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“Gege”, says Hua Cheng, “please be on alert. There is definitely something bad going on here.”
Xie Lian reaches out to touch his husband’s hand, a wordless sign of calming reassurance. “Don’t worry, San Lang”, he replies. “It’ll be okay.”
They are on their way to Puqi Village, and although such visits are usually filled with joy and nostalgia, this time the reason for their travel is something way more ominous than just a day trip on the memory lane. A couple of days prior, Xie Lian started receiving prayers from the villagers who were calling out for help to their most beloved god. Some of the voices had been familiar; old acquaintances from the village, people who had many times gifted Puqi Shrine with heartfelt offerings and were always delighted to see Xie Lian and his handsome husband paying a visit.
Great Immortal, Great Ghost King, please help, the voices called, frightened and sounding to be on the brink of tears even in their thoughts and prayers. A demon has showed up to haunt our village. It has been following the villagers, even children, in the outskirts of the village. We need your help before it gets one of us…
Naturally, Xie Lian immediately decided to go see the situation and find out a way to help; of all the prayers he receives, those from Puqi Shrine are always especially close to his heart.
Now that he and Hua Cheng are finally on their way to the village, Xie Lian realises there really is something awry. The usual feeling of quaint peace and calm is gone, replaced with ominous traces of evil lingering in the air. Xie Lian is glad they were able to arrive quickly — it really seems like a question of time before the demon would have struck.
Hua Cheng stays close to him, his gaze sharp and alert as they make their way towards their destination. Hua Cheng keeps quiet as if to hear even the smallest sign of danger, and although Xie Lian keeps soothing his husband with gentle, reassuring touches, he is just as uneasy himself.
“San Lang”, he says as they approach the village, “don’t worry. I’m sure we will —”
His words are drowned in a low hissing sound, and in one disorienting flash, something huge and powerful and dangerous appears very close to them.
Xie Lian turns around, letting out a gasp of shock at how quickly the thing managed to sneak up on them, and his breath catches in his throat as he takes in the horrifying sight; it’s some kind of a demon, hunched on all fours, looking like a twisted mixture of feline and deer-like features.
“Gege!” Hua Cheng reaches out his hand for Xie Lian… but before he can reach his beloved, the world around them twists with a surge of malicious spiritual energy. Xie Lian’s eyes go wide, although very soon such an action becomes pointless as his vision is filled with thick, foggy darkness.
“Gege!!” Hua Cheng shouts again, frantic, and somehow his voice sounds more distant than it did just a minute ago. “Are you all right?”
“I’m okay!” Xie Lian blinks his eyes, trying to clear his vision, but it’s no use — everything is distorted and blurry around him, and he wonders if he has actually lost his sight, if the demon cast a spell on him, or if the beast somehow filled the entire area with this impenetrable mist. “San Lang, can you see? Are you—”
“Gege, answer me! Where are you? Can you hear me?” Hua Cheng’s voice is even more muffled now, like he’s turning and moving around. “Gege!”
“San Lang, don’t worry, I’m okay! I’m right h—”
“You fucking monster, I’ll rip you apart if you’ve laid a single one of your filthy claws on gege!” Hua Cheng growls, and Xie Lian finally believes he really can’t hear him; Hua Cheng would never cut him off or ignore him in such a crude manner.
It seems like San Lang is even more affected by the demon’s spell, Xie Lian thinks, a chill of unease spreading through his chest, maybe because he’s closer to it…
Cautiously, Xie Lian moves towards Hua Cheng’s voice and keeps talking; perhaps Hua Cheng will be able to hear him again if he gets closer. “San Lang, it’s okay! Let’s just focus on getting rid of the demon. We need to stop it before it gets into the vil—”
“Gege!” Hua Cheng shouts again, and there’s more noise as the beast shifts through the darkness. “Gege, be careful! Please say something!”
Xie Lian twists towards the sound of something big and heavy approaching him. It’s so quick! he realises with a flash of worry, although his concern is not for himself, but for Hua Cheng. Xie Lian knows they have to finish off the beast as quickly as possible, but he is reluctant to strike — what if Hua Cheng gets caught in his attack in the shroud of darkness?
“Gege!” Hua Cheng’s voice is closer now. “Gege, answer me!!”
“San Lang, I’m okay! I’m right here”, Xie Lian calls. “Don’t worry, I’m — oh!”
His words are smothered with a gasp as sharp, piercing pain rips at his shoulder. The beast snarls at him as it withdraws — it’s right beside him! — and Xie Lian doesn’t know if he’s been bitten or scratched or something worse; his entire world is lightless and disorienting and filled with Hua Cheng’s frantic calls. Xie Lian falters and falls to his knees, gasping as blades of pain slice through him.
“Gege, where are you?! Gege!”
“San Lang, I’m here, I’m okay!” It’s not entirely true — Xie Lian suspects he has been injured rather severely, and tries to fight off dizziness as his shoulder throbs with intense agony — but he knows how reckless Hua Cheng can get when he thinks Xie Lian is in danger.
Ignoring the pain with centuries of practice, Xie Lian struggles back to his feet and tries to figure out Hua Cheng’s location. He needs to find the way to his husband as quickly as possible — they have to defeat the demon, but neither of them can strike when they don’t know where the other is, and Xie Lian’s head spins with indecision.
“San Lang, please, can you —”
Something twists and tightens around Xie Lian’s forearm, but unlike the pain gnawing on his shoulder, this sensation is familiar and comforting. Xie Lian turns to look; he can just barely make out the fuzzy outline of his white sleeve fluttering as something shifts under it.
“Ruoye!” Xie Lian breathes. The silk band reaches out to his face and brushes against his cheek, and suddenly Xie Lian comes up with an idea. “Ruoye, please, find San Lang! Bring him here!”
Ruoye instantly uncoils its body and extends itself through the darkness. At first, Xie Lian fears for his loyal companion — what if the beast notices Ruoye and goes to tear it to shreds? — but after mere moments, there is a reassuring tug at his arm as Ruoye grabs onto something.
“San Lang!” Xie Lian calls instinctively, tugging back on Ruoye’s body. Ruoye pulls him forward while bringing the other end of its body towards him, and Xie Lian gasps as he finally sees a vague red shape hurrying towards him, guided by Ruoye.
Desperate arms wrap around Xie Lian and pull him into a tight embrace, and Xie Lian presses himself against Hua Cheng, forgetting all about the physical pain as he is brought into his most beloved person’s arms. Ruoye twines itself back around Xie Lian’s arm, but keeps its hold on Hua Cheng as well, as if unwilling to let him go for even a moment.
“Gege”, Hua Cheng breathes. “Gege, are you all right? Are you hurt? I couldn’t hear you, I thought you were — I thought you were—!”
“San Lang”, Xie Lian says again. “I’m okay, don’t worry — but there’s no time, the demon beast is still here — nnh!” He shudders with pain as Hua Cheng’s arms tighten around him and accidentally press against his injured shoulder.
Hua Cheng immediately lets go of him, placing a gentle hand on his arm instead. “Gege, you’re hurt!”
“Don’t worry about it, San Lang, we need to finish it off as quickly as possible…” Xie Lian’s vision seems to be getting even blurrier, and he leans onto Hua Cheng to keep his balance. However, despite the pain that is still getting worse, and the utterly disorienting situation, Xie Lian feels a rush of strange quiet confidence; it’s always hard to feel scared when he has Hua Cheng by his side.
There’s a sudden surge of ferocious energy, but this time it’s completely different from the malicious intent emanating from the demon beast. Hua Cheng has turned to face the monster, and his aura of sheer wild strength makes Xie Lian’s heart skip a beat.
“How dare you touch gege”, Hua Cheng growls, and Xie Lian can hear the monster stopping in its tracks with hesitation. “How dare you injure him! You filthy trash!”
Another rush of energy is unleashed next to Xie Lian, similar to Hua Cheng’s, but with a slightly different feel. E’Ming, Xie Lian thinks with a sudden wave of fondness as he senses a shimmer of metallic sharpness flying past them and heading towards the monster with no fear. Do your best, dear E’Ming.
And the scimitar does; even with the air filled with suffocating darkness, E’Ming finds his target on the first hit, drawing an agonised scream from the beast. Hua Cheng pulls Xie Lian against himself, and Xie Lian wraps his uninjured arm around him, unwilling to let go for even a moment.
“Watch out”, Hua Cheng says with haste as they hear the monster approaching while it futilely tries to dodge E’Ming’s sharp blows. “It’s going to try to get us.”
“It’s all right, San Lang”, Xie Lian says. His vision is swimming, and the pain is getting worse still, but he feels utterly safe in Hua Cheng’s arms. “It won’t hurt us.”
In a few heartbeats, the monster is right in front of them, growling as E’Ming’s blade keeps striking it. Despite E’Ming’s brave attempts, he doesn’t manage to keep the beast at bay — but it no longer matters, because Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are ready, and this time they don’t have to hold back for fear of the other getting caught in the attack.
E’Ming obediently flies back to Hua Cheng’s side, giving way to his master and Xie Lian to strike in turn. Xie Lian raises his left hand, and Hua Cheng does the same with his right one beside him; even in the darkness, the red string connecting their hands seems to shine bright enough to see. A rush of love and reassurance courses through Xie Lian as he feels his husband’s presence, and he forgets even his pain as he and Hua Cheng aim a blow of spiritual energy at the monster.
The beast lets out a horrified screech, toppling over at the combined attack from the god and the ghost king. It takes but a few moments before its form dissipates, the malicious spell draining from the area alongside with it.
Xie Lian blinks his eyes as the fog and darkness clears, the last tendrils of mist lingering unpleasantly around his body as if trying to drag him into a pit of despair with the last traces of the spell. He shudders, but then Hua Cheng is there, circling his arms around Xie Lian’s waist, careful not to touch his injury.
“Gege”, Hua Cheng says, his voice strained with concern. “Roll the dice. Let’s go home.”
“But the village —”
“They’re safe”, Hua Cheng says, gentle but firm; as Xie Lian raises his face to look at him, Hua Cheng seems even paler than usual, a shaken look in his eye. “The demon is gone, the villagers will be okay until tomorrow. We can come back to inform them later, after your injury has healed…”
Xie Lian leans against Hua Cheng, seeking his warmth and closeness. Ruoye shifts and twines itself around them, nuzzling Xie Lian’s cheek as if encouraging him to do as Hua Cheng suggested, and Xie Lian nods. “All right”, he says, tossing the dice Hua Cheng gifted him so long ago. “Let’s go home.”
They arrive in Paradise Manor in a heartbeat, and Hua Cheng wastes no time taking them to the bedroom. Xie Lian, still slightly dizzy with pain, finds immense comfort in Hua Cheng’s touch as he lowers Xie Lian on their luxurious bed.
“Gege”, Hua Cheng says, his voice tight. “Does it hurt a lot?”
“No, no, don’t worry”, Xie Lian says. “It’ll be okay.”
A few shimmering, silvery butterflies appear to flutter around Xie Lian, immediately finding their way to his injury. His robe is torn to shreds at the shoulder, probably beyond repair, and the wound is throbbing; but from the moment the first butterfly brushes its gentle wings against his skin, Xie Lian can feel the pain easing.
“Thank you, San Lang”, he says with a content sigh. “That’s so nice.”
“I failed to protect gege”, Hua Cheng says. “The least I can do is to help him heal.”
It doesn’t take long before the pain melts into a pleasant sensation of warmth. Xie Lian draws a deep breath and feels his entire body relaxing as the wound closes, healed by the caring touches of the spirit butterflies. He smiles at the shining creatures as they clean away the blood and dirt as well, leaving his skin unblemished and smooth.
“Thank you”, Xie Lian whispers as the butterflies finish their task and dissolve into soft, shimmering mist. “And thank you, San Lang”, Xie Lian says, turning to look at his husband. “You’re so skilled. I feel much better now…”
His affectionate words trail off as he sees the look on Hua Cheng’s face. There’s a small frown on his brow, a restless glint in his eye, and he doesn’t return Xie Lian’s smile.
“San Lang…?” Xie Lian reaches out to touch his beloved’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Gege”, Hua Cheng says, leaning into Xie Lian’s touch as if looking for his warmth. “You… I couldn’t hear you, back there.” He covers Xie Lian’s hand with his own, nuzzling it, but the gesture lacks his usual playful fondness; it’s almost desperate, somehow, and he tightens his hold on Xie Lian’s hand.
“Oh no”, Xie Lian says, sympathy filling his heart as he suddenly understands what shook Hua Cheng so deeply. “San Lang, it’s all right… I’m safe and sound. We both are.”
Hua Cheng closes his eye and stays still for a moment. As Xie Lian caresses his face again, he shifts into motion, sitting up on the bed and wrapping his arms around Xie Lian. “Gege”, he breathes.
“Oh, my San Lang”, Xie Lian murmurs. “It’s okay. Nothing bad happened. That demon beast will never bother us, or Puqi Village, again.”
Hua Cheng pulls him close, squeezing him against his chest as if desperate to feel his heartbeat. “I couldn’t hear gege”, he says in a low, anguished voice. “I couldn’t hear or see you at all. All I knew was that you had disappeared in that dark fog, and I… I couldn’t get to you.”
“San Lang, no —”
“I thought for a moment —” Hua Cheng takes a sharp breath. “I was sure you were gone. Gege’s presence is always so warm and bright, but… suddenly there was only emptiness, nothing, and I… I thought I had failed you again, made you suffer, that I had let you—”
“San Lang”, Xie Lian repeats, in a firmer, louder voice, but at the same time stroking a soothing hand down Hua Cheng’s back. “San Lang has not failed me, ever.” He cups Hua Cheng’s face in his hands and leans in to touch their foreheads together. “San Lang is brave and strong”, Xie Lian whispers, “and once again, saved me and helped me. And not only that…” He smiles, turning to look at his shoulder, where no mark of the wound remains. “You healed me and made me feel so much better. I don’t want to hear my beloved husband belittling himself after doing such amazing things.”
Hua Cheng pulls back from the hug to look at Xie Lian. With a sad smile, Xie Lian caresses his face again and leans in to press a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you, my San Lang”, he says. “When we’re together, nothing can defeat us. Not now, and not ever. And your gege will never leave you.”
They lie down and settle on the bed to hold and comfort each other, ignoring the fact that it’s hardly past noon. Xie Lian asks Ruoye to go rest with E’Ming, who seems just as upset as Hua Cheng after witnessing Xie Lian getting hurt; the loyal silk happily goes to wrap itself around the scimitar, and E’Ming quickly calms down in Ruoye’s silky embrace, his eye fluttering closed as Ruoye gives gentle pats on his hilt.
“San Lang”, Xie Lian whispers, stroking Hua Cheng’s back. Gradually, the tension in Hua Cheng’s body melts away and the anguish in his presence turns into calm relief. Xie Lian is delighted to feel Hua Cheng’s side starting to rise and fall with a slow rhythm as he starts breathing; it’s usually a sign that he is feeling peaceful and content.
The lovers stay in the warm safety of their bedroom for a long time. However, despite the soft luxury of their bed, neither of them dozes off, wanting to stay awake to enjoy and appreciate each other’s comforting closeness. As they cuddle and give each other soft, quiet kisses, Xie Lian feels reassured and warm all over, relieved that he can no long find even a trace of that tortured look on Hua Cheng’s face.
For a fleeting moment, Xie Lian remembers Puqi Village and reminds himself they will have to go to tell the villagers about what happened to the demon. The villagers must have noticed that the demon is gone, but they will surely feel better knowing that there is no risk of it ever returning to haunt their beloved home.
However, Xie Lian also knows they are not in a hurry. The Puqi Village can wait for a while longer, and the villagers will be safe… just like Xie Lian is, as always, held in his husband’s protective arms.