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“AAHHHHHH!!!” A loud cry of fear pierced through the bustling Ghost City; some looked up to perhaps glance to where it came from but many just shrugged it off and continued with their lives. Screams of such kind were not uncommon, especially near the crowded rows of food stalls and restaurants where human or other monsters’ meat was favoured.
The screaming continued, “Help me!! Ahh! No! Stay away!” The owner of the voice burst out from an alleyway and into the main streets, in hopes that the crowd would deter the chasing ghost dogs. Nope, it did not help at all: the crowd just parted and let him and his pursuers through. Wei WuXian glanced back and wailed louder—the dogs were gaining on him, not at all tired; not like the ghost dogs or himself would tire easily.
Searching for higher ground so he could escape, Wei WuXian scrambled up the first wall he found, scaling it with little difficulty. He yelped when the dogs jumped and got hold of his pant leg and almost pulled him down. He kicked out and freed his leg but lost his grip on the wall and fell, towards the dog’s frothing muzzles. His eyes fell shut automatically as he faced his second death, being torn apart by hungry dead dogs.
When his impending doom did not arrive, he opened his eyes to find himself suspended in the air, the dogs that cornered him were running off with their tails between their legs. Wei WuXian glanced up to look at what kept him for falling and his eyes met with a single gleaming red eye. “I was wondering what all that ruckus was.” The man mused, the corner of his eye crinkling in mirth. “I came to investigate and found something really interesting in my backyard.”
“Hey! Don’t objectify me! And let me down now!” Wei WuXian squirmed and reached to free his robe’s collar from the man’s grip.
“If I let go, I’m sure the dogs would come right back.” The man chuckled, his eye flitting up to the mouth of the alley where said pack of dogs were waiting patiently like a flock of circling vultures waiting to descend on their weakened prey. Any words of protest were lost; Wei WuXian deflated and whimpered when the dog barked at him.
Wei WuXian was hauled up the wall and into his mysterious saviour’s backyard; he dusted himself off and turned to thank the man. Now that he no longer had one foot in his coffin in the afterlife, he got the chance to get a good look at the man. Any colour he had in his face drained at the recognition of his saviour: he had never met him officially but he had heard rumours around the city. Wei WuXian had been saved by the Ghost City’s chengzhu, Hua Cheng, or also known as Crimson Rain Sought Flower, one of the Four Great Calamities.
Looking at his paling face, Hua Cheng grew more amused. Wei WuXian opened his mouth then shut it again: he was at a loss for words. “It seems like the cat got your tongue.” Hua Cheng chuckled. “It's nice to finally meet you, Yiling Laozu or should I say Wei WuXian?”
Was it possible for a ghost to get paler than they already were? The answer was yes. “You..know about me?” Wei WuXian’s breath hitched, his body tensing up and his hand twitched for a weapon only to remember he didn’t have SuiBian or ChenQing with him when he woke up alone in a random street in the Ghost city.
“Mm who wouldn’t? A famed war hero that cultivated the heretic path of demonic cultivator but in the end died from his Shidi’s blade before being torn to shreds by his own minions,” said Hua Cheng.
Those words hit home; Wei WuXian gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, looking at the blades of dark green grass by his feet. “It seems like I’ve said something wrong and displeased you, that was not my intention,” Hua Cheng stood before him, his lips curled downwards.
With a deep breath, Wei WuXian forced those uneasy feelings and memories aside, “It’s fine, I’m used to it.” He waved it off with a grin. “I didn’t know that this was the great Hua Chengzhu’s house. Pardon me for intruding, the garden is really pretty.” He commented, changing the subject to something random but more pleasant.
“Thank you. Come in for a drink, I may have something in my collection that may interest you.” Hua Cheng turned to leave the garden, already knowing that he would follow: what fool would ever decline free alcohol, especially with a feared calamity like Hua Cheng.
That was the start of their odd friendship and also when Wei WuXian, ex Yiling Patriarch, ended up living in the many rooms of the Paradise Manor.
---
“Hua Cheng!!” Wei WuXian’s voice cut through the air, a series of loud footsteps on the wooden floor sounded before the door to Hua Cheng’s room was flung open. Although it had been only two months since he and Hua Cheng had met, both of them got on well like a house on fire. The red-clad ghost sighed and glanced up from the painting he was working on. Hua Cheng sighed at the sight, he could feel himself losing years of his undead eternal life: In his roommate's arms was a dirty eight-year-old kid with sparkly red eyes, dressed in rags. “Wei WuXian, put the child back where you found it, as evil as the tales made me, I do not condone kidnapping.”
Wei WuXian pouted and crossed his arms across his chest as best as someone carrying a child could. “Hua-ge, how could you ever accuse me of being a kidnapper?! I would never!” he said dramatically. “Anyways I saved him from some humans in his village. His name is Xue Yang and he is now my son!” He declared, holding the child up into the air, presenting him to Hua Cheng.
“No.” Hua Cheng said with finality. He eyed the child warily: the child’s sparkly eyes hardened and turned cold as he glared at him; before Wei WuXian could notice, those eyes turned back to the innocent and sparkly ones as before, a sliver of fangs could be seen as a sly grin appeared and then disappeared just like those eyes had. Hua Cheng’s grip on the brush tightened, snapping the wood in half as he held himself back from attacking the child.
In the end, no matter how many times Hua Cheng tried to convince Wei WuXian that the kid was fishy and that he should abandon him, his words fell upon deaf ears. Grudgingly, Hua Cheng had to accept the kid’s presence in the already chaotic household.
---
The kid grew onto Hua Cheng like sticky candy to hair as time passed—not that he would ever admit it, not even over his very dead body. A year had passed since Wei WuXian and he officially adopted him and they (Wei WuXian) decided that a perfect party was necessary for his precious baby; the man was shouting orders and directing the servants around to prepare for the celebration. While that was happening, Hua Cheng silently oversaw the situation; he sighed a little as he watched how much had changed in his life since he’d saved Wei WuXian and the brat had been adopted.
From the corner of his eye, Hua Cheng spotted Xue Yang, the birthday boy. The boy, although adopted by them, obviously favoured Wei WuXian more—it was probably because he was the one that had plucked him off the streets. Xue Yang had adopted a style similar to the ex Yiling Patriarch: a high ponytail, dark-coloured robes, and a terrible taste in naming things.
“Let me see what you have!” Hua Cheng put down the set of papers he was reading through when he spotted Xue Yang holding something sneakily in his hands.
“A sword!” Xue Yang replied cheekily and took off running.
“No!” Hua Cheng yelled, chasing after the boy.
Wei WuXian found them before the party in a hilarious chase, silver butterflies and a flash of red pursuing a small blur of black.
How Xue Yang had gotten his hands on a spiritual sword in the first place, he had no idea. However, that did not dampen the mood of the party but his terrible taste in naming things gained from Wei WuXian did. Hua Cheng couldn’t believe Xue Yang named his sword JiàngZāi while Wei WuXian pouted in a corner, growing mushrooms since Xue Yang didn't choose any of the names he’d offered. Thank Xie Lian he didn't.
---
"Hua Cheng are you in? I need money again, open up!" He Xuan banged at the front doors of Paradise manor. "Or at least give me some food."
After a moment, the door opened and Hua Cheng stood their with an irked expression then waved him in. "I'll add this to your debt, you know you way to the dining room." He waved him off.
After a good long meal, He Xuan decided to pay Hua Cheng a visit, maybe enjoy a drink or two and discuss rumours or ongoing investigations.
What He Xuan had never expected was to see another man passed out drunk in Hua Cheng's bed, a child next to him while Hua Cheng was reading a bedtime story for said child.
"...Hua Cheng..procreated.." The man in black whispered in horror before passing out.
"...Dad he just died." A sleepy Xue Yang pointed out before turning to Wei WuXian. "Mom, wake up, Dad killed someone." He tried shaking him awake.
Hua Cheng sighed and shook his head, "He's already dead, now let me finish the story, it's your bedtime." Hua Cheng tucked Xue Yang comfortably into the cover, ignoring the passed out calamity on the floor.
The next day, He Xuan was poked awaked. The feeling of a sword handle jabbing into his cheek was present, a soft giggle sounded and the poking continued. He groaned and shifted his best to get more comfortable, he felt stiff all over sleeping on the ground; slowly, his memory came back to him. His eyes snapped open to glare at the poking offender, ready to tell off the person before his jaw dropped. In front of him was a boy dressed in red robes; he would have thought it was one of Hua Cheng's many skins but the spiritual power was obviously different.
"Mom! The weird man has woken up!" The boy yelled out. A man came rushing in, looking a little disheveled: it was the same man that shared beds with Hua Cheng, was this the new love interest he had heard about in the streets?
"Xue Yang! Don't be mean to him, and how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Mom! At least call me Father or Gege!" He huffed, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately.
"Are you feeling better He Xuan? I heard from Hua Cheng that you passed out from exhaustion. Here's some water." He Xuan humbly accepted the glass of water.
"Oh! If you're looking for HuaHua- *cough* I mean Hua Cheng, he's out of town dealing with a small problem, he'll be back in the afternoon. The name's Wei WuXian and this kid is Xue Yang." Wei WuXian picked the kid up and held him against his waist, carrying the nine-year-old with ease. "Let's head out for brunch, Hua Cheng told me all about your bottomless appetite."
He Xuan eyed the man oddly at the nickname, keeping that in mind; he followed Wei WuXian—he'd never say no to food. "Are you Hua Cheng's husband..? Wife?" He asked after a bite of food. Wei WuXian choked at the question; Xue Yang, being the nice kind son he was, passed a glass of water to him sympathetically before breaking into laughter when Wei WuXian spat the 'water' out—it was vinegar.
"You little imp!" Wei WuXian growled, getting up to chase the fleeing child. He sighed and slumped down onto the table, mumbling: "Ugh..he turned out to be a worse trickster than me.."
"To answer your question..I'm just a..simple servant that Hua Cheng picked up haha." Wei WuXian laughed.
"Even a servant would be more useful than you." Hua Cheng entered the dining area, his scimitar by his waist, bloody.
"Ugh HuaHua! I thought we were best friends!" Wei WuXian threw himself dramatically at Hua Cheng.
Irritation written on his face, He Xuan was surprised that Hua Cheng didn't push the man away. "Before you get the wrong idea, this shameless idiot here is not my husband or wife. He's my...brother and the child was picked up by him on a whim. I just agreed so he would stop bugging me about it."
“See! He loves me, right?” Wei WuXian clung onto Hua Cheng harder, grinning brightly at He Xuan who simply nodded and proceeded to stuff his mouth further. At least this meeting was over, it could have gone worse.
---
Eight years had passed since Wei WuXian and Xue Yang entered Paradise Manor. It was mostly Wei WuXian left tinkering around with a new invention in the manor while Hua Cheng was out doing who knew what and Xue Yang was out: he’d declared that he was old enough to go and adventure by himself. He was allowed to go provided that he had talismans and flares that would alert either parent if he got himself in trouble. So far there had been no need for those until this fateful day. Wei WuXian was startled out of his work when he heard the piercing wail of a signal flare sent towards the sky: the colour red burst in the sky, fluttering down to reveal a red Chinese maple leaf motif. In a hurry, he grabbed a handful of talismans and the sword Hua Cheng had gifted him during the first year of his stay. Without a golden core or spiritual powers, it had taken some time for him to figure out sword-flying with resentment energy. Wei WuXian mounted the sword and rushed towards the flare location.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red—Hua Cheng had also just joined him. The two rushed to the scene; they saw Xue Yang fending off two high-level cultivators: the teen was covered head to toe in blood while dead or dying bodies surrounded him. “Xue Yang!” Wei WuXian yelled, throwing himself forward, and shielded Xue Yang’s back from a blade. A flurry of silver butterflies flew past them and engulfed the cultivator in black. Hua Cheng came by and stood in front of both him and Xue Yang protectively as he glared menacingly at the other two.
“You idiot! Wei WuXian, don’t rush in like that without a plan!” Hua Cheng’s angered gaze turned to the two behind him.
“Don’t be mad Hua-ge, I’m not some damsel in distress.” Wei WuXian laughed and pulled Hua Cheng away from the deity binding rope flying at him. “Now who’s rushing in without a plan?” He teased then turned to face his son. “Xue Yang. I need you to be a good boy and sit here while you let us take care of this.” Wei WuXian ruffled the teen’s hair and received a disgruntled grunt in reply.
“Okay..” Wei WuXian turned back to the two cultivators, stretching and cracking his back a little, “Ah..I’m truly getting old. Hua Cheng, the one in black is yours, I’m taking on the white one.” Wei WuXian reached for his sword, a bright grin on his face.
“Hm..Careful not to hurt your back like the last time when we sparred, old man.” Hua Cheng smirked and flew forward, E-Ming shining under the bright sunlight.
“Who are you calling old man?! I’m the only one that can do that! You’re like centuries older than me.” Wei WuXian grimaced. “Bet that doesn’t work as well with old age,” he gestured shamelessly to his crotch.
“Oh my god! Will you guys stop and focus instead!” Xue Yang groaned. He dragged his hands down his face: he would never escape this secondhand embarrassment around his parents.
“Wei WuXian!?” The cultivator in white yelled as he deflected his blade.
“Hm? You know about me?” Wei WuXian asked with a tilt of his head as he pressed on with his attack, pushing harder.
“Who in this world doesn’t know about you?” Xue Yang snarked from the side.
“Baoshan Sanren’s disciple, Cangse Sanren’s son, Wei WuXian?” The cultivator asked, persistently not going on the offensive, no matter how much he attacked.
“You know about my mother?” Wei WuXian’s eyes narrowed, the grip on his sword tightened. “Who are you?”He asked.
“ZiChen, stop attacking!” The cultivator yelled to the one in black. The man named Zichen halted his blade, hesitant, since Hua Cheng showed no sign of stopping.
“Hua Cheng, stop attacking too.” Wei WuXian called out, pulling his sword away and sheathing it. With a wave of an arm, the silver butterflies vanished from the air, E-Ming also returned to its scabbard. Despite all the weapons being stowed, the air was still hostile like a viper waiting to strike at the first movement.
“It is great to meet you. My name is Xiao XingChen.” The man in white bowed. “And this is Song Lan.” He introduced the silent man beside him.
“The bright moon and gentle breeze Xiao XingChen and the distant snow and cold frost Song Lan.” Hua Cheng stepped beside Wei WuXian, Xue Yang’s collar gripped in one hand.
“Ah? You know them, HuaHua?” Wei WuXian asked as he gently pried Xue Yang’s collar free and proceeded to fuss over the irritated teen.
“I’ve heard of them. Xiao XingChen is Baoshan Sanren’s disciple, he recently descended from the mountains.” Hua Cheng answered, a slight frown marring his face as he cuffed the back of Xue Yang’s head. “What did you do, brat?” Xue Yang winced and pouted, staying silent with his arms crossed, obviously sulking.
“I see that this young master is rather up to date with the rumours and news.” Xiao XingChen chuckled warmly; his gaze flitted to Xue Yang then away from him.
“Hua Cheng, One of the Four Great Calamities.” Song Lan spoke for the first time. His words sounded forced, a hand twitched towards his sword. That did not escape the astute sense and sharp eyes of Wei WuXian or Hua Cheng. Deciding that further bloodshed should be avoided, Wei WuXian held his hands up, placating them, “Xiao XingChen, would you care to explain what caused you to attack our son Xue Yang?” He quickly brought the subject to what was more pressing.
“This boy was caught red-handed in the act of murdering this whole clan and decided to flee when approached.” Xiao XingChen explained; by his side, Song Lan’s jaw tensed.
“He was caught murdering a whole clan?” Wei WuXian raised a brow and turned to look at his son in disappointment. “Didn’t we tell you that if you wanted to kill, make sure no one is there to witness.” He sighed, shaking his head.
“Ridiculous!” Song Lan blurted out. “He’s killed a whole clan of innocent people and you’re not punishing him and giving him advice instead!?”
“Eh..Hua-ge, don't you think he reminds you of Lan Zhan with his righteousness and ridiculousness,” Wei WuXian huffed with a roll of his eyes. “And innocent my ass. My son isn’t a blood-lusting murderer, if he did exterminate a whole clan, there is a valid reason behind it.”
"ZiChen..calm down..let's hear the boy's side of the story." Xiao XingChen squeezed Song Lan's arm, urging him to listen.
"Xue Yang, explain." Hua Cheng’s tone told him that this time he wouldn't take no for an answer. Xue Yang's cocky smirk was wiped clean and he cowered slightly at his Father's unamused stare.
"Maybe we don't need him to answer.." Wei WuXian cut in cryptically before shooting forward to push Xiao XingChen away and swiftly cut down a man that came running towards him.
Xiao XingChen gasped, turning his attention to the back where more people came rushing out. "Let's talk later. ZiChen, be careful." Said Xiao XingChen before all of them were engaged in battle.
“These are living corpses..” Wei WuXian muttered under his breath. “Which evil bastard did this.” He hissed, examining the fallen bodies they had cut down earlier. Xiao XingChen approached him from behind, kneeling down beside him, putting his hands together and eyes closed in a silent prayer for the people. “Shizhi..I do apologise for jumping to conclusions too quickly and almost hurting your son.” The man said softly, his eyes open from his silent prayer.
“It’s okay Shishu.” Wei WuXian chuckled, slinging an arm around Xiao XingChen without thought. “It’s my idiotic son’s fault for being too suspicious.” He barked. An indignant yell came from the back, “Hey! Who’s the one that raised me into being suspicious-looking?!” Wei WuXian broke into further laughter, glad that the misunderstanding had been cleared up. “We have found out what we could over here, come let’s go get a drink!” He cheered, pulling his Shishu up, dragging the man towards the exit.
Once settled in a nearby winehouse, Xue Yang was well chastised by Wei WuXian while Hua Cheng gave said teen a cold glare. “Shizhi..I have a question in regards to the rumours I’ve heard about you.” Xiao XingChen started hesitantly after the round of scolding.
“Hm?” Wei WuXian looked up from his food, his mouth full of food. “Whaf?” Wei WuXian choked slightly. Hua Cheng sighed and gently whacked his back to get the food down. “What? Sorry.” Wei WuXian cleared his throat, blushing slightly.
If Xiao XingChen found their interaction odd or amusing, he didn’t say or show it. “8 years ago you...passed on..”
Wei WuXian understood what his martial uncle was trying to ask and nodded, “Yep, I died 8 years ago, not many remember my face so don’t worry haha. I’m just a wandering ghost right now; to make sure that this fake skin looks good, I periodically borrow spiritual power from Hua-ge or use resentment energy.” He waved the concerned look away.
“I’m sorry for being unable to help my shizhi..I should have descended earlier if I had found out about my shijie’s death..” Xiao XingChen slumped down with guilt. At that sight, Wei WuXian started to panic; Song Lan and Hua Cheng having a staring contest beside them did not help the situation. Ignoring the two, Wei WuXian laid a hand reassuringly on his martial uncle, grinning, “You don’t need to apologise. It was never your fault, plus I’m living a great life right now: I have a son, a roof over my head and loads of yummy food and alcohol.”
“You freeloader.” Hua Cheng sniped with a roll of his eyes. “Aww don’t be like that HuaHua! Hua-ge~ I know you love me.” Wei WuXian shamelessly plastered himself against Hua Cheng, rubbing his cheek against the other man’s.
The two groups parted that day, with promises to meet again with regards to the living corpses case was what was said but Xiao XingChen along with the reluctant Song Lan visited them in the Ghost City often just to catch up and rest.
---
Twelve years passed in the blink of an eye and when the thirteenth year started, Wei WuXian fell sick with an unknown illness, weakening him as the days passed. This threw Xue Yang and Hua Cheng into a frantic panic of trying to find a cure for their parent and brother, respectively. “Both of you worry too much. I’m already a dead man that has been able to live this long as a ghost. I’m already happy enough to have been able to live a rather peaceful life and raise such a good son.” Wei WuXian teased weakly; he had been bedridden since the start of the week.
“What are you saying, you idiot brother.” Hua Cheng flitted to his side, his usual grin absent from his face, instead he just looked paler than usual. “You’re not going to die a second time, Xiao XingChen and Song Lan are coming soon, they may know what’s happening.” Hua Cheng rushed around the room, as if trying to distract and reassure himself from the implications of his illness.
“HuaHua, you should know best..you’re like 800 something years old. Have you ever seen a ghost fall sick and..aren’t you busy chasing after someone right now?” Wei WuXian grinned, wriggling his brows. Hua Cheng looked slightly alarmed at the revelation, “Y-you? How?”
“Ooh I managed to startle the great Crimson Rain Sought Flower hah-” Wei WuXian laughed before going into another coughing fit. Worried hands hovered around him; Xue Yang looked like he was either going to cry or laugh, maybe both, while Hua Cheng’s frown deepened. “I’m okay..I just choked, don’t worry. Anyways, Hua-ge, you’re not very subtle about your crush.” Wei WuXian smirked. “So who is it?” He jabbed, knowing that he could get away with anything right now—Hua Cheng would never hit a sick person.
A knock sounded in the room before Wei WuXian could continue his teasing; the door slid open and revealed Xiao XingChen and Song Lan. “I see that you are better since you can tease Hua Cheng like this.” His shishu chuckled and walked in.
“Shishu!” Wei WuXian perked up at the sight of his martial uncle, “It’s nice to see you too, it seems like things are going well at your end.” Wei WuXian smirked, his eyes focused on the joined hands of his martial uncle and his partner. The flustered reaction he got out of them left his stomach and lungs aching as he laughed himself into another coughing fit, this time feeling a little dizzy.
“Have you found anything?” Xue Yang asked, sliding towards Xiao XingChen—the boy had gotten really attached to his grand martial uncle after the initial bad meeting. “Look at that, HuaHua, our son has found himself new parents and doesn’t want us anymore.” Wei WuXian moaned, slumping further down the bed, an arm coming to shield his face dramatically.
“If I had a parent like you, I would also want to find new parents.” Hua Cheng mumbled under his breath but Wei WuXian heard him clearly. Wei WuXian sputtered wordlessly before pouting, “All of you are bullies, is this how you treat a sick man?” He whined.
“A freeloader and a drama queen.” Hua Cheng sighed loudly, this got everyone to burst out into laughter once again.
A couple of months had passed since Wei WuXian fell ill. Xue Yang had been gone for an extended period of time with Xiao XingChen and Song Lan in search of a possible cure. Hua Cheng had gotten busy with a god, Xie Lian—Wei WuXian had heard from some of the servants. What a huge difference between his two deaths, maybe this time he could rest in peace.
It was as if he knew his time had come; Wei WuXian had gathered his loved ones, his family in his second ghost life, for his final moments. “Don’t look so down..ah..Xue Yang..please don’t cry. You look silly now.” Wei WuXian chuckled, lifting his hand to pet the teen’s head. “I will see you all soon..I promise.” His weakened gaze flickered past the small group gathered, a bright smile on his face as he felt himself become lighter before finally fading into nothing.
---
“Xue Yang, don’t run too far ahead, what if we can’t find you?” Xiao XingChen’s voice called out. They were in Yi City currently, where numerous rumours ran with regards to its occupants and how they seemed like living corpses. Hua Cheng had updated them with this information just a few days ago; they had decided to all come over to search the place, but they were not aware of how gloomy, empty, and misty the city was.
They quickly met up with Hua Cheng and his companion, a god named Xie Lian, in the city centre, or what they assumed was the city centre. “The air is odd here..I sense many presences here, both living and dead,” commented Xie Lian.
“Mm..Gege, please be careful.” Hua Cheng warned as they proceeded to walk forward into the misty abyss. “The rest of you too, especially you, Xue Yang.” Even though it had only been a few months since Xue Yang had moved out, that didn’t mean Hua Cheng no longer cared for the brat he had helped to raise.
“...Lan Zhan..what if in this mist someone walks in between the two of us, we will never know.” A voice came from the front.
“Silence.” Came a short reply.
The silence was broken by the sound of blades clashing, “Xue Yang?! Get back here!” Hua Cheng yelled, just realising that he was no longer holding onto Xue Yang.
“San Lang, calm down. Everyone, let’s gather closer so we don’t attack each other by accident.” Xie Lian called out, pulling Hua Cheng’s sleeve and bringing them back to back with Xiao XingChen and Song Lan.
“Xue Yang..?..HuaHua! Is that you?!” The mysterious man's voice called out.
“Who are you? Why do you know my name?” Xue Yang growled out, his blade not once wavering despite the unknown armed assailant still lost in the mist and in front of him.
“How could you ever forget about me? I raised you from a little runt! I’m hurt.” The man cried out. “Lan Zhan! Don’t attack, I know them.” The group sensed a shadow flitting past them and landing in front of them, at least ten steps away, it was where the familiar voice was coming from too.
“Mom..?..It can’t be..” Xue Yang choked out, the sound of a blade clattering to the ground.
“Wei WuXian..? Is that you?!” Hua Cheng tightened his grip on Xie Lian and walked forward towards where he heard his voice calling, grabbing hold of Xue Yang when he found him. “Hua Cheng, get back here, this could be a trick from the mist,” hissed Song Lan.
“ZiChen, calm down, we have been here for this long and nothing has happened. I doubt it’s the mist..if it’s really Wei WuXian then..” Xiao XingChen clenched his fist, shaking off Song Lan’s hand and walked forward with Hua Cheng.
Before they truly made all the ten steps to the man they had thought had died for the second time, Wei WuXian tackled them into a group hug, crying out: “See! Told you guys I don't break my promises. I'm back. Did you guys miss me?” Even if the mist was obstructing their vision, they could still hear the bright smile filling the void it had left months ago.