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It was almost inevitable that the gods would come.
Once the news of Hua Cheng's absence and the rumors of his dispersal had spread far enough for the heavens to be unable to ignore them, of course they would send someone to come sniffing around. Because of the danger that stepping uninvited into Ghost City posed, it had also been incredibly likely that Jun Wu would send a martial god. At least, Yin Yu told himself, Quan Yizhen hadn't been the one sent. Yizhen really wasn't suited for this kind of reconnaissance, even with the possibility of a fight occurring, but Yin Yu really wouldn't put it past the universe to fuck him over specifically.
Instead the Heavenly Emperor had sent two other martial gods: Xuan Zhen and Nan Yang. That was a reasonable choice, overall. The two generals hated each other, but if they could refrain from fighting for long enough they covered each other's weaknesses well. They were more socially aware than Quan Yizhen and had slightly more tact than Lang Qianqiu. Pei Ming arguably would have also been qualified, but he was simultaneously one of the most powerful gods in the heavens and one of the Three Tumors. Yin Yu wouldn't be surprised to find there was some kind of heavenly politics involved in this choice.
Yin Yu hadn't felt like an equal to General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen even when he too had been a martial god. But he felt far more determined now than he had back then. He would not fail. He may not ever ascend again, but he was the Waning Moon Officer. With Chengzhu gone, he was the highest authority in Ghost City. He couldn't afford to show any weakness in this confrontation; the continued existence of the city depended on it.
Yin Yu took a deep steadying breath and returned his focus to the meeting.
"As much as you might not want to admit it, it's in the heavens' best interests for Ghost City to continue functioning. Eradicating all ghosts is a useless goal and will only drive more ghosts to violence that currently leave mortals alone. I have experience keeping this city running, even in Chengzhu's absence, and while I am not a Calamity myself, Black Water Sinking Ships has agreed to support me if necessary. Those who do not fear me fear him."
"We'll inform the Heavenly Emperor," General Nan Yang said as he stood to leave, but General Xuan Zhen remained seated.
Yin Yu resisted the urge to sigh. "Can I help you with something else, General?"
Xuan Zhen scoffed. "You expect us to believe that Hua Cheng had strong enough ties to the world to become a Ghost King and stick around for hundreds of years, and then he's gone just like that? And no one else was involved? If someone was strong enough to disperse him, that person might be a threat to the heavens. Or maybe he bet his ashes again, but that would still involve another person. And if no one else was involved, how are you sure he's really dead?"
Yin Yu hesitated. If the two gods in front of him were literally anyone else, he would refuse to answer and send them on their way. But the Martial Gods of the South... It wasn't even that Yin Yu couldn't hold his own against them the way he'd once been able to before he was banished. No, he thought they might deserve to know. As much as Crimson Rain Sought Flower had despised them, they could still serve a purpose here.
"Chengzhu's tie to this world was a person. His love for that person and the hope of seeing him again sustained him. When he began to fade so suddenly, it was obvious to all of us that his beloved must no longer remain in this world. Chengzhu made me promise to search for his beloved's remains and to see them properly interred, but I haven't found them yet."
He was looking as much as he could, but he had his hands full with Ghost City, and Hua Cheng had been following Xie Lian's trail for centuries without catching up to him. The one advantage Yin Yu might have in his search was that, as morbid as it was, he was no longer looking for someone on the move. Locating one specific corpse was complicated in different ways, however, and Yin Yu wasn't above enlisting two gods in the search.
"That's ridiculous," Nan Yang said. "For Hua Cheng to have faded because his beloved died, wouldn't that mean that person would have had to have lived for centuries?"
"Yes," Yin Yu said simply. Nan Yang didn't seem to have realized the obvious answer here, but it was clear from Xuan Zhen's face that he had.
"Xie Lian," Xuan Zhen said. It was not a question.
"What? No." Nan Yang denied. "No, it can't be."
"I am only explaining this to you because as much as Chengzhu hated both of you for abandoning His Highness in his time of need, you are also the only ones still living who knew Xianle Taizi Dianxia personally and can mourn for him."
Yin Yu had never seen a human being so pale with shock that they could be mistaken for a ghost, but he thought the generals fit the description in that moment. He sighed. "If—when—I locate Taizi Dianxia's remains, I will notify both of you. Is there somewhere you believe he would prefer to be laid to rest?"
"There was—" Nan Yang's voice broke. "There was the Royal Mausoleum, back in Xianle. I'm not sure if it's still standing now. I don't know exactly where it was, either, but I can look for it. That's where he would have expected to be buried when he was young, and maybe he buried his parents there. I'm not sure where the three of them were living when the king and queen passed."
"Alright," Yin Yu agreed easily. And then he hesitated. "Chengzhu... if Chengzhu's ashes could be interred with Taizi Dianxia, I know that's what he would have wanted. Everything he did was for his god. His beloved."
"Commoners don't just get interred in royal tombs," Nan Yang protested, but a sharp look from Xuan Zhen silenced him.
"If Chengzhu wasn't gone—if I didn't tell you why—you wouldn't have had any way of knowing that Xie Lian had passed away. You might have guessed eventually, but how long would that have taken? You might never have received any kind of confirmation. And I may not have experience with royalty," Yin Yu said. "But it is my impression that jewelry is often interred with the dead. Chengzhu's ashes take the form of a ring, so I do not believe they would be out of place." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a red coral pearl earring. "There is also this earring as well, which I believe once belonged to Taizi Dianxia and should be returned to him. Do the generals recognize it?"
Nan Yang shook his head, but Xuan Zhen grew agitated. "That's— Crimson Rain was that fucking kid who interrupted the Parade! The one who wouldn't let go of Taizi Dianxia! I'm sure of it. That is the earring that went missing after the parade. And you all blamed me!"
Yin Yu was suddenly listening very closely. His late employer had really discussed very little of his life before becoming the infamous Crimson Rain Sought Flower.
"The kid with the bandages?" Nan Yang asked after a moment, obviously having searched his memories of so long ago. "Didn't Taizi Dianxia try to keep him?"
"He did," Xuan Zhen scoffed. "Guoshi said the brat was cursed. Said that he'd die before his eighteenth birthday. I guess he just didn't stay dead after that. Until now."
Perhaps Yin Yu should react more to the implication that his late employer had been cursed, but he had Didn't Taizi Dianxia try to keep him? running through his brain. That must have meant so much to Chengzhu.
"He died fighting in the war against Yong'an, I think," Yin Yu said. "But he didn't really speak of his mortal life, at least not to me. He said once or twice that it had been his honor to die for Taizi Dianxia."
Xuan Zhen looked like he was swallowing down another snarky remark, but Nan Yang looked almost deflated, as if the animosity and fear that he'd held towards Chengzhu had been lanced by this new information. "Fine," he said. "Keep the ring for now. If Hua Cheng is actually gone, then us holding onto it serves no purpose but as a trophy we didn't win. If—when—we find Taizi Dianxia, we can discuss burials then."
Yin Yu supposed that was the best he was going to get for now. He was just glad he hadn't had to deal with two martial gods fighting in Ghost City. He'd take any good luck he could find; his own just couldn't compare to Chengzhu's.