to the darkest conclusions. Tai Sui’s words still rang in his ears, even now: What if she forgets you? In comparison, to be met with a tiny ball of snow-white fur when he entered the room was a welcome surprise, and now that the initial shock was out of the way, he could let himself breathe.

So what if the ying zhao is apathetic to him? He is still Xiao Lanhua’s husband. That counts for more than just some pet that kept her company while he was gone. Yes, this is alright. He has dealt with Tai Sui inside his head. He has dealt with the trials of Fuju Cave, and becoming nothing but a weapon for the sake of his people. He has dealt with the Bone Devouring Spikes, and Xiao Lanhua’s agony on top of that when she went into Fuju Cave, as well. He can handle sharing Xiao Lanhua with “Little Daqiang.” 

But then, Xiao Lanhua takes a seat on the edge of the bed and the ying zhao clambers onto her lap as if only it has a right to her attention, and Xiao Lanhua immediately starts cooing and petting it. That was already pushing Dongfang Qingcang’s limits, as he so wanted her attention after so much time apart. But then, as the ying zhao mewls and preens under her devotions, it meets Dongfang Qingcang’s eyes from its throne on her lap, and turns up its nose with a snuffle.

You are beneath me, Little Daqiang seems to say. You are not worthy of her . 

And Dongfang Qingcang considers cooking the beast right there.

He hates the ying zhao. He has been back for nearly a month, and nothing inspires such strong feelings in him (other than Xiao Lanhua, of course, but that is quite decidedly on the other end of the spectrum). He violently, passionately, fervently hates it. 

“You are being dramatic,” Jieli says. “She has a pet. Consider it an introduction to parenthood.”

Dongfang Qingcang grunts, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, refusing to deign Jieli with a response. Of course she would not understand. Where is Shangque anyway? He had come to see his old friend, but instead he found Jieli and Danyin in the middle of their weekly meet-up which he quickly realized was not in any official capacity but rather a meticulous gossip session. He had planned on leaving and returning later when Shangque was available, but the thought of going home to Xiao Lanhua cuddled up with her precious Little Daqiang made him ill, so he decided to join the two sisters. 

Jieli and Danyin seem rather irritated by his intrusion, but he personally thinks that they are two of the most irritating women he knows, so now here they sit, all three of them equally annoyed.

Jieli rolls her eyes. “Actually, I'll take it back. You’re a giant child yourself. I can’t imagine you and Xiao Lanhua having children anytime soon when she still has to raise you and deal with your temper tantrums.”

How dare she speak to him like this? Wasn’t she afraid of him the last time they saw each other?

“I am over 30,000 years old.” 

“And how many of those years did you spend not locked up in eternal slumber or half-dead without a body and lost in the ether?” He doesn’t answer, and she gives him a satisfied smirk. “Exactly. And you’re still getting used to feelings. You have the emotional maturity of a thousand year old fairy.”

“I will not be talked down to by a traitor,” he snaps, because he has no idea what he could possibly say to counter that.

“Hey!” Danyin hisses, leaning forward and looking like she is a step away from standing up and showing him just what the new God of War is capable of. “Jieli never did anything wrong.”

Dongfang Qingcang raises an eyebrow, and for several long moments, they stare each other down.

“Alright, alright, leave him alone,” Jieli says, waving her hands between them, even as she tries (and fails) to hide her own snickers. For some reason, she finds the whole situation, including him bringing up her past betrayal, rather funny. “Don’t turn my sitting room into a warzone. Really, jiejie, you’re acting as if you don’t bring up my betrayal whenever you want something from me. Anyway, we won’t hear the end of it from Xiao Lanhua for upsetting him when he goes home with a pout.”

Danyin relaxes, the tension leaving her shoulders as she sits back, nodding at Dongfang Qingcang good-naturedly to indicate that she does not hold his words against him. It is a bold move, considering he is the only one who should be offended. He was the one being threatened, after all.

“As if Shennü wouldn’t join in,” Danyin jokes.

No, she wouldn’t join in , Dongfang Qingcang thinks. But that is only because she does not know about his turmoil. If she knew, she would definitely tease him as well, but first, she would be so hurt that he didn’t like her pet hanging around. Little Daqiang made her so happy that he didn’t have the heart to tell her about his enmity with the ying zhao.

And it was a two-sided enmity. He was sure of it – the beast was out to sabotage him. Since Dongfang Qingcang return, he barely had a moment with his wife that wasn’t ruined by the beast. Whenever he tried to approach Xiao Lanhua, the ying zhao would scurry forward, grabbing her attention first. Whenever he was kissing her, Little Daqiang would appear, whining and pawing at her skirts until Xiao Lanhua would abandon him to cuddle it instead. Whenever they would go to bed together, the beast would shimmy between them, pushing Dongfang Qingcang over the edge. And every single time Xiao Lanhua’s affection was successfully stolen, Little Daqiang would look Dongfang Qingcang in the eye and make a pleased, rumbling, purring sound. I win , it mocked him. 

Dongfang Qingcang had explained all that to Jieli and Danyin, but they had simply laughed in his face. Danyin, to her credit, had tried to hide it, but the mirth in her eyes was impossible to ignore, especially as she and Jieli continued to exchange amused glances, indicating they would probably laugh at him even more at length once he was gone. 

Look at him. Yuezun of the legendary Yuezu, the only known master of liuli fire, savior of the universe – now reduced to a laughingstock by an infuriating little furball. 

When Dongfang Qingcang gets home to Simingdian that evening, all he wants to do is hold his wife. Sure, he spent most of his time away from her complaining about her choice of pet, but that is irrelevant now. He is here, and Xiao Lanhua is here, and that is all that matters.

He strides into their bedroom, looking around, but she is nowhere to be seen. With a huff of disappointment, he makes his way to the courtyard. But she is not there either. Luckily, he finds her in the third place he looks in – the greenhouse.

Xiao Lanhua is sitting on the bench, a faraway look in her eyes as she watches the setting sun. Little Daqiang has made himself comfortable on her lap, and idly, she strokes at the top of his head. Dongfang Qingcang feels a stab of envy. That should be his head on her lap being stroked.

“Xiao Huayao?” he calls. 

The effect on her is immediate, as she whips around, a bright grin overtaking her features as her hand falls to her side.

“Daqiang!” she calls and his heart swells. 

In that moment, all his worries dissipate. What does he have to be envious of? Xiao Lanhua is his, and he is hers. Jieli and Danyin were right, he was being silly (although he would never admit that to them).

He goes to Xiao Lanhua, arms outstretched, intent on embracing her. But when he is just a few steps away, a mewl erupts between them.

Little Daqiang is stretched up on its hind legs, paws batting at Xiao Lanhua’s shoulders as it gets in her face, laying a sloppy lick across her face. 

Dongfang Qingcang’s jaw drops in horror, and he is sure his eyes are lit up. Did the furball just claim his wife in front of him? Only he was allowed to lick Xiao Lanhua. 

“Oh!” she giggles, her attention thoroughly won as she wraps her arms around the ying zhao. “Little Daqiang, that tickles! Oh, did you think I was calling you when I said ‘Daqiang’ just now? That must be confusing. You’ll be the only Daqiang from now on when the three of us are together, alright? Does that work for you?”

The creature settles down at her proclamation, and the glint in Little Daqiang’s eye shows that it is very satisfied indeed. Dongfang Qingcang wonders whether the Silent Moon Palace needs any new fur rugs.

“Have you tried…talking to her?” 

Reasonable advice from a reasonable man, but unfortunately, Dongfang Qingcang is beyond reason.

“Have I tried talking to her?” he echoes, staring incredulously at Changheng. “The damn thing won’t let me anywhere near her without getting in the way and stealing her attention. How could I even begin to talk to her?”

Together, the two men weave through the bustling market of Lucheng. It is the first time Dongfang Qingcang has seen Changheng since his return, and somehow, it has become an hour of him venting about his wife and her wretched little pet. He has repeated much of the same points from his earlier meeting with Jieli and Danyin (and his subsequent meeting with Shangque… and the one after that with Xunfeng...), but in his opinion, it bears repeating. And besides, since he last talked about it, the list of crimes committed against him by Little Daqiang have grown.

Changheng, to his credit, had been taking it in stride, and thus far had proven himself to be an excellent listener. Apparently, Danyin had told him about the predicament, and Changheng had taken it upon himself to invite Dongfang Qingcang to an outing into the mortal realm so that the out-of-commission Yuezun could have some space from “the damned beast ruining my life,” as Dongfang Qingcang had so eloquently put it.

And Dongfang Qingcang is grateful, truly. But at the same time, he is certainly not appreciative of the way Changheng is currently raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips in judgment. It is obvious he wants to say something, but for whatever reason, he is holding back. 

“What is it?” Dongfang Qingcang snaps.

Changheng looks away, blinking fast. “Nothing. It’s just. That sure sounds familiar.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s quite a lot like how you behaved when I was trying to save Xiao Lanhua from you ,” Changheng says, although he seems to find it more humorous now than he did back then. “Don’t give me that look, we are long past it. But if you will recall, you made a show of claiming her in front of me as well. Perhaps the name she gave her ying zhao is fitting.”

Dongfang Qingcang glares at him. “I hope you know that in terms of my rivals and how much of a threat they posed to me, your predecessor comes first, and then this animal. You don’t even make the list.”

Changheng snorts, waving a hand in dismissal as he decidedly ignores Dongfang Qingcang’s declaration. “You’re not listening. I’m saying that the reason she loves her ying zhao so much, the reason she even got it in the first place, is because it reminded her of you when she missed you.”

For several long moments, Dongfang Qingcang doesn’t say anything. The two continue to walk in companionable silence through the streets of Lucheng City, and Dongfang Qingcang ponders Changheng’s theory. 

It is preposterous. 

Absolutely ridiculous. 

Asinine, really.

He shakes his head as he continues to sulk. Xiao Lanhua may be sentimental, but she isn’t that foolish. The ying zhao was hardly a major player in how they came together. He thinks back to the first time they came across it, in the forest during the immortal examination. It had been vicious then, but eventually revealed itself to be a wounded creature, and ultimately she had saved it. 

There is no reason the little creature would remind Xiao Lanhua of him. What would Changheng know anyway?

When he returns home that evening and finds Xiao Lanhua happily embroidering a coat for Little Daqiang, he decides that Changheng was most certainly wrong. Xiao Lanhua never embroidered a coat for him . (Besides, what does it even need a sweater for? It has FUR.)

No, the little creature must have enchanted her somehow. That was the only explanation.

Dongfang Qingcang watches the ying zhao even more closely after coming to his most recent conclusion. He follows it from room to room, narrowed eyes watching for any sign of hidden powers or spells wafting from the beast. He spends his nights awake, watching as the furball snores in its own peaceful sleep. He even goes as far as inspecting the animal’s excrement.

Even if Little Daqiang is not the source, someone else might be using the unassuming looking animal to get to Xiao Lanhua. Dongfang Qingcang will not allow anything to happen to her, and nothing is below him when it comes to ensuring her safety.

However, as the days go by, he finds nothing. At first, he chalks it up to the creature being especially sneaky in hiding his motives. But weeks pass without anything to show for it. Instead, to his growing horror, he is starting to find the damned thing cute .

Its little snuffles and whines, its shuffling gait, and even the way it eats its food is admittedly… adorable. The haughtiness that had irritated him so much before is now charming, making him chuckle when the ying zhao presumptuously walks around the greenhouse as if guarding it. And even its attempts to get between him and Xiao Lanhua in their bed can almost be forgiven because of how cuddly and soft it is, and how delighted Xiao Lanhua is by its presence.

Almost .

He is not won over yet. He will not forget that Little Daqiang is ultimately trying to steal his wife.

Xiao Lanhua is not coming home today. 

Dongfang Qingcang is utterly miserable. She left earlier that morning to help regrow parts of Dark Pine Forest in Cangyanhai following a forest fire. Apparently, the damage was far more extensive than she had initially realized, and so she had sent a missive along saying that she would be staying overnight. Luckily, Xunfeng and Danyin were with her, so she would not be all alone. 

Normally, he would go and meet her there and provide his assistance to her as well. But she insisted that he stay, because Little Daqiang would get restless if he were left to his own devices.

So now, here he is, reluctantly filling the ying zhao’s food bowl.

“There you are, you little beast,” he murmurs darkly. Somehow, even without Xiao Lanhua here, the ying zhao is keeping them apart.

At least Little Daqiang seems as miserable as he is without its mistress around. As it shuffles forward to the food bowl, there is a downcast look in its eyes.

“I understand,” Dongfang Qingcang mutters, squatting down and patting the top of Little Daqiang’s head to comfort it. He doesn’t even realize he has done it until he is standing back up, preparing to put the bag of the ying zhao’s feed away.

But his attention quickly shifts to the snuffling whines of Little Daqiang, who is forlornly staring at its already empty bowl.

“I gave you the same amount Xiao Lanhua gives you everyday,” Dongfang Qingcang says matter-of-factly.

But the whines continued, now combined with Little Daqiang turning its beseeching eyes up at him. 

Now that he thinks about it, the food really was not enough. He frowns. Xiao Lanhua really should be feeding Little Daqiang more.

He squats back down and refills the bowl. There , he thinks with a measure of pride as Little Daqiang digs in. No going hungry on my watch.

Later, as Dongfang Qingcang is cleaning up from eating his own dinner, he finds two flower cakes neatly placed on a plate on the kitchen counter. A small note is folded beside it.

In case I don’t make it home tonight , Xiao Lanhua’s familiar scrawl says, here are your favorite desserts.

He grins, his face heating up the slightest bit at the show of care from his wife, and he eagerly pops one in his mouth. Sweetness dances across his tongue as he bites into the pastry, and he lets out a content sigh.

He is about to bite down on the second one when he hears it. A low whimper.

He looks down. At his feet, Little Daqiang is innocently staring up at him. 

“You little glutton,” Dongfang Qingcang scolds. The ying zhao already had seconds of its dinner, and now it wants the flower cake made especially for Dongfang Qingcang? Absolutely not.

But Little Daqiang does not react to the reprimand. It has obviously been spoiled too much. Its eyes shine as they follow the flower cake in Dongfang Qingcang’s hand.

For several long moments, Dongfang Qingcang fantasizes about biting down on the flower cake in front of the ying zhao and really making a show of enjoying it. In fact, that is exactly what he plans to do. 

He raises the flower cake to his lips.

Another whimper echoes through the room.

He sighs and drops the flower cake at Little Daqiang’s feet.

He sits in the courtyard under the Destiny Tree, reading through a scroll. It’s one of many he has to read through to catch up on the affairs of the realm before he eventually resumes his position as Yuezun, but he is planning on taking quite a few more years off until then. Decades, even, if he can manage to get away with it. Because of that, he had been delaying his reading, but now, with Xiao Lanhua away for the night, he has nothing better to do.

It is dreadfully boring though. Although he doesn’t necessarily wish for war, being the Yuezun was certainly more exciting then. Nowadays, most of the work is taxes and settling petty disputes between local leaders. The most excitement Xunfeng has probably seen in office after the post-war negotiations concluded is the appointment of Danyin as the new God of War, and the current forest fire situation. So overall, he doesn’t feel too bad leaving the Yuezu in Xunfeng’s hands for a while longer yet. His younger brother has proven himself to be very capable after all.

He sighs for what must be the dozenth time in the past hour. He is pretty sure he has read over the same line repeatedly for a while now, and he is hardly making any progress. His vision blurs, and he wonders whether it is too early to retire to bed now.

Something nudges at his knee. 

Coolly, he looks to the side to meet Little Daqiang’s despondent gaze. Of course the menace is glum without Xiao Lanhua as well.

“Yes, yes,” Dongfang Qingcang says, lifting the ying zhao onto his lap. “I miss her, too.”

Little Daqiang seems happy with the comfort he offers instead though, quickly making himself comfortable on Dongfang Qingcang’s lap and nuzzling against his chest. Dongfang Qingcang strokes his back, and Little Daqiang snuggles even closer. For a few moments, they sit in comfortable silence together. 

“Alright,” Dongfang Qingcang says after a few moments, once he decides that he has shown enough affection to someone who is not Xiao Lanhua. “Off you go now. I’ve held you long enough, surely it makes up for missing your mistress.”

But the ying zhao refuses to move.

At this point, Dongfang Qingcang could simply lift the ying zhao off his lap, or better yet, suddenly stand up and force the creature to fall off. If he was feeling particularly cruel, he might light a spark of fire on the tip of his finger to scare Little Daqiang away.

But for some reason, he can not bring himself to do any of that. He simply leans back against the tree, warming up his body a few extra degrees, causing the ying zhao to emit a content purr, and he allows Little Daqiang to sit on his lap and use him as a personal furnace. 

Xiao Lanhua returns home in the early hours of the morning a full two days after she left. Exhaustion seeps into her bones, and she can barely keep her eyes open. She hardly got any rest over the past couple of days, using her powers non-stop to regrow the most damaged parts of the forest. And as soon as that was done, she had insisted on setting out immediately instead of waiting another day to go home.

She missed her husband.

She missed him for five hundred years, and she would be damned if she spent a moment away from him when she did not have to. She wanted to climb into their bed, settle into his arms, and let him kiss her to sleep. And when she was thoroughly well-rested, she wanted to show him just how much she had missed him properly.

So when she enters their bedroom, she can not help the dark cloud that falls over her at the realization that her husband has someone in his bed with him.

There lies Dongfang Qingcang on his side, eyes closed in sleep without a care in the world. And snuggled up against him is Little Daqiang, with Dongfang Qingcang’s arm wrapped around his furry body. Both of them are softly snoring.

The two of them paint such a peaceful picture, that she is loath to disturb them.

But she wants to be held by her husband, damn it.

“Dongfang Qingcang,” she hisses, shuffling to his side and poking at him. 

He wakes with a start, blearily turning over to look at her as he tries to blink the sleep out of his eyes. When he realizes who it is, though, he immediately grins.

It’s almost enough to soften her exasperation. 

Almost.

He still has his arm wrapped around Little Daqiang and not her, after all.

“You’re back,” he says, voice husky. “Come lie down.”

“I would,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “But someone seems to have taken my spot. I thought you were the one who said Little Daqiang wasn’t allowed on the bed?”

Dongfang Qingcang looks sheepish as he fully sits up. “Ah, I’m sorry,” he says, but he offers no other explanation. But when he looks up at her, searching her face, a slow smirk curls at the corner of his lips. “Are you… jealous?”

She purses her lips together. It would be very hypocritical if she were. Contrary to her husband’s belief, she has not been completely oblivious to his feud with her Little Daqiang. However, she simply decided to turn a blind eye to it, and hoped that they would work it out without her interference. She was sure that while she was gone these past few days, they would make some progress. She had even told a small lie to Dongfang Qingcang that Little Daqiang required someone at home with him, even though Little Daqiang could be quite self-sufficient and had stayed home alone for stretches of time before. At worst, Shangque would stop by to check on him. Really, she would have liked to have Dongfang Qingcang come with her, but she decided that she would rather the two of them bond so they could at least be on cordial terms.

With some amusement, she realizes that Dongfang Qingcang and Little Daqiang had definitely bonded, and far beyond her expectations, too. This was what she wanted all along. So even though she was a bit vexed right now, how could she be jealous?

Xiao Lanhua breathes out a laugh, shaking her head. “No, I’m not jealous,” she says. “I understand. I held him all the time whenever I missed you.”

Dongfang Qingcang’s smirk falls, and he leans forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head against her stomach. Still standing, she is unable to do more than wrap her arms around his shoulders and stroke his hair.

“I’m sorry I made you wait so long,” he says. “I’m glad that you had Little Daqiang to comfort you.”

“He did remind me of you,” Xiao Lanhua says, and he huffs against her in indignation, making her grin. “Anyway, you’re here now. I would have waited an eternity for you, but you’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

He pulls away from her, his eyes glittering pools of ink. “Wait right here.”

He hops out of bed, smoothly lifts up Little Daqiang under one arm, grabs a small pillow and a throw blanket with another,  and walks to the door, sliding it open with a quiet snick . Outside their room, he softly deposits Little Daqiang on the pile of cushions that Xiao Lanhua had made up for him when Dongfang Qingcang first asked for Little Daqiang to sleep outside so they could get privacy, and Xiao Lanhua watches her husband tuck him in.

Then, Dongfang Qingcang turns back around, making his way to her and practically tackling her to their bed.

Xiao Lanhua cackles, but Dongfang Qingcang quickly quiets her with a deep kiss.

“Shh,” he says when he pulls away. “You don’t want to wake up our Little Daqiang. I want to spend the next few hours with you and you alone.”

And Xiao Lanhua is certainly amenable to that. She settles into his embrace, glad to be home.