He Xuan walked along the roads of the Upper Court, a small smile on his face. In his arms was a variety of scrolls and packets, primarily composed of completed missions in the mortal realm and their reports.
Ever since he had been lifted to the heavens by the Wind Master to become his first and only junior official, things had been looking up and changing for the better.
The heavenly officials welcomed him kindly, greeting him with warm smiles and open arms. He was the Wind Master's precious junior official after all, and who were they to turn him away? Even Shi Wudu, who was the only one the heavens expected backlash from, stayed oddly silent when he had caught a glimpse of him for the first time.
It was admittedly strange, but He Xuan knew better than to question things, especially in his position.
His own influence was far ahead of those of his fellow Middle Court officials, which he suspected was due to Shi Qingxuan's positive intervention, but it was nowhere near enough to survive the wrath of a god of the Upper Court should it come to pass.
And on the subject of the god he was serving under, Qingxuan was a strange character. He was kind to him, but the god seemed almost desperate to please him. He was affectionate, but He Xuan could also see an unknown emotion in his eyes whenever they so much as bumped shoulders.
Though, speaking of physical contact, Shi Qingxuan's wings were soft. They felt like what he imagined clouds would feel like, the white feathers practically silk in his fingers. It was amazing, and he'd taken to grooming them in the sparse free time they had.
It helped to ease up the strange tension between them, and He Xuan could tell Qingxuan was opening up to him. It was a nice experience; Qingxuan was a lovely character and reminded him a bit of his former fiancee, kind and rather strong willed should the situation call for it. It was bittersweet to think about, so He Xuan grounded himself in the moment.
The junior official hummed out a quiet tune as his eyes took in the marvels of the Upper Heavenly Court. It was truly a magnificent sight; it was a blessing to be able to witness the marvels of the heavens.
He didn't know where he'd be in life had he not been lifted into ascension by Shi Qingxuan, but he assumed it would've been a bad situation, judging by his poor luck alone. It was almost like malicious forces were working against him.
His life before had been horrid, but that was the past now. His current situation was quite possibly the best he could be in after all that had happened.
"Ah, He Xuan!" A voice called out, and the boy in question looked back to see a martial god approach him with a wave. He recognized him as Su Tianzhong, one of the gods who tended to give Shi Qingxuan the most work at random and rather inconvenient intervals.
He clutched the documents in his arms tighter, biting down on his tongue hard enough to draw blood. Well, there was one thing that could be better.
"I'd love to go!" Shi Qingxuan smiled, relief shining in his eyes. "It's been some time since I've been cooped up here, it would be nice to take the afternoon off."
He Xuan smiled back, his ears blushing a light pink.
Qingxuan got up from his desk, sending the last of the documents he needed to complete back up to heaven through a wind messenger of his. The Wind Master was about to join He Xuan by the door when he paused, bringing a hand to his temple. He answered a call in the Spiritual Communication Array, wincing at the poor timing.
A slight frown appeared on the god's face at whatever was said, and sighed as he dropped his hand down and faced He Xuan with an apologetic expression.
"I'm very sorry, it looks like I'll be busy for a while longer." Qingxuan said lightly, and the junior official could her the withheld sigh in his voice. "Su Tianzhong- he's a prominent martial god- needs me to take care of some business for him. He says his time is occupied at the moment. Do enjoy your outing though."
The Wind Master's voice turned wistful at the end, shoulders slightly slumping before he immediately corrected his posture.
He Xuan clamped down on the unwanted emotions that bubbled up, giving an understanding nod before stiffly closing the door behind him. It was a harsher exit than what was necessary, but he didn't want to stay and risk saying something he'd regret.
Besides, he thought. I can always ask again next time.
He did. He tried to do so several more times, asking for slivers of Qinxuan's time only to be shoved away by the mountains of work that were starting to pile up on the Wind Master. It was getting worse, he noted.
The other gods of heaven were getting more and more comfortable at the prospect of giving Shi Qingxuan the work that they couldn't be bothered to finish.
'He can take it.' They chattered away behind closed doors, away from the sharp eyes and ears of the Three Tumors. 'It's not like it's too much work anyways- just a paper or two.'
And when those papers increased in number, they continued to justify themselves.
'I'm sure he'll be fine.' The gods whispered to their friends. 'What's a couple of documents to all the free time he's bound to have? As such a young god, I bet he does nothing but play around. Him doing this is really just showing common respect for his elders.'
And when those papers eventually grew into stacks, suddenly there was no talk of righteousness, no talk of respect. It had disappeared along with the minimalistic care they had for a stranger that few of them bothered to get to know.
'Hm? You don't feel like writing that report?' They said to each other. 'Just give it to the Wind Master, he'll have it done for you in no time.'
Give once and you will receive gratitude.
Give too much and you will be taken for granted.
He shoved down the irritation that threatened to rise, halting his walk as the martial god clasped a hand over his shoulder, a grin on his face.
"Good morning!" Su Tianzhong greeted, a grin on his face. "Is Shi Qingxuan around? Or is he still running around the mortal realm?"
"Lord Wind Master is currently ensuring the safety of one of his temples in the mortal realm, yes." He Xuan replied as curtly as possibly without appearing rude.
It was true. Some of his worshippers had gotten the bright idea to build a temple on a windy, high cliff, much to the concern of the Wind Master. He'd gone to check on its safety and foundation as quickly as possible to avoid any possible risks or injuries.
"I see, I see." The martial god replied, though he was clearly uninterested in the matter. "Diligent as always. No wonder he's unreachable through the communication array. That being said, I actually need a favor from him."
You and everyone else. He Xuan filtered his words and settled on the standard reply Qingxuan had drilled into him. "Please state a summary of the task and provide a mission scroll if available, and I will be glad to take it to him."
"Right." Tianzhong shrugged, handing over a rather large missive to the junior official. "It's nothing too difficult, I just need someone to check in and make sure some ancient battlefield in my area isn't being corrupted by resentful energy."
He Xuan wondered why the god wouldn't do the task himself then. "Of course. I'll be sure to take it to Lord Wind Master at the fastest convenient time."
"Make sure he reads the seventh page carefully, there's some information that's really important to the mission." The god added. "And give my thanks to him in advance."
It was a fairly clear dismissal by the martial god, so He Xuan dropped into a polite bow as Su Tianzhong nodded and left, awfully carefree for someone who was 'too busy' to fulfill the minimum requirements of keeping his position as a martial god.
The heavenly official cheerfully walked away, unaware of the sharp gold eyes that silently judged him from a ever growing distance.
Xie Lian hummed as he inspected an abandoned sword, likely having been thrown away due to the large crack present on the blade.
He sighed mournfully as he gently cradled the sword, looking sadly at the break. Damage like this wasn't from the force of battle, but from lacking maintenance that had dulled and broken the sword's performance and appearance. If only soldiers nowadays had a better attitude about their weapons.
The former crown prince had been wandering around, feeling lost ever since he was banished after his second ascension. He had just picked up busking, and was still getting used to the lifestyle. The man had heard the news of a battlefield in the desert that had recently been rediscovered after it was lost to a sandstorm. Worried about possible malicious ghosts and interested in the possibility of collecting some rarer scrap, he had made his way over.
The fallen god was in that rather harsh desert, which had been the site of a battleground a few decades ago. He was the only person in sight, as everyone had been told by the martial god overlooking the place that it was cursed, but was unable to warn Xie Lian due to his horrible luck always interfering in the conversation.
"And I thought there would be nobody here." A voice said behind him, causing the martial god to startle, turning around to instinctively point the sword at whoever it was.
Xie Lian blinked and wondered if he was experiencing hallucinations as he took in the sight in front of him. The boy, who he estimated to be around fourteen or so, had warm-toned brown hair and vibrant green eyes. The most interesting thing about him, though, were a pair of large white wings on his back that seemed to be keeping him hovering above the ground.
"...I'm not sure how much damage a cracked sword would do to a god, but please do feel free to try." The boy continued after a small moment of silence, pointedly eyeing the large break in the blade.
The crown prince blushed when he realized what he was doing, hastily putting down the weapon. He paused when he registered the words that had been spoken.
"A god?" Xie Lian peered curiously at the child. It wasn't rare to see a heavenly official come down to the mortal realm, but he seemed extremely young. A middle court official then?
With the pair of wings on his back and the telling lack of resentful energy, he surely wasn't a mortal or a ghost, but to reveal his identity so easily, he must have some kind of purpose.
"Mhm." The boy revealed, shrugging, "The current Wind Master, Shi Qingxuan, at your service."
Xie Lian's eyes widened, starting at Qingxuan with amazement. "You must be quite talented!" He complimented, though his smile dimmed as he noticed Shi Qingxuan hide a flinch at the praise.
"I'm really not…" The Wind Master denied quietly. He quickly changed the subject, "Did you not receive a warning?"
"Warning?" The prince echoed, unsure of what Qingxuan was talking about. "I'm sorry, is this a restricted area? I'm very sorry then, I didn't know."
"So you didn't hear about it…" Qingxuan muttered, eyes narrowing in thought. "How odd." He hummed in thought before elaborating, "The martial god that looks over this particular patch of territory sent out word to his nearby temples to avoid this place, as the battleground may be cursed or tainted with resentful energy. Or at least, that was what he was supposed to do. "
"...Ah. It must've been my poor luck." Xie Lian realized. "The priests at the nearby temple kept trying to talk to me, but the conversation was constantly interrupted by some kind of commotion happening whenever we got to more serious topics. They backed off after a while though, so I assumed it wasn't anything too urgent."
Shi Qingxuan stared at him, and Xie Lian felt mildly uncomfortable at the assessing, calculating glint in his eyes. A few moments of study gave way to open surprise and underlying awe. The Wind Master schooled his expression into something more appropriate soon after, but Xie Lian had already seen the change.
The crown prince blinked, trying to force down the soft flush that threatened to rise at the clear reverence. He hadn't had that kind of reception in decades.
But of course, the warmth that came with the adoration faded just as quickly as it had come. It was replaced by the familiar ache of fear, the worry that he would fail yet another believer, yet another family, yet another country-
"I see." Shi Qingxuan interrupted Xie Lian's inner storm of thoughts, voice cautiously steady but still ringing with an eager tone. "In that case, would you mind if I stick around for the duration of your stay here? I'm supposed to check over the battleground to ensure there are no complications with ghosts or resentment, and I'm sure your good eye could help."
As the crown prince opened his mouth to agree, his eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. The words died in his throat, and his tongue refused to move to speak.
For just a moment, Xie Lian could see it.
The flickering resemblance between the Wind Master and himself of a glorious past. The same eagerness to help, the same eagerness to give friends and strangers alike the kindness he believed they deserved. He saw it in the warm smile, the youthful face still untouched by jaded hate of the world. And behind the shining glory of divinity, there were those same shadows of doubt that had once whispered at the back of his mind, the very same that had eagerly spewed out curses and resentment as he climbed and reached higher and higher in the world.
He saw the same burning wonder that had blinded his allies from his suffering, the same burning wonder that had scorched his skin and ripped him from his divine pedestal.
"Sure." Xie Lian finally answered, his mouth all to dry and face a shade too pale. "I'd love to have some company."
He forced himself to mirror Qingxuan's warm smile with one of his own, digging his fingernails in his palms as he tried his best to ignore the way his hands trembled with an emotion he didn't dare identify.
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.