Hua Xianle

Chapter 15:

It was finally Hua Ying’s 9th birthday. Unlike in the previous years since his adoption, the party would not be held in the Heavenly Realm. This time, he would be having his party in the mortal realm, in the manor Pei Ming had built for him in Qinghe.

The manor itself was a lavish affair, a combination of the elegance of Xie Lian’s Heavenly Palace and Hua Cheng’s Paradise Manor. A few hundred of his own servants had been hand selected to staff the place, including an entire contingent of guards who would ensure no unwanted guests would be able to so much as look at his nephew. Hua Ying knew about the manor and the party being arranged, but Pei Ming had played the fact that it was his manor close to the chest.

Despite his secrecy, many of his fellow Gods found out about the gift. Needless to say, none of them were exactly thrilled at the prospect of the very high bar that Pei Ming had set for the gifts. Still, even with this proverbial mark, each of the Gods made sure to take Hua Ying’s preferences into account before focusing on their pride. As much as they all hated to be outshone, their nephew’s happiness would always come first.

Of course, even Pei Ming’s manor would be dwarfed by the gifts that the boy’s immediate family had prepared for him. You see, Hua Ying had a particular fondness for custom-made billowy robes that his fathers had commissioned for him. He especially liked them paired with various jewels and decorations. He liked golds and silvers and, most recently, jade. However, his favorite type of jewelry of all time was pearls.

Hua Ying had such a love for pearls that he had once asked his A-Die for one of his billowy robes to be embroidered with them. It was for that reason that both Hua Cheng and He Xuan worked together to locate the best source of the precious stone. They’d gotten quite lucky in that regard (but with Hua Cheng there, good luck was a given) and had managed to locate a pod of merfolk. In exchange for asylum far from humans, along with stacks of gold and other materials, the two Ghost Kings had managed to secure a bountiful trade agreement for real pearls and their hand-woven silks.

So now, Hua Ying’s gift from both his father and uncle was 12 sets of robes made by the best merfolk weavers in the pod, embroidered with pearls and the golden threads that Hua Cheng provided himself, all in various different colors. Each had strong protection arrays woven into them, an added gift from the merfolk themselves to make sure that the son and nephew of the ghosts who provided them a home would be safe from anything. To put into perspective the worth of these robes, even the Jin would lose most of their money trying to buy one of them, and the Jiangs would probably have to sell all of their souls to demons just to be able to afford a small scrap of one.

As the time of the party drew nearer, Xie Lian helped Hua Ying get dressed in a white and gold robe embroidered with the pearls he loved so much. He lovingly combed his son’s hair, tying it up in his half-ponytail before adding a silver guan decorated with flowers and butterflies. When he was finished, Hua Ying looked like a true prince, and his smile was the brightest anyone had ever seen.

…

While all of Heaven and the Calamities were busy preparing for their prince’s birthday, Hua Ying’s friends were also getting ready for the party. Each of them had been told that they could bring their Guardians, but any disciples who were not given invitations would be put to work in the guard rotation.

Nie Bowen, obviously, would be the one to go with his children. Hua Cheng and Hua Ying had come personally to deliver the invitations to them, and ever since that day, Huaisang has been running around, making preparations with his brother.

Madam Jin was a little skeptical at first, but seeing Jin Zixuan and Luo Qingyang’s pleading eyes when the father and son duo came to hand the invitations, she just couldn’t say no. Besides, if the Nies were going, then why wouldn’t she try and go too? (The idea of Jin Guangshan going was never an option. He would not be informed of the party.)

In Gusu Lan, Lan Wangji practically knelt in front of his parents, begging them to go with him and his Xiongzhang to Hua Ying’s birthday party. His father and uncle had sputtered while Lan Xichen and Madame Lan just looked on in amusement at the young jade’s antics.

So with all the gifts ready, they all headed out with the escorts sent by Pei Ming with their other disciples.

…

The carriages from Lanling Jin, Qinghe Nie, and Gusu Lan arrived at Hua Manor without a hitch, their passengers disembarking as the disciples went to join the manor guards. The guests were then escorted inside, where they were greeted by the sight of multiple Gods milling about and talking with one another. The adults all found their seats as the children all clustered around a single table.

“Look at this place!” Huaisang exclaimed, marveling at the beauty of it all. “I’ve never seen a manor as lavish as this! Everything looks so new!”

“Not even Carp Tower is as regal as this place,” Jin Zixuan admitted. “Of course, this place is also far more tasteful in its grandness.”

“Hua Ying,” Lan Wangji said softly, scanning the room for any sign of the Guest of Honor.

As the children continued to talk and look around, a familiar figure approached them.

“Ah, long time no see Nie Huaisang.” 

They all looked in the direction of the voice to see a beautiful woman with a fan and green elegant robes. Beside her was a man who had a stern face almost as perfect as Lan Wangji’s. Both he and the woman looked almost identical.

“Lady Qingxuan!” Huaisang practically leaped out of his seat to greet her. “You’re here too!”

“Of course!” Shi Qingxuan answered proudly. “I would never miss out on my nephew’s birthday, you know? NEVER.” 

The man beside her just raised his eyebrows and asked, “Qingxuan, where’s your gift?”

Her look of pride immediately became one of flustered shock and embarrassment. “Ah! I forgot about it, I need to get it before the party starts!” 

She bowed frantically, then rushed out of the manor. The man just rolled his eyes at her while clicking his tongue. 

“Never misses a birthday yet always forgets the gift because of excitement.” He turned to the children, bowed his head, and introduced himself, “I am Shi Wudu, Shi Qingxuan’s older brother. I apologize for my sister’s antics.”

“Not your fault,” Lan Wangji assured the man. “Should have remembered.”

That made Shi Wudu laugh ever so slightly. “The day she comes fully prepared for anything is the day Diyu freezes over.”

After that, he managed to get into a nice conversation with the adults until Xie Lian and Hua Cheng came in with Hua Ying. The birthday boy immediately beamed upon seeing his Lan Zhan, screaming out an excited “A-ZHAN!” before he barreled straight into the young Jade. To his credit, Lan Wangji managed to successfully catch the young Hua, returning the hug without a second thought.

The visiting Guardians all noticed how every other adult in the room twitched at the sight, their hearts ill-prepared for their little baby clinging to the Lan. Still, they themselves were mostly amused, with Qingheng-jun and Madame Lan sharing an almost conspiratorial glance.

“Ah, shit, here we go again,” Hua Cheng whispered, shaking his head.

“Hey! Hua-Xiong!” Huaisang was visibly pouting, looking quite upset at being essentially ignored. “I want a hug too!”

“Me too!” Jin Zixuan and Mianmian added in almost perfect unison.

Hua Ying just giggled, making all of his relatives’ hearts melt. That is until he said, “But I like hugging A-Zhan.”

Off to the side, Ling Wen took note of Lan Zhan, shaking her head ever so slightly. “Seems I will need to keep a closer eye on my people.”