Dispel the Clouds and See the Sun

10. Scrap Immortal, Red Robed Ghost

They must be always worshipped together, always!

The chain snapped, and that ring Hua Cheng had given him long ago was smashed to pieces by that mao. Hua Cheng dissolved, his bone ashes scattering around, blown away, disappearing forever. The boy San Lang saying, getting rid of his ashes, the ghost would dissolve and its soul disintegrate. Xie Lian's whole body tensed and numbed.

"SAN LANG!", he screamed; if it were me, I'd have no regrets giving away my ashes.

Again and again, Xie Lian's mind kept playing this nightmare; not a nightmare, not a nightmare. It did happen, it truly happened. My‌ ‌beloved‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌brave,‌ ‌noble‌ ‌and‌ ‌gracious‌ ‌special‌ ‌someone. ‌I've‌ ‌always looked‌ ‌up‌ ‌to‌ ‌him,‌ ‌I wanted‌ ‌to‌ ‌catch‌ ‌up‌,‌ ‌‌become‌ ‌an‌ ‌even‌ ‌stronger‌ ‌person‌ ‌for‌ ‌him.‌ ‌I‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌protect‌ ‌him.

Xie Lian tossed and turned on his sleep, sweating as in a high fever, screaming, crying, sobbing; but he was coming to, he felt he was slowly returning to reality, while lying on a bed with soft covers, hearing hushed voices around him. Only, was this a reality he wanted to return to, or he better –

"Your Highness, Your Highness!", he heard Feng Xin whispering anxiously.

"Shh!", Mu Qing replied in an equally low voice, "He has to wake up naturally and – "

A third voice spoke, "Gege."

Xie Lian sat straight in a jump, his eyes shut open; it was Hua Cheng, sitting on the bed by his side!

He smiled, but still looked worried and tired; Xie Lian sucked in a breath of cold air, jumping again to wrap both his arms around Hua Cheng's shoulders, burying his face on the crook of his neck, on his raven black hair. Feeling him in his hold, taking his scent in, Hua Cheng embracing him back gently.

Xie Lian vaguely realised he was in Paradise Manor, with Feng Xin and Mu Qing quietly leaving the chambers; his mind started to spin around the scenes flashing on his nightmares, and he felt his eyes filling up with tears, and started to cry, and sob, getting totally out of breath, unable to speak.

Hua Cheng kept embracing him for a while, then, looking at Xie Lian, brushed his hair off his face and gave him a cup, "Here, Gege, drink this, calm down hmm?"

Xie Lian drank it, it was warm water with honey, and he felt himself calming down slowly. He kept his head down, stealing glances at Hua Cheng, wanting to, but afraid to ask.

As if reading his thoughts, Hua Cheng said, "I'm not a clone Gege. It is really me."

"But, but the ring... he destroyed it, I saw your ashes being scattered, you disappearing – ", he blurted out, his eyes starting to fill up again. Hua Cheng dragged himself closer and held his hand.

"That ring didn't have my ashes encased, it was made of the ashes themselves, molten and refined. Gege, you've been wearing it for a while, it must have rubbed on your skin and – "

"My skin absorbed some?", Xie Lian asked in a low voice, almost a whisper.

Hua Cheng nodded lightly; Xie Lian blinked, starting to snap out of it, and follow Hua Cheng's reasoning, "You mean, your body can only be destroyed if my body is also destroyed?"

Xie Lian tried to wrap his mind around it; for him, Hua Cheng would die again and again, and be reborn over and over, even if he fell into the depths of hell, he'd break through the abyss for him. Having their very existence entwined like that, fated to never ache for each other again, never be apart, nor even in death... wasn't it just like reaching heaven in a single bound?

Hua Cheng smiled tenderly, putting an arm around his shoulders, and said, "I was no more for a whole incense time, and it'd take very long to recover, if it wasn't for the burst of energy from breaking that trash's meridians", he gave Xie Lian a squeeze, "It was really thanks to Gege that everything ended up well!"

Xie Lian kept thinking of his heart demon, and how Hua Cheng's voice in his head easily supressed it; that voice wasn't the actual Hua Cheng then, but the part of Hua Cheng he had in him. He snuggled between Hua Cheng's arms even more.

"No. It was thanks to you, San Lang", he replied with a muffled voice.

Before he started crying again, Hua Cheng patted him on the back and said, "Alright Gege, listen. I'm going to send your friends in, they were worried sick too."

"Sorry for the trouble!", Xie Lian said to the village head, smiling and cupping his hands in salute.

"Xie Daozhang, no trouble no trouble. Thank you for bringing in such lords and ladies to our humble function... and say thanks to Xiao Hua for the wine, it's really good!"

For these villagers, any wine was good wine; however, this one given to them by Hua Cheng was indeed excellent. Every month at full moon, the village head's family held a worshipping for the Scrap Immortal and the Red Robed Ghost, two folk deities, on a shrine inside the house; this time, they received the heaven officials, coming to pay their respects and burn incenses.

This was demanded by Hua Cheng as a compensation for being wrongfully accused of toppling divine statues and burning temples; as the water recedes, the rock appears, and with being proven innocent, he couldn't think of anything better to truly humiliate the gods, who would also have a hard time at giving merits instead of receiving.

Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, seeing his fellow officials saluting them with hands cupped politely, intestines turning green from regret. After wandering around greeting everyone, he saw Hua Cheng at a corner, quietly drinking wine with Feng Xin and Mu Qing, and looking at the proceedings. He walked to his side, and Hua Cheng smiled at him.

Mu Qing humphed, "I hate to take Crimson Rain Sought Flower's side against the heaven officials, but this time they totally deserved this humiliation, after trying to reap without sowing."

"En", Feng Xin agreed, unsurprisingly this time, "This wine is fucking good!"

Mu Qing rolled his eyes, "Don't get drunk and make a scene here please."

"Who's getting drunk?", Feng Xin roared back angrily.

Seeing they'd just start arguing again, and that would probably take the whole night, Xie Lian shrugged, and turned to Hua Cheng, getting closer and snuggling himself in his arms.

"So, San Lang", he asked with a soft smile, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Hua Cheng pffted a laugh, "There's nothing I like more than seeing the heaven officials losing face. Actually, no, there's something else I like even more..." he paused, and added, "Gege, how about we – ", and whispered something into his ear; Xie Lian felt flustered, his face burning and his head about to explode. He should have seen it coming!

"But San Lang", he replied, "We're the ones being worshipped here, how can we leave just like that?" This time he truly didn't know whether to laugh or cry!

Hua Cheng's smile widened, and he wrapped both his arms around Xie Lian's waist invitingly; Xie Lian knew that, exactly because they were the ones being worshipped, they could disappear just like that! After all, they were granting everybody double the fortune, and twice the invincibility.

Their spiritual powers merging as if they were one, they disappeared in a cloud of wraith butterflies, flying around and dispersing, bright silvery against the dark night.

Thanks for reading! I had so much fun researching tropes, expressions, weaponry and fighting styles, and of course thinking of some Hualian fluff! I hope you enjoyed too! 😁

I apologise for the lame excuse for Hua Cheng not dying, but well any excuse is alright as long as he doesn't die right? 😍

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