Chapter Text
War is a language used by all men. To settle conflicts, obtain territories, show strength, and ever so often, a mundane game to pass the temperate God of War’s time. And so, it was not a surprise that said god is one of the most revered of all the gods in the heavens, almost rivalling the heavenly emperor himself, not only by skill but also by popularity among the mortals that roamed the earth.
This, of course, did not go unnoticed to the already perturbed heavenly emperor,
“Ah, Qingxuan. How pleasant to see you back in heaven so soon. I take it that the God of the Underworld is doing well?”
The Goddess of Marriage froze in their steps. They almost cursed their poor luck for being caught sneaking back to the heaven realm after their rendezvous with their lover. They slowly turned their head towards the direction where the imposing voice came from. And there, a few steps away from them, stood a god in pristine blue robes heavily adorned with gold and red velvet drapes.
“H-heavenly Emperor!” They exclaimed as they hastily bowed in deference, “I, I didn’t, I swear...” Their voice too high pitched to be the least bit convincing, but they still prayed.
Jun Wu smiled knowingly at the stammering god, “You may relax, Qingxuan, surely your brother will understand.”
Shi Qingxuan winced at the mention of their brother, knowing full well that he would not understand. Even the most heedless being in all the realms must be aware of how deep the resentment between the God of Good Fortune and the God of the Underworld is. They were sure as the sun rose from the east that their brother would flip out the moment he finds out about their clandestine affair.
They forced their eyes shut, afraid of the consequences the words that are about to leave their lips will bring them, “P-please, can the heavenly emperor turn a blind eye, just this once?” They plead.
It must have been their imagination, or maybe not, but they could have sworn something dark and wicked flashed in the emperor’s eyes before he answered, “Of course, of course, worry not.” The emperor said as he took measured steps to walk past the trembling goddess. The silent swooshing of his robes was the only thing that tethered the goddess to their reality.
“My dear Qingxuan, won’t you join me in my stroll?” The emperor has said. An order veiled as a request, one which Qingxuan knew well enough not to refuse.
They walked slowly behind the god who was beyond doubt, leading them towards the private gardens of the heavenly emperor, the Garden of the Virtuous . The jaded path walk of the entrance of the heaven realm ended and seamlessly molded to an encompassing bridge, crossing over the crystal waters that poured from the peak of the heavens’ highest mountain and down to the mortal realm. Halfway through the bridge, the fog began to thicken and it was becoming more difficult for the goddess to even see the silhouette of the heavenly emperor in front of them.
The bridge was long and winding, there was no end in sight. The goddess noticed that there were no other gods nor servants walking along or past them. Though it must be expected since they are entering the privacy of the palace of the heavenly emperor himself, that is highly restricted against just any one who wants to enter, the goddess cannot stop themselves from shivering from the uncomfortable silence.
“Qingxuan, I heard about your good relations with all the other gods,” the god in front of them began.
“I, I am only a little approachable your emperor, nothing special”
He hummed in response, “Yes, then. Are you acquainted with the God of War, Hua Cheng as well?”
They paused, slightly confused as to why the heavenly emperor would specifically bring up the notorious god. Sensing something was amiss, Qingxuan did something they had never done before, choose their next words carefully, “I, I dare not assume that we are, but I am sure that he could at least tolerate my presence.”
“That’s good to hear,”
Qingxuan’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the emperor’s comment but before they could form their reply, he continued, “I am sure you are aware of the situation in the mortal realm,”
A short silence enveloped the two gods before the Goddess of Marriage replied, “To be honest your majesty, I have no idea what you’re...”
“I am talking about the rampant wars, Qingxuan,” Jun wu cut them off, seeming a little impatient which was something new for the emperor. He always seemed so… composed. But somehow, something was unraveling before them. “The mortals have become too hungry for power, for treasure, for land. I am afraid that the temperament of the God of War directly affects the thirst of the mortals for war.”
The heavenly emperor stopped walking and faced the goddess, appearing to be concerned, he continued, “and if we, their gods, do not act soon before more blood is shed, the mortal realm may lead to a catastrophic end,”
Qingxuan gulped at that, not knowing what to make of this whole conversation “And what does the heavenly emperor propose the gods do?”
“Not gods, Qingxuan, just one god will do.”
“And that is why you have to help me, A-Lian!! You are the only one I have left!” Qingxuan dramatically fell on the flower bed their companion was nurturing only moments before they arrived.
“But… Why me? I am only a minor god, I am sure the God of War would find it insulting if you will have him betrothed to someone like me” Their friend and confidant, the God of Flowers had always stayed hidden from the rest of the heaven realm. Spending most of his days helping the mortals bloom their flowers and vegetations and going back to the heavens only to be tucked away in his secluded garden. Xie Lian could not believe that he would even be considered to be betrothed to a major god, to the God of War, no less.
“Someone like you?! My friend! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? If you ask me to find another, more noble, gracious and beautiful than you, then I will burn myself out searching all three realms only to come back empty handed.” The God of Flowers blushed furiously at his friend’s honeyed words as he playfully swatted them with the bunch of peonies he was holding, “A-Xuan!! You are too much!”
They erupted into giggles and the flowers in the secret garden bloomed even more beautifully as if they were also filled with glee. Xie Lian took this moment to sit down beneath the shade of an eastern redbud tree and patted the nearby grass motioning for his friend to sit beside him, “Truly, A-Xuan, why are you asking me? I am sure plenty of other gods would be more than willing to be betrothed to the God of War.”
Qingxuan winced at that which earned them a concerned look from their friend. Defeated, they let out an exaggerated sigh, “No god is willing!”
Xie Lian’s eyes widened at the revelation as his friend continued, “I already asked everyone, even the God of Love and Lust himself didn’t give it a second thought!”
He did not know why but Xie Lian felt his heart squeeze, “But… why? The God of War is… as you have said a million times by now … popular? powerful? rich? In the heaven realm, are those not the most important qualities to them? IF you can consider those as qualities of course.”
“Yes, yes. But that is the problem, he is too powerful and he… does not get along with the other gods...well?” Qingxuan laughed nervously and Xie Lian knew his friend was hiding something from him, “my dear friend, if he doesn’t get along well with the other gods, then… Why are you asking me ?” Xie Lian did not really mean to put it this way. There is no doubt in his mind that his friend would never place him in harm’s way. The question escaped him, nonetheless.
“He’s not all bad!” Qingxuan exclaimed defensively while waving their hands in the air, “I met him a couple of times when I visited He Xuan, they are quite good friends. OH! But don’t tell them I told you that. Their ‘not friendship’ is a fragile thing. If you call them friends, they would be obliged to kill each other in front of you.” Xie Lian smiled at the thought, remembering two other gods with the same peculiar relationship. Somehow, he could imagine what his friend was saying despite not knowing what the God of War looked like.
Mistaking Xie Lian’s wistfulness for a sign that he was on the brink of giving in, Qingxuan scooted closer to their friend and hugged him by the waist, “A-Liannnnn, please! The heavenly emperor stressed that this matter is of utmost importance! I am at my wits end! I need to begin the matchmaking ritual today, or else... “ A sigh, “Thinking about the punishment, I might as well volunteer to be his betrothed.”
Xie Lian gasped at his friend's proposition, surely, they must be joking.
“A-Xuan... You can’t! He Xuan...” he trailed off.
He looked at his friend contemplatively. There was no hint of a lie, only desperation. The heavenly emperor must really have something on his friend to have them trapped against a wall like this. He sighed for the nth time during their conversation, “What... would you have me do?”
Qingxuan perked up, “A-Lian! I knew it! I knew I could count on you!!” they hugged him even tighter now. So tight it could have broken a rib or two if Xie Lian was a mere mortal.
“No need to do much. We only need you to keep the God of War’s temperament at bay. Wars always break out whenever he gets... cranky”
“hahaha… I see" Xie Lian laughed sheepishly, finding the whole ordeal quite absurd. "To keep him company then?”
He said hoping that it was really all there is to it.
“En! But I must remind you, A-Lian. The matchmaking ritual takes weeks, even months in some cases. And you must stay with him at all times during the period. This might be a challenge since he is such an ass sometimes, but, I’m sure even he can’t hold a candle to your charms” Qingxuan winked at their friend, totally ignoring the way Xie Lian shifted shyly in their hug. His long chestnut hair fell silk-like to cover half of his face.
“A-Xuan…” Xie Lian sighed, “You are literally the only god I have the pleasure of having company”
“And am I not more than enough?” they batted their lashes at him unabashed, hoping to ease the tension away from their friend.
Truthfully, Qingxuan do feel guilty asking their most treasured friend to marry under these circumstances. And yet... call it their Goddess of Marriage intuition but... looking at Xie Lian again. Qingxuan could feel their guts screaming that asking Xie Lian was the right thing to do. Although, they did feel a little more guilty for lying about one thing. They never asked anyone else.
Xie Lian laughed at them fondly, “You’re impossible.”