A/N: There are going to be two Chinese terms of endearment throughout this fic that you may not know the meaning of. I heavily researched these terms beforehand, seeing as I am not a Mandarin speaker, and will likely only be using these terms from the language and no other (besides Hua Cheng's adorable nickname for Xie Lian we all know the meaning of.)
shagua - "silly melon"
qinaide - "beloved," "dear" or "darling." Feel free to decide which you want to interpret it as.
If any other unfamiliar terms come up (in the odd event they are necessary) I'll be sure to include the translation of those at the beginning of the chapter they appear in.
Enjoy the story!
The shrine was always quiet in the middle of the day.
Save for the sounds of birds chirping outside the once-shoddy wooden walls that had been repaired three or four times over and the whisper of the wind in the trees clustered nearby, there was absolute silence. It was so peaceful, between the pleasantly cool autumn air and the warm patches of sunlight that streamed in through the windows and spilled out across the floor.
Maybe that was why the crown prince inhabiting the shrine always fell asleep right around that time every day like clockwork.
Hua Cheng couldn't help but relish in the warm weight laying across his lap and leaning partially against his chest. A small head covered by long, silky black locks of hair was tucked under his sharply defined chin, with a porcelain-pale hand – petite in size with long, slender fingers – resting against his chest. This was heaven or at least the closest to heaven that a demon king would ever get, in Hua Cheng's opinion. He tightened his grip on the smaller male's waist, noting that Xie Lian was especially beautiful in his sleep.
I would wake him... but he'd realize he hasn't made lunch yet and probably spend the next half hour worrying over food he's just going to end up burning. Hua Cheng chuckled quietly to himself, taking great care not to wake the peacefully sleeping prince in his lap. It's probably best if I just let him rest. The past couple of weeks have been especially taxing for him anyway.
Despite his decision to avoid waking Xie Lian, Hua Cheng couldn't help carding his fingers through those delightfully soft strands of black hair. He loved the prince with every ounce of his being. In fact, he'd never felt such devotion to a person before throughout the many years he'd wandered the mortal world. There was something distinctly special about Xie Lian. He was so sweet and compassionate, so quick to place others' needs before his own. He was the finest, most beautiful, and most noble man in all of China, and there was nothing anyone could do to convince Hua Cheng otherwise. He could only hope that he met and exceeded each and every one of the lovely prince's expectations because he had no idea what he'd do if he somehow lost this little piece of heaven.
I won't lose him without a fight at least. If he somehow gets away, I'll just keep finding him in a different form. Hua Cheng had many alternate forms, but he was careful to avoid revealing all of them to his beloved. He was saving many of them in the odd event something happened and he needed to don a different appearance just to worm his way back into Xie Lian's life.
Sure, Hua Cheng was possessive. Incredibly so. And maybe he was overbearingly protective at times, too. But he was careful not to cross any boundaries or treat his beloved as an object. He'd be damned if he became the reason Xie Lian felt the need to leave him.
Suddenly, Xie Lian stirred a little in the demon's arms. Glittering golden eyes framed by long lashes fluttered open, but they didn't focus right away.
"Did I fall asleep again, San Lang?"
Oh, that was another thing. Hua Cheng wasn't currently in his true form. He had taken the form of one of his favorite aliases, San Lang. San Lang was the man who had befriended Xie Lian and eventually became his lover even after he deduced that San Lang was really Hua Cheng.
"It's okay, gege." Hua Cheng stroked his beloved's back reassuringly. "I don't mind at all. If you're still tired, you can go back to sleep."
"I shouldn't. I have things to do." Xie Lian yawned before making a move to get up, but Hua Cheng's grip on his waist stopped him. "San Lang, please let me get up."
"What is it that needs to be done? If it's simple, I'll get up and take care of it for you." Hua Cheng ran his fingers through Xie Lian's hair twice more as he spoke.
"It's not just one thing, shagua." Xie Lian shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I have to sweep the floors, burn some incense, check on the garden to make sure the carrots are doing well, and I have to visit the village later to buy some more wooden planks. The floorboards near the door caved in again."
Hua Cheng had no idea how the prince kept track of so many chores at once, especially right after waking up from a nap. "Is... Is that all?"
Xie Lian thought for a moment before his whole face lit up. "Oh! I forgot about making lunch! I need to do that first. My apologies, you must be hungry."
Hua Cheng winced and quickly interjected. "How about you let me take care of lunch this time? You can get started on everything else, but I can make something for us both. Does that sound okay?"
"I know this is just a ploy to avoid eating my cooking, but that's fine." Xie Lian shot his lover an amused look that was returned in kind. "May I please get up now?"
Hua Cheng remorsefully relinquished his grip on Xie Lian, who slid off his lover's lap and rose to his feet with his usual dignified grace. His pure white Taoist robes shifted around his lithe figure as he moved, immediately snagging and holding Hua Cheng's attention. He sighed, already missing the warm weight in his lap, before standing up and looping an arm around Xie Lian's waist, pulling him in close for a kiss. Though their height difference may have seemed slight at first glance, Hua Cheng still had to lean down in order to reach the prince's lips.
The moment they separated, Xie Lian quickly looked away, a delicate pink color spreading across his cheeks and accentuating his unblemished skin.
"Is someone getting flustered?" Hua Cheng asked teasingly, craning his neck as if trying to catch a glimpse of his beloved's downturned face.
"You're so mean, San Lang!" Xie Lian pouted, making his way toward the front of the shrine in long strides, trying to escape with his dignity intact.
Hua Cheng chuckled and brushed a strand of jet-black hair out of his face before changing the subject. "Can I come with you when you go down to the village, gege?"
"Only if you want to. I'd love to have company." Xie Lian smiled gently, taking up a broom propped up in the furthest corner of the front room and beginning to sweep the thin layer of dust from the floor.
"I'm coming then." Hua Cheng wandered into the makeshift kitchen, his mind thoroughly made up. After washing his hands in a nearby basin, he set about cutting up various vegetables for soup. "You remember the right place to find those boards, I hope?"
"Of course I do." was Xie Lian's playful response. "We've fixed that same spot so many times that I doubt I could ever forget the carpenter who keeps selling me the materials."
"I would apologize for taking so much of his stock, but I'm sure he's happy to have so much business." Hua Cheng grabbed a leek and began cutting it into small pieces, being careful not to cut his fingers with the razor-sharp edge of the knife. "What about the westward wall? That doesn't need to be patched up again, right?"
"Just a moment." there was a prolonged silence followed immediately by soft rustling and a distinct knocking sound before Xie Lian spoke again. "It seems to be holding up alright."
"Good." Hua Cheng was quiet after that, focusing entirely on cutting vegetables.
When he first came to the shrine, it was extremely run-down and lacking the bare minimum when it came to stable living conditions, like a door. But he didn't mind at all, because he loved helping Xie Lian fix up and renovate the place. Turning a shabby building that looked as if it would collapse at any moment into a welcoming environment one could call home was one of Hua Cheng's favorite projects he'd undertaken with his beloved. Unfortunately, that also meant the shrine required a lot of maintenance, seeing as little bits and pieces of it tended to break at the most random times. It was a good thing Xie Lian was one of the most patient people in China. If he were anyone else, he probably would've given up and found somewhere else to live by this point.
Speaking of which, Xie Lian had quite suddenly decided to abandon his chores for the sole purpose of invading his husband's personal space. He giggled as he wrapped his arms around Hua Cheng's waist, resting his head against the demon king's back.
"That looks good. You're a much better cook than me, San Lang." Xie Lian said, giving Hua Cheng a look of total adoration.
Hua Cheng smiled, setting the knife down on the cutting board he'd been using so he could place his hands over his beloved's smaller ones. "I know I am."
Xie Lian sighed heavily. "So mean."
"I'm sure Fu Yao and Nan Feng would stay over a lot more if you learned how to avoid burning food." Hua Cheng teased, picking up the knife again and using it to scrape the vegetables he'd cut up into a large pot.
"Maybe they'd stay over a lot more if you took care of the cooking while they're visiting."
"That's a fair point. I'll keep that in mind."
Xie Lian remained where he was for a moment longer, seeming content to watch Hua Cheng work on lunch for the two of them. But eventually, Xie Lian detached from his lover's back and returned to working around the shrine, humming a little tune to himself. His sweet, melodious voice easily carried to Hua Cheng's ears, who couldn't help smiling as he stirred the pot of soup from time to time, watching the colorful shapes of vegetables moving beneath the golden broth.
Several minutes later, Hua Cheng announced that the soup was finished and Xie Lian instantly reappeared in the makeshift kitchen.
"That looks good, San Lang. Thank you." He said, tilting his head to one side with his usual sweet smile.
"Don't thank me yet, gege. You haven't even tried it." Hua Cheng chuckled, ladling out two bowls of soup. After handing one to Xie Lian, Hua Cheng sat down directly across from his beloved. "Let me know if it's not good. I may have forgotten to add salt."
"It's wonderful. Now can I thank you?" Xie Lian arched an eyebrow, popping a spoonful of soup into his mouth.
Hua Cheng reached across the table to pat the prince's head. "There's really no need to."
Xie Lian made a face but decided to leave it be in favor of finishing his food. After the two had finished eating and the dishes had been washed several minutes later, Hua Cheng set about helping Xie Lian work around the shrine. They replaced the incense burning at the front of the shrine (the smell of incense always irritated Hua Cheng, but he understood that warding off ghosts much lesser than him was important when it came to managing a shrine) and they went around the back of the shrine to the small garden where Xie Lian had been trying to grow his own vegetables. The weather had been harsh lately, so he often worried the plants wouldn't survive. They seemed to be doing well, save for a few damaged, wilted ones here and there.
"It won't be long now before we have our own carrots." Xie Lian chirped, seeming incredibly pleased with himself as he knelt down to examine the bright green carrot seedlings shooting out of the soft soil.
"These plants are probably doing so well despite the conditions because I keep catching you sneaking out here to talk to them." Hua Cheng smirked, reaching down to ruffle his beloved's hair. "I'm certain they would've died otherwise, what with how atrocious the weather's been."
Xie Lian turned five different shades of pink at once. "San Lang!" he exclaimed, scoldingly.
"Sorry, gege, I couldn't resist." Hua Cheng couldn't help laughing at the mortified expression on Xie Lian's face. "But seriously, you've been taking such good care of them. I'm convinced they'll be the finest carrots in this side of China."
"I hope so." Xie Lian stood up and dusted himself off despite the fact no dirt had clung to his robes.
As the day began growing old and the sun began setting in the West, Xie Lian donned his bamboo hat and announced to Hua Cheng that he would be walking down to the village now. Hua Cheng was all too eager to come along and practically bounced out the door.
"We should be back before dark." Xie Lian remarked, slipping his hand into Hua Cheng's and lacing their fingers together. "But that's only if the streets aren't too crowded."
Hua Cheng smiled and dipped his head in response, squeezing the other's hand. As the two made their way down the well-worn dirt path toward the whitewashed buildings clustered together in the distance, Xie Lian quite suddenly tensed up and glanced over his shoulder with a frown.
"What is it?" Hua Cheng asked.
"That's strange. I can't seem to shake the feeling that we're being followed."
"It would be pretty hard for someone to sneak up on us out here." Hua Cheng cast a wary look around. Save for a few cranes wandering about the open, grassy planes, there wasn't a single living soul around. "I think you're just being paranoid, gege."
"I'm not so sure. I could've sworn I saw something moving in that cluster of trees over there." Xie Lian pointed to a small hill some distance away that was lined from bottom to top with deciduous trees.
"Could've been a wild animal." Hua Cheng slowed to a stop, eyeing the trees in search of any sort of movement. Save for the autumn breeze causing the long, spidery branches to sway and the many thousands of leaves to shimmy, there was no perceptible movement.
"No, it was too big to be an animal. It looked like people. Lots of them." Xie Lian shook his head, refusing to drop the issue. It was concerning at best. He wasn't the kind of person to get all worked up and stubborn over shadows in the trees unless he really thought it was something to be worried about. "I have no idea what they were doing there. But they might be following us."
"I'm sure it's fine, qinaide." Hua Cheng released his husband's hand in favor of tucking an arm around Xie Lian's narrow shoulders, trying to make him feel safer. "Let's keep going. If you see anything else like that, let me know."
Xie Lian still seemed uncertain, but nodded and continued down the path toward the village anyway. He kept looking over his shoulder every so often, convinced that he'd see something following close behind him. Surprised that there was nothing, he tried to focus on the warm weight of Hua Cheng's arm around him instead.
"Do you think we'll find anything else worth looking at while we're out here?" Hua Cheng asked, trying to distract the clearly distressed prince. "Maybe that little jewelry shop is finally open."
"Maybe, but I've never been interested in jewelry. I had my fill of pretty things when I lived in Xianle. Almost everyone in the nation owned jewels of some sort. Even the children played with gemstones instead of toys." Xie Lian couldn't help smiling a little at the thought of his old kingdom. Everything there was shiny and beautiful.
"I seem to recall how lovely you looked when dressed as a crown prince. It was rather extravagant, but in such a way that it only served to compliment your natural beauty." Hua Cheng himself wasn't a fan of people who openly displayed their riches through their clothing and accessories, but Xie Lian could make anything look beautiful. "And it wouldn't hurt to see if there are any enchanted items there, right?"
"I suppose. Since when are you so interested in jewelry shops, San Lang?"
"Mortals have a tendency to overlook objects with incredible potential, selling them as common items. Isn't that how you found Ruoye?" Hua Cheng asked, gesturing loosely to Xie Lian's arm, where the silk bandaging with a mind of its own was wrapped around his wrists and carefully hidden beneath his sleeves.
"Um, I'm not sure. It was my parents that came across Ruoye, not me." Xie Lian shuddered at the uncomfortable memories of his parents and how they had come to pass. "I think they assumed it was merely a silk bandage and nothing more, so you might be right."
The two continued to chatter idly about magical items and their widely varying uses as they entered the outskirts of the village. Rising up on either side of the dirt path they'd been traveling were tall yet humble white buildings with few windows, thatched roofs, and wooden doors that were barred shut with iron. A few villagers wandered about, each dipping their heads respectfully and mumbling soft greetings as Xie Lian passed by. Rumors of the Taoist priest garbed in white had already spread all throughout the village despite how hard Xie Lian had tried to stop it. He hated getting so much attention, but he still returned the villagers' greetings in kind with a friendly smile.
Hua Cheng was a different matter entirely. He did his best to avoid any sort of interaction with the villagers because he refused to speak to anything he deemed lesser than him. Every so often, when one of the villagers came too close (in his opinion,) he would tighten his grip on his husband protectively.
How strange. If I were as beautiful as Xie Lian, I would not let just anyone speak to me in such a casual manner. Hua Cheng thought to himself, as he watched Xie Lian exchange greetings with yet another passing villager. In fact, I wouldn't let mortal beings speak to me at all.
"Ah! Here we are!" Xie Lian chirped, finally stopping outside a single-story building with a sign hanging over the door that read, quite simply, Carpentry.
Hua Cheng didn't think twice before nudging the heavy wooden door open with his shoulder, releasing Xie Lian's shoulder. The carpenter's shop was extremely simple in appearance, with wooden planks and beams of various wood types leaning against the far wall, a bucket filled nearly to the brim with unused wood shavings in the right corner nearest the door, and a shelf against the left wall lined with various wood carvings intended as decoration.
The carpenter himself was a stout old man with a serious face and skin pockmarked with freckles from spending far too much time in the sun. He glanced up from the scroll he was reading when Hua Cheng and Xie Lian entered, immediately breaking out into a big smile once he realized who they were.
"Ah, my favorite customer! How have you been keeping, Priest?" the old carpenter asked, directly addressing Xie Lian. "And who's the youngster you've brought with you?"
Hua Cheng was tempted to roll his eyes. He'd nearly forgotten that his current disguise was that of a young man. Xie Lian had made the same assumption regarding age the first time he'd met San Lang.
"This is my husband, San Lang." Xie Lian smiled and folded his hands into the sleeves of his robes. "He wanted to accompany me today. I hope you don't mind."
"Oh no, not at all. Especially not when you've told me so many nice things about him. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, San Lang." the carpenter dipped his head respectfully in Hua Cheng's general direction.
Hua Cheng would've completely ignored the old man, but Xie Lian elbowed him and gave him a look that clearly communicated he was expected to be polite... for once.
"The pleasure is all mine." Hua Cheng forced a smile in response.
Much to his relief, the carpenter was no longer interested in speaking to him directly. "Is it the planks for the floor you need this time, Priest? Or perhaps the ones for the wall?"
"It's the floor again. I can never seem to keep it from breaking within a matter of weeks no matter how hard I try." Xie Lian said, giving Hua Cheng a clearly amused look.
"Very well. I'll get those stacked up for you." the carpenter turned around and hobbled his way over to the floorboards stacked up along the far wall.
As soon as the old man's back was turned, Hua Cheng immediately turned and leaned in close to speak with Xie Lian in a low voice. "Can I ask why you've been telling mortals about me?"
"Only nice things. And besides, I only ever tell them about San Lang, not about..." Xie Lian trailed off, gesturing loosely to Hua Cheng before continuing. "It really isn't so hard for you to be nice to people every so often, shagua."
"But he's a mortal..." Hua Cheng started to protest, but he immediately shut up when he realized the carpenter was coming back with an armful of wooden planks that perfectly matched the ones making up the floor of the shrine.
"Thank you! I'll probably come back soon in need of planks for the wall." Xie Lian smiled brightly as he took the planks from the carpenter, who chuckled gruffly.
"I'll make sure I keep those kinds of planks in stock, then."
Xie Lian made a bit of small talk with the carpenter before paying him and leaving with Hua Cheng following closely behind, grumbling to himself about how he didn't want to talk to mortals. He would've continued to hash it out with his husband, but all of a sudden, a chill crept down his spine. He stiffened and turned to look over his shoulder just in time to see several shadowy figures vanishing behind a nearby building.
"What in the world? Did you see that, gege?" Hua Cheng reached out and caught Xie Lian by the sleeve, stopping him from walking any further away.
Xie Lian immediately froze and turned to look. "See what? Is everything alright?"
"I'm afraid not. I think you were right about something following us." Hua Cheng decided it best not to stick around any longer and began walking with a lot more urgency than before. "Stay close to me."
"What did you see?" the smile dropped from Xie Lian's face as he scrambled after his husband, taking great care not to drop all the wood he was carrying.
"A handful of shadowy figures. I didn't get a good look at them because the last of them were disappearing behind a building when I first caught sight of them, but they were definitely humanoid." Hua Cheng didn't usually pay much attention to small details like this because he was used to humans, ghosts, and gods alike running and hiding the moment they realized his presence. But he was currently disguised as a human and there were no ghosts in sight, leading him to the conclusion that the shadowy figures had absolutely no reason to scramble to a hiding place like that unless they were intentionally trying to avoid being seen. "Given the context of the situation, I think it's safe to say they're up to no good."
"And you think they might be the ones that I saw earlier?" Xie Lian couldn't help looking behind him as he scampered along behind Hua Cheng, quickly scanning over the few villagers wandering the streets in search of anything even remotely out of place.
"It can't be a coincidence. I'm certain we can handle whatever it is, but I'd rather not get into a fight in front of all these mortals. If they realize who or what I am, we'd have to find somewhere else to live." Hua Cheng replied in a rather harried manner, glancing over his shoulder every so often to make sure Xie Lian wasn't falling behind.
Xie Lian couldn't help shuddering at the thought of the locals finding out that he, a Taoist Priest and god (though the latter was less widely known) was sheltering not just any regular ghost, but the Crimson Rain Sought Flower. Word of such an odd couple would spread not just through the village, but all over China in a matter of weeks.
Hua Cheng's right. I don't want to have to leave the shrine.
Hua Cheng practically wrestled his way through the crowd, uncaring of how many villagers he inconvenienced in doing so. He didn't pay their alarmed shouts any mind, though Xie Lian did his best to apologize to all of them as he hurried past. Hopefully, they wouldn't hold such a thing against Hua Cheng in the future. The last thing Xie Lian wanted was to have to clear up disputes between angry villagers because his husband had neglected to be polite one time.
All of a sudden, a horrible feeling overtook Xie Lian as he tried to keep up with Hua Cheng's rather fast manner of walking. Xie Lian couldn't help stopping dead in his tracks, unable to shake the delusion that something with evil intentions was staring right through him, analyzing his every move. He could sense the predatory intent behind that stare, regardless of the fact he couldn't see anything behind him.
But then something flashed by out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head quickly to catch a glimpse of the source of that movement, but it had already vanished without a trace. There was nothing but the small buildings and the innocent passersby that shot him concerned looks as they went around him, unsure of why he had stopped in the middle of the path and was just standing there. Xie Lian clutched his wooden planks to his chest and turned around.
"San Lang, I think we should... San Lang? San Lang!"
When Xie Lian turned around again, his husband was nowhere to be seen. Xie Lian was alone, and the horrible feeling of being watched was stronger than ever.
He took a hesitant step forward, intending to find Hua Cheng. But the moment his foot connected with the ground, heavy darkness that was more of a physical presence than the absence of light overtook Xie Lian, completely engulfing him. The villagers, the buildings, the grassy ground, and the dirt road seemed to tear away like wet paper and dissolve into thin air. Now there was nothing but the darkness... and the strange figures with sharp teeth and white eyes.
A/N: I know this fic probably won't receive a lot of attention because I searched up fanfiction for Heaven Official's Blessing beforehand and didn't see anything else like this in the works that came up. That's actually totally alright with me. I'm mostly writing this for fun and practice with building suspense throughout chapters.
In the odd and rather unlikely event someone does stumble across this story, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Take care.