Work Text:
🍁
Hua Cheng inspects the pile of items with a bored expression. They once belonged to a bold ghost who bet all of his possessions for the right to marry the woman of his dreams.
Aside from the fact that the woman really didn't want to marry him, he lost the bet.
He had broken down, screaming, begging Hua Cheng to just end it, if he can't have her.
It didn't impress the Ghost King and he went on with the bets, while his staff threw him out.
If anything, the ghost was in possession of a lot of money and some curious artefacts.
Carefully he picks up a pendant on a chain and inspects it. It has some sort of spell cast on it, but nothing special.
Next he picks up a mirror and–
Suddenly the sun shines too bright, and he hears more than sees the axe swung at him and evades it at a hair's breadth.
His body feels heavy. Tired and heavy and worst of all– alive.
He gives the assaulting man a kick to his chest and hears the ribs breaking on impact.
There's three more he evades the attacks off, killing them with kicks and blows.
The silence after isn't as deafening as it should be because Hua Cheng is out of breath, panting, to get his racing heart back under control.
He lifts up a hand and stares at it.
Not as pale as he is, smaller than his own and the wrist is wrapped with a bandage. When he tries to peel it off, it shudders and unspools by itself.
It hovers in front of him, and Hua Cheng has the distinct feeling that it's staring at him.
And Hua Cheng knows this bandage– no, this silk band.
“You–” and the silk curls around his hand as if in question.
Hua Cheng looks around and sees a lake not far off, so he hurries over with quick steps and peers down into the water.
It's him. He's found him– well. Not really, more like that he somehow possessed his body.
It dawns to him then that the artefact he just carelessly touched might be at fault, but he can't be too sure.
For now he'll try to find his way to ghost city, because that's where his body, and hopefully his Highness, is.
🌸
The last thing Xie Lian remembers is being attacked by some thugs.
That in itself is nothing new. What was new, however, was the feeling of vertigo and then blacking out.
When he comes to, he's kneeling in front of a sizable pile of trinkets and jewellery, a small mirror in his too pale hand. His sight is simply gone on his right side and his left eye isn't as good as usual either.
“Chengzhu?” a voice calls out, alarmed.
When he feels a hand on his arm his first instinct is to grab the offending hand and throw the person over his shoulder.
With a yelp the person flies into a nearby wall, which collapses under the force of the thrown weight, and stops in a heap on the floor.
Startled, Xie Lian looks around.
The room he's in is filled with innumerable treasures and trinkets and definitely not the sunny path he'd just been on.
He still has the little mirror in his hands, he slowly lifts it up to his face and–
This is not his face, he notes. It belongs to a man, pale and handsome, with sharp facial features.
Slightly wavy and black hair frames his, no, the man's face. Half hidden behind the black strands on the right side sits a black eye patch.
He slowly lets the mirror sink down and looks to where he flung whoever just approached him.
With a groan, a man with a woefully smiling mask slowly gets up from the rubble, dusting his clothes off with a huff.
“Chengzhu could've just said to not approach him…” he mumbles .
“Chengzhu?” Xie Lian asks confused with a tilt to his head.
The masked man freezes and his hand flies to his mask, as if checking if it still was in place.
“Who are you?” he asks cautiously.
Xie Lian feels some sympathy for the man, who probably just wanted to help whose body he has taken over.
“My name is Xie Lian, and I have absolutely no idea how I got into… this . I'm sorry I threw you, though.”
The man stares at him and Xie Lian has the distinct feeling that his mouth is open with shock. He catches himself after a moment though and bows deeply to him.
“No problem, your Highness,” he says deferentially.
Xie Lian's eye goes wide in shock. Who would remember him still and bow to him?
“How do you know who I am?” he asks, confused.
The man takes his mask off, and hidden behind it lies a pretty but very forgettable face.
“My lord, the man whose body you're currently possessing, is a follower of your Highness. The question is, how did you manage to possess his body? And is he now possessing your body?”
The man looks at him in thought and then his eyes fall on the mirror, still in Xie Lian's hands.
“He was looking through those artefacts. Give me until tomorrow and I'll find out what happened.”
Xie Lian nods, because what else can he do? The servant, who introduces himself as the waning moon officer, Yin Yu, leads him through an opulent but tasteful manor and to a very comfortable looking bedroom.
It seems the man whose body he's possessing has a penchant for the colour red– if what he's seen of the manor and the bedroom is any indication.
A look into a full-body mirror confirms the pattern, because he wears mostly black and red, with silver jewellery. It chimes with each step he takes and Xie Lian wonders how anyone can be sneaky with it.
Or maybe this man, Yin Yu had called him Hua Cheng, didn't need to be sneaky.
Because Xie Lian can feel the abundant demonic energy flowing in his veins, instead of blood.
Hua Cheng seems to be a high-ranked ghost.
He will ask Yin Yu about it tomorrow, he decides.
🍁
Finding Ghost City doesn't seem as easy as he thought, without any spiritual energy.
The ghost realm has entrances all over the mortal realm, and if you knew where to look, you could even find one in the heavenly realm.
However, the ones in the mortal realm change their locations somewhat regularly.
So far, no matter which one he tried, all of them had closed already and moved on.
He was now on the way to the next one, the silk band on his wrist a steady companion, having saved him from unusually unlucky situations more than once.
It was a jarring difference– ever since becoming a Ghost, luck had been on his side.
His Highness had no luck however– Misfortune seems to haunt him like a persistent ghost.
He's treading on a narrow mountain path, when the ground beneath him crumbles and he feels gravity pull him down.
🌸
“A calamity?”
“Yes, your Highness. Like the four famous tales, there's also the story of the four calamities.
Black water sinking ships, who is very quiet but has the power to drown whole continents if he wished so.
The night touring green lantern, Chengzhu always says he's just a fill-in and annoying.
Then there was the white clothed calamity, defeated by the heavenly emperor himself–
And then there's the crimson rain sought flower, Hua Cheng,” Yin Yu explains, still cradling the scroll about cursed and enchanted artefacts close.
At the mention of Bai Wuxiang, a shiver runs down Xie Lian’s back, but he ignores it.
“If Hua Cheng is such a strong ghost, why would a simple artefact work on him?” he asks, because it shouldn't have. His spiritual energy should've neutralised anything coming his way.
“My guess is that his energy would've only neutralised malign energy. I don't think he would've minded swapping bodies with you– ah … please forget I said that, your Highness.”
Ah?
Xie Lian's head is reeling, he really doesn't understand anything!
Why would Hua Cheng swap bodies with him of all people?!
Before he can press for more answers, there's suddenly a clunking noise from outside the door.
Both men look at the door and only a moment later it opens and something blurry zooms into the room and towards Xie Lian, who quickly raises his hand to smack it away.
With a metallic clank, it smacks into the wall and falls to the ground.
He stands up from where they had been sitting and reading to look and–
Oh. It's a scimitar– a scimitar with a beautiful red eye engraved in its hilt. It looks up at him with a teary eye and Xie Lian feels his heart go soft.
“Oh my, I'm so sorry,” he coos softly, gently picking the scimitar up from the ground.
The teary eye squints in obvious pleasure and Xie Lian gently pets it across the hilt and to his surprise it starts to vibrate.
“Aren't you marvellous, what a beautiful scimitar…”
Yin Yu stands somewhat awkwardly to the side and stares as the whole thing unfolds.
After a moment of cooing and fussing over the blade, Xie Lian faces Yin Yu and asks, “This is such a sweet weapon! Is it Hua Cheng's?”
Yin Yu is sure that whoever stood in the face of the deadly scimitar E-ming would tell a different tale, but he weakly nods.
“This is E-ming, Hua Chengzhu's spiritual tool.
“Such a beautiful blade!” Xie Lian is outright gushing at this point–
But it's not his fault, E-ming is an extremely beautiful blade with an even more beautiful personality, clearly happy if the force of its squinting eye is any indication.
Xie Lian lifts his eye and looks at Yin Yu, who's having an extremely flat expression.
“Ah, sorry… I just really like swords…”
Yin Yu puts the scroll down on the table between them and gets up.
“Follow me, your Highness. I know just the place.”
🍁
Fuck, this hurts, is Hua Cheng's first thought when he comes to.
He remembers the ground giving in beneath his feet and the silk band had shot out, trying to tie him to a gritty rock–
And then that one had also crumbled and then he crashed down.
He shakily lifts his left arm up and touches his forehead.
The hand comes away red and sticky and Hua Cheng lets out a hoarse curse.
His Highness his body–
He couldn't protect it.
Just like he couldn't back then as a soldier, or as Wuming.
He never was truly enough–
Slowly the silk band that had protectively curled around his unconscious body lifts itself up and gingerly wraps itself around his head, bandaging the wound.
“Thank you,” he croaks and he knows there's probably more broken in his Highness body now, but the sentiment is nice.
This silk band cares about his Highness too.
He's happy that his Highness had at least the silken demon with him. (When he couldn't be there.)
With a groan he gets up and aside from several bruises and deep scratches, there's nothing worse.
It's bad enough already, but he continues on his way.
🌸
Xie Lian stands slack jawed at the entrance of the most magnificent armoury that he's ever seen. Not even Jun Wu's could possibly compare– although he hasn't seen the heavenly emperor's armoury for centuries.
He looks pleadingly at Yin Yu who motions for him to go ahead and quickly he dashes inside to try out any weapon he could get his hands on.
Happily, E-ming follows His Highness.
Behind him, Yin Yu lets out an exasperated huff and leaves for the library. His Highness won't be missing him for quite some time and he has research to do.
🌸
Later this evening, Yin Yu informs him that he's found something out.
Together they sit at the library table again.
Instead of scrolls and books, it's covered with various dishes though.
“The mirror was really enchanted,” Yin Yu says between bites of food.
“The one who looks into it, will swap bodies with the person–” he coughs lightly, “they want to meet.”
Xie Lian, who nibbles at a mantou looks up.
“Why would he want to meet me?”
The other man looks vaguely pained at the question and Xie Lian says, “ah I'm sorry, I've been too nosy!”
Yin Yu shakes his head.
“No, you have a right to ask that question. But we should wait for you to swap back and Hua Cheng can surely answer that question.”
Xie Lian tilts his head in question.
“...that means he needs to be here to switch back?”
Yin Yu looks like he's just bitten into a lemon.
“The only way to switch back is through.. ah–” Yin Yu mumbles the rest.
“Pardon me?”
“A kiss,” Yin Yu repeats flatly.
“A kiss?” Xie Lian asks, and Yin Yu has to admit that a flush looks wrong on his boss.
“A kiss,” he confirms and Xie Lian is gaping openly at him.
Only two days later, Xie Lian is exploring Paradise Manor. When he first heard the name of the building, he'd thought it was a brothel.
Yin Yu had snickered a little at the thought and explained it's just what Hua Chengzhu had named his residence.
Now Yin Yu had explained the door mechanisms to him. Throw the dice and if you roll the right number, the door opens.
First he'd been scared because of his bad luck–
But he soon learned that Hua Chengzhu was a very lucky man and that his bad luck had stayed with his original body.
(He spent a few moments feeling pity for Hua Cheng, who was stuck in his body with his atrocious luck.)
It started to get very interesting when he realised that Hua Cheng had seemingly a room for everything.
He had asked Yin Yu if Hua Cheng would mind him poking around but he had answered very flatly that Hua Cheng wouldn't mind one bit, if it's him.
There it was again. If it's you , he had said again.
Just who was Hua Cheng?
He'd found a very beautiful bedroom, decorated with white silks and flowers and several rooms full with trinkets and treasures.
He opens another door and steps into a dark room. He lights up a palm torch (spiritual energy is so neat !) and walks into the room. Several lamps flare to life.
It's an art studio. Not far from him is a table, covered with sheets of paper and brushes.
In the middle of the room stands an almost finished marble statue, on a table next to it are several tools placed.
The work on the statue is magnificent, Hua Cheng is truly a master in his work!
He looks away from the delicate flowing robes and at the face and freezes.
Ah? It's… him???
Well, Yin Yu had said that Hua Cheng was a believer, but Xie Lian didn't think he was that much of a devotee!
The statue depicts the flower crowned martial god of old– flower in one hand, sword in the other.
And Xie Lian is sure that his old statues were never so well done back then.
Not even the one fashioned from pure gold, the one his own father commissioned from the best goldsmiths of the Xianle.
Dazed, he walks a few times around the statue. It's really almost done, only the bottom is still ragged and not chiselled yet.
He looks over to the table with the paper and swallows.
With slow steps he walks over and looks at the first paper.
It's him. Sitting on a swing at what seems like Mount Taicang– it's drawn with so much detail, only someone who was there would've been able to capture it.
Just– just who is Hua Cheng? He doesn't remember someone like him from back then, he would surely remember such a handsome man.
He carefully lifts it to look at the one below and–
Oh.
It's him at the heavenly procession, locked in a fight with Mu Qing in a demon costume and he's carrying a little child in his arms.
Or it should be a child. The child is drawn as a little red scrawl, as if an attempt to draw them was made and then Hua Cheng had been unhappy and ruined the figure of the child.
He pulls up the next picture and almost chokes.
Again, it's him.
But the beautiful and elegant robes were gone and he's lying in an empty grave, robes muddied and a bottle of wine in one hand. Above his crying figure floats a little ghost fire–
The next picture shows him in white mourning robes on a battlefield. Close to him, stands a black figure and even though the black figure isn't as detailed as himself but Xie Lian knows who this is–
Hua Cheng is Wuming. There was no one else on that battlefield.
Hua Cheng was the little ghost fire, trying to share some warmth when he was drunk and freezing in that grave.
And Hua Cheng probably was the little child he caught at the heavenly procession.
Of course he doesn't recognize him.
A child looks wildly different from an adult. A ghost fire has no human form and Wuming wore a mask–
For a brief second Xie Lian wonders if Hua Cheng was already blind with his right eye as a child. He remembers the child wearing bandages on his face and maybe that's also why Wuming wore a mask…?
The only way to find out will be if he asks.
Wuming, no– Hua Cheng is clearly still seeing him as a god, even after all he's done. He wonders why.
🍁
It's been two weeks by now and Hua Cheng finally has found an entrance to the ghost realm. Thankfully most of his injuries have healed by now, but his Highness old robes didn't survive the permanent bad luck.
Hua Cheng stole a new set from a clothes line, unlike his highness formerly white robes, these ones are a pale green.
As he weaves through the throngs of ghosts, he's a little unsure how to approach the whole thing.
Will his Highness be in his body?
He hopes so– while he's not good looking and his Highness deserves better, he would have Ghost City at the tip of his fingers, as well as an infinite well of luck and a lot of spiritual energy.
Also, he's sure that Yin Yu will have assisted him.
If he's not in his body though, he'll need to search again. And how is he supposed to find him, if he's in a different body?
When Hua Cheng gets closer to the Gambling den, an excited ghostly couple floats past him.
“Have you seen Chengzhu earlier? He's wearing such a nice skin today! A shame he didn't take any bets… I would've loved to see him kill someone.”
Ah…? So either his Highness or someone else is possessing his body. He hopes it's his god.
With quick steps he walks up the stairs to the Gambling Den and walks in, ignoring the staff greeting him.
There, a silhouette sits behind his red curtain, and next to them stands Yin Yu. They seem to talk with each other.
He's so close now, only a few steps more until he reaches the curtain–
A cold hand grabs onto his arm.
“Hello Gege, I can give you a good time~” a sweet voice coos into his ear and he rips the arm out of the grasp of the woman.
She's scantily clad and grins at him, even though he pulled away from her.
She touched his Highness arm –
“SCRAM!” he says with so much vitriol in his voice, the woman and any person close by stumble back and stare at him with fear in their eyes.
Behind the curtain is movement now and a pale hand parts the curtain.
It's his body and he's fairly certainthat it's his Highness possessing his body.
Hua Cheng quickly steps close and his Highness also takes a step down from the dais and–
Why is he so red in the face?
“Your Highness,” Hua Cheng says reverently.
His Highness takes a step closer and he's really close now and–
Hua Cheng's brain blanks when he feels soft lips on his own.
And then everything fades to black for a moment.
🌸
Xie Lian blinks and looks at the handsome man in red in front of him and–
Ah!
The kiss really worked!
“...”
“...”
They stare at each other and Hua Cheng looks a little bit out of it, so Xie Lian starts to laugh hysterically, turns around and wants to run, but a firm hand grabs his wrist and stops him.
Xie Lian really doesn't want to turn around, no.
He just kissed a stranger. Well, a very handsome stranger, and technically they are not total strangers either, but still!
“I'm a little hungry, I will go out and eat–” he mumbles and tugs, but the grip holds fast.
“Don't,” Hua Cheng says and he sounds breathless.
The banished god turns around, a small pout on his face as he asks, “why?”
“Because the food outside is pig shit and you deserve better,” Hua Cheng blurts and Xie Lian swears he hears indignant grunt among the suspiciously quiet patrons of the den.
Xie Lian opens his mouth to say something, but he really doesn't know what and lets the Ghost King pull him back behind the curtain.
The ghost throws the pair of enchanted dice that had been hiding in his robes(Xie Lian knows because he wore them just a few moments ago), and leads him through the curtain back into paradise manor and into a dining room.
They certainly have a lot to talk about– but for now Xie Lian's stomach is grumbling very loudly and the talk can wait for the moment.
After eating as much as he can (the plates seem to refill magically) he turns to the Ghost who'd been sitting quietly next to him, not touching any food.
He sits a little rigid and stiff, as if he's dreading the conversation that they'll have.
“First things first, “Xie Lian starts when he's done wiping the crumbs from his mouth.
“I'm sorry about the kiss. Yin Yu had been looking into the artefact and found out that the only way to reverse the curse is a kiss.”
Hua Cheng looks smug about it and replies, “Don't be sorry, gege. It was very effective.”
Xie Lian feels the heat in his cheeks and only barely avoids covering his face with his hands.
“But it's not the only thing I'm sorry about,” Xie Lian admits quietly and when Hua Cheng opens his mouth, Xie Lian lifts his hand to stop him.
“Please let me.”
The ghost snaps his mouth shut.
“I'm sorry about– about trampling your flower back then. I'm sorry for calling you Wuming, it was cruel. I am sorry for being cruel.”
Xie Lian slides down from the divan and sinks into a deep kowtow.
In a flash Hua Cheng also moves down and gently pulls him out of the bow.
“If your Highness wants to apologise, he can. But please do not bow to me.
If there was ever something to forgive, I've long done so.”
“I don't understand,” Xie Lian says and there's tears in his eyes.
“I don't understand why you would stay at my side and see all my failings and still be so stubbornly devoted now.”
A gentle smile tugs on Hua Cheng's lips.
“How can I not be? How can I not be devoted to my reason to live?”
Xie Lian's eyes widen at this and quickly he hides his face in his hands.
“That was you, too?” he asks, muffled and sounding mortified.
“What a believer am I, if I wouldn't believe in you through it all?
Xie Lian lets his hands fall down again and looks at Hua Cheng with wide, teary eyes.
“How did I deserve such a believer…?”
Hua Cheng gives him another tender smile.
“Because his Highness is his Highness.”