Vows of Immortals

Chapter Five

"Shh, Feng Xin, stop panicking, it's just makeup!" Xie Lian comforted Feng Xin, patting him on the shoulder. Feng Xin only turned paler, spluttering out, "But still! They'll look like women!" Sweat dripped down from Xie Lian's forehead, as he sighed in defeat, "Alright, alright. But you do know Mu Qing will just take this as an opportunity to scare you, right? Just be mentally prepared..."

"They're taking quite long," Lan Zhan murmured, but it was audible enough for the other two gods to hear. They were now standing outside Mu Qing's dressing room, and they've been standing there for the past shichen.

*shichen: two hours in Chinese

"It's normal! Mu Qing takes a lot of pride in these kind of things..." Xie Lian reassured. "At least I think he still does..." he mumbled the last bit to himself.

"Dian Xia, out of all due respect, I honestly have no idea how you can stand here and do nothing for a whole shichen!" Feng Xin grumbled, "I'm so bored that I want to fall asleep, but at the same time I'm so horrified by the idea of them as women that I can't!" He exclaimed in exasperation. Xie Lian laughed awkwardly, "Haven't I dressed up as a bride before? You took it well..."

"That was you! This time is different!" Feng Xin cried. Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I hear them. They should be done," Lan Zhan said, turning Feng Xin's face blue and lighting Xie Lian's face up with excitement.

"Hua Xiong, don't you think I look pretty?"

"... No. No I don't."

"Hua Xiong, that's so mean!"

"I think Hua Cheng is insulting both you and me by calling you ugly."

"He didn't call me ugly!"

"That's the part you're focused on?"

"Of course! What else? This beautiful face of mine can't be insulted!"

"..."

"Did you two just roll your eyes!?"

"No."

"Yes."

"..."

"Aiya, we've bonded for a whole week in here! Can't you both be a little less stingy with your compliments?"

"It was a two and an sixteenth of a shichen we spent in here."

"Qing Ge!!"

"Huh."

"What?"

"They're still outside."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Feng Xin cried out, "Oh dear god they're just behind the door!" Xie Lian sweat-dropped, sighing, "Breathe in, breathe out. Just recite the ethnic sutras a thousand times — it'll help you calm down."

"We're all the gods and buddhas ourselves, who are you swearing to?" A familiar voice spoke. The door opened, and three men walked out of the room. The voice came from the god on the right. The god snickered, walking up to a scared, flustered Feng Xin, teasing with a grin on his face, "Xin Ge, are you scared?"

Feng Xin immediately turned red, hurriedly backtracking several steps behind, waving his hands around messily. "Mu Qing, don't- don't do that-"

"Why? You could have dressed up as a woman but you refused — now that I've done the job for you, won't you even spare a glance to look at me?" Mu Qing continued his relentless teasing. Feng Xin just turned redder by the second.