Me and the devil

二十一

Hearing this, Hua Cheng's face changed slightly, his lips faintly twitching. "General Hua?" He whispered in Xie Lian's ears.

Xie Lian swatted his chest. "Hush, you! I didn't know you!"

Hua Cheng chuckled, "Gege, it hurts," He shifted his hold on Xie Lian for a moment to rest his hand over where his heart would be, "Kiss it better?"

Xie Lian decided he would get him back for all of his flirting. He leaned down and placed a kiss over Hua Cheng's hand.

Hua Cheng stared at him, wide-eyed.

Xie Lian jolted, the familiar ghost was still watching them. Embarrassment flushed his cheeks a brilliant red.

He cleared his throat, and opened his mouth to apologize, when he realized that he was addressed as General Hua not Gege, or Xie Lian, or even Daozhang. Only two people had ever called him by that name.

"Banyue?" His voice was shaky. Hua Cheng gripped him a little tighter.

"It's you." Banyue watched him.

Hua Cheng looked at Xie Lian.

"Do you two know each other?" He asked through the communication array.

"San Lang, this is the girl I was talking to you about, the one that I took care of."

"Interesting." Hua Cheng scrutinized her.

"San Lang, put me down for a second."

Hua Cheng complied, gently setting Xie Lian down.

Xie Lian carefully arranged his white robes away from the carnage and blood and gripped the shoulders of the state preceptor, examining her face.

They'd been standing too far apart earlier, and he couldn't see clearly in the dim lighting in the pit. Plus, it had been roughly a few decades; this girl had grown and matured in that time, but when he looked at her properly, it was the same face from his memories.

Xie Lian's voice didn't come back to him for a long time, and it was a good moment before he sighed. "Banyue?"

The state preceptor clutched at his sleeves, excited. "It's me! General Hua, do you still remember me?"

"Of course I do. But..." Xie Lian gazed at her for a moment and sighed. "But what have you done to yourself?"

When she heard that, the state preceptor seemed to curl in on herself.

"I'm sorry Captain... I messed up," she muttered.

Noticing the way that General and Captain were used interchangeably, Hua Cheng looked at Xie Lian. "You were the general that was worshipped in a tomb?"

"You've heard of me?"

"I've come across the tomb before, I didn't know it was gege."

"Wow," Xie Lian said. 'Has this happened multiple times without either of us realizing it?' Xie Lian thought.

Xie Lian explained to Hua Cheng how he had met Banyue, and what had transpired after that. Hua Cheng's arms settled around his shoulders, knowing that this was going to be tough for him to share.

~

Years ago, Xie Lian, for certain reasons, did not want to stay in the east any longer. He had planned to cross the Qing Ridge and head to the south to start a brand-new life. Thus, he took his compass and headed south.

But the more he walked, the more he thought woefully; why was the scenery all wrong? There should have been an abundance of greenery, cities and life, so how come his surroundings were growing more and more desolate?