Chapter Text
Xie Lian couldn't see anything through this veil.
It was thick and heavy with a light sheen on it everytime the light hit it at the right angle—a tell-tale sign that it was well made and crafted from the highest quality of fabrics, same with the rest of his robes.
His red wedding robes were heavy from layers upon layers of fabrics hanging off of his body, but the weight didn't bother him much. After all, he was the crown prince. He was used to elaborate and expensive robes that took Mu Qing hours to pin and tie every morning. But what did bother him was standing on the dais, his eyes glued to what little floor he could see underneath the veil, and the feeling of an unfamiliar figure who he was supposed to call his husband standing right beside him.
He always hoped that he would be fortunate enough to be granted a love match. After all, his parents were lucky enough to be one. Or that he would ascend to godhood before they had a chance to arrange a marriage for him after remaining true to his vows for years.
He felt a hand gently grasp his forearm, guiding him away from the altar and down the steps of the dais with the sound of cheers and well-wishes echoing through the hall. But the hand was cold with no trace of affection, as if the man holding him was disgusted by the thought of touching his skin.
His husband was Hua Cheng: The lord who rules over Ghost City, a lawless land outside the borders of any kingdom's jurisdiction. It was technically a kingdom of its own right, but this place was sinfully indulgent as it catered to all the vices of mankind. Everyone—especially Xianle, wouldn’t dare to ally themselves with such a place, if only they weren’t desperate.
The Human-face Disease has swept through Xianle overnight, infecting everyone but a few selected soldiers who were strangely immune from the sickness. The spread of the disease alarmed the palace and the emperor immediately sent forces to help with treatment for those who were inflicted in an attempt to contain the disease.
But the spread was fast and deadly. The disease spared no man, woman, or child and soon enough, almost all of Xianle was infected.
The emperor spared no expense for his people. He had drained the treasury for medicine, knowledge, anything that can help: Gold, fabric, and historic art were bartered off and sold for food and medicine for the sick. Xie Lian had even traded his expensive robes and jewelry to help his Kingdom, leaving him with almost nothing but the clothes on his back and a few sentimental items.
It was a miracle that Hua Cheng even accepted this marriage, considering that Xie Lian had almost nothing to give in return for financial support for Xianle. And especially since that he was under the guise of a distant cousin from the family of Xie.
The pair kept walking until Xie Lian could barely hear the cheers and sounds of the celebration, growing distant with each step. All that was left was the rustle of his heavy wedding robes, the quiet jingle from the man beside him, and the faint howl of the cold, harsh winds.
No one dared to speak during their walk together, even as the wooden floors turned to gravel and then back to polished wooden floors. But as time went on, the realization of what comes next fills him with dread.
Will he force me to break my vows? He thought nervously, after all, Hua Cheng was known to be ruthless and cruel, the very reasons why none of the other kingdoms tried to stop him from establishing Ghost City; He was an unstoppable force of nature, he could ask anything from Xie Lian, and he would have no choice but to give it to him.
Then they stopped.
Still unable to see, Xie Lian peeked from under his veil to see that they had stopped in front of a set of doors.
”This is your room,” a low voice grumbled from beside him, sending a chill running down his spine as Hua Cheng speaks for the first time since they met this morning.
“My waning moon officer will be with you if you need anything.” And with that, Hua Cheng lets go of his arm and walks away.
Xie Lian blinked, confused about what just happened. Hua Cheng just left…him?
He slid the door open, then entered before closing it behind him. At first he stood there, unmoving in front of the threshold feeling lost and empty. Then, he lifted the veil ever so slightly with one finger, enough to give him a clear view of the room. It wasn’t much or overly decorated: There was a bed pushed against the wall, a low table on one side and a screen on the other, empty bookshelves lining a wall with a large wooden chest, and a big open window that let the breeze sweep inside.
Xie Lian picked up his robes and walked towards the bed before sitting down with his robes billowed around him, he didn’t even bother removing his veil. It is tradition, he thought. It would be disrespectful to Hua Cheng if he returned to a bride who had unveiled himself.
If he ever returns at all.
Hua Cheng never returned.
Xie Lian didn’t sleep a wink, choosing to remain vigilant sitting on the bed, waiting for his husband to arrive. Instead of changing out of his heavy wedding robes that his family delivered him in, he sat unmoving with his thoughts racing through his head: Although it terrified him, there was a part of him that secretly wished—craved for his husband’s arrival. Although it wasn’t a love match, there was a part of him that hoped that Hua Cheng did have something for him. Maybe a twinge of affection, an irk of desire, a drop of respect, or anything that can serve as a foundational basis for a long, at least somewhat tolerable marriage.
At the same time, Xie Lian couldn't blame him.
If I was married off as the crown prince instead of an irrelevant distant cousin, would he have treated me differently? He wondered, his hands shaking as they gripped the pool of fabric on his lap. If he knew that he was the crown prince, would he have returned to his doorstep, barged into his room, ripped off his veil, pin him down and strip bare—
Xie Lian jerked out of his reverie from the suddenness of his train of thought. He shook his head as if he was physically shrugging them off, what was he thinking?
He sighed, moving to finally stand up and start his day. It was darker in Ghost City as if the sunlight couldn't fully pierce through the thick haze on the sky, making dawn look like evening with a subtle brighter tint of red than a few hours before. Despite himself, Xie Lian was grateful to the gods that Hua Cheng didn't come back last night to consummate their marriage. His vows were intact, therefore he was still able to cultivate.
He figured that he didn't have any attendants to help him, so he started the painstaking process of trying to remove the layers of fabric that Mu Qing worked so hard on with the remaining materials that Xianle had. It's fine, he didn't need attendants. In the past four years, many of the palace servants were laid off due to constraints placed on the treasury until all that remained to serve him were Feng Xin and Mu Qing.
Hua Cheng was kind enough to provide a small selection of clothes, he was probably informed of the intense shortage of everything in Xianle by his father. Some of them were in the infamous red of his husband, while some were white with butterflies embroidered along the hems in the same red thread: a marker of ownership.
He chose the plainest set of robes that he could find, the closest thing that was similar to his white taoist robes that he had to resort to when Xianle fell into poverty but instead, it had red inner layers and embroidered with golden butterflies on the shoulders down to the sleeves.
The last thing he donned was his hat: A simple straw hat with white fabric wrapped around it, given to him to hide his real identity. He was given strict orders to never remove it outside of his quarters, along with orders to never light a lamp if Hua Chengzhu decides to bed him. He was told that his father passed along the knowledge that Jie Lianyu was painfully shy due to a large scar on his face from an accident during his birth, which rendered him to be a recluse when he grew into adulthood so that no questions or curiosity would arise with this strange request.
With his face covered and fully dressed, he slid the door open once again and stepped into the corridor for the first time since he had entered.
Turns out, he was not inside Paradise Manor, but rather in a separate palace a good distance away from it and divided by a wall—which explained the long walk from the ceremony. The palace was also old and run down: Tiles missing from the roofs, some parts of the wallpaper peeling, and some of the doors and windows had holes punched through them—It seemed like the only room in good condition was his own.
At least I’m the only one living here, he thought. It was fine. He can make do with this, nothing a good clean and some repairs can’t fix.
He can make this place into a home.
Even without his husband in it.
Xie Lian spent the next few weeks with no contact with his family or the outside world, knee-deep into repairing the old palace. In these weeks, Hua Cheng didn’t spare him a second or a thought as he had never seen him again since the wedding. But that’s fine. They may be married, but he is not obligated to be a loving husband—at least not to him.
And that’s…fine.
With the fact that Hua Cheng is not interested in visiting anytime soon, he could do his repairs with no care about how he looked. Right now, his robes and the fabric around his hat were filthy, marred with dirt and grime as he carried a giant wooden plank and hammer that he found laying around the back part of the palace with other items and materials that looked like it was meant to be disposed of but was forgotten. Some other people might complain about the undisposed garbage, but it was a streak of luck to him. There might be some other materials in the pile left here that he could use to repair his home without having to ask and approach the manor, potentially falling from his husband’s favor even more than he already had.
He might be filthy, but years of dedicated cultivation made hard labor a lot easier. He carried the plank on his shoulder with one hand and the hammer and some nails in the other as he walked back to the main palace, looking forward to a particularly large hole on the roof of the front palace.
He was about to scale the wall to get on the roof when he heard distant shouting accompanied by the sounds of a barrage of footsteps and the clanging of weapons. Xie Lian turned his head to look behind him and there he sees an angry mob chasing what looked to be a… ghost infant?
“THE DAMN THING IS TOO FAST,” A large, burly ghost with a concerning amount of body hair wielding a butcher’s knife shouted in frustration. “SOMEBODY FUCKING GRAB IT!”
“YOU CAN’T EVEN GET TO IT AND YOU’RE THE ONE WHO’S SHOUTING ABOUT IT?!” Another ghost replied, a scrawny man who looked to be skin and bones with his rib cage visible from Xie Lian’s view. The ghost growled then dove for the little infant still running ahead of the mob. The infant dodged him, letting out a giggle as the ghost who dove for it tripped up all the others behind him and fell into a pile of complaints and angry noises. Then, the little one took a sharp turn, swerving towards Xie Lian with rapid speed.
Xie Lian’s eyes widened as he realized that the ghost was going to collide with him, dropping the plank and opening his arms while bracing himself for the impact to catch it. But then the little ghost swerved once again and instead of jumping into his arms, he hid behind his robes, using him as a meat-shield.
“Uhh, hi there?” He awkwardly waved to it, receiving no response as the baby just blinked at him wordlessly, “Where are your parents? Seems like you got yourself a bit of trouble there—”
“YOU!” A voice interrupted. He tore his attention away from the little ghost as the mob stalked angrily towards him—their image mildly blurred by the fabric around him hiding his identity. “HAND OVER THE LITTLE SHIT,” The same burly ghost demanded with rage seething in his teeth as he pointed his knife to the baby ghost clutching his robes as it hid behind him.
Xie Lian laughed awkwardly as he backed ever-so-slightly from the crowd, feeling himself being slowly cornered against the wall behind him, “Now let’s all calm down, there’s no need for violence here.”
“THAT LIL’ SHIT BIT ME!” A ghost wearing a mask shouted, holding up his arm with a clear, infant-sized bite mark on his arm.
“IT STOLE THE FRESH MEAT I WAS BUTCHERING!” The butcher followed, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO GET HUMAN MEAT THESE DAYS?!”
A clamouring of complaints followed after the two, all pushing to justify their chase of the little baby as it continued to hide behind his robes.
“Alright, alright,” Xie Lian interrupted, trying to ease the violent tension in the crowd. “Instead of uselessly trying to chase it by yourself, why didn’t you just ask the parents’ for compensation? Or brought it up with Hua Chengzhu instead?”
The butcher scoffed, “That thing’s mother is no better! If anything, that whore must be telling it what to do!”
“And who are you to suggest bringing it up to Hua Chengzhu?! That lil’ shit’s a waste of his time and would dissipate us if he’s in a bad mood!” Another ghost eyed him with a glint in his eyes, making Xie Lian cautiously shift his stance—ready for a fight.
Some of the ghosts at the front of the mob raised their respective weapons again as sounds of agreement echoed through the crowd.
Xie Lian didn’t plan on fighting anyone today, nor fighting anyone in the foreseeable future in an attempt to save his image as Hua Cheng’s concubine. But he figured today was just not his lucky day. Hopefully Paradise Manor won’t hear any news of this.
“ARE YOU ALL FUCKING STUPID?!” A shrill voice screeched, interrupting the mob. A woman in a courtesan’s robes stalked over to the front of the mob, a sneer tight on her face as she stood there, glaring down the angry group of ghosts like an angry mother. “THAT’S HUA CHENGZHU’S CONCUBINE!”
The crowd froze for moment, the words of the woman sinking in until one of them—a ghost with bandages wrapped around his head and face, leaving only his right eye and moth exposed—scoffed and pointed his own knife accusingly at the woman, “That’s not Hua Chengzhu’s concubine, we’re not that stupid!”
“Oh yeah? Then why couldn’t you tell that this man was the one that Hua Chengzhu married weeks ago? Look at his clothes!”
Well, his clothes were dirty from all the hard labor he had been doing all day. But because he brought almost nothing with him to Ghost City, he had been circulating the clothes Hua Cheng had left in his room: Wear them once a week, wash them, and then meticulously repair them when they get accidentally ripped and torn while he jumped from walls to roofs in an effort to repair the palace.
Although they were filthy, they were still from Hua Cheng. And because they were from Hua Cheng, his symbols were all over his wardrobe and this set was no exception. Underneath all the grime, his white robes were embroidered with red flowers and butterflies at the sleeves and torso—poking out from under the veil around his hat.
“Anyone could buy those robes,” said the butcher as he rolled his eyes at the woman.
The woman was unperturbed, only raising an eyebrow at the ghost, “Are you sure you want to risk it?”
The crowd froze once again before turning away from Xie Lian and walking back to the city as they grumbled under their breaths.
Xie Lian lets out a breath of relief. “Thank you,” he said to the woman, her back still turned towards him as she watched the crowd dissipate into the city.
Seemingly remembering that he was there, the woman turned suddenly with wide eyes before rushing into clasping her hands and bowing towards him respectfully, “Apologies for the troubles I brought. This one is Lan Chang.”
He shook his head, moving towards her and lifting her from her bow. “No need for that please. I can hardly be considered as Hua Chengzhu’s concubine or…anything for that matter,” a thrill erupted from behind him, as if calling for his attention, “But I do believe that this one is yours?”
“Cuo Cuo!” She exclaimed, moving past him and rushing towards her child, gathering him into her arms. “What did I say about getting into trouble?!”
“Maybe you should consider tethering him to your body, or perhaps paying the people for the damages that he caused to lessen their anger.”
She scoffed, bouncing a content Cuo Cuo in her arms who is trying his best to bite her arm, “Oh please, those wretched shits don't care about those. They only want to chase and sell my poor Cuo Cuo for money.”
Well… Xie Lian wasn’t exactly sure about that.
He laughed awkwardly, “Well, do take care of yourself. I hope I won’t see any more angry mobs chasing after your son.” With that, he did a quick bow and walked back to the wooden plank that he dropped earlier to pick it up, hoping to return to his plans of repairing before he was interrupted.
He had the plank back on his shoulder, getting ready to scale the wall when the woman pulled on the hem of his robes to stop him. “Woah hold on one second! You can’t—What in the gods are you doing?!”
“I’m climbing this wall…?” He answered like it was the most normal thing in the world, cocking his head to the side, making the hat and veil move along with it.
The woman sputtered, “Lián Niángniáng—“
“Jie Lianyu.”
“—Jie Lianyu, you can’t just—you can’t just climb walls! You’re Hua Chengzhu’s concubine! Can’t you save both of you some face?!”
“But there’s a hole on the roof that I have to patch up, it would be terribly inconvenient if it rains blood and soaks the interior.”
This flustered the woman even more, “There’s servants for that! Attendants! Carpenters! There’s ghosts that can fix that for you but not you! Is that why your clothes are so filthy?! Not even the ghosts in the city could recognize you looking like that!”
”Lan Chang,” he sighed, “I have no attendants. This is something that I have to do on my own.”
“But—But that’s not right! He has a roster of attendants at his beck and call and he married you! You should have more than you do!”
“We are married in name but not in heart. I can’t fault him for not wanting to spare his attendants for me, and it is within his own rights to do so.”
“But—“
“Thank you for your concern, Lan Chang. But I am quite happy with a roof over my head and a bed to sleep on.”
And with that, Xie Lian walked off with the plank, his mood for repairs spoiled for the day.
Xie Lian wasn’t alone anymore.
He’s not sure how it happened, but Lan Chang ended up staying.
He was sitting in front of the wall dividing the back garden of Paradise Manor and Mènghuā Pavilion, just staring at the looming, imposing wall. It was an old wall. Some of the stones were hanging loose or poking out from the foundation with plant life climbing all over it. Theoretically, he could climb it if he really wanted to—reach the top and hope that maybe he’ll catch a glimpse of his husband for the first time since they got married. But why would he want that? Clearly Crimson Rain Sought Flower held no interest for him in his heart, and he had to remind himself that fact over and over again that despite being married, it was like he never was.
But he wanted. He wanted company, someone to talk to, someone to keep him sane inside the quiet corridors of Mènghuā Pavilion—someone to anchor him down to this reality. Then why would he feel guilt in wanting for that anchor to be his husband?
You’re not married, he reminded himself. You’re only married in the eyes of the alliance.
Yes. Yes, that’s right.
That was when Lan Chang found him, staring blankly at a wall.
”Aiyoo, why are you sitting on the ground while wearing those robes?!” She scolded the moment she saw him.
He blinked, turning to look at her. “Huh..?”
She tsked, before grabbing his arm and pulling him up with her. “You can’t keep washing those expensive clothes through the ringer every time you wash them just because you can’t keep a single one of them clean for a day. At this rate, you’ll tear all the clothes Hua Chengzhu gave you to a point of no return and you’ll have to wear a sack!”
”Why are you…” He asked, still dazed on what exactly was happening.
“I’m your new attendant, Jie Lianyu. I work for you now.”
And that was the only explanation she offered him before she dragged him back into the palace and into a bathtub of warm water.
After that, he wasn’t alone anymore.
Weeks turned into months, and Lan Chang—along with Cuo Cuo who tags along most days, keeps him company. There were still no servants or repairmen sent to Mènghuā Pavilion from Paradise Manor, but seeing that Xie Lian truly did not have a choice, Lan Chang had been helping him repair the run-down residence, even going as far as recruiting several ghosts from the city ot help them with repairs. In return, he served with whatever food he had, offered them what little money he had left, or gave them a bouquet of his beloved plants that he managed to grow along the dividing wall. At first, the ghosts were hesitant; After all, this was a favor to Lan Chang and generosity to this degree was not common in Ghost City, but eventually, Xie Lian managed to wear them down. These days, when they need repairs, the ghosts smile and laugh while bowing to him—much to his chagrin—as they bring him small tokens or treats viable for a human to eat from the city.
Lan Chang also took the liberty to sew clothes made from cheap fabric for when he needs to do laborious work so that the quality of the expensive robes he was granted will be preserved: “For when you truly need it,” she said.
They have also started a new business venture; Xie Lian received no food or allowance from Paradise Manor, and before the arrival of Lan Chang, he was living off of weeds that grew in his courtyard and scraps that he manage to get from the city—but he preferred the former as it raised fewer eyebrows. And even though Lan Chang received compensation for her services and her…other business ventures, it was still not enough to support the both of them. Then Xie Lian had an idea: He was still a cultivator despite being married off, so that means he can still make the tools of his craft.
At first they started small: a talisman here and there based on the popularity of what ghosts needed, then what they earned from those they used to buy more materials to amp up their supplies. Now they have an assortment of talismans, charms, amulets, books and guides on cultivation special to Xianle or the world outside. They’ve gotten so popular that they started supplying those who were selling the same wares in the city, and even people from outside of Ghost City—Allegedly—were flocking to the city to get their hands on such items.
Every once in a while, a ghost or a human stops by the pavilion, asking for a specialty spiritual device or some form of help or advice from Xie Lian. Although it confused him why people are now visiting him, he never turns away a weary ghost who had nowhere to go or just wanted peace from pursuers, or a devastated cultivator fresh from a loss in the gambling den.
There was a man once, who came looking to gamble his cultivation in exchange for the location of the soul of his beloved. One of the ghosts that he befriended during the construction of the pavilion found him passed out drunk on the side of the street, still hugging a jug of alcohol. Not wanting to risk it, he brought the cultivator to Xie Lian—still unconscious, robes dirty, and heart cleanly broken. Both he and Lan Chang spent the next few nights nursing the poor man back to health from the countless lashes that marred his back and broken spirit.
Eventually, he recovered well-enough to stand, then to travel back home.
The man found him sitting in front of the wall again, the view of the wall slightly obscured by the veil that wrapped around him at all times.
The man doesn’t say much. The whole time he has been staying in the pavilion, he has only moved his head to answer, spoken a word or two, or just simply responded with an “Mhn”.
Xie Lian felt his presence as he approached. “I’m glad to see that you’re well,” he said, not removing his gaze from the wall, “Are you here to say goodbye?”
The man hummed, confirming his suspicions. Then he heard scuffling of shoes against the dirt, before he felt the cultivator sit beside him, joining him at his pointless staring.
“I came to thank you as well,” The cultivator said softly, as if his body physically cannot handle speaking any louder than that.
Xie Lian laughed awkwardly, “There is no need to thank me, I just did what everyone else would have!”
“No they would not.”
A silence fell between them after that response.
“It was my sect who did this,” the man continued.
Xie Lian’s eyes widened in shock behind the veil as he turned towards the cultivator beside him. His face was blank as ever, but his eyes held a deep sadness in them that never went away since he stumbled into Xie Lian’s home and yet, acceptance was in it too.
“My beloved was kind, annoying, and yet he rivaled the sun. Every time he smiled it felt like snow would melt away—“ the cultivator smiled slightly, as if recalling a fond memory, “—and yet when he shone too brightly, everyone wanted to shoot him down. And they did.”
The cultivator took a deep breath, “I could only hope for his peace, and yet I failed him even then.”
“You’re lucky,” Xie Lian said with a sad smile, even though the man couldn’t see it behind the veil, “To be able to love someone so passionately in your life.”
The cultivator’s eyes furrowed ever-so-slightly, miniscule enough that it would not be noticeable to the untrained eye, “I thought you were married.”
Xie Lian shrugged, “Married in every way but heart. This wall separates me from my husband by his choice—A choice that I choose to respect. I have never even seen him since our wedding.”
This seemed to upset his guest even more by the way his blank expression twitched. “No no no it’s okay!” Xie Lian rushed to reassure him, “I could not demand such a thing from him.”
”It is not right.”
“It is not…ideal. But I am quite content here, knowing my kingdom is safe and taken care of because of my actions.” He sighed, “If you find your beloved—in this life or the next—will you invite me to your wedding?”
“…If he will have me so.”
After the cultivator departed, life and business kept on churning. The successful business venture racked up enough money for both Xie Lian and Lan Chang to live comfortably in Mènghuā Pavilion: Xie Lian didn’t pass the nights starving, Lan Chang can finally buy items for Cuo Cuo, and the residence that they worked so hard to repair was finally keeping the cold air at bay.
Xie Lian was now busy writing talismans on a low table in his favorite spot in the courtyard. He was trying to break his habit of sitting in front of the wall, staring at nothing while wondering how his husband was doing that day, so they recently lined the courtyard with a variety of plants and flowers, with Xie Lian tending to them every day with care and celebrating every time one sprouts—whispering encouraging words to it as if they can respond to his motivations. Since then, this has been his favorite spot, remaining vigil over his beloved plants.
He zones out for a moment, the repeated motions of his brush on the paper sending him into a bit of a meditative state. In the distance, he can hear scurrying with sharp nails scratching against the wooden floors—probably Cuo Cuo chasing something that he shouldn’t— and Lan Chang’s incoherent scolding at Cuo Cuo chasing something that he shouldn’t.
“Are you Hua Chengzhu’s husband?”
The small voice jolted Xie Lian so much from his seat that he hit his knee against the heavy wooden table that he was writing on as he tried to stand but fell backwards instead, the ink pot spilling a little bit of ink onto the parchment and ruining what was supposed to be a cloaking talisman.
Xie Lian panted heavily from shock with a hand on his chest on the floor, reeling in his breathing as he realized that the voice came from a frail little girl, blinking at him curiously. She was wearing a thick blank cloak and was barefoot, although it didn’t look like it bothered her at all.
He felt his cheeks flushed at the realization that he just embarrassed himself immensely. He cleared his throat, pulling himself together and fixing his hat that went askew from the fall, “I guess you could say that. How can I help you..?”
“I want to hide. Please.”
And then it was Xie Lian, Lan Chang, and Ban Yue—who was the former State Preceptor of the country of Ban Yue and made a mistake. A very big mistake. A mistake that was too much for a child to bear, and so Xie Lian took her under his wing. Since then, days and nights have been spent with Lan Chang who helps him around the pavilion, keeping Cuo Cu out of trouble, and teaching Ban Yue how to cope with her new life.
He laughed, he cried, and he spent his time staring at the wall…waiting.
Apparently Jie Lianyu has made quite a reputation for himself. He heard from a grapevine flowing through the city that Hua Cheng spent his days searching for someone—his wraith butterflies scattered around the land looking for a rumored person who held his heart. Hence, he became known outside of the palace walls as the kind-hearted concubine Jie Lianyu, yet unloved by the Lord of the City: The one took kind to those who were outcasts and the lonely.
It answered many of his questions, mainly why Hua Cheng never seemed to be interested in seeing him: It was because Hua Cheng has a beloved. Out there in the world somewhere—a beloved he is tirelessly searching for; The one who fully occupies his heart, leaving no space for Xie Lian.
And that’s… fine.
If anything, he felt guilty. It plagued him how he forced Hua Cheng into a marriage he clearly does not want; A marriage that should’ve been reserved for his beloved and not for some prince who was desperate to save his people.
He tries not to think about it much.
But he does.
And it haunts him.
It was an especially cold and harsh evening.
Ban Yue was laying in Xie Lian’s bed, sweating and shaking profusely as she grasped onto his sheets with a fist.
Xie Lian nor Lan Chang were not sure what was plaguing Ban Yue, but they were quickly depleting their supplies looking for something that can relieve the pain that she was in. But she was a ghost! She should not be in this state!
Xie Lian was kneeling by her bedside, caressing her hair as she writhed restlessly, “Shh, it’s going to be okay.”
”It might be because she died recently,” Lan Chang theorized, sweating as she grinded herbs on his low table with Cuo Cuo roaming around the room—wanting to be involved somehow, “But even then, I have never heard of a ghost who got sick.”
”Well there has to be something that we can use!” Xie Lian panicked, “At least something that we can use to stall the pain until we can find someone who knows what is happening to her.”
“We have tried everything in our supply room! We have even tried all the suspicious things that Ghost City has to offer—Hell we’ve even tried all of the plants in your back garden!”
Xie Lian froze at the mention of his garden, then his mind started churning. He knew that it was a bad idea—the worst idea! But as he looked down at Ban Yue, writhing in his sheets, eyes clenched closed as she whimpered through the pain shooting through her body, he knew he had to try. “Not all of the plants.”
Lan Chang looked at him, brows furrowed in confusion, “What do you mean ‘not all’? Yes, we have! I helped you plant most of them!”
He shook his head, “We haven’t tried the ones on the other side of the wall.”
The ghost stopped grinding as she sputtered, her gaze whipping to look at him as if he had gone insane, “You—you mean Paradise Manor?! You’re just gonna walk right up to Hua Chengzhu after he hasn’t visited you in months to rip out the plants in his back garden?! ‘Hi, yes, Hua Chengzhu, this lowly one is your concubine—you know, the one you married and then forgot about? I was hoping if you could so please allow me to RIP OUT PLANTS FROM YOUR GARDEN TO HELP A GHOST WHO IS SICK IN MY BED RIGHT NOW WHO I’M PRETTY SURE I’M NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO LET INSIDE THE PAVI—“
”I’ll just climb the wall!”
”AS IF THAT’S ANY BETTER?!” If Lan Chang can grow red from rage, she would be at this very moment.
“If I climb the wall then Hua Chengzhu won’t even know I was there! I’ll just get the amount that I need and climb over it again, I’m sure he’ll hardly notice the difference if I took a few leaves.”
”And if he catches you, you are done for.”
“Then I won’t get caught,” he says simply with a shrug as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.
”You have lost your mind.”
Xie Lian looks back to Ban Yue, still tossing and turning in the bed. With a heavy heart, he presses a kiss on her forehead, her skin cold and clammy from the illness plaguing her corporeal form. “I will be right back, I promise.”
”Niángniáng…?” Ban Yue mumbled, cracking one teary eye open to peek at him as she lets go of the sheets to grab him.
Xie Lian moves away before she could, fixing his robes and hat before bolting out of the room with Lan Chang shouting curses behind him. But his mind was made up, and now he was a man on a mission.
His quick pace brought him to the wall that he spent hours staring at—wondering how his husband had been. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly; He was not here to daydream.
He parted the plants lining the wall while whispering apologies for disturbing them, before hiking up his trousers and placing a foot on one of the displaced stones of the wall.
Xie Lian didn’t ascend to godhood as he had hoped, but he was a strong cultivator with years of training under his belt; He had done worse things than climbing a stone wall. He tore off his hat and veil—slightly annoyed how they were interfering with his climb and dropped them behind him. It was the back garden anyways, he’s sure Hua Cheng doesn’t waste his time lingering around it when he’s out busy looking for his beloved.
All it took was a burst of qi and one strong pull, and Xie Lian threw himself over the wall—free-falling briefly before landing on his feet with a soft thud on the other side.
He was now in Paradise Manor.
The back gardens of Paradise Manor didn’t look all that different from the gardens of the Pavilion, albeit it is more maintained and cleaner than Xie Lian’s efforts at gardening.
Xie Lian crouched low and ducked behind a tree, cautious of any presence that might’ve wandered in the gardens. Seeing and feeling that the location was completely empty, he let out a breath and wandered for the items that he came for.
Hua Cheng’s garden was abundant. There was an array of plant-life that somehow persevered through the rough terrain of ghost city: There were flowers, trees, and most importantly—herbs.
He wasted no time carefully tearing off some leaves from the plants and shoving them into his sleeves as he whispered apologies every time, taking a mental note of each plant he didn't recognize to ask Lan Chang. Which he hopes none were poisonous.
His sleeves were nearly filled to the brim when he suddenly stopped in his tracks in front of a tree. He had never seen one before—it was a rarity for sure: The tree was tall and twisted unnaturally, probably caused by the soil in Ghost City that lingered with other-worldly energy, but what caught his attention were the fruits.
Xie Lian swiftly climbed the tree, unhindered by his hat and veil. He perched on a branch, balancing carefully as he reached for a fruit: It was a plump, red thing that fit perfectly in his hand. Curiously, he cracked it open and it exploded in tiny seeds—some of it falling down the tree and onto the ground.
He has never seen such a fruit before, even back then in Xianle, which was abundant in vegetation before the spread of the Human-face disease.
He grabbed a handful of the seeds, beet red in his palm, lifting them up to his mouth to have a taste and—
“What are you doing in my garden?”
The voice startled Xie Lian so much that he dropped the seeds with a shriek before he lost his balance and fell from the branch.
He closed his eyes shut and braced himself for the impact of the cold, hard ground—but it never came.
Confused, he opened his eyes to check what happened. Only to see that he was in the arms of a tall, red figure with flowing back hair, one eye covered with an eye-patch and the other looking at him wide-eyed as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Hua Cheng.
His husband.
Xie Lian realized that this was the first time that he managed to get a good look at the person he had married, his heart running miles inside his chest as he took in the view: Hua Cheng was undoubtedly handsome. He was pale as any ghost would be, but he had a slender face that screamed “gentleman” in every sharp angle that formed it as his hair swayed in the winds and a lone eye stared back at him; And while he was in his arms, Xie Lian couldn’t help but think he looks so good in red.
“Dianxia?”
That broke Xie Lian out of his reverie. Right, Hua Cheng already has a beloved in this world and he just got caught stealing from his back garden.
Without his veil.
Xie Lian laughed awkwardly, immediately moving to remove himself from Hua Cheng’s arms, “Haha, this one apologizes for barging into your territory like this! I will compensate Hua Chengzhu for any of the plants I have damaged, although if you would be so kind as to completely forget about my face and don’t tell my father about it I would appreciate it greatly—“
“Wait—“ Hua Cheng took a step towards him with his hand outreached to grab him with that same look in his eyes, but Xie Lian kept backing further and further away, not allowing himself to be closer to his proximity.
“—And it was great to meet you, dear husband! Now if you please excuse me I must go—“
“No wait Dianxia—!”
Xie Lian turns around and bolts.