Chapter Text
Drowning was easily Xie Lian’s least favorite way to die. Especially when he was submerged so deep in the water that whenever he woke up and began desperately swimming towards the surface, he died again before he got there.
He had become pretty accustomed to pain during his banishments. But the burning of his throat while he swallowed water trying to breathe, the twitching and flailing of his limbs with no oxygen, the crushing pressure when he was too deep, were all very… unpleasant.
From what he could gather during his brief moments of lucidity and calculations of how long he usually stayed dead for, he had been in a never ending cycle of drowning and dying for at least a few weeks, maybe even months.
It started when he got kicked out of the city of Aanyang. He had set up camp in an abandoned shrine on the city’s outskirts, and was actually able to earn enough money busking to keep himself fed and relatively clean. It was the best luck he’d experienced in a long time. But of course, he couldn’t maintain that. And he knew something bad would happen eventually, he just didn’t know what.
So when he was walking back to the shrine one day, hands full of buns and fruit, excited to be able to eat and relax after a long day of performing on the streets, he wasn't too surprised when the Venerable of Empty Words showed up. He had just been wishing a good afternoon to some of the people he had met and befriended in the city when he felt its presence.
You will trip and drop all of your food into the horse manure in front of you. It whispered to him, and when its whispers came true and he was facedown in manure with his food ruined, all he could do was sigh. This wasn’t his first time dealing with a Venerable of Empty Words. He knew exactly what to expect, and did not allow its predictions to bother him. At first.
The predictions started pretty innocent, more or less just basic disruptions to his day. But he hadn’t accounted for how long he had been able to stay in the city, the friends and connections he had made with the city people. He was used to the predictions only having a negative impact on him given that the previous times with the Venerable, he was always alone.
So when he heard the whisper, you will accidentally set fire to the booths lining the street, he felt his body tense up. And when he did set fire to the booths, and many of his friends sustained burns from the incident, he was devastated. Feeling that devastation was the biggest mistake he could’ve made.
The Venerable grew more powerful and confident from his suffering. And after that event, it learned exactly how to extract the reaction it wanted from Xie Lian. He continuously hurt the city folks with the predictions whispered to him, and as much as he tried to tamper down his reactions, it was near impossible. He had forged real friendships with those around him, and seeing them hurt because of the entity attached to him broke his heart.
After one too many incidents, when he was already considering packing up and leaving, the people of the city revolted. They chased him to the river with weapons, and he let them. They called him a beacon of misfortune, and he agreed with them. They stabbed him with knives and swords, and he didn’t fight back. Once enough blood had left his body, he collapsed, and felt them throw his limp form into the river. Before the blood loss could kill him, he drowned. And drowned. And drowned, and drowned, and drowned.
You will drown, the Venerable whispered to him. And he agreed.
-
When he woke up once again from his never ending cycle of drowning, he was surprised when he was able to gulp in a full mouthful of air. It was so unusual and lovely to not instantly be choking on water that he could almost feel the oxygen spreading through his limbs and reawakening his muscles. He indulged in the sensation for a moment, before noticing another sensation. His stomach was swooping. As if he was falling.
Xie Lian opened his eyes and saw the ocean beneath him, the choppy water so dark it was almost pitch black. As he fell back towards it, bracing himself for the harsh landing that at this height would certainly break all of his bones, he saw a flash of white in his periphery. A moment after seeing it, he felt it collide with his side and send him shooting to the left. Pain blossomed where he was hit.
As he spun through the air, he narrowed his eyes to try and track the movement of whatever creature was flinging him around like a toy. He saw it approaching on his right this time, and reached out an arm to grab at it.
His fingers interlocked around what felt like bone, and he held on tightly as his body slammed into the creature's side. He felt his shoulder tug in its socket at the redirection, painfully close to dislocating. An angered screech filled the air when the creature could no longer see him. Xie Lian shook his head to try and clear it, and used his other hand to steady his body as he and the creature flew through the air. He was jerked to the side as it changed directions and dove head first back into the water. Xie Lian was able to gulp in a large breath before being submerged once more.
The creature moved fast, zigzagging through the water and causing the lower half of Xie Lian’s body to flop around. Although it was painful, Xie Lian kept his eyes open to try and navigate the creature’s movements through the murky water.
Right when Xie Lian felt his grip loosening at the lack of oxygen and speed at which they were traveling through the water, the creature shot back up to the surface and was finally still. Xie Lian silently gulped in lungfuls of air. He lodged his feet into the bones beneath him as if he was scaling a cliff, and leaned back to get a look at what he was facing.
It looked like a dragon, but just the skeleton of one. Its large skull whipped back and forth, still looking for its toy that was currently gripping onto its ribs. Truly, if it hadn’t been in the process of flinging him around like a doll, Xie Lian would marvel at such a thing. But alas, he needed to get out of this situation.
Taking in another deep breath, he began quickly scaling the bones until he was on the dragon’s back, then neck, then right at the base of its skull. Looking behind him, he was able to see the beginnings of a sandy shore. So, he took a risk, and jumped up to fully latch onto the back of its skull. Using his body weight and strength as a former martial God, he twisted its head so that the dragon was looking away from the shore.
As he suspected, this excited the creature. It began flinging its head back and forth to get him off, happy to have found its prey and wanting to play. Once the dragon’s movements got just a bit more intense, on the forward swing of its head Xie Lian jumped up and got his legs underneath him, and on the back swing, he pushed off as hard as he could.
The momentum of the creature's head combined with Xie Lian's own strength sent him flying through the air for quite a while, and during that time he oriented his body so he could see the approaching shore. Once he was sure he would end up on land and not in water, he curled around himself to at least try and cushion the fall. He would really appreciate not dying upon impact and getting dragged back out to sea to be played with some more.
He landed hard, and his entire body cried out in pain. He could feel a few bones in his arms and ribs crack, but after rolling a few times, he was on dry land and still alive, able to hear the dragon screeching in the distance.
He took a few shallow breaths, breathing through the pain in his ribs, before releasing his limbs and starfishing into the sand. The sand was cold and pebbled uncomfortably against his skin, but not being submerged in water anymore made the sensation feel as pleasant as ascending.
Once he had indulged in the feeling long enough, he used his unbroken arm to push himself upright and stood, assessing the damage to his body. Definitely broken bones in his right arm and ribs, and he could feel bruises forming all over, but he could still function with relative ease. Honestly, he had expected worse.
He jerked back towards the ocean when he heard the rushing water signaling the dragon’s approach once again. Glancing around, he picked up a sturdy branch laying in the sand with his left arm and held it in front of him, ready to end this.
The dragon, which was at least twenty meters long, extended its upper body over the shore line and brought its head down in a swipe at Xie Lian. Xie Lian countered with the branch, rerouting the direction of its head with a simple sword maneuver and sending it skidding to the right through the water. The impact of the misdirection had the dragon’s head slamming into the sand and sending a large cloud of dust into the air.
Once the dust dispersed and the dragon lifted its head once more, it turned towards Xie Lian and seemed to be analyzing him. Xie Lian maintained his stance, tilting his head in a mimicry of the dragon as a show of dominance. After a few moments, the dragon slowly moved its upper body back towards where Xie Lian stood on the shore. Its movements no longer held an obvious killing intention, so he remained still.
When its upper body was towering over Xie Lian once again, it lowered its head in a show of submission. Once the bony skull was in front of him, close enough to touch, Xie Lian relaxed his stance and dropped the branch. When the dragon still didn’t move, he reached out his unbroken arm and lightly petted its head like he would a dog.
He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him when he heard a splash of water and saw the tail end of the dragon wagging behind it. A low noise left the dragon's mouth, and it fully lowered its skull to the ground as if asking for more pets. Xie Lian indulged it by running his hand over the bony ridges and using his nails to scratch where he figured its ear would be if it had a body. This caused its tail to pick up speed, splashing water in large arcs along the surface.
“You’re acting very cute right now,” Xie Lian spoke to the dragon, voice raspy from disuse, “But you shouldn’t treat unlucky people who drifted into your waters as toys!”
Xie Lian had no idea if the dragon understood the admonishment, as it continued to wag its tail and snuggled deeper into Xie Lian’s touches. Xie Lian just laughed more, continuing his pampering.
Eventually, when Xie Lian pulled his hand away, the dragon stood back up, let out a low gurgle, and submerged itself back into the black water.
With a smile still pulling at his lips, Xie Lian sat down in the sand and began the process of trying to rip the skirts of his robes into strips to support his broken arm. Ruoye, without needing to be told, wrapped itself tightly around his broken ribs. Though it hurt at first, the pressure made it easier to breathe. “Thank you, Ruoye,” Xie Lian spoke, wrapping the ripped pieces of his robes around his right arm and knotting them tight. He figured that would be good enough for now.
Once he was done, he stood up and took a more detailed look around the island he had ended up on. It was dark at the moment, but the light from the moon was bright and showed him quite a decrepit place. There were large trees, bare of any leaves or buds, scattered around and partially hiding a looming mansion with nothing else as far as the eye could see. It painted an ominous picture.
The mansion itself was completely black, tall and skinny, with intricately designed columns supporting the outside balconies. Everything about it screamed for visitors to stay away, but Xie Lian wasn’t really seeing any other options at the moment.
When you enter the manor, you will meet a mythic demon capable of destroying you.
Xie Lian startled at the Venerable of Empty Word's sudden commentary, before letting loose a laugh. “I’ve missed you, where have you been?” He asked, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. A mythic demon, huh? Xie Lian thought that sounded more intriguing than anything. “Promise?” He joked to the Venerable, before walking towards the entrance of the manor.
When he got to the main door, he noticed they were already swung open. Trying to be polite, Xie Lian knocked on the open door and called out, “Hello? I washed up on the beach outside, and was just looking for directions.”
When nobody answered, he stepped into the manor. The entryway opened up into a large room, devoid of any furniture and only decorated with cobwebs and rodents skittering about. Xie Lian frowned, wondering if the Venerable had gone stupid while drowning alongside him all those weeks. It didn't look like anybody lived here at all, much less a mythic demon. He continued his perusal of the manor, opening door after door of nothing.
On the top floor of three, the staircase led up to an open space, almost like an attic, with a small desk and chair pushed up against the back wall. It was the only sign of life Xie Lian had seen thus far.
Xie Lian was analyzing it when he felt a wash of cold air hit the back of his neck. He moved quickly, too quickly to see, swiping out his leg and knocking the person who snuck up behind him off balance. Before the stranger could fall, Xie Lian pulled his knee up and into their chest and used his good arm for an open palm hit that sent the person spiraling into the wall. The person hit it with a dull thud, body falling to the ground afterwards. The hit sent dust flying out, and Xie Lian casually waved a hand around his face to dissipate it.
Once it had been quiet for a few moments, and the stranger still lay slumped on the ground, Xie Lian remembered his manners. “Oh, I’m sorry! This must be your manor. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard, you just snuck up on me is all.”
“Fuck.” The stranger, a man if Xie Lian had to guess from the timbre of his voice, wheezed, still not moving from his crouch on the floor. He had long, thin, pin straight black hair that at the moment was completely blocking his face from view. He was tall, Xie Lian could tell even from where he was folded on the ground, and stick thin. His poor appearance would have Xie Lian feeling even worse, if not for the ice cold killing intent rolling off of him in waves.
Not knowing what to say, Xie Lian spouted the first thing that came to mind. “Is that your bone dragon out there?” The man looked up at him with a sneer. When his hair parted Xie Lian could see his face was pale and gaunt, bags prominent under his dark eyes. He was handsome, in kind of a weird way, draped in black robes that seemed to be at the same time dripping wet and completely dry. “Well, it was very cute.”
The man’s sneer turned into angry confusion. “Cute? My bone dragon?”
Xie Lian cheered. “So it is yours! How nice. Yes, it was very cute. Though I must say, it was a bit rude at first, throwing me around like that.”
The man scoffed, standing up to his full height but not approaching Xie Lian. “That sounds more accurate.”
“Well-” Xie Lian was cut off by the Venerable whispering to him. The demon will kill you, and eat your bones.
The man’s eyes narrowed, before he walked towards Xie Lian quickly. Xie Lian didn’t sense any malicious intent, the killing aura having died down around him, so he held still and allowed him to approach. The man circled him a few times, before letting loose a callous laugh and stopping back in front of him.
“You’re being followed by the Venerable of Empty Words.” The man stated, looking Xie Lian up and down.
Xie Lian nodded. “It said you’re going to eat me.”
The man let out another laugh, this one a bit more genuine. “Seriously? You just knocked me on my ass. This Venerable must be new.”
Xie Lian shrugged, joining in on the man’s laughter. “It’s been with me for a while, but I think it might be a bit disoriented. I was stuck in the water for a while.”
“Hm.” The man hummed, bringing his hand to his chin in thought. “That makes sense; it looks a bit sickly.”
Xie Lian’s eyes widened at that. This man must be pretty powerful to be able to so accurately sense the Venerable's state of being. “It also told me you’re a mythic demon.” He left out the part where it said the mythic demon was capable of destroying him, not wanting to remind the man of his embarrassingly easy defeat.
“Ha!” The man exclaimed, backing up a few steps to lean against the wall he was just thrown into. “I guess that is accurate. When did it tell you this?”
“Before I entered the manor.”
“Ha!” Another exclamation. “And you still entered?”
“I haven’t had any problems so far.”
The man smirked, clearly not offended at having been taken down so easily. “I am widely known as Black Water Sinking Ships.”
The way he said it sounded like it should mean something to Xie Lian, and he wracked his brain as to where he may have heard it before, but came up empty. “Is that how I should refer to you?”
At Xie Lian’s blank face and obvious unfamiliarity, the man gave him a confused look. “Black Water Sinking Ships? One of the four calamities?”
Xie Lian’s expression didn’t change. The man continued, looking more annoyed. “A Ghost King? Fought through Mount Tonglu? Feared by the heavens?”
“Good for you?” Xie Lian tried, still not recognizing the man.
The man’s expression morphed into one a morbid amusement. “You can just call me He Xuan.”
That, Xie Lian could work with. “Nice to meet you, He Xuan. Sorry about entering your manor without your permission. I didn’t really have anywhere else to go.” He hesitated for a moment, before deciding to use an alias. The way He Xuan was describing himself made it seem like he wouldn’t take kindly to knowing Xie Lian's affiliation with heaven and his status as a fallen God. Though it was likely he wouldn’t be recognized either way, he didn’t want to risk incurring even more wrath than he was already dealing with. “My name is Hua Xie.”
He Xuan scowled. “You have a terrible surname.”
Xie Lian had no idea why it was so terrible, but he apologized anyway.
He Xuan wandered over to the chair tucked into the desk and pulled it out, taking a seat. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. “So you’re being followed by the Venerable of Empty Words. How did that happen?”
Xie Lian scratched his chin, embarrassed. “Well, I have pretty bad luck no matter what, and was going through a really lucky streak, so I guess it was bound to happen. It isn’t the first time it’s attached itself to me, though. No matter, bad things happen to me so much, it is just a matter of time before the Venerable dies or gives up on me. I’m not too worried.”
He Xuan gave him a calculated look, tilting his head to the side and humming. “You’ve been followed by a Venerable of Empty Words more than once?”
“Yes. It usually leaves shortly after attaching itself to me, but this time was an odd situation since I had come into a bit of luck before it started following me. But now that I’m here, it should go away soon.”
“Thanks.” He Xuan said dryly, and Xie Lian cringed at his own straightforward assessment. He Xuan shrugged it off. “I can get rid of it for you.”
Xie Lian’s eyebrows raised, surprised at the offer. As far as he could tell about He Xuan, given his empty manor and guardian bone dragon, it didn’t seem too common for him to offer help to another person. “I appreciate the offer, but it is unnecessary. It’ll go away soon.”
Your affiliation with He Xuan will get him killed.
Xie Lian frowned at the whispered prophecy the Venerable gave him. “What is it?” He Xuan sounded bored, but his eyes were trained sharply on Xie Lian.
“It said my affiliation with you will get you killed.”
He Xuan burst out laughing, bending over and clutching his stomach. “It’ll get me killed? What, again?”
Xie Lian smiled at He Xuan’s amusement, now realizing his worry at hearing the Venerable say that was unfounded. Of course it was. He Xuan was already dead. And if he was powerful enough to be a Ghost King, he must’ve been dead for a long while now.
“I’ve dealt with the Venerable of Empty Words before. The one I dealt with was much stronger than whatever sickly thing has attached itself to you.” After a moment, He Xuan’s laughter tapered off, and he sat back up straight.
“Really? When you were alive?” Xie Lian asked, before realizing how rude the question might have been. He went to backtrack, but He Xuan answered before he could.
“Yes. No more questions about me.”
“Sorry if I overstepped.”
He Xuan’s eyebrows raised. “You infiltrated my territory, entered my manor without my permission, knocked me on my ass, and NOW you think you’ve overstepped?”
Xie Lian adjusted his statement. “Sorry for consistently overstepping.”
He Xuan just laughed again. After a moment of silence, where Xie Lian didn’t know what to say, He Xuan stood up and began descending the steps to the lower floors of the manor. Xie Lian stood still and watched him walk away until he heard He Xuan yell, “Follow me, Hua Xie.”
Xie Lian did so, quickening his steps until he was only a few behind He Xuan. “Where are we going?”
He Xuan scoffed; at what, Xie Lian didn’t know, and continued down the steps until they got to the first floor. They left the manor and headed down the beach, the silence hanging around them only broken by their soft footsteps in the sand and the gentle sound of the waves lapping at the shore. With a wave of his hand, He Xuan summoned the bone dragon Xie Lian had befriended earlier. It rose above the surface of the dark water slowly, menacingly, black beads of water dripping from its bones and onto the sand where it hung its head above them.
When it saw Xie Lian, its tail started up again, wagging with fervor across the top of the water. It tilted its head down for more scratches, and Xie Lian obliged. When he looked over at He Xuan after giving it some pets, He Xuan was wearing a baffled look on his face.
“You actually befriended my bone dragon.” He said flatly. Xie Lian just smiled at him and continued scratching the dragon. “You might be the weirdest person I’ve ever met.”
“Yeah.” Xie Lian answered simply, having heard that plenty of times before.
He Xuan just shook his head and placed a hand on the bone dragon’s skull for a moment. When he pulled away, he nodded at Xie Lian.
“The bone dragon will take you out of my territory, and the rest is up to you.”
Xie Lian’s smile grew. “Thank you so much He Xuan! I really appreciate that. I was wondering how I would get out of here!”
The bone dragon will drop you in the ocean and let you drown in the dark waters.
“And get rid of that damned vermin. Its presence is annoying.” He Xuan commented, obviously sensing the Venerable whispering to Xie Lian.
“Will do! How can I repay you?” Xie Lian ignored the Venerable and focused on He Xuan.
He Xuan gave him a cursory look up and down before scoffing once more. “The only thing it looks like you have to offer are the clothes off your back, and no offense, but no thank you.”
Xie Lian had a suspicion that He Xuan didn’t care much if he took offense or not, but had to agree with his analysis. He didn’t have anything to offer, having lost all of his belongings during his multiple drownings. His robes weren’t faring well either. The white was stained brown in various places where he was sure he scraped against the bottom of whatever body of water he was in, as well as ripped at his feet where he took pieces from it to wrap his arm.
“Well, thank you for your hospitality. If you ever do need something, I’d be happy to help.”
He Xuan looked bewildered, before shrugging and turning to walk back towards the manor, not offering a goodbye. Xie Lian didn’t mind.
He gave the dragon one more scratch before using the bones of its throat to climb onto its back. Whatever He Xuan had done or silently commanded with the dragon, it seemed to know what it was doing, and they set off.
-
Your house will collapse.
“No kidding!” Xie Lian unnecessarily replied to the Venerable, narrowing his eyes at the shaky building in front of him with a grin. He had found a small patch of open space a good distance away from the town he wrecked on his way through, and had wanted to try to build himself a small house to protect him from the elements.
Using a tree that had fallen some time ago, he fixed the trunk into wooden planks and started setting it up. But as he did so, he realized the wood was mostly rotted through and soggy, resulting in the hazardous building in front of him.
The house lasted him a few days, and he was shocked that it made it that long. Truly, it was just a matter of time.
A loud creak echoed in the quiet space around him, before the house collapsed in on itself, spewing dust into the air and causing Xie Lian to cough and wave a hand in front of his face to disperse the particles.
“What good luck!” Xie Lian exclaimed to nobody. “I wasn’t even in it when it collapsed!”
Laughter from behind him caught his attention, and he whipped around to see who had snuck up on him while he was distracted. But he relaxed when he saw it was just He Xuan.
It had been a few weeks since he had seen his strange ghost friend. Once the bone dragon dropped him in much clearer water, far from He Xuan’s manor, a fishing boat had picked him up and taken him to shore. Afterwards, he did lots of wandering and continued to severely starve the Venerable at every turn.
He was happy to see He Xuan. He had wondered if they would meet again.
“Good god, Hua Xie, you need to let that poor Venerable go. I almost feel bad for the cretin.”
Xie Lian shrugged his shoulders, smiling at He Xuan’s clear amusement. “If it is following me, that means it isn’t bothering anyone else. And bad luck will follow me no matter what, so it isn’t an issue.”
At Xie Lian's statement, He Xuan got a weird glint in his eyes. But he just shook his head at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why are you so unlucky?”
“No particular reason. I just am.” Xie Lian lied, before changing the subject. “What are you doing here?”
“I was curious how the Venerable was doing. It seemed to be in a pretty bad state last time I sensed it.”
“Yes, it is doing much worse now.”
He Xuan laughed again. Xie Lian watched him curiously. For a guy who claimed to be a powerful Ghost King, whose manor was empty and devoid of life, whose demeanor was closed off, he seemed to be easy to make laugh. Xie Lian wondered what his backstory really was with the Venerable of Empty Words, and if that was why he found such amusement in its predicament.
“You’re too skinny. Come eat.” He Xuan abruptly changed the topic, and gestured towards the distance shortening array he had drawn on a nearby tree.
Not having anywhere else to go, and with his home currently in pieces on the ground, Xie Lian accepted and followed He Xuan through the array. Something about He Xuan struck a chord with Xie Lian, almost as if the ghost was lonely. His empty manor certainly didn't indicate much company. Xie Lian could relate to the feeling, and felt a sort of kinship with He Xuan.
They exited the array into He Xuan’s manor. They were in the entranceway near the main door, and a table had been set up with a few dusty chairs lining it. The table was packed with food; almost to the point where you couldn’t see the wood top with how many dishes were piled on it.
“Are you hosting a gathering?” Xie Lian asked, wandering towards the table and allowing the aroma of cooked meat and steaming tea to fill his nostrils.
He Xuan scoffed. “No. Sit. You get one dish, don’t be greedy.”
Xie Lian raised his eyebrows, not needing more than one dish but wondering what He Xuan would do with the rest. He had starved too many times to not be conscious of food waste. But he was a guest in He Xuan’s manor, and had been extremely rude last time he was here, so he sat without complaint and waited for He Xuan to join him.
He Xuan sat opposite Xie Lian a few chairs down. He gestured for Xie Lian to start eating, and began himself.
Xie Lian’s stomach growled, and he was about to bring a spoon of soup to his mouth, when he looked back to He Xuan and felt his jaw drop. It had been only a handful of seconds, but He Xuan had already devoured a full plate of food and started on the next one. Xie Lian gave a silent chuckle, understanding that there most likely wouldn't be any food waste happening today.
Once He Xuan had finished everything on the table, and Xie Lian had finished his single dish of roasted boar and chicken broth, they both sat back and relaxed in their chairs. It was the most wonderful meal he had had in a long time, and he expressed this to He Xuan.
“Whatever.” He Xuan said dismissively.
“Can I ask you a question?” Xie Lian ventured. When He Xuan just gave him a blank look, he continued. “Why don’t you reside in Ghost City?”
“I see you’ve done some research since we last met.”
He had. After meeting He Xuan, he was curious about what it really entailed to be a Ghost King. He had learned that the White Clothed Calamity, who thankfully had been defeated by Jun Wu, was considered one of the four calamities known and feared by the heavens. Other than them, there was Night-Touring Green Lantern and Crimson Rain Sought Flower. Crimson Rain Sought Flower was the most interesting to him.
He had discovered that Crimson Rain Sought Flower, often referred to as Crimson Rain or Hua Cheng, was by far the most feared of all four calamities. At one point, for no apparent reason, he had challenged 33 Gods to battle with the offering of his ashes if he lost. In return, if he won, the Gods would relinquish their position. When he won every battle and the Gods cowered from the agreement, he had wiped them all out seemingly overnight.
When Xie Lian heard about that from a young traveler in a town, he didn't understand what would compel someone to do such a thing. The traveler had suggested that the heavens had wronged Hua Cheng in the past and he was taking revenge. A shopkeeper he asked about it thought that it was just a brainless show of power in order to have heaven fearing him and allowing him to do whatever he wanted. Which, realistically, made the most sense. It was genuinely impressive that he was able to defeat so many Gods not just in marital arts but in debate, in artistic expression, and many others. A young mother who overheard their conversation interjected that she thought it had something to do with the fact that the Gods sometimes don disguises and gamble in Ghost City.
That took Xie Lian down another rabbit hole of information. What he had heard of Ghost City and its apparent ruler, Hua Cheng, had intrigued him even more. The stories were conflicting when it came to how Hua Cheng ruled over Ghost City. Some proclaimed him to be benevolent and that he led with a steady hand. Some cowered at even the mention of his name, calling him evil and cruel.
“I don’t live there because it's that fuckers territory. I won’t live under his oppressive thumb.”
“Hua Cheng is an oppressive ruler?” Xie Lian questioned, wanting to figure out the truth behind Hua Cheng's rule.
“You really did do your research, huh? And don’t say that damn name in this manor.” He Xuan threw his head back with a scowl on his face.
“Is that why you didn’t like my surname? Because you don’t like Hua Che- that guy?”
He Xuan cut him a glare, but sighed and answered. “Yes. And he isn’t necessarily oppressive. But I owe him money and the fucker will never EVER allow me to forget it. That asshole lords it over my head and uses it as an excuse to do whatever he wants.”
“Then pay him back?” Xie Lian said, but it sounded more like a question. He Xuan resided on an island, had a bone dragon at his beck and call, and could afford a feast worthy amount of food. He obviously had status and at least some money.
“You are naive. I don’t owe him a few coin, Hua Xie. I owe him billions. That bastard sacked a debt on me that is impossible to pay back.”
Xie Lian frowned at that. He didn’t owe anyone money, but he certainly knew what it was like to be poor. And either way, it seemed unnecessarily cruel to push a debt on someone who you knew couldn't pay it back. He reached into his sleeve and grabbed the few coin he had gathered busking before the town he was in ran him out at knife point. He leaned forward and placed it before He Xuan, who looked at him with a bewildered expression.
“It isn’t much, and definitely not billions. But it’s a start.” Xie Lian snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. “Or, you could tuck it away and buy yourself a nice meal and save the rest of your money for your debt!”
He Xuan didn’t touch the coins other than to slide them back over to Xie Lian through the dishes piled on the table. He shook his head but Xie Lian could see a smile tugging on his lips. “Keep it, Hua Xie. I’ll figure it out.”
Xie Lian shrugged and tucked it back into his sleeve. “Sorry I can’t help more. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. I still owe you from your help the day I got stranded here.”
He Xuan looked about to say something, until his body stiffened and he brought his fingers to his temple. Xie Lian figured he was speaking in the communication array, and remained silent.
After a few moments, He Xuan stood up and quickly drew a distance shortening array on the wall next to the table. “You need to leave. Now.”
“Oh. Is everything alright?” Xie Lian asked, standing and walking towards He Xuan.
He Xuan finished the array and gestured Xie Lian through. “That bastard is coming here soon, and I don’t need him on my ass about slacking off instead of working.”
“That bastard? Are you talking about Hua Che-” Once again, Hua Cheng's full name was cut off before it left Xie Lian's mouth. Though this time it wasn’t because he caught himself, but because He Xuan gave him a firm push and he stumbled forward through the array and back into the clearing they had left earlier.
-
“Those FUCKERS!” Hua Cheng slammed his fist into the table, causing it to splinter and crack, the empty dishes scattering haphazardly around the room.
He Xuan seethed, standing away from the chaos in the corner. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry they’re shit talking your precious God, but can you stop fucking up my stuff?”
“FUCK you! Why aren’t you in heaven right now? When is the last time you checked on the imprisoned Earth Master?” Hua Cheng changed topics and directed his anger to He Xuan, who regretted saying anything.
“Crimson Rain, relax. I spoke with him just last week. And I’m not in heaven right now cause I’m supposed to be on some dumbass mission. I’ll go back up in a few days.”
Hua Cheng scowled at him, before turning and pacing around the room, kicking broken dishes as he walked. “Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and go back. I don’t want to miss him if he ascends again.” He Xuan rolled his eyes at that, and luckily Hua Cheng didn’t see him. He had never understood Hua Cheng’s weird obsession with his banished God. A man was nice to you a few times, and that led to being devoted to him for centuries? If He Xuan didn’t want his debt to double he would say something. But that hadn’t gone over well the first time and he learned his lesson, so he just listened to Hua Cheng vent.
“These old fucking ugly ghosts dare to walk into my establishment and talk poorly about His Highness? They called him a trash God. They called him the God of Misfortune. They said no matter where he goes, misfortune will follow him everywhere. How DARE THEY?” Another kick to a shattered dish. It hit the wall and crumbled into even more pieces.
It almost made He Xuan laugh. He didn’t believe any of those dumb old stories about ‘Gods of Misfortune’. They were ridiculous and just that, stories. If anything, that strange mortal he just shared a meal with had more misfortune following him than anyone he had ever met. Maybe even more misfortune than what followed him when he was alive and being tormented by the Venerable of Empty Words himself.
Hua Cheng continued. “His Highness did his best to save his people. He always had their best interests at heart. I mean, fuck, he was even kind to a dirty child like me. Xie Lian cared for his people at his own detriment. FUCK THEM.”
He Xuan had stopped listening towards the end of Hua Cheng’s rant. It felt like ice was flowing through his veins, and if his heart could stop in fear, it would have. “Wait, what is your God’s name?”
Hua Cheng whipped his head towards him. “What?”
“What is your God’s name?” He Xuan repeated, body frozen in place.
“His Highness Xie Lian. Why are you asking?”
He Xuan’s tongue felt too thick in his mouth to speak. Misfortune? Xie Lian? A man who was impossibly kind even when he didn't have to be? It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible, was it?
Once He Xuan was able to unstick his tongue, he answered, “I just want to be able to keep an eye out for his name. You know, since you’ll lower my debt if I help you find him.”
“Good.” Hua Cheng sneered. “I’m increasing your debt.”
“WHAT? Why?”
“Because you should know his name already. I’m leaving.” Hua Cheng tossed his dice and stepped through the teleportation array, disappearing.
He Xuan gaped at the empty space where Hua Cheng had just been ranting. Had he really only come to vent and destroy his stuff? Fuck, this was why he didn’t decorate his damn manor.
-
Xie Lian sensed He Xuan behind him this time, and turned around with a smile. “How did your meeting go- What’s wrong?”
He Xuan’s already gaunt face looked somehow thinner, eye bags darker. His lips were downturned in worry. “What is your name?” He asked.
Xie Lian startled. “I already told you, it’s Hua Xie.”
He Xuan shook his head. “I don’t want an alias. I want your real name.”
Now Xie Lian was frowning, worry curling in his stomach and souring the meal he had just shared with He Xuan. What had happened during his meeting with Hua Cheng? It hadn’t even been that long since He Xuan pushed him through the array, maybe an hour at most.
But at this point, he felt he was familiar enough with He Xuan to tell him. And if He Xuan wanted to hurt him after hearing his identity, if he even recognized him, then he would deal with it. He always did.
“My name is Xie Lian.”
He Xuan’s eyes widened so far they looked like they would pop out of their sockets. Though his expression quickly changed, growing darker and morphing into a look of pure terror.
He Xuan whispered, “Fuck…”