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Xie Lian was slammed onto the altar, scattering ink and brushes all around. Outside the temple doors, he could hear Qi Rong's shrill screams getting farther and farther away, but he couldn't go and stop him.
Why?
Because Hua Cheng was on top of him, burning like a furnace, pouring fire into his throat as he kissed him senseless. He was relentless, like a starved man finally getting a first taste of food, and Xie Lian felt that he might suffocate, or burst, or light up in flames.
Xie Lian tapped Hua Cheng's shoulder, "San- mph! "
Hua Cheng only let go for a moment, allowing Xie Lian a single breath before leaning back down to continue devouring his mouth. This time, he even took Xie Lian's wrists and pinned them to the altar!
After a few more moments like that, Xie Lian had to resort to kicking Hua Cheng off of him and jumping off the altar, panting heavily.
Hua Cheng wasn't held back for more than a few seconds though, and soon he crowded Xie Lian back against the altar, searching for his lips once more.
"San Lang!" Xie Lian cried and put his hands on Hua Cheng's burning, broad shoulders. However, it seemed that he didn't need to push him away again, as the ghost king froze in place and stopped pressing forward. He seemed to be restraining himself forcefully, staring at Xie Lian's face for a few moments before collapsing on him and hugging him close in a bone-crushing embrace.
"San Lang?" Xie Lian rubbed Hua Cheng's back softly, sensing the erratic energy rattling around the Calamity's body.
Ah... no wonder he wanted to kiss Xie Lian so much. With all that energy inside him and no way to let it out, it must be extremely painful for him. Xie Lian wasn't done contemplating when suddenly, he felt Hua Cheng's hot lips against his throat.
He yelped and instinctively shoved the ghost king away, but who knew that instead of reaching for his mouth again, Hua Cheng would lean back down towards his throat instead, kissing and licking. Xie Lian could feel a sharp fang scrape against his skin, and he jumped, a high-pitched breath escaping his mouth. The sound seemed to encourage Hua Cheng, who kept going with more vigour, traveling around his neck.
Ah, my cursed shackle , Xie Lian realized as he noticed the pattern of the kisses. Hua Cheng was covering Xie Lian's cursed shackle with his mouth, kissing and biting as if trying to take it off.
"San Lang," Xie Lian pushed Hua Cheng's face away, blocking his hungry mouth with his hands. "This won't help you. Let me- ah! "
Xie Lian yanked his hands away as if burned.
Hua Cheng licked his palm!
"San Lang!" Xie Lian held him back by the shoulders now, and Hua Cheng whined!
"San-"
"Don't leave me," Hua Cheng said again, straining against Xie Lian's hold. He was a Calamity level ghost king, he could easily overpower a twice-shackled fallen god, but he seemed to fight against himself as well, trying to come closer and push away at the same time. "I'm sorry, don't leave me. Don't leave."
He repeated those words senselessly, and Xie Lian's heart ached.
"San Lang ah, come here."
He apologized in his mind, three times to Hua Cheng and three times to his mysterious beloved, before cupping Hua Cheng's face in his hands and sealing their lips together.
The ghost king whined into his mouth, shaky and desperate as he poured wave after wave of boiling energy into Xie Lian's body. And Xie Lian took it all, opening his mouth wider to take even more in. Hua Cheng laid him on the altar again, let his feverish hands wander all over Xie Lian's body, lingering on his waist, his chest, rubbing the cursed shackle, settling in his hair for a few moments before traveling down his back again.
Xie Lian was going crazy, his body lit on fire. He couldn't touch Hua Cheng in return, could only clench his fists into the blood-red robes and suffer through Hua Cheng's delightful touches. His hands never went towards indecent places, never below the waist, and Xie Lian couldn't help but be impressed by Hua Cheng's willpower, stopping himself even at such a moment.
This must be the depth of his devotion to his beloved.
Xie Lian, although impressed and touched, was also somewhat saddened.
How nice it must be, to be loved like this, so fiercely. How could it be that Hua Cheng hasn't won over his beloved yet? How could anyone resist him?
Xie Lian felt full to the brim with energy, unable to contain any more. He drew back, needing to rest a little, and Hua Cheng let out a wet sob.
"Dianxia!"
Xie Lian froze, his head snapping to meet Hua Cheng's pleading eyes.
He was still affected by whatever had taken over him, it was clear in his hazy eyes, and yet... he just called...
"Dianxia," he repeated, leaning for a kiss again, and Xie Lian was too shocked to stop him.
The murmurs of "Dianxia" repeated between each kiss, fervently, like a prayer. Hua Cheng's hands caressed Xie Lian's neck again, smoothing over his cursed shackle, trying to rub it off his skin.
"San Lang," Xie Lian whispered, pushing Hua Cheng away once more. The pleading sound torn from the ghost king's throat made Xie Lian ache, but he had to ask... he had to know...
"San Lang, do you know who I am?"
He only received a whine in return, no answer.
"San Lang, tell me, Who am I?"
"Dianxia," Hua Cheng breathed. "Dianxia, Your Highness, gege, Dianxia."
He kept repeating names- Xie Lian's names- as though the answer would grant him passage to Xie Lian's lips again.
"Dianxia, Dianxia, please please please plea-"
Xie Lian finally gave in with a groan, taking Hua Cheng's lips once more, and the ghost king keened into his mouth.
He didn't know what it meant. Did San Lang recognize him? Did he know who he was kissing? Did he want to kiss Xie Lian? To touch him like he did? Was it just this strange ailment distorting his judgement?
Xie Lian couldn't know for certain. He wanted to know. He wanted to ask Hua Cheng. He wanted his San Lang to return to normal.
Xie Lian took Hua Cheng's head in his hands, pulled him closer, and started sucking the energy himself. Hua Cheng moaned and started sending even more energy which Xie Lian accepted, kept taking and taking more.
He could feel his fingers growing numb, his entire body shaking, but when Hua Cheng tried to draw back, Xie Lian pulled him back in.
His vision was swimming, his head pounding and buzzing- he was going to burst, going to burn, he was going to- going to-
There was a loud CRACK! as if a whole mountain was split in half, and Xie Lian fell back on the altar, Hua Cheng dropping next to him. They were both breathing heavily, staring at each other through half lidded eyes. Xie Lian's hand on Hua Cheng's back showed him that there was no need to take any more energy. While he was still feverish and restless, there was no more erratic energy in his body.
Everything would be alright now , Xie Lian sighed, smiling at Hua Cheng who was looking at him with wonder in his single, hazy eye.
Xie Lian felt unburdened, somehow, lighter than he'd been in centuries. The heaviness of sleep that came over him only highlighted that feeling.
He drew Hua Cheng into his chest, and fell asleep as Hua Cheng's arms tightened around him.
Xie Lian woke first, and smiled at Hua Cheng's peaceful face above him. During the night they shifted slightly, and though they went to sleep with Hua Cheng's face pressed into Xie Lian's chest, their position was now the opposite.
Xie Lian untangled himself, still smiling, and took the rattling E'ming, patting it soothingly until it relaxed. His mind was surprisingly empty, considering last night's... occurrences. Maybe his thoughts were just racing so quickly he couldn't catch them.
After some time, Hua Cheng suddenly shot upright.
"...Your Highness?!"
Xie Lian turned to him, smiling nervously.
"Ah, you're awake! Good, everything is fine now."
Hua Cheng was clearly panicking as he looked around the room, seeing the mess surrounding them.
"San Lang," Xie Lian laid a soothing hand on Hua Cheng's arm. "Do you remember what happened?"
Hua Cheng shook his head ferociously, his panic deepening.
"Dianxia, what did I do? Did I hurt you? What-"
"San Lang, calm down," Xie Lian rubbed circles into Hua Cheng's back, and he seemed to relax instinctively. "You didn't do anything bad, and you didn't hurt me. The truth is, we... yesterday, everyone was struck by fever or headaches. I- I'm sorry San Lang, but you tried to get rid of all that energy and we... well, we kissed. For a few hours. You just seemed to be suffering, and I didn't want you to hurt so much, so I- I'm really very sorry."
But Hua Cheng wasn't listening. Instead, he was staring at Xie Lian's neck as if mesmerized. He slowly lifted his hand, his fingers touching Xie Lian's skin so gently it felt like the brush of a feather.
"...San Lang?"
"Dianxia," Hua Cheng breathed out, looking at Xie Lian with wide eyes. "Dianxia, you- I- your shackle! Dianxia, look at your neck!"
Hua Cheng scrambled away, searching through the mess on the floor until he found a small mirror.
It was slightly cracked, but when Xie Lian held it up to his face, he could still clearly see what Hua Cheng meant, and his mouth dropped open.
"This..."
He ran his fingers around his neck.
Where a cursed shackle used to be, there was now only smooth skin to be found.
He lifted the edge of his robes to see his ankle, and it was the same. The cursed shackle was completely gone. He touched the bare skin, rubbing it over and over.
"San Lang, what... what is this?"
"I- Dianxia, this lowly one is ashamed. He doesn't know."
Is that why he felt so light the night before? Could such a thing really have happened? Jun Wu couldn't have released them just like that. It had to have something to do with the night before. Could it really be possible that...
"Ah, San Lang, I'm- could it really- do you have enough energy to break through two cursed shackles?"
"Ah, I do, but it wouldn't be possible without dissipating myself."
"Maybe the strange energy from last night-"
"Yes, that's possible."
As Hua Cheng spoke, his eyes were still stuck to Xie Lian's bare neck. He had such a delicate expression on his face, Xie Lian's heart fluttered. It was some sort of fragile joy, as if he was witnessing a miracle he couldn't completely believe. But it was just Xie Lian's neck.
"San Lang, last night, when we... kissed, you lost your senses. You were delusional, and-"
"I'm so sorry, Dianxia," Hua Cheng ripped his eyes from Xie Lian's neck and looked aside, his face miserable.
"No, no! No need to apologize! I... truthfully," Xie Lian Could feel his face heating up. "I quite- I quite enjoyed it. It's... I know San Lang has a beloved already, I'm very sorry for- for doing such a thing despite my knowledge. It's just- San Lang had... called a name during that time-" Hua Cheng's entire body immediately froze, "-and I wanted to know... what did it mean?"
"...whose name did I call?" Hua Cheng asked, his voice tight.
"Mine..."
Hua Cheng breathed a soft "ah", as if he already expected the answer, but still hoped for it to be different.
"San Lang... what does it mean?"
"If Dianxia already knows, then why ask?"
"Ah, I see," Xie Lian breathed. "So I didn't misunderstand."
The temple was silent for a few moments, as neither spoke.
"You... don't want to know... how I feel about this?"
Hua Cheng still didn't face him.
"Could your highness... not tell me?"
His voice cracked.
"San Lang, something like this needs to be said clearly."
Hua Cheng tensed up even further, taking a deep breath as if to prepare himself for a hit.
"That's true. That's for the best."
He lifted his head, like a criminal on death row waiting for his end.
When Xie Lian surged forward to embrace him, his whole body was stiff like stone.
With a breath that sounded like a sob, Hua Cheng finally turned towards him to return the hug, crushing Xie Lian into his chest as if afraid to let go.
"...Your Highness, you really... will be the death of me..." he breathed into Xie Lian's hair.
They stayed wrapped around each other, holding tight. Xie Lian wanted to stay like that forever, his entire body buzzing with delight, but there was still a stone heavily weighing on his heart.
He withdrew gently, leaving his hand in Hua Cheng's.
"San Lang... I still- there is something that I have to tell you. I... I know that you see me as a noble, gracious person, but... before we... I need to tell you this, but I'm- I'm afraid that after you find out-"
"Find out that Your Highness almost became the White Clothed Calamity?"
Xie Lian's head snapped up in shock.
"You- how-?"
"Dianxia, this lowly one has also been dishonest with you. Begging your forgiveness."
Hua Cheng rose from his sitting position into a kneeling position, leaning on one knee, his hand drawn to his chest and his head lowered, before meeting Xie Lian's eyes.
If he weren't already on the floor, Xie Lian would have surely collapsed.
"You-!"
"Does gege remember now?"
How could he not remember?!
"San Lang!" Xie Lian didn't have words to speak. He could only stare with tears in his eyes as Hua Cheng- Wu Ming! - smiled at him, his cheerful face overlapping with that familiar mask.
"It was you! Wu Ming!" Xie Lian crushed Hua Cheng into his chest, feeling as if no embrace could be tight enough. "San Lang! Ah... Sang Lang, you-! You really-!"
"Your Highness, I've always been with you," Hua Cheng said in his ear.
That was it!
Xie Lian drew back from the embrace, grabbed Hua Cheng's face, and smashed their mouths together.
It was sloppy, and this time they didn't have the strange fever to blame their inexperience on, but it was good, and it got better as they kept going, learning as they went.
"San Lang, San Lang," Xie Lian gasped, peppering Hua Cheng's face with kisses. "San Lang!"
"Gege," Hua Cheng's laughter filled Xie Lian's heart with butterflies. He doubled the onslaught of kisses, his chest full of some insatiable energy that he couldn't expel, couldn't put into words.
"Gege, I also have important things to tell you. Please let your poor San Lang breathe!"
"You don't need to breathe!" Xie Lian laughed, ignoring the spike in his heartbeat when Hua Cheng called himself his San Lang.
He hadn't had anyone to call "his" in so many years... his friends, his parents... now he had his San Lang.
"My San Lang..." Xie Lian cupped Hua Cheng's cheek, feeling a sudden wave of heavy tenderness wash over him. "My San Lang... doesn't need to breathe! Haha!"
Hua Cheng kissed his laughter, but it only made Xie Lian laugh harder.
"Gege, the fever from yesterday, it means that Mount Tong'lu has reopened."
"Ah..." Xie Lian sobered immediately.
"I didn't say this to dampen the mood. What I want to tell you, I would rather show you. And what I want to show you is hidden in Mount Tong'lu."
"Ah, isn't it dangerous to enter now? Every powerful ghost will be gathered there…"
"Where we are going is too deep in the mountain for anyone to reach so quickly, and it's also a completely hidden place. No one but me knows how to get in, and if someone gets in, they will be unable to get out. Besides, gege is so strong now, I bet even that Jun Wu couldn't defeat you, nevermind some lowlife ghosts."
"Ah, San Lang is exaggerating. The powerful one between the two of us is the ghost king, not the fallen god," Xie Lian smiled and let himself be pulled to his feet. "If San Lang wants, I'll gladly go."
Hua Cheng lifted Xie Lian's hand to his lips, leaving it there just a little too long. Not that Xie Lian was complaining.
Isn’t it a little too hot in this temple?
"Then this San Lang will take care not to disappoint gege's trust. I..." Hua Cheng averted his gaze, before looking back into Xie Lian's eyes earnestly. "I hope whatever gege sees, he wouldn't be... too disgusted by this San Lang after."
"San Lang! How could I ever be-!"
"Dianxia, please don't speak just yet. You should see first. Please."
Xie Lian saw Hua Cheng's desperate expression, and nodded.
"Alright. But San Lang must know that he is never disgusting. Please don't speak of yourself in that way."
Hua Cheng smiled brightly, though his face was slightly tinged with sadness. Xie Lian gave him a light kiss on the corner of his mouth, smoothed his hair and robes, then took his hand again.
"Alright," he said, squeezing Hua Cheng's palm in reassurance. "Let's go. I want to see what San Lang has to show me."
Hua Cheng smiled more freely this time. He threw a pair of dice and caught them in his hand, two white sixes looking up at them from his palm.
They stepped forward together, vanishing from the temple without leaving a trace.