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Another year and the Mid Autumn festival was back once more, though hastily planned since the wreck the Heavenly Court had been since the fall of their Emperor. Although it was getting easier to manage, everything would once more plunge into chaos once celebrations were to be arranged.
Xie Lian took big steps, down expansive roads, past extravagant palaces before he finally reached the Palace of Xuan Zhen. He had decided against going to the Palace of Ling Wen instead, because he imagined she already had enough on her plate as is.
Making his way through the entrance, miraculously without bumping into any of the many Middle Court heavenly officials that came in and out in a frenzy, he sought out the owner of the Palace. When he did, Mu Qing was in a similar situation as he would expect Ling Wen to be, but he figured Mu Qing would be more prone to help. "Could you kindly mind your own fucking business?", he spat out to someone to his left and swept a strand of hair behind his ear before grabbing a pen to write on yet another scroll. The man next to him immediately retorted in a voice Xie Lian also knew all too well "I'm just trying to help you, you fuck! Maybe if you asked for help once in awhile instead of being a bitch about it you'd recognize it when it happens." Feng Xin said angrily, plucking the pen out of the other man's grasp in order to do it for him "You go find Xie Lian, see if he needs any help."
The man in question approached the two not a minute later "Speak of the devil" Feng Xin muttered and Mu Qing promptly rolled his eyes and easily strolled around the table and to Xie Lian's side. "I do actually. I still don't have a full list of all the heavenly officials that are going to be attending the Mid Autumn banquet" Xie Lian explained, fishing out the parchment from his sleeve once more and handing it to Mu Qing. Mu Qing looked at it for a brief moment and nodded. Never a man of many words (unless the situation involved a certain man named Feng Xin), he simply turned on his heel and sweeped back his sleeves, Xie Lian paid a quick goodbye to the other martial good and took off after him to find the other gods and fill out the list.
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Days leading up to the banquet never got any less hectic and with heavenly officials being all over the place for all kinds of reasons dragged out Xie Lian and Mu Qing's task a lot more than it should've. Though if you were to ask Xie Lian, he would admit there was a part of him that was thankful that his mind was only occupied with the affairs of the heavenly court day and night, rather than the red clad man that had still not returned after years, making the ashes around Xie Lian's neck feel suffocating, moreso than the cursed shackle he broke out of long ago.
The god though, had refused to spend the festival alongside the other heavenly officials, opting to simply reside at Puqi shrine as he did every year during this time. The scent of Hua Cheng still faintly clung to the old futon, although the Ghost King had not slept in it since many moons ago. Xie Lian's heart clenched tightly at the thought and he absentmindedly stroked a hand over the silver ring dangling around his neck, Ruoye sneaking out from his sleeve to poke at his cheek, sliding over it a moment later as if trying to comfort him.
Xie Lian cracked a small smile. The quiet night did nothing but amplify the thoughts running through his mind. Would Hua Cheng actually return this time? Yes, he had already died twice and came back, but maybe Xie Lian's luck had finally run out this time. The silk band swiped across his cheek once more and only then did he realize he had started crying, tears pooling at his eyes and spilling out, like crystals in the shine of the moonlight. The smile previously occupying his face slipped off, replaced with a slight frown, his lip quivering.
Hua Cheng, his beloved, his heart, his everything, how he missed him so dearly. How could he be so doubtful of the words Hua Cheng had told him, how could he dare to not believe his beloved would return with all his being? Had he not done everything for Xie Lian? Had he not returned not once, but twice, just because Xie Lian had told him something as stupid as "live for me"? When that little child, beaten up and disfigured prayed at his shrine everyday, told him everything hurt and he wanted to die, had he not listened when Xie Lian told him to make him his reason to live? He had, and he went above and beyond to follow Xie Lian's every wish even to the bitter end, even when he turned into nothing but a flock of silver butterflies shimmering under the bright sun.
Quiet sobs filled the small shrine, labored breaths accompanied the wind, though one was not as gentle as the other. Xie Lian, who was so used to the taste of bitterness his life forced on him had finally tasted the sweetness of love, of endless devotion, even if it was only one person. To him, he did not need thousands upon millions of devotees like Jun Wu when he had one that had died and built himself up time and time again just for him. He could admit even death probably tastes sweeter than the pain Hua Cheng had to endure only because of his ceaseless devotion to a lowly god.
More tears spilled from the god's eyes, leaving a wet trail down the slope of his cheeks and pooling at his jaw before dropping to his lap, soaking into his robe and Ruoye hastily wiped at its owner's face, though it was futile.
Xie Lian rubbed the back of his hand against one of his eyes, chuckling humorlessly at the helplessness he felt settle deep in his heart. Had this been any other Mid Autumn banquet, there would be three thousand, if not more, lanterns dedicated to him floating about in the sky, the work of a single person, but this had not been any other banquet.
Suddenly, Xie Lian heard the strange metallic rattling of something near a corner of the shrine. Lighting up a palm torch, he squinted his eyes only to find a long silver scimitar that had found its way out of the box Xie Lian kept it in, protected while it waited for its owner. The god stood up to approach it and E-Ming rolled its red eye crazily after seeing the man come closer, "What's wrong, E-Ming?" be asked cautiously, picking up the weapon and cradling it in his arms like a baby, stroking the hilt gently with the tips of his fingers to try and comfort it.
The blade only kept wildly shaking in his arms as if scared. Only then, once Xie Lian decided to take a cloth down to the river to wet it in order to clean E-Ming up in hopes it would calm it down, did he see the silhouette of a person standing outside, the moon creating a halo around their figure.
Once Xie Lian heard the distinct metallic jingle of the boots of a man he could never mistake, he ran out of the shrine in a frenzy. "San Lang!", he shouted and the man slowly turned, a genuine smile gracing his face as he made his way just as quickly towards his beloved and fell into his arms. Xie Lian could not contain himself and the sobs from earlier had returned only much louder, though muffled by Hua Cheng's blood red robe.
"Did I not promise Dianxia I would return? It's the least this lowly servant could do to please his god." the white clad man could only respond with a choked up sound before he pulled his face away from his chest, gazing into his lover's eye for a beat before crashing their lips together, all pain and anguish seeping out from his body and leaving him limp, only for Hua Cheng to hold him up. Like he always would.
Neither of them needed to breathe, but Hua Cheng still pulled away, "It's okay, gege, this San Lang is here now. I will never leave gege again, okay? Please don't cry for someone like me". The smaller man shook his head, taking the other's face in his hands and cradling it lovingly, diving in for another kiss as if trying to convey that no, he was worth crying for and Xie Lian never wanted to experience being apart ever again, be it 2 hours or 800 years, the world would, and could never separate them once more. Hua Cheng only chuckled as they pulled apart again and made their way back to the shrine.
"You know, gege," The Ghost King spoke up, "I pray to never rest in peace".