6. Running from the Temple into the Unknown

Shi Qingxuan wasn't sure what he expected to find. Maybe that his and his brother's temple was abandoned, desecrated, forgotten. It was only one of those three things.

As they drew near, they watched a woman sashay inside, her movements seductive in a way that came with practice. 'No,' he said, feeling the tug on his lips that he couldn't control, 'this is too funny. Your Highness, maybe you should get General Nan Yang instead?'

Xie Lian had a hand over his eyes as he realised what use the temple had been turned into. 'This is bad enough without him. Better to go with people who can keep their heads on straight.'

'This is … excessive,' He Xuan said darkly.

'Why?' Shi Qingxuan shrugged. 'It's still a temple, in a way. Dedicated to love.'

'That isn't love they're selling. It's a temple to fucking. Do I have to explain the difference to you?'

'I'd like to say yes just to hear you stutter, but I'll spare you. I know the difference perfectly well.' He was ahead of the rest and turned to face them, walking backwards. 'It doesn't matter. Do we think that we will find our ghost among the … um, service providers, or do we look elsewhere?'

'We stay,' Hua Cheng said. 'That woman? I know her. Recently, a bunch of service providers have left ghost city.'

'Do you keep tabs you your … service providers?' Xie Lian asked. 'That seems like a lot of work.'

'I don't, but if one of the popular ones leaves, someone will come to me complaining that their favourite is gone.'

'And what do you normally do about that?'

Hua Cheng's lips twitched. 'I tell them that I don't keep tabs on prostitutes. Sorry. Service providers.'

'I think we all know the word,' He Xuan said. 'But we can't just go in and say, hi, is one of you ghosts trying to kill me?'

'We can, but it wouldn't help,' Hua Cheng answered.

'I can go alone,' Shi Qingxuan said. 'I could …' He faltered and looked down on himself. 'But my clothes are all wrong.'

He Xuan nodded. 'That can be remedied. A suggestion. If we go in there, any ghosts will know that there are heavenly officials among us. They might not realise it's more than one. The ghost that is after me – now after you, too – thinks you're mortal.'

'I used spiritual power on ge, she can't have failed to noticed that.'

'But she probably guessed that I gave you that.' He Xuan looked at him, his eyes blazing with intent. 'Keep it to yourself for now. Before anything hurts you, hit it as hard as you can, but unless someone attacks you … be a human. You're our secret weapon, Qingxuan.'

'I like that,' he said softly. He took the fan from his side and tucked it inside his robes. 'What else?'

'You go in there. You just … get a drink and be innocuous. Look around, ask about the ladies, get as good an idea of the layout as you can without being obvious. Can you do that? Be subtle for one incense time?'

Shi Qingxuan smiled at him. 'I absolutely can. You're relying on me, after all.'

'You don't want anyone looking at you too hard. I get supplies. You two … can you cause a little scene, distract them from Qingxuan and me?' He faltered suddenly and turned to the other man. 'Speaking of which, what do you want me to call you?'

In the more recent past, the ghost had called him Wind Master. There'd been a time when he'd used his first name, but he'd stopped doing that at some point. He should have noticed this. He should have noticed that his best friend withdrew from him. 'Qingxuan is perfectly fine,' he said.

'His Highness calls you that.'

'Well, he can't call me a spring roll. And you can't either.'

When He Xuan refused to comment, Xie Lian decided to break the silence before it had a chance to become oppressive. 'I'm addressing you by your first name until you have a rank I can use. That will change when you have it.' He smiled. 'We don't have a new Wind Master, you see, and the thing is … living up to you would be a tall order.'

'You hear that?' He Xuan asked, tapping Shi Qingxuan's arm. 'I'll consider it.'

'Not calling me a spring roll, I hope.'

There was a small shift in He Xuan's expression that Shi Qingxuan hadn't seen in a long time – not a smile, but a softness around his lips and eyes. 'I'll consider it,' he repeated. 'For now … you go ahead. Have a drink, watch a little, leave. Don't dally, I won't need much time. And don't do anything reckless.'

'Get me something that doesn't scream elite courtesan or rich kid,' Shi Qingxuan said. 'Clean but not fancy. I have an idea, and I must look like a lower class citizen for that to work.'

'We'll get their eyes on us,' Hua Cheng said. 'I've got an idea, too. Gege … just react. We meet here again in an incense time.'

'If we're lucky, we won't have to go back,' Xie Lian said. 'It might turn out this is the wrong place to start.'

'That would be very unlucky,' He Xuan answered, 'because then we have no lead at all.'

Shi Qingxuan laughed. 'Then it's a good thing I'm going and not His Highness! I'm a lot luckier.'

He Xuan gave him a lingering look. 'I'm glad you think that way. Now go. And be careful.'

Ϡ

If there was one thing Shi Qingxuan enjoyed, it was putting on a show. So when he strolled into the temple-turned-brothel, he did it with an air of nonchalance and a haughty expression that wasn't something he normally wore. He waved one of the prettier ladies to him and had her bring him their best wine, knowing he might not get any in the near future. He Xuan had passed him the money to pay for it, and he really wanted to know if this place was at least offering decent quality service. It would have to suffice for the next decades, since after this little stint, he'd slink back into poverty.

He'd laughed the matter off, but despite that, he still felt mildly offended by the temple's new function. On the other hand, maybe this was better than tearing the place down. His brother would have felt differently.

Shi Qingxuan had picked a spot not too far from the entrance in case he needed to leave fast. He accepted his drink and paid for it, then dismissed the woman serving him. She looked a little miffed, but he was sure she'd find someone more willing. He had never paid for company, and he wasn't going to start now, even for show.

Letting his eyes move over the service providers, he noticed several things: They were dressed well, and they seemed in good condition. There were no bruises on them, when they laughed they had no missing teeth. Whoever ran this place appeared to be interested in their well-being and not abusive.

Another thing he noted was that the drink he'd been given tasted like ass. He had asked for wine and got strong liquor, but since he didn't want to draw attention, he said nothing. When he actually chose to drink spirits, it was expensive, high quality stuff, but he probably shouldn't have expected anything other than swill. It wouldn't kill him, and no-one seemed too bothered by the patron who preferred looking over ... well, doing. In order to keep things that way, he finished the drink quickly and ordered another. As long as he paid, no-one would mind for what.

The other patrons were also rather well-behaved, and there was no visible authority figure. It appeared as if the people working here pretty much governed themselves. Of course there might be someone in the background, but he doubted it. At his temple – the one he lived in now, not the one where he'd been worshipped – there were several prostitutes. Active and escaped ones. Some of them sold their bodies for food, others to save money in the hopes of improving their lot, but none of them had the carefree air everyone in here had.

The final fact that stood out was that not all of the service providers of either gender were ghosts. Those that were, however, did not hide this, displaying their inhuman features openly. In fact, it seemed the ghost ladies were a business strategy.

For Shi Qingxuan, all of this meant that he could do what he'd intended: He could infiltrate. That was, until someone tried to earnestly purchase his services, then he'd run like hell. He wasn't buying, but he definitely wasn't selling, either.

With that knowledge, he turned his attention to the layout. When Hua Cheng came in with a forbidding expression, accosting one of the ghosts and demanding why she hadn't announced her departure, she looked absolutely confused. Shi Qingxuan suspected that he didn't care too much who did what in ghost city, so this was rather uncharacteristic. Xie Lian was playing his part pretty well, trying to reason with his husband and convince him that this wasn't worth it. Every pair of eyes was on them, and Shi Qingxuan could look around a little more openly. He stood with his drink in hand and started ambling away from the ruckus. He ambled further until he got to the courtyard. It was deserted. Almost.

The temple was made up of several buildings. The first one had become the brothel proper. A lone dark figure waved at him before slipping into one of the side buildings, and Shi Qingxuan smiled. He wondered if he should be worried or angry or … anything. He'd been absolutely terrified of He Xuan for a long time. But now … Now he was sure he was the one who had kept him fed every day. That was probably why he'd been sneaking around the night Shi Qingxuan had been attacked: He'd been looking for him to slip him food. Something had delayed him that day, and he'd intended to correct this.

That could only mean one thing: He Xuan genuinely cared about him. If he just felt guilty, he might have helped once, but he wouldn't have hovered around him in disguise, making sure he had healthy food while staying hidden to avoid scaring him. Shi Qingxuan shook off the thought. This wasn't the time.

With the air of someone who owned the place, he walked around. There was a teleportation array in one of the structures, which was interesting; his and his brother's statues had been preserved and put into the courtyard. A canopy had been built over them, and they stood tall and pristine, as if nothing had befallen their real life counterparts. He was clearly in the right place: Someone had removed the siblings' likenesses from the anger of the people.

Shi Qingxuan heard footsteps and without thinking he downed the rest of his second drink. A heavy shiver ran through his whole body, and he grimaced, ducking behind the socket of his own statue and almost tripping over his feet. This was, after a moment of consideration, probably not a wise move. He should have pretended to have got lost and been apologetic, but now he had to sit this out.

The footsteps drew near fast, and with a shout of fury, someone hit his statue. 'Son of a bitch!' The harsh voice of a woman was followed by another thud against Shi Wudu's likeness. 'You, too! You liar! We were going to ruin him, and now you've gone all soft because your idiot brother is getting laid by that ugly monster!'

Shi Qingxuan didn't dare to move. He hardly dared to breathe. Then he realised he was being ridiculous. He stood. 'Would you mind not doing that?' he asked.

The woman stared at him. She was a ghost, and not a pretty one. Her eyes were blazing red, her face distorted and fleshless – barely more than a skull with limp skin on it. The physician had been a disguise, and He Xuan paid so little attention to his house and anything in it that he'd had no idea. In hindsight, it had probably been the ghost king himself all along that had looked after him. At least Shi Qingxuan hoped it had been, even though there were implications of that he didn't want to consider right now. On the other hand, the thought that he'd been at the mercy of someone so unstable was way more disconcerting.

'You disgust me,' she spat. 'No-one can fuck well enough to forgive what he did to us!'

'Us?' Shi Qingxuan asked. 'Who is us? He never did anything to me, and I'm sure he didn't hurt you, either.' He chose not to address any other part of her statement: She wasn't going to believe him anyway. 'You are one of our worshippers, aren't you? Then listen to me: It's not worth it.'

'I don't worship you. I worshipped him! But now you killed him.' She narrowed her eyes. 'You still have power from that beast, don't you? That's why you're not afraid of me.'

Shi Qingxuan did not answer that. The truth was that he was way past being afraid of most things as long as they didn't pop up out of thin air. He had once looked at death as an escape, albeit briefly. An experience like that changed you.

The ghost wasn't deterred by his silence. 'You'll see, he's waiting until you feel safe with him before he destroys you for good. And then I'll get him.'

'He's a supreme ghost king,' Shi Qingxuan tried. 'You're no match for him. He's going to eat you.' Literally, if she was unlucky.

'I will find a way.' She turned and started running from him, and he followed automatically. The woman's speed was remarkable and an absolute match for him.

He had to work on keeping track of her. When she ran into the building with the distance shortening array, he faltered, thought for a moment, and made up his mind. 'Xuan-xiong! Xuan-xiong, she's going to teleport away!' he shouted. 'I'm going after her!'

'What? Wait!' He Xuan's voice was at the other end of the court yard. 'I can't understand you, wait for me!'

'I'm going ahead before I lose her!' He started running again, burst through the door, and then another with the array drawn on it. The moment he passed it, he saw her materialise beside it. She hadn't left. She had tricked him.

Ϡ

Shi Qingxuan stared at the solid rock that had been a door before he had come through it. He sighed and turned around to look. He felt his head spin and supported himself from the wall. It was dark and moist in here, holding a scent of mould and abandonment. This was a trap, nothing else, and he had run right into it. But He Xuan and the others would find him.

Light was coming from high above him. 'Am I sitting in a well?' Shi Qingxuan asked. He stopped looking up because it made the world go in wild circles around him, and he had to sit down on the wet ground. 'Yeah. Well.' The words came out distorted, and he was getting mildly alarmed.

'Qingxuan? Qingxuan!'

'Yeah?' he asked, then realised that the voice was coming from his private communication array. 'Um … yeah?' he repeated there. 'I'm in a well.'

'You're also drunk! Talk slowly, even your thoughts are slurring.'

'That's not my fault, they slipped me something,' he said very deliberately.

'I wasn't blaming you.'

'Then do it already. Go on, tell me I'm stupid. Tell me I should have known better.'

'I'm telling you not to pass out. You're in danger. Do you have your powers?'

'Yes.'

'Good. If anything comes that isn't me, hit it hard. Hold on, scratch that. If I come, and you have the slightest doubt it's really me, hit it hard, too. What can you tell me about the place you're in?'

'Um. It's wet.'

'No kidding.'

He focussed and listened, closed his eyes to let his other senses get an idea of the place. 'I think I'm in a forest. I hear no people but a lot of birds, and the light seems very green … I'm definitely not in the city.' He frowned. 'My guess is this was once an inhabited area because of the well. It's not just a hole in the ground, it's built with solid wet rocks.'

'What kind, what do they look like?'

'It's too dark to tell really, also because they're pretty wet. I think I said that. They're not regular, though. Just a well built from wet rocks.' Shi Qingxuan leaned against the wall. Concentrating was hard, if he didn't have to focus on staying upright, it would be easier to talk.

'Don't pass out!' He Xuan said sharply. Apparently his struggle was obvious. 'Does it look like you can climb up?'

'Ha ha ha ha ha, now? No way.' If he tried, he wouldn't get far. He couldn't even stand up any more. 'I'll try in a while, it looks like I should manage.'

'Don't risk anything! Hua Cheng and His Highness are asking around. I have an idea where you might be. Before you do anything, anything at all, talk to me. Can you promise me that?'

'I promise,' Shi Qingxuan said. At least he thought so. He was so very, very tired. He closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself. When he opened them again only a heartbeat later, something was off. The light! The sun was high in the sky, making him think it was early in the afternoon. He must have been out for a couple of hours. One of the perks of being a heavenly official was recovering quickly and not getting hung over easily: He was much better now. 'Crap,' he said, softly. 'Xuan-xiong?'

'Oh god, you're alive. I thought I'm coming to rescue a corpse!'

Shi Qingxuan rubbed his hands over his eyes. 'I'm not dead.' He stood and inspected the walls of the well again. 'I'm getting out of here.'

'Can you use your fan for that?'

Shi Qingxuan had considered this. 'No. There isn't enough space to do that safely. I'm going to climb.'

'Don't. Wait for me. If you are where I think you are, you won't get out alone.'

He wasn't mad at He Xuan. He wasn't frightened of him, either. But right now, he was mad at himself, and he didn't want to be rescued. Take care of it yourself, the ghost had once told him. Well, he was going to. The wall was built roughly, and while the well was deep, it would be doable. He'd just have to take it slow.

Shi Qingxuan started his way up cautiously, every movement deliberate. He wasn't a martial god. Xie Lian would be up and out of here in no time at all, he had to be a bit more careful. That his head was still a bit fuzzy didn't help.

When he was almost all the way up, it became clear that he probably was in the place He Xuan expected: He couldn't go on. The last stretch was smoothed out, leaving him nowhere to hold on to. His arms were aching, and he doubted he'd make it down safely by climbing back to the bottom. It was a long fall. It wouldn't kill him, not now that he was a heavenly official, but it would hurt. 'Xuan-xiong? I'm so sorry,' he said into the communication array.

'Fuck. You climbed, didn't you? Hold on, I'm nearly there.'

'I d-don't know if I can. I'm going to fall, but it'll be fine.'

'You'll be hurting like hell! Hold on, I'll get there.'

He held on. He held on until his arms shook and he was sweating so much he thought that alone would make him slip. 'I'm sorry, I can't any more,' he said eventually. 'My arms hurt.'

'Hold on! I'm here!'

With an unimaginable effort, Shi Qingxuan lifted his eyes up at the exact moment a face appeared above him, still looking human, and an arm reached for him, missing him by a hair's breadth. He made one last desperate attempt, stretching himself and catching the hand. 'Ming-xiong,' he gasped, and a moment later he realised his horrible mistake.

'Don't you dare let go of me!' He Xuan's expression wasn't angry, it was absolutely terrified. He'd never seen him look like that. 'Let go of the wall. Trust me, I've got you! I'm not letting you fall, Qingqing.'

With what strength he still had, he tried to push a little, assisted by the powerful hold He Xuan had on him. A second hand clamped around his arm above his wrist to alleviate the strain on the joint, and moments later he was free. He sat on the ground panting, strong arms coming around him and holding him close. He felt He Xuan's face pressing against the top of his head, felt himself being clutched so hard as if it was the ghost in danger of falling into an endless void if he let go. Shi Qingxuan leaned into the embrace and turned his head to face the other man. 'I messed up again. I'm so, so-'

He Xuan's lips pressed against his, and he shut up, the words stolen by surprise. 'Stop apologising,' the ghost said, barely pulling away at all. 'You can say Ming-xiong. I told you that you can call me anything you want. I'm just glad you're willing to speak to me at all.'

Before Shi Qingxuan could answer, he was being kissed again, more softly this time, and he melted, holding on to the other man and closing his eyes to bask in this stolen moment. 'You came for me,' he said eventually.

He Xuan scowled, the effect somewhat diminished by the fact that his lips were wet and swollen. 'I can't leave my only friend in a hole. Alive or dead.'

'You no longer deny it?'

'No. I want to be that. I … want to be more. No matter what you choose to do with your life, I'll take anything you offer. A day. A decade. The time you have until you grow old and leave me. Centuries and centuries to come.'

'Do I even know you? I think I do, but you tell me. Did I ever know you?'

'You do. Can't you tell? When you look at me, don't you recognise your … your best friend in me?'

Shi Qingxuan smiled. 'Very much.'

'Good. I … recognise something else, too. We were born at the same time and given the same name, and we were always meant to meet. If I had ascended, you'd still have been in the Middle Court and I would have found you. No matter if our fates were switched or not, we were drawn to each other.'

'Then it wasn't all just pretence?'

'No. I cared about you before I knew my fate had gone to you. I wanted to despise everyone up there, but you wouldn't let me. I couldn't love you, either, because if I had allowed … if I had admitted that it could be that, I would have lost my purpose. But when you were gone … I missed you as if a part of my soul had been stripped away. I had to stay near you, but if you tell me you never want to see my face again, I'll leave you alone. I understand if this comes way too late.'

Shi Qingxuan's heart was racing. He remembered something and laughed. 'It's not too late. We're alive. I mean, sort of. Alive enough. But … Qingqing?'

He Xuan brushed the hair out of his face. 'I thought it's the part of your name that suits you best.' He looked away. 'To be honest, I wasn't thinking at all. I was too worried that they'd managed to kill you because you were silent for so fucking long. But … it does suit you.'

'I like it,' he answered softly, capturing the hand that was now caressing him and kissing it. He was sure that the ghost was actively avoiding their shared name, but he wasn't going to call him out. 'Are you sure you'll ever be able to look at me without resentment?'

'I could ask you the same thing.'

'You could. I'd tell you … I had a lot of time to think and process and … Back then, you acted in the only way you could. You'd held on to your revenge for so long you couldn't let it go. Maybe because hatred was the thing that made you manifest as a ghost to start with. Maybe because you're just … a person who got hurt beyond words. But it's different now. You even look a bit different.' Right now He Xuan had chosen Ming Yi's appearance, but earlier, when he'd used his own, there had been a subtle change from how he'd looked in his lair. Or maybe it was just because that bitter, horrible expression was gone from his face. It made a world of difference. 'Not that dreadful but so much sadder,' he explained. 'And I know I don't want you to be sad. I think you've forgotten how to be happy, how to see good things in life and in people. And I hope nothing more than for that to change.'

'Then maybe all I need to say is that the only way I'll look at you is with gratitude, because I see very good things in you,' He Xuan said. 'I just don't know how I can ever make up to you what you've lost.'

'You can't. Neither of us can.' Shi Qingxuan shrugged. 'But you don't need to, either. It's done. We can only accept it and make sure the other never suffers again because of something we do – or allow to happen.'

He Xuan pressed their foreheads together. 'I'm glad I didn't manage to teach you hatred,' he said quietly. 'The world is insufferably dark without you.'

'Don't get all sappy on me now, Xuan-xiong.' He knew his smile belied his words.

He Xuan narrowed his eyes at him. 'Fine then. But you'd better not hold your breath until the next time.' His voice contrasted the harsh choice of words, sounding gentle and soft.

Laughing, Shi Qingxuan leaned in and captured his lips again, finally letting himself fall.