It had happened. The worst had come to pass. Heaven had failed to prevent the birth of a new Calamity, and soon, a new Ghost King would be born.
The last time this had happened, Hua Cheng had felled 33 gods in a single night, made a mockery of the Heavens, terrorised them ever since. A repeat of such an event, possibly even an alliance between the two could be devastating. Who knew what further terrors could be wrought? Blind fear struck the veins of all who heard the news, windows and doors were barred, lights snuffed out in hopes they'd think nobody home.
It was all moot of course. It was now too late to put a stop to. This new horror would find them eventually, just like before. All they could do was hide up in the clouds and wait.
And wait.
...And wait…?
…This was probably too much waiting.
After a few days of secluding themselves and no news of anything out of the ordinary from scouts, Heavenly Officials tentatively began to emerge from their hiding. Perhaps the new Calamity was waiting for them to become complacent, so that they could strike when least expected? It was best to remain cautious.
More time passed.
An attack would surely be coming any day now. They were just trying to lull the Heavens into a false sense of security. It would be soon enough!
Even more time passed. Still nothing.
Maybe they were dragging this out for an oddly long time, but life goes on right? They still had jobs to do, prayers to answer, paperwork to file and whatnot. Hua Cheng hadn't particularly eased up his meddling either, so better deal with the Calamity that was causing trouble rather than dwell on the one that was apparently shy. They could deal with it once it got over it's stage fright.
Eventually so much time had passed that people forgot about it entirely. Long enough that gods who weren't even there for the incident had time to ascend and fall without ever seeing hide nor hair of the mysterious ghost. Though remaining in people's consciousness as an interesting anecdote to speculate on, it was never more than an idle talking point, and eventually only even a rumour.
It seemed it wouldn't be that important after all. The Heavens would remain peaceful for the foreseeable future.
--
The foreseeable future ended with earthquakes, collapsing palaces, and a bell ringing so vigorously it was wrenched from its hinges and towards a passerby below. No one was quite sure how the Scrap God had invoked such a catastrophic reaction to his re-ascension, but no one particularly cared for the "why". The "what" was generally more important when your home was rubble, quickly followed up by the "How are you going to fix this?"
Xie Lian had been hearing that a lot lately.
"The Heavens themselves shuddered that it would have to take him in again." He overheard as he passed by an Official he didn't recognise. He had been hearing that a lot lately too.
Maybe not that particular wording, but certainly the sentiment. He was used to not being particularly wanted around places, but this wasn't the sort of place you could just fake your own death and run away from with a quick name change, as he was used to.
No running from this social death until the next time he gets kicked out, he supposed.
Whether he actually wanted to be kicked out again Xie Lian wasn't particularly sure. Firstly because it hadn't particularly gone too well in the past, and even though he had worked tirelessly to earn godhood back he didn't feel quite as if his past sins had been paid back yet.
Secondly because he was no longer anonymous, and said sins were on full display. After so long just being able to make up his identity on the fly, it was odd to suddenly be known. Even the name "Xie Lian" had to be dusted off to be put to use now. He couldn't remember the last time he hadn't used an alias.
The third reason wasn't wholly good or bad. It was just that Heavenly Politics had changed so much and he wasn't quite sure what was going on anymore. Who was that stately looking Official he had just offended after accidentally stepping on his robe? Not sure. Going by the large tear it now sported, that was probably a good thing. He didn't know many of the top gods at all, and that meant he could feel a little less guilty for such incidents.
On the other hand, because he wasn't particularly in the loop, it made catching up a lot more interesting.
For how long had his main learning experiences been, "This soap for this stain", or "Don't use as much salt in this loaf as last time", or "Wow, so that's how much the human body can endure without breaking"? It was nice to learn about something a little higher brow, and if much of what he heard happened to appeal to his martial god side then that was simply a bonus.
Perhaps that was why the tales of the Four Calamities intrigued him so much? Or rather, the existence of Devastations. Carefully ignoring… that one … the concept of a will burning so unwaveringly strong that it tethered oneself to existence, fighting relentlessly to become the best of the best to execute that will, made his warriors blood burn with the romantic ideals of old.
It was enthralling! An exclusive club of exceedingly powerful ghosts, unrivaled by their peers, able to contest Gods! How could any who's blood boiled for the thrill of battle not find it exciting? After having the tales regaled to him in the communication array he found that no one wanted to talk about it past that however. Of course it could just be that they didn't want to talk to him specifically, but he wanted to know more!
Perhaps not being kicked out was best after all. It certainly gave him a lot to do and think about.
--
Befriending Hua Cheng was probably one of the best things that had happened to him in his entire life. He was smart, funny, kind, (very nice to look at) , and shared in his passion for a healthy bout of combat. It had been so long since he'd met anyone who was familiar enough with swordsmanship to hold a full conversation with, even longer since he had met someone willing to actually listen to his ramblings. And now he had someone who seemed to know everything and more, was patient enough to listen to him for hours with rapt attention, could even hold his own when sparring!
How long had it been since he had let loose like this? Since he had smiled like this? Since such a genuine and joyous laugh had escaped his lips before he could stop it?
Even more surprisingly, he didn't have just one friend but multiple to share his cheer with. Albeit Ming Yi was more Shi Qingxuan's friend who seemed semi-unwillingly dragged along for the ride, the four of them were still able to have a grander time together than Xie Lian had experienced in years.
The night was cheerful as the four of them sat round the crowded table of Puqi shrine, laughter teased out easily by good company and good wine as the pleasant buzz of light intoxication drowned out the insect cries outside. Though Xie Lian would usually refuse the offer of alcohol, in this instance he had caved to Shi Qingxuan's badgering in an odd mix of whimsical impulsiveness, and sentimentality.
It just felt nice actually having someone care enough to seek his company so enthusiastically! How could he refuse?
So of course in such grand spirits and loosened up by the booze, he opened up like he hadn't done in years, decorum out the window. That was the only excuse he could tell himself for how he leaned back into Hua Cheng's sturdy chest as they laughed at another gossip story Shi Qingxuan had been telling with animated gestures.
When his mind had caught up with what he was doing he had no time to feel shame, as it was the same moment in which he was pleasantly surprised to realise that Hua Cheng hadn't moved away. Or made any indication that he was uncomfortable with their position at all in fact. It really was quite a comfortable position, and for some reason it made him feel safe and warm. He hadn't realised how much he had been missing those two things, and so he sank down further, soaking it all in like a cat in a warm patch of sun.
Above him Hua Cheng chuckled in that refreshingly deep tone of his, a satisfying rumble that Xie Lian could feel through his back.
"Is Gege comfortable down there? If he's getting tired we can call it a night here." He asked, and when Xie Lian turned his head up to meet his eyes they were impossibly fond.
"I say, you can't be tired already, you've barely even gone through half a jug you lightweight!" Shi Qingxuan admonished, gesturing with a cup of wine that sloshed in Ming Yi's direction causing him to recoil with a grimace.
"I'm not tired." Xie Lian grumbled tiredly. Pausing now meant giving up the night and the comfy seat, and that was out of the question. Grasping blindly around for an excuse, his tipsy brain supplied: "I just wanted to feel San Lang's muscles. They're very strong."
Which was definitely not untrue, he was becoming increasingly aware of just how shapely the figure behind him was, but that did not at all come out the way that he wanted. He knew he had misspoken as soon as he heard Shi Qingxuan's guffaw, saw Ming Yi's disgusted face, and felt Hua Cheng tense up like he was about to burst.
"No, no not like that!" He scrambled to backtrack, shocked back to a more wakeful state by the quickening red colour painting his face. "I meant I admire his strength. This is just a martial god thing. Maybe I just wanted to trade battle stories. Weren't we telling stories before?"
Also not a total lie, though absolutely did not sound convincing even to himself, evident by Shi Qingxuan's continuing snicker.
"What stories did Gege want to hear?" Though Xie Lian was now refusing to look at his face, he could hear the strained smile in his voice. "I have many and most are already widely known. Was there something in particular you wanted to know more about?"
"Tsch, yeah Your Highness, what 'stories' do you wanna hear? Past 'conquests' perhaps?" He might have retorted some more against that, but Ming Yi was also apparently desperate for the topic change and swatted them over the head, putting an end to the teasing.
"Hmm… Say, what was your time at Mt. Tonglu like?" He threw out.
He had been genuinely curious for a while, but hadn't thought it proper to ask in a sober state. It was fine while they were all loosened up a little though right? Perhaps not, as he felt Hua Cheng's false breathing behind him pause momentarily.
"Ah, you don't have to say if you don't want to, it was just a curiosity!" He reassured, slightly panicked to be causing discomfort rather than eliciting tales of daring as he had hoped. "It's just that the entire concept sounds interesting but nobody ever wanted to talk about it with me upstairs. But San Lang would know best anyway right? What's Mt. Tonglu like in general?"
He leaned back into the chest behind him again, neck bending up awkwardly to meet Hua Cheng's eyes but pleased to see that he had eased up again, apparently grateful to not be talking about himself specifically.
"If that's all Gege wanted to hear, then of course this one is happy to explain. Where would he like me to start?"
"From the beginning?" He suggested. "All I really know is that ghosts go there to fight and the winner becomes a Ghost King."
"What more is there?" Shi Qingxuan piped up, confused. "It seems pretty straightforward to me."
"But there's got to be more to it, otherwise it wouldn't be so difficult! And what about all the little details? Why do all ghosts know to go there? Why do they all know what to do? What does it take to win? What happens when you do? There's loads of stuff they don't talk about up there."
He huffed, arms crossed as if indignated that nobody understood his fascination. He could always rely on his San Lang though, and leaned back into him as if to double down. The strong figure behind him felt like he was being backed up by a fortress, and he felt even more confident in his intrigue.
"Gege asks good questions. Curiosity is a virtue to be commended." Came the reply, accepting the affection more easily this time. "Though the answers are still rather straightforward."
"What? Why?" He whined, ignoring Shi Qingxuan's triumphant 'hah!' from across the table.
"Violence and aggression." He stated simply. "They know to go there because they are drawn to the violence. They know what to do because what a ghost knows best is aggression. And as for what happens after, I think you've heard enough tales to answer yourself. They are not too far from the truth."
Xie Lian's face scrunched up, unsatisfied with such an answer.
"That can't be right. What about Black Water Sinking Ships? They say he minds his own business, so surely it's not that simple." This however only elicited a snort from Hua Cheng.
"'Minds his own business'? If only. That guy has his nose in everything, it's annoying. He's just as driven by madness as the rest of us, even if he tries to act better."
Xie Lian wondered idly what kind of relationship the two ghost kings must have. Abruptly, he was jolted out of his thoughts by a light thump under the table, jostling the contents above and accompanied by the feeling of Hua Cheng jerking as if he'd been hit. Despite this he was smirking like he was suppressing amusement. Shi Qingxuan had rushed to steady the table, scolding Ming Yi for not helping, while Ming Yi pointedly looked away with a scowl, probably pretending not to hear.
"I'm sure it's still not that simple…" Xie Lian mumbled. "Isn't ghosthood about wanting to fulfill a wish? Not all wishes can be solved by violence."
"Of course not, but having that power can unlock many doors. Even if one's wish isn't violent itself, it's natural to desire the freedom and control power can give you, no?"
"I suppose but… that still doesn't explain why ghosts just know that Mt. Tonglu can grant them that." He pondered.
"That part would be due to a mix of instinct and word of mouth. Some scrawny ghoul may hear tale of a boon to be won and seek it out, but they may also just be nearby when it opens and feel the pull. It varies I suppose."
At that Xie Lian chuckled, feeling somewhat tickled at the image his mind supplied to that.
"Can you imagine just ending up in a large-scale death match completely by accident with no clue what's going on? What happens then? Do they just go along with it for no reason other than 'it feels right'?"
"Violence does just feel right to a lot of people, I'm sure Gege knows well." He agreed, chuckling along. "For some sad types it's all they know so of course they're drawn to it."
"Ah, don't say that, Gege isn't above enjoying a good bout of bloodsport every now and again either you know." He said, waving his hand dismissively. "I've even participated in a deathmatch with ghosts myself once! And won!" He added, proudly beating his chest a little.
"Is there anything you came upon in the mortal realm that you didn't needlessly get involved in I wonder?" Shi Qingxuan commented, fanning theirself with their free hand.
"Can't I just have fun once in a while?" He pouted. "So much of mortal life is just trying to survive. Why not make survival itself a game? Much more entertaining."
"Are you sure you don't want to come dress up with me and Ming-Xiong sometime? Please consider picking up some less horrifying hobbies. We'd love to have you along."
Their face was the kind that people often wore when he had said something uncomfortable and weren't sure how to deal with it, but he wasn't particularly sure what the big deal was this time. He was a martial god! It's his thing, and it's not like he was in any real danger of dying. He felt oddly defensive over his right to participate in such events.
Unfortunately, Hua Cheng seemed to share their concern.
"If Gege wants to engage in such sports then I won't stop him, but please don't just wander into strange ghosts battle domains. If you get hurt you'll be all alone."
Ah, that frown he wore chipped into Xie Lian's defenses more than it should. Perhaps he did feel a little guilty.
"Alright, I'm not a kid who needs to be told not to wander off." He sighed, turning away but still with an undeniable pout, as if he hadn't quite given up.
He hadn't really, but he could concede that he didn't need to take such foolish risks just to pass the slow crawl towards eternity anymore.
"But since no such event would ever truly be safe, if San Lang isn't opposed then maybe we could just fight together? It'd probably be more fun with two anyway." He concluded. It was a fair compromise he thought, ignoring the deepening frown from across the table.
"I say, aren't you two rather missing the point? How about abandoning the violence completely? Crimson Rain Sought Flower can join our dress up games too you know?" Shi Qingxuan spoke up a little frantically, receiving no acknowledgment aside from a sharp "shut up" nudge from Ming Yi who clearly didn't appreciate that idea.
"Any time spent with Gege is fun, so of course this one would be honoured." He smiled. "However, I'm not particularly aware of any such events occurring in the Ghost Realm, now or recently. What is it exactly that Gege took part in back then?"
"Ah, this was a few centuries ago actually so I suppose San Lang probably wouldn't remember."
Hua Cheng's whole body felt relaxed while still managing to support Xie Lian's now completely loose weight slouching back onto him, a warm sort of feeling that made Xie Lian feel lax too. Under such circumstances he felt it too easy to slip back into the mood to tell stories, and an exciting deathmatch of which he arose as the victor was surely tantalising enough to hold the crowd.
--
The beginning to this story wasn't particularly interesting. It began with Xie Lian collecting scraps, travelling from village to village to eke out a living and maybe find somewhere to belong for a little while. The usual.
His bad luck however could never let him lie, and eventually he found himself lost quite far from any visible settlement and not sure quite how he had got there. Perhaps his mind had wandered just a little too much, or fate had just decided it hadn't knocked him off course in a while and needed to rectify that. Either way, it didn't particularly matter once the damage was done. Better to simply concentrate on finding a way back.
As he hadn't paid attention to how he had got there, retracing his steps wasn't an option. Instead he spied the sight of a large mountain formation peaking up past the treeline in the distance, almost begging him to pay it a visit. An inexplicable feeling in his gut told him that he really really should, and he soon found himself pulled even closer to it. When he next snapped to attention in fact, he found himself already on the verge of entering its surrounding territory.
What woke him from his thoughts however was the significant ghostly presence he sensed around himself. The demonic energy surrounding him was thicker than anything he'd experienced in years, sour, and cloying, and ready to lash out at anything that got too close.
Looking out, he saw the cause of such feelings. Ghosts clashed in different corners of the mountain sides, dashing around madly for who knows what, as if they were possessed by some dire need to conquer and move on.
It wasn't long before he was attacked himself, bodied heavily from behind by some ghoulish spirit cackling as if it thought it were the big fish in the pond here.
Of course it wasn't and Ruoye dispatched it before Xie Lian even had time to recover from his swift winding. The unprompted attack was enough to get the message across that this was some kind of free for all.
Chaotic and unorganised as it was, Xie Lian couldn't bring himself to turn away. As much as he'd like to pretend it was for some moral reason, like dispersing a bunch of clearly violent ghosts on a rampage, the truth was that Xie Lian's blood was singing .
His time these days was mostly spent busking and trying to find a good place to sleep for the night. Even the occasional dispatching of low level spirits was relatively easy. It had been so long since he'd had a good fight! Who knew when he'd get such a good opportunity to break up the monotony of mortal life again? He had to get in on this.
And he did. Quite successfully. Too successfully? Eventually the other participants seemed to have figured out that he was a genuine threat and even started trying to take him down in groups! It wasn't enough of course. Xie Lian was in his element, his martial god heart beating like a war drum, now accompanied by a rising new tune that seemed to escalate in tempo with every foe slain.
The tune lured him further to the largest mountain, up the slopes, reaching a fever pitch at the gaping mouth at the top, and only then did he realise that this was a volcano searing with the same lethal blood in it's veins as he. Somehow he found it so easy to allow it to swallow him, meld with it's core and come out feeling stronger, revitalised, like something broken in him was soldered back together with a missing piece he didn't realise he needed. The earth shook as he emerged, glorious and bright and feeling as invincible as he did as an idealistic youth, ready to take on the corrupt world and carve out the path he had chosen.
And oh, he could see the path back to civilization from up here! Hopefully he could make it back without incident this time, who knows how much time he's wasted. It'd been fun, but he had scraps to pick.
--
The general aura of the room was not immediately identifiable, and so it took a few seconds for Xie Lian to realise something was wrong, and that they weren't all just staring at him because they were enthralled by his story. That was a shame in itself because he thought it was quite a good one personally, but the uncomfortable expressions they wore suggested there was probably more going on than lackluster storytelling.
"What?" He prompted a little nervously. "What's wrong?"
Across from him, Shi Qingxuan and Ming Yi exchanged questioning glances out of the corner of their eyes, as if unsure of how to proceed with the current situation, before flicking over to stare pointedly at Hua Cheng. Seemingly, this had been quietly designated his task to deal with.
The silence from all three just made him more anxious honestly. He almost startled when Hua Cheng finally spoke up with a strained sounding voice.
"Gege…" There was something unidentifiable creeping into his tone, something that made him instinctively aware that this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation for anyone. "Are you… What you're describing…"
"Yes? Was it such a bad story?" He tried to joke, ultimately failing at breaking the tension but maintaining an awkward smile regardless.
"It's not so much 'bad', as… Can Gege just confirm some details of the story for me? Just to clear some things up?" He perked up with an incredibly fake smile, more confident now that he had settled on a plan to proceed with, but clearly still afraid of the answer he may receive.
"Sure." He agreed blankly.
Hua Cheng had never directed anything but a sincere smile to Xie Lian before, and this sudden change shook him on a level he couldn't quite grapple with. He was just feeling more and more unsure of himself with each passing second, and suddenly the smell of the alcohol around them made his head feel like it was spinning.
"So what Gege is saying is… He felt a calling to a large volcano in the middle of nowhere, where many ghosts were fighting to be on top? And this ended with Gege winning upon entering the volcano itself? And emerging? Feeling especially powerful after doing so?"
Ah. The spinning stopped just as abruptly as it began, jolting as it did so in a way that seemed to throw the world irreversibly off kilter. He realised what the problem was now, and though it should be somewhat soul shattering, all he could think was wow, it's kind of obvious when you put it like that, huh?
Maybe it was just the shock, but he didn't feel particularly upset at that moment. Just a little stupid.
"Gege? Are you okay?"
Hua Cheng was looking at him with a deep concern, brow creased as if he were the one receiving the heavy news. That distressed expression on his face and directed at him continued to be the worst part of Xie Lian's night and before he could stop himself, he was reaching out to smooth the furrow himself with light fingers.
"I'm fine. I'm here in one piece aren't I? Not a ghost or a Supreme, just a very silly little god." He teased. "San Lang is the one who's upset, I should be asking that he's okay."
It did nothing to ease his complexion and instead only seemed to further upset the other.
"Gege... Gods don't get drawn to Mt. Tonglu." He spoke carefully, like he was trying to ease a child into something unpleasant. At the same time he took Xie Lian's hands into his own, pulling them away from his face to hold them with a faint squeeze. Who that action was intended to comfort was ambiguous.
"What's San Lang saying? I think I'd know if I had died, don't you? And besides, I've ascended again. Ghosts can't become gods."
He was so sure. He was so sure as he spoke that that was true, but he couldn't look away from Hua Cheng's face as he did so. Of course he didn't miss the faint flicker of disagreement that flashed on his face. It was not the sort of disagreement that one had on opinions, like if one preferred mornings or evenings. It was the sort of disagreement where one knew something the other didn't, like there was a crucial fact missing from his knowledge.
Xie Lian knew his San Lang, and so he also knew that he was rarely wrong. He wasn't quite sure whether this was the rare occasion or not, and was a little too shaken to ask.
Instead he could only say .
"I'm not dead."
He's not! He would know! How could you miss something like that?
"Gege…"
"I'm not dead!" He said with a little more urgency than necessary for someone who believed what they spoke. "My heart beats, my blood flows, I breathe air. I know I'm alive!"
Of all the horrible expressions Hua Cheng had faced him with that night, the one he wore at that moment was arguably the worst.
Pity. Hua Cheng pitied him.
He didn't have to look at it long, which was the smallest blessing he could possibly be granted in this scenario. Instead, Hua Cheng hugged him tightly, burying his face into the others shoulder and out of sight. The breath he felt trickled down his neck, making him shiver, and through their close position, he could feel Hua Cheng's heart beating far too rapidly. Was he afraid? Silly, there was nothing to be afraid of here. Only stray thoughts that had certainly been taken too far.
"I'm not dead." He repeated, his own traitorous arms sneaking up to hold Hua Cheng back. For poor San Lang's comfort of course, he had obviously worked himself up.
"I'm not dead." He said quieter, feeling his heartbeat thump in tandem with Hua Chengs. Though rabbit fast at first they gradually began to slow down, his own following San Lang's lead into a frighteningly low throb. It was just because they were calming down. That was all.
"I'm not dead." He said, almost a whisper as he held tight fistfulls of Hua Cheng's robes, taut to the point they may tear if either of them moved too sharply. The beating between them had been guided to a stop completely.
Xie Lian had never been quite aware of just how loud the sound of blood rushing through one's veins was until he was faced with its absence, and the new silence scared him.
He held tighter. It was all he could think to do.