5. A God Names a Deputy, a Deputy Looks for a Name

It turned out that Xie Lian did need to go in person. For some reason Ling Wen wouldn't even hear who he was appointing and had immediately told him he needed to come. While this was slightly confusing, he had little choice but to do so if he wanted a portion of his power transferred to Shi Qingxuan – and to give him the resilience of a heavenly official: The civil god had cut the connection to her private communication array.

The moment Xie Lian reached the Avenue of Divine Might, Ling Wen bowed before him. 'Please follow me, Your Highness.' She started to head towards the Emperor's palace.

'Appointing a deputy seems to have become a lot more complicated since my last time,' he commented.

'I assure you, it has not.'

'Then why can I not just tell you that …'

'Please refrain from disclosing any details yet.'

Then it dawned on Xie Lian. 'You're having a bet.'

'There have been … some hypotheses that involve compensation.'

'That is so undignified.' Xie Lian replied with an awkward laugh. 'How many people were betting I wouldn't appoint anyone?'

'Not that many. And it was a little more specific than that.'

They reached the Palace of Divine Might, and Xie Lian halted before the joined the rest. 'Why are we not doing this in the communication array of the upper court?' he asked in an undertone.

'Because a few people expressed their wish for your personal attendance due to the prominence of some of the participants. For example, the Heavenly Emperor has to lose or gain one thousand and ten merits.'

'One thousand … and ten? That's a weird amount.'

Ling Wen's lips twitched. 'The one thousand concern who you will appoint. The ten how soon.'

'And you? Are you in on this?'

'I only keep the books.' She headed inside ahead of him and a hush fell over the heavenly officials.

Xie Lian saw all eyes turn to him and felt incredibly exposed. 'I … am here to appoint a deputy.' If everyone had stopped talking when he entered, it now seemed they had held their collective breaths. A part of him wanted to test that theory and wait until their lips turned blue. But the part that wanted to run away and get back to his actual problem was stronger. When he spotted Mei Nianqing of all people, the urge to flee from this intensified. A lot. He turned to the only person who mattered, the one who would record this and see that all was in order. 'I'm electing Shi Qingxuan as my deputy general.'

As quickly as everyone had fallen silent, they now started talking all at once. Xie Lian's attention, however, was drawn in by Jun Wu at the Emperor's side, who laughed softly at this revelation. 'Of course you did,' he said. 'You just won me one thousand and ten merits. Thank you, Xianle.'

'…' said Xie Lian.

'He's hardly the only one who saw that coming from a hundred miles away,' Pei Ming said. 'I think everyone except the Heavenly Emperor and your former deputies bet the same.'

'And what did they bet?' Xie Lian asked, regretting it immediately. He really didn't want to know.

Pei Ming laughed. 'That you'd stall until even the Palace of Ling Wen has forgotten. Although Feng Xin bet that you'd grab some random person off the street just to spite everyone.'

'I wouldn't do that.' At least not at random. He turned back to Ling Wen. 'Can I go now? I have something urgent on my mind, and I'd rather not delay it too long.'

'Of course, Your Highness. Will your deputy take up residence in the Palace of Xianle?'

Xie Lian blinked. 'I have no idea.' He couldn't even be certain that he'd stay to begin with. Given Shi Qingxuan's current demeanour, he'd probably be hard to pin down to any place, heavenly official or not. 'I'll let you know,' he said at last.

'One moment.' The State Preceptor came towards him, a slight frown on his face. 'Tell that poor unfortunate soul to be reasonable. If he keeps refusing, he will die. They all do eventually.'

'You mean Shi Qingxuan? He hasn't refused, he agreed to this.' For the moment.

'He didn't tell you, then. Stupid child. I thought he might not.' The old man sighed, looking unusually serious. 'We need to have a word. If you value his life, make him understand the gravity of his situation before he gets himself killed.'

Ϡ

Before Xie Lian left, he somehow remembered to ask Feng Xin how the search for his family had gone. It turned out he had found them, and they had spoken and agreed to stay in touch. They still refused to follow him, but at least they were talking. Just as he returned to He Xuan's place to meet up with the others again, Xie Lian remembered something. He tapped his fingers against his temple with a smile. 'Hello? Is everyone here?'

'I always am,' Hua Cheng responded.

'I'm working,' He Xuan replied curtly.

'Oh, look, I can hear you! Is this the communication array we all started … earlier? Can you hear me?' Shi Qingxuan's enthusiasm was in sharp contrast to his original reluctance, and Xie Lian smiled.

'Yes to both questions.' He returned to the house, worried where they'd even start looking.

'How wonderful, we can all hear each other,' He Xuan said. 'Now tone it down, I'm trying to focus here.'

Xie Lian decided that if they were to work together, he might not want to aggrieve the ghost further and continued speaking to Hua Cheng, who greeted him the moment he arrived. 'What is he working on?'

'Hell if I know.' He made a vague gesture up. 'How did it go? You look flustered.'

A while ago, Xie Lian would have brushed him off, but by now the fact that Hua Cheng was a great listener who cared deeply about how he felt had sunk in enough. He sighed. 'Mid.' He leaned closer so the other two, if they were nearby, wouldn't eavesdrop too easily. 'They were actually betting on me appointing Qingxuan. Can you believe it?'

'Yes. I would have bet the same.'

'But … that hadn't even occurred to me before!'

'Because you didn't plan to appoint anyone. Once you did, your mind went to him.'

'It's not a bad idea!'

'I didn't say it was. It makes a lot of sense. He stood by you up there when no-one else would. He's loyal and he likes you, and he might be somewhat capable.' Hua Cheng lowered his voice. 'But that is hardly all that happened, is it?'

'No.' Xie Lian made a face. 'But I'd rather … wait a little until he's calmed down and discuss it with you then. All of you, perhaps. Assuming Ship Sinking Black Water can be trusted?'

'With anything concerning your friend? Yes. I believe he would do things very differently now.' His lips twitched. 'Don't get me wrong, I still think he'd want to murder Shi Wudu, but he would be more considerate of his brother's well-being.'

'Physical only or altogether?'

Hua Cheng shook his head. 'You mean would he be able to spare his primary target to keep someone he cares about happy? Not without an enormous effort.'

Xie Lian sighed. 'Well, it's moot. Once you've messed up, you've got to live with yourself somehow.' He frowned. 'I don't know how I feel about him working with us, San Lang. He hurt him deeply.'

'And he'll regret that as long as he lives. Can't you see that?' He reached out to run his fingertips over Xie Lian's cheek. 'I don't want to be in his place: Knowing that the one person who ever truly cared about me was hurt by my actions. Unable to take the pain away and only able to make amends because the one who suffered for my revenge is allowing it.'

'You're nothing like him.'

'No.' Hua Cheng leaned in and kissed Xie Lian softly. 'Luckily for both of us, I'm not.'

'Where is Qingxuan?'

'Hasn't left the guest room. We need to get him out of there if he is to join us.'

With a sense of mild foreboding, Xie Lian knocked on the door. 'Come on in!'

Much like earlier in the communication array, Shi Qingxuan's call was cheerful enough, so he decided not to be too worried. 'Are you sure this is okay for you?' Xie Lian started without preamble while pulling the door shut behind him and Hua Cheng. 'Working with He Xuan?'

'Hmm? Yes, absolutely!' His expression darkened. 'My ge … he's gone.'

Xie Lian sighed. 'I thought he might not linger after you talked him down. His desire for revenge hasn't been nourished all that long, he could still let go. But I'm sorry that you lost your brother again so quickly.'

'I think Xuan-xiong sensed it. That's why he let him stay. He knew that it was my last chance to talk to him.'

'I'm sorry,' Xie Lian said again.

'Really? Xuan-xiong?' Hua Cheng asked. 'Is he fine with you calling him that?'

'He called me that, so I thought … But you're right, it's too familiar, ha ha ha ha. I never really knew him.'

'You knew him,' Xie Lian said. 'I don't believe that all this time he spent in your company was a lie. No-one can get close to you like that and not care about you.' He led the way back to the corridor. Before he could wonder where He Xuan was, the door with the teleportation array opened, and he came striding out, sullen and soaking wet.

The ghost headed straight for Shi Qingxuan and extended his hand. 'There.'

Shi Qingxuan took the offered item automatically. It was his fan, once more repaired. He opened and closed it. 'Hey, you nicked that when you hugged me! One use, eh?'

'No.' He Xuan looked away from him, from them all. 'It won't crack unless you break it intentionally. Then I won't be able to fix it again.'

'Interesting,' Hua Cheng said. 'Fixing a spiritual device takes a lot. You took it to your lair because you're strongest there, but that alone isn't enough. How did you do it?'

He Xuan gave him a dark look. 'Wouldn't you like to know.'

'It doesn't matter,' Shi Qingxuan said. He bowed a little. 'Thank you Xu- He Xuan.'

The ghost king's scowl deepened. 'I'm He Xuan now, eh? Make up your damn mind.'

Shi Qingxuan opened his mouth and closed it. He turned to the door, shoulders slumped. 'I'm sorry, I'm so confused.'

'Nothing new there.'

'This is my fault,' Hua Cheng said, somewhat unexpectedly. 'I told him he was being too familiar.'

He Xuan's glare turned to him. 'Well, then quit sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. And you,' he added to Shi Qingxuan, 'stop looking to others for making your choices. You're a heavenly official again, no matter which court. You don't need to second guess every little thing you do. You're fine following your own heart.'

A soft flush coloured Shi Qingxuan's cheeks, making Xie Lian wonder what had happened in his brief absence. 'Well, we know where that led me earlier. I think I'll just get done with this job, and then I'll be back at my home.'

He Xuan's lips were a thin line, and he shook his head. 'It didn't lead anywhere regrettable, Qingxuan. Your fear will lead you away from what His Highness offers, not your heart. You like him. You like those absolute idiots in the Heavenly Courts despite their pretentiousness. You miss it every moment. When you think no-one's looking, it shows on your face.'

'You're right. And you forgot something.' He Xuan made a gesture for him to continue. 'I quite like you, too. You always were my best friend, after all.'

Xie Lian closed his eyes, waiting for a protest that never came.

'I think we have a ghost to find,' Hua Cheng said eventually into the slightly awkward silence.

'True.' Shi Qingxuan grabbed He Xuan's hand to urge him into motion. 'We'll talk later, He-gongzi.'

'No. I'm absolutely not answering to that. Just stop talking.' But Shi Qingxuan's smile remained, soft and secure. Xie Lian decided they really needed to let them sort out whatever this was with each other, but he couldn't stop himself from worrying. He Xuan was no immediate danger. Whether he would become one after their job was finished – somehow he started doubting that, too.

Ϡ

Outside, the city was alive and bustling, and Shi Qingxuan's high spirits were so infectious that even He Xuan's dour expression relaxed slightly. He had changed to look like Ming Yi. It wasn't a huge difference, but it made him appear human with his face somewhat less haggard and a little colour to his cheeks. 'I don't know a lot,' Shi Qingxuan said, 'but what ge told me is that this ghost is a worshipper. Or … was. What he didn't say, but I think that's clear enough, is that she worked with him to get you, Xuanxuan.'

'No.'

'No? Didn't think so. Ha ha ha, people could use that when they call out to both of us.' He Xuan rolled his eyes so hard at that he would have put Mu Qing to shame. This did not deter Shi Qingxuan in the slightest. 'Anyway, she's now furious with all of us because we weren't trying to murder you adamantly enough. What I wonder is, can we talk her out of it, too? What do the ghosts present think?'

'Dream on,' said He Xuan.

This time, Shi Qingxuan's expression slipped instantly. 'Please don't say that to me any more,' he breathed, looking suddenly forlorn. 'It makes me want to cry.'

'Fine. Then instead I'll tell you that if you expect that she'll just walk away, you're delusional.' He frowned deeply. 'But … I won't say that to you again, Qingxuan. I wasn't thinking.'

'I believe,' Xie Lian said, 'you could only reason with your brother because he loved you more than he hated Ship Sinking Black Water. So my guess is, probably not. We can try, but my hopes aren't high.'

'Can we not call me that, either?' He Xuan growled. 'The curse is gone, I just didn't drown the island yet. I'm not going back there unless I have to.'

'Hmm.' Shi Qingxuan had collected himself somewhat and waved his hand in the air. 'Well, we need to find her first. She seems to have frequented one of our former temples, so I'd start looking at the biggest.'

He Xuan reached over, grabbed Shi Qingxuan's hand out of mid-air, and slapped a whisk he had produced from his sleeve into it. 'There. Better?'

'Much!' Grinning hugely, he waved it. 'So. Temple?'

'Temple,' Xie Lian agreed. His talk with the State Preceptor sat heavily in his mind, and Hua Cheng's gaze boring into his skull didn't help. 'How does it feel?' he asked. 'Having your spiritual device back.'

'Safe.' Shi Qingxuan's reply was soft. 'But I'll return it to Xuan-xiong when we're finished.'

'No.'

Shi Qingxuan sighed deeply. 'No? Now I'm starting to run out of ideas. He-xiong, then?'

'I mean the fan, not the name. Hold on to it. It's yours. I don't want it.'

'Take good care of it,' Hua Cheng said. 'If you choose to become mortal again, you should return it. A spiritual device like that is hard to repair and not in safe hands on a mortal of your social standing.' Xie Lian's eyes snapped to his husband, who shook his head minutely before he could talk. 'He might also want a memento of you,' the ghost king added.

'He might not,' He Xuan said.

'Then that is your call to make when he gives it to you.'

Shi Qingxuan was swinging his whisk enthusiastically. 'So I can call you Xuan-xiong? You like that?'

'I'd like you to shut up already.' When he saw the other man's smile faltering a little, he shook his head. 'But Xuan-xiong is acceptable if you like it,' he amended.

The former Wind Master tickled He Xuan under the chin with the whisk, causing him to stutter with outrage. 'Please don't be mad at me. I can't bear it. You weren't like that earlier today. Or when you sang to me a few days ago. I really liked that. Come on. Let me love you.'

He Xuan halted abruptly and grabbed his wrist, but it was clear that his hold on him was gentle. Xie Lian had to force himself to pay attention to anything that was happening because his mind was trying to imagine a singing He Xuan and failed magnificently. 'I'm not mad at you. I'm worried! You're going to choose death. The Shi Qingxuan I remember valued his life, loved it so much he couldn't get enough. Sometimes, like right now, it looks like you're still in there, but until I hear from you that you accept His Highness's offer – permanently, not for an incense time – I will worry. I'm the one who took that from you. I'm the reason you don't want to live.'

'Maybe,' Hua Cheng said, 'you should have thought of that before you ate his powers.'

Shi Qingxuan whipped around and pointed his whisk at Hua Cheng as if it was a sword. 'He did not!' He glared at him. 'He didn't do anything to me!'

'I didn't?'

'What?!' Shi Qingxuan lowered his hand with a defeated look. 'You think you took my powers?'

'I've done it before.'

'To ghosts! Am I a ghost? Do I look like a ghost? Did you devour me?'

People were staring at them now, and Xie Lian desperately wished they' be a little more quiet. Their task might require subtlety, but how was that going to work if these two talked so obviously like people who weren't mortals? 'He relinquished them himself,' he said, hoping that would be enough to turn them to other matters – or at least, a slightly less agitated conversation. 'It happens at times when gods are forgotten. They give up their powers and start over, hoping to ascend again.'

Shi Qingxuan looped his arm through He Xuan's to coax him back into motion. 'Really. How can you think you took my powers? Wouldn't you … notice?'

He Xuan shrugged. 'You lost them the moment you knew the truth. I thought it was an effect of the Venerable of Empty Words in me and that I lost control of myself in my rage.'

'It was – and it wasn't.' Shi Qingxuan shook his head. 'You just told me the facts as they were, and even though you came as that … that Jinx Monster, it made no difference at that point. I made a choice. I had no right to being a god. I still don't.'

Xie Lian noted that He Xuan let the other man guide him like that without protest. He wished they would behave a little more predictably so he could stop being on high alert. 'Being appointed by me gives you that right,' he said. 'Facing a heavenly tribulation because you are at the centre of the worst danger this city had to deal with in centuries, head held high, without hesitation, without a thought to your own safety, gives you that right.'

'Ha ha ha, please don't, Your Highness,' Shi Qingxuan said with a very unsubtle, whisk-enhanced shushing gesture.

'No. This needs to be said.' He had hoped to pass the State Preceptor's words on when everything had settled, but now he'd been given too good an opening to pass it up. 'Your fates were never swapped back. You still have He Xuan's, and unless he does something about it, you always will. His fate was godhood. It will keep happening. You will keep ending up in increasingly dangerous situations until you allow it or die. Being my deputy might give you an advantage the next time, but it won't work forever.'

'What are you saying?' He Xuan asked, his voice low but with an undercurrent of danger.

Xie Lian sighed and decided to just say it out loud. 'He rejected a heavenly tribulation when he held the human array.'

'That's possible?' Hua Cheng asked. 'You can refuse to ascend before the fact?'

'If you realise that this will be the result, then yes,' Xie Lian said. 'Few people do. Even fewer reject it. You have to be thoroughly averse to the entire idea.'

'You also have to be thoroughly absurd!' He Xuan ground out. 'Qingxuan! Are you out of your mind? Why did you do that?'

'Well, because of everything he just said!' Shi Qingxuan answered, folding his arms. Since He Xuan was still hooked into one of them, he was yanked against him, making both men veer to the side for a moment. 'It's not my fate. It's yours. I don't want it. You should swap them back if you can.'

'I'm not going to do anything of that sort!' Black Water wasn't exactly yelling, but his voice was sharp and intense – and a little too carrying for this time of day in a public place. 'I'm a ghost, for crying out loud, I have no use for my fate! And I didn't want to ruin you, you moron. I wanted to ruin him! If you'd backed off to begin with, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You … I just needed you to know the truth. I couldn't foresee that you'd hang yourself with it!'

'Have you met me? I don't want a stolen fate!' Shi Qingxuan shook his head. 'I won't accept. I can't. You said to follow my own heart and my heart refuses.'

He Xuan opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. He hesitated, then nodded slowly. 'You're right. It's your decision. But it's my decision to be a persistent shadow. You're not dying on my watch. I just want one person that crossed my fucked-up path to not end up dead, thank you very much, and I'd really like that one person to be you. I don't think that's a lot to ask.'

Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. People were side-eyeing them, and it wasn't really a miracle. Hua Cheng was having no such qualms, laughing openly, He Xuan, dripping from head to toe, and Shi Qingxuan were still walking arm in arm while trading verbal blows, and Xie Lian was seriously contemplating having Ruoye gag them both. At least until they were alone somewhere and could do this without an audience, it was very tempting. Luckily, they seemed to have run out of energy for the moment. Hopefully the peace would hold a little while.

((I deliberately kept the name 'Palace of Divine Might'. I'll get to that in the sequel.))