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Chapter Text

There was a man kneeling in the snow. His head was bowed, long hair falling around his face like a curtain of silk. Turquoise cloak and blue robes were splattered in red, the hands on his lap looked washed in blood and he was surrounded by corpses. He looked like he's been there a long time, long enough for fresh snow to cover all signs of the struggle and a thin layer to form over the cold corpses of the dead. 

Zishu felt the chill seep into his bones as he took a step forward. When he's heard about the group of bandits trained in martial arts attacking villages, he thought they'd be long gone by the time he finished his mission but he tracked them anyway. Someone else had found them first. The man who had defended the village could not be a part of it Zishu realized as he walked, snow squeaking under his boots. The expensive clothes he wore were worth more than all the farmers put together could afford and the hair crown could have probably bought the entire land around them for miles. Under the thick layers of blood were long fingered, elegant hands that didn't belong to someone who worked in the fields all day long. Most rich men didn't fight to their deaths to protect poor villages. Zishu hadn't thought anybody else would bother to defend it at all. He didn't even have a weapon. Slowly, the assassin reached a hand to push back curtain of hair, curious what kind of face he'd find behind it, when a hand flew up faster than eyes could follow and a cold hand wrapped around his wrist.

Zishu woke up with a start before he could see the man's face. He wiped his face with a hand as he sat up and crossed his legs, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Closing his eyes he meditated, trying to focus on the mysterious man's face and growled in frustration when it failed. Again. He knew from experience that if he forced himself, he would only get a head splitting headache as his reward. That dream had been haunting his nights increasingly often since winter had came upon them, to the point where Zishu wondered if it was a dream at all. He remembered the mission, spying on a small Sect that might have been conspiring with some noblemen against his cousin. He remembered hearing about the bandits and knowing there was no way for those villages to afford protection from the Sects, and he remembered deciding to stop them. The mission was real, the village was real, the gang was real and yet his mind was a blank, the next thing he could recall it was already spring and he was walking down the Palace corridors. Who was the man from his dream and why couldn't Zishu remember him? Why did he feel like he should? 

He got up from bed, going about his morning routine with a sigh. His days were starting to blend together now that his cousin was on the throne. It felt like he'd become redundant, like he'd outlived his usefulness. There were still idiots causing trouble but nothing the rest of his men couldn't deal with alone, most often than not they didn't even need his input. Even Four Seasons Manor was doing well under Jiuxiao's new Leadership. Zishu really was useless now, just a relic of the past that was no longer needed in the new world.

He had just finished freshening up and dressing for the day when he was startled out of his thoughts by a loud knock on the door and a quiet but steady voice. "My Lord?"

"Yes."

"His Imperial Majesty is requesting your presence in his study." Zishu frowned. Helian Yi hadn't summoned him in weeks, they hadn't even seen each other at all in days. The older man was always busy with official business now that he was Emperor. They've achieved their goal but the nation still had a long way to go before it was stable again, so it came as a surprise the man was taking the time to actually have a meeting in person, it must have been too important to send a message through someone else.

"Thank you." He answered at the same time he stepped out of his room, nodding at his young subordinate. "You're dismissed."

The ride from his Manor to the Palace was short but it was enough to clear his head. He tilted his face up, enjoying the way snow melted on his skin, as his horse followed the familiar road. The gates of the Palace were before him too soon and he found himself stepping silently down the warm corridors. He knocked but didn't wait to be announced, he never had to, before walking inside his cousin's study. There were no guards or servants except for his own men out the door, which was highly unusual but not unheard of. Some things they discussed were only meant for their ears.

"Do you have a mission for me, Your Majesty?" His voice was almost a tease. Almost, but not quite. This wasn't the young dreamer he used to share wine and stories with anymore, nor was Zishu that same naive child, the path to the finally fulfilled pact they have made so long ago had been paved with corpses. 

His cousin looked up startled before a small smile tugged at his lips. "Zishu, come sit." He waved his hand and poured them both a cup of wine, the assassin held back a frown at the gesture. "Not a mission. I did not ask you here as the Leader of the Window of Heaven but as my cousin." The Emperor elaborated. 

Zishu hummed before pouring the sweet alcohol down his throat. It wasn't often that the older man needed his help working in the light, he wasn't the kissing ass and making nice outside of missions type. He didn't care about art or poetry or the latest fashion and most people who knew the real him found him boring. What could his cousin possibly want from him that didn't involve spying or killing other people? 

"Tell me, Zishu, what do you know of the Ghost King?" The man asked after a while. 

"As much as you do, but we both know how fickle rumors can be." They could make or ruin a man and Zishu had used them to do both. The assassin was wary to trust anything he heard about the Ghost King that he couldn't confirm himself.

What he did know was that the Ghost King had killed the old Chief of the Valley before Zishu had formed the Window of Heaven and was already conquering neighboring territories by the time Zishu moved to the Capital. In the years of his rule he had turned Qingya from a lawless mountain of criminals to an actual flourishing Empire to rival that of the North and the South. While Zishu had kept an ear on the ground, the Valley was too well guarded to infiltrate so all he knew was rumors. 

"I know he's powerful and has ruled the place for far longer than anyone else in all the centuries of its existence, I know he's intelligent enough to conquer and hold a large territory and turn it into a wealthy country and I know he'd never tried to breach the Northern borders before. I highly doubt he's seven feet tall or has red skin." Zishu snorted. 

His cousin chuckled as they remembered the outrageous descriptions they've heard of people in the past. If such things were to be believed, the Leader of the Window of Heaven was half shadow and half man, a type of demon made of smoke.

"And his sexual preferences." The older man added after a while, becoming serious once more.

The assassin shrugged, who was he of all people to judge another man for that? "Alleged, since I've never met anyone able to confirm or deny them. All we know is that he's refused every offer of marriage sent his way and rumors say he only takes the most breathtaking of men to his bed. For all we know, the Ghost King could actually be a woman." They could be just as deadly if not more so than men, and twice as underestimated, there was a reason he had added so many to his ranks. They would not be of much use on this particular mission though.

"Do you wish me to have someone seduce him? To what purpose, to spy on him? Sabotage him?" Zishu inquired. Not to assassinate him, that would be a bad idea even if they could manage it and Henlian Yi was smart enough to recognize that on his own. Not only would it risk a war if someone suspected their involvement but Qingya had grown powerful enough that destabilizing it would cause them problems. Also, as long as the Ghost King was there, any enemy that dared come their way from that direction would have to go through him and his army first.

His cousin shook his head, pressing his lips in a thin line. "I want you to marry him. A real marriage, no manipulation or tricks or lies." Zishu froze, the wine cup half way to his lips. "This isn't a mission and I'm not ordering you to do it. It is a lifetime commitment, it means stepping down from your position as Leader of the Window of Heaven, it means leaving Four Seasons Manor, it means giving up the life you have here to become another man's Consort."

His cousin wanted to marry him off, that was one thing Zishu had never thought to prepare himself for. All the sins he had committed and all the things he had sacrificed for his country and he hadn't even considered this would become one of them. Arranged marriages were not uncommon and it wasn't like he had ever expected to marry for love, truthfully Zishu liked his solitude so he hadn't given marriage much thought at all. On the rare occasion when the subject came to mind, he had never imagined he'd be the one to leave his home behind. It had always been his spouse marrying into his family, not the other way around. He was sure his cousin hadn't thought about it beforehand either, giving him up like this was not something Helian Yi would lightly. No, he must have considered every possibility and come to the conclusion that this was the only way the Ghost King would consider an alliance. Leaders of the Jianghu and Shamans of the South and foreign kings have tried to entice the man before with riches when wives had failed but he couldn't be bought. He conquered whatever land he wanted and he already had a powerful army. There could only be one reason why his cousin thought the Ghost King would accept his offer when he had rejected all others. Something no one else had offered him because they couldn't.

"You want me to bear the Ghost King an heir." Wasn't that what every ruler of lands wanted? A legacy? Men with high enough cultivation to carry young were rare, ones that would fit the Ghost Kings tastes even more so. Zishu knew he was powerful enough, had been for a while, and he was aware of what he looked like. He'd used his body to his advantage often enough.

"A powerful one." The older man confirmed, clasping his hands together with a frown. "Zishu... I know it's a lot to ask after everything you've done for this country but the truth is that we need this alliance. Our relationship with the Southern Empire is good but the northern and the western nations are constantly a presence we must be vigilant of and the Jianghu might live in this country but most of them only serve their own interests. My father had left behind a dark legacy, the common people are angry. We can't afford a war and we need to make sure this new rising power won't become an enemy. I have not reached out to him yet, not before talking to you. I can try to find another way..." But they both knew what the odds of that were.

"I will do it." He interrupted, uncharacteristically. Zishu hadn't thought he'd live past Helian Yi becoming Emperor, not after all the things that he had done to make it happen. For some reason that he couldn't understand fate had spared him like he hadn't so many others. He would not take back the sins he had committed but every so often his eyes would drift to the box on nails on his desk. How much worse than that could being the Ghost King's consort be? At least this way he could continue to serve his country at least a little longer, should the man's temper be as cruel as rumours said and finish him off once he got what he wanted or he grew bored of him. Zishu was already haunted, what better fate for him than to become a caged bird in the Valley of Ghosts? "I will marry the Ghost King, should he accept the alliance."

His cousin's breath hitched amd Zishu wondered if maybe the man had hoped he'd refuse. Then he could say he'd tried to do his best by his people even if it meant sacrificing someone he loved and absolve himself of any following guilt.

"I will make sure Han Ying and Bi Chengfeng are among your guards, I know you favor them." He whispered. Zishu nodded in answer, feeling just a sliver of regret pass him through. This was going to break Han Ying's heart, Zishu was aware of the feelings the younger man harbored for him but he was a selfish enough man not to want to leave him behind. Zishu needed him, he'd need him in Qingya even more. 

"Zishu, I am... Thank you. If there is anything else I can do..." The assassin had never heard his cousin lost for words before. He shook his head as he stood up, feeling like he's aged a decade in the time of their conversation. "No, I will hand over Leadership of Tian Chuang to Duan Pengju this evening. I would just like to spend what time I have left here with Jiuxiao at Four Seasons Manor."

"Of course." 

He wanted to see his brother, to hug him, to tell him how proud he was of what he's accomplished. To sit under the blooming trees again. Neither of them voiced it out loud, that it might be his last time going home. They had no guarantee of what kind of person the Ghost King was, once he walked past the gates of the Valley, Zishu might never pass them again. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Please let me know when I am to depart." 

"You don't want to be present for the negotiations?" Healian Yi asked, surprised.

"No. No, I don't." Zishu said, turning towards the door. What would his presence even change? He's already made his mind about this, he might as well spend his last moments of freedom doing what he wanted to do. 

The Ghost King accepted, his cousin told him in a letter. It took three months for the negotiations to be completed and even longer to prepare Zishu's departure. He was ashamed to admit it took him way too long to confess to Jiuxiao but seeing his brother so happy to have him home again, hearing him talk so enthusiastically about his plans to propose to Princess Jing An, Zishu hadn't had the heart to do it. Not until a couple days before he was set to leave, when Han Ying and Bi Chengfeng arrived at the Manor with guards and crates of gifts.

Zishu was about to mount his horse, he might be marrying off but he refused to arrive there in a carriage like a blushing maiden, when his brother gripped his wrist, pleading once more. "Ge, please reconsider this. It's not too late to back down."

The assassin... former assassin now, gestured for the others to leave them be for a moment and they obeyed silently. "There is nothing to reconsider, Jiuxiao."

"Don't do this for him." Jiuxiao held his ground.

"I'm not doing this for Helian Yi. I'm doing it for my people. Is it so hard for you to believe that he's not an evil man?" He sighed, looking at the budding phonix flowers... they would be blooming soon, he wished he were there to see it. "That he's not forcing me to do anything? Didn't he let Beiyuan go? Didn't he let you go, with all of the Four Seasons Manor disciples that chose to follow? Why must you always think the worst of him? He is only doing what a good leader would do for his nation, he's trying the best he can Jiuxiao."

Sometimes he wished his brother wasn't so stubborn, that he understood that life was not painted in black and white but in shades of gray and red. If Helian Yi was evil for what he had done then so was Zishu, for he had willingly followed his orders.

"He's manipulating you, using you. Why can't you see it? He's selling you to a monster!" His brother yelled.

"Jiuxiao!" He snapped. His brother was acting like a brat much younger than the nineteen years he actually was. He's always had some kind of childish dislike towards Helian Yi but he hadn't even met Zishu's future husband. The younger man let go of his arm and looked away chastised. Zishu felt guilty for yelling when he saw his eyes grow damp with tears. With a sigh, he cupped Jiuxiao's face between his hands and forced him to look into his eyes. "Do your think me so weak that I would allow anyone to force me to do anything? Jiuxiao, do you think your older brother dumb? I agreed to do this because it is necessary, it is the best option we have and please don't tell me you actually believe that drivel about the Ghost King. He is but a man."

"Not any man. Don't let him hurt you, ge. Please, promise me." His brother rasped. That idiot, wasting tears on the likes of him.

Zishu nodded. "I promise." 

"And write to me." Jiuxiao added, eyes becoming hard like stone. "If I even suspect you're in any danger I will storm the gates. I don't care how powerful he is or that it will ruin the alliance, I will make him regret ever touching you." 

Zishu smiled in spite of himself, wiping his thumbs over his brother's damp cheeks. "You're a good didi, A-Xiao."

The younger man pulled him into his arms, burying his face into his shoulder like he used to when he was younger. "Die made us promise to take care of each other, don't make me a liar."

"I won't." He lied, knowing he would never actually tell his brother, even if life in Qingya was hell.

As he rode away from Four Seasons Manor, Zishu forced himself not to look back.

Chapter Text

The journey to Qingya was peaceful and Zishu allowed his mind to wander for most of it. Sometimes he thought about the situation in the Capital and how he would no longer be there to help his cousin, sometimes he thought about Beiyuan and what he might have felt when he had eloped with Wu Xi. Probably not the same things as Zishu, his friend had married for love. Beiyuan... Zishu sometimes missed his friend, and his advice, so fiercely. What would Beiyuan think of this, he wondered? The other man would definitely not allow Zishu to do this without meeting the Ghost King himself and vetting him first, that much he knew. He was going to be furious when he found out Zishu had married without telling him.

Sometimes he thought of his family. He had been too young to really know his parents before they died. The only parents he remembered were his Shifu and Shimu who had been his father's close friends and took him in after their deaths. He wondered what they would think if they could see him now, on the way to marry a man he had never even met for a political alliance. Shimu had been a pragmatic woman, she would have seen the value of this union and would have defended his decision to her dreamer of a husband. Shifu would have wanted him to marry for love, Zishu was sure, just like Jiuxiao did. His brother had inherited his looks from his mother and his heart from his father. Zishu's heart ached thinking of him and that he might never see him again. 

Baiyi felt unusually tight around his waist, Jiuxiao had refused to take it when he's offered even if Zishu didn't know if he'd have use for a sword ever again. Would he even be allowed to keep it? He dared not think about it, he hated the thought of his Baiyi ending up in a dusty armory or the hands of a stranger. At least he would not have to give up his martial arts. Zishu had practiced his skills for as long as he could remember, having to live without them would be a fate worse than death. Fortunately, he would need them in order to maintain his cultivation high and be able to bear children.

He was glad their party was at least dressed in casual clothes so they didn't attract any attention and his men knew better than to disturb him, leaving him in peace to his thoughts. Zishu slept badly, turning and twisting in bed whenever they stopped at an inn for the night. He was a soldier, an assassin, a spy but marriage was not a battle he knew how to win. 

Luo Fumeng and Liu Qianqiao  were waiting for them with a party of guards at the agreed upon location close to the border. Ghost Valley was only another day's riding away, it had been one of the reasons why criminals had started gathering there, because it had been outside the borders of the North surrounded by lawless lands. It really was impressive that the Ghost King had managed to take that and so many smaller kingdoms and organize them into a cohesive Empire in such little time.

Zishu had only met the two women in person when they had visited him at Four Seasons Manor during the negotiations, but he had heard about Tragicomic Ghost and Beauty Ghost long before that. They didn't have to do it, they could have gone on with negotiations without his approval, but they've still sought it out.  

"Lord Zhou." Liu Qianqiao bowed slightly while her Master kept quiet behind her, face hard. Zishu had the feeling she didn't like him much, or maybe she didn't approve of the alliance at all, and she hadn't made her feelings a secret. Luo Fumeng had only visited him once but she had left an impression, she was a strong woman that didn't fear making her opinion known and Zishu admired that about her. Liu Qianqiao on the other hand was much softer and kinder to him. She kept stopping by Four Seasons Manor on her way to the Capital before each meeting, even though Zishu had assured her he didn't care about the negotiations. Liu Qianqiao wore her heart on her sleeve and didn't mind that others could see it, that made her braver than most people he knew.

Zishu nodded back as he answered. "I am not a Lord anymore, you do not have to call me that." He had willingly left that life behind and there was no use clinging to it. And anyhow, he hadn't been a good Lord. He hadn't been able to defend his Sect after his Shifu had died and he hadn't been able to protect all of his people in the Capital, he had allowed too many of his Sect brothers to die on his watch. Zishu was good at killing people but he hadn't been much of a protector. Really, he didn't know how Jiuxiao had grown up so well adjusted. Must have been his Beiyuan-ge's influence. 

"You are not 'Your Highness' yet either." She answered softly. 

Your Highness, now that was a title he's never thought would ever applied to him. His mother might have been a Princess married off to a powerful noble, but she had been the daughter of a concubine and there had been many in the Emperor's court who had secretly looked down on him for it. They would have a conniption should any of them ever have to address him as such. He resisted rolling his eyes at the thought as he answered the beautiful woman. "Call me Zishu, then."

They've barely been back on the road for an hour, Ghost guards ahead and Zishu's men at his back, the two Devils riding just in front of him, when it happened. Zishu felt the shift in the wind long before anyone else became aware of the attack, twisting around to avoid his arm being sliced open by what turned out to be a white fan. The weapon was caught in the air by a slender hand and Zishu jumped out of the saddle without stopping his horse before anyone else could even think of engaging the enemy. 

The fan was snapped shut before Zishu even reached him so he didn't pull out his sword either. They danced, it was the only way he could describe what followed. The attacker matched him hit for hit, step for step, Zishu didn't even remember how many years have passed since anyone had held their own against him, much less with such ease. This man had to be at least his equal in internal energy and skills. He didn't actually feel any intent to hurt in the other man's moves and it was exhilarating. Fun, even. The taller man was grinning widely at him when they finally came to a halt. They gripped each other's wrist in a hand and looked into each other's eyes... Zishu felt they were familiar, like he'd seen them before.

The assassin took in his opponent. Plump lips, flawless skin, shiny hair and attractive features. His eyes were framed in red and he wore ivory robes with his hair half held up by a golden crown. Stunning, and yet there was something about him that made his beauty eerie. The endless darkness in his eyes that seemed to absorb all light and the chill in his hands, like Zishu was standing before an actual ghost instead of a human. 

"Wen Kexing!" Luo Fumeng's angry voice reached them and Zishu looked away. For one single moment the assassin had actually forgotten they were not alone in the world and it felt like he'd been doused in cold water. He was about to be married, he couldn't allow himself to admire another man's appearance now, regardless of how breathtaking it was. Zishu released the other man reluctantly. "You shouldn't be here!" The woman continued as she stepped nearly between them.

The other man pouted, and opened his fan in a smooth movement. "I came to offer my protection, of course. Don't you know how treacherous these roads can be?!"

"The only one in danger here is you." Zishu couldn't help but quip, causing Liu Qianqiao to snort behind him. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see his men relax, Han Ying's hand hand sliding away from his swords as he checked Zishu for injuries with his eyes, which only bought to his attention that the Ghosts hadn't reacted at all.

"A-Xu, so mean!" The other man whined and it echoed in Zishu's head, though no one had called him A-Xu before in his life, and he took a deep breath to shake the feeling off.

"My name is Zhou Zishu." He corrected. 

Wen Kexing fluttered his fan elegantly, ignoring the irritated white haired woman as his eyes slowly ran up Zishu's body until they settled on his eyes. "Steps like snow in the wind, and the moon hidden behind the clouds." He hummed in a low voice, seductively, sending shivers down Zishu's spine. "A body as beautiful and flexible as willow catkins, I think I will keep calling you A-Xu."

Zishu rolled his eyes at the shamelessness and turned back toward his horse. What kind of moron was this!? He did appear to know who Zishu was, yet he still dared not only attack him but flirt with him? And no one, not even Luo Fumeng, acknowledged it. The Ghost guards all but avoided his gaze when mounted Luo Fumeng's horse. The woman let out a suffering sigh before climbing behind Liu Qianqiao and prompting her ahead wordlessly.

Unlike everyone else Wen Kexing didn't keep his distance, he rode side by side with Zishu and his mouth seemed to need no rest. He would have found it annoying in most people yet the man had a low voice that didn't grate on his ears. The assassin took the opportunity to sneak glances his way. "Have we met before, Master Wen?" He found himself voicing after a few hours, stopping the other man mid sentence.

"I would never forget such a divine face as yours, A-Xu." He answered softly. 

They both fell silent, the only thing that could be heard were the hooves of the horses on the ground and the light swish of Wen Kexing's fan.

"How old are you?" Zishu broke the silence again. 

Wen Kexing hummed. "How old does A-Xu think I am?" 

"Five." Zishu deadpanned with a straight face.

"A-Xu!" The other man complained, pouting again. It made his lips look even more enticing and Zishu had to tear his eyes away.  "I'm twenty eight." He eventually answered.

Twenty eight? That was only three years older than Zishu! It couldn't be that he had met him as a child for Wen Kexing would have been a child as well and looked different then. Why did this man feel so familiar, like Zishu had known him a lifetime? No matter how much he looked at him, he couldn't figure it out. He did know one thing though, there were not many people of such skill that Zishu wouldn't recognize by sight. In fact, there were only three. The Sword Immortal of Changming Mountain, the newly risen to notoriety Scorpion King and the Ghost King, only one of which would have reason to be so familiar with two of the Ten Devils. 

It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest with the realization that this annoying pest was going to be his husband. A terrible monster could hide beneath that beautiful human skin but Zishu didn't believe so. He had lived among the degenerate but cultured part of society, evil people pretending to be righteous, for many years. Martial artists and noblemen alike, pretending to be kind while secretly plotting the demise of people they called friends and family. They spoke well but in their veins there was only black tar. His future husband was nothing like that, there was a kindness deep in the Ghost King's eyes that couldn't be hidden away completely by any mask. 

The sun was high in the sky when they finally stopped for a break. Zishu splayed out on the grass and pulled out his flask of wine, glad to finally get some quiet.

"A-Xu?" The Ghost King's voice reached his ears before a shadow fell over his face. 

Zishu sighed, resigned. "Husband."

The other man's breath caught for a moment and Zishu opened his eyes to find him frozen. His usual wide grin had slipped from his face and he looked... almost saddened. Like he expected Zishu to resent him, now that he knew. "A-Xu... you figured it out."

"I have." Zishu admitted, before gripping Wen Kexing's wrist with his hand and pulling on it hard enough to make the other man let out a startled sound as he was pulled down next to him. "Now cease this incessant chattering and lay down, you are blocking my sun."

Wen Kexing listened for only a few minutes before Zishu felt him wiggle around. "A-Xu..." He started. His life was never going to be quiet again, Zishu realized.

Chapter Text

By the time they could see the gates of the Valley in the distance, Zishu had eliminated every other possibility and came to the conclusion that Wen Kexing had to be the man from his dreams. That explained the unexplained familiarity. It was the hands that gave him away, distracting Zishu by snapping that fan of his open and closed all day long. 

He allowed his eyes to drift to the other man's hands again, trying to imagine them painted red with blood. They were elegant, delicate even, and if Zishu hadn't known who this man really was he would never have imagined them capable of such destruction as he remembered finding that day. Zishu might not be inclined to believe rumors but the Ghost King was one of deadliest martial artists alive and now that he had fought Wen Kexing himself, he didn't doubt it one bit. It was no surprise he had managed to kill the old Valley Master and conquer so many kingdoms. Regardless of his origins he was an emperor now, so what had someone of his power, wealth and standing been doing defending a gods forsaken village in someone else's country? Zishu would like to ask one day.

Wen Kexing recognized him, had all but admitted it, Xu must have been the name Zishu had chosen to give him. The Ghost King was familiar with his martial arts and still seemed genuinely fond of Zishu in spite of his cold nature. Had the other man really accepted this proposal only for the opportunity of an heir? What had their relationship been and why couldn't Zishu remember those months? Was it an accident, or had it been intentional? The Ghost King had to know that he had figured it out, yet they both still continued to ignore it. Voicing it out loud would change everything, once they did that there would be no going back. He would rather gather more information first before confronting the other man, Zishu decided. Whatever the answer was, it wouldn't change anything about their new relationship. For the moment, taking in and memorizing his surroundings would benefit him more.

The Valley was as well defended as his men had told him years ago. A clear lake on one side of the gates and unforgiving sharp rocks on the other, it was impossible to sneak over them without being noticed by the guards on top of the stone walls in time. The gate itself, framed by manancing carved masks, was tall and heavy, too thick to break through. A hidden mechanism pulled it open and dozens of Ghosts kneeled as they walked through, if Zishu hadn't known who Wen Kexing was before he would have figured it out when his army greeted him in one voice. 

Ghost Valley was more beautiful than he had imagined, the name had become synonymous with savagery and lawlessness so long ago it might as well have been a level of Hell so a sense of peacefulness was the last thing he had expected passing through. Beyond the gate everything was green. Alive. It reminded him of home, of the forest surrounding Four Seasons Manor.

A paved path led them through the wild forest, tall pillars of stone rising in the distance. Everything seemed to be the complete opposite the North Capital. Once you passed the wall of the city, the capital was almost barren of nature. Whatever plant life you could see was human grown, groomed and deliberately placed. Everything was polished wood and carved stone, even the people. Seemingly perfect but Zishu knew better. As pretty as it was on the surface, it was equally rotten underneath. Officials and nobles who only cared about filling their own vaults with gold, vipers just waiting for the opportunity to strike... slums on the other side of the city where the poor starved and nobody cared. The country was filled with the poor and the hungry. Unseen, forsaken. The changes his cousin was making were not coming fast enough.

Helian Yi had been right, he realized as they made their way further and further in the Valley, passing through the city. Colorful and loud as they welcomed their Emperor and new Consort home. For that was what Wen Kexing was even as he continued to call himself the Chief of Ghost Valley, the emperor of a thriving and wealthy country. Seeing so many Ghosts walking around, knowing they were not even a small fraction of his new husband's entire army, he knew more than ever that the North could not afford a war against Qingya. Not now, not for a long time. 

The whole city was red. Red fabrics, red ribbons, red petals covering the road. Red paper flowers rained down on them from balconies the entire way through and Zishu had to fight the blush that threatened to bloom on his cheeks and let out a tiny sigh of relief when it was finally over. Since no one had bothered them in any of cities they had passed through on the way, he had wrongly assumed the wedding hadn't been made public. Apparently, that didn't apply to the Valley's citizens.

It came as a surprise to him that the Ghost King didn't live in the city, nor had he built an actual palace since taking over the Valley. They rode some more until they reached one of the pillars of stone with a large Ghost face carved on the wall... Mountains. Some were columns rising to the sky, some were ridges like spines of ancient creatures breaking through the earth. He could see openings, windows and terraces, breaking through the moss covered surface of what he guessed was going to be his new home. 

They came to a halt in front of what appeared to be the only entrance, stone steps leading to a large cavern entrance guarded by even more Ghosts. Zishu rolled his eyes when Wen Kexing helped him down from his horse but allowed it anyway. Han Ying followed their lead, carefully taking in their surroundings. A group of women dressed in red and white came to take away their horses, Luo Fumeng giving instructions quietly... The Department of the Unfaithful, then. 

Zishu was enjoying the feeling of being on his own feet again, allowing the Ghost King to keep holding his hand a little longer and ignoring the burning eyes he could feel on him, when a shrill, ear splitting yell reached them. A purple dressed woman flew over the stairs. No. Not a woman, he realized when she landed just in front of him and Wen Kexing. A young woman, barely more than a child, with a curled rope whip tied at her waist.

"You saddled me with all the work again! What kind of Chief are you?! This is your wedding, why do I have to be the one doing all the heavy lifting while you play around all day!? Where were you?!" She ranted in one breath, hand on her hip, as she pouted more than glared at the Ghost King. 

Zishu rubbed a hand over his ear for show. "Little girl, are you trying to turn us all deaf?" He asked her with a sigh, only for her to ignore him and continue glaring at the Ghost King. 

"A-Xiang." The older man reprimanded, tapping his fan on her head gently. She was too old to be his daughter, Zishu thought, and too young to be his wife even if he were so inclined. Unless he liked them so young, but Zishu didn't get that feeling from the way he was looking at her. Wen Kexing's eyes lacked the burning desire they held when he looked at Zishu, and held instead only a soft warmth. The Ghosts seemed used to the scene because no one reacted to her yelling at the Chief and Liu Qianqiao was shaking her head fondly as she watched them. The two continued to stare into each other's eyes until the young woman finally gave in and looked down, hands dropping at her side.

Satisfied that the girl was remorseful enough, a pleased smile bloomed on Wen Kexing's face again. "I was escorting my beautiful A-Xu home, like a good husband should. Isn't he breathtaking, A-Xiang?" He asked, pulling Zishu closer to his side proudly. "I told you he would be, didn't I?"

The girl looked up, running her eyes over Zishu. "You hadn't even seen him yet!"...The former assassin was starting to think that loud was just her usual volume. "You didn't even leave a note, I thought you pulled one of your dissapearing acts again, Ge!" She continued and Zishu couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" They spoke at the same time, turning identical annoyed faces on him.

"Nothing." He answered with a small grin. "Just noticing the family resemblance, is all."

"A-Xu!" Wen Kexing whined. "Are you comparing me with this wild child?!"

"Who are you calling wild?!" The girl snapped. "You're the one who raised me!" That explained a lot, he couldn't help but laugh again.

"Enough, you two!" Luo Fumeng interrupted, coming to stand between the two siblings. "A-Xiang, go back inside and make sure everything is ready for the ceremony." The girl pouted before nodding, going back inside without even saying anything else. "Qianqiao, you help His Highness." She continued and the younger woman approached Zishu with a nod, starting to lead the way when he realized that the Ghost King was still holding his hand and moved to follow until the white haired woman pulled his arm, forcing him to let go. "Don't even think about it, A-Xing. You're coming with me." She said with one last glare at Zishu as she and Wen Kexing disappeared inside as well. 

Zishu rolled his eyes at the older woman, allowing Liu Qianqiao to lead him inside much slower while his guards followed them silently. The inside of the palace didn't look much like a cave, the flooring was made of hardwood and the sunlight coming through the windows warmed everything up. The palace was built like a maze, some corridors leading deep into the mountain, lit only by the torches lining the walls. He tried to memorize everything as he followed Liu Qianqiao. They climbed more flights of stairs, going up and up, the view from the windows becoming even more breathtaking each time, until finally she stopped before a pair of sliding doors.

The room behind was small and simple. The only things inside were a large full bathtub, a mirror and chair, a small table with soaps and dried flowers and a long one for him to place his clothes. Two of his man carried in the chest holding his wedding outfit inside before walking back out to give him privacy, leaving him with only Liu Qianqiao and Han Ying inside the room. 

"You don't have to stay, Miss Liu." Ziahu offered the beautiful woman when he noticed she wasn't leaving. It was futile to tell Han Ying the same, he knew. The younger man wasn't going to let him out of eyesight until Zishu was in the wedding chamber with his new husband and he could no longer follow. His heart squeezed at the thought, the former assassin might not share his subordinate's feelings but he cared for him deeply. Maybe in this new place, Han Ying will find someone worthy of his love. Zishu could only hope. 

"I will help you get ready." She replied as Zishu walked to the tub and heated up the only warm water with his Qi until it was as hot as he liked it. 

Zishu shrugged at her choice and started opening his robes, letting them fall on the floor. Once he was naked he slid into the water without turning back to see if they were watching, unable to keep in a quiet moan when the warmth seeped into his muscles and bones. He hadn't even realized how tired he was, he hadn't spend so much time on a horse in years. Leaning back, Zishu closed his eyes and relaxed for a moment. He heard the wedding chest being opened and the sound of fabrics and metal being moved and placed down before he finally opened his eyes and looked over the low table next to the tub. Zishu poured some petals in the water and selected soaps for his hair and body, he preffered making his own but those would have to do until he unpacked. 

Once he was clean he stepped out, accepting the towel from Han Ying and then started slipping the inner layers on from where the other two had laid them out for him. He left the last one there before moving to the mirror, where Qianqiao was waiting holding a comb and with way more jewelry, golden and shiny with precious stones, laid out than Zishu had ever worn in his life.

"Are you nervous?" The woman asked quietly as she pulled back his hair, staring to comb it from the bottom. His mother should have done this for him, or his Shimu, he thought. They would have cooked rice and lit candles and chanted blessings as they helped him get ready... He wished they were there but he wasn't nervous. As far as he was concerned, he had been married the moment he had signed the alliance agreement, the ceremony was just a formality now.

"No." Zishu answered honestly. He wasn't nervous, nor worried anymore. He was hopeful.

Chapter Text

Zishu followed Liu Qianqiao to the top of the palace, where a hall like cave stood. It was open on two sides, the floor paved with smooth stone and giant statues seeming to hold up the ceiling. Tables had been laid out, piled with food, and everything was decorated with red fabrics and paper flowers, just like the city had been. There was a tree on a raised platform at the end of the hall, white bark and crimson leaves, and next to it an altar. The Ghost King was already there, so lost in thought he didn't notice their arrival. It gave Zishu the chance to truly see the Ghost King for the first time.

Wen Kexing looked more intimidating in red, Zishu thought, getting a glimpse of what the man's enemies saw when they looked at him. His face was jade, flawless and cold. The soft looped ponytail was gone and replaced by a bun tightly held in an even more impressive crown, gold and red stones glittering in the dim rays of the twilight. He towered over the room and his presence was heavy. The Ghost King commanded attention and respect in a way not even his cousin did. Helian Yi might have inherited a throne but Wen Kexing had built one with his own hands out of his fallen enemies and everyone knew it. 

This was the warlord who had skinned people alive and raized entire armies to the ground. Wen Kexing wore red the same way Northern Emperors wore yellow and gold. In this way, they were not equal. Zishu might have royal blood in his veins but he had always been more fit to be someone else's sword. He almost wished he wore his old uniform instead wedding red, so he could wrap it around himself like an armor between his skin and the eyes he could feel trying to look through him but he was no longer the Leader of the Window of Heaven and soon he would be Consort Zhou, the Ghost King's husband. His life in the shadows was over, Zishu would have to get used to the eyes trying to burn him alive from now on.

The crowd of Ghosts and guests parted and Zishu held his face blank as he made his way through. A-Xiang grinned widely when he passed by her and Luo Fumeng, while the older woman pretended not to notice him at all. When they reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the platform, he gestured for his guards to stay. He could see the defiance on Han Ying's face but he had trained the younger man well and he didn't argue as Zishu went up alone. 

Wen Kexing was staring at four wooden tablets lined on the altar. They were the only living people standing there, he realized as he came to a stop next to his husband. There was no one to serve tea to, no one to give their blessing or deny their union... for a moment he wondered if they were there for a wedding or a funeral.

"A-Xu." Wen Kexing's face softened when he noticed Zishu, a small but genuine smile pulling at his lips transforming his face completely. "You look as beautiful in red as I've imagined you would."

So did he, breathtakingly so. Zishu didn't think he'd ever met someone so gorgeous in his life and couldn't help the heat that started pooling in his belly in anticipation for later. He had tried not to think too much about his wedding night before meeting Wen Kexing but now he found himself actually looking forward to it. He didn't say any of that, just nodded before tearing his eyes away from his husband to look at the altar instead. The tablets on his side held the names of his birth parents, which was to be expected since a large part of the alliance relied on his blood. The ones on his husband's side held the names Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao, his parents in law, neither of which he recognized.

Only years of training his awareness stopped Zishu from being taken by surprise by the drums that boomed like thunder soon after. Everything else fell silent and Zishu felt the harrowing sound to his bones. They kneeled together once it was done, and they bowed... he didn't feel any different when Wen Kexing helped him stand than he had before. 

The feast didn't last long and Zishu was grateful for that because arousal burned in his veins by the end of it. He allowed his husband to pull him away, guards following behind them silently. They only went one level below before Wen Kexing stopped before a pair of large, ornate doors. The sound echoed around the room when they slid closed behind them. 

The Ghost King's room was spacious and elegant, with an unnecessarily large bed covered in red sheets with a sign for double happiness hanging above it. Zishu didn't comment on it, just quietly made his way to the mirror table and sat down.

"Thank you." He sighed, relieved when his husband started helping him remove the tiny braids and heavy hair ornaments Liu Qianqiao had piled on his head. Pretty as they were, the former assassin hoped to never see them again. Zishu's arousal only grew while Wen Kexing combed his hair, cold fingers lingering against the heated skin of his neck every now and then before it was over and the older man was placing his hair crown next to the collection of Zishu's jewelry.

"I will leave you to rest." His husband declared and Zishu's caught his wrist in shock before he could leave.

"Rest?" He asked, standing up from the chair. "Did we get your preferences wrong?" It couldn't be, Wen Kexing had been flirting with him the entire way to the Valley! He looked like he had been trying to undress Zishu with his eyes since they've met! 

"Preferences?" Wen Kexing's eyes lost their warmth and his face sharpened, leaving behind the warlord Zishu had only glimpsed earlier. "What exactly made you think I prefer the men in my bed to be unwilling?" The older man asked coldly. Unwilling? Did he really think anyone would have been able to drag Zishu where he hadn't been willing to go? "Do you even find me attractive or are you just prepared to endure my touch?" 

"Does anyone ever not find you attractive?" Zishu blurted out, unable to help himself. He didn't regret it because Wen Kexing let out a snort and relaxed again, his wrist going lax in Zishu's hold.

"You married me out of duty and I don't resent that, A-Xu." His free hand rose to push a strand of hair behind Zishu's ear and it sent fire through his veins again when it brushed against his skin. "I will respect the threaty, you have my word, but you don't have to sleep with me."

Most men wouldn't have cared if he were willing or not, they wouldn't have even bothered to ask. They would have bent him over the bed and taken what they thought belonged to them regardless of his wishes or pleasure. That was what he had expected when he had agreed to marry the Ghost King and he had been prepared to endure it. He didn't voice it that out loud, he had the feeling it would make his husband even angrier... But that had all been before he'd met Wen Kexing who treated him well and touched him gently, Zishu bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from throwing his husband on the bed then and there. 

"What about an heir?" He asked. 

"I don't need an heir." The older man answered calmly and Zishu felt like screaming! Then why had he accepted the proposal when he had denied all others?!... Had he done it just because it was Zishu?

Zishu considered what to answer to that for a moment. "What if I did want you? Do you find me attractive?" Zishu looked straight into his husband's black eyes and found only honesty there when he answered softly. "A-Xu is perfect." 

Zishu was far from perfect, he was flawed in so many ways, but he thought if anyone could accept him as he was, it would be this man. "Good." He hummed. "Because I do want you and if you leave me like this..." He pushed his husband's hand between his legs where he was half hard beneath the many layers of robes. "...I will cut off your balls in your sleep. Now fuck me."

"A-Xu! So crude!" Wen Kexing gasped, faking outrage at his choice of words. He should get used to it, Zishu thought, because he was going to hear a lot more of it in the future.

Zishu rolled his eyes. "Make love to me, my husband." He said in a flat voice and the Ghost King grinned, bringing Zishu's hand to his lips and kissing his wrist. "As my A-Xu wishes."

Zishu wasn't nervous as they helped each other out of their robes and moved to the bed, he had hardly came into this marriage pure as a virgin maiden. His body was a tool and the former assassin had never been shy about using it to get what he wanted before. He expected to be at a loss of what to do, he's never allowed himself to be taken by another man, to be that vulnerable around someone. The only ones he would have trusted enough had been Beiyuan and Han Ying, his friend had only ever had eyes for Wu Xi as long as they've known each other and his subordinate's feelings for him would have complicated everything in a way he hadn't wanted. Except, as they laid down his body answered to Wen Kexing like they have done this before, the Ghost King touched him like he had a map of all of Zishu's most sensitive spots burned into his mind. 

Soon he was bare beneath his husband, watching the man's beautiful body as he held himself above Zishu, nipping and licking and kissing at his skin and nipples until he couldn't hold the moans in anymore. He was sure everybody outside the door could hear what they were doing but he was beyond being able to care. Finally, Wen Kexing kissed the side of his knee, trailing his soft lips up his thigh, closer to where Zishu burned to be touched. "Is my A-Xu sore from riding a horse for so long?"

"No." He lied, breathless, though the older man didn't look like he believed him as he stood on his knees. Wen Kexing's body was strong and flawless, he wondered what he thought when he looked at Zishu's own scarred skin. 

"Of course not." His husband chuckled, sliding a pillow under Zishu's lower back and pulling a jar of ointment out of somewhere. It smelled sweet, like flowers, and he almost flinched back from the cold when slick fingers touched his entrance. "Relax, A-Xu."

He nodded and took a deep breath at the same time the first finger entered it, his hands gripping the man's shoulders when he leaned up to kiss Zishu. It felt different than when he'd done this to himself. Wen Kexing had longer fingers, thinner and cold. His hands seemed incapable of warming up and Zishu tried to focus on the feel of soft lips on his own instead as his husband opened him up slowly.

"You ready?" The older man asked, pulling out his fingers and moving Zishu's legs to wrap around his waist. He took himself in hand and lined his hard member to Zishu's entrance.

"I'm not made of glass." The former assassin complained, pulling him closer with his legs until the tip of the man's cock breached him, causing him to gasp. It felt nothing like fingers did, he thought as his husband pushed in slowly, and yet his body opened up for it so easily. "Oh, fuck!" He groaned.

"We are." Wen Kexing whispered in his ear as he started to move and Zishu encouraged him to go faster. If he'd known it felt so good, he might have bothered to find someone to do it sooner! His husband kept brushing against that spot inside him that made him dizzy with pleasure and he came so fast that it would have been embarrassing had the older man not followed a moment later. 

Wen Kexing kissed the side of his neck in a appology for the uncomfortable feeling when he pulled out, and stood up. Zishu watched him walk around naked and return with a small basin of water and clean cloths. He didn't bother to move while his husband cleaned them both, just laid there enjoying the cool air on his heated skin. His entrance twitched when Wen Kexing put the water away and pulled out another jar of ointment.

"Don't tell me you're ready to go again." Zishu said warily, eyes seeking the other man's member which was already hard between his legs. He didn't want to have to admit it out loud but his husband had been right earlier. Even more than sore, Zishu was dead tired. The sleepless nights, the stress and the many days spent on horseback were making themselves known... maybe he's gotten soft being a Leader. 

"I'm always ready to go again." Wen Kexing chuckled. "But don't worry, A-Xu, I'm not a cruel lover. This is for the soreness." He explained as he opened the jar and scooped the herbal cream on his fingers, rubbing it into on Zishu's lower abdomen and thighs. Even now his touch was gentle, treating Zishu like he was something precious. He finished with his front side and then turned him on his front, massaging the back of his legs and the small of his back until Zishu couldn't hold back a moan anymore.

"Is my A-Xu satisfied now?" The Ghost King eventually asked after he climbed into bed properly, pulling a silk sheet over their cooled down bodies. He laid his head on one arm, wrapping the other around Zishu's waist.

He was, and if he hadn't been so tired Zishu wouldn't have minded doing it again. At least in this instance, his husband's reputation was true. "It was alright. Don't go getting a big head about it." He said instead.

"Only alright?" Wen Kexing pouted. "I guess this husband will have to try harder next time."

Zishu rolled his eyes at the man's antics, snuggling a little closer to his husband when he felt his eyes falling shut. Sleep took him at the same time he felt Wen Kexing soft lips against his temple as he whispered. "From today on and until the day I die, Zhou Zishu, I promise to do my best to always make you happy." 

Chapter Text

The dream hadn't changed. Even though Zishu knew now that it was Wen Kexing kneeling in the snow, he still woke up before seeing his face. He let out a groan and rubbed his face into the pillow next to him. The faint scent of his husband lingered there, Zishu liked to complain that the older man smelled like a woman but secretly he enjoyed it. It was a habit Wen Kexing had probably learned from the girls in the Department of the Unfaithful, whom Zishu had came to realize his husband was somewhat protective of. Regardless, the scent had a calming effect to it and was quite pleasing. 

When he finally forced his eyes open, he found the pillow actually empty which wasn't anything new. Ever since he's come to the Valley a month before, Zishu had been enjoying a surprising amount of freedom. He was no longer in charge of an organization, had no subordinates or juniors depending on him. His guards were all capable and independent, having been chosen to protect him for a reason. There was nobody to kill, no lives to make miserable, no spying to be done, no paperwork or missions to plan. Zishu was free to wake up when he wanted, practice his skills for as long as he wanted, drink as much as he wanted of the most expensive wines and Wen Kexing had yet to demand anything of him. He seemed to have been honest when he'd said he had no interest in heirs and though he enjoyed sex, and was unreasonably good at it, he hadn't pushed when Zishu had denied it in order to test him. In a bit of irony, the Ghost King had turned out to be the world's most indulgent husband.

The former assassin sat up slowly and stretched before sitting on the floor to mediate. It still didn't help him remember anymore than it used to but it left him feeling relaxed and awake. When he was done he washed up for the day and changed into a pair of comfortable blue robes just in time to hear a quiet knock on the door. 

"Miss Liu." He answered quietly, knowing she would hear him anyway. 

"Your Highness." The beautiful woman answered, coming inside the room.

"You know you don't have to assist me every morning, right?" He couldn't help but ask when she placed a tray of food in front of the mirror for him and picked up his comb. His husband might like to joke that he was lazy but he was perfectly capable of finding his own food and combing his own hair. "You're not a servant."

Liu Qianqiao hummed. "Your Highness is pleasant company."

Zishu snorted, almost spitting out the tea in his mouth. "Then there must be something wrong with your head."

When was the last time someone had actually called him pleasant company that wasn't his husband? Then again, Wen Kexing had had him in his bed at the time and was a lunatic so he didn't count at all. 

Thankfully she wasn't offended and laughed instead. "Think of it as repaying a kindness, then. It happened around fifteen years ago that I met your Shifu, Qin Huaizhang, and did him a favor. The scar on my face was fresher and uglier then. He took pity on me and taught me the art of disguise."

Zishu thought he had heard that story before. Qin Huaizhang had been a martial arts master but he hadn't been without fault and somehow he had ended up injured and penniless. Knowing the man as he had, most likely because he had fallen victim to some sob story and got robbed and left for dead. A young woman, barely more than a child, with a scar on her face had found him and helped him find shelter and food until he was well enough to make the journey home and in return he had taught her the art of disguise. If that had been Liu Qianqiao... "You saved him and he taught you a secret of his Sect. That seems like a fair deal to me, there's no favour for you to repay."

"Not a favor, a kindness." She smiled.

Kindness... She would be better off saving it for Jiuxiao. Zishu was not a good person, he was not worthy of receive such repayment. If his Shifu were there, he would be dissatisfied in him for all the things he had done, for the innocents he had killed and the lives he had ruined. Zishu's hands were covered in blood, as red Wen Kexing's in his dream, only people couldn't see it.  

They were silent while he ate his meal and he watched Liu Qianqiao in the small mirror. She was dressed in a vibrant green, hair perfectly braided and makeup delicately applied. Her movements were graceful, her voice pleasant and her mind sharp. If Zishu hadn't been sure that his husband had no interest in the female form, he might have been jealous of Liu Qianqiao. She was kind and beautiful, even on the days when she chose not to cover her scar.

"Miss Liu, are the others angry?" Zishu found himself asking, having thought of something that hadn't occured to him before. He still shared his husband's rooms and it didn't seem like the older man had any intention of changing that arrangement any time soon. 

"The others?" 

"The consorts and concubines." He clarified. Zishu hadn't met any of them yet, nor had anyone mentioned them, not even A-Xiang who always blurted out exactly what was on her mind, but he knew they could not be pleased with the situation.

She frowned, looking slightly confused at him through the mirror. "There are no others, Your Highness. You are the only one A-Xing had ever married, the only one he took into his bed or trusted to sleep besides him."

The news shocked Zishu. That couldn't be true, could it? Not with the skills and knowledge his husband displayed in bed. "Surely there had been others."

"There had been courtesans but they had never been allowed into his private rooms, he either went to them or they were accommodated on a different level. He had sent them all parting gifts when he agreed to marry you." Liu Qianqiao explained.

He'd thought that Wen Kexing hadn't sent him to another room because he was new and exciting and eventually the Ghost King would grow bored of him. Zishu felt something unidentifiable bloom in his heart. Hehated the way it made him feel soft, he decided.  

The woman slid a silver hairpin with strings of pearls hanging from one end through his ponytail, distracting him from his thoughts. He put it completely out of his mind by the time they left the room, through there was a lightness to himself now that he refused to acknowledge. A loud voice reached his ears a few moments later.

A-Xiang stopped in front of them, hands clasped behind her back and a wide smile on her face while she rocked on the balls of her feet. "Zishu-gege!" 

"What do you want, brat?" He asked.

She pouted and tried to make her eyes look wider. Too bad for her that Jiuxiao had loved that trick and Zishu had grown immune to it by long ago. "Help me train?" The girl pleaded. "Gege promised to help me with some moves but he is busy again!" 

Liu Qianqiao sighed before Zishu could refuse. "He is the Chief, A-Xiang." 

"I know but he promised and then that stupid guy had to go and get himself caught trying to sneak into the Valley!" Pouting for real now, with her cheeks puffed out, A-Xiang looked every bit of her fourteen years. Sometimes Zishu forgot how young she was, because in spite of her loud voice and lack of lady like manners she was skilled and clever and responsible... but she truly was still a child. 

"I guess I can teach you a move or two, if you promise to stop trying to break my eardrums while you train." He relented. 

Liu Qianqiao left them to it and went in search of Luo Fumeng while Zishu and A-Xiang went outside to a training yard. Watching the girl with half a mind, he wondered what kind of idiot had tried to sneak into the Valley this time. Occasionally he would yell some instructions from where he was sat at an outside table eating seeds, sometimes flicking one at her to throw her off. A few hours later, the purple dressed girl limped away muttering to herself. "I live in regret." 

"Say that again!" He snapped after her. If she was going to complain, she shouldn't have asked him for help!

"Nothing, Zishu-gege!" She yelled back, walking faster.

Rolling his eyes at her dramatics, Zishu made his way towards the Yama Hall. After living in the palace for a few days, he had quickly memorized the Maze and learned all of the secret passageways so he knew he reached the top level before A-Xiang had even managed to drag her aching body to her room. 

The Hall looked nothing like it had on the night of his wedding. The tables and chairs and bright decorations were gone, leaving behind gray, cold stone and a feeling of desolation. Truly, it was aptly named, the giant statues seemed to stare down into your soul, judging you... Sometimes Zishu wondered what this place had been before, before his husband had turned it into a palace, before criminals had turned it into a refuge. That was a secret lost to time that even he, with all of his skills, would be unable to uncover now.

The Ghost King's throne was clearly visible now that the Hall was void of anything else. Dressed in red so dark it could be black his husband was sprawled on his ornate seat, face blank and eyes cold as he stared down at the lump of flesh soaking in a pool of blood at his feet. It was so unrecognizable from a human being, so still and silent, that the former assassin couldn't tell if it was breathing anymore.

Wen Kexing really did look like the immortal King of Hell, Zishu thought. It froze him in place for a moment, how powerful and ruthless the man he had married could actually be. That they might be equal in level of internal energy, but Zishu was an assassin and a spy and his skills laid in being swift on his feet, fast and nimble, while his husband, he had came to learn, was an unpredictable monster of unparalleled strength in a direct fight. It was fortunate that the Ghost King had never tried to conquer the North before Helian Yi had proposed an alliance and they had not met on the battlefield instead. Still, Zishu felt no fear as he looked straight into the endless abyss that was his husband's eyes. In a flash, he was stranding closer to the throne, careful to avoid the blood and mess on the floor.

"A-Xu." Wen Kexing smiled brightly, standing up and moving to stand beside him. 

"Did you find out who sent this one?" He asked, not paying attention to the arm that had sneaked around his waist. 

He studied the intruder but not even the man's own mother might recognize that face now and there were no identifiable features or tattoos that he could see. The Ghost King was smart enough to look for such things first anyway, so there hadn't been any. What was left of the man's robes appeared to be common fabric too and the weapons Wen Kexing had thrown to the side were nothing special. So he hadn't been completely dumb, just dumb enough to die. By this point, Zishu was sure he was dead.

Ever since knowledge of the alliance had been released and it became known that someone of royal blood had been married to the Ghost King, assassins had started buzzing around the gates like annoying flies. It was like no matter how many of them failed and met a painful death, they never learned. If his men had been this dumb, Zishu would have killed them himself to save the Window of Heaven the embarrassment. All it served to do was show how desperate the idiots of the Jianghu really were. The only ones with any sense were the Scorpions, who knew better than to try to break in and kept their distance so far. 

"No." His husband laughed. "They are stupid, but loyal."

"You should wake me next time, maybe the problem is you." Zishu told him in a teasing tone.

"So cold, my husband!" Wen Kexing complained before starting to walk, pulling Zishu with him. "I'm sick of this scenery and it stinks in here now, accompany me for a day in the city?" 

He raised an eyebrow at the offer. "You have time to play around?"

The Ghost King shrugged. "I can spend a few hours of leisure with my beautiful husband." 

Zishu thought it over for a moment before he finally answered. "Fine." He sighed, resigning himself to Wen Kexing dragging him to all the food stalls again and shoving even more gifts at him. Zishu already had more jewelry and robes than he had ever thought he needed. Still, he smiled they walked through the market a little later listening to the older man's chattering... Life in Ghost Valley was loud, but Zishu found himself actually enjoying the noise. 

Chapter Text

Han Ying had always known that the feelings he harbored for his Lord were futile but the heart was unlike any other muscle in the body. No matter how hard you tried to make it do what you wanted, you couldn't control it. You could train the body and enlighten the mind but the heart had a will of it's own. 

Zhou Zishu had been the Lord of Four Seasons Manor and the Leader of the Window of Heaven, a master of martial arts born of royal blood when he had plucked orphaned Han Ying out of the streets like a pitiful kitten. His Lord had fed him and clothed him and allowed him to learn alongside his own younger brother who had been closer to Han Ying's age. The older man had refused to accept any disciples into Four Seasons Manor but hadn't protested when Han Ying had decided to join the Window of Heaven a few years later. Jiuxiao still refused to speak to him over that choice, but the truth was Han Ying hadn't cared about what kind of organization it was or what they did, he would have followed Zhou Zishu to the gates of Hell. Maybe it didn't make him a good person, or even a loyal one because he'd never cared about the throne, only about his Lord, but he didn't regret it. So when the Emperor had asked him to actually follow his Lord to the gates of Hell, he hadn't hesitated to accept.

Han Ying hadn't cared what awaited him inside of Ghost Valley, death or torture or humiliation, as long as he would be able to reduce Zhou Zishu's suffering if only a little bit. He had lived on the streets in the worst slum of the Capital, he was no stranger to pain and didn't fear death. Maybe that was what had drawn his Lord to him in the first place, that he had looked into Han Ying's eyes and recognized his own kind. Zhou Zishu was the strongest person he knew but he had no regard for his own life, that was why Han Ying had decided a long time ago to treasure it for him instead. 

Which was why Han Ying could have never allowed his Lord to walk into the Valley alone, even if he'd had to become a deserter, even if he'd had to take the nails and become nearly useless he would have followed him until his last breath... He had followed his Lord through the gates of Ghost Valley expecting a hell that never came. 

Now he allowed his body to relax slightly, observing his Lord and the Ghost King clashing Baiyi and Dazzling Fall in the distance. Technically he was on guard duty but whichever moron tried to sneak upon those two while they were high on the excitement of a good fight and had their swords drawn deserved their fate. 

It took Han Ying so long to realize the Ghost King's fighting style derived from his father's, it was almost embarrassing. Wen Ruyu's famous swordplay could be narrowed down to just three moves the Ghost King used most. The rest were random, Han Ying couldn't figure out a style or a pattern just like with the emperor's martial skills. He relied on strength and short, precise movements, not a drop of energy wasted. It was obvious that he wasn't used to friendly spars, to holding back in a fight. His first instinct was to kill his enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible. Han Ying suspected few people alive would be able to keep up, even in a spar. If there was one word to describe his style, Han Ying would say it was brutal. Wen Ruyu might have been one of the best swordsmen of his generation but his son could only be better. Han Ying would definitely never wish to cross him in battle. 

In contrast, Zhou Zishu looked like he was floating on air, Baiyi a blur in his hand half the time. A falling leaf in the wind, Jiuxiao had called it. His Lord had long incorporated his own moves into the Four Seasons Manor style, it was as breathtakingly elegant as it was deadly.

Both fighters seemed to draw from an endless supply of stamina and internal energy and Han Ying thought they could go on like that for hours, if not days. They were grinning widely when they finally came to a stop, sword arm outstretched and the other holding their opponent's wrist. 

Though impressive, Han Ying put the spar out of his mind soon after and focused on his duty. He would analize it further in his free time, if he wished. When evening fell and his Lord invited him to join him for some wine he was no longer surprised. The older man was far more relaxed and easy going these days. He accepted, though he never drank enough to feel the effects of the alcohol. The room was missing the wall towards the outside, Han Ying suspected it hadn't been a natural occurrence. It more of a terrace with a beautiful view of the Valley. The scenery was not as beautiful as his Lord though, so Han Ying was watching him instead.

"Han Ying."

"My Lord." He answered.

"We are friends." The older man sighed, pouring himself some more wine.

Were they? Han Ying guessed they were. Even when he had been the cold and detached Leader of the Window of Heaven, his Lord had always treated him with more familiarity than most. "We are." 

"So... I keep telling you to call me Zishu, I'm no longer a Lord!" The other man snapped at him.

"I think Imperial Consort ranks above that, Your Highness." Han Ying couldn't help but answer in an amused tone, causing Zhou Zishu to glare at him. It was not as scary as he surely intended. Han Ying knew that when his Lord was actually angry he didn't glare at people, he looked at them like they were the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. Small and insignificant, not even worthy of a facial expression.

Seeing that Han Ying wasn't intimidated, the older man turned back to his wine. "You recognized the sword moves my husband was using earlier."

Han Ying was surprised his Lord was asking, since he had been the one whom the guard had first heard the name Wen Ruyu from. "They were similar to a style you taught me about long ago, before I even joined the Window of Heaven." 

"I have?" Zhou Zishu asked, and Han Ying found that he looked genuinely surprised by that... Could it be that his Lord didn't remember?

"The 'Eighteen Moves of Qiuming' all seem to originate from the three moves the emperor kept repeating earlier." He explained.

"The Eighteen Moves of Qiuming." His Lord repeated as if he's never heard the words before.

"The sword style invented by Wen Ruyu, The Divine Hand. Even though he was famous for his martial skills, he was even more so for his skills in healing. He later married Gu Miaomiao, of the Immortal Physician Valley, and she renounced her position as heir to travel the world together and help people no matter how rich or poor." Han Ying had seen the altar the day after the wedding, he had been shocked and saddened to read their names. Shocked because no one has heard of the two healers in a long time and saddened because the world was just a little worse off now that they were gone. "No one has seen or heard of them in almost three decades. Few people are truly good in this world, but your parents in law were. You admired them greatly." He explained and Zhou Zishu looked at him in surprise.

His Lord did not have a good opinion of most 'Heroes' of the Jianghu, the world that had called his Shifu a friend and then turned around and tried to eat his children and disciples alive when he was gone but his Lord had endured, had survived and he had sacrificed years of his life to make their country better. Even if he had done despicable things in order to achieve that goal Han Ying still thought he was a good person. He hadn't been happy though, in a very long time. 

"I'm relieved." He added, after a while. 

Zhou Zishu tilted his head curiously, cup half way to his mouth. "Why?"

"I was worried when Emperor Jin summed me and Old Bi to tell us about your coming marriage. Not because I don't trust your skills but because I know your loyalty. And I knew his reputation too." Han Ying knew his Lord was one of the most powerful masters alive but he would have allowed himself to be treated badly rather than put the alliance at risk. The fact that the Wen Kexing had been able to rise to the position of Chief of Ghost Valley and keep it for so long said a lot about him on its own but he had conquered himself an empire. He had been so ruthless and terrifying, people had thought he could only be an actual demon, earning the title Ghost King. Even now, among the ranks of the Ghost Army, Han Ying knew there were some who still doubted he was human or had a beating heart. Whatever had happened to make him stop years ago no one knew, but one day he had put an end to the war in order to try and make his Empire a better place. Now it was one of the most powerful and influential countries in the known world.

"I was wrong." Han Ying smiled sadly at his Lord. "Your husband does his parents proud."

It hurt a little bit, to refer to someone else as his Lord's husband, but Zhou Zishu had never been meant to be his. Han Ying was actually starting to believe he had always been meant to be Wen Kexing's. He had never believed in gods or fate before but now he was starting to think that if the notion of soulmates was not as much nonesense as he'd thought, maybe there was something to the other gibberish as well. 

Zhou Zishu placed his wine cup down, there was an odd look in his eyes... guilt, he realized. "I'm sorry, Han Ying."

Han Ying shook his head. "Do not be, I'm happy for you, My Lord." He answered honestly. "His Majesty is a patient brother to the princess and a good emperor, if not an overly forgiving one." During his time in the Valley, he had gotten to see Wen Kexing both show kindness to his family and torture his enemies to death. He protected the people he cared for fiercely, even if that meant having no compassion for those who were a danger to them. The emperor had turned the Ghost Valley from a pit of vipers into a place where everyone in the palace could be trusted. Now Old Bi knew he could work their guard rotation alongside that of the Ghost guards and not fear for his Lord's safety.

"He treats you well." Han Ying had feared when the door had closed behind Zhou Zishu on the man's wedding night. It had taken all the self control he had not to burst it open and pull him back out. The Ghost King had already proven earlier that he was at least a match for his Lord. When he'd heard their conversation, it had felt like he could finally breath again. Having to listen to his Lord have sex with another man had been hard, especially since because of his internal energy and training he couldn't really tune it out, but if his Lord had been raped his heart would have shattered. That hadn't happened, Wen Kexing had respected his Lord and his wishes that night and had respected him every day ever since. Even though Han Ying's loyalty would always be to his Lord first, he would protect the Ghost King if he could too. "And you are happier here."

His Lord's eyes widened in surprise. "I am?" 

Han Ying nodded. "You looked lost during the last few months in the Capital and I hadn't seen you smile at all since before Jiuxiao had left but you do now, very often." He had feared that one day Zhou Zishu would ask for the nails and vanish in the wind and Han Ying would never be able to find him again. It had pained him to see the man he loved suffer so much without being able to help other than staying by his side. No one else had noticed that his Lord had been withering away in the Capital. 

The older man pressed his lips into a thin line. "I didn't known it had obvious to others."

Han Ying shook his head. "Not to everyone, just those who watched closely enough." Just to me, he left unsaid.

His Lord turned to his wine again, lost in thought, and didn't speak again until he retreated to bed that night. Han Ying didn't mind, and continued to keep him company anyway.

Chapter Text

Qianqiao ground the last of the herbs into a fine powder and stirred them into her brew. One of the girls working in the kitchen peered at the pot curiously. "What are you making, jiejie?"

"It's a restorative recipe I've learned from my mother when I was a girl." She hadn't had the best relationship with the woman but there were a few skills she had learned from her that Qianqiao was grateful for. "I can teach you all later if you'd like."

"Are you feeling ill?" Har Master asked from where she was sitting at a table, making herself some tea. 

Qianqiao shook her head. "It's for His Highness. He's been having trouble waking up these past few days and yesterday he had to stop while training with Han Ying because he was short of breath." Zhou Zishu liked waking up late, but he used to be awake and full of energy by the time she bought him breakfast, now be was still tired.

At the news, the maids started giggling. "Maybe His Majesty is wearing him out at night." "His Highness might not be able to keep up with his appetite all on his own." One of them gasped. "Do you think he might be with child?" "Already!?" "It's not so soon, they've been married for two months." "Just think of how cute their baby would be! His Highness and His Majesty are both such handsome men, their little ones will be down right adorable!"

Qianqiao sighed as she watched them... they were getting excited over nothing, Zhou Zishu wasn't pregnant.

"Shut up, you busybodies!" Her Master snapped, getting up from her seat with a glare. "Don't let His Majesty hear you gossiping about his personal life or you might lose your tongues!"

The maids all paled, pressing their lips together, and Qianqiao continued her work in silence. Wen Kexing wouldn't cut off their tongues for gossiping in the safety of the kitchen but she decided not to inform them of that if it kept their mouths shut. She was surprised when her Master followed her out of the kitchen.

"Can it be that the little idiots are right and he's with child?" The older woman asked, walking by her side. 

"No. When I first realized he's feeling fatigued, I subtly checked his internal energy." It wasn't focused on creating a womb and she hadn't been able to feel any energy other than his own. Besides, if he were with child his husband would have had to know. Such pregnancies didn't happen by accident.

"Besides." She continued. "A-Xing would have told us so we'd know to protect His Highness in case of an incident." Wen Kexing would have plastered himself to his husband's side like wet paper. In a male pregnancy most of the bearer's internal energy focused on the baby, he wouldn't take any risks if Zhou Zishu was in such a vulnerable position. Wen Kexing was the most overprotective idiot she knew. 

"Why isn't he the one making Zhou Zishu healing tinctures? That man is his husband, not yours." Her Master pursed her lips, she's never approved of the Chief's decision to accept the Northern Emperor's offer.

"I don't think he knows." She answered honestly. Wen Kexing might love his husband but he was busy a lot of the time and Zhou Zishu was proud and stubborn.

"I see." The older woman sighed. "Well, I'm coming with you today. I may be no healer but Lady Gu had taught me some things and I can at least take a look at him." 

Qianqiao smiled. "Thank you, Master."

"For A-Xing's sake, I hope you're worrying over nothing." Her Master answered, a hit of fondness seeping into her voice... So did Qianqiao, for both of their sakes. 

After Qin Huaizhang had taught her the art of disguise, Qianqiao had thought she could finally leave the shadows and have a normal life in the light. She had practiced until her skin masks were perfect and then made one that looked almost like her real face, only flawless. People had even called her beautiful when she had used it to walk through the village. Her parents had been ashamed of her, never wanting people to see her, so she hadn't felt bad about stealing from them and running away.

Everything had been an adventure at first for a young woman who'd never seen much more than her parents farm. The closest friends she's ever had before had been the animals she'd fed and cared for all day long. She had missed them more than her family, but the world had been new and exciting. That hadn't lasted long, when she'd realised her money would not last forever... and then she'd met him. 

Yu Qiufeng had been every little girls dream, and had definitely swept Qianqiao off her feet. Educated, well mannered and from a respected Sect he took her under his wing and had allowed her to travel with him. He'd even taught her the basics of meditation and of martial artists so she could defend herself. Yu Qiufeng hadn't flinched away from her real appearance, the second person not to, and little naive Qianqiao had almost forgotten that the world was cruel. She'd allowed herself to fall in love, and willingly gave herself to him thinking he loved her too. 

Qiufeng had loved her, just not enough to admit their love in front of other people too. In the end, he had chosen to marry someone of better standing, from a wealthy family, who could wear her real face in the sunlight and still be beautiful and Qianqiao had been left to adrift in the unforgiving Jianghu all on her own.

She had resorted to using the little martial skills she had to survive, selling her services for money. It had been better than selling her body, but not much safer. She had rapidly grown more powerful, and maybe too confident. In the end she had pissed off someone far more powerful than her. As she had ran away, honestly thinking it would be the end of her, her Master had found her and saved her, offering to take her to the Valley so she could vanish from the eyes of the Jianghu and the men still searching for her.

After Qianqiao's injuries had healed, and they had reached the Valley, her Master had offered her the Water of Naihe. A poisonous liquid, indistinguishable from real water, that would make her forget the thing she loved most. The Keeper of the List of the Unfaithful hadn't understood why Qianqiao had refused what she herself saw as the opportunity to be liberated of the past, but Qianqiao couldn't give up her love. Even if it hurt, she didn't hate Qiufeng for choosing someone else over her. What if by drinking the Water, she forgot him as well? The only one who'd never thought her a fool for the choice she had made was Wen Kexing.

When Qianqiao had arrived in the Valley, Wen Kexing had already been there. She remembered the first time she had seen him. He had been sitting by his dying mother's bedside, holding her frail hand, with a baby on his lap that hadn't understood the gravity of the situation and continued to happily babble away. His face had been blank and pale, he had been too thin... and his eyes had been too old. When she had asked who they were, her Master had just shook her head sadly. She'd learned later the answers to her questions later, from the other girls' gossip.

Qianqiao had watched from a distance as Wen Kexing raised his sister and took care of his mother and trained late at night. She had watched as ghosts who picked on girls in the Department of the Unfaithful turned up with their bones broken or throats slit the next morning, while everyone else but her Master continued to think Wen Kexing nothing but a broken little boy. Gu Miaomiao had passed away, frail and beautiful even in her death, and Wen Kexing hadn't cried, he'd watched her body burn looking like a flawless doll in the flickering light of the fire. Qianqiao hadn't been able to stop herself from admiring his beauty during what had been one of the worst moments of his life and had hated herself for it. Her first couple of months there, Qianqiao had thought he was mute, until she'd heard him telling his baby sister stories late at night to stop her crying. She made even more of an effort to befriend him after that, though at times it had felt more like trying to tame a wild beast who only allowed her close because she was amusing and harmless. His face might have been expressionless most of the time, but his eyes had held a glint of intelligence that couldn't be completely concealed. It hadn't taken her long to realize his internal energy felt like a tightly contained volcano, just waiting to erupt, and hadn't been shocked when the Valley had gone up in flames.

She had sided with him without hesitation because she would have done so even if she thought he'd lose. She had protected A-Xiang, making sure no one tried to target the little girl in order to threaten her brother. That night had been one of the longest in her life but by the end of it Wen Kexing had been the new Chief of Ghost Valley and under his rule, the Department of the Unfaithful was more protected than it had ever been... Qianqiao still chose to join the war, to stay by his side.

In the years that had followed she had seen Wen Kexing laughing over the bodies of his enemies, covered in blood, unstoppable even when his injuries would have bought other men to their knees long ago. That beast she had seen contained inside was no longer on a leash and everything he wanted to burn, turned to ashes. Yet every time he'd returned home, he had washed off the blood and put on a smile and picked up his little sister like she was the most precious thing in the world. Maybe that was why she'd never regretted any of the things she did for him, because in spite of the cruelty he was capable of he was still one of the gentlest people she knew.

Sometimes he had vanished for weeks at a time, refusing to say where he went... one day he was gone for months. When he'd finally returned with a look in his eyes that she recognized from seeing in the mirror every day, Qianqiao had known he understood her choice to not drink Water of Naihe even more. He hadn't talked to anyone about where he had been or what he'd been doing for months, just ruthlessly made it clear that it was either obey the new laws or die. Her Master had been angry that he was throwing away everything he had fought so hard for since he'd been a child. The older woman thought that all of his hard work and suffering would be for nothing if he stopped so close to reaching his goal. To getting revenge against the people who had betrayed his parents. Their army had finally been large enough to attack the North, and with the neighboring country in chaos as it had been under the previous emperor's rule, their victory had been all but guaranteed. Yet Wen Kexing had refused to go forward with plans that had been set in motion years before and focused on making Qingya flourish instead. As unexpectedly and swiftly as he had started his reign of terror and campaign of death, he had also ended it. 

It was only years after that, while watching from afar all he had accomplished, the wealthy city safe within impenetrable walls and stable country and content people living in it, from the balcony of his palace that he had confessed the truth to Qianqiao over a bottle of wine. Deep down, it hadn't surprised her at all. 

When Wen Kexing had killed the former Master and his entire inner circle in one night, chopping them to pieces and skinning them alive before burning the corpses and Yama Hall to its bare stone, they had called him a madman. He had used that and their fear to his best advantage to the point where even her Master had bought it but Qianqiao had known better. More than anger or the desire for revenge, Wen Kexing had always been driven by love. Love for his parents, love for his sister, love for the women who had taken him in as a child and raised him as their own, even love for her for always staying by his side. When he'd asked her to represent him at the marriage negotiations, she had readily accepted even though it had broken her heart... She's never had a chance with him anyway.

In spite of her feelings, over the last few months Qianqiao couldn't stop herself from starting to care about Zhou Zishu and not only because his Shifu had been kind to her but because he was a good person. He was good for Wen Kexing. Wen Kexing who only thought of her as a sister, who had protected her far more than she had ever protected him. Listened to her, cared for her, taken the blow of swords and arrows without even flinching. He would always have a special place in her heart, even if he was never going to look at her the same way she looked at him. 

Qianqiao sighed as she reached the room the two man shared and knocked on the doors, waiting for Zhou Zishu to answer. Happiness was such a rare privilege to have in life, she hoped theirs would last for a long time. 

Chapter Text

A cold. Luo Fumeng thought he had a cold. Zishu hadn't been sick since his Shifu had dragged both him and Jiuxiao out to play in the snow without getting them properly dressed. He'd been eleven at the time and his Shimu had refused to speak to her husband for a weak while she had taken care of both sick children. Zishu had hated feeling so weak, but he had always loved her special medicinal tea. He still remembered the taste, much better than whatever concoction Qianqiao had just forced down his throat... Maybe Wu Xi would be able to figure it out if Zishu described it well enough or maybe Jiuxiao might find the recipe in a long forgotten corner of the manor one day and make it for his own children. Zishu would love to drink some again some day but that didn't mean he had to be sick!

Over the years, Zishu had been delirious with fever many times while recovering from some of his worst injuries and had the scars to prove it, Wu Xi had threatened to strap him to the bed once when they had been young and he had refused to rest after almost falling passing out from exhaustion, but getting sick was something that happened to children and civilians. His internal energy had been strong enough to protect him from such things for so long he's almost forgotten they existed! Zishu hadn't so much as sneezed in over a decade, and now he had a cold! A common cold! 

In the Capital Zishu had felt useless but... was he actually becoming useless now? If he caught a common cold at his full power, how could he hope to safely carry and deliver a healthy baby? Wen Kexing didn't want an heir, but was he never going to want a child? They were young and martial artists lived for centuries, with their internal energy maybe even a thousand years. What would his husband do if he found himself yearning for a child and Zishu failed at giving him one? He clenched his hands in fists under the cover his sleeves, he didn't even want to think about it.

Helian Yi hadn't needed him anymore, yes his cousin cared about him and he had given Zishu the choice but he wouldn't have even considered the marriage if he'd thought he needed the former assassin in order to strengthen his claim to the throne or stabilize the country. Zishu had built the Window of Heaven to not depend solely on any of its members, even him. His loss didn't affect its efficiency. Jiuxiao didn't need him either, his brother thought he did but Zishu had seen how Four Seasons Manor had bloomed under his leadership. He didn't need his older brother to hold his hand anymore. Beiyuan had been happily married to Wu Xi in the South for years, he didn't have any living family on his father's side and didn't get along with most of his family on his mother's, all of his other friends either dead or had lives of their own. By getting married, he had been of use to both his country and his new husband but if he couldn't have children... He had to believe Wen Kexing would respect the treaty regardless, the older man had never given Zishu reason to doubt his honor. 

Sighing, he stood up from the chair and straightened his robes before walking to the door. A hand closed around his elbow gently, turning him towards a worried Liu Qianqiao. "Your Highness, you should rest."

Zishu shrugged her hand off. He had guarded and defended the gates of the Capital without resting for days when the tribes from the north had attacked. No enemy had gotten past him then, he wasn't going to let a pesky little affliction ruin his day now.

"Do I look like a child to you?!" He snapped, a little more harshly than he had intended. The woman didn't get offended though, just shook her head and shared a look with Han Ying while Zishu walked out of the room. Those two, he thought, did they think he couldn't take care of himself at all?

Han Ying followed him with his lips in a tight line, clearly not agreeing with his choice to accompany his husband in the city but didn't argue. Zishu found himself wishing he did, that he was comfortable doing to. When he had came to Qingya, he had wanted someone he could trust always at his side but now... maybe it was time to release Han Ying from his duty as a guard. He knew the younger man had only joined the Window of Heaven out of loyalty to him, and had followed him to Qingya for the same reason, but Zishu was safe in the Valley and Han Ying had too much potential to waste it away in Zishu's shadow his entire life. The Ghost Army would be much better suited to him, Zishu was sure he would reach his full potential there. He made a mental note to mention it to Wen Kexing soon.

A strong arm wrapped around his middle, distracting him and pulling him close to Wen Kexing's side who kissed him shamelessly until Zishu elbowed him in the ribs. The pest pulled away with a laugh.

"Is anything the matter?" The older man asked a moment later, noticing the still tense air between Zishu and Han Ying. 

He shook his head. "Everything's fine." Everything was not fine. He ended up having to fight back the urge to cough nearly all day. He cursed Luo Fumeng and her premonitions!

As usual they visited the market first, where his husband bought everything sweet in sight while Zishu nibbled on a cake. The older man was like a giant child sometimes. He claimed that if they didn't visit the city at least once a week the people would forget they existed, but Zishu thought he secretly just wanted an excuse to indulge in teeth rotting food. Not that it mattered with their level of cultivation, their teeth wouldn't rot anyway. Then he allowed Wen Kexing to drag him to the most expensive jeweler in the empire and order another jade bracelet made that Zishu was probably never going to wear, before Zishu finally dragged him out so they could eat some proper food. Unfortunately, the sight of the it alone left him nauseous, though they had eaten there before and he knew for certain it was delicious. The lack of appetite had to be the supposed cold, so he moved some of the food around in his bowl and sipped at his wine, hoping husband was too busy stuffing his own face to notice. 

It was late when they finally returned at the palace, retiring to their room. The hot bath waiting for them restored his energy, leaving him feeling refreshed and the annoying urge gone, replaced by a far more pleasant one at the sight of his naked husband and the droplets of water trailing down that milky skin.

Just to spite his traitorous body, Zishu pushed Wen Kexing back on the bed that night. Usually, he was more than content to lay back and allow his husband to do most of the work knowing that for some reason the madman found pleasure in giving Zishu pleasure. Though the Ghost King wasn't always as gentle as he had been on their wedding night, sometimes they fell into a tangle of limbs after a spar, their blood boiling and bodies hungry, he always made sure not to actually hurt Zishu and to take care of his needs. He was a generous lover and Zishu had discovered that he enjoyed being a selfish one. Not that day though, that day he was determined to worship his husband just as much as the other man usually worshipped him.

Wen Kexing chuckled, holding Zishu by the waist when he leaned above him on all fours. "I see that A-Xu is feeling adventurous today."

Zishu answered by grabbing both of Wen Kexing's wrists in one of his hands and pinning them above his head. Grinning he searched for a silk belt they had thrown somewhere on the bed while undressing earlier and used it to tie his husband's hands to the headboard. It wouldn't hold if he tried to get free, of course, but Zishu knew he wouldn't. When he was done he started kissing down the beautiful lean body, taking his time to pay attention to the most sensitive spots. The Ghost King truly was a work of art, strong muscles twitched under Zishu's lips and tongue, sending fire through his veins. Wen Kexing was hard by the time Zishu reached his cock, long and slightly curved and already leaking on his belly. He licked the tip, before he took it into his mouth to the hilt, swallowing around him. 

"A-Xu!" His husband gasped, hips buckling up, but as predicted didn't try to move his arms. He hummed around his cock in answer, causing him to let out a choked moan. Zishu didn't consider himself an expert in the art of pleasure but he wasn't a novice either and had once gotten drunk with Beiyuan on a regular basis. The other man's filter became nonexistent once he's reached a certain level of inebriation and Zishu had learned most of what he knew about pleasuring men from him. Now he was really greatful for those skills as he used them to make Wen Kexing sing. 

Zishu bought the older man to the edge, waiting for the tiny breathless moans that he knew meant his husband was close to coming, and then pulled away, drawing a whine out of him. He ignored it, searching for the oil they kept close by. Even though his healing was fast, his body had gotten used to this already and he made fast work of stretching himself before kneeling above Wen Kexing.

The man under him groaned as he positioned the hard length at his entrance and lowered himself excruciatingly slow. When his husband's cock was all the way inside his body, Zishu placed one hand on Wen Kexing's chest, pushing him down, and the other on a thigh behind him, pinching the skin there. The older man yelped, almost buckling him off and making them both yell in pleasure at the move. "Fuck!" 

"A-Xu. You're going to kill me." His husband whispered, breathless, while Zishu slowly rose himself up again. It felt good, it felt so good he forgot about all of his worries earlier that day. Wen Kexing pushed up in sync with him, and Zishu allowed himself to get lost in the pleasure until he came, his seed painting them both. He tightened around his husband, continuing to rock his sensitive body until the older man spilled inside him. 

"I think I might like this new, more assertive side of A-Xu." Wen Kexing teased before ripping the silk to pieces and pulling a tired Zishu down to steal a deep kiss from him. 

Zishu moved his hands to frame the beautiful man's face, allowing himself to melt into those arms around him. They shifted and Wen Kexing's cock slipped out of him. The feeling of the other man's seed dribbling down his thighs made him freeze.

"A-Xu..." Cold hands wrapped around his face, turning it up to look Wen Kexing in the eyes. "What's wrong?" His husband inquired softly, rubbing a thumb over his cheek.

Zishu swallowed, moving until he was no longer straddling the other man. "What if..." He turned away, avoiding his husband's gaze. "If one day it turns out that my body is not strong enough to carry children even though my internal energy is powerful enough, would..." He trailed off, not knowing what he wanted to ask. Would Wen Kexing leave him? Would he find someone else to warm his bed and forget about Zishu? Would he feel angry? Dissapointed? Cheated?

His husband sat up and Zishu felt arms wrap around his shoulders at the same time lips touched his forehead. "Nothing would change." Wen Kexing declared calmly. "I told you, I don't want children. For me, A-Xu is enough. You are all I need."

Zishu still didn't look him in the eyes but allowed his body to relax and melt into the Ghost King's arms. "Alright." He whispered.

That night, Zishu was startled awake by a pain in his chest that felt like he was being stabbed. It was dark, the only light in the room coming from moon still high in the sky. Untangling himself from his husband's arms he sat up, letting out a sharp cough before he could repress the urge again. He pressed a hand tightly over his mouth but it was too late to keep from waking up Wen Kexing. 

"A-Xu?" The older man asked worriedly. Zishu felt Wen Kexing's internal energy try to ease his breathing while a cold hand rubbed soothing circles over his shaking back. He tried to answer him almost on instinct, to tell him he was alright, but another cought came out instead and this time he couldn't suppress the rest. It felt like he was trying to hack out his lungs, tears gathered into the corners of his eyes, until the only thing that stopped him from falling back down onto the bed were his husband's arms wrapped around him... and then he'd felt it. Something warm, and wet, hitting the palm he was still holding against his mouth. He smelled it first, before his husband even pulled his hand away to look at it. The familiar, faint metallic scent. 

"A-Xu..." His husband whispered his name in horror, a cold hand tightening around his wet fingers, smearing it over both of their skin. It took a little longer for the coughing fit to completely subside and Zishu leaned against his husband, too tired to continue pretending he was fine, and opened his eyes to look down at their red entangled fingers... Red with his blood.

Wen Kexing took a deep breath before he repeated the name in a far more composed voice. "A-Xu. It's fine. Everything will be alright." 

"I'm sorry." He whispered, throat raw, as the older man used a handkerchief to wipe first Zishu's mouth and then both of their hands clean.

His husband shook his head before guiding them both to lie down again, Zishu's head on his chest. "This is not A-Xu's fault." Wen Kexing told him softly. "If anything, this neglectful husband should be the one to apologize. You must have been in pain, and I didn't notice." An arm wrapped around his waist, holding him close, while a cool hand continued to rub soothing circles over his back. Zishu wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, but he was just so tired. So he snuggled closer instead. "Rest, A-Xu. Everything will be fine, I promise. Everything will be fine." Wen Kexing kept whispering... Zishu couldn't tell which of them he was trying to reassure. Sleep claimed him again eventually, as he listened to his husband's voice, but it wasn't restful. He didn't have a cold. No... He wished it were a common cold.

Chapter Text

Wu Xi watched Beiyuan rip the letter open with a wide, excited grin on his face. "It's from Zishu!" 

The shaman tried to read over his shoulder but he couldn't make out most of the words. He may have lived in the North's capital for many years when he was younger but he'd spent most of those years being angry at his situation and feeling rebellious. It wasn't that he hadn't been justified in his feelings, because he had been a prisoner, but now he regretted not taking the opportunity to learn as much as he could back then. Even though his husband had offered to teach him now, he was too busy these days and didn't want to waste the little free time he had on a skill he'd almost never use. So he resigned himself to waiting for Beiyuan to finish reading so he could rely the message to him. He got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as the man's beautiful face went from joy to worry to rage. 

Helian Yi and Beiyuan may have been fated to meet in every lifetime but Zhou Zishu most likely was, besides Wu Xi and Lu Ta, the person Beiyuan loved most in the world. Something that used to make his blood boil and every insecurity he's ever had rise to the surface like ugly blisters. When he had been younger and naive, Wu Xi had been awfully jealous of Zishu's close relationship with the man he had been starting to fall in love with. 

The assassin was only a couple of years older but it had been enough to make him seem a lifetime wiser back then. Zishu had been accomplished, intelligent, powerful and beautiful. All the things Wu Xi had felt he'd lacked at that age. The older man had been confident, had always had a clever answer to every problem and had known exactly what he wanted in life. No matter how hard he had tried and how long he had trained, Wu Xi hadn't been able to beat him in a spar even once. Zishu had been able to keep up with Beiyuan's brilliant mind and whatever mischievous scheme the beautiful man had hatched, it never caught him by surprise. A Sect Leader and the founder of the Window of Heaven, by the age of seventeen he had been a master of martial arts. Zhou Zishu had been the ideal Wu Xi had felt he'd never reach.

There were more than a few actions he regretted that had made him look like a childish brat back then. He felt like a fool now, for the way he had acted in his jealousy. Whether Zishu had even known about his feelings or not, the older man had never mentioned it. Eventually Wu Xi had realized that Beiyuan and Zishu were nothing more than friends and had felt like an idiot, especially since the assassin had been their greatest ally in the Capital, going as far as to help them run away. These days, all Wu Xi felt towards him was gratitude. He may even go as far as saying they were friends. 

Over the years, the assassin had kept in contact through sporadic secret letters sent through Ping An, complaining about the idiocy and falseness at court, gushing with pride over his brother's newest accomplishment and telling them about the latest gossip in the Jianghu. Somehow, though the messeges were lengthy, he always seemed to manage avoiding to say anything about his personal life. He hadn't sent a letter in a while and Wu Xi knew his husband had been getting worried, especially since their spies told them the older man hadn't been sighted in the Capital in months.

Beiyuan read the entire thing twice before handing it back to Wu Xi with trembling hands, face pale. "It's an invitation to Ghost Valley."

Wu Xi frowned at the news. "The Capital of Qingya?" 

If Zishu wasn't in the North, was that where he'd been the whole time? The two empires were allied now but Helian Yi wouldn't send his best warrior away. Unless... unless Zishu was the reason the two empires were allied now, Wu Xi realized, his heart clenching at the thought. Beiyuan confirmed that suspicion not a moment later.

"It says here that he's..." The beautiful man trailed off, clenching his fists against the sun bed he'd been lounging on earlier. "...he's the Ghost King's new Consort." A dark shadow passed over his face, erasing the easy going attitude he wore most of the time. "I'm going to murder that fucker Helian Yi!" He growled lowly, careful not to wake Lu Ta who was sleeping peacefully next to him unaware of the rest of the world.

"Beiyuan..." Wu Xi laid his hand on husband's shoulder gently, startling him out of his dangerous mood. "We don't know what happened." Yes, they could speculate, but until they talked to Zishu they couldn't know for sure. He couldn't say he was shocked though, all those traits that he had both admired and despised in Zishu when they had been young, the Ghost King would have been a fool to turn that proposal down. Besides that, not only did Zishu have royal blood, he was powerful enough to carry children and the Ghost King hadn't gotten where he was by being dumb. 

Beiyuan turned to him with incredulous eyes. "He sold Zishu to a warlord, Wu Xi! To the Ghost King!"

The Ghost King had rose to power overnight, sweeping through the lands like a storm. No one had been able to stand in his way anymore than someone would be able to stop the wind from blowing or the waves from crashing against the shore. Before anyone had even realized that leadership in the Ghost Valley had changed, he had conquered everything between the valley gates and the borders with the North and the South. The two Empires have let out a collective breath of relief when they've realized he wasn't pushing forward but it had been too soon... That had only been the beginning. The Ghost King had turned his attention in the opposite direction and for seven years after that hadn't stopped. Even now, more than five years after the end of his campaign, Qingya was a looming shadow over them all. It was impossible to forget his existence and the devastation he was capable of if he wished. No one wanted to wake a sleeping dragon.

When Wu Xi had first got news about the alliance and marriage, he had understood Helian Yi's choice. The shaman might not be fond of the older man, but he couldn't deny he was a good emperor. He couldn't blame him for it now that he knew it had been Zishu he had married off to the Ghost King either. He wasn't the only one who thought so, shamefully Wu Xi was glad not to have to be the one to say that to his husband.

"Axinlai, you don't agree?" Beiyuan turned to the bodyguard standing silently by Wu Xi's side. The beautiful man deflated in his anger a little at the other man's reluctance to answer. "You know I won't be mad if you speak your mind."

"It was a good political move." The usually stoic warrior eventually said. "Qingya had been a sword hanging over all of our heads for years. Ever since the Ghost King had stopped his conquest, we've been asking ourselves Who's next?."

Between the three empires, the South was by far the smallest but as the Ghost King had proved, quality won over quantity. The warlord had started his campaign with an army of three thousand Ghosts and an outstanding strategical mind. Now his territory spread further than the North's, and though his army had hundred of thousands, it was still the tens of thousands of martial artists among them that everyone feared. The South was small but they were tough. Their shamans had poison running through their veins, their marital arts as powerful as their healing. That wasn't why they had survived for so long though, while in the North dynasties rose and fell like the sun. It was because they had known when not to fight. That was how they had regained their independence from the North, by waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The Council would never choose to fight the Ghost King if there was an alternative. No good leader would. Wu Xi knew Beiyuan understood that as well, but in that moment his love for Zishu was clouding his judgment. 

"You're taking this personally, Your Highness, because you love Lord Zhou as we all do here." The guard spoke again, giving voice to Wu Xi's thoughts. Axinlai had been a constant companion since Wi Xi had been a child, first as a playmate and later, when Wu Xi had been sent away to the North, Axinlai had volunteered to follow him. He had been his guard ever since and they often thought alike. In many ways, Axinlai was to him what Zishu was to Beiyuan, someone who understood him and stayed by his side even when he thought Wu Xi was crazy to fall in love with a trouble loving prince from the North.

Wu Xi remembered the odd kinship Axinlai had felt towards Zishu, even though the warrior hated most other northerners on principle. Zishu had won the respect of all his guards by being a worthy opponent and honorable man, but their love only when he'd chosen to help Beiyuan run away with Wu Xi. The shaman knew that Axinlai didn't think Zishu's situation was required pity at all, but admiration. Given the choice, Axinlai would have done the same for his country. Wu Xi had never told his husband that their friend had offered to do the same for his country once, but the Ghost King hadn't been intrested.

The Great Shaman sighed before grasping one of his husband's hands in comfort. "I don't think the situation is as dire as you believe." 

Beiyuan looked like he wanted to argue but then he frowned, worry lines marking his beautiful face. "Why?"

"Think about who we're talking about here. Zishu become a Sect Leader at fifteen, he survived the lions of the Jianghu and the vipers at the Palace. He pulled his Sect through the dark times and made an Emperor. He is not a helpless damsel." Wu Xi explained. Yes, the Ghost King might be a sleeping dragon, but so was Zhou Zishu. He had only bowed to Helian Yi because he had chosen to bow to Helian Yi, because he had believed in his cousin's vision, but Wu Xi pitied the fool that ever tried to control him. 

"Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it." Wu Xi continued. "You have to trust in Zishu's skills."

Beiyuan and Axinlai took in his words. "You think he seduced the Ghost Kind." His husband concluded.

"I think if anyone could, it would be him." Wu Xi had seen men melt under just a lingering touch and a soft smile from Zishu before. The older man was a master spy and seduction was just another skill of the trade he had perfected long ago. "Also, I think he loves you as much as you love him. He would face death before luring you into a trap."

He felt Beiyuan start to relax as he mused over those words. His husband would have recognized if someone else had written the letter, they could fake the writing but not the secret codes the two friends shared and Zishu would never lure them into danger. Which meant that going to Ghost Valley would be safe, and Zishu didn't consider the Ghost King a threat. At least, not to them. 

Their conversation was cut short by squirming on the bed next to Beiyuan. A tiny hand grasping the light blue robes as their son woke up from his afternoon nap.

"Ba sad?" Lu Ta asked, climbing in Beiyuan's lap and catching his father's face between his small palms.

Beiyuan hummed, wrapping his arms around the toddler so he wouldn't fall off as he answered softly. "Yes, Baba is sad. Your Uncle Zishu might be hurt."

Even before their son had been born almost two years ago, Wu Xi had known Beiyuan was going to be a wonderful father. Lu Ta had been an active baby, always kicking Beiyuan and keeping him up at night. Wu Xi used to lay there awake, listening to his husband tell stories about his life in the North while rubbing his belly... The shaman really hoped their son would not grow up to be as much of a troublemaker as his Baba.

Lu Ta had never met Zishu but he loved the Uncle he had heard so much about. The assasin couldn't get away from the Palace for long enough to visit without raising suspicion about where he went and Beiyuan didn't want to go back to he Northern Capital. It wasn't that Helian Yi had sworn revenge or even threatened to harm them, it was just that some wounds were better left to scar at their own pace. Sometimes he wondered if the emperor resented him at all or if he had resigned himself to ending up alone the moment he had chosen to go after the throne. Wu Xi supposed that with Zishu gone, Helian Yi truly was alone now. He had the Window of Heaven to keep him safe, but no one anymore to listen to his worries.

Lu Ta nodded, before looking up at Wu Xi. "Die Die fix." He declared with a serious face and the three men couldn't help but chuckle despite the situation.

"Of course. My smart baby!" Beiyuan grinned, kissing his son's forehead. "How silly of me to forget. Your die will make all his ouchies go away."

If only life were as easy as it was in the eyes of children, Wu Xi thought... If only.

Chapter Text

Things have changed between Zishu and his husband since he's woken them both up by trying to spit out his lungs. If Wen Kexing had been gentle before, he was downright doting now! The older man dried Zishu's hair with his internal energy after baths, kept sneaking more food into his bowl during meals and always made sure he was warm. Wen Kexing no longer took for granted that Zishu would be able to keep up wherever he felt like sparring, and took an insane amount of breaks during their visits in town. Was always careful that Zishu didn't overexert himself and checked that he was not feeling unwell. Sometimes it was just so infuriating and yet it didn't seem like the Ghost King gave it any mind, like most of it was an automatic response. Someone had been ill before, someone close to his husband. Someone he had cared about, someone he had cared for. Like the habit had been ingrained into him and he was just picking it back up by instinct. 

Zishu's relationship with his husband wasn't the only thing that had changed. Liu Qianqiao, Han Ying, Uncle Bi and his guards were also treating him like fine porcelain that would break if they breathed his way too hard. He was almost greatful for Luo Fumeng's cold indifference and A-Xiang's loudness giving him a break from all the coddling.

He'd actually came to enjoy his sister in law's company, who in spite of always complaining afterwards, kept begging him for training. Wen Kexing had just excused himself after lunch when she turned to him with wide pleading eyes. He held back a grin, knowing exactly what was coming. She only ever tried to act cute when she wanted him to train her. 

"Shifu..." A-Xiang pleaded, as if on cue and he rose an eyebrow at her. "What did you call me, you brat?"

Her mouth clamped shut while her eyes went wide. "Zishu-gege!" She snapped, putting on a wide innocent grin and waving her hands in front of herself. "I said Zishu-gege." She repeated. "Help me with my qinggong. Please... pretty, pretty please..." The girl begged, pouting at him in an unsubtle attempt at manipulation... Cheeky little shit, he thought, she really was her brother's sister. 

Sometimes he wondered how that had came to be, why she bore the name Gu instead of Wen. A-Xiang had been born in the Valley, he'd found out, and was young enough that if Zishu hadn't been sure his husband had absolutely no sexual interest in women, he might have even considered the possibility of her being his daughter instead. The older man certainly treated her like she was, half the time, giving Zishu the impression that he had really been the one to raise her. It made him imagine what the older man would be like with his own children, should they have any. Would he be as open and permissive as he was with his sister? Would he act childish and play with them? Would they love him as much as A-Xiang did?... Would they look like Zishu, or more like Wen Kexing?

He snapped out of his thoughts, sighing at the purple dressed girl. "Why don't you ask your brother? His skills are excellent." At least on par with Zishu's own, effortless and traceless. 

"He'd just tease me again!" She pouted. "You're strict, but you don't tease me. Ge still thinks of me as his cute baby sister!" She still was Wen Kexing's cute baby sister, and for once Zishu agreed with the overprotective bastard. Just because she was of marrying age in many people's eyes didn't make her all grown! Her face was still round and her body still changing, if anyone dared propose otherwise Zishu was sure they'd lose their tongues. 

A-Xiang's pout turned into a wide grin, making her look so much more like her brother. "Besides, he says your martial Sect is famous for its beautiful steps."

Zishu rolled his eyes, that fucking flatterer. "Little idiot, do you believe everything that windbag tells you?" A-Xiang seem to consider the answer for a moment before nodding enthusiastically. Of course she did, he thought with a sigh, that madman had no fault in her naive eyes. "Fine! Don't let me hear you complain later."

"Yes!" She squealed, calming down slightly when he glared at her. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You're the best brother in law ever!"

"I'm the only brother in law you have." He answered quietly at her already distant back before following at a much slower pace.

A-Xiang's qinggong was good, he thought as she demonstrated her skills, much better than average for her age. Despite her brother's constant teasing, the purple loving girl was actually a born talent in martial arts and had good instincts. Zishu had seen masters who had trained their whole lives fall in battle because they couldn't sense the danger coming right their way, a thousand years of studying martial arts could not teach you that. He'd always told Jiuxiao that the only road to becoming a master was through hard work, and that was true, but the truth was if you didn't have talent it didn't matter how hard you worked or how smart you were, you would never swim out of the mud of mediocrity. His brother had had that, which was why Zishu had never given up on him or pushed him towards other paths than martial arts when learning had turned out more difficult for him than most. A-Xiang had it too and unlike Jiuxiao she had no issue understanding the theory, the biggest problem she had was the lack of a constant teacher. She may be a princess but Wen Kexing trusted few people with that task, who were too busy to do so properly and had different styles. That wasn't such a bad thing when it came to martial skills in general as it offered her a wide variety of moves to choose from but it made her qinggong fragmented. Wen Kexing must have had the same problem once, or maybe his steps had already had a solid foundation before he came to the Valley. Zishu still didn't know how his husband had ended up there but he'd gathered enough crumbs of information to know it had been as a child.

The princess was flexible and light on her feet, he would even go as far as calling her steps graceful but it almost looked like she was performing parts of different dances with no idea how to shift smoothly from one to the next. Which made sense, all things considered. Zishu contemplated teaching her the steps of Four Seasons Manor but at this point all they would do would be to restrict her. What she needed was a way to blend everything she already knew together. Like glue... Like the base of the Swift Moving Steps instead of the finished result, the way Wen Kexing had turned the basis of his father's famous moves into the pillar of support of his own swordplay!

Once Zishu had decided what to do, she picked up everything he taught her pretty fast. He was just about to demonstrate another step when he noticed A-Xiang was frozen besides him. When he turned to face her, he found her lips trembling and eyes damp as she tried not to cry. 

"I know I didn't make you train to the point of tears, brat, so why are you crying?!" He snapped, only to feel guilty when a whimper escaped past her clamped shut lips.

Zishu didn't know what to do with crying people. He shouldn't be trusted with crying people, Jiuxiao could attest to that! It wasn't that his brother was as much of a crybaby as he made him out to be, Zishu just didn't know what to do with tears at all. At first his Shifu had been there to rely on and after that... Zishu would be the first to admit he hadn't been the softest Sect Leader. Even with Jiuxiao, Beiyuan had always been the one to deal with the boy when had been feeling down after they've moved to the Capital. Zishu had rarely had to deal with crying children and as a consequence, he's never leaned how to comfort someone. So when A-Xiang threw herself into his arms all he could do was wrap an arm around her and awkwardly pat her head.

His sister in law locked her own lanky arms around him like a vice and he let out a deep breath. Was she trying to break his ribs!? "Little girl, didn't you want to become a renowned martial artist? Who told you it's alright to cry?"

Her answer came out half muffled by his robes. "Ge said crying cleanses the soul." 

That surprised Zishu and he almost let out a chuckle as he tried to imagine the unshakable Wen Kexing crying. The Chief of Ghost Valley, his fearless husband, the warrior who shattered swords with his bare hands and kept on fighting with broken bones thought crying cleansed the soul? His mind couldn't even conjure up an image of the older man shedding one tear... Still, Wen Kexing hadn't been born a fully developed warlord, he had been A-Xiang's age once, he had been a child once, but like Zishu's his tears had long ran out. My soul must be very muddy then, he thought to himself.

Zishu held A-Xiang until her silent sobbs subsided and she pull away, wiping her eyes with shaking hands. Her voice was more meek then he's ever heard it before when she spoke again. "Zhou Zishu, can you please not die?"

"Die?!" He snapped in shock, flicking A-Xiang on the forehead and looking straight into her puffy, red eyes. "Brat! Who told you I was dying?!"

The girl shrugged. "You are pale these days, even more so than usual and ge is acting weird too. I saw all the healers come to the palace and asked Qianqiao-jiejie if it's because you are with child and she said no, but they kept on coming. All of them look scared when they leave, like they think gege will hurt them... which means they don't have good news." 

Zishu rolled his eyes at that. Wen Kexing wouldn't hurt the healers for not having the answers he wanted. "A-Xiang... it's just an infection in my lungs. I'm not going to die." He explained honestly. Those might have been the best healers Qingya had, but none of them was the Great Shaman. When Wu Xi came, he would find a cure. A-Xiang didn't seem to completely believe him.

"He's more human when he's with you." She continued, looking like she was about to start crying again. "I know you didn't choose him but can you please stay?" The princess sniffled.

This little idiot... "Silly child, I don't plan on going anywhere and I would never willingly leave your brother." He told her, suprising himself by being truthful.

Zishu had never imagined himself in this situation before, being another man's consort, but he found he enjoyed it. He'd thought it would be hard to adapt but Wen Kexing was a good husband. Annoying and a madman and a pest, but a good husband. Zishu was well aware of how lucky he was in this regard. The Ghost King had never looked at him like he was something he owned or ought to control and it life here was... peaceful. 

That seemed to calm her down, as if she thought Zishu could fight even death and win if he wished. Her usual sunny personality returned slowly, leaving behind only her puffy eyes, and then she was begging him to show her the moves again.

Wen Kexing sent a servant to bring the evening meal to them but didn't show up himself and hours later the former assassin found himself staring at the view of the Valley alone from their terrace. Zishu hated that A-Xiang had moved a chair closer to the edge of the cliff so he wouldn't keep standing, their training season having left him frustratingly tired.

He hadn't even realized he'd allowed him mind to drift off before he felt something light being laid over his shoulder and hands trailing down his back. Looking down, he saw that it was a deep red outer robe. His husband moved to sit on the arm of his chair, still running the tips of his fingers over Zishu's shoulder blades and sending shivers down his spine.

"A-Xu's shoulder blades are the prettiest. Knew you were a beauty the moment I saw them." Wen Kexing whispered, causing the former assassin to turn to him incredulously. "My back is scarred."

His husband pouted as he defended himself. "Your bone structure is delicate and strong. Flesh masks can't conceal natural beauty!"

Masks? Zishu frowned slightly. Had he been wearing a mask when he had first met Wen Kexing? It had been a habit during missions, and he had been on a mission when he'd heard about the bandits attacking villages. He couldn't remember though, if he'd taken it off before going there.

The Ghost King didn't elaborate further though, as he hummed happily. "The guards have caught a little insect trying to sneak in! I made sure to take away its needle so it won't sting itself." So the scorpions have finally ran out of patience and made a move, everyone else had given up by now. "You can join me for the interrogation in the morning, if you wish."

Zishu considered his husband's offer and was surprised to find out he didn't want to accept it. He had never found joy in torture, it had always been something he'd had to do in order to achieve his goals and he didn't have to do it anymore. He sighed, leaning against his husband. "I think I'd rather sleep in, I trust my husband will do a throughout job."

They both knew the information wouldn't be of much value anyway. This had been a suicide mission meant to test the waters, a soldier this expendable wouldn't have any important knowledge even if they broke him. The fact that the king still had his insects monitoring the gates of the Valley and had even knowingly sacrificed one of them spoke much louder. Whoever had hired them in the first place had resources. The Window of Heaven had already identified and dealt with all of the nobles who had opposed the alliance, the foreign nations would have sent their own assassins and there were not many people who would be able to pay for such a mission in the Jianghu... Suddenly, Zishu had an idea of how to deal with the Scorpions. He'd have to wait until he had a more solid plan before he tried to convince his overprotective husband to agree.

Knowing there wasn't more to say on the subject, they watched the view a little longer in silence, enjoying one of the last days of summer before Wen Kexing stood up, offering Zishu his hand. "Let's go to bed. It's late, and the nights are getting colder."

With a nod, Zishu grasped the cold hand in his own tightly and wished he never had to let go.

Chapter Text

Zishu didn't look like a prisoner, Beiyuan thought as the Ghost guards led their group towards his friend. No, he was smiling. A tiny genuine lift to the corners of his lips.

When they had been children, and Beiyuan and Helian Yi had been sent to study at Four Seasons Manor, Zishu had been a happy child. A hard worker, but he had found joy in life. He'd liked to play in the forest, to climb trees and eat the ripe fruit from the very top branches. To lay in the grass for hours, just enjoying the sun. He'd secretly rescued almost as many small creatures as his Shimu, nursing them back to health or until they were old enough to be on their own and he'd doted on his baby brother. The Zishu Beiyuan had met back then had been bright, with a gentle heart... Then life had happened, and he'd buried that heart behind so many walls Beiyuan had thought he'd never see it again. The brightness he'd always seemed to carry wherever he went dimmed until all that was left was polished jade. Perfect and beautiful and cold. Now the brightness was back. Perhaps it's never truly been gone, like the sun that had set only to rise again at down.

Zishu's smile widened when they got off their horses and walked closer. "Beiyuan. Wu Xi."

"Zishu." He answered while Wu Xi nodded in greeting. "It's been a long time."

"Too long, my friend." The other man agreed before he pulled someone closer by the arm. "This is the Chief of Ghost Valley and my husband, Wen Kexing."

When he finally allowed his eyes to drift away from Zishu, Beiyuan's first impression of the Ghost King was that he looked shockingly human. There were no horns, no fangs, no tails and no scales. Not that Beiyuan had actually expected there to be any but it was still a shock that there weren't. The second was that he was undeniably handsome, beautiful even. Shiny hair, flawless skin, pink plump lips. Taller than even Zishu and dressed in striking red robes, he stood like a statue and looked both Beiyuan and Wu Xi up and down with red lined eyes before a dark, unfathomable gaze settled on looking into Beiyuan's own eyes. It was eerie and piercing... Could he see every stain on Beiyuan's soul? Every lie, every manipulation, every death he had caused? The ugliness that hid under his beautiful silk robes? The shame? He felt like prey frozen in the eyes of a predator and tried his best not to let it show. Wen Kexing might have the beauty of an immortal but he had the aura of a demon, he realized.

The former prince had to force himself to be able to look away from the Ghost King in order to take in his friend's appearance. An instinct in the back of his mind was telling him not to let the threat out of his sight. His hand twitched to reach for the sword he never used but could never bring himself to leave behind. He ignored it, pushing it all back to focus on Zishu.

It was odd to see the assasin out of his Window of Heaven uniform, before Beiyuan had left the Capital it had been starting to feel like his friend was always on duty. Zishu's robes were a sky blue and cut more for comfort than practicality. His hair was down, the top half held up by a gold hairpin with pretty flowers and chains of dangling pearls clinking in the wind. Beyond expensive and elegant, unlike anything he'd ever thought he'd see his friend wear but this was not Lord Zhou, the ruthless Leader of the Window of Heaven, it was Consort Zhou of Qingya who was allowed to like beautiful things. In the years since Beiyuan had last seen him, his skin had became paler and his features thinner, making him look almost delicate and soft.

The dark aura still emanating from the Ghost King was almost visible by the time he was done taking in Zishu's appearance, like dark wisps of smoke turning the air suffocating. Zishu truly did look like a beautiful decoration on his arm then. It would be too easy to assume he was harmless like this, the way too many did when they saw Beiyuan at Wu Xi's side... until it was too late to realize their mistake. The assassin's smile turned into a small frown, an expression Beiyuan was much more used to seeing on his face, before he turned to his husband and slapped the taller man on the shoulder with a sharp move, hissing at him. "Behave, you feral wolf!"

"A-Xu..." The Ghost King complained softly, shattering the image of the unfeeling tyrant as if it were made of glass. Beiyuan hadn't seen someone switch personalities so fast since he'd watched Zishu get ready for a mission, except he didn't think either of those sides of the Ghost King were a mask. Yet the dark aura had completely vanished as he turned to Zishu with a pout, whining as if he were a child Lu Ta's age. "A-Xu, why are you so mean to your husband?"

A-Xu? Wasn't Zhou Xu one of Zishu's aliases? But he had married the Ghost King under his real name so why was the other man calling him that?

"Behave." Zishu repeated just as a girl poked her head out from behind the two man. She was pretty and dressed in pale purple. Her eyes settled on Wu Xi, lips set in a thin line as she measured him up. "So you're the Great Shaman. Good." She declared, satisfied with whatever it was that she found. "I'm Gu Xiang. Let's go eat, I don't want you to be distracted by such a pesky little thing like hunger."

She turned around and Zishu sighed at her back, exasperated, while Wen Kexing pulled on one of her braids making her wait for the rest of them. Beiyuan watched the two in amusement as they were led through the maze of a cave system. He nodded at Axinlai when the guards stopped at the door and the rest of them all sat down at a large table. Maids came in and bowed as they laid down the food, leaving quietly. Most of it Beiyuan was familiar with but some he didn't recognize.

He must have stared too long because A-Xiang snapped from where she was piling up her bowl. "What?! Is our food not good enough for you?!" That girl... she really wasn't afraid of speaking her mind, was she?

"Little girl." Wen Kexing pinched her nose between two fingers. "Don't act like a snot nosed brat!"

"Geeee..." She complained, leaning closer to the tall man. So she was his sister and she wasn't afraid of him at all. Beiyuan couldn't see any sign of injury on Zishu either. Who did they need Wu Xi's expertise for? There was no use pondering on it when they would find out soon enough, instead he turned back to the siblings, taking the opportunity to study Zishu's husband some more.

"Don't you have any manners?" The Ghost King asked, only for the girl to stick out her tongue. Beiyuan expected him to scold her for it, or at least look reprimanding, only for the man to stick his tongue right back at her... That was what he had done when Lu Ta had tried that with him. Then again, Lu Ta was still a toddler.

Chuckling, Beiyuan turned to Zishu who had given up on waiting and was choosing food. "Is this normal?"

His friend rolled his eyes, elbowing his husband until he finally let go of his sister. "Unfortunately."

"What?! You loves us, Zishu-gege! You can't deny it anymore, you told me yourself!" Gu Xiang huffed, settling down in her seat and crossing her arms.

"I never said that." Zishu answered her, but Beiyuan could see the mischief twinkling in his eyes.

"You did! You said you'd stay even if you had to fight death so that means you love us!" Zishu had said that? Beiyuan couldn't help but look at his friend in shock, even Wu Xi froze in surprise. Wen Kexing was watching his husband with wide eyes, hand half way to sneaking more food into Zishu's bowl.

His friend hummed, looking at his sister in law. "I love Qianqiao, she's quiet."

Whoever Qianqiao was, the Ghost King only seemed amused by the statement while Gu Xiang looked like an angry kitten. "You...!"

Truly... what had he been afraid of? The Ghost King was fussing over his husband and had stuck his tongue out at his sister and Zishu looked as happy as ever. Beiyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud in relief.

"What?!" His friend snapped, his expression resembling Gu Xiang's so much that Beiyuan chuckled again. "Nothing. I'm just glad to see you so carefree, Zishu." He finally answered, laying a hand over his friends sleeve. When Wen Kexing glared at him, he didn't even feel the same chill he had before. 

The meal continued in pleasant silence. Beiyuan indulged himself by trying every new dish on the table and made a note to ask for the recipe for a couple of them before leaving. The little princess excused herself when they were done, sending one last look towards his husband. For his part, Wu Xi didn't look confused and as soon as the meal was removed and they were once more left alone, he turned towards Zishu with a frown. "Zishu, may I check your pulse now?"

Check his pulse? If Zishu wasn't mistreated and didn't look injured, could it be... "Are there going to be little Zishu's running around those halls soon?" Beiyuan teased, grinning. Only, no one else seemed amused. Wen Kexing's face had turned to stone again and he wrapped an arm around Zishu's waist as his friend held out his wrist to Wu Xi. Beiyuan's little venom looked even more somber as time passed.

"How long has it been going on?" His husband asked quietly, placing a hand over Zishu's chest next.

"Only a few weeks. At first I was just tired and didn't have much of an appetite, I just thought it was the change of scenery or maybe I was just losing my edge. I haven't exactly been Lord Zhou since coming here. I've kept up my training and meditation but there are no missions or duties for me to take care of. All I do is help A-Xiang with her training or accompany Kexing to the city and laze around all day." His friend explained while the shaman continued his check up, then chuckled. "Luo Fumeng hates me."

Wen Kexing, who had been watching Beiyuan's husband work with hopeful eyes clicked his tongue. "If Aunt Luo has a problem with how I treat my husband she can take it up with me."

"I should be helping you with your duties."

"As long as A-Xu doesn't mind me annoying him whenever I want to run away from my paperwork, I am happy. If I've known the first thing to run out would be my sight, I would have thought twice before building an empire." The taller man complained, causing Zishu to roll his eyes. Beiyuan let out a short laugh in spite of the situation. Then the Ghost King turned to where the shaman was holding Zishu's wrist in his hand again. "Could the symptoms have started sooner and went unnoticed? A-Xu had been sleeping late and I just assumed he was enjoying the freedom of not having to wake up with the sun. I didn't..." He trailed off, arm tightening around Zishu.

Beiyuan could actually hear the guilt in his voice. The former prince couldn't help but try to comfort the man for some reason. Maybe because Wen Kexing hadn't turned out to be the abusive monster he'd suspected him of being and he felt guilty himself. "Zishu has always been a lazy bum, when we were children he'd sleep until noon whenever he had a chance... He didn't become such a stick in the mud until after Shifu died." He tried to joke, even though it fell a little flat, and pretended not to feel Zishu's glare on him. Now that he's met the Ghost King and experienced that terrifying stare, Zishu's half hearted glare felt like that of an angry puppy.

Giving up trying to intimidate him, his friend eventually turned back to Wu Xi. "Qianqiao noticed my tiredness eventually, and Luo Fumeng determined I had a cold. That night I woke up coughing blood and Kexing had to transfer me internal energy to make it stop. I wrote to you the next morning."

The Ghost King caught Zishu's free hand in his own and squeezed tightly in comfort. Coughing blood... it was really bad, wasn't it?

"The way your illness is progressing, if it were anyone else they would already be dead." His little venom explained and dread filled Beiyuan. Suddenly the room was colder and his stomach felt empty even though he'd just eaten.

Somehow, Wen Kexing's face managed to remain unchanged while Zishu tried to force a little smile even though Beiyuan could see his hand was shaking in his husband's, looking impossibly small and frail. "I see. I'm sorry for wasting your time." How many times had they heard this before to not even be shocked by the prognosis at all?

"Zishu!" He bit out his friend's name, making everyone look at him. " There's always a way." He continued, much lower. "Little venom, there has to be something you can do."

Wu Xi shook his head sadly, taking Beiyuan's hand in his own in a mirror of the other couple. "What we can do is look for a cure. I can ask the shamans who regularly travel to the islands, maybe they know a way. We can try to ask your contacts in the North to search as well." 

"My healers are also looking, and Han Ying had contacted some of his friends in the Window of Heaven." Wen Kexing confessed, causing Zishu to look to glare at him. "What?"

"He promised your cousin will not find out unless you want him too. You may no longer be their Lord, A-Xu, but the Window of Heaven will always be loyal to you." The tall man answered gently, bringing Zishu's hand to his lips.

The shaman seemed to think the new information over before relaxing slightly. "Good. Over such a large area, we are bound to find something." He turned to look at Zishu again. "Your level of cultivation is high, and it's slowing the progress but you need to stay as healthy as possible until we find a cure. You can still meditate and go on walks to the city but no more training sessions and no more sparring. Sex is also acceptable, as long as your husband does most of the work and doesn't allow you to strain yourself."

"Wu Xi!" Zishu snapped, the tips of his ears red but Wen Kexing only nodded in understanding, looking unfazed. Oh, Beiyuan thought, his silly little venom never changed.

The shaman continued calmly. "I will also make you some medicine and you have to promise to take it every day. No forgetting."

"He will take it." The Ghost King assured, sending his husband a warning look before standing up and bowing to both of them. "Thank you."

Wu Xi answered, for once, before Beiyuan could. "There is no need to thank us. Zishu is our friend."

Beiyuan was still shaken, trying to wrap his mind around all the revelations of the day when Wu Xi found him watching the Valley from the window of their room later that day. 

"It truly is a piece of Heaven, isn't it?" He asked quietly. The Ghost Valley had had the reputation of being Hell on Earth, who would have thought it could be so breathtakingly beautiful? It was a little like it's master in that way, he supposed.

His little venom wrapped his arms around his waist and laid his chin on Beiyuan's shoulder before asking. "You like it here?"

"If I said yes, would you remain with me?" He joked but as always Wu Xi was way too serious.

"If you wish to, I would have to find a worthy successor first. Lu Ta would love to finally meet his Uncle Zishu and live with him." The answer warmed Beiyuan's heart, making it a little lighter. Lu Ta would really love his Uncle Zishu... maybe after they found a cure and the man was healed they could bring him for a visit.

He turned in his husband's arms and kissed him. "He'd miss everyone. So would you, and so would I. Nanjiang is still home." 

Wu Xi's arms tightened around him and Beiyuan allowed himself to take in the younger man's comforting warmth. "Why couldn't the Ghost King be as much of a monster as the stories said?" He couldn't help but ask after a while, and his husband kissed the side of his head. "Wen Kexing loves Zishu, isn't that a good thing?" 

It was a good thing. A blind man could see how in love the two were and the Ghost King treated their friend so well, he was gentle and kind, and yet a part of Beiyuan couldn't help but hate it.

"If he were a cruel, unfeeling beast, I could have found a way to get Zishu away from here. Faked his death and sneaked him back home with us. The Ghost King is human after all and even his senses can be fooled... But he's dying, Wu Xi." His throat tightened around the words and he hid the escaping tears into his husband's shoulder as Wu Xi rubbed a gentle hand over his back... In all his seven lifetimes, even Beiyuan had not yet learned how to cheat death.

Chapter Text

Zishu relaxed while his husband combed his hair after their bath. Beiyuan and Wu Xi had retired to their room to rest after the long journey and after properly greeting Axinlai, who had stayed with the rest of the guards and as such hadn't joined them for the meal, Zishu had dragged Wen Kexing to their room as well, determined to take advantage of the man's free time.

Once his hair was all dry and smelling faintly of plum flowers from the oil his husband had taken to rubbing into it every day, he found himself being swept right out of the chair and into the older man's arms. Yelping, he clung to his husband's neck. "Wen Kexing! What are you doing?!"

The pest chuckled, running his nose along Zishu hairline. "I'm just being a thoughtful husband. A-Xu should just lay there and look pretty, shaman's orders." 

As soon as he had Zishu on the bed, his lips were assaulted by a deep kiss. His legs parted for the other to crawl closer between them and he leaned back one hand, using the other to pull his husband closer by the hair. They were both breathless by the time Wen Kexing pulled away, licking his lips as if tasting the wine Zishu had had while they were in the tub. "Lazy and a drunkard." The beautiful man teased with a grin. "Are you sure Emperor Jin didn't send me a homeless bum dressed like a pretty prince?"

Zishu raised an eyebrow, keeping his face blank. "And if I were a homeless bum?"

Cold fingers trailed up his leg from ankle to hip, parting his flimsy sleeping robe and pulling the loose knot undone. "I'd still keep you." He declared running hungry eyes over Zishu's body before leaning down again. This time the kiss was hard and demanding and Zishu moaned as skilled hands found their way between his legs. 

Arousal burned in Zishu's belly, his body growing even more hot with need when Wen Kexing moved to mouthing at his neck and chest, one hand caressing Zishu's hip while slick fingers only teased his entrance. Impatient, he pushed back on them with a hiss. "Husband! Will you fuck me already or should I go find someone more willing to do it?"

It wasn't the first time Zishu had made that joke. This was the first time though, that he got such a brutal reaction. Teasing his husband was fun and Wen Kexing had never taken such playful threats seriously, at least not before. He knew something went wrong the moment the older man's body went still above him and the hand on his hip tightened to the point where Zishu knew it was going to bruise. It didn't actually hurt him and it was nowhere near his husband's full strength but it was enough for him to get the warning as a voice more beast than man growled in his ear. "Don't. You. Dare."

Zishu didn't move... The Ghost King had never acted like this with him before and he didn't understand what had set this reaction of. The arousal bled out of him as Zishu forced his body to go lax under his husband, but he found he wasn't at all afraid. His heartbeat remained steady and his instincts weren't telling him he was in any danger. The Ghost King didn't want to hurt him, Zishu knew the older man's skills and had witnessed his ruthlessness when dealing with intruders and traitors. This was him holding himself back because even obviously angry, he didn't wish to hurt Zishu.

His husband's head was bowed close to his neck, face hidden behind his dark brown hair so Zishu kept his own sight fixed on the corner of their ceiling, which apparently needed a good dusting. Not that he particularly minded spiders, but he preferred them outside of his bedroom. One of the downsides of living in a cave, he supposed, no matter of how luxurious it was. Once he determined that enough time had passed for his husband to calm slightly, he slowly, as to not startle the man above him, rose a hand to wrap around his wrist and pulled it away from his hip.

Wen Kexing didn't resist him, but rolled into his back and used the hand to cover his face instead. "Go if you wish. I won't stop you." His voice was nearly inaudible this time. Resigned. Broken.

Zishu sat up, looking down but was unable to discern the older man's expression behind his large hand. He stared for the longest time, dumbfounded, before finally snapping out of it. "What?"

Zishu was well aware that his husband was a possessive bastard, it was a well known fact that the Ghost King didn't like to share. Whenever someone in the city dared look at Zishu for too long his hackles rose like a wolf's and he glared them into submission, yet he puffed up like a peacock showing Zishu off on his arm all day long. The former found it all secretly amusing, which was why he liked to tease him this way but his husband had to know that he never actually meant it, didn't he? He'd never taken Zishu seriously before!

"You can go to your prince and his shaman if you want." Wen Kexing murmured, voice soft. "I promise I won't harm you or them for it. I'm telling you to go, so you don't have to fear my reaction."

Zishu couldn't help but blink slowly at that. This idiot thought Zishu wanted to sleep with Beiyuan and Wu Xi?! Why?! Could it be that his husband was still insecure about the fact that their marriage had been an arranged one? Did he honestly believe that if Zishu had a choice, he'd ever choose anyone else? That there was another in the world whose touch would make him tremble, whose voice would send shivers down his spine the same way? That there was any one person in the whole world who would treat Zishu as well and make him feel as loved? Live up to the impossible standards his husband had set? That anyone else would be enough, ever again?

"What bullshit are you sprouting now, you madman?!" Feeling around the bed, his fingers found a pillow and he grabbed it, slamming it onto Wen Kexing's abdomen hard enough to shock him into pulling his hand away from his face. Finally able to look into his eyes, Zishu glared at him. "How can someone be so shameless and so insecure at the same time?! Why would I go to Beiyuan and Wu Xi?!" He hissed.

He tried to ignore the way his stomach twisted at the sight of Wen Kexing reddened eyes before the man looked away. "I've seen the way they look at you, A-Xu. I'm not blind."

Not blind, apparently only dumb! He hit him with the pillow again, only this time it was more of a soft tap than a hit and his husband didn't fall for the trick again, continuing to look to the side. Zishu signed. "Didn't you hear what I told your sister? How can you still doubt what I feel for you?!"

The beautiful man just shrugged. "She's just a silly little girl."

He really had married an idiot, Zishu decided as he took his husband's hand between his own. "You are the one my heart knows, Lao Wen." He declared calmly and heard the other's breath catch in his throat. "A-Xu..." 

"Beiyuan and Wu Xi are my friends, I've known that idiot huli jing since were were just children and we got into trouble together too many times to count. And I've watched him and Wu Xi fall in love long before they even knew it was happening, they've only ever had eyes for each other. I'm the one who helped them run away from the Capital and I'd like to meet their son, one day. His name is Lu Ta." He continued explaining before squeezing the hand in his own tightly. "They are my family but they aren't my zhiji... You're the only one I'll ever want."

His husband had never looked as vulnerable as he did in that moment, when he turned to look at Zishu as if waiting for him to take the words back. Once he realized that it wasn't going to happen he pushed Zishu on his back again, framing his face in his long hands as he leaned over him, long hair a curtain that separated them from the rest of the world. "Even if I lose my throne and I'm no longer Chief?" He asked softly.

"Even then."

"What if I lose all my wealth too?"

"Even then."

"And if I become old and white and wrinkled with age?"

"Even then."

"What if we have to work in the fields?" This time the question had an odd feel to it, it tugged at Zishu's heart in a way the others hadn't. He wrapped his own hands around his husband's cheeks, rubbing his thumbs on the soft skin. "Even if we have to work in the fields."

A wet sensation on his hands nearly startled Zishu and he blinked, confused, only to find his husband's eyes had grown damp. It was a tear, he realized. Wen Kexing's tear... so this was what it took to make the Ghost King cry. The older man, after all, was still capable of such a feat it turned out. His voice was low and even though when he murmured softly. "My husband says the sweetest things, I should make sure to reward him."

Soft lips covered his own and Zishu was greatful for the distraction from the emotional conversation they've just had. He melted into the sheets as his husband moved from his lips, to his jaw, to his neck, each touch gentle and adoring. It warmed him in a way no fire or blanket ever could. The touches were so soft he could have almost fallen asleep that way, feeling safe and wrapped in his husband's love, and then it all abruptly stopped. 

He opened his eyes to see Wen Kexing sitting back, looking distressed at where his fingers were hovering over the skin of Zishu's hip.

The former assasin rolled his eyes, exasperated. "What is it now?"

"I hurt A-Xu." His husband answered quietly. He looked so much like a scolded puppy that Zishu couldn't hold back a snort. "It's just a tiny bruise, I've had a lot worse."

He's even had worse from his husband during their rougher bounts of sex, he chose not to add. He'd inflicted much worse on Wen Kexing when he got lost in the high of their passion. The bastard had always looked smug when he caught glimpse of those marks on both of their bodies.

The Ghost King shook his head. "It doesn't matter that you've had worse, you are my husband. I allowed anger to blind me and I hurt you." His voice was wrecked with guilt when he finally dared look into Zishu's eyes. "How can A-Xu stand to let me touch him right now?"

Zishu let out a deep breath. And to think, once upon a time he'd been dreading meeting his future husband, allowing the Ghost King to take him. If only he could tell his past self how mushy this idiot actually was.

Rolling his eyes, Zishu poked Wen Kexing between his brows. "Do I look scared or in pain to you? If I wanted to, I could have snapped your wrist in half!" The fight left him though, when his husband didn't cease looking guilty, and he sighed. "You didn't hurt me, Lao Wen, but if you want to make it up to me you can use your body to do it. Put that stupid mouth of yours to better use and make me feel good."

They were both silent for a while, before the older man pouted, finally relaxing again. "My mouth isn't stupid." He muttered before sliding a pillow under Zishu's hips and proceeding to do as he was told. He kissed Zishu's hip over the forming bruise again, focusing on that spot a little longer as if he could erase the imagined hurt if he showered it in enough love and Zishu leaned back, melting into the soft sheets once more.

He closed his eyes, humming when his husband finally moved on, kissing his way down, nipping on the inside of his thigh before something warm and wet covered his tiny bud, startling him. Was that... before he could ask, he gasped in shock, his whole body shuddering in pleasure when Wen Kexing licked at his entrance again! His husband took that as encouragement, keeping his hips still with his hands as he coaxed him loose with his mouth. It wasn't an overwhelming kind of pleasure, and whenever Zishu felt himself grow close to finishing that bastard pulled away, trailing cold fingertips over his heated skin until his breathing calmed once more, before going right back between Zishu's legs. It drove the former assassin mad to the point where he couldn't even remember when he had started begging for more. By the time Wen Kexing finally fucked into him, he was nearly delirious with pleasure.

That man's stupid mouth, he thought as he was falling asleep in his husband's safe arms that night, was going to be the end of him. 

Chapter Text

It was during Wu Xi and Beiyuan's third day in the Valley that Zishu found himself enjoying a quiet evening with the shaman, talking about new medicines and poisons the younger man had discovered. He wondered where his crazy husband might have dragged Beiyuan earlier that morning and he shuddered to think what kind of trouble the two could come up with together. For a moment, the former assassin feared that introducing them had been a mistake, then he remembered the astonishment on Lao Wen's face when Beiyuan had said they were going to be good friends and the fear was replaced by a warm feeling. It was heartening to see the Ghost King so at ease with Beiyuan and Wu Xi now that his insecurities had been put to rest.

Thinking on it, Lao Wen wasn't particularly close to anyone that wasn't his family. He was polite but distant with the servants and the people in the city. An unyielding Chief of the Ghost Army, even more strict than Zishu had been with his people. He wouldn't show any vulnerability or self doubt around any of them, not even the higher ranks. Was Qianqiao his friend? She was Zishu's friend and the former spy could tell she was in love with his husband but did he  know that? Did he really see her as a friend or as just another sister he'd taken under his protection? A-Xiang was always going to be his precious little girl regardless of how much she whined about it, Luo Fumeng was an aunt he respected and Zishu was his husband. His zhiji. But was it the same as being his friend, when he was still someone Lao Wen felt he had to protect? Zishu had came to realize that not only was chivalry the way his husband had been raised, it was actually in his blood. It made no difference at all to him that Zishu was a man and not woman, he was still his consort. Still his to protect and provide for. It would have rankled him before to be taught of in such a way, now it was just proof of how much Lao Wen loved him.

Zishu's had Han Ying and Qianqiao to open up to about his insecurities or worries when it came to his marriage but his husband hadn't had anyone to talk to, had he? Luo Fumeng's disapproval, Zishu's coldness, his own feelings. He's had to deal with all of it on his own and Zishu felt guilty for not having realized that sooner... So maybe him and Beiyuan weren't plotting anything after all, he thought. Maybe his husband was taking advantage of finally having someone to unload all of that on. It would serve that huli jing well, after all the rants he had subjected Zishu to over the years. 

The shaman placing a small hexagonal box on the table between them distracted him from his thoughts. Zishu took it, and opened the lid, surprised to find that the large number of pills inside didn't actually smell bad. Having experience with Wu Xi's medicine, he held no hope for the taste it would inevitably leave in his mouth though. He'd just have to wash it away with a lot of sweet osmanthus wine, he decided.

"You've already made it?" He inquired, actually surprised. 

"The medicine room in the palace is extraordinary." The shaman answered, sounding impressed. Zishu hadn't known there was a medicine room in the palace. His guards had probably known, they had to make sure there was nothing there that could be a danger to him but Zishu hadn't bothered to inspect every room. A time or two he had taken over a corner of the kitchen to make his soaps and oils, but that was all.

"I haven't seen it yet." Zishu admitted. He had been trying not to think back to his time in the Window of Heaven, not to dwell on the life he'd left behind, in doing so he's been avoiding activities that he's actually grown to enjoy. Talking to Wu Xi had reminded him that while experimenting was something he had started doing out of necessity, making medicines and poisons had once been a relaxing pastime. It had earned him a friend in Wu Xi even though he was nowhere near as knowledgeable as the shaman, and it had been a way for him to clear his thoughts. Zishu had enjoyed the quiet of his isolated medicine room, no haughty nobles bragging about themselves, no screams of the tortured. It was different in the Valley, and he didn't feel the need to hide away here, but it would be nice to have a place to himself again. "Maybe I should, soon."

The shaman frowned. "Be careful not to inhale anything harmful. With the way your lungs are right now it would be best to avoid any kind of smoke or fumes entirely."

"I'm always careful, Wu Xi." Zishu answered, holding back a sigh. He had a feeling the list of things he was allowed to to do was going to grow increasingly smaller and smaller as time passed.

Wu Xi nodded, before he added. "Lady Liu told me that used to belong to your mother in law. Gu Miaomiao is still a legendary name in the medicine world today." Probably in answer to the surprise Zishu had shown earlier.

So Gu Miaomiao had been in the Valley just as he had suspected, and long enough to have a medicine room of her own too. How had a renowned healer ended up in a place like Ghost Valley? With a young child and no husband. So far, Zishu had found no indication that Wen Ruyu had also been in the Valley, and A-Xiang had her mother's surname. The only scenario he could think of was that Ghosts have attacked his husband's family, killed his father and took him and his mother with them, but why? If they had needed a healer, they would have kept Wen Ruyu alive. According to Han Ying the Wens had healed everybody, rich, poor, and regardless of origin so they couldn't have been targeted for any kind of fortune, nor would anyone have reason to hate them. What did they have that other people wanted, besides their skills? It could be that someone else attacked them and Luo Fumeng had rescued them, the woman was fond enough of his husband and it would explain his closeness to the Department of the Unfaithful, but that still didn't explain why they had been attacked in the first place and why no one had helped them. He kept those thoughts to himself while Wu Xi continued. "Apparently no one has been allowed to use it in years but I don't think your husband would deny you taking over it if you asked... I don't think your husband would deny you anything at all."

Zishu felt his hand twitch as if to touch his hip, where traces of the fading bruise in the form of his husband's hand still hid under the many layers of robes. Before, such a little bruise would have been healed by morning, now his husband still looked like a kicked puppy whenever he caught a glimpse of it days later. He remembered Lao Wen's words that night, of his offer to let Zishu go to someone else's bed. Misguided as the idiot had been, Zishu couldn't help the warmth that bloomed in his soul now when he thought of it. There really was nothing that Lao Wen would deny him. Sometimes Zishu couldn't help but wonder just who he was to Wen Kexing, for the other man to treat him with so much care.

He nodded in answer.

"I've also determined that the disease isn't contagious by examining the people you spend most of your time in contact with. A couple of the maids, Lady Liu, Han Ying, Old Bi, Princess Xiang and the Chief." His friend sighed.

Oh... Zishu had assumed, and most likely the other healers as well, that since no one else was showing symptoms it wasn't contagious. Or had the others examined other people too? He should have thought about it sooner. "That's good."

"It's not consumption, which is good."

But he feared it was worse, Zishu could hear the wariness in his voice so he took a deep breath to steel himself. "It's just us here now, Wu Xi. Tell me the truth."

The shaman looked at him for a long moment as if he was reluctant to do that. Zishu glared back until the other relented. "I've seen afflictions similar to this before, to my understanding this disease doesn't follow any kind of reasoning, or limit. No one knows where it comes from or why it occurs. I've never encountered it in the lungs before and never is someone with so much internal energy flowing through their meridians." He explained quietly. "I do not understand how it even took root with your level of cultivation." 

Zishu sat up straighter and did his best to hide the treble in his hands as he still held the box. "How many of those other people have been cured?" He asked and Wu Xi, who was always blunt and honest, avoided his eyes. That was answer enough. "I see."

"I have managed to slow the progress before." The shaman added. "None of them have had your constitution and most of them had been civilians. Their own internal energy was too weak to fight back, yours isn't."

Zishu couldn't help but snort, words almost catching in his throat. "But I still got it, Wu Xi. My power didn't make me immune."

His friend reached out, gripping his forearm tightly until Zishu took a deep, calming breath and looked him in the eyes. "Don't give up hope, just because I don't know it doesn't mean there is no cure." The shaman reassured. "Until then take one pill in the morning and one in the evening, it should help a little with the pain as well. Give us time."

Time. Time was the one thing Zishu didn't seem to have. The former assassin closed the box and nodded, determined to do his best. He didn't care about the pain but he did care about fighting to stay by his zhiji's side.

Satisfied that he was not giving up, his friend let him go and leaned back again. "Have you told Jiuxiao?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

"Zishu." The younger man reprimanded quietly.

"He'd worry and come here." He defended his choice.

Wu Xi shook his head. "He's your brother, he should know." 

And Zishu did miss him. The first few months he had wanted to settle in first, to get to know his husband better before inviting Jiuxiao to the Valley and then... and then he got sick and everything got more complicated. The last few times he wrote to his brother, his hand had hovered over the paper and he'd almost seen himself tracing the characters inviting Jiuxiao to come to the Valley... and then the promise he'd made to himself when they have parted would echo through his head and he'd write something else instead. A funny story about A-Xiang, what new foods he had tried in the city, how silly his husband was. The source of his pain might not be the Ghost King as he had once fear but it changed nothing in the end. It was still Zishu's burden to bear.

"He's a little idiot." Zishu eventually added. "He should focus on his own life, Four Seasons Manor and his engagement to Princess Jing An, not worry about me." It was all official now and even the wedding date was set. At least Zishu could be at peace knowing Jiuxiao was in good hands. Jing An might seem docile and serene but she was clever and stronger than she looked. Like her older brother, who he was starting to suspect was responsible for this match in the first place by how smug he had been whenever it was mentioned.

"By the time his wedding comes along this whole mess will have passed and he won't even have to know." And if it didn't... Maybe it was for the best that he hadn't asked Jiuxiao to visit. He could only hope that if the worst did come, the idiot wouldn't blame Zishu's husband for his fate. Not that he believed for a moment that Lao Wen would hurt his grieving brother even if he did do something dumb, but it would break his heart to be accused of such things. 

Wu Xi must have sensed that he didn't wish to talk about it anymore because he only shook his head again before he changed the subject, talking about how Lao Wen had agreed to supply him with a few plants that only grew in the Valley. They did sound pretty fascinating and soon they were debating their uses.

Later that evening, his husband found him still on the terrace. Wu Xi had left hours ago and Zishu was watching the sun set over the Valley. He felt the outer robe being wrapped around his shoulders as had become habit before he was pulled into Lao Wen's arms from behind. 

Zishu hummed in greeting, not moving his eyes form the sight ahead. "Qingya is such a beautiful country, I regret not having seen more of it." He whispered. Lao Wen remained uncharacteristically silent as he leaned his head on his husband's shoulder.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of the box of medicine still on the table. Back in the Capital, Zishu's eyes had wandered to the nails he kept close by more than once, he'd imagined what it would be like if he took them and left the Window of Heaven. He'd driven them into so many people, strangers and even friends, not even flinching when they screamed or begged for mercy that feeling their pain himself would have been some kind of penance. Maybe it would have wiped some of the sins from his ledger before he died and got tortured in the netherworld for them. He even knew that if he put the nails in one at a time over a longer period he wouldn't lose his sense, he had invented the punishment after all and knew all of its secrets. To travel the world and see all of the wonderful sights he's always been to busy to just stop and admire before, it would have been worth it. Drink good wine, eat delicious food and enjoy the sun. Death at the end of it all hadn't scared him... Death hadn't scared him in a long time and now... Twisting his body, he wrapped his own arm around his husband's waist, allowing the other to squeeze him closer... Now Zishu had found a reason to live again but he was actually dying. Maybe this was his punishment.

Chapter Text

These day, for Zishu waking up was like rolling a dice. Sometimes, for just a moment he could pretend that nothing was wrong and his illness was naught but a bad dream.  Sometimes, everything ached. Sometimes, all he could do was grit his teeth through the biting pain. This was one of those days. If Wu Xi's medicine helped, he didn't want to know what it would have felt like without it. Zishu liked to think that he had a high tolerance for pain, he had been on both sides of torture and survived more battles than men many times his age had even dream of in their lifetimes, but somehow this was worse. It wanted to freeze him, to turn him to stone from the inside out... A kind of pain that never really left.

The constant tiredness had only gotten worse with time, the coughing more frequent and physical effort that didn't use to make him break a sweat left him out of breath and exhausted but this... this was the worst. His bones hurt, his muscles felt like boiled noodles and his joints throbbed. When he had caughing fits at night, mornings were hell. Lao Wen was always there to hold him and ease his pain during the night, to transfer him internal energy and kiss the top of his head, to quietly tell him stories until Zishu fell asleep in his arms again but he'd had to face the mornings alone. He knew that if he told his husband the truth, the older man would find a way to stay in the mornings too... so Zishu had never told him.

Turning on his side, he curled up around a pillow determined to ride it out. Meditation didn't work, getting up or breathing too deeply only made it worse and he didn't want to make it worse. Before, the only pain he had encountered that couldn't be fixed with meditation had been the one from his missing memories, now he could add a whole list to it. All he could do was burry his face in the pillow and wait. He will still be sore for the rest of the day too, but at least he will be able to move without feeling like screaming.

Zishu nearly jumped when something touched the side of his head, before he felt a cold hand run through his hair gently and another grasped his own. "Lao Wen." He gasped as he trembled through the pain.

His husband's low voice shushed him before the pillow he was holding got pushed down slowly. Zishu forced his eyes open when he felt his husband lay down in front of him and found himself staring into dark eyes. Since the pain wasn't contained the way the one in his lungs was, Lao Wen couldn't ease it the same way but a steady stream of internal energy flowed through his meridians from his wrist, spreading through his body, warm and soothing. Tears almost slipped from his eyes when his body started to unclench and the pain released him from its cruel hold much sooner than usual. 

"A-Xu..." His husband finally spoke after feeling him relax, soft lips brushing his own and the stream of internal energy stopped. "Why haven't you told me?"

Zishu shrugged as he carefully pushed his body up into a sitting position, looking away from his husband's eyes. "You're already wasting your time easing my pain at night."

"Not a waste of time." But wasn't it? When the older man was losing sleep to do it? 

"Of internal energy, then." He tried, only for Lao Wen to wave a hand. "What's the use of having so much of it if I can't even relieve my own husband's pain? I have more than enough."

Zishu sighed, knowing there was no winning with this lunatic. His husband was always going to do exactly as he wanted anyway. "Why are you still here?" He asked instead, by the look of the sun outside the pain had woken him much earlier than usual but it was still past the time Lao Wen left every morning.

"I'm leaving Qianqiao in charge for a few days. I thought I could show A-Xu the sights outside of the Valley." The older man explained and that was when Zishu finally took in his appearance. He was dressed in light blue robes made from cotton, modest and simple, still of good quality but a far cry from his usual fine silks and his hair was tied with a plain silver hairpin. At first he didn't understand, until he remembered the conversation they've had after Wu Xi had given him the medicine. Was his husband doing this because of one sentence Zishu had once uttered in a moment of misery? How did he even remember?

"Lao Wen." He breathed out quietly, looking back into warm eyes filled with love.

The beautiful man smiled before leaning into a sweet kiss. "A-Xu is the Imperial Consort of Qingya, it is such a shame that he hadn't yet seen the beautiful lands of his own country. You've been cooped up in here long enough, forgive this husband for not rectifying that sooner." He apologized before leading Zishu towards the mirror where a similar outfit to his own was laid out. A shade closer to teal, with an added cloak to keep him warmer and shield him from the elements. All Zishu could do in answer was nod, unable to find other words.

The former assassin stayed quiet the entire time he washed up for the morning and slipped his new robes on. He tied his hair in a ponytail with a leather band he hadn't used since coming to the Valley and found himself smiling against his will when he glanced over the mirror. When he was ready, he turned around to see Lao Wen stuffing a pile of blankets into a small pack. 

They snuck out. His husband had said that he was leaving Qianqiao in charge for a few days but... was she aware of it? Was this what A-Xiang had meant when she mentioned her brother's disappearing acts, Zishu wondered. For some reason he felt giddy about it, in a way he hadn't since he'd been a child sneaking out to visit the town closest to Four Seasons Manor with Beiyuan and his cousin. Once, Jiuxiao had followed them and Zishu hadn't had a choice but to take him with if he hadn't wanted the little idiot to get them caught, then he'd spent all of his money on sugar to bribe him into silence. A couple of years after that his Shifu passed away and Zishu's had to grow up, to be the responsible adult, the Sect Leader. He could no longer play around, or be the easy going older brother. Zishu had had to raise Jiuxiao to be strong, he'd had to find a way to protect his Sect when it had felt like the whole Jianghu had turned against them. Happiness hadn't been a priority, survival had. Then he had been in the Capital and he'd had a duty. A purpose. A goal. Then he'd reached that goal and hadn't been needed anymore, so he'd agreed to be married off. And then he'd had a new duty, the heavy weight of a treaty between empires on his shoulders, an alliance the North needed that he couldn't afford to jeopardize no matter how kind and understanding his husband had turned out to be. 

Zishu couldn't remember the last time he's had fun, he realized as they came to a stop far enough from the palace not to be overheard. "Lao Wen, are we running away?" He whispered.

"Of course we are." His husband answered with a grin before sweeping Zishu into his arms to fast for him to protest.

"Wen Kexing!" He hissed, pinching the older man's shoulder. "I can walk on my own!"

"You don't have to pretend to be strong when you're with me, A-Xu." His husband sighed, before tightening his grip and jumping up in the air. Zishu had no choice but to wrap his arms around his neck and allow himself to be carried. Much as he hated it, using his qinggong to travel would leave him exhausted and in too much pain to be able to enjoy much of any view at all, no matter how beautiful. 

Lao Wen didn't take them in the direction of the Gates but to a treacherous path through the mountains. Zishu had to admit that at full power, if he weren't careful, even he would have fallen to his death had he tried to use it. Less of a mountain trail and more like his Lao Wen had chosen to take them on a straight line up the mountain! He would be shocked if someone not only managed to find it but survive it long enough to sneak into the Valley that way. The reason his husband had chosen to leave that way was obvious though, when they reached the top and Zishu was set on his feet once more. The peak was barely wide enough for both of them to stand on, but the view was stunning. The Valley on one side, from higher up than Zishu had ever seen it before looked larger than he'd thought it was, green and beautiful and isolated between its sharp ridges. On the other, colorful crops and glittering lakes and forests turning to gold and rust. It felt like standing between two worlds, and belonging to none.

A warm breath tickled his ear as strong arms wrapped around his waist. "Do you like it?"

"Yes." He couldn't help the large smile that bloomed on his face.

"Good. There are many more to come." His husband whispered the promise, and kept it. 

They traveled for a few days, the older man always carrying him, and saw more incredible places in that time than Zishu had in years of travel as a spy... Always too focused on what came next, to stop and enjoy what was right in front of him. His husband kept them away from civilization and beaten roads and hunted for their food. They slept outside under the sky, huddled together for warmth... It was peaceful. Even his illness seemed more forgiving those fee days. For a while, Zishu allowed himself to forget they ever had to return home.

It was on the last day of their trip, when Lao Wen had bought them closer to the Valley once more, that they found themselves camping on the shore of a large lake waiting for the sunset. His husband was leaning against a tree with Zishu in his arms, bundled up in blankets, when the former assassin decided to acknowledge the real world again.

He snuggled closer to the beautiful man's warmth as he spoke. "I have an idea about how to get rid of our little critters problem but I will need to use your mother's medicine room."

The other froze for a moment, taking in his words, before he laid a kiss on Zishu's forehead. "A-Xu can use anything he likes. If it pleases you, you can keep it. Niang would have wanted it to belong to someone who shared her passion anyway. I'm ashamed to admit I know little on the subject, the room is wasted belonging to me." He confessed.

"Your mother saved people, I'm good at killing them." Zishu couldn't help but protest. "Most of what I know is about poisons and antidotes." The former assassin would never dream of comparing himself to either of his husband's parents, and wondered what they would think of having someone like him for a son in law.

Lao Wen was silent for so long Zishu thought he wouldn't answer, before he finally did. "She knew a lot about poisons too, A-Xu." There was a deep sadness in his voice that made Zishu hold back the questions that rose in his mind, old and new alike. How had they ended up in the Valley, and why? How had she died? Had it been poison? Had an experiment gone wrong?... No. Lao Wen wouldn't have allowed Zishu to use the room so easily if that were true. He wouldn't have treasured it enough to maintain it so well for years. He sighed. In the end he had no answers and more questions.

"It's beautiful." He whispered instead, once the warm lights of twilight start reflecting over the surface of the lake a little later.

Lao Wen hummed. "It will have to do for now but one day I will show A-Xu the whole empire. The endless desert and wild forests, all the rivers and all the valleys, from the top of the snowy mountains to the edge of the sea." He pledged and a knot formed in Zishu's throat from all the emotions that filled him at once.

"I've never been to the sea." He answered, eventually, once he'd calmed himself enough to. Zishu wasn't fond of swimming, not very good at much more than staying afloat either, but with Lao Wen there, endless water didn't sound so terrifying.

"A-Xu will love it." The older man answered softly. "When the sun sets, the water lights up even more beautifully than this. Yellows and reds sparkling on blues and greens. Like the mating dance of a phoenix and a dragon." He explained, voice filled with wonder.

Zishu opened his mouth to tease his husband or tell him he was speaking bullshit again, but couldn't bring himself to. "Sounds amazing."

"We shall watch it together one day." Lao Wen promised. Watching the lake, Zishu couldn't help but imagine the view his husband had described and think that he'd really love to see it one day. 

Chapter Text

Luohan was angry. No. Not angry, she was furious. Furious because that son of a bitch dared treat them like disposable trash!

This mission was impossible at best, suicidal undoubtedly. Trying to steal from the Ghost King without even knowing for sure if he had the desired object was madness but attempting to assassinate his husband? Even if by some miracle they managed to achieve that goal, there was no way they'd get out of the Valley alive! Two dozens of their men had died just to find them a way inside, vanishing behind those heavy gates to never come out, and yet their master still insisted that more of them sacrifice themselves without even telling them what it was they were dying for. His greed and selfishness, she was sure. She had wanted nothing to do with this stupid quest, had protested accepting it from the start, until that idiot Xie'er had volunteered to do go himself this time!

Xie Wang's power was an illusion, everyone with half a brain knew he was not really in charge. He did not have half a brain, yet. Though his martial skills were exceptional, and in a few years he might grow to be as impressive as everyone else believed he was, at the moment he was nothing more than a naive child. Luohan might not know who the true mastermind in the shadows was but she knew he was the real power behind the Scorpions. He was using Xie'er just as much as the rest of them and the little idiot couldn't even tell he was being manipulated! He thought his 'Yifu' loved him. The moron! Sometimes she wished she could take him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him before he got himself killed. She couldn't, of course. He'd never listen to her, the naive idiot. Too blinded by loyalty and love and pretty promises. How many fools just like him had she killed, believing in their loved ones even when they had a knife sticking out of their backs? Too many, that was how many.

A fool! A stupid little fool! She screamed inwardly. And now, he had tried to volunteer to go into the Valley as if Luohan would let him die before he even saw eighteen summers! Before he had the chance to open his eyes to the ugly realities of the world. Luohan was not a good person, she didn't use to care about much. She had no family, no great need for fortunes or treasures. The assassin feared even less than she desired. Before joining the Scorpions, she hadn't been attached to anything at all. No places, no people, no objects, not even her former name that she'd long left behind. Why had she even joined an organization? She didn't know what had been going through her head and now she'd grown fond of the dunderheads.

Luohan had always known that starting to care would be the end of her. Caring was for fools like Xie Wang... maybe it was catching. She sighed, and gripped her dagger loosely as she slipped into the Ghost King'd bedroom during the guard shift. It was supposed to be empty at that hour of the day, to give her enough time to search for a mysterious key she didn't even have a description of before waiting for the consort whom she had never seen! The messages their spies had managed to send back said he always turned in first for the night and waited for his husband. For some reason, she wasn't even surprised to find someone waiting for her, or hear the guards move to block the door as soon as it slid shut. 

Inwardly, she sighed. Their spies had never survived long enough to send back a message, or if they had it had contained exactly what the Ghost King had wanted them to believe. The man in the room was sitting before a mirror, slipping a pretty hairpin through his hair. Though he had paused for a second to acknowledge her presence, it grated on her that she wasn't even deemed enough of a threat for him to turn around.

From what she could see of him from her position by the door, he was outstandingly beautiful. By his elegant robes, expensive jewelry and delicate appearance she could only assume he was the consort she was supposed to kill. Before she could even try though, there was a sharp pain in the back of her neck. Luohan hadn't even felt someone step behind her, was the last thought she had before everything went black.

She dreamed of laughter and sunlight and woke up to a gentle clinking sound that filled her with a sense of peacefulness. There had been a windchime on the porch of her parents' house when she'd been a small child and she used to love falling asleep to it in the afternoons. For a moment, she thought she'd woken up there, just like she used to. The warmth drained out of her as soon as her eyes opened. She was strapped to a chair in an cave like hall, great statues staring down at her and the sun had already set, leaving everything to bath in the eerie glow of torches. The flickering fire made the statues look almost alive, like their eyes were moving. There was a pile of all of her weapons on the floor and her robes had been pulled open. She would have panicked but it was obvious they hadn't had any interest in anything more than baring her chest in preparation for some kind of torture. 

Another clinking sound echoed through the large hall, districting her attention. Turning around to the source, she realized it didn't come from windchimes at all but from the tassels of pearls hanging from the consort's hairpin. They swung when he moved, the sound of them hitting each other made louder by the empty cave. His back was still to her and her eyes moved to the expensive ornament without her consent. It was the kind of jewelry Du Pusa would have loved, she couldn't help but think. Two hairpins made of gold with delicate floral designs but only one with tassels... they tinkled again in a pretty song. 

Tearing her eyes away she tried to move her arms, only to realize that even if she weren't strapped down she wouldn't have been able to put up much of a fight, her limbs almost numb. That's when she noticed the incense burning on the table next to whatever the consort was working on. It must have been some kind of poison, that would explain her lax muscles and why she had dreamed of a childhood she hadn't thought of in years. She should have listened to that idiot Du Pusa when she talked about such things, maybe she could have at least recognized what it was. Not that she believed she had any chance of escape, that stopped being an option the moment she had stepped passed the gates of the Valley.

Her failed attempt at moving must have alerted her captors because a low voice approached from behind the chair. "Little scorpion, you're awake. Good."

She could only describe the man that stepped in front of her as handsome and yet the hairs on the back of her neck rose just looking at him. Shadows danced on his striking face, one moment the lower half was illuminated giving off the impression of a gentle smile, the next in was concealed by shadows and she was staring into cold eyes, dark and endless like an abyss that wanted to devour her soul. Wrapped in blood red and towering over her, he didn't even look human. The Ghost King, she thought, and for the first time in her life her heart was filled with dread. 

Luohan sucked in a slow breath, focusing her eyes on the fan he was waving lazily to avoid looking at his terrifying face. "It seems you will have the honor of settling an argument between me and my A-Xu. You see, there's this spot in the corner of our bedroom where spiders like to nest and we disagree over how to deal with it." He didn't actually pay any attention to her as he prattled on, or he would have noticed the confusion. "I've always been of the firm opinion that in order to get rid of pests, brute strength is the solution. You smash them before they get the chance to spawn and dispose of the trash, but my dearest husband seems to think that isn't enough. He believes you have to use poison too, so that other insects don't get the bright idea of moving into the now vacant spot. What do you think?" 

Luohan thought she was the spider in the story but she chose to keep her mouth shut. She was starting to see why they called him a lunatic as he smiled at her like they were friends chatting over tea while his eyes paralyzed her at the same time. 

"Drop it, Lao Wen." She twitched in place at the consort's sharp voice answering instead. "We already tried your way and it didn't work."

"A-Xu, you're not dousing our bedroom in poison!" The tall man protested. 

"Yes, I am." Came the exasperated reply, like they've had this argument a thousand times.

She took advantage of them ignoring her presence to argue to think about what she'd just heard. Wen. The Ghost King's name was Wen, not that she'd ever be able to pass on the message but still it was a good distraction from the pain that was sure to come. It was not an uncommon surname and ages were hard to guess with most martial artists. Still, she got the feeling this one wasn't that old but couldn't remember hearing about him before. Someone with this kind of power would have made a name for themselves before ending up in the Valley, one way or another. Luohan could almost feel his internal energy like a pressure upon the room! Unfortunately, her brief reprieve came to an end when the consort stopped working and finally turned around.

The first thought that crossed her mind was that his skin looked like smooth jade, and she wondered how he could withstand his husband's touch without shattering to pieces. He looked like a fragile statue, expressionless and ethereal but then his eyes looked through her, and she realized that he was just as much of a monster as his husband was. 

Something shining in the fire light drew her attention and she looked down to see a nail floating above his palm, so he wouldn't have to touch it. The long body was twisted and sharp, the black metal covered in glinting poisons. If she weren't strapped to a chair, she would have taken a step back but as it was she was forced to stay still. It was impossible to work in her profession and not know what you were looking at. Nails of Seven Apertures for Three Autumns. It was said that even inside the Window of Heaven, only a handful of people knew the secret formula of the poison that coated the nails and took one's senses away. She couldn't help but see the impossibly beautiful man with new eyes. Who had he been, before he became the Ghost King's husband?

Luohan didn't beg when he came closer or ask them to spare her. There was no use in it, they wouldn't care. She tried to grit her teeth through the pain, to allow the gentle chime of pearls to lull her mind away, but she's never felt such torture in her life and by the time the first nail was in her screams echoed through the hall. Her tears felt freezing cold on her face, everything burned. She's been burned before, by fire, but this poison spread through her meridians with each nail that followed. It threatened to melt her from the inside out, it pulsed all the way to her soul. It left her dizzy and sick. Silently, it occurred to her that the incense must have been meant to relax her body and mind in some twisted kind of mercy.

Through the agony, her mind whirled with a thousand thoughts. She knew that this was the end of her, when she left here she would be nothing more than a shell. Not even empty, because she'd still feel everything that happened to her. Defenseless, useless, broken. The moment the last nail was in, Qiao Luohan would cease to exist. It was a fate worse than death, and she couldn't help but be glad she hadn't allowed that little idiot to come. Those two monsters... even though his skills were better than her's, Xie'er wouldn't have stood a chance. If he ever encountered them in the future...

"Wait!" Luohan managed to croak out after what felt like eternity. "Wait." She repeated, breathless, surprised when the nail actually stopped, hovering in front of her chest... The consort had actually listened to her plea and stopped.

"Xie'er..." She gritted out through the pain. "Xie Wang is a skilled martial artist but he's just a stupid child. Someone else is behind the Scorpions, someone powerful enough to fund such an organization." Luohan wasn't a traitor, but she owed no loyalty to the bastard who'd send so many of them here to die. Xie'er thought... if she could spare him at all she'd try. 

The Ghost King's face softened and he looked almost sad when he looked at her. "I know." He said, as the last nail started digging through her flesh. 

He knew. Of course he knew. If she could still laugh, she would. The whole time that bastard had thought himself ten steps ahead, plotting from the shadows, the Ghost King had been watching and laughing from above. Hiding in the shadows while someone else did his dirty work for him, he must think himself so clever... Maybe she could come back as a vengeful ghost, she thought, just to see it when he realized he had been the mantis preyed upon by the oriole all along. It was to that thought, that she passed out again. 

Chapter Text

Zishu was standing on top of the wall by the Gates, his husband wrapped around him as they watched Qiao Luohan sway in the saddle. She had passed out just as he'd drilled in the last nail, and they had strapped her to a horse before leading it outside the Gates. It used to belong to a merchant before they've bought it and it knew the way to the closest town.

"What is A-Xu thinking so deeply about?" Lao Wen broke the silence, kissing his cheek sweetly.

"Just Qiao Luohan's words the other day." Zishu sighed. "About her Xie'er."

"What about them?" The older man asked. "It means she came here to protect him, it doesn't change anything. Nothing you wouldn't have done for your little idiot brother, or me for A-Xiang."

Zishu had been surprised when the woman had asked him to stop, thinking maybe the reality of the situation had finally hit her and she wanted to beg for mercy, or maybe make a trade. Qiao Luohan has had a reputation before becoming a Scorpion and caring about others had not been a part of it, so it came as a shock when she did ask for mercy, just not for herself. It was even more of a shock when his husband implied he had known all along someone else was behind the Scorpions. It seemed there was still so much to the older man Zishu didn't know. It wasn't his place to ask though, his husband would share if he wished to.

"I meant about how whoever is behind this is using him." He explained with a sigh, leaning closer into the beautiful man's warmth. "Three times in life I was lucky."

Lao Wen hummed, placing his chin on Zishu's shoulder as he looked into the distance. "Were you? I've always considered myself quite unlucky."

Zishu nodded. Not that he'd thought so for most of his life but now that said life might be ending... he couldn't help but think of all he was leaving behind and how he wished he could stay. He didn't regret anything, if he got to live these peaceful last months with his zhiji by his side.

"I was too young to even remember my parents when they died, I wouldn't have survived a day on my own. An orphaned male with royal blood, I would have most likely been killed off before I got to grow and have any delusions of power but Shifu and Shimu took me in. They wrote my name in their family registry even though they kept my surname out of respect for my parents. When that little fool Jiuxiao was born, they placed him in my arms and told me how I was a big brother now." Too late had he realized what it truly meant for them to see him as their son, he thought. He wished he'd seen it sooner, been less headstrong and more affectionate. If only he'd known, that his time with them would be so short.

"I was loved and sheltered and have never wanted for anything. Even after Jiuxiao was born, I was still their heir... I was an older brother." Once more, his heart squeezed at the thought of the younger man that he might never get to see again. He used to be so irritated when the boy would follow him around as a child, interfering with his duties and training and sticking his little nose into Zishu's business. Now he wished he could hold the little idiot in his arms one more time.

For once, his chatterbox of a husband stayed quiet, waiting until Zishu was ready to continue. He swallowed back the knot that formed in his throat before he did. "When they died, I was lost. I remember being desperate. The 'righteous' heroes of the Jianghu descended on us like vultures, taking advantage of my age and grief. They demanded I return items they have previously sent to our Sect as gifts, they coveted our land and our secrets. Some even attacked in the middle of the night and denied it in the light of day. I was young and inexperienced and I could feel it all slipping through my fingers. It would have been easy to lure me into a trap, for someone to use me to further their own ambitions. But fortunately I had Beiyuan and my cousin. They helped me move my people to the Capital safely, helped me settle there, before us and a few of our friends made a pact." ...Those first few months as a Sect Leader he had felt so alone in the world, before Beiyuan had shown up at his door. 

"To make your cousin Emperor." His husband finally spoke.

"We knew how corrupt the country was and wanted to make it a better place. Half of us died for that dream..." He sighed. "Nevertheless, I was again lucky."

"You don't resent your cousin at all? For sending you here? For marrying you off to me?" The older man asked curiously and Zishu shrugged. "Why would I? Helian Yi was just doing what we all swore to do so many years before. He even asked me first, before writing to you."

"What was the third time, then?" He turned to look at Lao Wen incredulously, wondering if the older man could really be that dumb, before rolling his eyes. "You." 

Of all the ways his life could have gone wrong, this would have arguably been the worst. He would have most likely been killed off painlessly as a child, if his cousin had turned out not to be the man Zishu had thought he was getting away would not have been easy once the Window of Heaven had been established but he could have put the nails in one at a time and still got a few years to enjoy life, if Lao Wen were the monster stories made him out to be... Zishu's life could have been hell on earth and he would have had no way out but waiting for death to come.

He saw the shock flash through his husband's dark eyes before the older man hid it, turning towards the assassin now fading into the darkness of the night. "Does she stand any chance of surviving this?" He asked, changing the subject, and Zishu let him.

"If the nails had been put in one every three months, she would have been able to live her last three years freely, if weakened, but not like this." He answered, revealing for the first time the most guarded secret about the nails, one he had told no soul before.

Lao Wen took the words before shaking his head. "Lord Zhou truly is a merciless man."

Zishu rolled his eyes. "If the sight of me disgusts you so, you can go." He joked, but the older man's eyes widened before he hurried to deny it. "Never!"

After that they fell silent again and Lao Wen waited until they couldn't see Qiao Luohan in the light of the moon anymore to lift Zishu into his arms and started making his way towards the Palace, the guards paying them no mind. The former assassin didn't complain. It was already past midnight and he hadn't heeded Wu Xi's warning to take it easy at all these past few days. Zishu wished he could avoid going to sleep altogether, knowing he was due for a brutal night and hellish morning. He also knew that if he waited until the next night, they would be even worse. Using Drunk Like a Dream and inhaling smoke from the incense hadn't helped matters, even if he had taken the antidote beforehand, but when he'd seen that the assassin that had managed to make it all the way into their bedroom was a woman, he hadn't been able to help making that one little concession to his plan. 

Since he was going to suffer no matter what he did at that point, Zishu decided he might as well live the day to its fullest. As soon as they were ready for sleep, he pulled his husband into a deep kiss that left no uncertainty about what he wanted.

"A-Xu..." The beautiful man sighed, touching their foreheads together. "...you've had a long day."

"I don't care. Bend me over the bed and fuck me until I forget everything." He demanded. "I want to still feel it tomorrow every time I sit down and be reminded of you." He was going to pay for it later, he knew, but at least he'd suffer of his own choice. It was a meaningless act of rebellion but he didn't care, he held Lao Wen's gaze until the man closed his eyes and kissed him again, far more tenderly.

In his husband's vocabulary being bent over translated into him slowly undressing Zishu and gently laying him down on his front in the middle of their bed with a pillow under his hips, he soon found out. Lao Wen brushed his hair to the side before kissing the back of his neck, his warm breath made the hairs there rise as he made his way down. He lingered between Zishu's shoulder blades, nipping the skin over his spine just enough to make the former assasin twitch in place then he leaned up and his lips were replaced by cold hands that covered Zishu's upper back. He was used to feeling this almost every night when his husband eased the pain in his lungs but he wasn't used to being stared at like this. While he trusted Lao Wen implicitly, being in this position still left him feeling vulnerable. His back exposed, unable to fully reach back, held down. It reminded him of the way animals mated and how the submissive partner had no control over what went on.

Enough time had passed now that he could admit it, at least to himself, that the thought of exactly this had terrified him before the wedding. The defenseless, the humiliation, even the pain had scared him. He had known that if he allowed himself to dwell on it too long, he would have tried to find a way out and that hadn't been an option. Now, that it had never came to pass and he knew it never will, he could finally acknowledge how afraid he had been. Of what his future would be like, of having to carry and raise a child under such circumstances. So he'd done his best to ignore the thoughts altogether, until he'd met his husband. Lao Wen will never truly understand, what it had meant for Zishu to realize that he was the one he was going to marry. To see him interact with Qianqiao and Luo Fumeng, to meet A-Xiang before the ceremony in all her wildness and fearlessness. That Lao Wen took the time to intercept their party and walk him to the Valley. To be treated like an equal from the moment they've met. It might shock his husband that Zishu considered himself lucky for having been married to him but he wondered how many examples of marriage the other had really had, if he thought that most men treated their spouse the way he did Zishu.

He didn't know what had made him ask his husband to do this now, it wasn't like they were bored in their love life. Even though he was sure the older man would rather cut off his own arm than hurt him, Zishu still felt himself grow uneasy under the heavy gaze of the Ghost King the longer they stayed unmoving.

"Lao Wen." He whispered, shifting until he finally heard his husband take a deep breath, breaking out of whatever trance he'd fallen in.

"A-Xu really has the most beautiful butterfly bones, I can't help but be enchanted every time I see them." The older man breathed out lowly.

"Such a pervert." Zishu muttered into his arms, relaxing back into the mattress while Lao Wen chuckled and pulled out the bottle of oil. 

His husband took him slowly, as he tended to these days, and Zishu thought that maybe being vulnerable like this wasn't the worst thing it the world. Not with Lao Wen. Later, when both were sated, he fell asleep still on his belly before his husband even returned with the damp cloth to clean him with.

Zishu dreamed of snow. Snow surrounding a worn but loved house. It was modest but warm inside and it felt like a home. Then he was lying down on a patchwork of tiles. The moon was full and he could taste wine on his tongue, it was warm even though the snow had barely melted. His husband had been there. Zishu couldn't remember but Lao Wen had been there with him. Inside the tiny house, on the roof drinking wine... He woke with a start, hand going to his mouth on instinct while the pain in his lungs threatened to overwhelm him. Strong arms pulled him close as he shook with coughs.

It had been Drunk Like a Dream, he couldn't help but think while his body tried it's best to expell his lungs. At least the shocking revelation was a good distraction from the pain this time. He had been working on turning the hallucinogen into incense sticks and candles when he had first started having dreams about Lao Wen, and the antidote hadn't been working properly while he had been experimenting. And now, Wu Xi's medicine or his illness must have interfered, and Zishu had been partially affected despite taking the antidote just like his husband. But if Drunk Like a Dream was affecting the missing memories, it meant that it acted like an antidote in turn. Which meant that whatever had made him forget hadn't been an accident, he realized.

The fit lasted longer than usual and by the time it finally started calming down he'd filled three handkerchiefs his husband had passed him with blood. It left him shaking all over, skin clammy and cold. Zishu's lungs burned, his throat felt like he'd swallowed sand and even his ribs hurt from the coughing. His eyes were squeezed shut and when he felt a cold jar touch his lips he greedily drank the offered water. Then Lao Wen shifted them on the bed until he was leaning against the headboard with Zishu in his lap. He relaxed in his husband's arms as a cool hand settles on his back, running slow circles over the thin sleeping robe the older man must have dressed him in after cleaning them up. Snuggling close, he laid his head on Lao Wen's shoulder and his own hand over the beautiful man's heart, finally asking the question that had been on his mind since their wedding day. "Who am I to you?"

"A-Xu is my zhiji." Warm lips touched his icy forehead while the older man answered quietly. Zishu's eyes still refused to be pried open, and when he tried they stung until he stopped. "My husband. My confidant. My beloved. My..."

"I meant before." He interrupted. "...Who was I to you, Lao Wen?" The heart under his hand skipped a beat. His husband was silent for the longest time. Zishu thought he might never get his answer after all before a cold hand covered his own over the older man's heart, as if to keep it in place.

"You were my light." His husband finally answered, voice nearly a whisper. "And I betrayed you."

Zishu didn't have to ask how he'd betrayed him, he already knew. "You made me forget." He heart sunk into his stomach. "Why?"

"Why?" He repeated, when his husband's reluctance to answer became obvious. Finally, the man let out a deep breath and buried his face in Zishu's hair. "I thought if A-Xu remembered... If I knew you still felt for me what I felt for you, I'd never let you go..." He trailed off in a trembling voice. "You would have resented me if I hadn't let you go, A-Xu."

Zishu felt something warm on his face and for a moment he was confused, before he realized he was silently crying... his tears hadn't ran out after all either, it seemed. "How did you do it?" His mouth felt dry and he had to force his voice to remain steady.

"It's called the Water of Naihe, an odorless and tasteless poison that can erase one's greatest love or desire. One of the many Niang had developed while being the former Master's concubine." Zishu almost couldn't hold back the gasp at what he's just heard. Gu Miaomiao had been the former Master's concubine. During his time in the Valley, Zishu had heard stories about the monster he had been from servants who had been there during his rule. At least it explained how they had ended in the Valley, Gu Miaomiao had been famous for her beauty and the former Master must have wanted that for himself but... just what had his mother in law and his husband endured during that time? And A-Xiang...

"I knew we could not last, that we would have to part very soon and you trusted me." The older man continued unawares, almost too quietly to be heard. "I don't expect you to forgive this weak man, A-Xu."

For a moment Zishu wanted to say he didn't forgive him but his mother in law's situation just drove home how lucky he really was, that his husband continued to be the kind man he was. Lao Wen had taken advantage of his trust to slip him poison, he took away memories Zishu might never get back, that was true. It stung, his heart hurt almost as bad as his lungs did but... this was still his husband. Still the man who held him through the torture and transferred him internal energy almost every night. Who dried his hair after baths and added food to his bowl during meals. The past didn't erase everything he had done after they got married, it didn't erase his love for Zishu, or Zishu's love for him.  

"I forgive you." He answered, and under his hand he felt his husband's heart skip again, the hand holding his tightened around his fingers. "I'm mad that you made that choice for me, but I do forgive you." If he heard Lao Wen sobb he didn't mention it, and neither did the other mention his silent tears. They stayed like that until it no longer felt like his throat was being stabbed and he felt Lao Wen relax under him.

"Tell me a story." Zishu whispered in a hoarse voice... and so his husband did. He started a tale about a demon warlord unable to feel emotions, who had been locked in a terrible prison until a clueless little fairy freed him, binding their souls together.

"Lao Wen... did you just make up this tale?" Zishu heard himself mumble sleepily. "Am I supposed to be the clueless damsel in distress?" 

His husband clicked his tongue, slowly running hand over Zishu's hair. "It's a real story, A-Xu! Keep listening and you'll see." 

Zishu fell asleep listening as the not so terrifying warlord was trying to help the naive fairy complete some kind of quest... he still wasn't convinced this was a real story.

Chapter Text

Jiuxiao stared at the giant stone gates, tightened his grip on his sword, and refused to move. His beloved would have to forgive him for doing this without telling her, if they never saw each other again.

The young Sect Leader was conflicted. His fears when his brother had departed for Qingya hadn't come true. He'd waited for the older man's first letter with bated breath and only got a proper night of rest after it confirmed Zishu's safety. Not that he was as dumb as his brother believed, but Uncle Bi and Han Ying had also wrote the same thing every time. His brother was enjoying a comfortable life in the Valley, and the Ghost King adored him. Now, Han Ying might be convinced to lie for his brother because he was a moron that way and would do anything for the man he loved, Jiuxiao also wasn't blind, but Uncle Bi would have told him the truth. So Jiuxiao knew his brother wasn't in danger, not from his husband, and yet Beiyuan-ge's latest letter had been... ominous to say the least, encouraging him to visit Ghost Valley and it's beautiful sights. The older man liked to play games but not those kind of games, he'd certainly never joke around about Zishu's safety. So Jiuxiao had taken as many disciples as he could on such short notice, which was only three, to do just that and he wasn't going to leave until he saw his brother even if he had to storm the gates. He's made a promise to their father and he had every intention of keeping it. 

He hid his trepidation when the gates creaked open loudly and almost let out a deep breath of relief at the sight of Han Ying coming out. He wasn't dressed in the red uniform, as Jiuxiao had expected him to be now that Han Ying was a general in the Ghost Army. If nothing else, suggesting Han Ying join the Ghost Army had been proof that his brother believed himself to be safe here. 

"Han Ying." He greeted calmly.

"Jiuxiao." His former friend replied, and it hurt now to think of Han Ying as a former friend but he only had himself to blame for it. Back then it had felt like Jiuxiao was losing a second brother to the Window of Heaven. He had just been so frustrated with Zishu's refusal to see his side of things, he had been so afraid that one day his brother might return from a mission, that he would be caught and executed for treason, that whenever the organization was mentioned he went wild and it had cost him the best friend he's ever had. 

"I apologize for the wait, the guards couldn't let you in until I confirmed your identity." Han Ying explained as he motioned for them to follow and Jiuxiao did, still tense. "We've had a little bit of a... pest problem." He mentioned, just as the gates slid shut once more behind their group.

"Pests?" He repeated confusedly while the two of them walked ahead of everyone else, only for Han Ying to nod. "Wasps and spiders and poisonous scorpions. Hopefully we got rid of them for good this time."

Poisonous Scorpions... Jiuxiao might not mingle with the rest of the 'righteous' heroes crowd, in that way him and his brother were very much the same, but even he had heard of the Scorpions and their wretched reputation, their willingness to do anything for enough gold. Just as ruthless as the Window of Heaven and with none of their code of ethics. Even his brother in law, infamous as he was for his bloodthirst, was known to have more principles than that. If assassins, including ones as notorious as the Poisonous Scorpions, had came for his brother it was no wonder the guards at the gate had greeted them with so much suspicion and hadn't taken Jiuxiao for his word. 

Was that what had happened? Had an assasin somehow gotten past the gates and succeeded in hurting his brother? He didn't even have to ask what they had wanted, that much was obvious. To foil the alliance, preferably before the Ghost King got an heir with a claim to the Northern throne. Not that there was any heir to speak of, as far as he knew. 

The Sect Leader kept his mouth shut the entire way to the Palace. He wanted to ask more, but he knew it wasn't the place or time. His disciples followed him and Han Ying with wide eyes even as their hands still lingered close to their weapons and the young Sect Leader couldn't blame them. If he hadn't been so filled with apprehension, he might have been owed by the beauty of the Valley as well. Though Four Seasons Manor had a special place in his heart, and he's spent the years in the Capital yearning to return home every day, he could see why his brother found this place peaceful. Especially since the Palace turned out to be far enough away for the hustle and bustle of the city. The place itself seemed to be carved into the mountain, durable and defensible, and beyond the beautiful gardens and terraces and yards there was only wild nature. 

The inside of the palace was confusing and Jiuxiao feared he wouldn't be able to find his own way back of if needed. In spit of the unsettling feeling, he told his disciples to obey when he was led up another flight of stairs and they were asked to stay behind. At the end of it was a long hall and he almost shielded his eyes when sunlight hit him again. 

"Han Ying, you may leave us." A disembodied voice ordered. Even though it wasn't at all raised it could be clearly heard and the steely command in it made the hair on the back of his neck rise. As his friend bowed and left, Jiuxiao had to resist the urge to turn and run after him when a chuckle was heard. "So you are the one who threatened to lay siege on my gates." The voice echoed again, sounding slightly amused.

He didn't resist taking a step back when a tall man appeared in front of him in a flash. His robes were a deep red, hair kept half up with an expensive crown and lips pulled up in a smile. The Ghost King was handsome, Jiuxiao couldn't deny it and he could understand why even his icy brother had been charmed. There was something off about him though, like the endless darkness in his eyes that didn't match the amusement on the rest of his face. It was chilling.

The young Sect Leader was well aware he didn't stand a chance against this being in a fight. Still, he tried not to be intimidated and looked straight into those terrifying eyes. They were not worse than his brother's whenever he had put on his old uniform so his voice remained steady. "I want to see my brother."

The Ghost King stared right back, smile not slipping off his face in the slightest yet Jiuxiao felt like a mouse pinned under the gaze of a tiger. "Brave." The tall man chuckled after a while, stepping back, out of Jiuxiao space... It felt like he could finally breath again. "No wonder your brother is so proud of you."

That, more than anything else that had happened that day caused Jiuxiao to freeze for a moment. "Ge is proud of me?" He breathed out.

"Of course he is, silly child." The Ghost King laughed again before the mirth slid off his face, leaving behind a look that Jiuxiao couldn't call anything other than heartbreak. "Don't be mad at him, will you? He's a proud man, your brother." The tall man almost whispered, a hint of fondness in his low voice. "He didn't want you to see him like this."

He didn't want you to see him like this... It had the same underlying tone of a bleakness as Beiyuan-ge's letter had. Jiuxiao felt like a heavy fog descend over him.

"Take our guests to their accommodations to rest, I will take this little idiot to see his brother." The Chief ordered Han Ying once they left the hall and Jiuxiao could only nod his consent.

He focused on the Ghost King's feet moving in front of him, mind blank, until he heard the man utter "A-Xu" in an exasperated voice and looked up. It felt like a bucket of cold water was dropped on his head when he came face to face with his brother for the first time in months, his mind clearing as he was forcefully kicked back to reality.

"I am perfectly capable of walking." Zishu retorted calmly, and Jiuxiao had to hold back a whine. He didn't look like he should, he looked sick.

Jiuxiao had never seen the older man so thin, not even when he had been working himself to the bone in the Capital, and his skin was almost as pale as the pearls hanging from his hairpin. There were bags under his eyes from lack of rest and the servants were hovering behind him like they feared he would fall over any moment. They looked down when the Ghost King glared at them but he didn't do more than that, probably as aware as Jiuxiao was of how stubborn the former assassin could be. 

Zishu didn't acknowledge him yet, and Jiuxiao knew his brother had to be mad at him for all of this so he didn't complain. He could only watch in wonder as the Ghost King fussed over his brother, allowing Zishu to lean on him while they walked, taking off his outer layer and wrapping it around the other man's shoulders once they've reached their destination and helping him sit down. If anyone had dared treat his brother in such a way before, as if he were breakable glass, they would have found themselves with broken arms no matter how much pain he was in. No. Zishu wasn't allowing this because he was ill, he was allowing it because he wanted to. Did his brother... like being taken care of like this? To his shame, Jiuxiao had never considered he might. In his mind, Zishu had always been the one taking care of others and it would have made him feel a little bit at ease to see someone taking care of him for once, under different circumstances.

The Ghost King didn't linger and as soon as the door was slid shut behind him Jiuxiao kneeled by his brother's chair, gripping a hand between his own. Zishu squeezed back, and in the quietness of the beautiful terrace his breathing sounded too heavy. 

His brother's hand had never felt so frail in his before, he thought. This was the man that had been Jiuxiao's pillar of strength since before their parents were gone, the most reliable person he's ever met. When their mother had been too busy running a household and their father too busy helping everyone else, Zishu had held him when he couldn't sleep, helped him study, trained him in the ways of their Sect and never gave up on him even though Jiuxiao knew he learned slow. When their parents had died, one after the other like living in this world alone was impossible, his brother had defended their Sect and kept it from crumbling to pieces. He protected their secrets and their land and their ancestor's legacy. He raised Jiuxiao and took in Han Ying and helped Beiyuan-ge and Xi-gege run to the South and secured Helian Yi a throne and then he took on the responsibility of the alliance with Qingya too, sacrificing his happiness and possibly his safety for his people. Not once had Jiuxiao seen him waver, not once did he remember seeing his brother cry. Not as they buried their parents, not when he was delirious with pain from his injuries, not when he left his freedom behind to marry. And now... This man who was clever and strong and unmatched in battle, who knew ten thousand ways to kill a man, looked like he was fading away. 

"Ge..." He whispered and didn't bother to wipe away the tears he could feel on his cheeks.

"What is it with people these days, bursting into tears at the sight of me?" His brother sighed. "Am I really that scary?"

Jiuxiao shook his head. You aren't scary, I am terrified, he wanted to say but he didn't.  "Is there a cure?" He asked instead. 

"Beiyuan and Wu Xi are searching for one. Ying'er has his friends in the Window of Heaven looking as well and that Lunatic Wen refuses to give up either. He had sent for the Leader of the Immortal Physician Valley not long ago." The older man answered, before looking away from Jiuxiao. He couldn't help but follow his gaze to find the beautiful view of Ghost Valley his brother had described so many times before. "A-Xiao..." He murmured.  "I don't think there's a cure for karma. You were right, my sins are catching up to me." 

"No. I wasn't." He'd regretted those words, the ones he'd whispered to his brother before leaving the Capital, as soon as they had left his mouth. And even so, there was no such thing in the world as karma. Good people died all the time, while the bad got to live consequences free. If anything, his brother's suffering was proof of just that. Zishu was the kindest person Jiuxiao knew, whatever he had done in the line of duty to think he deserved this, he had always done it for the good of other people. Never out of greed or cruelty or indifference. Never for himself. Jiuxiao might not agree with all of his brother's actions but he couldn't condemn him for them either. Much as he hated Emperor Jin, the North was stabilizing under his rule. He'd seen the way life had improved for people.

"It's good that they are looking, then. The world is big enough." He continued, once the older man finally looked back at him with wary eyes.

"You and that idiot husband of mine..." His brother rolled his eyes, but it lacked his usual fire. "Speaking of Lao Wen, you are lucky he's as much of a fool as you are and would never consider punishing my little brother for this. Trying to storm the gates of Ghost Valley, with your skills? What were you thinking?" Zishu chastised. 

Jiuxiao didn't allow himself to flinch at his brother's harsh tone. "I thought you were in danger! Beiyuan-ge's letter was ominous and I knew you would never tell me anything, obviously I was right!"

"Beiyuan? That...!" Jiuxiao held back a wince. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that Beiyuan-ge had been the one to tell him to come. "Do you have any idea how stupid what you just did was?! What would you have done if my husband was any less forgiving? Have you learned nothing that I thought you?!" The older man snapped right back, a spark of his old self entering his eyes, and Jiuxiao was about to say he only did what he'd promised to do when giggle interrupted him. Turning to the door, he noticed it came from a young woman dressed in purple standing by the Ghost King's side. A-Xiang his mind supplied, the girl Jiuxiao suspected was the Ghost King's sister, though his brother hadn't said as much in his letters out of caution.

The Chief shook his head as he made his way closer, and Jiuxiao reluctantly stood but didn't let go of the hand between his own nor did his brother pull away.

"A-Xu. Must you be so cold to your didi?" The tall man sighed, sitting on the other side of Zishu. "You are going to work yourself up into a coughing fit. A-Xu..." The Ghost King shamelessly kissed his husband's cheek. "Can you really blame the little idiot? Who do you think he learned such loyalty from?"

Jiuxiao watched his brother's face go from angry, to annoyed, to grumpy in a matter of seconds before leaning closer to the other man. The young Sect Leader still hated that his brother had been reduced to a pawn in these games of war, that he had been sent to the Valley as nothing more than a brood mare, but he couldn't deny that he hadn't seen his brother so content since their parents were alive. Not even his dire situation seemed to discourage their love. He had always suspected Zishu preferred the company of other man, not that his older brother had actually allowed himself to have a life before so it had been kind of irrelevant. If this marriage was really the way Zishu found happiness, he would learn to accept it because his brother would survive long enough to be happy for a long time. He had to. Decision made, Jiuxiao finally let go of his brother's hand and bowed until his forehead touched the floor.

"What are you doing now, little idiot? Inspecting my floors for dust?" The Ghost King asked incredulously.

"This one apologizes." He didn't clarify what for, because it was for so many things. His reaction when he's heard about the marriage, the many rants about it his disciples had been subjected to that he'd  prefer his brother never learned about, threatening to storm the gates and the disrespect he's shown since he's been allowed inside. 

The room was silent for a short moment until the girl in purple finally moved and pulled him up by the sleeve, shoving him into a chair. "Idiot!" She snapped. "What are you doing, wiping the floors?! We have servants for that! I can't believe I'm being saddled with a dumb brother like you!"

Jiuxiao looked at her, dazed. In his life he's never heard a girl speaking so loudly. He could help but think his beloved would adore her. She had a secret mischievous side, his Jing An.

Servants soon came to serve their meal and the Ghost King was introduced to him and he was shocked to learn his brother in law was Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao's son. As him and his brother started catching up, talking about things they hadn't felt comfortable putting into writing, he started to relax. A-Xiang even promised to take him and his disciples to visit the city before he left. Jiuxiao chose not to say that he had no intention of leaving until he could see with his own eyes that his brother was healthy again. Maybe after the wedding him and Jing An could visit together, he decided. The Ghost Valley... wasn't so bad.

Chapter Text

Xie Wang was sitting at a table at the small inn he'd rented. Du Pusa had wanted to threaten the owners or dispose of them as they sometimes did in other places but he wasn't dumb enough to think that would work here. As one of the closest cities to the Ghost Valley, the army patrolled the streets twice a day, every day. It was... unnerving, to say the least. He wasn't under any delusion that any of them would escape if they were found out, it made everything all that more exciting. Still, Yifu wanted everything done discreetly so he had taken a more diplomatic approach this time. Preferably one that wouldn't leave a mess behind that could lead to them should they flee.

Squad after squad that he had deployed on this mission had failed to send back to headquarters even a crumble of valuable information for months. It had caused his Yifu to grow... irritable. Xie Wang didn't understand the older man's obsession with this sinking hole of a mission. There was no glory in it if they couldn't even take credit. He couldn't question his Yifu though so in the end Xie Wang had come himself, bringing his most trusted advisers with him. Du Pusa and Qiao Luohan. They pretend they were merchants and settled in a city not too far and not too close as to not attract attention. 

It turned out that after his wedding the Ghost King had grown even more paranoid than usual. The Chief put more value into the union and the alliance it provided than anyone had initially thought he would, especially since in Xie Wang's opinion Qingya profited far less than the North. Was an heir with royal blood really that valuable to a man that could conquer them all whenever he wanted anyway? Why had the Chief even accepted the marriage? For the life of him, Xie Wang couldn't figure out why the fool would tie himself to the North in such a way. One thing he did know was that the Chief was very protective, and possibly very possessive, of his new consort. 

If the Valley had been famous for being impenetrable before, getting past the gate was nearly impossible these days. Even if they were somehow to manage replacing a citizen, and unfortunately he didn't have that much confidence in their disguise skills yet, it still left the issue of the ink of the tattoo on the wrist of each citizen of Ghost Valley. It was a shade of red Du Pusa couldn't replicate no matter how hard she had tried and held a distinct shine under light. And then an opportunity had shown itself. 

It had been a trap. He should have known it was a trap but he had been so desperate not to return home a failure. As much as he loved his Yifu, Xie Wang didn't want to face him when he was angry. After months of watching the Valley, they finally found a secret passage used by smugglers. He still hadn't been able to risk sending too many people, if there were regular patrols in the surrounding region there were probably constant patrols inside. They couldn't risk attracting attention and accidentally revealing their only way in. The problem was that of the people he did send inside none returned. Not only did they not retrieve the key but he had no way of knowing if they had succeeded in assassinating the consort either! In the end he had wanted to go himself but Qiao Luohan had convinced him not to. He could only hope she had more luck than the rest, he thought to himself.

Xie Wang sighed, drinking a cup of wine just as one of his men hurried inside, trembling as he kneeled before him... This couldn't be good news.

"Master." His subordinate greeted as two other men came in behind him, pulling someone by the arms. Xie Wang almost didn't recognize her but when he did, he froze.

Xie Wang had no idea how old Qiao Luohan was but for some reason she had always been protective of him ever since his Yifu had urged him to recruit her. She had been a powerful martial artist but more than that she had been a strong woman. Confident. Proud. The thing before him was barely even human, she looked like a puppet on strings. Her clothes were dirty, her skin smudged like she had been rolling in the dirt. She was walking on her own feet but didn't seem to have a sense of direction, just going where she was dragged, her eyes blank and face pale and clammy.

"Where did you find her?!" Xie Wang snapped as he pulled on her hand, leading her to the bed. She followed, but tensed up when he pushed her down... So her mind was still present. 

"She was in an alleyway. The woman selling hot buns across the street said she came into town strapped to a horse. She doesn't seem to be aware of what is going on around her and no one knew who she was. The stall owner took pity on her and threw her a couple leftover buns at the end of the day, she said it was odd the soldiers had just seemed to ignore her presence." The assasin reported. 

Xie Wang smelled Du Pusa's floral scent as she enter the room and dismissed the others. He took Qiao Luohan's appearance in again, deep in thought.

He had observed the city and it's people since they've arrived. There were no beggars, no children living on the streets. Some were wealthier than others, but none of them were begging for food and everybody had a roof over their heads at night. Qingya had fertile land and resources, nearly every important trade route passed through the Ghost King's territory. It was a prosperous empire that had enjoyed peace for many years and had a monarch that seemingly cared for the people. The elderly were not forgotten and the young were looked after. Xie Wang had noticed that the level of education was high and corruption low. A woman living in the streets would have stood out like a sore thumb. There was no way the Ghosts would have just ignored her, unless they have been ordered to.

Sighing, he stepped closer. A faint fragrance stood out among the smell of sweat and dirt. Xie Wang bought one of Luohan's sleeves to his nose and took in a deep breath. "Drunk Like a Dream." He murmured, mostly to himself. Even after so long, it permeated the fabric of her clothes.

The poison was a powerful hallucinogen, effective during interrogation or as a distraction. A scent he recognized from his previous run ins with the Window of Heaven. Xie Wang had been trying to find the formula for a long time but the other organization had done too good a job erasing it from existence. 

Drunk Like a Dream could only mean the Window of Heaven, and the Window of Heaven led to only one explanation for Qiao Luohan's lack of reactions to her surroundings. Taking off his ring he wrapped the woman's hand around it, watching her relax when she recognized the shape. When he was sure she wouldn't struggle he pulled her robes open, ignoring Du Pusa's giggles.

Xie Wang had no interest in the woman's body but there, unmistakable, were the heads of seven nails buried into her flesh. The skin around them was swollen and reddened, but not torn and other than silvery scars long healed, there were no other wounds. No signs of torture, or having tried to prolong her pain. Whoever had done this hadn't been intrested in her suffering, nor had they found any joy in torture. It was almost clinical, a means to an end. A message, nothing more. It couldn't have been the Ghost King, for Xie Wang was certain he would have sent Qiao Luohan back in so many pieces she would have been unrecognizable. No. This had been his consort, and now Xie Wang knew exactly who that was. The poison that coated the nails was even more valuable than Drunk Like a Dream. Only so many people alive knew it, the current Leader of the Window of Heaven, his second in command, and the former Leader.

"Is that a flower?" Du Pusa asked curiously, leaning closer to see the delicate carvings on the heads of the nails. She hovered over Qiao Luohan for a long time, who was completely oblivious to her presence.

"A plum blossom." He answered. Resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity... How fitting for that person.

"Can I go next?" Du Pusa pouted as she turned to look at him. "I will do a better job than this failure."

Xie Wang rolled his eyes. Those two had always been at each other's throats, he really didn't know why they had hated each other so much. "She may have failed at her mission but she bought back valuable information. The Ghost King didn't marry just any noblemen, he married Zhou Zishu."

The woman frowned. "Who?"

"...A shadow without traces." He answered absentmindedly, unsurprised that Du Pusa had no idea who Zhou Zishu was. The man's real identity had been hard to uncover. In fact, Xie Wang was now sure it would have taken him much longer had the marriage arrangement not forced the older assasin to retire. Back when the leadership of the Window of Heaven had changed, just months before rumors of the Ghost King's wedding had spread, he hadn't thought to make a connection. He had made the connection between Zhou Zishu, Emperor Jin's cousin, leaving the Capital and the change in leadership. It made sense that the former Leader of Four Seasons Manor, a martial arts sect famous for the stealth of their techniques, who was also the new emperor's cousin had been behind his rise of power. Xie Wang hadn't wondered about the reason behind his retirement though, since the political scene in the Capital hadn't suffered after he's left. Clearly he had trained his people well enough that he hadn't been necessary anymore and Xie Wang had thought he had just gone home to live the rest of his life in peace.

He had been sitting on this information for a while, waiting for the right moment to unveil it and now he was glad he had. To think Emperor Jin had married his most beloved cousin to someone as bloodthirsty as the Ghost King. The man truly had a heart of stone, or maybe he was heartless. Xie Wang would never have seen this coming. Well, Zhou Zishu was supposedly as beautiful as he was ruthless, no wonder the Ghost King was so enamored.

"What does that mean?" Du Pusa whined when he failed to elaborate sooner.

"It means we will retreat. Even if he walks out the gates alone and of his own volition, we will never manage to kill him." Zhou Zishu had done this, he realized, not to torture Qiao Luohan but to make his identity known. He was not any weak prince, he was the founder of the Window of Heaven. They didn't hold a candle to him. Xie Wang was almost tempted to try to meet him but he wasn't eager to reincarnate quite yet.

Du Pusa pursed her lips. "The old bastard won't like that. He will take his anger on you again."

She almost sounded worried. Qiao Luohan had always seemed worried whenever he'd went to report after a mission too. He wondered if she'd cared any less for him, if he'd be the one with Seven Nails of Torment in his meridians now. 

"He doesn't have a choice." Even his Yifu knew better than to think they could win against both the Ghost King and the founder of the Window of Heaven. No. The only path they had left now was to bide their time try to steal the key another time. Assasination was no longer an option either.

In a flash he pulled out a dagger and slashed Qiao Luohan's throat, ignoring the warm blood that splashed across his face as he watched the life fade from her sightless eyes.

"Why'd you do that?!" Du Pusa whined, wiping her own face in disgust. 

"There was nothing more we could do for her now." He explained. There was no escape from the Seven Nails, no cure for their poison. Every day would just be a struggle, living like that would be torture. An existance worse than death. For Qiao Luohan, a quick death had been the only merciful option left. 

Du Pusa whined again and left the room with a huff, complaining about brutes and their savage methods... His adopted sister, she really was such a spoiled princess. 

Prying his ring from Qiao Luohan's hand, he slipped it back on his finger before closing her eyes. There was blood all over the pillow and mattress, he noticed. They had made a mess after all, he'd have to ask someone to clean up before they left. Xie Wang ran a fingertip over her skin... he'd have to ask someone to clean her body up too. Unfortunately, they couldn't be able to carry her all the way home unnoticed so they would have to bury her somewhere outside of the city. Since they hadn't been attacked yet, he could only determine they would be allowed to leave unbothered by the spies who had undoubtedly been keeping an eye on her. 

Walking back to the table he poured two cups of wine, spilling one on the table and finishing the other. The Chief of Ghost Valley and the Leader of the Window of Heaven, he thought as he looked at Qiao Luohan's still form. "Those two devils, what fate bought them together?" Xie Wang whispered to himself in the quiet room. 

Chapter Text

Zishu was having a surprisingly pleasant day. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign because he knew his illness wasn't actually getting better. In fact, it was getting worse. The pain in his bones was almost a constant ache, a loyal companion that almost never left him. The days of sparing and physical exercise were long behind him, he could barely walk without feeling tired and out of breath most of the time. It had been weeks since he'd last taken a stroll through the forest and even his madman of a husband was too afraid to break him to have sex anymore. Which was frustrating, because in spite of getting weaker his body still had needs! The coughing had gotten more frequent, to the point where he was spitting out more blood in a week than he had in years of being reckless about internal injuries... Zishu could barely remember what warmth felt like anymore but today, today was a good day and he was determined not to spend it wallowing in his own misery. If his life was to be short, he might as well live it to its fullest with the people he loved.

The day had started well. He'd woken up well rested for once, wrapped up in blankets like a cocoon. Something Lao Wen had taken to doing for him when he had to leave the bed before Zishu, which was still most days. As much as the older man wanted, and tried,  to always be there for him it simply wasn't possible. He had made sure though that Zishu wasn't left alone in the mornings, he was rarely left alone at all anymore. No one was as good as his husband at easing his pain but the Ghost King had done his best to teach the others the techniques he had learned from his parents in the little time he had. Luo Fumeng had already learned a little from his mother in law and Uncle Bi had had some basic medical training in his youth so they hadn't had many difficulties. A-Xiang and Han Ying were still young enough to make learning the skill easier and the later turned out to have a naturally soft touch when it came to such things. Surprisingly, Qianqiao had found herself having the hardest time in spite of her usual gentle nature which was why she had volunteered to travel to Imortal Physicians Valley to ask for their help. His brother had also learned and either Lao Wen was a very good teacher or the young man was just that determined because it had only taken him a few days... Or maybe a combination of both. It was Jiuxiao's anxious face that he had seen that morning after slowly blinking himself awake. Zishu was starting to think his brother had no intention of return home anytime soon. Selfishly, he was glad. Since his brother was there, the thought of letting him go again was difficult. 

There had been a hot bath already waiting for him and the room had been recently heated. Winter was close upon them and it was too foggy most of the time to enjoy the colorful view he loved so much from his terrace but the mist covered valley had its own charm. It was getting colder though so he hadn't been surprised to find a thick, fur lined coat with his deep blue robes when he got out of the water. He had made sure to keep his wet hair covered in a warm towel while getting dressed. Zishu was sure that if he somehow managed to get a chill Lao Wen would kill someone. Then Jiuxiao had dried his hair and helped him comb it. Zishu remembered the days in their childhood when their positions had been reversed, trying to wrangle his little brother into staying still long enough to pull his hair up even in a simple ponytail. Jiuxiao had been such an energetic child, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at the young man he'd grow up into. He made Zishu proud.

Zishu had chosen a hairpin to wear while Jiuxiao combed his hair. The first time his younger brother had seen Zishu's collection of jewelry and buyao hairpins in beautiful lacquered boxes, also a gift from his husband, the young Sect Leader had been stumped. His brother had first assumed that Lao Wen was making him wear such things before Zishu had corrected that assumption. The truth was that after years of living in the shadows and moving without making any noise, Zishu took a weird kind of pleasure in this particular type of jewelry.

He'd swallowed Wu Xi's bitter medicine before his food was delivered and eaten the sweet breakfast the maids had taken to preparing for him to wash the taste out. After that he'd watched Jiuxiao and A-Xiang train, giving pointers mostly to the girl from his table in the courtyard. When the sun had started shining less brightly they went inside. That evening they've had a family meal with Lao Wen and Han Ying, even Luo Fumeng and Uncle Bi had joined for once, but eventually they had all returned to their duties and now he was left with Jiuxiao and A-Xiang again. The terrace was already too cold to use so they were sitting around a table in a warmed and well lit room.

"Zishu-gege, I'm not good at this." The girl whined, laying her chin in her hands and glaring at the table. "Why can't I just spar with Jiuxiao-ge again?"

The former assassin rolled his eyes. Sometimes he thought he'd never met someone who love fighting so much in his life. "Little brat, do you think war is all about strength?" 

Her playful glare turned into a genuine frown as she looked up at him. "Are we preparing for war?"

He gathered his sleeve in one hand as to not disturb the board on the table between them and flicked A-Xiang softly on the forehead. She rubbed at the skin with another whine of his name while he answered. "You must always be prepared for war." 

"All the more reason for me to train. I'm too dumb for this anyway, I'm never going to win against you!" Jiuxiao had to steady the board before she knocked it over.

"A-Xiang, you're not dumb!" His brother protested before he could. And anyway, winning against him was not the point, Zishu didn't add. Few people could beat him at Yi anymore. Beiyuan and him were evenly matched and his cousin was close to them in skill but other than that he hadn't lost in a long time. He wondered what type of player his husband was and made a mental note to have a match against him one day.

"'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.'" Zishu explained, stopping for a moment when a small coughing fit overwhelmed him. He ignored the looks thrown his way and calmly placed another white stone on the board, removing two of the black before continuing. "You need to exercise your mind, as well as your body. The game of Yi will help you do that. Learn to read people, learn to understand your opponent and anticipate their next move. War is not all about who swings around the heaviest blade."

"Sounds like one of those books ge made me learn." She muttered, moving to place her own stone slowly as if to make a point. It was not the worst strategy but it was very basic. A good start for someone just learning the game and still testing the waters when it came to an obviously more experienced opponent, which already proved that she was better at this than she wanted to let on. 

"And that is why your brother is so feared." He told her as he removed another of her stones.

She huffed. "Because he likes to torture me with boring books?"

Zishu had to hold back from flicking her forehead again, because of course she thought Master Sun's Military Method was a boring book! This idiotic child! Didn't she realize how lucky she was to have a brother like Lao Wen? To be raised by someone who had no wish to limit who and what she could be just because she had been born female? Someone willing to teach her how to fight and, even more than that, educate her? Even in the Jianghu or nobility, it wasn't usual. His husband had been raised by Gu Miaomiao though, so Zishu wasn't surprised where his opinion laid thought.

Zishu wanted to be angry at A-Xiang for not realizing how privileged she was but she probably really didn't know.  She was the sheltered and beloved Princess of Qingya, she had no idea how cruel the world outside those stone gates could be. Unfortunately, he thought, one day she would have to find out. Inwardly, he sighed.

"Because Lao Wen's mind is even more dangerous than his brute strength." He eventually explained, once they've exchanged a few more moves. "When he first became Chief his army was smaller than that of his opponents and yet he won every battle. By the end of his campaign, more than half of his enemies surrendered before the first blade was drawn. 'The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. If your opponent is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irate him.'" He said as he made another move that removed several of her pieces.

"Then ge can make the strategies and I can just swing my sword whichever way he points." A-Xiang grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes, just as she placed her own stone, finally managing to steal one of his stones from the board. Obviously quite capable of making her own strategies. So she had learned something from those 'boring' books, after all. Jiuxiao tried to hide a snort, not quite managing it. Fucking brats, the both of them, he thought. Just as he was about to voice that, a sobering thought crossed his mind. 

"Lao Wen won't always be there to think for you." Zishu sighed and both of their smiles slipped from their faces.

"Zishu-gege..." A--Xiang frowned while Jiuxiao gripped his forearm, Zishu laid his own hand over his brother's for a short moment. "I am living proof that being powerful doesn't make someone invincible. Lao Wen is still human." A-Xiang looked like she wanted to protest but pressed her lips together instead. "Do you still have those books your brother made you read?"

She nodded.

"Read them again." He ordered. She had obviously learned something from them, being able to identify his quotes and having some basic knowledge of strategy but she needed to be able to recite them in her sleep. One day she might find herself on a throne, for there was no doubt Lao Wen considered her his heir, and the people living within Qingya's borders would depend on her. They would need to trust that she would defend them as well as Lao Wen would. 

The girl's mouth fell open as the words registered, dismay replacing the previous sorrow. "What?!" She cried. "Why?!"

"Because I told you to." He answered, removing another of her stones. "And don't look so smug, Jiuxiao." He turned to his brother. "You could use a review of your old lessons after the stunt you pulled when you arrived here!"

"Gege..." His brother complained. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Not this century." A-Xiang mumbled under her breath. 

Zishu ignored them both, knowing they would listen to him anyway. Not that he actually believed Jiuxiao needed to study again but obviously he didn't believe in applying the lessons he'd learned... Zishu wondered where he'd failed.

He asked a servant for some wine and took his evening medicine before turning back to the game. After defeating A-Xiang twice and Jiuxiao once, they both decided to abandon him. It was already late and he was surprised Lao Wen hadn't came to bother them sooner anyway. Zishu slowly made his way to the study.

"You're working late." He said in lieu of greeting when he found the Ghost King leaning over a map on his desk.

"A-Xu." Lao Wen smiled and pulled him into his arms once Zishu was close enough, kissing him softly. "Is it that late?"

He hummed, before looking down at the map as well. Trade routes, he noticed. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinking about something Beiyuan had mentioned." His husband answered. "Of a possible alliance with the South."

Of course Beiyuan had done that, he thought. Zishu wasn't surprised that huli jing had taken advantage of the opportunity to do so. "Have you two come up with an agreement?"

"We've only agreed to discuss it further when they return. I was looking at the trade routes since he mentioned that." Other that by sea, all major trade routes passed through Qingya. Zishu knew it had concerned Helian Yi as well for a long time before his wedding. 

"A lot of their warriors are trained in medicine too, which would be good in case of a conflict." That would be beneficial should the nomad tribes in the north attack, or someone from the west. The North and the South were already allied, something his cousin had done as fast as he took the throne. If Qingya and the South also allied, it would tie the three empires even more and Zishu suspected it would set many minds at ease. Wu Xi and Beiyuan might know now that Lao Wen had no intention of attacking them but he didn't doubt everyone else feared just that. That talk could wait a little longer though, Zishu was having a good day and no intention of wasting it on politics.

"Come to bed?" He asked, turning in Lao Wen's arms enough to kiss the side of his neck. He grinned against the flowery scented skin when he felt the taller man's body tense at his tone. Maybe if he was persuasive enough he could convince his husband to do more than kissing him goodnight and holding him, he thought... Zishu could be very persuasive when he wanted to. 

Chapter Text

Bingyan had never approved of his granddaughter's decision to leave the Sect but what could he have done? If he had opposed her marriage or tried to keep her by force, she would have hated him. She would have eloped and he would have never seen her again at all... That girl had been too willful but she'd had a good heart. It was no wonder she had fallen in love with an idealist, or that after they've married they had decided to leave the sect to travel the world. They've thought they could save everyone and Bingyan hadn't had the heart to disillusion them. It may have been selfish but he hadn't wanted to be the one to ruin their innocence.

A-Miao had been his beloved granddaughter but he'd loved and raised her as a daughter. Her parents had died when she'd been still young and though her uncles and aunts had offered to take her in, Bingyan had thought himself still young enough. His wife had already passed, her internal energy not as powerful as his, so he had raised her alone. Maybe he had been softer on her than he'd been on his own children, had given her too much freedom and the world had ripped her away from him too soon. A-Miao had been so smart, her mind absorbing everything he'd taught her. In their sect everyone who was willing to learn was allowed to learn regard of status or gender and no one had been able to keep up with his little A-Miao. Then she'd grown up into a beautiful young woman, clever and wild, and it had been inevitable for the rest of the world to notice her. Much to the ire of many arrogant men, his sweet granddaughter hadn't been charmed by power and fortunes. Instead, she'd fallen in love with her childhood friend. An orphan raised in their sect, with a kind and gentle heart. Bingyan had known Wen Ruyu his entire life, he knew he could never have found someone more worthy of his A-Miao. Wen Ruyu had been a good man, but maybe he had been too good a man. Too trusting.

Many decades have passed since they've left to travel and almost three since they've last visited him. Bingyan had started to fear they were gone from this world a long time ago, and now he knew for sure.

They had acted strange the last time they've visited the Valley, it had been right after the deaths of Yu Fenger and Rong Xuan. A-Miao had been good friends with her older martial sister when they had been children so he had thought the young couple were mourning. If there had been something else bothering them, they never did say before they've left and he'd never heard from them again. When asked none of their friends knew where they were and any attempts to track them down had failed. Eventually, Bingyan had been forced to give up the search, to allow the rest of the family to mourn. He'd stepped down as the Leader of Immortal Physician Valley in favor of one of his grandsons and focused more on his research, unwilling and less keen to deal with the outside world anymore. 

Now this woman was claiming she could lead him to his great grandson, after so many years of praying and lost hope. His great grandson needed help... a great grandson Bingyan hadn't even known he had. She could be lying but a liar wouldn't have had the jade bracelet A-Miao had worn at her wedding. That had belonged to her mother and her mother before her and her mother before her. She could be a thief but a thief wouldn't have known the story behind the small scar on A-Miao's knee. She'd gotten it trying to save a kitten stuck in a tree... The kitten jumped down just fine but that idiot child had almost broken her leg. So he believed her, he believed Liu Qianqiao. How could he not? He'd agreed to come with her, he couldn't risk not coming, but he hadn't wanted to put anyone else in danger just in case it was a trap after all so he was all alone.

They had made slow progress in reaching the borders of Qingya. Bingyan hadn't left his village in decades, much less ridden a horse so Liu Qianqiao had bought a cart for them at the first big city they had passed through. She'd paid for them to sleep at inns so they wouldn't have to camp in the forest, she didn't blink at the expensive ingredients he occasionally wanted to purchase at apothecaries they passed by and offered to pay for those for him as well. His Sect was not poor but they relied on the good will of others. They accepted compensation and donations from those who could afford it in order to be able to heal those who couldn't pay so he didn't try to refuse her but he did wonder. His great grandson had apparently sent this woman, she claimed to work for him, and yet he knew A-Miao and Wen Ruyu had never been wealthy. 

"You are very generous, Lady Liu." He said after they've left yet another shop, a small pack of very rare powder added to the growing collection in his cart. 

"You are doing us a favor, Grandmaster Zhen, and those might as well help you once we reach our destination." She answered, leading him towards an elegant looking restaurant.

Bingyan pushed his wariness to the back of his mind when they stopped before the gates of Ghost Valley a few days later. The young woman must have noticed something in his expression because she tried to reassure with a smile.

"Don't fear, you are under my protection. No one here will dare cause you harm." Liu Qianqiao told him while they waited to be admitted inside. Not that he had been afraid, Bingyan was too old to be afraid of much these days.

Indeed, the guards seemed to defer to her. He was surprised when they didn't stop in the city but kept going forward. The palace looked like the temples of old from his own grandmother's stories. Liu Qianqiao climbed the stairs slowly so he could keep up, until they reached an open door leading to a small terrace. There was a tall man wearing expensive red robes facing away from them, watching over the valley from above.

"Chief." Liu Qianqiao greeted with a bow. "This is Grandmaster Zhen." At the sound of her voice the man turned around and Bingyan almost froze as he spoke in a low voice. Wen Ruyu's voice had been exactly the same, deep and pleasant the the ears. "Good. Go rest, I will take it from here." He ordered and once Liu Qianqiao left them alone, Bingyan drank in his features. The Ghost King's eyes were dark and unreadable but the rest of him looked enough like both of his parents the healer couldn't deny this had to be him. 

The young man wasn't sick, he could tell, but there was a tightness to the smile on his face. Bingyan had seen it on many faces before. Grief and exhaustion. He'd seen it on the faces of parents begging him to help their children, on the faces of children trying to be strong for their ailing parents, on the faces of spouses that refused to give up on their loved one. He dreaded to think which one his great grandson was. 

"Your Majesty." Bingyan greeted with a bow.

The younger man measured him up and down for a moment before nodding approvingly. "My name is Wen Kexing. Follow me."

Wen Kexing. It was a beautiful name. Wherever they had been hiding, his parents must have missed their years on the road when he had been born. Bingyan wished they could spend longer together, he had so many things to ask, but he was a healer and he understood that his patient was the priority. From what Liu Qianqiao had explained his great grandson wouldn't have ever reached out to him if it hadn't been dire circumstances. The Chief led the way to a different room, the physician let out a tiny sigh when the warmth inside washed over him, before he took in the sight inside.

"A-Xu." His great grandson whispered, making a bee line for the man sitting at the table, drinking tea. He sat next to him and took his thin hand into both of his own gently. 

A grieving husband it was then, Bingyan thought as he took in the obviously sick man. He was wearing light blue warm robes and even under all the layers Bingyan could tell how thin he was. His breathing was heavy and loud, his skin unnaturally pale and his raven hair had lost its shine. 

"Lao Wen, I'm fine. You were only gone for a moment." The ill man answered before turning to look at Bingyan with a nod of acknowledgement. "Grandmaster Zhen."

Bingyan froze for a moment. How had he known that, before they were even introduced? How did this child recognize him at all? Age was tricky with martial artists, as they could live for centuries. Some looked young until they died of old age, and some aged longer but then looked like old man for a long time. His wife used to say that it was all about how old they felt at heart, sometimes hardships and grief could make them visibly age years in just months. Bingyan himself had experienced that, after his A-Miao went missing. Having been a physician for centuries though he was an expert at reading the signs, of searching for details others would deem insignificant. This child was exactly as old as he looked, he couldn't have been out of nappies yet when Bingyan had retired from the outside world. Rumors of the marriage alliance between Qingya and the North had reached even his remote corner of Immortal Physician's Valley but none of them knew for sure who the Ghost King's consort was. Who, indeed, Bingyan wondered, was his great grandson in law to have had spies even in their peaceful and neutral village of healers? ...It didn't matter, not at the moment. 

"Your Highness." He answered as he approached. 

"It's Zhou Zishu." The man said as he offered his wrist without even having to be asked with the resignation of someone who had done so a thousand times before.

It took all the self control he's built over the year's not to flinch at what he felt or allow any of his thoughts to show on his face. Instead, he calmly sat down when the consort gestured for him to and accepted the offered cup of tea before he started speaking. "Child, I've..."

"Never seen anyone survive such demage to their lungs?" The young man asked calmly, ignoring the nearly inaudible strangled noise his husband let out at that. "I know. I mean no insult to your skills Grandmaster Zhen but if the Great Shaman could not help me, no one can."

Oh... the Great Shaman had already been there? He thought, disappointed. "I was going to recommend him next." Bingyan admitted with a sigh.

The current Great Shaman was a young mind, talented and open to new methods and medicines. If anyone could help in this case, try to cure an illness Bingyan had never seen cured in all his centuries as a physician, it would have been him. 

"I wish I could have been of more help. If you show me the medicine the Great Shaman had made for you, I can maybe make some teas to complement it. To ease your pain, if nothing else." He added and saw his great grandson visibly relax at the promise of even that.

"Thank you." They both said at the same time and he wished there was more he could do... maybe someone back home knew something. It's been a long time since he's properly interacted with his Sect. His family always bought to his attention discoveries they thought intrested him but the lungs had never been his specialty. He made a mental note to ask when he returned home and spent the rest of the day getting to know great grandson. 

After determining that he wasn't a threat, the Chief introduced Bingyan to his younger sister and the old physician's breath almost caught in his throat. Gu Xiang was almost a spitting image of her mother and had the same fire in her eyes. Gu Xiang, Bingyan thought. She had her mother's surname... His granddaughter had been in Ghost Valley but Wen Ruyu had not. Bingyan had no doubt that had he been there, Wen Ruyu would have claimed the girl. Raised her as his own, loved her as his own, and no one would have suspected anything else. It was the kind of man he had been. Whatever the circumstances of her birth, he would never had held it against an innocent child. Because Bingyan knew his granddaughter too, she had loved her husband and no other. But Wen Ruyu hadn't been there and it was obvious from the fiercely protective look in his great grandson's eyes exactly who had raised his great granddaughter. Wen Kexing's path may have diverged from that of his parents greatly but it seemed he had inherited their heart regardless.

The Chief of Ghost Valley. It broke Bingyan's heart to think about it and what it meant for his great grandson's past. A-Miao hadn't had any children yet during her last visit and he would have been able to tell had she been pregnant back then which meant his great grandson had been just a child when he took over Ghost Valley... and then he'd earned himself the reputation of being a bloodthirsty warlord. Bingyan didn't know what to feel about that but the young man in front of him didn't look like a lunatic. He looked tired and worn out. It was no great mistery to him, as a healer, that Wen Kexing was the one who had been keeping his husband alive. He'd recognized the traces of his Sects techniques the moment he'd felt the other man's meridians. Those pills the Great Shaman had made were a marvel but they could only have helped so far. His great grandson had been protecting his husband from the effects of the poison, leaving only the disease to be affected and not his body as well. 

Once they were alone, later that evening, he looked into his great grandson's dark eyes as he spoke. "You are a born talent, to have been keeping that man alive as long as you have."

He thought there was regret in the young man's eyes when he answered. "I am no healer, I stopped walking that path when I was nine years old."

"And your sister?"

"A-Xiang isn't a healer either, and she will stay here with me." The Chief answered, his cold tone leaving no room for argument. Much as Bingyan would have loved to offer to take the girl back home and teach her the ways of their Sect, he didn't dare argue.

"Why have you never come to visit?" Bingyan found himself asking. Wen Kexing had obviously known of their familial connection. The healer understood that maybe it hadn't been possible when he had been young, he knew what Ghost Valley had been like, but his great grandson had been the Chief for over a decade. Had he thought they would not have been accepted because his parents had chosen to leave the Sect? Or that they would be rejected for his choices and status? For A-Xiang's parentage? They were his family, A-Miao's children. Bingyan never would have turned them away. 

His great grandson seemed taken by surprise at the question for a moment before he sighed, pouring himself some wine. "To the rest of the world the Wen family is dead, it's better if we stay that way for a little while longer. The Immortal Physician Valley is only safe because they don't think you have what they want but if they suspected you did, they'd burn it to the ground to get it."

Bingyan frowned. He remembered A-Miao and Wen Ruyu's weird behavior during their last visit, before they had vanished from the world. Was that why they had left? To protect the rest of the Sect? "What do they want?"

The Chief shook his head. "It's better if you don't know." A cold look overcame his youthful face. What kind of trouble had his granddaughter and grandson in law gotten into? What could they have had in their possession that someone would be willing to destroy a whole Sect over? Coming to the Valley had bought him more questions than answers but he was determined not to let Wen Kexing and Gu Xiang disappear from his life the way their mother had. One day he would get his answers, he decided, but until then he had a cure to search for.

Chapter Text

It was rare that Luo Fumeng was the one left taking care of Zishu but Qianqiao had taken A-Xiang and Jiuxiao to the city for some fresh air, Han Ying and Uncle Bi had their duties and Lao Wen was busy training his army into an early grave. He wondered if being so close to the Ghost King's location was a punishment equal to guarding the northern borders. The former assassin almost felt bad for those soldiers. Almost. Zishu wasn't that soft yet.

A wave of guilt overcame him as he thought of the older man. Zishu knew his husband had been feeling restless for a while, ever since Grandmaster Zhen had left with the promise to try and find a cure. Because his great grandfather in law hadn't been able to offer them an answer, Zishu was still ill and he was getting worse. He sighed. Soon... soon his time would run out, maybe it was time for him to stop denying the inevitable and start getting his affairs into order.

Leaning against the mountain of pillows A-Xiang had progressively sneaked in during the last few weeks he watched Luo Fumeng prepare one of the teas Grandmaster Zhen had prescribed for him, sipping on the soup she had placed in his hands earlier with the instructions that he better eat it all if he ever wanted to be allowed out of bed that day. It was an empty threat, they both knew. Zishu hadn't been able to walk without help in days, he wouldn't be getting out of bed anyway. The soup burned on his tongue but he barely felt the taste at all and it settled into his belly like a ball of lead. It made him sick and everything hurt, he wanted nothing more than to throw the bowl at the wall and see if watching it shattered to pieces would make him feel any better but it would only make his husband worry more when he found out. He was causing Lao Wen enough grief so he forced the soup to stay down and focused on the only other person in the room instead... Might as well take advantage of their privacy, since he didn't know if he'd ever have another chance. 

"Why do you hate me so much?" He asked the woman quietly and for a moment he thought she didn't hear him at all.

"You two must think me so dumb, as if I of all people didn't recognize that look in his eyes all those years ago." She spoke softly, without turning around. Her silvery hair was held back with a ribbon and she was not dressed in one of her elaborate robes but in a simple dark grey outfit. The sleeves were tied around her forearms so they wouldn't get in the way.

"Have you ever thought of the pain you were causing, Zhou Zishu? Do you know how much he suffered? Do you know how much he sacrificed for you?" She continued and the former assassin had no answer. He didn't know. Obviously she was talking about whatever had happened between them in the past and she clearly thought Zishu had abandoned the older man. He hadn't been able to experiment with Drunk Like a Dream because of his lungs but from what he understood from his mother in law's writings about the Water of Naihe, it should indeed work as an antidote. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to take it so he still didn't remember but their meeting was the reason Lao Wen had stopped his campaign, that much he had been able to work out. Why did she say he had suffered and sacrificed for it? Shouldn't she be glad that he had no longer risked his life in war? Why had his husband been doing it in the first place? Not out of blind ambition. He must have had a goal, a goal he never reached because he's stopped.

"And as if that wasn't enough now he must lose you all over again. Do you even know what this will do to him? Why couldn't you just leave him alone? Why do you have to make him suffer like this!?" Her voice broke as she finally turned around and he realized that there were tears in her eyes. He really did have a great talent for making people cry these days, didn't he?

Zishu stayed silent because he didn't have an answer to her question. At least, he didn't have any good answers.

"Did you know that..." Her voice broke and she trailed off as she poured hot tea into a cup for him. "...that I can never have children of my own after what was done to me?"

The former assassin shook his head. He hadn't known. "I'm sorry."

"I have watched that boy grow up into the man he is today..." She smiled, more to herself than for him, while she took away his half full soup. Her eyes were still damp. "I promised his mother I would look out for him and his sister."

"I'm sorry." He repeated, she shook her head slowly. "It doesn't matter now, you can't change the past. I just wish... I just wish he didn't have to go through this pain again. He's lost so many people."

When he took the tea she offered, she caught his hands between her own. Her palms were warm, surprisingly soft and gentle around his own. "I don't hate you, Your Highness. I'd give my life in exchange for yours if I could." She declaired honestly.

"That would be a very poor deal." He answered without taking his hands away. It felt good, he wondered if that was what it would have felt like if his mother or Shimu were the ones taking care of him. Would their touch feel just as kind? It would, he thought.

"I'd take it anyway." She answered, finally letting go of his hands only to push a few strands of hair away from his face. 

Zishu took a gulp of the tea to distract himself and almost spit it out. It was disgusting. He glared down at the cup.

"I don't want to leave him." He whispered, after the tea was long gone and he was left staring at an empty cup. The words tasted as bitter on his tongue as that vile liquid had.

"I know, child." She put away the empty cup and took his hands in her's again. "I know."

"Take care of him for me, if I..." He swallowed dryly and regretted it when it almost triggered a coughing fit. 

"I will." Luo Fumeng promised once he regained his breath. "But Zhou Zishu, do you think he..." She was interrupted by the doors being pushed open and they both turned to see his husband step inside.

Zishu couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips when the beautiful man stepped closer and kissed his forehead in greeting. "Lao Wen."

"A-Xu." He answered, before looking down at their hands and turning to the silver haired woman curiously. "Aunty Luo."

"A-Xing, you're back early." She stated instead of explaining their sudden closeness, still holding Zishu's hands. 

"They were so incompetent they were giving me a headache." Lao Wen explained and Zishu held back a snort at the low whine in his voice.

Luo Fumeng didn't look like she believed him but she did let go of Zishu's hands to stand up. "You can take care of your husband then, if you have free time."

Zishu tried to ignore the heartbreak in her eyes when she looked at them before leaving. 

After his husband had cleaned up and changed out of his dusty training clothes he joined Zishu in bed even though it was still the middle of the day and pulled him close. Zishu let out a tiny moan of relief as he shifted on his side and the new position released some of the weight on his lungs, making breathing a little easier. "What really happened?" 

"As I said, they were giving me a headache so Han Ying sent me away before I could snap someone's neck." The older man complained and actually... that sounded plausible enough.

He had noticed that his husband had been slowly nudging Han Ying into the role of his second in command ever since he'd made him a General at Zishu's request and realized what he was really capable of. Han Ying might be young, but he had been born to lead. With Zishu ill as he was the two often trained together too and these days Han Ying was completely relaxed in the Ghost King's presence. He might even go as far as saying they were friends. The young man was anything but meek, he would tell Lao Wen to fuck off and come spend time with Zishu... Well, maybe not using those exact words, Han Ying was too polite for that. 

Even though Han Ying had done it so Lao Wen could come back and spend more time with him the part about his husband almost snapping someone's neck was probably also true, especially since he was so on edge recently. Zishu rolled his eyes. "They can't all be that bad. At least your Generals have to be somewhat competent." After over a decade, the Ghost Army could no longer be considered a new army and Zishu knew what it was capable of. 

"You can select a few people to have under your own command and see how long you keep that opinion when you are the one dealing with buffoons all the time." His husband retorted.

He sat up, looking into his husband's eyes mischievously as he leaned above him. "Obviously if they were under my command they wouldn't stay buffoons for long." He teased. The smile slipped from his lips as he felt a coughing fit coming, reminding him that he wouldn't be leading anyone, anywhere, anytime soon. 

Lao Wen kept his hand on his back through it, sending a slight stream of spiritual energy through, before rubbing soothing circles once it subdued. Zishu slumped against him, suddenly exhausted. He squeezed his eyes shut and whispered. "I'm sorry, Lao Wen." 

Soft lips touched his forehead. "A-Xu has nothing to be sorry for."

For some reason he couldn't help but smile at the predictable answer. He snuggled until he was more comfortable and let out a content sigh. "If I could turn back time, I wouldn't." He confessed. "All my life I have been a man of my own mind, I have no regrets in this life. It was a good life."

Zishu had lived to see Helian Yi on the throne. His cousin's rivals were dead and he had managed to make alliances with both Qingya and the South. The North was stabilizing, peace was so much closer. He wished he could see that one day but this was good too.

Lao Wen went completely still under him and the room was eerily silent for a while, the only sound that of Zishu's breathing. Then his husband took Zishu's hand into his own and kissed the inside of his wrist before speaking calmly, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin. "If this is an attempt to convince me to give up on you, stop. We bowed together three times, A-Xu, our souls are forever bound now."

Before Zishu could even react, teeth sunk into the delicate skin of his wrist. It stung but he didn't try to pull away. If he wanted, Lao Wen would let him go without causing demage but he trusted his husband... even if he was a madman gnawing on his flesh. It didn't hurt worse than everything was already hurting, anyway, and he almost liked the way warmth spread across his skin from the point where Lao Wen's soft mouth touched it. It was only when his hand started to tremble in spite of his efforts to relax that the lunatic finally pulled away. His lips were red with blood like they had been painted and he had left behind a perfectly shaped mark of his teeth on Zishu's skin. The former assassin just watched it calmly as the Ghost King sealed his acupoints. In an instant, the bleeding stopped and the older man was ripping the sleeve of his sleeping robe apart to wrap up the wound. 

Zishu stared at the wrist Lao Wen had shoved in his face. Was he supposed to bite the nutcase back? Without thinking much of it, he did. It took more effort to pierce through human skin than Zishu had imagined, the salt on his tongue turned bitter and sharp as blood flooded his mouth. He didn't linger and unclenched his jaw as soon as the job was done, pushing his nausea down. Pulling away, he was in morbid fascination as his husband wrapped up the bite mark.

"If you die, I die. If you live, I live." His husband declared, his voice not wavering once. Zishu could only stare at his own wrapped wrist, still feeling the sting under it. A blood oath tying them together.

That's what Luo Fumeng had been trying to say, Zishu realized. She had already known of Lao Wen's intention. If their roles were reversed Zishu would not want to live in a world without Lao Wen by his side anymore. He wouldn't even want to live without his martial skills, how could he ever live without his zhiji? If that were true, why would Lao Wen want to live without him? He wanted to order the madman to live, to demand he doesn't do something stupid, but it occured to him just how hypocritical that would be. All this time that Zishu had been slowly dying, he thought he'd die alone. Now that he knew that wasn't the case, it was both more daunting and a relief at once.

A few months by his zhiji's side were not enough, Zishu thought as he melted into the other's warm embrace. To die and live together... even as everything in his body ached Zishu really wished the dying part would not come anytime soon. They would find a way, he thought as the blankets were pulled over them and sleep started to overcome him. He just had to hold on just a little bit longer.

Chapter Text

Fumeng's fingers were numb as she wringed the freezing water out of the cloth in her hand before laying the compress over Zhou Zishu's forehead. Then she did it again when it got warm. And again. Soon, one of her girls walked in and exchanged the bowl of luke warm water with a freezing one, they were lucky it was winter and it was snowing outside. The maid's sorrow filled eyes lingering on His Highness for a moment before she walked out just as quietly as she'd came in.

Her girls loved Zhou Zishu, Fumeng had known that for a while. At first, they had been wary of having strangers in the palace, especially since most of them were men. A-Xing had carefully selected his own staff, and though the surrounding buildings carved into the mountain were also technically part of the palace, in the main one where he lived everyone knew everyone. The girls who worked here knew they were safe and the Chief trusted that no one would ever betray him. It hadn't always been that way and some of her girls were old enough to remember the Valley before A-Xing had killed the old master. Before he had implemented laws and doled out punishment to those who broke them. Back when the strong ate the weak and Fumeng had been powerless to help all of them, all the time. So they had been understandably wary at first, her girls, but that had slowly faded when they had realized Zhou Zishu and his guards were honorable people

They had been wary for their safety but they had also been wary for their Chief's happiness because her girls also loved Wen Kexing. A-Xing who had always comforted them just before those who had bothered them had mysteriously vanished or had had 'accidents', A-Xing who had always protected them since he'd been but a child. Fumeng had known. Of course she had known, and she had spent so many nights praying that he wouldn't get himself caught and killed... her kind, stubborn, overprotective A-Xing. Even at his worst, when she had feared for his sanity, but had never feared him, Fumeng had loved her A-Xing. And he loved Zhou Zishu so it came to no surprise that her girls had grown to love Zhou Zishu as well... and so had she. Because he was also kind and he was also stubborn and he made A-Xing happy. Made him smile and relax and live.

Fumeng hated that A-Xing had given up the chance to get revange twice because of Zhou Zishu, first when he had given up on his plans to invade the North and second when he had accepted the marriage instead of asking for Zhao Jing's head in exchange for an alliance, but she could never bring herself to hate the man whom her nephew adored so much... and now Zhou Zishu was fading away right in front of her eyes and she had no way to stop her A-Xing's heart from breaking.

With a deep sigh, she changed the compress again before touching the back of her hand to Zhou Zishu's flushed cheek. Her fingers stung from the difference in temperature and she feared this was just a reprieve. He was still too warm and she wished she could take his pain away with her touch... she wished Gu Miaomiao were there. It should be her taking care of her son in law, she should be the one comforting her son, but her friend was gone and all they had was Fumeng. Fumeng who wasn't a healer, who was too direct and frank. Fumeng who wasn't good with words and didn't know how to comfort people. 

Sighing again for what felt like the thousand time, she turned towards her beloved A-Xing where he was sitting on the floor with his face in his hands. Since the consort's health had taken a turn for the worst, everyone had been running themselves rugged trying to help. It was only after the fever had started breaking and the shivers had subdued that she had managed to send the others to their beds to rest. All but A-Xing, who refused to go sleep in a different room. Fumeng was tired after a couple of days spent by Zhou Zishu's bedside, A-Xing had spent months constantly transfering internal energy to his husband and comforting him during the night. It broke her heart to see him like this, she dreaded the moment Zhou Zishu's strength gave out. He's already fought for longer than she had believed anyone capable of but everyone had their limits and Zhou Zishu was only human. 

"A-Xing." Fumeng whispered, her voice loud in the silent room like thunder during summer storms. She waited until he looked up at her with reddened eyes before continuing. "He made it through this night, A-Xing." She turned her hand until it was cupping Zhou Zishu's hollow cheek before reaching her free hand to squeeze one of A-Xing's. She hesitated before speaking again. "...but I think you need to say goodbye."

"Say goodbye?" He laughed, a cruel sound that sent shivers down her spine. "I already did that once. I already let him go once. Because he would have resented me for keeping him. Because I wasn't worthy of him yet. Because our paths had crossed too soon and we still had so many things to accomplish apart..."

I let him go, the words echoed through her mind. Zhou Zishu hadn't left A-Xing so many years ago, she realized. A-Xing had left Zhou Zishu. She wished, if only things were different, that she could reach out and slap the stupid out of that boy. She'd seen how much Zhou Zishu loved him, how hard he was fighting for him. What had possessed that idiot to ever let him go!? Fumeng swallowed back the words, placing her hands in her lap when the Chief moved. She watched him as he shifted until he was kneeling by the bed and took his husband's hands into his own, bringing them both to his lips.

"So I let him go but fate reunited us. I won't say goodbye again." He declared solemnly against Zhou Zishu's skin. "If he passes on, I will hold a bundle of dry grass, douse myself in kerosene, and burn up together with him, turning to ash, becoming one with the earth in the same spot." He said like an oath. There was a look in his eyes that terrified her. One that she knew well... she still remembered the first time she'd seen it. 

Fumeng sat silently at her table, back straight and face blank. She's always hated the Valley Master's parties but after Gu Miaomiao's passing she'd hated them even more.

When the Master had announced he had found the Wen family, who had vanished from the Jianghu nearly a decade before, and was going after them she hadn't been able to do more then send an anonymous message through one of her braver girls. When they got to the small village and found the two healers ready to fight to their deaths Fumeng hadn't understood why they hadn't run. If they had vanished once they could do it again, couldn't they? All she could do was try her best to make their deaths quick and painless were they to fall by her hand. She was greatful to the couple for healing her after her former lover had broken her heart and her mind, but she had other people who depended on her and she wasn't going to die with the Wens. 

She'd only understood their determination to fight when a small boy had ran out of the forest just as the Master was about to stab Gu Miaomiao through the back with his spear and covered her body with his small fragile one. He was so tiny she'd thought he couldn't be more than seven years old but when he'd looked up and glared at them, dark eyes black like the abyss, she'd known he had to be older. He'd understood too much to be that young. They've had a son, she'd realized.

Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao had been ready to sacrifice themselves to give their son time to run away. They had used the time she had bought for them to erase every trace of him from their house, and they'd sent him away in the night. He had been more important than their lives, more important than the secret they've been hiding... and he'd loved them enough to come back. The look on his face when he stood there, fearless, all of nine years old, and glared at the man that had been about to kill his mother would haunt Fumeng to the end of her days.

In that moment, Fumeng had wished she could close her eyes because no matter how fearless there had been no way that baby could kill the monstrous Valley Master and she'd had no wish to see his end. To see the life drain out of his defiant eyes, to see his blood blend with that of his parents. That stupid child should have stayed away. She'd thought she'd risked everything for nothing trying to warn them... and then Gu Miaomiao had stood up.

The healer hadn't looked at her husband's cooling body, she hadn't looked at the tiny house burning behind her. She had ignored the broken bones and bleeding cuts that covered her body and done something Fumeng didn't think she would have had the courage to do were she in the healer's place. The beautiful woman had pulled her son close in her arms, covered his mouth with her hand and once again sacrificed for her child by offering herself. Her skills and her body, in exchange for the Valley Master sparing and protecting her son. Fumeng had only been able to watch in horror as that monster hadn't hesitated to say yes. 

She'd thought the boy was going to protest, and then when he didn't she'd thought maybe he hadn't understood, now she knew that Wen Kexing was simply a survivor and he'd inherited that from his mother. He had understood, and he had also understood why. 

Fumeng had watched, numb, as Gu Miaomiao and her son left the body of Wen Ruyu behind, laying in a mix of blood and mud. She had watched a little boy half carry, half drag his mother's broken body all the way to Ghost Valley. All she had been able to do was offer them a home in her own manor, try to soothe wounds that would never be soothed.

In the years that had followed, she had watched Gu Miaomiao use her skills to heal the Valley Master, to kill and ruin his enemies, watched over Gu Miaomiao's son when the woman was summoned to the Valley Master's bedroom for hours or days too. Watched him study, watched him train... watched him grow. Survive. He'd wormed his way into her heart, him and his mom and his sister and Fumeng had silently watched him grow stronger and stronger, a dragon in the nest of the ignorant snake. Now Gu Miaomiao was gone, that dragon was no longer a baby and the snake still didn't know that now it was no longer the predator... it was the prey.

Food was bought to the tables by her girls but the one serving the Master wasn't one of them. As it had been since his mother's death, the one serving the Master was A-Xing. He had grown into a beautiful young man and she had to force herself to stay still and not reach for her daggers when the walking trash around her leered at him. She knew he was powerful but seeing the looks on their faces, on the Valley Master's face, she couldn't help but feel dread in her stomach. The same looks they had directed at Gu Miaomiao in the past. Desire. Hunger. Lust. Gu Miaomiao was gone and with her death the Master considered the promise he had made to her void. Fumeng didn't know how far A-Xing was willing to go for his revenge and she was terrified of finding out. 

She bit her tongue to keep silent when that monster trailed his fingers down A-Xing's arm. "How beautiful you've grown, little ghost. So much like your mother. Maybe you can take her place, with a face like yours who cares what you've got between your legs." The snake laughed, his cronies joining in. "And if you ever grow too weak, like your whore of a mother, there's always your sister since you insist on taking care of that useless burden. I bet she will grow up to be just as gorgeous in a few years. I could just have you both."

This wasn't the first time pierce of trash had insinuated he wanted A-Xing to take his mother's place but it was the first time he had been so direct about it and it was the first time he had mentioned A-Xiang. Fumeng felt bile rise in her throat. How could a human be so disgusting?! A-Xiang was his daughter! And the problem was that she couldn't even tell if he was too drunk to know what he was saying or if he just didn't care!

A-Xing was frozen in place. Usually he just stayed silent and obedient and let everyone think he was weak but this time, his face had hardened into stone. The morons around her were too arrogant or drunk to realize it but she recognized that look. Threatening A-Xiang might have been the worst mistake the Valley Master had ever made.

If there was anyone in the world Wen Kexing loved more than his parents, it was his baby sister. Fumeng had expected the young man to hate the baby for what she represented, for being a reminder of all the pain his mother had endured but he never did. He had refused to leave the room when the baby was born, was the first one to hold her when Gu Miaomiao had been in too much pain, and he had named her. Fumeng had expected him to resent the little girl when his mother never fully recovered after giving birth but he had instead done his best to care for them both. A-Xing had raised A-Xiang since he'd been little more than a child himself and he loved her more than anyone else ever did, or ever would. 

A-Xing's bare palm hit the Valley Master's back before anyone else even realized he'd moved and the monster's blood burst out of his mouth with a silent scream. It was chaos after that. The other ten Devils fell one by one, either to A-Xing or her daggers when they tried to stab him in the back. By the end of it the hall was on fire, ghosts were fighting each other everywhere, and A-Xing was dragging the monster's still breathing body behind him.

The screams that had filled the Valley that night as her A-Xing peeled the skin off the former Master while keeping him alive through the torture had given even her nightmares. That night would be one she would remember as the second time she had seen death in Wen Kexing's eyes. Since then, she had seen death in his eyes many times but this was the first time he was fighting an enemy she didn't think even he could ever defeat. How could he fight his husband's illness? How could he fight death itself?

Instead of asking that she stayed silent as he continued, a haunted look on his face. She looked like he was crying but there were no tears escaping his eyes... maybe he'd cried them all already.

"When I was younger and A-Die wanted me to train, I resented not being able to play and didn't pay enough attention to his teachings." He whispered, so quiet she didn't know if he was telling her or maybe he was saying it to himself. "Then A-Niang wanted to teach me the healing techniques of her Sect, but my mind was filled with rage. All I wanted was to train my martial skills, but A-Die was gone. Now my husband is dying and my martial arts are strong but they are useless in healing him and it's too late to learn medicine because A-Niang is dead too. It's too late. Always too late..." A-Xing sobbed, his hands trembling around his husband's frail ones.

Fumeng wished she could tell him that no one would have been able to heal Zhou Zishu. That even if he had studied and studied and trained and trained and became the most talented healer in the world he might not have been able to find a cure for this... but he already knew that, deep in his heart. All she could do was run a hand over his hair gently and be there.

She changed Zhou Zishu's compress again, her girls came and went with the cold water until the flush was finally gone and the sick man fell into a deeper sleep. There hadn't been any sound in the room in a while, nor movement, and she'd almost thought A-Xing had fallen asleep kneeling by the bed when he suddenly stood up.

 "A-Xu..." He murmured, placing Zhou Zishu's hands on his stomach and leaning down to kiss his cry lips. "Please hold on just a little bit longer." The tall man pleaded as he stepped away from the bed.

"A-Xing. Where are you going?" She asked, confused. 

He seemed to think about it for a while, eyes determined as he hurried packed a small bag. "...I'm going to see an old monster." 

Fumeng watched, confused, as he kissed husband one last time before he left... the sleeping man didn't stir.

Fumeng picked up a damp cloth, dabbing the sweat away from the young consort's skin with a sigh. "I'm sorry, child. It seems I can't let you rest in peace yet... You must suffer into this cruel world just a little bit longer." ...She could only pray that A-Xing wouldn't return to find Zhou Zishu already gone.

Chapter Text

A dangerous presence in his home woke Ye Baiyi up. Like invisible tendrils of ice caressing the edges of his awareness, teasing him but not touching. There were few people in the world brave enough to climb a freezing, dark and slippery mountain trail in the middle of a winter night and even fewer capable of sneaking up on him like this. Silently, he got up from bed and dressed in a second layer of warm robes. An irritated look crossed his face. He might not need as much sleep as most people but it was one of the few of life's pleasures he could still enjoy and didn't appreciate some stupid infant disturbing it! Not only that but it was usually some idiot who came to beg him to take them as a disciple so they could learn Six Harmonies Cultivation!

Taking his sword, he left his room with a huff only to stop upon seeing who exactly was standing in the greeting hall of his home. He sighed, most of the wind leaving him. Of course it was that idiot surnamed Wen. Only a crazy person would dare knowingly disturb him in the middle of the night! He remembered the first time he'd seen that little idiot, when the madman had showed up at his door much the same without any fear for his own wellbeing.

Ye Baiyi landed on the snow with a frown. The brat standing in front of him this time was bad news, he decided. Usually, when he used that amount of strength in his attacks it was enough to scare his unwanted visitors away but not only did this one not flinch, but he had met Ye Baiyi head on with enough force to match him. The immortal had never encountered such a potent demonic aura in his life, the lingering feel of it almost made him shudder. Even the air felt heavier to breathe. It was enough to turn a weaker man into a sniveling puddle on the ground.

Looking up from his palm, which was still tingling from the contact, his confusion grew. It was a barely out of diapers brat but his gaze reminded Ye Baiyi of a viper. Dreadfully chilling and firmly glued to you, like a maggot gnawing away one's bones.

In a flash, he moved again. The brat didn't have a weapon and Ye Baiyi didn't carry his sword everywhere in his own home, but with each exchange he increased his strength bit by bit. His opponent remained unfazed. When they split again, the immortal took in the intruder properly. Though he was handsome and dressed like the young master of a wealthy family he fought like he had been raised on the battlefield, struggling to survive his entire life. Ye Baiyi had spent centuries studying martial arts, yet he couldn't pinpoint which Sect this demon was from. His moves were completely unpredictable and held an incredible amount of ruthlessness. Had Ye Baiyi been anyone else, he certainly would have been dead by now.

"Say... Your martial skills are not bad, whose disciple are you?" He couldn't help but ask. Was there still a master out there teaching their disciples to fight like this? Ye Baiyi had thought them extinct long ago. Most so called teachers these days taught the younger generation how to be their spitting image: dumb! Their brains might melt out of their ears if they even tried being creative so they just did the same thing over and over again... Like a well trained monkey!

The only answer he got was the brat's image flickering in place before a palm almost struck his chest, he dodged and answered in kind. Not only was the brat strong, but his stamina was also great. Still, he was not yet a match for Ye Baiyi. A while later they reached a standstill. The immortal would never admit how much the fight took out of him.

"You've gone past your limit. If we hadn't stopped, I could have taken your life in the next ten moves." He declared.

The brat glared. "You're past your prime. If you're still alive ten years from now, I will be the one to take your life."

Ye Baiyi couldn't stop the chuckle that burst out of him at that. "Take my life? Good. Good. No one has dared say that to me in the past fifty years, I will surely be waiting for you." Maybe then he could finally see his family again... it wouldn't be too bad an end, to die at the hands of this crazy brat. He really was fearless, Ye Baiyi thought as he released the thin wrist in his hold.

The brat pushed the immortal's arm away as well, stepping away with a hiss that reminded Ye Baiyi of a disgruntled cat.  "Is this how you greet all of your guests, old monster?"

"Is that what you call skulking around people's houses nowadays, crazy brat?" The immortal retorted. "Get off of my mountain!"

"Your mountain?" The brat asked incredulously. "The way I see it this mountain is on my land, you old monster."

"Your land?" Ye Baiyi couldn't help but snort at the little idiot's arrogance. "Who are you? The Emperor?"

He expected the brat's hackles to rise or maybe for him to finally get embarrassed but he only continued to stare right at Ye Baiyi, absentmindedly wiping blood from his chin like he could barely feel any pain at all. He... couldn't actually be the Emperor, could he? 

"No Emperor had never fought like you before." He eventually confessed when it became obvious the brat was not going to answer. And no Emperor or Tribe Chief had ever stepped foot on his mountain either , too freezing and barren to be of interest to any of them before. It was one of the reasons why Ye Baiyi had made the desolate place his home. A place where he could live in peace with his family, away from power struggles and back stabbing. Now his family was gone and he had even less tolerance for the useless posturing of peacocks. 

The brat ran a slender hand over his robes, fixing them into place properly. "I do, you cranky old man." 

Cranky old man?! "Ill mannered brat, you're the one who showed up here uninvited!" The immortal snapped.

"I came here to keep a promise my parents made before I was even born." The madman glared. "What an ungrateful bastard." He muttered under his breath, though still loud enough for Ye Baiyi to hear him, before taking a small pouch off his belt. He threw it at Ye Baiyi's head, who caught it by instinct. It was tiny and light. Curiosity got the better of him and he opened it, pouring the contents into his palm.

"What's this? Please don't tell me you're here to court me, you crazy brat!" It looked like a delicate hairpin, the kind his daughter in law had worn when she had came to visit. 

Said brat let out a loud huff, crossing his arms over his chest with a glare. "That is the key to the armory that demon Rong Xuan had built, do with it what you want." He answered as he turned around to leave. 

Ye Baiyi froze for a moment, hearing his son's name after such a long time. "...Wait!" It almost took too long for the word to leave his mouth and the brat was almost at the edge of the treeline. The immortal hurried after him.

The younger man sighed deeply as he stopped, turning to face him again. "What?" He asked, exasperated.

Ye Baiyi squeezed the dainty golden pin tightly, feeling it almost break in his hand. " You know what happened to my son?"

The brat only started at him for a moment, before he looking him up and down suspiciously. "That low life was your son?" 

"You brat!" Ye Baiyi knew A-Xuan had had his faults, but did this bastard have to say it that way?!

The younger man glared right back. "It's Chief Wen, not brat."

"You can call me Grandmaster Ye then." Ye Baiyi answered back.

The brat laughed. "In your dreams, old monster."

"Well, since you came all the way here you might as well step inside for some tea, crazy brat." He smirked, enjoying the way the brat's hand twitched in irritation.

"You better make that wine if you want me to talk about that bastard, you ugly tortoise." The brat answered with a huff as he started making his way to the immortal's home. 

Suicidal infant! Ye Baiyi thought as he started walking as well, not willing to follow behind. He resisted the urge to hit him again and consoled himself with the fact that the brat was holding himself rather stiffly after their fight.

Wen Kexing had ended up staying for a few day, his company not completely intolerable, and told him the truth about what had happened to A-Xuan before leaving. Even though he knew it was his son's own fault for damaging his own meridians in his crazy quest for a perfect method of cultivation, Ye Baiyi couldn't help but blame himself. If only he had raised him better, if only he had just given A-Xuan what he'd wanted when he had asked for it then maybe his son and daughter in law wouldn't have died the way they had... Maybe his husband wouldn't have followed them of a broken heart. But Ye Baiyi and his husband had feared A-Xuan would never stop, that the Six Harmonies Cultivation would not be enough for him, that he would become obsessed, and they had been right about that too. Wen Kexing had told him to do with the key what he wanted and as soon as he had been alone Ye Baiyi had taken great satisfaction in cruising it to dust with his internal energy. 

The brat hadn't came to see him again but a soldier dressed in red had delivered his son's and daughter in law's ashes a few months later. The next winter Ye Baiyi had made his way down the mountain and found out the little lunatic actually was the emperor and had been for many years. That he was also the Chief of Ghost Valley had bothered him for all of one moment, then he had remembered how young the so called Ghost King had been and how many years younger he would have been when taking over that wretched place. Qingya was doing better under his rule than it had before, anyway. The people were fed and he kept his Ghosts on a tight leash so what did Ye Baiyi care? It wasn't any of his business. He hadn't see the brat again in years. Until now, at least.

"Brat, what are you doing here? Are you here to back down on our deal?" He snapped. It hadn't been ten years, so Ye Baiyi was not yet ready to die by this brat's hand. Before he could say anything else, Wen Kexing fell to his knees in front of him, looking down.

Ye Baiyi startled. "What are you doing, crazy brat?!"

"I'm here to beg if I have to." Wen Kexing answered almost too lowly for him to hear.

"You didn't even beg me for your life before, what is so valuable to you to do so now?" Ye Baiyi asked incredulously. 

"My husband is dying, there is no cure for his illness. You can have my life instead, please save A-Xu." The shameless idiot bowed until his forehead touched the floor. Did he have no dignity at all!? Ye Baiyi wondered. It took Ye Baiyi a moment to process the words, and then he let out a deep sigh... He hadn't even known the brat was married. 

"Crazy brat, by avenging the death of your parents you will avenge the death of my son and daughter in law! I need you alive at least long enough to do that." His son might have been an idiot but he never would have harmed his wife, they had raised him better than that. Whoever had sold out Wen Kexing's parents to Ghost Valley had had something to do with A-Xuan and Feng'er deaths too.

"Besides, if your husband is dying shouldn't you be the one with the best skills to help him? If you can't, you'd have better chances praying to the gods." He continued. After going down the mountain to investigate the crazy brat, he had asked about his parents as well. If Wen Kexing had learned anything at all from the famous healers, would Ye Baiyi be able to do something he couldn't? He wasn't a healer, he only knew internal energy and martial arts well!

"The gods aren't here." The kneeling man chocked out. "Praying to them didn't save my father, it didn't save my mother and it won't help A-Xu either, but you can try. I will kneel for three months, I will kneel for three years... Please." He begged.

"You really are a fool." Ye Baiyi sighed again. "Fine." He was no miracle worker but he owed this brat more than he would ever admit. Even if Wen Kexing had no way to repay him, even if Ye Baiyi turned out to have no solution, he had at least to try.

"Thank you." If the brat's voice broke, neither of them mentioned it.

Wen Kexing swayed a little when he stood up and Ye Baiyi grabbed his wrist to steady him. The immortal studied his face under the light of the moon. The once proud and handsome young man he had met only years before looked like he had aged centuries instead. His cheek were too sharp, his lips were white and he had bags under his eyes that looked like they've permanently found residence there. Even his internal energy felt frantic and even more volatile than it used to be... He looked a wreck, like he hadn't slept or eaten anything in days.

Ye Baiyi wasted no time in turning him around and moving his hands towards the brat's back, pushing internal energy into his meridians for fear the madman would drop dead before they even reached Ghost Valley. It was obvious he hadn't stopped to rest at all on the way to Mount Changming. He was curious what kind of idiot this crazy brat had married that he was so willing to give his life for. 

Chapter Text

In spite of the rush, Ye Baiyi didn't waste the chance to admire Ghost Valley once they passed through the gates. Back when him and his husband had been young and impulsive and dumb, they've passed through once just to see what the place was like, to compare their skills to those of the most notorious criminals of the Jianghu. Over the past few winters he'd seen how the territory of Qingya had changed but it didn't compare to this change. The desolate and blood spattered place was nearly unrecognizable. Streets were bustling at this time of day and delicious smells were drifting his way from various stalls and restaurants, almost making him stop in the middle of the road. He couldn't help but think Changqing would have loved the lively place. Only remembering the increasingly desperate look on Wen Kexing's face deterred him from stopping to explore, the brat had rushed past the city so fast the people hadn't even had time to notice who he was. With a sigh Ye Baiyi followed, catching up to him wordlessly.

In contrast to the city, the palace was silent like a grave. The faces of the guards and servants they encountered were blank but their eyes betrayed their grief. They genuinely cared about the Imperial Consort, he realized, and not just out of duty. Some of them even dared stare after Wen Kexing with pity once his back was turned, and at Ye Baiyi with hope. It made him more and more curious just who the little idiot brave enough to marry the Ghost King was. 

Ye Baiyi stayed by the door when Wen Kexing finally stopped in front of a room.

"Ge!" A young girl exclaimed, rushing to their side in a flash as soon as the doors opened. "You're back." She stated the obvious, eyes taking Ye Baiyi in suspiciously.

Wen Kexing smiled at her, and the immortal tried to remember if he'd ever seen the younger man smile before. He didn't think so. It didn't really reach his eyes now, either. Ye Baiyi followed him inside the room but didn't bother paying much attention to the other two brats there. 

"Make them leave." He ordered, looking around the room. It was spacious and warm, and there were obvious signs that someone ill lived there. The smell of herbs and medicines permeated the air but it couldn't completely cover the scent of blood. A water basin and a stack of clean soft cloths were placed on a table close to the bed, soup and bland foods not far away that looked barely touched, and a half empty box of pills. Ye Baiyi ignored everything else and made his way to that. 

He took one of the tiny spheres in his hand and crushed it, breathing in the strong smell. It wasn't even necessary to taste it to realize that it was as much poison as it was medicine, a double edged sword. The balance between poison and medicine, life and death, was delicate. This was unmistakably the craft of the Shamans, who had migrated from the northwest and conquered the southern region centuries ago, and only one of them had the skills to make such dangerous pills as those. The Great Shaman, who had dropped by Changming Mountain months before. He too, had been looking for a miracle, Ye Baiyi thought with a sigh. Unfortunately, Ye Baiyi really wasn't a healer and he had sent the Great Shaman and his Consort home without any answers that day, but who would have ever thought that the person the Great Shaman and the Chief of Ghost Valley were both willing to beg for was one and the same? What connection did Wen Kexing and Wu Xi have? Or was this person he was meant to cure that very connection? Wen Kexing had said his name was Zhou Zishu, but who was Zhou Zishu other than the Northern Emperor's cousin?

Wiping his hands carelessly, he turned around with a glare. "What are you all still doing here?"

"Who...?!" A young brat hissed loudly only to be interrupted by Wen Kexing before he could even finish the question. "Go!"

"Please." The Ghost King added after a moment. Ye Baiyi wondered if the crazy brat had ever uttered that word before because the little girl and the two brats all looked shocked and walked out of the room as if they've been chastised, but not without sending Ye Baiyi hopeful looks as they left.

Wen Kexing went to kneel by the bed, only then did Ye Baiyi finally look towards the man laying there. When he did, it finally became obvious why Wen Kexing looked like he'd had a bad encounter with death and barely came out of it standing, because the other man looked like he'd lost and the only thing that kept him breathing was his husband's desperate clinging. Zhou Zishu looked like his soul was already in the netherworld! Did that crazy brat think that Ye Baiyi could revive the dead?!

In all of his long life, Ye Baiyi didn't remember seeing someone so thin. Paying closer attention though, he couldn't help but notice Wen Kexing's consort must indeed have been a great beauty once. A beauty that could cause the fall of a nation of there ever was one, for if he died, Ye Baiyi had no doubt the crazy brat had every intention to follow. It was the kind of breathtaking beauty songs got written about, with delicate features and wide eyes and hair black as ink. No wonder he had caught the crazy brat's eye. Now everything about him looked brittle and either sunken in or too sharp. Zhou Zishu let out a wheezing sound with every breath, his skin was as white as Ye Baiyi's clothes, and the immortal was afraid that if he picked out the too thin wrist the bones might break under his touch. Wen Kexing didn't seem to share his fears as he took a delicate hand between both of his own, cradling it gently as he bought it to his lips.

"Lao Wen." An exhausted voice whispered in answer, and Ye Baiyi was startled by the realization that the man was actually awake. 

"A-Xu. I am home." Wen Kexing hummed, voice calm even though the immortal knew how desperate he actually was.

Ye Baiyi didn't wait for pleasantries. He was by nature not a gentle nor soft spoken person but he still took Zhou Zishu's free hand in his own as carefully as he could. What he found when he felt for his pulse shocked him. 

After their son's death, his husband's spirit had been left broken. No matter how hard he'd tried, Ye Baiyi hadn't been enough to keep him tied to the world of the living and eventually he'd followed A-Xuan. With no one to dual cultivate the Six Harmonies with, Ye Baiyi had been left with the choice to either live half a life or join them. He'd been too stubborn though, he couldn't leave the world until he'd finished his business here. Sometimes he wished he could resent his husband for leaving him behind alone... he never could. 

Tired eyes slowly blinked open, looking at him with hope still. Zhou Zishu should by all accounts be dead, yet he was still fighting to live. It was a miracle that he was still breathing, yet he was even awake. When Ye Baiyi had agreed to come with Wen Kexing he hadn't actually expected to be able to help but now, maybe...

The immortal placed the younger man's hand back over his waist, still looking into his eyes while answering honestly. "The disease is anchored deep into your lungs, from there it had spread to your bones and it's still spreading. The medicine had fought against it, but it also tried to poison your body. Your meridians are overtaxed and they've started to wither, like an ancient tree without roots. Without the constant energy transfers, they would have dried out long ago. Even if I knew of a way to remove the disease, which I don't, it would not be enough now. I have never seen anything like this before and I don't know of a way to treat it."

"Is my fate sealed then?" Zhou Zishu asked quietly while Wen Kexing rose to sit on the edge of the bed, softly trailing his fingers over his husband's brows, pushing back stray strands of hair that stuck to his skin. He refused to look at Ye Baiyi.

"No yet." He finally answered after a long time, both of the younger men's breath caught in their throats until he continued. "There might be a way, but the price is high." If anything went wrong, would one of them even wish to live without the other, sustaining only on water and ice? And if everything went right, would they be able to take watching everyone they love age and die? 

The crazy brat finally looked at him again, resolve burning in his eyes. "I will pay any price." 

"Lao Wen." The sick man protested.

Ye Baiyi shook his head at the same time. "This price isn't something you can pay alone. The solution I am speaking of isn't a cure, it's you using your own body as a furnace and then flooding his body with so much raw power that the disease will be burned out and his meridians will completely shatter before fusing back together stronger."

"The Six Harmonies Cultivation..." The crazy brat murmured, shocked. "We will do it."

"No, we won't." Zhou Zishu was quick to deny. "What if I'm not strong enough to complete the technique and transfer the energy back?" So the little idiot understood what it meant. Good. Ye Baiyi already knew Wen Kexing was smart enough to understand the technique, but it would be useless if his partner didn't. Changqing had almost failed, so Ye Baiyi knew how dangerous it was. There was a reason why he had refused to teach his son. 

"You could die, Lao Wen, it's not worth it." Zhou Zishu's low voice bought him back to the present.

"Life without you isn't worth it. I already told you, if you die I won't linger here in this world alone." Crazy brat, Ye Baiyi thought with a sigh. "A-Xu, if there's a chance I get to keep you I will carve out my heart with my own hands. We will do it." He repeated and the immortal nodded. There was no reason for him to try and change the brat's mind, if he hadn't wanted them to do it he wouldn't have bought it up in the first place. It was dangerous but it really was the only option they had left and he owed it to Wen Kexing. The Six Harmonies Cultivation Method wasn't something he would have offered anyone else either but if there was anyone alive he still trusted with such knowledge, it was this crazy brat. 

Said crazy brat let out a sigh of relief before running a hand over his husband's messy hair. "A-Xu, your braid is such a mess." Zhou Zishu only hummed in answer and Wen Kexing clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Let me fix it for you." He added, before turning towards Ye Baiyi again. "Will you give us a moment?"

The immortal nodded. "You both need to meditate facing each other and be close enough to touch your palm together. I will let you get ready and then tell you what you have to do."

Wen Kexing gently led his husband to lean against his shoulder, then he started undoing the messy braid. It was tangled and damp with sweat but he didn't seem to mind. Long and practiced fingers loosened the knots easily, all along he murmured under his breath, voice too low for Ye Baiyi to catch. Zhou Zishu had long wrapped thin arms around the other's middle to keep himself steady, holding as tightly as he could with waning strength, face buried into Wen Kexing's shoulder. The immortal's heart ached looking at them, but he continued to watch out of the corner of his eye even after the crazy brat had already finished tying the hair again and they had given up all pretense of doing anything else but clinging to each other.

Ye Baiyi could tell the crazy brat was just using this as an excuse to gather his guts. Someone who understood internal energy as well as he did had to know how dangerous Six Harmonies Cultivation was, this might very well be the last time he got to hold his husband in his arms like this. Who knew what the future might hold? If they would both survive, or either of them would? He thought to himself.

He saw Zhou Zishu shake before he heard it. Wen Kexing held his husband still until the coughing fit stopped, then be helped Zhou Zishu sit back and wiped the blood from his lips with a clean cloth.

Ye Baiyi had been lucky, he realized. He's never had to watch his husband suffer like this. The immortal had never thought that Changqing's passing had been peaceful until now, but at least his husband had died with a smile on his lips, hoping to see their son again. 

"Lao Wen, if we don't make it..." He could barely hear Zhou Zishu's low voice in the quiet room. "...in the next life, I still wish to meet you."

Wen Kexing smiled, kissing the other man's forehead. "No matter when we die, or how we die, in our next life, and the next one, and every life to follow, I will always find A-Xu."

"Then the next one I hope to be reborn as birds. To fly above the world, and see it." Zhou Zishu declared while the crazy brat helped him arrange his body for meditation.

"Then in the one after that I hope we will be fish, to swim the wide oceans." Wen Kexing answered, before turning to Ye Baiyi. "Old monster, we're ready."

"Good." He nodded, taking a deep breath. "Let's start, then." No one was dying on his watch, he decided.

Chapter Text

There was a man kneeling in the snow. His head was bowed, long hair falling around his face like a curtain of silk. Turquoise cloak and blue robes were splattered in red, the hands on his lap looked washed in blood and he was surrounded by corpses. He looked like he's been there a long time, long enough for fresh snow to cover all signs of the struggle and a thin layer to form over the cold corpses of the dead. 

Zishu felt the chill seep into his bones as he took a step forward. When he's heard about the group of bandits trained in martial arts attacking villages, he thought they'd be long gone by the time he finished his mission but he tracked them anyway. Someone else had found them first. The man who had defended the village could not be a part of it Zishu realized as he walked, snow squeaking under his boots. The expensive clothes he wore were worth more than all the farmers put together could afford and the hair crown could have probably bought the entire land around them for miles. Under the thick layers of blood were long fingered, elegant hands that didn't belong to someone who worked in the fields all day long. Most rich men didn't fight to their deaths to protect poor villages. Zishu hadn't thought anybody else would bother to defend it at all. He didn't even have a weapon. Slowly, the assassin reached a hand to push back curtain of hair, curious what kind of face he'd find behind it, when a hand flew up faster than eyes could follow and a cold hand wrapped around his wrist.

A pair of narrowed eyes looked up into his own and Zishu felt a shiver down his spine. They were colder than the winter air around them, darker than the cloudy sky at night. In his line of work he had met many dangerous people, among which there had been one or two that had unsettled even him, but none of them had looked straight into his soul. It froze him in place, even more so than the cold hand squeezing his wrist so hard Zishu had to focus his internal energy to strengthen it so it wouldn't break. He was just about to pull himself free, realizing this might just be the most dangerous person he's ever met and should have been more careful before approaching, when the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped against Zishu. Startled, the assassin took a small step back and the man almost fell face first into the snow. On instinct, he wrapped an arm around the stranger's strong shoulders and held him close awkwardly. 

Zishu should leave him, vanish like he'd never been there in the first place. He shouldn't get involved, should not leave any traces of his presence behind, and he had no idea who this man was anyway. Maybe even the son of one of those annoying nobles that were a thorn in his side, whose daughters made him wish he could poison them mute! He was probably just as annoying! The bandits were gone and the village was safe, Zishu really should leave. This wasn't any of his business, he wasn't responsible for every young master he came across... but the hold on his wrist was getting looser and the other man's nearly inaudible breath shallower. If Zishu left him there, would he make it?

Against his better judgment, the assassin turned his hand around and caught a thin wrist himself before it could slip away completely. The skin was slick with blood and the pulse under it weak. Too weak. He had internal injuries and they were older than this fight, and yet he had still fought. This man really wasn't going to make it on his own, Zishu couldn't help but think. There were already so few good people in the world. The word hero was written in blood and this one was going to bleed to death if Zishu didn't help him. Sighing, he made up his mind. 

Getting a grown, unconscious man on his back by himself was harder than Zishu thought it would be. He's never had to carry anyone who was injured before. The only experience he had was carrying Jiuxiao around sometimes but his brother had been awake to help him. This man was taller than Zishu was, his limbs were long and impossible to control! If the assassin held his arms, the legs around his waist slipped and the man's boots dragged on the ground, if he held his legs, the long arms would slip and he would start to fall backwards. Trying to hold them each with one hand worked for the arms, but  it didn't for the legs. Carrying him over Zishu's shoulders would aggravate his injuries and so would carrying him in his arms. On his back was the safest choice. Annoyed, the assassin tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve and used it to tie the injured man's arms together. It took a moment to fix them so they wouldn't put pressure on his neck and then used his qinggong to get away, leaving no trace in the snow for anyone else who stumbled upon the scene to follow.

It didn't take long to reach the closest village. This time of the year, a small settlement of farmers was mostly quiet and deserted. People stayed in their homes when they were not taking care of the livestock, making clothes or other objects they would use the rest of the year. It was too small and isolated to have an inn and Zishu really needed a warm and dry place to take care of the other man's wounds or else helping him in the first place would be in vain when he died of exposure or infection. He listened carefully but there were too many people in those homes, he didn't want to put out a family and it would take a long time for the injured man to heal enough to leave so he kept walking, listening to his surroundings until he found a house that was silent but had a light lit inside. Zishu approached that house and knocked.

The woman who answered the door was old and her face went pale when she saw the person on his back. "Xing'er." Broke past her lips in a whisper.

"You know this young man?" Zishu asked, surprised. 

The old woman nodded, stepping to the side and waving her hand frantically. "I do, I do. Come in. Bring him inside. Quick." She urged, a worn but strong hand grasping Zishu's arm to lead him past the main room and to a clean bedroom. "Lay him down here." She pulled back the bed covers and helped Zishu carefully put down his charge. 

Zishu let the woman fuss over the injured man and took the opportunity to pull out the small packs of medicines Wu Xi had prepared for him. The younger man had been a little reticent when they've first met but he always took care of them even when he should have hated them. Even if in the beginning he'd only done it for Beiyuan's sake, the assassin was greatful anyway. He knew his way around poisons well enough but he was nowhere near close to the Shaman's skills and medicines were not his forte either. These little packages have saved his life more than once during missions and hopefully they would be enough to save this man's life as well. 

"Can you boil some water?" He asked quietly, startling the woman who was now gathering the other man's damp hair into a bun on top of his head to get it out of the way. Though the worry was obvious in her eyes, her hands were steady and mind clear. Zishu was thankful for that. It meant he wouldn't have to do this alone, he already anticipated a long night ahead of him.

She left with a short nod of her head and Zishu stared at the man on the bed. He hadn't noticed before but now that the hair was no longer in the way of his sight and his mind had calmed as well, he couldn't help but see how beautiful this man was. Even with blood splattered all over his pale face, he was so handsome Zishu's breath almost caught in his lungs. Zishu had grown up with his Shimu and known Beiyuan all his life but this man was even more beautiful than them!

Before he could get distracted by the sight before him, the old woman returned not only with the water but also a stack of clean cloths in her arms. The assassin didn't waste any time before pulling the injured man's robes open and undressing him until he was only wearing his undergarments. He was professional enough not to allow his emotions to get in the way and he could admire the other's beauty once he was sure he'd survive. 

The old lady seemed to know what she was doing well enough and together they've managed to clean and wrap all the wounds, applying medicine were needed. The situation was not as bad as Zishu had feared, but that also meant the internal injuries must have been worse than he'd originally thought. Unfortunately, all he could do for those was pour internal energy inside the other man and hope for the best. Zishu was no healer and the old lady didn't even know what internal injuries were. Once he was all done, the old woman gently cleaned the young man so Zishu put away the bloody rags that were beyond saving and his packs and jars of medicine. They hadn't used all of it, so there was some left for later. 

It was late night when the old lady led him back into the main room, placing some cold cakes and buns in front of him as she brewed some tea.

"Thank you, madam." He didn't know how long it had been since he'd last ate. A couple days, maybe more. When he had followed that Sect Leader into a restaurant to spy on his meeting? Zishu could go without food for a long time but that didn't mean he never got hungry or didn't like to eat. 

"I should be the one thanking you, Young Master." The woman insisted, her eyes flitting to the closest door. Zishu was not a young master, certainly not in this disguise. "Can you tell me what happened to Xing'er?"

He shook his head. "I don't know for sure either. I've heard of bandits planning to loot the villages in this area and came here to warn people but on the way I stumbled upon the scene of a fight. The bandits are all dead but surprisingly the young man who fought against them was still alive." 

"His name is Wen Kexing. He was born in this village." Zishu rose an eyebrow, thinking of the hair crown that laid discarded by the other man's bed. 

The old woman shook her head, letting out a deep sigh. "To think he would fight so many of those dangerous thugs on his own." She shook her head again. Zishu had the feeling this Wen Kexing had actually been the most dangerous one around but didn't tell her. "That child is too reckless."

"You care for him a great deal." The assassin stated.

"I was there when he was born, just a wrinkly little thing." She smiled to herself as she spoke. Zishu remembered Jiuxiao as a newborn, how tiny he had been. So tiny that Zishu had been scared holding him too tight in his arms. 

"They were very kind, his parents, Xing'er got that from them... He was such a sweet and gentle boy. Master Wen and Madam Wen never let him leave the house until the sun was already setting, always making him study and train, poor thing. They were good people, but I always told them they were too strict with the child." She sighed. "I think they might have been of noble blood and expected more from him than parents in these parts. Maybe their union was forbidden and they ran away, it wasn't my place to ask."

Zishu listened to the tale even as he finished the food and held his tea between his hands. For some reason he was curious about the man in the other room. "What happened? He doesn't look like he's from around here."

A haunted look flashed through the old woman's eyes and she shuddered. She sipped her tea to gather herself together before speaking quietly, as if afraid to be heard. "One night, the devils in red came. They had masks of bone that shone eerily in the moonlight. The others say they were vengeful ghosts but I know they were human. Humans are capable of such terrible deeds." She squeezed her hands into fists and Zishu stared at her wide eyed. Ghost Valley? 

"Terrible, terrible things happened that night." She whispered. "They pillaged and raped and burned and killed Master Wen. Madam Wen and Xing'er vanished that same night." Her voice shook with sorrow. "We searched and searched and searched but we couldn't find their bodies."

"How long ago was this?" He asked, hiding his frown.

"Fourteen years." She looked down at the table. "Xing'er was not even ten yet."

Zishu nodded, falling silent. He was even more curious about this beautiful stranger now. Ghost Valley used to be notorious for being the home of the worst criminals of the Jinaghu but the killing spree from fourteen years ago was infamous in itself. They had attacked more than this one village and had left only death and destruction behind. The Emperor had refused to send the military to deal with it, claiming the Jianghu should deal with it's own mess, and the Sects had been too arrogant and suspicious of each other ever since the death of Rong Xuan to organize themselves properly. His Shifu had been Sect Leader then and Zishu had been just a child so he barely remembered anything about it but before anyone got their heads out of their asses, the Ghosts had already retreated back into their valley.

It didn't sound to him like The Wens were strict, it sounded to him like they were in hiding. He remembered his first months as a Sect Leader, too afraid to even let Jiuxiao out of his sight, keeping him close during the night. Keeping him safe. Being hard on him during training, wishing he could just pour the knowledge into his little brother's head so he would be safe should anything happen to Zishu as well... It sounded like the Wens had been the ones Ghost Valley had been searching for and once they've found them, they've left the rest of the world alone.

Unaware of his thoughts, the old lady spoke again. "A few years ago he came back, claiming his mother ran back to her parent's martial sect after his father sent them away that night." She didn't sound like she believe it, Zishu thought. "He has suffered, my poor Xing'er, you could see it in his eyes, but he hadn't lost that kindness in his heart. Our tiny village is poor and our fields have not yielded much the last few years. Xing'er always insists to take care of me. He comes by every few months now."

If Wen Kexing had been in the Jianghu, Zishu would have heard of a man of such skills and power. Had such a handsome man been part of the Jianghu, women and men alike would have vied for his hand and the whole world would have known of it. Were such a man to grow up in Ghost Valley on the other hand, he would have remained unknown. A few years ago a new Chief took over the Ghost Army and started building himself an Empire, and a few years ago Wen Kexing had returned to the village where he had been born. The assassin was sure that wasn't a coincidence. He didn't say any of that.

"He cares for you a lot as well, then." That seemed to bring a smile to the old lady's face and she reached over to pat at his hand. "Thank you again, Young Master, for saving Xing'er."

Zishu hummed, looking towards the room where the injured man was sleeping. He already suspended who Wen Kexing was but it was only an assumption yet. Whoever he was, this man was too powerful a piece on the board to ignore. He would stay, Zishu decided. At least for now.

Chapter Text

Zishu ground up some of the dried herbs Granny Guo, as the old woman had eventually introduced herself as, had found, deep in thought. The tattoo inked on Wen Kexing's back had confirmed his initial suspicion.

Zishu knew of the infamous ghost mask tattoo, the special ink that could not be duplicated. Out of the Ghosts he had managed to capture during his career all of them have had it on their wrists but not all of them had also had it on their lower backs. They've refused to reveal its secrets even under torture but after a while he had figured out the difference had been when they had become Ghosts. Clearly, the Ghost King had wanted the identification mark to be more accessible. Wen Kexing's back, Zishu had noticed in passing while searching for wounds and checked more carefully once Granny had gone to sleep, was marked, but his wrist was bare. It was the first time Zishu had encountered this situation. The assassin had even considered that maybe the beautiful man was a deserter and nobody had heard of him because he'd been hiding but then he'd seen it while changing Wen Kexing's bandages the next morning. A different tattoo. The dim sun of the winter morning had been shining through the window he'd opened for fresh air, warming everything it had touched in spite of the cold outside. With the taller man's hair gathered up, it had freely hit his lean back when Zishu had sat him up to wrap the new bandages around his body. At first the assassin had thought it was a trick of the light but after he'd shifted the other slightly towards the light it had obliviously been there. A dragon. Golden like the sunlight itself, reaching towards the sky as if taking flight, tail wrapped around the red mask. It nearly covered Wen Kexing's entire back and it was breathtaking. Zishu had almost burst out laughing. Years of trying to recreate the ink and he hadn't even realized it wasn't naturally red, the pigment had to be added later.

Wen Kexing was the Chief of Ghost Valley. The assassin resisted the urge to look behind him at the bed, where the man's prone body was laying under the covers. He had stumbled upon the Emperor of Qingya! Zishu had almost suspected it to be a ploy but it couldn't be. No one had known he would pass through here, not even his allies. This was the chance of a lifetime, Wen Kexing's support might be the turning point of their plan! He would have to know the man and get a read on him before deciding on a course of action and for that he had to make sure he survived first.

Humming quietly, Zishu grimaced as he added some more dried leaves to the mix. The ingredients weren't really up to his standards of quality but it was better than having to rely solely upon his emergency supply or try to find a healer. The closest city that might have a decent one was too far away for him to take Wen Kexing to in such a condition and convincing one to come with him instead wouldn't be easy, not if Zishu didn't want to attract unwanted attention. The Ghost King wasn't someone he felt comfortable having a stranger look over anyway. It was simply too risky, he hadn't even dared write down the truth in the secret message he'd sent to the Capital the day before. He'd only said that he'd encountered some complications on his mission and would be going underground for a while. Helian Yi and Beiyuan would understand the advantage of having someone such as Wen Kexing on their side once he was able to explain the situation to them face to face.

Looking down at the powder he made, he resisted the urge to scrunch up his nose. This was going to taste disgusting, he could only hope his patient wasn't very fussy about such things. At least it would keep down the mild fever he had felt for a while. Wen Kexing had been asleep for over two nights and a day. It was the second morning Zishu has spent at his bedside, if he didn't wake soon the assassin might actually have to brave the snowstorm he could see brewing on the horizon. If he couldn't trust a healer, he might just need to find better supplies himself.

As he was finally pouring the awful mix into a container, a rough voice startled him from his thoughts. "Had I known I would be greeted by such a beautiful view, I would have tried to come to the netherworld sooner."

Or maybe not, he thought. No need to worry about whether he'd wake, it seemed. The assassin turned around, face blank as he thought about his current appearance. He'd worn worse disguises it was true, and at least he wasn't pretending to be a bum this time around, but he wasn't what he would describe as a 'beautiful view' either. Since he'd planned to wear the mask for a prolonged period he hadn't modified his bone structure too much, such prosthetics tended not to hold well, but there was an ugly scar on his left cheekbone and the skin that was visible was yellowish and spotted. He looked sickly and old, a little down on his luck in the worn but clean clothes Granny had let him borrow from her late husband. She'd insisted that she wash his own and refused to take no for an answer, saying it was the least she could do to repay him for saving her grandson.

Wen Kexing was startled at his appearance for a moment, before he quickly hid it away. Dark eyes looked Zishu up and down, the piercing gaze almost made him freeze in place as he remembered that this was probably the most dangerous man in  the world. Zishu was confident in his skills, and the other man was injured, but this was one bet he wouldn't take. The Ghost King was the Ghost King for reason and he would avoid finding it out if he could. Before his fight of flight instinct could take over, however, the other man blinked and a charming smile formed on his plump lips. Zishu felt the tension he hadn't let show leave his body. "A very beautiful view, indeed."

"If you still think that we might have to check your eyes, you must have taken one too many hits to the head." Zishu deadpanned before he even had time to regret it. "Or maybe it's the fever clouding your vision." He added, walking over to the bed and touching the back of his hand to the other man's forehead boldly. It was slightly less warm than before. Good. It seemed Wen Kexing was regaining his strength. 

Wen Kexing chuckled, grasping his hand before he could take a step back and pulling him to sit on the edge of the bed with surprising strengths considering his condition. "My vision is perfectly fine. Better now that I have such a gor..." at Zishu's silent glare, he pressed his lips together to stop from laughing again, then continued once he'd gotten it under control. "...gallant man keeping me company."

Keeping him... keeping him company?! Just what was this bastard implying?! Zishu felt himself flush, and was thankful for the mask that covered his reaction. His face was burning so much he was surprised the fake skin wasn't melting off! It wasn't even only his words, but the way he was looking at Zishu like he was the last glass of water in the desert! The assassin barely stopped himself from slapping the shameless bastard. He forced himself to breath through it before rolling his eyes.

"You're not dead." Was all he said once he'd found his voice again, glad that he sounded annoyed rather than embarrassed.

The other man nodded, not actually surprised. "You saved me. Why?"

For a moment, Zishu thought about how to answer that. Why had he save him? There were many reasons, none of which he felt comfortable uttering out loud.

"You do remember." He said instead, deflecting. "What do you remember?"

"It's fuzzy. I went to visit a..." Wen Kexing paused for a second, as if to choose his words carefully. He pouted. Someone like him shouldn't be pouting, and he definitely should not be cute while doing it. "...friend, who lives alone on a mountain. Then I thought I might as well check in on Granny. I was on my way when I stumbled upon the bandits... and it seems like you found the place." He added, a little confused. "Did I tell you to come here?"

Zishu had the feeling there was more to that story, but decided prying might be too risky even if the information might be useful. Those internal injuries Zishu had initially feared, they had happened over a rather long period of time. Not shocking considering who this man was, but it was like he never quite gave himself time to fully recover before jumping into the next battle. The assassin couldn't help but think that if it had been Wu Xi in his place, the Shaman would have been horrified at what he'd found. In his line of work he wasn't a stranger to pain, neither experiencing nor inflicting it, but just how much could someone take before they broke? He could only feel it was fortunate that when this idiot's body had decided it could take no more, Zishu had found him. Otherwise, he would have reincarnated by now. 

He sighed, shaking away the thought. "You passed out, this was the only house without too many people and we needed shelter."

"Thank you for saving my life, b..." Sensing what was going to come out of his mouth next Zishu glared and the pest thankfully stopped himself, clearing his throat. "May I have your name, or shall I keep calling you beautiful in my head?"

"Zhou..." In spite of his annoyance, the truth almost spilt out of his mouth before he stopped himself. It would have only been fair, but life wasn't fair. "...Xu. May I have yours, or shall I keep calling you annoying pest in mine?" Zishu shot back, fake smile wide on his face. He knew the answer, of course, but he was curious if what Granny had told him would fit what the Ghost King would. If the man took offence to being called an annoying pest, he didn't show it as he laughed again. He seemed to laugh a lot. It was an annoyingly pleasant sound.

"Wen. Wen Kexing." The beautiful man answered.

Part of Zishu was still surprised the name was the same. Since he had the feeling Granny had no idea as to Wen Kexing's identity, that had to be his real name. Whether it was also the name he used as the Ghost King, or if he used it only in this lost little village, he had no way yet of knowing. That was a question for another time. Zishu decided to change the subject, lead the conversation towards more urgently pressing matters.

"Since you're awake, let's check on your wounds again." He said, pulling on the blankets covering Wen Kexing.

The man let out an involuntary shiver when the cold air hit his bare skin before looking down at himself in surprise. "How forward of you, A-Xu! Am I naked under this?"

The assassin felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "Don't get your hopes up, I had to reach your wounds somehow." He pulled on the blankets again, baring the pale skin half covered in bandages. "Now shut up and let me see."

They were silent for all of a few minutes as Zishu took off the old bandages, already spotted with blood. Thankfully it was easier now that Wen Kexing wasn't unconscious and the assasin paid attention to his reactions as he worked. There wasn't much to see until he got to the largest cut, a little too jagged for his liking, along the beautiful man side. This was the wound he was most worried about other than the internal damage. Who knew where those bandits' swords had been?! Wen Kexing took a deep breath when Zishu touched the wound and he stopped, looking at the cut more carefully as he searched for signs of an infection setting in.

"That hurts, A-Xu. Kiss it better?" Wen Kexing pouted and Zishu felt his eyebrow twitch, pressing his fingers harder. He had worried too soon. The pest didn't even flinch. "Healer Zhou is unbelievably cruel, do you treat all your patients this way?" Wen Kexing continued with a grin. Much to his chagrin, the other looked oddly proud that Zishu already expected every other word that came out of his mouth to be an embarrassment!

"Good thing I'm not a healer then." Zishu bit out. "Don't let my unbelievably cruel bedside manners ruin your day; as soon as I'm done, I will go."

Wen Kexing hummed lightly. "You don't have to go, as long as you let me see underneath your mask you won't be ruining my day."

The assassin froze, eyes still on the cut. Then, once he was fairly sure there was no infection he gently applied some ointment as he gathered his thoughts. He took his time before looking up into Wen Kexing's eyes. "What makes you think I'm wearing a mask?"

The beautiful man smiled, more genuinely this time. "Aren't you?"

Zishu considered denying it but that would be an unnecessary insult of the Ghost King's intelligence. If he hadn't been sure Zishu was wearing a mask, he wouldn't have said anything. "Is it pretty?"

"Perfect." Wen Kexing replied with a wide grin and Zishu rolled his eyes. If anyone was perfect, it was this infuriating bastard. He honestly didn't know how someone could be so beautiful.

If Zishu had ever allowed himself to dream of what kind of man he'd want to marry one day, if he'd allowed himself to pretend he had a choice in such a matter, this was what he'd have wished for. Someone capable of keeping up with his martial skills. Someone intelligent, and he had to be to accomplish all the things he had so young. Someone kind, and he was because he'd saved all those villagers he didn't have to save, because he cared if his people were starving or not. Something Zishu couldn't say was true about his own emperor. Someone pleasant to look at... More than just pleasant, if the assassin was to be truthful with himself. Wen Kexing was incredibly beautiful, even more so when Zishu was paying attention. He had soft, flawless skin and pale plump lips. His features were sharp and perfectly symmetrical. Tall, with a lean, well defined body... Even his hair was soft.

Wen Kexing was perfect. At least, he had been perfect until he'd opened up his mouth. Zishu sighed, the Ghost King was an incorrigible flirt. He better heal fast, before Zishu became tempted to kill him himself!

Chapter Text

Zishu rolled his eyes as Granny fussed over Wen Kexing, the older man acting like a perfect gentleman all the while. Unbelievable, he thought to himself! That idiot was such a shameless chatterbox but as soon as this old lady entered the room, he transformed into the perfect, polite little grandson. For a week the assassin has had to listen to that pest recite poetry and sprout bullshit but every time this old woman had entered the room, the same story. Just when did someone who spent his life on a battlefield and didn't even sit still long enough for his injuries to heal find the time to memorize so much nonsense? Zishu didn't even remember the last time he'd read a book that wasn't about strategy or martial arts!

Feeling annoyed and like Wen Kexing deserved to be punished for this deceit, Zishu shoved a cup of medicine into his hand as soon as the old lady left the room with the promise to make the pest's favorite pork buns soon. The brew was a recipe Wu Xi had taught him to help strengthen the meridians, unfortunately Zishu's had to do with what he had and substitute a couple... or a few, of the ingredients that Granny had been unable to find for him. Looking at him warily, Wen Kexing pulled it closer to his face and sniffed. The way he scrunched up his nose at it was decidedly not cute, Zishu decided. "What is this?"

Zishu sighed, sitting on the chair by the bed as he took the other's cold hand in his own and pushed the cup closer to his lips gently. "It's for your meridians."

The assassin grimaced as he thought of the state they were in. Zishu hadn't seen that kind of damage outside of the victims of the Seven Nails. They weren't poisoned which was good because there was no way Zishu would have been able to fix that, but they were overexerted. Raw. If Wen Kexing's internal wounds had been limited to those of the flesh, Zishu would have solved the problem much easier by pouring as much internal energy into him as he could. And he had plenty to spare. So he did, but no matter how much of his own power he poured into the older man or how often he did it, it only allowed a temporary relief from the pain. It was never enough. His unrefined approach to healing, which had served him well in the past, wasn't enough in this case. Wen Kexing's meridians needed to heal before his internal energy could properly focus on the wounds it didn't consider a priority and Zishu didn't have the necessary skills to help. He should have known someone like Wen Kexing wouldn't have been reduced to this if all he'd been suffering from were flesh wounds.

"I put some honey in it." He added. Not that it did much for the taste but he feared nothing ever would. It was bound to taste disgusting no matter what. Zishu had tried it, he'd had to be sure, and it had made him want to scrape it off his tongue with a knife. It was why he'd added the honey even though they didn't have much. 

Zishu didn't understand why he was feeling so much sympathy for this man. Wen Kexing was no delicate flower, the fact that he was still breathing was proof of that. He was strong, he was a survivor and he was a warlord. The last thing Zishu needed to do was pity him, and he didn't... but he couldn't bring himself to wish him harm either. Maybe it was because the older man never really complained. Though he was shameless and liked picking on Zishu, he wasn't a bad patient. The Ghost King didn't complain about the taste of any of his medicines even though it was clear as day on his face that he hated them and he didn't complain about the pain even though Zishu knew how bad it had to be at times. Somehow, Wen Kexing just accepting all of that like he was used to it made the situation all that more unbearable. He was used to it. Used to the pain. No one should be used to such suffering... even the Seven Nails killed you before you could get used to it. How could Wen Kexing had allowed himself to end up like this? Didn't he have people to stop him from pushing himself too far? Even Zishu had friends and family to threaten to stay him to the bed if he refused to rest and heal. Would he had ended up like this if it hadn't been for them? Broken in the snow? Suddenly he found himself thinking he should have been more grateful all those times they refused to let him be a stubborn idiot.

Wen Kexing pushed the empty cup back into his hands with a grimace, he'd swallowed it so fast Zishu was surprised he hadn't choked on it. "You lied to me, this wasn't sweet at all." He pouted. "Won't A-Xu let me see under his mask so that I forget?"

Zishu placed the cup on the small table that had at some point became his work space and rolled his eyes. "You don't know how to give up, do you?"

The pest chuckled. "My zhiji knows me so well."

"Zhiji? More like you're my worst nightmare." He answered, not that it had any effect other than making Wen Kexing grin harder. This man really had no shame... but he would have to take the mask off eventually anyway, Zishu thought. He's run out of supplies with no place to get more and at one point he would need to at least wash, if not to shave. It was starting to get itchy and uncomfortable anyway, even more annoying than Wen Kexing's incessant requests to take it off.

With a sigh, he ran his fingers along the seam of the fake skin, pulling it off with practiced ease. Wen Kexing watched intently, a smile pulling at his lips. "Have I mentioned that I like men?"

The question made Zishu snort in amusement before he could stop himself.

"You're the most beautiful being I have ever seen." The pest continued after a few minutes passed in silence, lacking the usual teasing tone of his voice. It made Zishu turn from removing the left overs of his disguise to look him in the eyes. 

"That can not be true." Zishu laughed. The assassin knew his worth. He was beautiful, but he was not beautiful enough to cause the fall of a country. The Ghost King has traveled far, conquered vast lands. Kings and tribe chiefs had offered the hands of their daughters and sons to him, had sent him slaves and courtesans as gifts. The most exotic of beauties. The Northern Emperor had been no exception and Zishu had even seen some of the people he'd sent to Ghost Valley. Wen Kexing could have the most famous of beauties from foreign lands. Surely many have shared his bed already, yet he sounded completely sincere when he replied. "But it is. In all of my life, I have never encountered such enchanting beauty." Zishu almost startled when he felt the soft touch of fingertips on his cheek. A thumb ran over his lips, making them tingle as he stood frozen. "I find myself wishing, that I could have you even just once. I swear that I would never hurt you, what do you have to be afraid of?"

Zishu pulled his gaze away, Wen Kexing's eyes felt like they were looking into his soul, seeing his heart bare. 

Everything... he had everything to be afraid of. No matter how fond he was growing of this endearing fool, this illusion they were now living in was one day bound to shatter. Zishu was the Leader of the Window of Heaven and Wen Kexing was the Emperor of Qingya, their lives were too far apart. The other man might not hurt his body, but what would happen to his heart?

"Live a little, A-Xu." Wen Kexing whispered, letting his hand trail down Zishu's neck as he pulled away. It felt he was trying to set the sensitive, newly uncovered skin on fire. "Let me show you pleasure like you've never felt before."

The assassin swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. All he wanted was to say yes. Zishu wasn't blind, he could see how beautiful Wen Kexing was, had felt the strength under his skin, felt his intoxicating power. He couldn't though, because he felt too much. He shouldn't. He wasn't supposed to be attached. This was a mission, that was all this was. If he hadn't thought having Wen Kexing on their side would be useful, Zishu would have left him in Granny's care and been home long ago. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything for him. He couldn't.

Zishu didn't look at Wen Kexing before he did something he wasn't proud of ever doing, he fled. He tried not to think of what had just occurred as he gathered and melted some snow, washing himself slowly in the room he barely used. Granny had showed it to him that first night but he spent most of the time keeping watch over Wen Kexing, using it only to sleep once he was sure the older man was out of the woods. Zishu found himself greatful that he had checked over Wen Kexing not long before that whole disaster of a conversation and didn't have to face him again so soon. There was no sign of a fever or infection and the bandages didn't need to be changed twice a day anymore so he was safe for the day.

That night he didn't sleep, turning and twisting until he gave up, meditating instead. The sun caught him by surprise when it rose again the next morning. Much as he wished to hide away forever, he wasn't that much of a coward. Usually, he greeted Granny in the kitchen every morning feeling it was only polite since he was living in her house, regardless of circumstances. She wasn't there.

Wen Kexing was alone in the kitchen, hair pulled back and sleeves tied around his upper arms. Zishu had to fight not to let his eyes wander to the way lean muscles moved under that exposed silky skin as he moved his hands around the... dough? The assassin frowned. Was the Emperor of Qingya... cooking? 

Crossing his arms, he frowned. "What are you doing? Are you trying to die? You shouldn't even be out of bed!"

The beautiful man didn't acknowledge his words as he smiled gently. "Good morning, A-Xu."

"How did you even walk here?" He sighed when the beautiful man failed to answer. Scratch that about reasonable patients, Zishu had his work cut out for him with this one. It must have been some kind of karma Wu Xi had sent his way that put him in Zishu's path. "Are you trying to undo all of my hard work? Go back to bed!"

That finally caused the other man to turn to him. "Will you finish making the soup then?"

That... Zishu looked at all the ingredients strewn over the table. He had the feeling that unless he promised to do just that, there was no way the stubborn pest would return to his rest and Zishu had absolutely no idea how to cook.

The assassin considered dragging Wen Kexing back to bed by force before he just shook his head and moved closer. The Ghost King was too stubborn, and he knew from experience how antsy being stuck in bed for too long made someone like them. Zishu would just have to make sure he took it easy. He pressed his hands to the Wen Kexing's back a little more firmly than necessary, and when the older man didn't sway or flinch in pain, allowed his internal energy to flow evenly until he felt the muscles under his palms relax.

As he let his arms fall down, Wen Kexing turned around and caught one in his hand, bringing it to his soft lips. They were close enough Zishu could see the warm spark in his eyes, the nearly unnoticeable crinkled in their corners when he smiled that made it seem like they were curling up. "A-Xu's energy is always as warm as his heart."

For a second he froze, unable to stop the blush that warmed his cheeks. When Wen Kexing hadn't mentioned their last conversation, Zishu had thought his silent rejection had put an end to anything that might have happened between them. Something stirred in his heart at the fact that the beautiful man refused to give up on him so quickly, even as he outwardly rolled his eyes. "I'm going to bring some wood for the fire."

"So..." Zishu started once he's returned. "Where is Granny's family?" He asked as he studied the stove, just to have something to break the silence. He's never lit a stove before but Zishu had built enough fires in the woods to know the basics. It had to be similar enough he decided as he started piling wood inside.

"Gone."

"They are all dead?" He frowned. At least Zishu still had Jiuxiao and Beiyuan and Helian Yi. Being left all alone... he held back a shudder.

"They are not all dead." Wen Kexing paused in his work for a moment, sadness in his eyes "Just... gone. Some of them have passed away, some had left to find work elsewhere and never came back. In the end, they all left." He shrugged. "They are gone."

Oh... it was no wonder than that she was so attached to this pest. Wen Kexing had came back, he kept coming back for her. He truly did care about her, Zishu realized. "She still has you."

The beautiful man turned to him, the bright smile and the words on his lips dying as he looked at the stove in horror. "A-Xu! You're supposed to start a fire, not burn down the house!"

Zishu frowned. He had thought there was a little too much smoke... "Don't bend down!" He snapped when Wen Kexing came over to help. "Just... tell me what to do."

The older man looked at him warily, then back to the failure of a fire before leaning against the table. "Very well, Lord Zhou." He teased with a smile. Zishu tried not to notice how beautiful Wen Kexing looked in that moment, dressed in simple robes with his hair tied back and a streak of flour on his forehead. He failed.

Chapter Text

Wen Kexing was nowhere inside the house. That idiot must really have a wish to reincarnate sooner, at this point Zishu was tempted to finish the job so many others had started before and beat him to death, save himself the impending headache! The assassin made his way out in the backyard, reprimanded on the tip of his tongue. He half expected to find the pest cutting wood or doing something equally as stupid, like fixing the snow covered roof or sharpening freezing farming tools. At this point, nothing would surprise him anymore. Wen Kexing was the most reckless, infuriating man he's ever met and nothing about him was charming! Thankfully he wasn't doing any of those things, but what he found caused Zishu to freeze in place, compelled to watch.

Wen Kexing had a stick in his hand but his graceful movements made it look like the most refined of blades. He danced upon the snow, no trace beneath his feet, flowed from one move into the next, with the natural elegance of tree branches moving in the wind. Powerful. Unpredictable. Vicious. It had been a long time since Zishu had seen anything as breathtakingly beautiful, as seductively dangerous. A force of nature... a fierce dragon. 

Wen Kexing hadn't had any weapon when Zishu had found him, nor had he ever heard rumors of the Ghost Kings unmatched swordplay before. Which could only mean that he never used one... Zishu couldn't help but wonder, why? The assassin didn't know how long he stood there silently, studying every single move. Three out of them all stood out, and he couldn't stop himself from in a deep breath in shock. The swordsmanship that had taken the Jianghu by storm so long ago, the swordsmanship that had made Wen Ruyu famous. 

"A-Xu, how long are you going to stand there and stare? Am I really that gorgeous that I've rendered you speechless?" Wen Kexing's amused voice startled him and Zishu found himself looking into the endless darkness that were his eyes.

He must have been so captivated he hadn't even noticed when the older man had stopped! The assassin glared, unwilling to admit just how close to the truth that was. Instead he chose not to acknowledge the drivel at all. "Those moves... at first I couldn't place them but then I realized. The Eighteen Moves of Qiuming are all derived from the three your style is also based on. Ever changing, like the flowing water of a dazzling fall." At his observation, the beautiful man's features lost all their mirth but Zishu wasn't afraid of the hardness that overcame them. "Wen Kexing, who is The Divine Hand Wen Ruyu, to you?"

The Ghost King looked at Zishu for a long time, the stick he'd been using long discarded to the side, but the assassin refused to avoid that penetrating gaze. Eventually, the ice melted away from his features and he stepped closer, sitting down on the small bench on Granny's porch. He waited until Zishu joined him before answering almost in a whisper. "My father."

"My condolences." He murmured back just as quietly. Sitting so close to each other, Zishu could feel the warmth of the man sitting next to him. He wanted to reach out and comfort him somehow, but he's never been good at consoling people so he didn't try. "I have heard much of your parents, I apologize for not having realized you were their son sooner."

His Shifu had been an open, sociable man. He'd seen good in everyone he'd met, made friends with everyone he'd shared a cup of tea with. His Shimu had been more reserved, more selective with whom she gave her trust to... Zishu took after her in that regard and he'd loved listening to her stories about all the amazing places she'd seen and all the great people she'd met before her marriage. She'd met Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao during one such journey and traveled with them for many months. Then she met her husband much later, and her wandering days had came to an end; but those stories about the healers had been his favorite, back when he'd still believed in heroes. 

"You couldn't have known." Wen Kexing smiled sadly. "I'm surprised there's still someone who can recognize his swordsmanship."

Then the beautiful man began to hum, voice low and raw and lonely. "There was a millet with dropping heads; then there was a new sacrificial millet sprouting. I moved about idly, heart in turmoil. Those who knew me spoke of my sorrows, and those who did not said I was seeking something. O, distant and Azure Heaven! By whom was this caused? There was a millet with dropping heads; then there was a new sacrificial millet sprouting..." The words were mixed and cutting and they reached Zishu all the way to his soul. Like an echo of his own pain; and he's never felt closer to anyone before, as he felt to Wen Kexing in that moment. 

"Why don't you carry a sword?" He found himself asking before he could stop the words from leaving his mouth.

There was silence for so long that Zishu was sure he wouldn't get an answer, until he heard Wen Kexing's laughter. Not the amused, teasing sound Zishu had grown used to but a broken and rough noise. "I don't remember..." His smile was a twisted thing that looked wrong on his handsome face. "When I was young, all I wanted to do was play, so I rebelled in every way I could and by the time I wanted to learn... it was too late. I'm not worthy of his sword." And using another would be a betrayal, Zishu also heard in his tone.

"You have surpassed him. I think that makes you a worthy successor." The assassin might not be good at consoling people but if there was one thing in the world that he knew well, it was martial arts. Wen Ruyu may have been skilled, but there were few people in the world, if any, who would dare challenge the Ghost King and survive.

Wen Kexing's lips curled up into another, more genuine, smile. "Maybe... but Die was a much better healer." A hint of curiosity entered his eyes. "What else does A-Xu know?"

"I know your mother was a closed door disciple of the Immortal Physician Valley. A most beautiful maiden, whose marriage broke many a heart. Obviously you didn't inherit your looks from her." He teased, causing the beautiful man to burst into laughter. "Your words are sharper than any blade, A-Xu." Zishu own lips twitched, a small giggle escaping them before an easy silence fell over them. They stayed there, side by side, as it started snowing. A new layer of pure white covered the one already on the ground.

"Your parents were some of the rare few good people in this world." Zishu whispered, eventually. "A true match made in heaven. I admired them greatly since I was a child." They've cared not for riches, fame or power; they've had made him believe there was still genuinely good people in the world. All they've ever done, their only purpose, had been to help others. Even now, those stories were often on his mind, reminding him why he kept going down this path. Why everything he was doing and everything he was sacrificing was worth it. Zishu wished he'd had the chance to meet them... Meeting their son was good too, he thought.

"Good people?" Wen Kexing hummed, turning his body towards Zishu. "Can't believe after that many years there's still someone who remembers them and calls them good. Say, what makes a good person? Why do humans have to be good?"

It was obvious from the tone of his voice that Wen Kexing was sincere in his questions so Zishu thought of his answer carefully as well. He's never considered himself to be a good person. He could have appreciated his parents more when he'd had them, could have been more patient with his brother when he'd been younger. His hands were covered in blood and he was the reason many innocent lives have been cut too short. Zishu told himself that everything he did was for a good cause, for the good of many, for his country, for peace; and he didn't regret it, if given the choice he'd do it again because he genuinely believed Helian Yi was the best choice to inherit the throne but that didn't mean he was made of stone, that didn't mean it didn't haunt him at night, that didn't mean he didn't feel like a small part of him was dying every time he had to make that choice. Who was he to say what made a good person, really?

"Not everyone in the world is a good person, but the majority of them tries to be so, to the point that they are willing to fake it." He started and Wen Kexing hummed in surprise at his words, intrested, so Zishu continued. "As for why they do... I think it's because only when you are good to others will they treat you well in return. When you're good you will have friends, aquatances, family, people who want to be near you, to be nice to you. Think about it, isn't it too miserable of a life if all you have is yourself and you treat everyone else with wariness? It's too painful, being a bad person." As he finished Wen Kexing nodded, deep in thought.

"Tell me, A-Xu, do you think... I could be a good person too?" The beautiful man asked, almost wistful.

The image of Wen Kexing kneeling in the snow, head bowed and covered in blood flashed through his mind. He'd already been injured, his body in constant pain, and he probably hadn't thought twice before putting himself in the path of those bandits.

"I know that you are." He answered without having to think about it. And that was the whole problem. Had Wen Kexing been a despicable man, Zishu's heart wouldn't have quivered in his chest at the thought of using him for his own goals.

The beautiful man's eyes widened just a little in surprise before he smiled. "I just realized, A-Xu. It is not only your body that is beautiful, but also your heart." Zishu felt his ears warm and stood, it was only when he was already by the door that he heard a whisper so low he thought maybe he hadn't been meant to. "How lucky am I, to have met my zhiji in this life."

For a moment he froze, before clearing his throat loudly. "Yeah, well... get moving before my warm heart locks your stubborn ass out here to freeze to death." He went in, amused by the tiny yelp Wen Kexing gave as he hurried to follow.

The night found Zishu outside Wen Kexing's room. His bare feet were going numb on the freezing floor and the thin robe he'd put on after his bath on barely dry skin was sticking to him. Long, midnight black hair fell freely around his face and he pushed it behind his ear as he hesitated, hand on the still closed door.

Zishu wanted to be kissed by Wen Kexing... wanted more than that. He shouldn't. He should try to convince him to support Helian Yi, he should squash these feelings growing inside of him. But he wanted anyway. They both wanted. Just once, he thought. Why should it be anyone else's business? Who would it hurt? He trusted Wen Kexing, trusted his honor not to use it against him. Trusted the man who took care of an old lady, all alone, just because she had been kind to him. Trusted the man who didn't think he was worthy of his father's sword because he had done what all children do. Trusted the man who called him beautiful with such honesty. Called them zhiji with such conviction. Zishu trusted him, and he wanted him so badly it ached.

Taking in a deep breath he cracked the door open snuck inside of silent feet. The room was dark, just enough moonlight slithering in for him to see. 

"A-Xu." Wen Kexing sat up in bed as soon as the wood slid closed behind him and the assassin was sure he would have been dead on the floor already had the older man not recognized who he was. "Did you need something?"

Zishu waited until he was by the bed before answering lowly. "Yes." Steeling his nerves, he climbed onto the bed and slid one leg over Wen Kexing, sitting down on his lap. He enjoyed the effect he had on the beautiful man even just doing this. The way he swallowed dryly, the little whimper that escaped through his lips, the slight shift of the hips under his ass. Zishu might not have experience with what was to follow exactly but he was no shy maiden either.

"If I say you stop, you stop." He started, pushing a small bottle of oil into Wen Kexing's hand. This was not its intended purpose but he knew it would work well enough.

"I would never force something you do not desire upon you." The older man answered solemnly and Zishu swallowed when gentle hands ran up his thighs, stopping on his hips without reaching for the tie of his robe.

"This doesn't mean anything, I only want what you promised." Zishu continued and Wen Kexing nodded.

"Only one night." He finished.

"As my A-Xu wishes." The older man hummed. 

Before he even realized what happened, Zishu found himself on his back, staring up at Wen Kexing. "What are you doing?!" He snapped quietly. "You will open your wounds!"

Wen Kexing chuckled, leaning down until their lips brushed. "I promised you unparalleled pleasure." He whispered, the warm breath made Zishu's lips tingle, he felt the arousal start to stir deep inside him. The older man trailed his lips up, laying soft kisses that set Zishu on fire along his jaw, until he reached the assassin's ear. "...And I always keep my promises." 

Zishu gasped when he felt cold hands pull his thighs apart and looked down in shock to find that his robe had been untied and pulled open. Wen Kexing leaned back on his knees, hands keeping him from moving as he took in his fill. "You truly are the most exquisite beauty, A-Xu."

Zishu felt the urge to cover himself up, no one's ever looked at him with such desire. He distracted himself by doing some staring of his own. Wen Kexing's own robe had been discarded on the bed behind him. There were still bandages wrapped around his torso but not as many as when he'd first woken a couple of weeks before. Zishu tenderly traced an almost healed scar on his shoulder, feeling the muscle shift under his fingers. Some of the less serious wounds were already gone, vanished like they've never been there. At first it had shocked him, as he's never seen anyone heal like that no matter how powerful, but now he thought it might be some secret technique he'd learned from his parents. Letting his fingers trail lower, he took in the cute pink nipples and the lean muscles. Zishu was not a small man, not by any mean, but the Ghost King was taller than him and maybe stronger too. The thought made him oddly pleased as he finally allowed his eyes to wander even lower. Zishu had seen many cocks in his life, but this had to be the first time he found one beautiful... and it was already hard. Fire pulled into his belly and he wrapped his legs around Wen Kexing, pulling him closer. "Are you going to fuck me, or do you plan on spending the whole night staring?" He hissed.

"So impatient, A-Xu." The pest chuckled, stepping back again to push a pillow under Zishu's hips. The position it bought him in felt foreign to him and he shifted to get more comfortable.

The assassin expected to feel slick fingers reach for his hole after that but Wen Kexing nipped and licked one of his nipples bringing tiny moans out of Zishu, then he kissed his way down his chest. He couldn't help the whimper that escaped at the thought of those full lips wrapped around his now hard length but instead of it, the pest kept moving... and then something warm and wet and incredible swept over his hole. 

Zishu gasped. "What are you doing?!" Legs instinctively moved to close in surprise but the pest seemed to have anticipated that and gripped them in his hands, pushing them up a little more towards his chest. 

"Keeping a promise." Wen Kexing didn't pull away and Zishu felt the words against him. He shivered when the older man licked him again. That couldn't be something people did, could it? Zishu's never thought... but it felt so good.

With a shuddering breath he leaned into the pillows and allowed himself to relax. He didn't even notice when the first finger entered him, and gave up on keeping quiet by the time two of them reached that spot inside him that made him see stars. The angle had never been good enough for him to reach it on his own before, he hadn't known it was so... intense. By the time Wen Kexing was kneeling over him again, Zishu had came once and was already hard again. He was loose and sensitive and everything felt cold against his burning skin. 

"Do you want to be on your front?" The words made him freeze. "No." He answered before he could even think about it. That... that just sounded too vulnerable, too defenseless. 

"Alright." Wen Kexing hummed quietly. Zishu took in a deep breath when the older man lined his cock and pushed in in one smooth move. He barely stopped himself from screaming when the pest found that spot inside of him on the first try.

He hadn't realized he was holding his breath, keeping his body still, until he heard a soothing voice repeating the same words in his ear over and over again. "Breath, A-Xu." The was a hand running up and down his waist, another rubbing circles on his hip. Wen Kexing wasn't moving other than that either, he realized, as he took in a shuddering breath. "I'm fine. It's just... more than I thought."

"I'm flattered." The pest chuckled as he finally shifted, Zishu's hand fell back down and gripped the sheets before it could slap him on the shoulders. "You're a pest." He answered, before rolling his hips, making Wen Kexing gasp himself... Two could play that game. 

It was deep into the night when they finally tired. Zishu was curled up around the older man's side, head on his chest. Every muscle in his body felt loose, he was satisfied and sore. They've stopped fucking a while ago and Zishu was enjoying just staying like that, holding someone close.

"I can teach you." He whispered sleepily.

The hand running lazily through his hair stopped. "About sex?" Wen Kexing asked incredulously. "I should hope I was not that bad, A-Xu." The pest laughed.

Zishu pinched the his arm, huffing. "Your father's sword moves, I can teach you." He clarified. "My Shimu... My parents died when I was very young, Shifu and Shimu are the only parents I remember. She used to be good friends with your parents, I believe she might even have been there when your father developed the Eighteen Moves. I begged her to teach me when I was young, so even though they don't fit into my style and I never use them, I do know them."

Zishu had only ever taught them to two people before, Jiuxiao and Han Ying. It would have felt wrong to teach anyone else. The Window of Heaven was supposed to know everything in the world and he took pride in their archives and their knowledge, in their network of spies; yet he's never been able to bring himself to share the knowledge about the Wens. Shimu would have crawled from her grave to haunt him forever. He hadn't even told Beiyuan, whom he hadn't trusted not to look for them and use it all to their advantage. They deserved to be left alone, he'd told himself. It had all been in vain, someone had already found them, someone worse. Still, he didn't regret it. Zishu didn't believe in fate but his Shifu had always said that fate brings together those that are a thousand miles apart. Maybe it had all been for a reason, after all. 

"I..." Wen Kexing started but whatever he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, instead what came out was a heartfelt. "Thank you."

Zishu hummed, burrowing closer to the other man under the blanket. He should leave, get out of bed and go to his own room. Draw the line... but it was warm in Wen Kexing's arms and the steady, calm beat of the heart under his ear lulled him to sleep.

Chapter Text

Everything was still red behind Zishu's eyelids when he stirred awake. He could still feel the biting wind on his mask, see the light of the moon reflect on the pools of red that covered the grounds of the large manor... smell the scent of blood that pervaded air around him. His body had been numb of feeling, his hands slick as he'd swung his sword one last time. The assassin could still remember wide innocent eyes staring up at him as the light inside them dimmed forever, hear that tiny voice beg him not to kill them all. 'We are all good people.' echoed in his mind. He had long stopped being overcome by disgust or grief for the things that he's done, but just for a moment he wondered what life would have been life if he hadn't. If he'd chosen to walk another path, one that wasn't covered in death and blood.

A tiny part of him, the part of him that still remembered crying in his Shifu's arms the first time he took a human life defending their home, that still remembered helping his Shimu heal the animals that lived in the forest... the part of him that had held Jiuxiao for the very first time and promised to always protect him... that innocent child that's long been forced to grow up too soon, that's been hollowed of all emotions and left to wither away... that small part of him that refused to die no matter how much he beat and rejected it still wished to turn it's back on it all. To leave it all behind... but he's chosen on this path and it was his to walk alone. Stopping now and turning away, giving up before he reached his goal, would be an insult to all those, good or evil, whose lives had been sacrificed by his hand. 

Cold fingers trailing down his spine under the covers distracted him from his musings. They wrapped around his hip gently, pulling him closer to the larger body behind him. He felt the tip of a nose at his temple and soft familiar lips brushing his ear. "You're very quiet this morning. Was I too rough last night, A-Xu?"

It sometimes still amazed Zishu, how gentle and considerate this man could be with him. This man who was both feared and revered, who was capable of atrocious things, but touched Zishu like he was deserving of utmost care. He teased and flirted until the assassin wanted nothing more than to seal his mouth shut if only for an hour, but never took what wasn't freely offered.

Zishu had gotten used to waking up in Wen Kexing's bed, to the scent of flowers wafting off the pillows and the warmth surrounding him. One night had turned into two, two into a week, a week into a month... now nearly three have passed since Zishu had walked that snowy path and the snow was gone. He's almost forgotten what his original purpose here had been. Every time he'd tried to make himself bring up the subject of Helian Yi and the throne, the words had died an early death in his throat... Taking advantage of situations was Zishu's strongest point, his skills worked on everyone except for Wen Kexing.

Every morning for the last few weeks they've sparred in the forest around the village and practiced the Eighteen Moves of Qiuming with the wooden swords Zishu had roughly carved. Every night they've sat on the roof watching the stars and drinking warm wine. Every night Zishu had leaned closer into Wen Kexing's arms wishing it would never end and every night the aprehension inside of him had continued to grow. With every day that passed, something bloomed in Zishu's heart and it hurt like tiny little petals made of sharp blades... They were running out of time. 

"I just wish that we could stay like this forever." He whispered, eyes still closed.

Wen Kexing had been healed for a while. His meridians were like torrents of internal energy rushing towards his core, the full extent of his power had stunned even Zishu, and the wounds on his skin had faded away like the water that seeps deep into the earth after a rain. If even Wu Xi were to examin him now, he would be hard pressed to find any proof that this man had ever been injured at all. 

Wen Kexing hummed against the skin of his neck and the vibrations of it made Zishu shiver. "...Maybe we could. We could stay here with Granny, buy a couple horses. And pigs. And chicken, chicken would be a must." He declared. "We could plant a vegetable garden. Farm the land in spring, harvest in the fall... We could build a swing for the yard, maybe hang some windchimes up. It would be a peaceful life, wouldn't it, A-Xu?"

Zishu thought about this humble house, with its worn floors and warm walls. With the kind old lady who hadn't blinked at Zishu's change in appearance, or them sharing a room, whose simple cooking was more delicious than any lavish feast served at the palace. The silent nights that reminded him of his childhood home, so unlike the busy Capital that never slept. A future of learning how to cook and washing his own clothes and working the land. It would be a hard but quaint life, he thought.

"Your delicate hands aren't made for farming, Lao Wen." He said instead, even though they both knew it was a flimsy excuse, and felt Wen Kexing nod before he continued. "Then maybe we could travel, the way my parents did. With A-Xu by my side, either the simple life of a farmer or the adventurous one of a wanderer... I would still be happy." The older man finished wistfully.

The assassin could almost see it. A life of eating delicious food, drinking good wine and letting the past drift away like the clouds. To see all the beautiful sights Shimu had described, meet all kinds of interesting people with his zhiji by his side. To always have someone to fall asleep with and wake up besides... to grow old together until they no longer could walk without the help of the other and their hair had turned gray. How long would that take for someone like them? How much of the world could they experience before it happened? 

"A peaceful life..." Zishu smiled to himself as Wen Kexing cuddled closer. "Spending a peaceful life with my zhiji by my side, who would ever need more."

Zishu could be happy, living a life like that. In a different world, in a different time, maybe they could have had that but in this life he was still the Leader of the Window of Heaven and Wen Kexing was still the Emperor of Qingya. They had duties and responsibilities that they've neglected for way too long. Even if they were to try, the world would never let them disappear. If they ran away, eventually it would all catch up to them... In this world their lives were worlds apart, but he could close his eyes and for one moment imagine that life. Zishu drifted asleep again with that much brighter image behind his eyelids, held in Wen Kexing's strong arms. 

Later that night they didn't climb to the roof, sneaking away with a blanket to stay by the river instead. 

Zishu fell on his back, panting, looking up at the clear sky. The stars were bright that night, the moon full. A cool breeze brushed his heated and damp skin but Zishu's internal energy protected him from being affected by the chill that still lingered late at night. It was oddly arousing, to feel the wind so freely against his bare skin, and it made the fire inside his veins blaze hotter. It was thrilling, doing this out in the open.

He sighed contentedly when soft lips caressed along his neck before the older man pulled back, leaning on an elbow to look down at Zishu. Wen Kexing's hand sought out his own, bringing the back of Zishu's fingers to his lips. 

"I try to offer you the moonlight so hard to pick..." The older man murmured, dark eyes taking in the assassin's relaxed body. Maybe someone else would have felt uncomfortable under such an intense gaze, but Zishu only rolled his eyes and turned back to the sky. The pest didn't let himself be discouraged though. "A-Xu might have a heart like the sun, but you have the beauty of night. Skin as pale as moonlight, hair as dark as the night sky, eyes as bright as the stars and lips as soft as a dream." He continued and Zishu couldn't help but chuckle. "Wen Kexing, you are so full of shit its spilling out of your mouth."

"Zhou Xu..." The beautiful man whined and Zishu enjoyed the cute pout on his lips. "...how can someone so beautiful be so cruel to their zhiji?"

Instead of answering, Zishu distracted him by pulling him down into a deep kiss and leading their joined hands between his legs where he was hard again. Wen Kexing's voice was far more pleasant when he was whispering indecent things in his ear, he thought... They were distracted for a while.

The assassin let Wen Kexing clean them both later, still recovering from his latest orgasm, sore and pleasantly loose limbed. Zishu couldn't help the tiny moan when he was pulled up and a couple of cold robes were wrapped around him. He shuddered for a second before the older man's arm wrapped around him, pulling him close. Wen Kexing's warmth seeped through the layers of fabric and Zishu laid his head on a strong shoulder, relaxing again.

Zishu took the warm cup of wine that was offered to him as the older man raised his own. "With this toast I make a promise, that the only one I will ever marry in this life is A-Xu." He stated calmly before he gulped it down.

Zishu startled. Did that mean... Wen Kexing has never married? That he had no consorts? Even if he had refused all offers of marriage for political reasons, Zishu had thought he had at least married out of choice. He was an emperor, and he was also a man who loved the act of sex as much as he loved the end of it. Even if he claimed to have never seen anyone as beautiful as Zishu before, had he never met someone he'd wanted to keep by his side either? The assassin frowned in confusion. Someone whose company he'd found at least pleasant? Nevertheless, that was all irrelevant.

"That's not a promise you can afford." Zishu whispered, voice raspy as he fought against himself to say them.

Wen Kexing was an Emperor, sooner or later he would have to take consorts, have heirs... Build a dynasty, or else the empire he's fought so hard for would one night fall into chaos, once he was no longer there to keep it together. And even if Wen Kexing were to afford such a promise, Zishu couldn't promise it back, he thought, looking deep into his wine cup as if it held all the answers. His life belonged to the Window of Heaven. Should his marriage ever be necessary in his mission, he would be unable to refuse. Even if it shattered his heart and his soul both to pieces, the peace and safety of his people by far outweighed his own happiness... Closing his eyes to hide his sorrow, he gulped the wine as he made a silent promise of his own. As soon as Wen Kexing fell asleep that night, Zishu would leave. Fade into the night like the shadow he was and never tell him the truth. If the memories of their time here would be all that he ever has of his zhiji, Zishu will still consider himself blessed for having met in this lifetime.

Wen Kexing's hold around him tighten as he declared softly. "That's for me alone to decide."

There was such sorrow in his voice that Zishu couldn't bring himself to argue again. Neither of them dared look at the other, and the only sound left was the rushing water of the river as they both watched the clear night sky. 

Snuggling closer into Wen Kexing's embrace one last time, Zishu felt himself grow tired. He blinked the sleepiness away, trying to cling to this moment for as long as he could. The world was blurry around the edges and his mind felt... foggy. Zishu was supposed to stay awake for some reason but... he couldn't remember why. He... Wen Kexing. Zishu blinked again, forcing his eyes open as he looked down at the wine cup. No... No! "What...?!" It came out as a barely audible whisper, and then everything went black.

Chapter Text

The first time he had met his zhiji, Kexing had thought he was dying. He couldn't make out his face as he'd looked up from where he had been kneeling in the snow, only a dark silhouette shrouded by the winter sun. In that moment, the other man had been a vision surrounded by light and The Ghost King had thought it fitting. How cruel fate could be, to tease him with what he could never see again once he'd reached the netherworld. Had he been capable of it, Kexing would have laughed back then. Only... he hadn't died. When he'd opened his eyes next, he'd been in a familiar room. The sheets had been soft from wear and the air crisp and clear. The man who had saved him had been working at the table, his back to the bed. What a fool, he'd thought, exposing the most vulnerable part of himself to a monster like me.

Kexing had always thought you could tell a person's true appearance by their shoulder blades. One could hide their face under masks both real and metaphorical but ironically no one thought to hide their most defenseless side. This man's clothes were simple but his spine was perfectly straight, his muscles strong and lean, shifting gracefully as he worked. He had delicate bones that indicated he'd also have elegant features, a thin waist and long legs. He had to be a great beauty, Kexing had decided then, which was why he hadn't believed for a moment that that had been his real face when he'd first turned around. As for whether the mask he'd worn had been real or figurative...

There was more than one way for someone to conceal their real appearance. Some would hide it behind a veil, some would paint over their skin, and some would produce a kind of mask that was indistinguishable from real skin. In the Jianghu, there was a Sect that specialized in disguise and stealth that had managed to pass as unremarkable for many generations. Had it not been for Qianqiao telling him about them the Ghost King might not have noted their existence at all but he did have Qianqiao, and so when tragedy after tragedy had struck and they've all vanished, he'd noticed. 

Zhou Zishu had been young when the burden of leading Four Seasons Manor had fallen upon his shoulders, younger even than Kexing had been when he'd become the Chief of Ghost Valley. When his spies had first sent news of a new secret organization becoming active in the Capital that specialized in stealth and assassination, one that worked for a member of the royal family, Kexing had actually loudly laughed. Zhou Zishu was smart and he was a survivor. The more Kexing heard about him, the more he grew to admire the younger man. 

The Ghost King had a vested interest in keeping tabs on the Window of Heaven, but Wen Kexing had grown a personal interest in Zhou Zishu. In the shadows he was a master in both martial arts and the art of poisons, while in the light he was the favored cousin of Helian Yi and a peerless beauty. The most likely person in the Capital to pose a threat to Kexing's plan and the only person aside from that ugly tortoise who might stand a chance against him in battle. Had it taken him longer than a day to recognize him, especially once the younger man had admitted he was wearing a mask, the Ghost King would have been ashamed of himself.

Kexing could have killed Zhou Zishu and gotten rid of an obstacle in his way. Taking the life of his savior would been far from the worst sin the Ghost King had committed. The very face he wore was a mask he showed the world, his real appearance was the one of his soul. Ugly and covered in scars... but for some reason he hadn't been able to bring himself to take Zhou Zishu's life. Maybe it had been that honesty in his eyes, the gentleness with which he'd looked upon Kexing. He should have left then, he's functioned and pretended to be perfectly fine on a body far more broken than that. Pain was an old friend. He could have gotten up from that bed and left, he should have. Since that day he's asked himself so many times why he hadn't. He still didn't have an answer.

The Ghost King didn't remember the last time he'd peacefully slept through the night or the last time he hadn't felt any pain. The last time there had been something else in his veins other than a burning need for revenge. A-Xiang had been the only source of light in his life for so long, but with every year that passed, with every battle and every nightmare and every drop of blood on his hands the light she cast upon him had become dimmer and dimmer as he drifted farther and farther away. A-Xiang was innocent and pure and good, but her light was not strong enough. Kexing had sunk too deep into the abyss for her little hands to be able to pull him up anymore. Every time he slipped into the role of the Ghost King, it became harder to step out of it. He'd done his best to fake it, to not show his true face to his baby sister... to not taint her, but every time he returned home covered in blood and standing straight only through sheer force of will, it was getting harder. Kexing had long lost hope of ever shedding the skin of the monster off again, he'd thought he'd been cursed to one day forever turn into the ruthless and bloodthirsty part of him that was the Ghost King. His heart had held only demons, shame and a heart that was infinitely frozen... until he'd met Zhou Zishu.

Kexing didn't know why he'd stayed but he was glad that he did. A-Xu was... A-Xu was his zhiji and he had a heart like the sun. Kexing had forgotten what it felt like to be warm before he'd met him. The younger man had a sharp tongue but his actions spoke louder than his words. There was still an innocence to A-Xu that Kexing had lost long ago. He could barely remember a time when his goal hadn't been neverending death. Happiness... was such a distant thing and the human heart, such a mysterious one. It was filled with infinite greed. Greed fore more. More power, more riches, just more. More of everything. Everybody had something they desired, even the so called 'heroes' of the world. He'd thought he had human hearts all figured out. The world was filled with demons, and he was going to send them all back to hell no matter who got in his way.

...But the human heart was also the only thing in the world that could destroy evil spirits. Humans also desire, above all else, love. Companionship. Warmth. To be seen. To be understood. Without him even realizing it, the light of Zhou Zishu's heart had brightened the world around Kexing. Made him wish that he could be a good person, like his parents had once been. Avenging the death of one's parents was a son's duty, but so was making them proud. So was honoring their legacy. A peaceful life... that was also what they've wished for. For once, he'd found himself wishing that he could step off of this dark path filled with ghosts and into the human world. His heart still burned with the need for revenge but it was not the only thing that filled his veins anymore. 

A-Xu had made him believe there were still good people in the world. There was still something worth fighting for. A chance for a better world. A brighter future... and Kexing found out he actually wanted so many things. He wanted Aunty Luo to stop looking at him like she was afraid he'd snap any second. He wanted Qianqiao to feel safe again. He wanted A-Xiang to grow up in a world where she could leave the safety he'd built for her in the Ghost Valley without fear. He didn't want her to be a bird in a gilded cage. He wanted her to be free to be whoever she wanted. He wanted her to fall in love with a good person and have children of her own. He wanted her to have a happy life. A human life. A-Xu gave him hope and in repayment Kexing had betrayed him... The hurt and confusion in A-Xu's voice as he drifted away was going to haunt Kexing for a very long time. 

He didn't regret the choices he'd made, though. Zhou Zishu was the love of his life, his confidant, his zhiji but he was also young. He had dreams and goals to accomplish and staying with Wen Kexing would only get in the way of that.

"We met at the right time. And also at the wrong time." He whispered against midnight hair, wistfully. Kexing was a selfish man, as long as he knew that A-Xu still felt for him what he felt for A-Xu, he would inevitably go back for more and the tighter he'd hold on to the beautiful man... the more A-Xu would grow to resent him. There was no place for him in Zhou Zishu's life... not yet. 

"Had we met under different circumstances all I would have needed in life would have been to wander this world with you by my side but such is not our luck." He sighed. "Fate has let us meet, A-Xu, fate shall reunite us." Or I will make it, he silently promised himself with only the moon as witness.

He held A-Xu tighter in his arms and looked down at him trying to memorize everything about his zhiji that he could. The weight of his body, the warmth of his skin, the way it reflected the light of the moon, the smell of his hair, the gentle slope of his lips, the shape of his eyes, the cute tip of his ears... the sound of his laughter, the way he hummed off tune when he got lost in thought, his sarcastic wit, his breathtaking qinggong like flower petals in the wind... the way the world lit up when he smiled. Kexing wished he could carve a space out in his own heart and tuck A-Xu away forever. Keep him safe and sound... but Zhou Zishu was not a damsel in distress nor a porcelain doll. He didn't need saving, he didn't need protecting... all he needed from Kexing was for his zhiji to believe in him so that's what he was going to do. 

I am a coward, A-Xu, I took the easy way out, he thought. Since the first time he'd left the Ghost Valley, he'd kept a small dose of Water of Naihe hidden on him at all times. He's never thought the one he would end up using it on would be his zhiji. He couldn't bear the thought of staying away from his beloved so he made it so Zhou Zishu wouldn't remember him at all. He took away the possibility of him ever seeking the other man out without feeling like his heart was breaking into a thousand million pieces. 

The early morning sun was glittering upon the river by the time he got up, A-Xu held gently in his arms. Ignoring Granny's gasp as she followed him, he laid the younger man on his bed. He couldn't help but caress the beautiful face and pressing his lips to A-xu's forehead one last time before he stood. 

When he turned around, the sorrow was clear on the old woman's face. "Xing'er, what have you done?"

"What I had to." He answered, face blank. "When he wakes up... when he wakes up tell him that he got injured defending the village from bandits and you nursed him back to health. About me..." He continued, softly. "...don't tell him anything."

"Xing'er..." She started to protest but Kexing just shook his head, interrupting her by taking her hands in his and curling them around his money pouch. "Take this."

Feeling how heavy it was, Granny tried to push them back without even opening it but he refused. "It might be a while before I can visit again. If you need anything done around the house, you should pay someone to do it for you. Don't struggle on your own." He'd fixed everything that needed fixing but it was an old house and Granny was an old woman. 

He didn't have much to pack, his robes had been ruined so he only shoved the hair crown he'd been wearing that day into a small bag and tied it around his waist before leaving. If he'd allowed himself to turn towards the bed again, he didn't think he'd be strong enough. 

"You take care of yourself as well, Xing'er. Eat well and rest... and don't push yourself too hard again." Kexing heard just as he stepped out the door He nodded in answer, and then he was gone. 

Kexing stopped briefly at his father's grave to pay his respects but unlike the times before, he didn't utter a word before he bowed deeply and left. The road to the Valley was uneventful, and he made the whole journey without a stop. When he saw the giants gates again, his heart felt surprisingly light. 

A-Xu, he thought as the stone parted for him and the Ghosts behind it all kneeled, I can't wait to see that peaceful world you're building.

Chapter Text

Kexing flipped his new fan open and turned it from one side to the other, inspecting it slowly as he purposefully ignored the man kneeling in front of the throne. When practicing the Eighteen Moves A-Xu had ordered him to get himself a weapon and Kexing had promised to do so, he just never said it'd be a sword. It had taken him a while to find the right smith and materials and once he had, it had taken even longer to test the designs but he thought this time they got it right. With a flick of his wrist he let it go and it flew in a perfect arc, past the kneeling Ghost's ear and returning to his hand with a soft impact. The old man flinched but didn't dare move when part of his hairpin fell to the ground. Sharp and perfectly balanced. This one was a success, Kexing decided with satisfaction as he started fanned himself. 

"Old Meng, report." He finally ordered.

The old man let out a sigh of relief as he started speaking, not daring to look up. "The barbarians' attack on the Northern Capital had been successfully repelled. We sabotaged them in secret just as you ordered." Then he hesitated. "Lord Zhou defended the gates on his own. He held strong until the end but his injuries..."

Kexing hit the fan against his palm, sliding it shut and making the old man flinch at the sound. The Ghost King stood still as a statue, his eyes boring into the the spy who continued in a shaky voice. "The Sha... Shaman Wu Xi is watching over him."

Wehn Kexing had first learned about his zhiji's injuries, he'd had half the mind to rush to the Northern Capital himself. If Old Meng wasn't so good at what he did, he would have cut the old man's head for this! Unfortunately, he was aware that A-Xu was not going to stop putting himself in such dangerous situations anytime soon and the beautiful man was safer with someone as cunning as Old Meng watching over him than without. Still, he could not let this pass unpunished.

Gracefully, he stood up and walked to the kneeling man on silent feet. With the closed fan he lifted the other's chin until he was looking into the Ghost King's merciless eyes. "Old Meng..." He started softly. "Do you remember what I told you when I summoned you here to give you this mission?"

"That should something unfortunate happen to Lord Zhou due to my incompetence, I will pay for it with my life." The old man stuttered out and Kexing could see fear in his eyes.

The Ghost King nodded calmly. "You are lucky that he still lives and that the reports I have received speak in your favor."

The words seemed to have given the spy some unfortunate courage though, because he started speaking again in a steadier voice. "Chief, your obvious feelings for this man are a weakness. For a pretty face you're even defending the North! Letting him die would be..." The rest of his unwanted advice died in his throat when Kexing grabbed it tightly, lifting him up until he was standing on shaking legs.

"Don't forget that you were nothing until I noticed that you were good at being nothing." The Ghost King hissed in the old man's ear.

After he'd taken care of the old Master's followers, he'd cleaned up the rest of the ranks of those he'd considered to be too despicable to be allowed to live while at the same time trying to find useful subjects to help with his goal. Old Meng had been among those. He was good at blending into the crowd and making himself seem unremarkable, but he was not irreplaceable.

"You breathe by my grace and you live by my grace. Don't tempt me to change that." He finished before releasing the old man and taking a step back. Old Meng fell back on his knees with a thud, bowing deeply. "I wouldn't... I wouldn't dare, Chief."

Kexing hummed as he returned to his seat and opened his fan again. "And don't forget, should the winds of the North change I expect Zhou Zishu to be delivered to me safe and sound no matter what you have to sacrifice to make it happen." Kexing added the reminder, he knew what happened to powerful Generals once they've helped the Emperor ascend to the throne and had no intention of allowing that to become A-Xu's fate.

"Yes, Chief." Old Meng, answered.

"Good, you're dismissed." At his words, the old man didn't waste any time before bowing again and turning to scurry out of the Hall. He'd almost made it when Kexing decided one more warning was in order.

"And Old Meng." He added softly, making the man freeze in place.  "Should there ever be a repeat of this, I will strip the skin from your flesh and your flesh from your bones."

"Yes, Chief." 

Kexing leaned back in his seat once he was alone and ran a hand over his face. The Ghost King didn't trust Old Meng, he was a self serving rat, but he did trust him to be a smart self serving rat. Old Meng yearned for power but he was no outstanding martial skills nor great courage. As long as Kexing was Chief of the Ghost Army, he would think twice and twice again about whether to defy him before deciding it wasn't worth it. Kexing could have manipulated him into thinking he had a chance had it helped with his plans but as it was his ability to blend in was most useful. Since he could enjoy a comfortable life in the Northern Capital, the old man was content enough not to risk rocking the boat. 

The Ghost King sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment, his mind going back to the day he had returned to the Valley over a year before.

Kexing stopped in the middle of the road, watching as people passed him by on the busy street. They gave him odd looks but none of them stopped in their daily tasks and he realized it was because they didn't recognize him. An entire city had grown here, prospered in the safety he'd unintentionally provided beyond the gates of the Valley, and Kexing had never stopped long enough to truly see it. There had always been a battle ahead or a battle behind him as he'd simply flashed by. 

He hadn't intended to make himself an emperor or conqueror himself a territory. All he'd wanted was revenge, everything else had been a means to an end. He could remember with cristal clarity the first time he struck the former Master, the monster who had dared kill his father, abuse his mother, and threaten his sister but he could barely recall what it had actually felt like to be that hopelessly young... he had been so young. Impulsive, lost, filled with rage; he'd lashed out. All that darkness he'd repressed, all those negative emotions bottled up, they've unleashed a storm. And he'd used it to his advantage. Kexing had needed to clean up and suppress any rebellion within the Valley, he'd needed an army and resources and a cover for what he was doing. He'd needed time and a spy network, answers about the past and plans for the future. His enemies could not know he existed, that he was rising in power or that he was coming for them. His Niang used to say that in life everything has a consequence. Every blink, every breath, every choice you make.

Chief of the Ghost Army, Emperor of Qingya, Ghost King, those were all titles that other people had chosen for him and he hadn't even stopped enough to consider what they've meant until it was too late. Before he knew it he'd found himself responsible for far too many people. Kexing had barely felt capable of taking care of himself and A-Xiang, though he never would have admitted such a weakness out loud. He hadn't allowed himself to feel anything about it, last it got in the way, but he hadn't had the time to quell rebellions every other day. It had been only logical to establish laws and put some kind of system in place, to make sure the people were fed, but he'd left Aunt Luo in charge of most of the administrative tasks and she'd rarely needed him to deal with things. 

A voice had chided in the back of his mind that those people were innocent and hadn't asked to be dragged into his plots, that they were his responsibility now. That voice had sounded too much like his Die had when telling him to train or study more, right before Kexing had quipped something right back at him... What he wouldn't give now to argue with his parents again.

"Are you alright, young master?" A voice to his left distracted him, and he turned to see a young woman holding a wooden bowl and spoon out to him. "You look you need something to cheer you up."

He saw one of the guards that patrolled the city take a step closer and subtly signaled for him to stop before answering. "Thank you, miss, but I don't have anything to pay you with."

"You're new here, I can tell." She giggled before she sobered up. "Ghost Valley is a new city, most of us have come here looking for a new start. If you really insist, you can pay me back when you can. I'm not afraid you will run away on me."

Seeing that she wasn't taking it back, he reluctantly accepted. "You're not? Afraid, I mean?" Kexing couldn't help but ask.

"Why would I be?" She asked him incredulously. "This is the safest city in the world. I am an honest woman who wishes no harm upon others, so here I have nothing to fear."

"The Ghost King."

"What about him? He's the one who made this place safe for all of us. Though..." She frowned, looking in the direction of the Palace. "...he's very reclusive. Other than the guards and the maids who work at the palace no one knows what he looks like. If we did, many here would like to thank him."

Thank him? Kexing never thought there were people in the world who wanted to thank him. The Ghost King was a warlord who decimated their armies and took over their lands. Shouldn't they hate him instead?

Kexing realized he had no idea what his people thought of him. He's never wished for the power he now had, so he's never bothered to learn about them. Yes, he'd snuck around to spy on fights around the Valley, defying his mother. Meditated every chance he got, studied every book he could get his hands on. Trained to the point of exhaustion until he'd forged himself into a weapon more dangerous than any sword, but that was physical strength. His body and mind were his. That kind of power was simple, it was self control. He hadn't really considered the implications to the other side of his power until he'd met Zhou Zishu... the power he had over other people. Common people. He may not have asked for it but he did have it and A-Xu... maybe Kexing wasn't a good person but he wanted to be good for A-Xu. Wanted to be worthy of his zhiji.

Deciding not to say anything more he nodded at the young woman and took a careful sip of the golden brown liquid. Shocked to find it was sweet, he took another in wonder, keeping it on his tongue. Delicious!

It wasn't a well known fact that Kexing loved sweet foods. When he'd been a child he'd loved climbing all the way to the top of the trees where the fruit were ripest. He'd eat until he was so full he could barely taste his Niang's cooking without feeling like he'd burst and she'd chide him about making himself sick even as she made medicine for him. Sometimes, when he'd studied hard, his Die would sneak him candy when his Niang wasn't looking. After they've come to the Valley there had been no more fruit... and no more Die to sneak him candy. When he'd became Chief, he'd always bought A-Xiang all kinds of delicacies from the places he conquered but he rarely had the disposition to try them himself. Kexing knew the maids at the Palace often tried to recreate the deserts for his sister but he's never asked them to make any for him... it had seemed so frivolous when he'd had more important things on his mind. The first sweet thing he'd ate in years, he realized, had been the medicine A-Xu had tried to make taste a little less awful. Even though he wasn't a child, his A-Xu had thought of that for him... the younger man must be really bad at taking medicine, he thought in amusement as he finished his treat.

"Thank you, miss." Kexing couldn't help his smile as he handed the kind lady back her empty bowl. For more than just the sweet soup, he thought. "I will definitely repay you one day."

She smiled back while returning to her stall and he decided he had lingered there long enough. With a flash he was gone.

"Gege, you're back!" A weight hit him as soon as he stopped in the garden outside the Palace, stick thin arms wrapping tightly around his waist. " You were gone so long this time! What if something happened to you?!" A-Xiang whined as he chuckled, rubbing a hand over her hair. "Don't break your head with those silly thoughts. Don't you know your ge is invincible?" He laughed, picking her up and spinning while she screeched. "Ge! Put me down! I'm too old for this!"

"Too old. Too old she says." He snorted as he stopped and placed her back on her feet. She huffed up at him, face adorably flushed... A-Xiang was the same age he had been when his life had irrevocably changed. He'd swore to himself that he wouldn't let her grow up too soon and had no intention of changing that. She was not too old.

"Very well, then." He pretended to relent to her glare. "How about you go tell the chef to make some of your favorite cakes while I speak to your aunty and jiejie? I want to try some later." 

"You want to eat cake?" Her eyes widened in shock. "I'll go right away! It's the best, you will see!" The little girl yelled as she ran towards the Palace.

He should take her to the city to try some of that sweet soup to make up for worrying her. She'd love it, he decided as he followed her at a much slower pace.

The two women, who had been helping A-Xiang train from the looks of it, followed him silently. His study was exactly as he'd left it, maps and strategical formations covering nearly every surface... It was a war room, so he remained standing and turned his back to the desk until he had the chance to clean it up.

"Wen Kexing, where have you been?!" Luo Fumeng demanded as soon as he faced them. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? You were gone for over three months! The preparations for attack on the Northern border are nearly done!"

"Good." He answered her calmly. "So it's not to late to tell them to retreat."

"Retreat?" She gaped at him. "What lunacy are you speaking now?!" She yelled.

"We're not attacking the North anymore." Kexing answered her, a hint of warning in his voice. Qianqiao looked between them in worry, before deciding not to intervene. Aunt Luo was probably the only person in the Valley who dared speak to him that way but the young woman also knew Kexing would not hurt her.

"A-Xing, are you being crazy again?" The white haired woman asked, exasperated, and Kexing chuckled, some of the tension dissipating from his shoulders

"I'm always crazy." Kexing countered. "But for years I have been a ghost, drifting though the world and sustaining myself on rage... Tell me Aunty Luo, if given the chance, what ghost wouldn't choose to become human again?" He asked her sincerely.

Luo Fumeng started at him in shock at his question, before turning around. "If you want to abandon your years worth of hard work and suffering, fine! You're the Chief, you always do what you want anyway!" She snapped as she left, slamming the door shut behind her.

Kexing leaned against his desk with a sigh. It wasn't like he had expected a different reaction to his decision.

"Aren't you going to run after her, or do you want to yell at me as well?" He asked the only person left in the room with him. That would be a first, he didn't think he'd ever heard Qianqiao rise her voice before.

The young woman shook her head, studying him as if assessing for injuries. Once she was done she spoke gently. "Please forgive Master, she only worries for you. We thought..." Qianqiao shook her head. "Doesn't matter now. She will apologize once she cools down." Stepping closer she took one of his hands in both of her own the way she used to when they were younger and she'd try to comfort him. "I don't know what happened to you those few months but you seem lighter, A-Xing. Whatever you choose to do, I will always follow you. You know that."

He did. Kexing was well aware of the older woman's feelings for him. In the past he had even wished it were possible for him to return them. Qianqiao was beautiful, even he could see that, and she was smart and kind hearted. Except for being a woman, she was very much what he desired but now that he had met A-Xu, he knew no one else could ever compare to his zhiji.

He squeezed her hand once, before pulling away. "Thank you, Qianqiao. I would like a moment alone. I need to wash and change."

"I will send someone to prepare a bath." She nodded.

"Also," He added as she turned to leave the room. "...summon Old Meng to the Valley. I have a new mission for him."

Even now, Kexing thought as he blinked away the past, Aunt Luo didn't understand his choice. He let out a deep breath and decided it was late enough to retire for the night. Leaving the Hall, he made his way to the terrace next to his room.

Alone, Kexing watched the sun set over the Valley and the moon rise. The blooms of summer were starting to wither, the leaves were starting to rust. Pouring himself a cup of wine, he rose it to the moon. "Single as a flower, centered from the clouds..." He sighed. "Heaven is high, earth wide... I am endlessly yearning, A-Xu."

Chapter Text

"A marriage alliance?" Kexing leaned back into his seat, annoyed. They were never going to give up, were they? "Throw it into the fire like the rest." He told the two women standing on the other side of his desk. Both Aunt Luo and Qianqiao had arrived with the reports from his spies that morning, which had surprised him since usually the younger woman delivered them alone. Now he could see why.

Aunt Luo huffed. "It's from the Northern Emperor, at least use it to get Zhao Jing's head instead." That... was not the argument he had been expecting. 

The Northern Empire? Helian Yi certainly hadn't wasted any time, Kexing thought. As far as he knew the man wasn't even married himself yet; and even if he were, he was barely older than A-Xu, his children would be far from the right age. None of Helian Yi's brothers were alive and all of his surviving sisters were already married. There were other members of the royal family, of course, but who would Helian Yi marry to him? The Ghost King frowned.

"Whose hand is he even offering?" He asked with a sigh as he knew they had already read it. They always did, even if the result was always the same.

"Zhou Zishu." Qianqiao answered softly. "His cousin."

Kexing froze. A-Xu? ..."I accept." The words came out of his mouth faster than his mind could process the information. 

"You... accept?" Qianqiao asked, shocked.

"I accept." He repeated. A-Xu... Why would Helian Yi marry off his most powerful asset? Kexing had never made a move against the North, the other man couldn't be that desperate to appease him. There had to be a reason behind this beyond him just wanting an alliance with Qingya.

"We can use this to obtain Zhao Jing's execution instead." Luo Fumeng nodded in understanding.

"No." The Ghost King set his cold eyes on the older woman. "The two of you will depart for negotiations tomorrow morning, and you will not do anything to jeopardize this wedding." He might not know what reason exactly Helian Yi had, but based on the reports he had been getting from Old Meng recently he could guess. There was no way he would risk his zhiji's safety, not even for a chance to kill Zhao Jing.  Kexing could see the fight brewing in the white haired woman's eyes, but didn't back down as he continued to stare directly at her.

"Wen Kexing, what is going on in that head of yours?!" She snapped, before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "First, you back out of a plan years in the making. Fine, I've said, and since that day I have not bought it up again. Then, you commit yourself to building up this empire into one cohesive unit but refuse to take responsibility and marry, have heirs so it doesn't one day fall into chaos. You keep saying 'I have A-Xiang', and I've been learning to accept that too. A-Xiang is smart and clever, her martial arts skills are remarkable for her age and she has the potential of becoming a good ruler one day. But now! Now you want me to watch you throw it all away all over again... for a man." She took a deep breath, her eyes growing damp. "Wen Kexing, there are plenty of men in this world, but you might never have this chance to avenge your parents again!"

Qianqiao stepped closer, taking the other woman's hand in her own gently. "Master..."

Kexing closed his eyes for a second, breaking contact as he sighed. Hurting his aunt had never been his intention but this wasn't an argument he could afford to lose either.

"Aunt Luo." He started calmly as he opened his eyes again. "You are the one who always says that since I chose this path, I must stop being so hardheaded. That I can marry whoever I want as a concubine but must choose a spouse who can give me heirs to name as Imperial Consort. Zhou Zishu is powerful enough to do that, and is of royal blood. He is the Leader of the Window of Heaven skilled in martial arts and the art of poisons, a great strategist with a vast knowledge of the inner workings of both the Northern court and the Jianghu. We know this is offer is genuine as neither him nor Helian Yi would put their people at risk by angering me. Zhou Zishu is intelligent, talented and a peerless beauty." Kexing wouldn't have cared if A-Xu lacked in all of those areas. He loved his zhiji's mind and skills and body, but he wasn't in love with him because of them. Such things could fade with time, but what really mattered to him was A-Xu's warm heart. "There are plenty of men in the world, but there is only one of him." Kexing couldn't help the sliver of emotion that slipped into those words and he could see the moment his aunt recognized them. A breath caught on her throat and she squeezed Qianqiao's hand almost imperceptibly.

"You have wanted me to marry for many years. Now that I have agreed to, are you unhappy for me?" He asked honestly. 

The room was eerily silent for a moment, before Luo Fumeng let out a deep sigh. "Fine... Fine." She conceded. "I will not fight with you on this but A-Xing..." She stopped herself, shaking her head. "Nevermind. I will take my leave, then. Start preparing for the trip, it's winter and we have a long journey ahead of us." Nodding, she left the room without another word and he didn't stop her. Since she had backed down, there was no use dragging the argument further for no reason even though he knew it didn't mean she also agreed with his choice.

"I will talk to her." Qianqiao murmured, bringing his attention to her. 

Kexing chuckled. "Qianqiao, you don't always have to meditate when we argue." 

"Of course I do." The woman answered, lips twitching into a teasing smile. "That woman had helped raise you, she is half the reason why you are this stubborn. If left alone, the two of you will ignore each other for months. But before I leave..." She held out a small stack of paper. "Here, the letter from Emperor Jin and the reports from Old Meng that have arrived today."

Kexing waited for Qianqiao to leave before reading the proposal first but it didn't give him much information. Only that Helian Yi was offering a marriage alliance, that A-Xu was his cousin and mentions of his ability to carry children. If the subject of the letter hadn't been his zhiji, Kexing wouldn't have even bothered to read it. It was Old Meng's message that caused apprehension to grow in his throat. The winds of the north have changed, it started. Kexing resisted the urge to pick up the teapot from his desk and throw it at the wall. 

Helian Yi had barely ascended the throne and already there were vipers waiting to strike everywhere. The bastards of the Jianghu would do anything to maintain their power and status for all that they claimed not to care about worldly affairs, the nobles at court were either afraid their rotten true faces would get bought to light or worried that the new emperor would fall before he managed to establish his power, and the barbarian tribes were growing restless again. The Northern Empire was still weakened from decades under the rule of the former emperor, if war of any kind broke out before Helian Yi managed to stabilize everything... Under the surface of newfound peace there were deadly currents brewing, and all of them were focusing on one person. 

A-Xu had done a good job of staying in the shadows when Helian Yi had been just a prince with almost no support but people were taking notice of him now. Some were getting suspicious, some were getting jealous and some were getting both of those things which was not a good combination. They saw the beautiful man as either a weakness or a threat, and it was only a matter of time before the first of them struck. The paper crumpled in the Ghost King's hands before he shakily let it fall down. Just thinking about deceiving A-Xu, tricking him into a marriage and trapping him into the Ghost Valley, made Kexing sick to the stomach but if this was the only way he could protect the beautiful man he'd take it, even if his zhiji would hate him should he ever discover their past. 

Kexing spent the rest of the day in a haze, his heart filled with worry. He didn't even notice when his eyes started to sting from being locked onto paper and ink for so long. He would have to make sure everything about the alliance went smoothly, that everything would be ready for his zhiji's arrival. With A-Xu's safety at stake, there could be no mistakes or delays.

A plate of food being placed over his work startled him. "It's evening, ge. They told me you haven't eaten anything all day! The girls didn't dare bother you so they came looking for me. Are you trying to make yourself sick?"

"I was busy." Looking up as he answered, he found A-Xiang's unimpressed expression looking down at him. The food did look delicious... maybe he was a little hungry, he thought as he cleared the desk of his work. While A-Xiang sat down on the chair he usually kept hidden behind a paper wall, he set about making them some tea. 

They ate in silence until a whisper interrupted it. "Ge... What does love feel like?"

"Love?" He took in his sister's curious expression with suspicion." What's gotten into you?" 

She shrugged. "Just asking. Aren't you the one who told me that knowledge is important?"

That was true, he couldn't deny it now. Placing his bowl on the table he closed his eyes and A-Xu's warm smile flashed in his mind. His bright eyes, the slightest waves to his hair, his delicate nose, pink lips... Kexing would see it all again soon.

"Love feels like the warmth of the sun on your skin, the gentle touch of moonlight on the ocean." He decided, as he remembered the feel of his zhiji's bare skin against his own. "Love is like the water, soft and powerful. Love is like the earth, hard but nurturing. Love is like fire, both fierce and comforting. Love is like the air, that one can't see and yet can't live without. When you love someone your heart fills with joy when they are happy, and with pain when they are hurting..." His voice grew rough with sorrow. "You want them to accomplish all of their dreams, even when that means letting them go for a while." 

A-Xiang listed attentively, eyes wide and lips parted, and was about to nod in understanding before blinking the wonder away abruptly as if breaking out of a spell. "Which one of your books did you memorize that from, ge?"

"Xiang-meimei." Kexing pouted. "Is your older brother really that dull in your eyes that you think he can only repeat what other people have already said? I came up with that on my own."

"It just sounds like the words of someone who has felt all those things!" The girl protested. "But if you are in love why would you accept this proposal?" Oh... so that was why she'd asked. He'd really hoped he'd get to explain the situation to her himself. "Don't you want to marry your beloved instead? Or..." Her voice went quiet to nearly a whisper. "...are they gone, like A-Niang?" 

"A-Xiang..." He whispered, reaching out for one of her hands in comfort. She let him take it but she looked down at her lap as she continued talking. "Sometimes you just get so sad, and even going to visit your special friends doesn't help anymore. When you think everybody else has gone to sleep you drink wine on your own and recite poetry to the moon. Ge! No one loves the moon that much, so I'm thinking you're actually talking to someone else. Did the one you love die? Is that why you went missing all those years ago? You were..." She worried at her lip. "...different, when you came back that day." This girl, he thought, asking such questions so openly. When was she going to learn any manners? 

Kexing sighed to himself. Sometimes he forgot that his sister was not a little child anymore, soon she would be of marrying age herself in the eyes of the world... These days she looked so much like their Niang that it hurt. She was always going to be his little baby but she was growing taller and smarter every day. It was becoming harder to hide the truth of the world from her, soon he'd have to let her live her own life and make her own choices. How was he supposed to ever let her go when he knew exactly what kind of monsters lived in the world?! The thought of it terrified him, and he squeezed her hand tighter. "Silly child, no one died."

A-Xiang watched him doubtfully for a moment before nodding. "What do you think he's like?"

"Who?" 

"Your future husband. I overheard Aunty Luo and Qianqiao-jiejie talking as they were making preparations for the negotiations. They say he's some prince from the Northern Empire and a Sect Leader. Why would you marry someone from that place?" She huffed, pulling away and crossing her arms. 

"Because he is kind, gentle, skilled in martial arts and the most beautiful man in the world." He answered honestly, without hesitation.

"Kind... and gentle?" She drawled, confused. "How would you know? Besides, Qianqiao-jiejie said they didn't even send a portrait of this one. You always say this person or that person is a peerless beauty, ge, and you are always wrong." Kexing inwardly whined. Those people have all been born with a delicate bone structure! How was it his fault that the environment they grew up in ruined their natural beauty and skin!? 

He thought of lying, of making up a reason but... A-Xiang was his baby sister, no matter the circumstances he wanted her and A-Xu to get along well so he tapped her forehead with his finger. "Silly girl, who says I haven't met him? He's a great beauty only rivaled by the moon in the sky, how could a lowly painter ever attempt to capture his radiance?"

As she rubbed her forehead, her eyes widened in understanding. "He's the one you love!" 

Kexing hummed. "He is."

A-Xiang clapped her hands and squealed so loudly his ears rang... she better hope her future spouse was half deaf. "Do you think he will like me?"

"He will love you, A-Xiang." Of that, he was sure. His A-Xu was so soft hearted, how could he not love someone as sweet as his sister?

"Well, I don't care even if he doesn't." She nodded, wide grin on her face. "I don't care what he looks like either, even if he were so ugly it hurts to look at him I would endure it." Her smile dimmed, as she looked down at her lap again. The next sentence came out a nearly inaudible mumble. "I just don't want you to be lonely anymore."

"I'm not lonely, A-Xiang." He answered. The girl's head snapped up, guilty look on her face.

"...I think it's time for someone to stop procrastinating, there's still time today for you to read from that book I gave you." He ordered as he got up and pushed her towards the door, but he paused before it. "And A-Xiang, keep this talk between us." He said, more softly. "No tattling to your aunt and jiejie and no telling Zhou Zishu when he gets here either."

"I can keep a secret." His sister nodded before pouting up at him with pleading eyes. "But ge, I don't understand that book! It's even worse than the ones before!"

The Ghost King rose an unimpressed eyebrow. "So read it twice."

This girl, he thought as he ignored her protests and pushed her to go, how did she intend to become a great master is she refused to read?! She was nothing more than a wild little thing... a part of him he wished she'd stay that way.  

Going back to his desk the Ghost King poured himself some tea, rubbing his face. He sighed, sipping the liquid before placing the cup down with a grimace... Kexing  was tired, his eyes were starting to hurt, and he'd left the tea steep for too long. He sighed, since it seemed that he wasn't going to make any more progress with his work that day, he might as well find Qianqiao.

When he did, it was alone in the garden, a jar of unopened wine sitting on the table... She'd been waiting for him.

"I have a favor to ask before you leave in the morning." He confessed, pouring them both a cup. "About Zhou Zishu."

She nodded silently, so he went on. As he told her the story, he saw the understanding on her face and knew his A-Xu was going to be in good hands. Qianqiao was going to take care of his beloved during the negotiation and soon, Kexing's zhiji would be safe behind the gates of Ghost Valley. The Ghost King would make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Kexing stared at the newly crafted wooden tablets but didn't see them. For a moment, in their place, he saw the image of his parents as he remembered them from his childhood. Back when they were happy, and life was simple. He wondered what they'd think, if they could see him in that moment. Would they resent him? Would they think he chose A-Xu over them? The sounds of the hall faded away and the wedding attire felt as heavy as battle armor on his shoulders as he drifted into his thoughts.

Niang, Die, am I being unfilial? I already gave him up once, am I selfish for keeping him this time? He asked in his mind.

Even if that were true, he thought, he couldn't regret it. After seeing his zhiji again, Kexing didn't think he'd have the strength to let A-Xu go again. He thought back to earlier that day, how freeing it had been to dance with his beloved again. The years have changed A-Xu, they have changed them both but when their arms had touched and their eyes had met, it had felt like falling in love all over again. The beautiful man had recognized him, a part of him remembered... A-Xu still recognized Kexing as his zhiji. 

Because of his status Kexing should have waited for his future consort's arrival at the Palace and welcomed him in the Yama Hall but to him this marriage wasn't just an alliance, it wasn't about power or leverage. He didn't mind showing that he cared too much, or that he valued A-Xu, because he did. If he had to choose between his power and his zhiji, there would be no choice. If he could have, he would have walked all the way to Four Seasons Manor to pick up A-Xu, and haggled with Qin Jiuxiao at the gate, and jumped over whatever obstacles they'd have thought of putting in his way. He'd have escorted his zhiji all the way to the Valley and let the whole world know how lucky he knew he was... but that was not to be and the power he held was the very thing that was going to keep A-Xu safe now. 

His zhiji had aged. There was a deep sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there before, a wariness that Kexing knew only came with having seen the darkest and ugliest face of humanity. Even though he'd known this day would inevitably come, he'd honestly hoped he'd never have to see that disenchanted look in his A-Xu's eyes.

The younger man hid it well but A-Xu was tired, worn out. Kexing remembered what that felt like, that heaviness on one's soul. His beloved had fought so hard to secure peace for others, had been willing to sacrifice his life and sell his soul... A-Xu had been his light when Kexing had been drowning in his own darkness, now it was time for him to return that favor. A-Xu needed safety and peace. Rest, and time to figure out who he was now that he'd achieved his goal. He could have that as the Imperial Consort of Qingya, Kexing would make sure that from now on he had the peaceful life he'd once confessed, as they'd drank wine on Granny's roof, that he secretly yearned for. A-Xu had pushed aside his desires for the sake of everybody else's, but from now on he would no longer have to. 

Niang, Die, I'm sorry. I need to make you wait for justice once more, Kexing thought as he heard someone approach him. 

"A-Xu." A smile pulled at his lips as he turned towards his zhiji. The younger man was a vision and Kexing was tempted to reach out and touch him to prove himself that A-Xu wasn't a ghost. Qianqiao had ordered matching robes to be made for the occasion, layers upon layers of the most delicate silks and intricate golden embroidery, and then delivered A-Xu's to Four Seasons Manor personally to have them fitted. In spite of the short time the girls had really outdone themselves and he made a mental note to reward them well, but even in a shapeless sack A-Xu would have been the most beautiful person in the Valley. His skin shined with the tiniest blush on his cheeks, his eyes were framed by dark lashes, and his lips tinted just the tiniest bit darker. Qianqiao had styled his hair in delicate braids and the ornaments she'd arranged elegantly glinted in the last rays of the sun. Five years before, in a fleeting dream, he'd allowed himself to imagine what A-Xu would look like in wedding red, and feared he'd never get to see it. "You look as beautiful in red as I've imagined you would." Kexing confessed.

His zhiji only nodded in answer and Kexing didn't mind his reticence while the beautiful man looked away. Not when A-Xu didn't remember him. Soon, the drums sounded the start of the ceremony and they kneeled side by side in front of the tablets. As they bowed to Heaven and Earth, their ancestors and each other, Kexing made a silent promise to never let his zhiji go again. When he stood, he offered A-Xu his hand and was pleased when the beautiful man allowed himself to be helped to his feet. 

Kexing barely paid attention to the feast, and if someone were to ask him what dishes had been served he would not remember. He ate food he didn't really taste and drank wine when it was poured for him, glad there would need to be a lot more of it to affect him. What he would remember in years to come was the feel of A-Xu's hand in his own as he led the beautiful man to his chambers, warm and strong from years of practicing martial arts. The Chief almost scoffed loudly when he saw that the room had been decorated for their wedding night, he could only guess it had been Luo Fumeng's idea. Ignoring it, he went to help A-Xu with his hair.

"Thank you." A-Xu sighed in relief as Kexing worked carefully, not wanting to hurt him. He pulled the pieces of jewelry out slowly, placing them in front of the mirror before focusing on the braids one at a time. Once he was done, he used his fingers to make sure the silky hair was tangle free before taking off his own crown.

"I will leave you to rest." He said softly, breaking the silence. His rooms were the safest in the Valley, so he'd planned to let A-Xu use them and had told the maids prepare the ones next door for him instead. They've been empty for his privacy, but they were perfect now. If someone who wanted to hurt his zhiji ever managed to get so far, they would have to pass by his door to reach A-Xu. A firm grip on his wrist stopped him. 

"Rest?" His zhiji asked in surprise, standing up. "Did we get your preferences wrong?"

"Preferences?" Kexing froze. "What exactly made you think I prefer the men in my bed to be unwilling? Do you even find me attractive or are you just prepared to endure my touch?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Kexing hadn't intended to snap at A-Xu on their wedding night but the implication that he would force himself upon anyone, least of all his zhiji, felt like a sword through his heart. He couldn't help but think of the similarities between A-Xu's and his Niang's situations, both willing to become prisoners in the Valley in order to protect that which they loved. It made him sick to the stomach, and he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself should A-Xu grow to think of him as the monster of his nightmares one day, the way his Niang had thought of the old Master.

A-Xu didn't look hurt nor scared at his harsh words, though. "Does anyone ever not find you attractive?" The younger man asked in bewilderment.

Kexing couldn't help a the snort that escaped him and he found himself relaxing in spite of the situation. He remembered exactly how attractive A-Xu found him, the way he used to map up his body with his eyes as they were laying naked in bed, the sweet moans that filled the room when he lost himself in pleasure. Even now he could see the desire in the beautiful man's ink dark eyes, but just because A-Xu found him attractive didn't mean that he wanted to sleep with him. The last thing Kexing wanted was for his zhiji to force himself to share his bed.

"You married me out of duty and I don't resent that, A-Xu." He answered softly and pushed a strand of hair behind his beloved's pretty ear, fighting the urge to let his fingers linger. "I will respect the threaty, you have my word, but you don't have to sleep with me."

A tiny frown formed between A-Xu's brows. "What about an heir?" 

"I don't need an heir."

"What if I did want you? Do you find me attractive?" A-Xu looked into his eyes, determined, and Kexing answered honestly. "A-Xu is perfect." 

"Good." A-Xu hummed. "Because I do want you and if you leave me like this..." The beautiful man pulled his hand to his crotch and Kexing was shocked to find he was already half hard. How long had he been like that!? "...I will cut off your balls in your sleep. Now fuck me."

"A-Xu! So crude!" Kexing gasped in fake outrage. People will change, he thought in amusement, but some things never will. A-Xu was just as bold and just as foul mouthed as he'd been five years before.

The beautiful man rolled his eyes as he deadpanned. "Make love to me, my husband."

Kexing grinned, bringing his zhiji's hand to his lips and kissing his wrist as he repeated the words he'd said to him on their first night together. "As my A-Xu wishes."

A-Xu was beautiful. No matter how much he'd held on to the memories of their time together, his breath still stilled in his lungs when he saw his zhiji naked again, spread out on red sheets. Kexing's lips and hands followed a path well trodden, he still remembered how every in bit of his zhiji tasted on his tongue, how every inch of that warm skin felt against his own. He ached to slide his hands under the beautiful man's body, to feel those butterfly bones he so loved, but couldn't. If he felt the scars, the one's A-Xu had gotten defending the gates of the Northern Capital on his own... he didn't think he'd be able to keep going when faced with the pain his zhiji had suffered while Kexing hadn't been there for him. He pushed the thought out of his mind, focusing on A-Xu's pleasure instead. 

"Is my A-Xu sore from riding a horse for so long?" He asked, kissing the sensitive skin on the beautiful man's inner tight.

"No." A-Xu lied and Kexing rose to his knees with a chuckle. "Of course not."

He slid a pillow under A-Xu's lower back to lift up his hips and pulled out a jar of special ointment from his secret drawer. Sometimes, when Kexing had missed his love so much that it hurt, he'd used that to ease the friction of his own hand. It was far more satisfying to use it this way, he decided.

"Relax, A-Xu." He encountered and as the younger man to took in a deep breath he gently eased in a slick finger. A-Xu's body welcomed him easily, opening up like it remembered him even though his mind did not. Not completely. 

They have done this before but it had been a long time, so Kexing took his time before he deemed A-Xu stretched enough. "You ready?" He asked, as he finally pulled out his fingers and guided his zhiji's long legs around his waist.

"I'm not made of glass." A-Xu glared cutely at him, pulling him closer. Kexing couldn't stop himself from slowly pushing all the way in, bracing himself on his arms as A-Xu groaned. "Oh, fuck!"

"We are." Kexing murmured, giving in to his beloved's demands for more. It felt so good... how many years had he laid alone in bed, thinking of this? He thought as allowed himself to get lost in the pleasure.

Soon A-Xu was panting, watching dazed while Kexing washed his damp and flushed skin. He felt the lean muscles twitch under his hands and pulled out another jar of salve. 

"Don't tell me you're ready to go again." A-Xu whispered, eyeing his hard member warily.

"I'm always ready to go again." Kexing teased with a chuckle. He remembered a time when A-Xu had enjoyed that very much, and they could spend a whole night making love and not be completely sated of each other. "But don't worry, A-Xu, I'm not a cruel lover. This is for the soreness." He assured the beautiful man as he opened the jar, scooping some ointment on his fingers and rubbing it gently into A-Xu's waist and thighs. Then he turned the other man on his front and massaged the back of his legs and lower back until his zhiji went pliant under his hands, a pleased moan leaving his bruised lips... Kexing still avoided looking at his shoulder blades.

"Is my A-Xu satisfied now?" He asked later, wrapping an arm around the beautiful man's middle. As warmth seeped into his body, he let out a content sigh. He hadn't expected them to share a bed, not anytime soon, but he had to admit that he'd missed sleeping besides A-Xu just as much as he missed the sex.

"It was alright. Don't go getting a big head about it." The beautiful man answered evenly.

Kexing held back a grin and put on a pout at his zhiji's faked indifference. "Only alright? I guess this husband will have to try harder next time."

With an eye roll, A-Xu snuggled closed. As he gently held the pliant and warm body in his arms, Kexing couldn't help the regret that still ate at him. Not only because of his sharp words earlier but also the very thought that A-Xu had feared for himself all this time. Maybe now that he was here A-Xu didn't fear him but he had been afraid. When he'd agreed to this marriage, during the negotiations, and on the long journey to the Valley, A-Xu had been afraid of what awaited him. He may have hid it and acted strong for everyone else's sake, but the beautiful man had been afraid. Of him. It hurt more than he ever thought it would but he deserved this pain he decided. It had to be his punishment for betraying his zhiji. I just have to prove myself, Kexing thought to himself, I have to earn A-Xu's love again. 

"From today on and until the day I die, Zhou Zishu, I promise to do my best to always make you happy." He vowed, touching his lips softly to the beautiful man's temple.

Chapter Text

Kexing looked impassively at the squad of three that had been kicked to their knees in front of his throne. Their eyes were filled with terror, hands clenched to hide the tremors. Good, they should be afraid, but unfortunately they were not the ones he wanted to tear apart piece by piece. They were nothing but puppets sacrificed by their masters. While they would serve well enough for him to take his frustration out on, their death wouldn't stop the attempts on his husband's life. Inwardly, he sighed. 

Assassins were swarming his gates and Kexing was losing patience. He'd known this would happen as soon as he'd agreed to the marriage, he'd strengthened security and doubled the patrols both in the Valley and the cities surrounding it before A-Xu had even left Four Seasons Manor. By the date of the wedding, he'd already identified every little flaw that his changes might have caused. As long as his zhiji was behind the gates of Ghost Valley, not even a fly could reach him without Kexing knowing. Already hundreds had died trying, and still they hadn't learned. He feared only time would drive that particular lesson home. 

Kexing waved a hand over the three as he turned to the soldiers who had brought them in. "Take them to the dungeons. Have General Bi interrogate them. If he gets nothing, execute them."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Ghosts bowed, before dragging the pale prisoners out behind them. 

Kexing doubted the unlucky souls even knew who they were working for, but if by some miracle they had any information he trusted Bi Changfeng to be capable of getting it out of them. The older man was a good ally to have when it came to keeping his zhiji safe, Kexing knew there was nothing in the world Bi Changfeng would not do for A-Xu.

Standing up with a sigh, he forced himself to relax and push all thoughts of annoying pests out of his mind. He'd promised his beloved an outing to the city and had no intention of breaking his word. The thought of spending the whole day with the beautiful man made him smile as he almost skipped out of the Yama Hall.

There seemed to be some kind of tension between A-Xu and Han Ying when he arrived to pick up his zhiji. The Ghost King had mixed feelings about his consort's bodyguard. On one hand the younger man's feelings for A-Xu were obvious, on the other hand it was also obvious that A-Xu thought of him as a little brother which fit well into the reports he got from his spies over the years. He remembered seeing Han Ying in person for the first time, the way he'd spent the entire day with his hackles raised, ready to jump to A-Xu's defense every time Kexing so much as looked at his zhiji. Then, by the next morning, the little puppy hadn't seemed to hold any resentment towards the Chief at all. The most annoying thing about Han Ying was that the Ghost King couldn't even dislike him! He was too polite and respectful, too loyal and devoted to A-Xu and the beautiful man cared too deeply for him. Kexing would never take a source of protection and comfort away from his husband so he had to endure Han Ying's besotted looks towards his zhiji. Han Ying also never disagreed with A-Xu, which was what made situation he'd walked in on so odd.

"Is anything the matter?" Kexing asked.

"Everything's fine." A-Xu reassured him, though Han Ying and Qianqiao both looked unhappy at his answer.

Han Ying he might not know well, but Qianqiao was usually sensible. If she was unhappy with his husband, she probably had a reason to be. Kexing held back a sigh. If the situation didn't resolve itself, he would ask her later. Knowing A-Xu, if Kexing tried to pry when he didn't want to tell him something the other man would clam up out of spite... Maybe a visit to the city would relax A-Xu, he thought.

Kexing had spent his entire life living isolated from people. In a tiny village no outsider ever had reason to visit, in a slum filled with criminals he'd rather not notice him, in a guarded palace in a even more heavily guarded city, in a war camp where he barely had time to sleep before the next battle or meeting. He had gone from being a sheltered child to struggling to survive to living on a battlefield. He's had his family, his servants, his generals. The courtesans who still didn't know his real identity had been the closest things to confidantes he'd had. He'd always maintained a distance between them, even before he'd met A-Xu. They've drank with him and entertained him, provided him with the release and company he'd needed and that had been all. Letting them go the moment he'd accepted the alliance had been an afterthought. If he had A-Xu by his side, even without having sex, it would have been enough. 

Actually talking to people, when he'd first started visiting the city had been... enlightening. At first some people had been wary, since he hadn't appeared to live in the city, but after a while they've started opening up to him when they've noticed the soldiers let him be. It had helped that sometimes his sister accompanied him, and no one could resist A-Xiang's bright smiles. Soon, he'd learned the names of shop owners and vendors, where some of them had come from, what had caused them to leave, if they were married, if they had children. They told him he was too thin when he'd bought food, and asked him if he had a special someone in his heart when he'd found himself looking at a piece of jewelry he'd thought would look beautiful on A-Xu. They told him the gossip they bought back from the surrounding cities with the rest of the supplies and what they've heard was going on in the world. Eventually they found out who he was, and though it changed the way they interacted with him, he was glad it didn't take away the warmth of it.

Kexing had been so focused on revenge, on every step of his plan being carried out perfectly, that he hadn't even seen what was right in front of him. He'd lived in the dark, cold and alone, until A-Xu had bought light into his world again. If it hadn't been for his zhiji, Kexing would still be there. He hadn't given up on averaging his parents, and had learned to accept this role he'd accidentally found himself in as emperor, but Kexing didn't want to be disconnected from his humanity ever again, to lose touch with the world... It didn't hurt that the city had also accumulated a delightful variety of food. 

As soon as they've reached the city, he happily dragged A-Xu to the stands that sold sweets. As he caught up with the familiar faces, he ate his fill and even ordered a few things to be sent to the palace that he knew A-Xiang, Qianqiao and Aunt Luo would enjoy. Next on his list were the jewelry stores, who usually had gossip about the wealthier side of society. Everyone was too afraid of him for corruption to take root and when it did it was usually simple for his generals and officials to deal with, but he knew it was not going to last forever. One day enough time would pass for idiots to forget why they were afraid of him. His spy network was vast, but it was always better to have information from more than one source. 

Even though A-Xu pretended to be uninterested, he could see that the beautiful man would always listen intently every time they visited town. His zhiji may be enjoyed the peace and quiet of his new life, but he would always know the value of information. Kexing grinned as he took the opportunity to gift A-Xu more jewelry. No matter what his zhiji claimed, a beautiful man could never own too many beautiful things, he decided. 

After that he allowed his zhiji to pull him wherever the younger man wanted and hummed happily when they stopped in front of Hua Ming's restaurant. It had come a long way from the small stall she'd been running six years before. Back then she'd offered sweet soup to a stranger she'd thought was down on his luck for no other reason than kindness and Kexing had made sure to repay that kindness. Now her restaurant had rapidly become A-Xu's favorite place to eat in the city.

The owner came to greet them herself, a small boy following after her like a little duckling. Hua Ming wasn't a cultivator and the passing of time showed on her body. She was a mother now with age lines starting to form from her eyes. This was the first time any of Hua Ming's children had been present since A-Xu's arrival in the Valley though. A-Xin was the eldest, at almost four years old, and always looked adorable attempting to help his mother. Kexing had to hold back a grin at the way the little boy's eyes widened in wonder at the sight of them. Oh... if only A-Xiang were still as easily impressionable, he thought.

The little boy ducked from behind his mother and grabbed the silk of A-Xu's robes with pudgy fists, gaping up at him. "Gege so pretty..."

"A-Xin!" Hua Ming hissed, arm stretched to pull him back while watching his consort's reaction with apprehension.

"It's alright, he's just a child." A-Xu waved her off as he picked up the little boy, settling him on his hip with a soft smile. A-Xin's grinned widely and promptly reached for the strings of pearls dangling from A-Xu's hairpin. Before he could tag on them, gentle fingers wrapped around his wrist and A-Xu whispered something that made the little boy giggle.

Watching the beautiful man talk softly to the child at that moment, Kexing felt something tug at his heart. It was true that he'd never thought about having children, but he'd raised A-Xiang mostly on his own and despite all of the hardships before he became Chief, she was the one thing in life he did right and he loved her. Watching her grow up had been some of the best memories of his life. Now, seeing A-Xu holding a child in his arms he couldn't help but imagine what his zhiji would look like holding a child of their own. While Kexing had never really thought about having children, he couldn't help but notice how soft the beautiful man's expression was as he listened to A-Xin. If having children was what A-Xu wanted one day Kexing decided he wouldn't mind raising one again with his zhiji by his side.

"Madam Hua, it really is alright." He smiled at her easily after a short while, forcing himself to look away from the adorable sight before he did something in public that would cause A-Xu to hit him and ignore him for the rest of the day. "A-Xu only looks like he is carved from jade but inside he has the softest heart." He assured, fanning himself slowly. The people here might have gotten used to his presence, but most of them were still wary of his husband.

After sneaking a glance at her son happily babbling a story to A-Xu, who was humming back every once in a while, she finally relaxed. "Your Majesty is very blessed."

"I really am." He answered with a more genuine smile, gaze softening as he looked at his zhiji again.

"A-Xu is good with children." Kexing said much later, once their food was served and they were left alone in a private room with a beautiful view of the street below.

"Only when I can give them back to their parents after a few minutes." His husband answered with a shaky laugh. "I wasn't very good at being an older brother..." He paused, voice pained as he continued. "Or a very good Sect Leader."

The beautiful man tried to hide the pain in his eyes behind a smile and Kexing wrapped a hand around his, bringing it to his lips. "A-Xu." He whispered, but the beautiful man shook his head. "The only reason A-Xiao turned out as well as he did was Beiyuan. Jiuxiao is a better man than I ever was and a good Sect Leader. He would make Shifu proud, I know I am." The beautiful man confessed softly.

"Your didi wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of the things he did if you hadn't protected and taught him well, A-Xu." Kexing answered.

A-Xu shook his head again, pulling his hand away and picking up his chopsticks as he cleared his throat. "Let's just eat, alright?" He asked with a forced smile.

"Alright." Kexing reluctantly agreed, sensing his distress. They were in the city to relax, he didn't what to ruin in when his zhiji had already been irritated earlier.

Later that day, when A-Xu brought up having children again before they had even had time to cool down from sex, Kexing thought back to the soft look on his husband's face as he'd talked to A-Xin. His body... children were one thing they hadn't discussed back when living with Granny and after coming to the Valley the beautiful man had seemed relieved to find out Kexing had no intention of following through with that part of the alliance contract. At the time, he'd thought A-Xu wasn't fond of children but after having watched him bond with A-Xiang and seen him with A-Xin... it was obvious that that wasn't the problem. Was there an old injury Kexing wasn't aware of? Something from before they've first met? Even if the internal energy was plenty enough to make and maintain a womb, it would still be the body that had to carry and nurture the baby. Male pregnancies were difficult enough even under ideal circumstances let alone if there was some old injury interfering, but then why hadn't A-Xu said anything during the negotiations? Had he accepted the marriage alliance anyway and resigned himself to Kexing's reaction should he fail? Part of him wanted to check but even if he were skilled enough to identify the issue, he didn't want his zhiji to misunderstand his reasons. They would talk more about it when the beautiful man was in a better state of mind, he decided.

Pulling A-Xu close into his arms, he kissed his damp forehead gently. "Nothing would change." Kexing declared calmly. "I told you, I don't want children. For me, A-Xu is enough. You are all I need."

That night he woke up to the sound of A-Xu coughing and all he could do was use his internal energy to try and soothe the pain and hold his zhiji as he trembled, trying to offer as much comfort as he could. When the familiar smell of blood reached him after a particularly bad cough that shook A-Xu's whole body, Kexing felt like he's been drenched in cold water. 

Kexing's voice was even and his hands steady as he helped the beautiful man clean up and get ready for bed again but it felt like his whole body was numb. He kept whispering that everything would be alright, holding his A-Xu close as tightly as he dared but all that he could think of was the blood. A-Xu's blood. His husband was sick, he'd been in pain, and Kexing hadn't even noticed... He'd failed his zhiji again.

Chapter Text

When Kexing had dragged Jing Beiyuan with him to a private sitting room that morning, discussing trading routes over a game of Yi wasn't what he'd thought they'd be doing but they had, and as soon as they've finished the discussion an uneasy silence had fallen over them. The younger man had been staring at him ever since.

Eventually, Kexing couldn't help but tease as he placed a white stone on the board and captured one of the blacks. "Is my face so fascinating, Consort Jing?"

"It absolutely is, Chief Wen. Very handsome." The other man answered with a grin, placing down a black stone, barely looking at the game. "I've always thought Zishu's type would be someone smaller than him. Cute. You are very beautiful but you're not..."

"Small and cute?" Kexing interrupted with a laugh.

"Either of those. I did promise Zishu once that I'd find a slim waisted Nanjiang girl for him." Jing Beiyuan confessed, looking intently at the belt wrapped around Kexing's middle, and the slim waist he didn't possess; the Ghost King wasn't built for stealth and flexibility the way his husband was. Nothing about him was small or delicate, and no one in their right mind would call him cute.

To be honest, A-Xu had never struck him as looking for someone to protect or else Kexing wouldn't have kept flirting for so long when they've first met, and A-Xu wouldn't have given in so easily. "Maybe you need to accept that you don't know everything." Kexing answered and they stayed silent for the next few moves as the stalled each other's strategy.

"Maybe." Jing Beiyuan hummed eventually, finally breaking through the block to capture three of Kexing's stones in one move. "Or maybe not. He has always been obsessed with martial arts, and one doesn't get more skilled at that than you."

"There is one person." The Ghost King reluctantly admitted as he made his next move, thinking about that irritating tortoise living alone on his snow mountain. After becoming Chief he'd started looking for the immortal right away, intent on keeping his parents' promise of delivering the key to the Armory to him. Once he'd had the location of Changming Mountain he'd left right away, barely waiting to heal at all after returning from the battlefield. He hadn't expected the old monster to attack him like that! The loss still stung after so many years, it was undeniable that Ye Baiyi was more powerful than him. He huffed inwardly, not that A-Xu would ever look at that old man twice. An old tortoise was an old tortoise. "But he's so annoying I think A-Xu would poison him within a week out of sheer frustration." He added.

Jing Beiyuan chuckled at that, pouring them both a cup of wine. Once they've both drank it and went back to their game, the younger man's expression became more somber. "My little venom was very impressed with the medicine room here, those two will probably be talking poisons all day." Then he grinned. "I'm surprised Zishu hadn't moved in there yet, made himself a quiet little den like an overgrown fox."

Kexing held back a snort at the comparison between his husband and the tiny, adorable creature. If A-Xu knew, he'd definitely find a way to get back at his friend for it.

"Is that something A-Xu enjoys? I know he had to deal with it a lot in his work as the Leader of the Window of Heaven." Kexing knew his zhiji had knowledge on the subject, he remembered the confidence with which A-Xu had cared for his wounds all those years ago, and he was famous for his poisons. After all, anyone could stab someone with nails but it was the poison A-Xu had coated them in that had struck the fear of the Window of Heaven in every martial artist who so much as heard the words Nails of Seven Torments whispered. To lose one's marital arts and senses was a fate far worse than death, even the Ghost King found the thought unsettling... His A-Xu could be just as ruthless as he was beautiful.

"Almost as much as martial arts." Jing Beiyuan nodded. "He's started learning from his Shimu when he was very young. It was something they did together, something she loved. It reminds him of her."

Kexing thought back to what he knew about his zhiji's family. He knew A-Xu's parents had died when he had been a baby, that Qin Huaizhang and his wife Bi Yifeng adopted him in and loved him as their own... So both of their mothers have been skilled with poisons, Kexing thought. "I will have the room fixed for him." He decided easily. 

The younger man looked at him in wonder for a moment before declaring. "You really do love him."

Kexing hummed happily. "A-Xu is my zhiji."

"A-Xu. A-Xu." Jing Beiyuan repeated, deep in thought as he studied the board carefully. "I know Zhou Xu was one of his aliases, one of the many I've helped him set up during the early days of the Window of Heaven. I also know he hadn't used it in years, not since he went missing almost six years ago. At the time, I've thought something went wrong with the mission and he's been made even though he never reported such a thing after his return, but now I'm thinking it had something to do with you." He finished, finally placing down his stone.

"I only think he is as beautiful and elegant as willow catkins." Kexing answered, placing down his own stone without hesitation.

"Or maybe you've known him for a very long time and that's why you've accepted this marriage." Jing Beiyuan countered easily. "You know, I've estimated it would take at least a couple years longer for Healian Yi to become emperor but after that day it was like we had someone helping us from the shadows. I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about." 

Kexing rose an eyebrow in challange. "I don't." 

"Was it an accident? Or... wasn't it? I've heard of the Water of Naihe that existed in the Ghost Valley but a human made poison that imitated the soup of oblivion just always seemed so unbelievable." He paused, pouring them more wine, before looking straight into Kexing's eyes fearlessly. His eyes were older than his face led one to believe, they reminded Kexing a little bit of Ye Baiyi even though he knew Consort Jing was not yet thirty, let alone three hundred, and who even knew how old that old monster really was.

"Does Zishu know?" The younger man asked, capturing one of Kexing's stones again without looking down.

The Ghost King held his gaze just as intensely, a smile pulling at his lips against his will when the other refused to give up. "He knows enough, he realized I was familiar after we met again." He chuckled, breaking their staring contest and making his own move. Two black stones were removed from the board. "Are you going to make me pay for it? Poison me in turn, maybe?" ...If Jing Beiyuan decided to punish him, Kexing would let him.

"No." The younger man chuckled, contemplating the board again. "I did stupid things trying to keep Wu Xi safe as well. If I had access to such a magical potion, I probably would have used it too had things gotten worse in the Capital. Fortunately, we were lucky. See..." He hummed. "Things went surprisingly smoothly and we could even leave peacefully." He paused for a moment, before making his next move as he asked. "Why did you do it?" 

"He was too young, and I was too broken." Kexing answered honestly. "He needed time to achieve his dreams, and I needed time to figure out how to fit all the jagged pieces back together."

Jing Beiyuan sighed and moved to pour some wine only to find the jar empty. "When I first got that letter I had half the mind to go to the North and kill that bastard Healian Yi myself, but you truly love Zishu. I'm happy for him." He said, opening a new jar.

"Are you on bad terms with Emperor Jin?" The Ghost King asked, sipping the new wine carefully. He remembered A-Xu choosing it during their last visit to the city. The Chief had came to learn that his zhiji loved wine so much, that sometimes he even liked bad wine! Taking in the aroma, he let out a tiny sigh. Luckily, this one was good.

Consort Jing drank his wine and poured himself another cup as he considered the question, before shaking his head. "It's complicated. He's not a bad person and I know that he cares about both me and Zishu, but I don't know that he cares about us more than he cares about the Northern Empire. I think he loved us in his own way, but it's better for all of us that he let us go."

Kexing frowned. Was the younger man implying that Emperor's Jin feeling for the two of them had been romantic? A-Xu hand never mentioned it, nor had any his spies ever reported such a thing... but then again they would probably be too terrified to, thinking he would take his anger out on them. 

"I don't think Zishu knows." Jing Beiyuan clarified, sensing his confusion. "He's always been a little oblivious when it came to such things. Too focused on his martial arts and his goal. I don't think he knows what other people see when they look at him."

He saw Han Ying's feeling well enough, Kexing thought. "He said there was nothing between the two of you." He said instead, placing a white stone down. Guilt flashed through him like he's been stung as he remembered the yellowish bruise still marring his husband's hip. 

"There wasn't. Wu Xi was a little infatuated when we were younger though, even when I know he was already in love with me by then. He was very cute, like a porcupine. It was inevitable though." The younger man laughed. 

Kexing hummed. "Why?" 

Jing Beiyuan laughed. "Zishu skipped the awkward stage of growing up. He had always just been Zishu. Beautiful, skilled and confident, and A-Xi had been young, inexperienced, and attracted to men. Of course he'd noticed Zishu."

The Ghost King pouted. His zhiji was indeed very beautiful. He could live with the past if Jing Beiyuan could as long as it stayed there, he decided, making his next move.

"Awkward stage of growing up?" Kexing couldn't help but think out loud though, only for Consort Jing to pause half way to placing down his stone and turn to him incredulously. "The two of you really are birds of a feather, aren't you?"

"It seems we've reached an impasse." Jing Beiyuan declared without waiting for an answer to his previous question.

Kexing looked down at the board only to see that he was right. "Yes, we have. It's a draw." He admitted, surprised. Their territory was equal, and so was the number of stones they've each captured. He knew that even without having to count again.

The Ghost King didn't often play, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd lost or ended in a tie. As they cleared the board, he wondered if A-Xu would like to play one day, his zhiji had a brilliant mind.

"Zishu will be alright, my little venom will find a cure." Jing Beiyuan broke the silence and Kexing felt his entire body grow cold at the sudden words. For a moment all he could see was red. The red of his zhiji's blood on his pale hands, on white handkerchiefs, on the sleeves of his robes.

"And then the two of us and Lu Ta will come and visit and he can meet his uncles and his unruly cousin A-Xiang." Thw younger man continued, smiling reassuringly even though it looked like it had been painted on paper and the artist forgot to also curl up his eyes. Kexing tried to return the smile, but his lips felt numb and he had to hide the trembling in his hands by pouring them more wine. 

"I'm just worried he's going to give up fighting before that happens." He confessed in a strained voice. "When he came here... his mind was not in a good place."

Jing Beiyuan let out a deep breath, face paling. "I knew leaving him in the Capital was not a good idea, but he had Jiuxiao and his disciples." The younger man looked down at his hands. "I should have stayed, I should have sent Wu Xi away alone, but I couldn't take it anymore... I just couldn't do it anymore." He whispered.

"I know." The Ghost King answered. As much as he wished he could blame Jing Beiyuan for leaving A-Xu alone in the Capital, he couldn't. "I know what it's like to be drowning so deep in the abyss that you think the only way out is the netherworld and then to find that little flicker of light that leads back to the surface. To cling to it with everything you've got. And once you've finally grasped that lifeline, to never want to let it go. Humans are selfish beings, Jing Beiyuan."

The younger man looked up in shock, his eyes damp. "No one understood before. I wasn't a good person, I did what I did for selfish reasons. I manipulated and plotted and took the lives of too many with my own hands..." His voice dimmed, trembling. "...but my little venom, he was never scared of me even though he saw who I was. Even as a prisoner in the palace, Wu Xi helped us. Not because he was trying to use us to get home, but because all he wanted was for the death to stop. The constant wars between the North and the South that were killing both our people."

"You fell in love with his light." Kexing stated, leaning over to grip the other man's forearm in comfort. "A-Xu would not have wanted you to stay for him, all he wanted was for you to be happy. He is strong, he was doing well. Eating better, smiling more. He was helping A-Xiang train, had started taking walks through the forest. All he needed was more time and I fear that this had happened too soon." ...He had been doing so well.

Jing Beiyuan cleared his throat, face somber. "He won't give up fighting, I know he won't. He will keep fighting. If not for himself, then for you." The younger man declared, and Kexing wanted with all of his heart to believe him.

Kexing nodded. They were going find a cure. If his husband didn't want to live, Kexing would force him to keep fighting. A-Xu would get through this, he decided. He had to.

Chapter Text

A-Xu hadn't gotten any better. In spite of all their efforts, they haven't found a cure... and they were not going to. If one existed, they've ran out of time to get it.

With every letter that would arrive from the Great Shaman, Kexing's hopes would rise only to get shattered minutes later. His healers were searching, the shamans were searching, the Window of Heaven was searching. Even Healers Valley was searching. Kexing had had no intention of ever contacting his parents' sect during his lifetime but A-Xu was more important. If there was even the slightest chance of finding a cure, he'd held nothing back. And yet all Kexing had been able to do in the end, had been hold his zhiji and try to ease the pain with his internal energy, tell him stories to distract him and utter empty promises. He'd held his husband as he'd withered to almost nothing, and wept when the other man had been too deep into sleep to hear him... because A-Xu was dying. He was dying, and Kexing was useless to help him. 

When he'd been young, Kexing had prayed. As a child he'd found everything about Ghost Valley terrifying. The forests had been dark and wild, the stone cold and hard, the people cruel and dangerous and for months he'd jumped at the slightest sound. He'd had no incense, no candles to waste, no food to offer but he'd still prayed. For himself, for his Niang, for the kind woman who had taken them in and tried to offer what little comfort and safety she could, for all the jiejies whom he could hear crying at night. He'd prayed for good fortune, for safety, for health. He'd prayed until the prayers had turned to tears, and the tears to rage. No help had came. No signs. If the gods were real, they've long abandoned the human world.

Kexing had understood then that no one was going to help him if he didn't help himself. So he'd trained his body to be strong, his face to show no emotion. He'd explored the forest until he'd learned every tree, the caves until he'd found every crevice, and the people until he'd known their every skill and every weakness. He'd hunted for food so they wouldn't starve and protected his family when no one else would. It took him years to get strong enough to climb to the top, and by then it had been too late. His Niang had been gone, succumbed to her illness and the cruelty of the world. He'd been so focused on becoming stronger, that he hadn't bothered to learn all he should have from her while he could. Now his husband was also ill, he was also dying, and Kexing had no cure, no gods and no skills to help him. All the power in the world could not turn back time, nor bring back the dead.

Ye Baiyi was his last hope. If in his immortal life he'd never heard of a way to help A-Xu... it did not bear thinking. The entire trip to Mount Changming and back was a blur. Kexing was so tired that if the old monster hadn't transferred him internal energy, he might have dropped to his knees half way to Ghost Valley. 

The palace was silent, everyone got out of their way as they hurried past. Kexing pretended not to notice the pitying eyes cast at his way. Under different circumstances such looks would have irritated him, but all of his emotional capacity was spent on worrying for his husband.

After spending so long in the crisp air of winter, the scent of medicines and stale air he'd become familiar with nearly stunned him. For a short moment it carried him back to a different time and a different room, when his Niang had been the one lying silent and still in bed. His breath caught and he almost froze in the door before A-Xiang's voice shocked him out of it. "Ge! You're back." His sister had been too young back then, he thought, to realize the similarities. Maybe it was better that way.

Gu Miaomiao had been a strong woman, the strongest woman he'd ever known. She had survived leaving her family behind knowing she could never go back, she had survived the death of her husband, she had survived Ghost Valley, the wrath and the cruelty of the former Valley Master. She had protected her children and she had never complained about anything in her life. He'd watched her bleeding and bruised, exhausted and hungry, and she'd gotten up every morning and touched her forehead to own, smiled, and told him everything would be alright one day... but birth had left her vulnerable, and illness had proved to be stronger than her. She may have been a healer, but a healer could only heal themselves so far. When it had become obvious she wasn't getting better Kexing had wanted to kill that bastard then and there, try to find her medicines and healers in the human world but she'd refused. She had wanted him to get stronger, not to take any risks. He did, and one day Kexing had killed the man who drove a sword through his Die's heart but his Niang never lived to see it.

Stepping inside the room he forced a smile and was about to greet A-Xiang when the old monster spoke behind him. "Make them leave."

Kexing turned away from his sister and took in the room. He hadn't bothered to keep track of exactly how long had passed and was almost surprised to not find Aunty Luo there, but of course she would not be. Even she would get tired, eventually. A-Xiang, Han Ying and Jiuxiao were all there.

They had thought... after the last few days, they would have feared he wouldn't get back in time. They've wound have wanted A-Xu to have as many people who loved him by his side as he could. A-Xiang loved her Zishu-gege just as much as Kexing had known she would. She hadn't had much family in her life, and she'd imprinted on his zhiji like a grumpy little duckling. Han Ying quietly nodded in greeting, relief in his eyes, and Kexing answered in kind. Any jealousy he might have once felt was long gone now. After seeing the young General's unwavering devotion and love for all these months, how could he feel something so petty as that? Jiuxiao was standing next to Han Ying, he barely seemed to have noticed them. Kexing remembered the defiant, brave, overprotective young man he'd met just months before, the young man who had threatened to lay siege to his gates with only three disciples if he were not allowed in. Now Jiuxiao's fire had dimmed to embers and he looked worn out.

"What are you still doing here?" The ugly toad glared from where he'd been checking the medicine Wu Xi had made, reminding Kexing of his earlier demand.

"Who...?!" Jiuxiao hissed, finally looking up, and Kexing could see his fire was not completely gone yet. 

"Go!" Kexing ordered them before anyone could protest further. He didn't want to send them away, but he would force them out of the room himself if that was the immortal's condition for checking on A-Xu.  "Please." He added a little more softly and the shock of that was enough to make them go quietly.

As soon as the door slid closed behind them, Kexing kneeled by the bed, grasping his husband's delicate hand between his own and bringing it to his lips. The hand that used to always be warmer than his own felt and looked like snow in the winter... it barely weighed anything at all, like it would slip through his fingers if Kexing didn't hold it carefully enough. A-Xu was pale, a thin sheet of sweat covering his brows, lips thin and so colorless you could barely tell them apart from the rest of his skin. His eyes and cheeks were sunken in, making the bones of his jaw and cheekbones look sharp like blades. With every breath he took, a sound that hollowed Kexing's insides could be heard in the room. Still. Even like this, his A-Xu was the most beautiful man in the world.

"Lao Wen." His husband whispered softly, and Kexing hummed, keeping his voice calm. "A-Xu. I am home."

His heart beat fast in his ears as he watched the immortal pick up A-Xu's wrist gently. It looked so fragile in the old monster's hands, and Kexing forced himself to look away and at Ye Baiyi's face instead. He watched shock flash through the older man's eyes before he placed A-Xu's wrist back over his waist. 

Kexing saw the old monster's mouth move, but his words were like buzzing in his ears until his zhiji's weak voice pierced through, startling him awake as if from a dream.

"Is my fate sealed then?" A-Xu asked, and Kexing rose from his knees, sitting on the side of the bed. He busied himself by tidying up his husband's appearance, he couldn't bring himself to look at Ye Baiyi. Kexing didn't think he could bear to see the sympathetic pity on his face too. 

"Not yet." The immortal's answer stilled the breath in his lungs. Kexing had to force back a sob as the old tortoise continued. "There might be a way, but the price is high."

The price? Why would the price matter!? What treasure in the world could ever be worth more than his zhiji's life!? Kexing didn't care about any price! All he could hear was that there was a way echoing in his mind. There was a way... For a chance to save A-Xu, Kexing would give away all of his wealth and all of his power. 

"I will pay any price." He answered immediately, meeting Ye Baiyi's eyes with determination.

"Lao Wen." His husband protested at the same time the old monster shook his head. "This price isn't something you can pay alone. The solution I am speaking of isn't a cure, it's you using your own body as a furnace and then flooding his body with so much raw power that the disease will be burned out and his meridians will completely shatter before fusing back together stronger."

"The Six Harmonies Cultivation." The Ghost King realized, shocked. The old monster... Ye Baiyi was willing to teach them that cursed technique. The only way to save his zhiji was the knowledge his parents had died to protect, the knowledge Ye Baiyi's own son had died still in pursue of. It felt like someone had just stabbed him in the gut. If there really were gods, they might be enjoying themselves laughing at him. Kexing wanted to laugh at the irony too, yet saying no didn't even cross his mind... for A-Xu he'd pay any price. Even becoming fate's fool. "We will do it."

"No, we won't." A-Xu protested. "What if I'm not strong enough to complete the technique and transfer the energy back?" 

"You could die, Lao Wen, it's not worth it." His zhiji sounded calm, but Kexing could read the ire in his eyes. If the beautiful man had the strength, he would hit the Chief on the shoulder to make it known, or pinched his arm. 

"Life without you isn't worth it. I already told you, if you die I won't linger here in this world alone." When he'd left A-Xu go that first time, it was knowing that they would still both look at the same moon every evening when the sun left the sky. Kexing had always planned to find A-Xu again, if fate had not bought them back together, he would have made his own fate. Once both of them were free and both their goals past, Wen Kexing would have approached Zhou Zishu on a random street, complimented him on his beauty and spent a whole lifetime trying to be worthy of him. But if A-Xu were gone, how could Kexing ever look at the moon the same way again? What good was life without light in it? Since he had seen it, bathed in its warmth, allowed it to fill the cracks of his soul until he was whole, how could he live without it? How could his fragile heart survive in the dark and the cold and the solitude again, now that it was used to living in the light? Even plants die without light, even beasts go mad, so how could Kexing be expected to survive without it? Wouldn't that be unreasonable?

"A-Xu, if there's a chance I get to keep you I will carve out my heart with my own hands. We will do it." He steadily declared again.

The old monster nodded, and Kexing heard his husband also let out a small breath in resignation. Taking it as acceptance, he couldn't help the relief that flooded his body. His fingers almost started shaking with it and he distracted himself by running them over A-Xu's braid. "A-Xu, your braid is such a mess. Let me fix it for you."

"Will you give us a moment?" He asked the old monster once the beautiful man hummed softly. 

Ye Baiyi nodded. "You both need to meditate facing each other and be close enough to touch your palms together. I will let you get ready and then tell you what you have to do."

As the older man gave them some semblance of privacy Kexing distracted himself with fixing his zhiji's hair, slowly breaking through the tangles with his fingers before tying it up again. When he was done, he continued to hold the beautiful man close, breathing in the faint scent of plum blossoms that still lingered under the smell of sickness permeating the room. A-Xu loved the scent because it reminded him of his carefree childhood... Kexing loved the scent because he loved A-Xu. 

He held his husband close until a coughing fit overcame the younger man, reminding Kexing how precious their time was. They couldn't wait much longer.

"Lao Wen, if we don't make it..." A-Xu whispered once the shaking had stopped. "...in the next life, I still wish to meet you."

Kexing couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips before kissing A-Xu's forehead tenderly. "No matter when we die, or how we die, in our next life, and the next one, and every life to follow, I will always find A-Xu."

"Then the next one I hope to be reborn as birds. To fly above the world, and see it." A-Xu added as Kexing helped shift his body into a proper mediation pose. 

"Then in the one after that I hope we will be fish, to swim the wide oceans." If Kexing couldn't show A-Xu all of Qingya in this lifetime, seeing the whole world at his side would not be bad either, he thought, before turning to Ye Baiyi determined. "Old monster, we're ready."

"Good. Let's start then." The immortal declared, stepping closer. 

Kexing knew they should call the others back, let them know what they were planning. There was one way this could go right, and a hundred it could go wrong. At the very least he should talk to A-Xiang. Explain to her what they were doing, why he was making this choice. Apologies for all of the hardships he would leave her were he to fail, all of the debts unpaid. He knew that whatever the outcome, he would follow A-Xu. If they both left for the netherworld someone would have to rule, a Chief had to sit on the throne of Ghost Valley. Someone would have to expose the rot of the Jianghu... Someone would have to keep on going. Kexing knew she would not be alone. She would have her Aunty Luo and Qianqiao-jiejie and Jiuxiao-gege, Han Ying and Bi Changfeng... maybe the old monster would even linger for a while, out of some misplaced guilt. Kexing should talk to her, tell her he loved her, tell her he was proud... tell her that he was sorry, but he couldn't bring himself to face her. Even the Ghost King was a coward sometimes he realized, and he couldn't look his baby sister in the eyes and say goodbye.

Chapter Text

Ye Baiyi instructed them on what the technique entailed, and then he sat on the chair by the bed and watched. There was nothing more he could do for them but watch. He could have tried to transfer Wen Kexing some more of his own internal energy, but it would be useless anyway if Zhou Zishu didn't have the strength to complete the circle. It would have been nothing more than a pretty lie during their last moments and for some reason he hadn't wanted to lie to them. 

As time passed, the air in the room became stifling and the temperature rose. You could practically see the power surrounding the two figures on the bed like heat in the desert. Even in such a state the brats were powerful enough to do that, it was a good sign. All those idiots out there chasing immortality through Six Harmonies Cultivation, they didn't realize it would only kill most of them faster. Lazy fools, looking for a shortcut to power. In life there were no shortcuts, only traps for those too dumb to see them or too slow to dodge them.

If anyone were to ask him, immortality was a hoax. It wasn't what all of those imbeciles chasing it believed it was. Alone, it was a curse. If you weren't alone, it eventually became a curse anyway. Ye Baiyi was proof of it. Once, he'd had it all, now all he had was regrets. He wondered if maybe he was doing those two brats a disservice, if it wouldn't have been better to just leave them to die. 

He sighed as the energy in the room intensified, their hair floating as if they were underwater. It buzzed against Ye Baiyi's skin, warm and cold all at once. He watched Wen Kexing's hair lose color as he pushed all of his power into Zhou Zishu, until it turned completely white and he went all still. For a moment, Ye Baiyi feared that they've failed. Until he felt the shift, felt Zhou Zishu push the power back into his husband. The pressure dropped, the world went completely silent and Ye Baiyi realized there's been buzzing in his ears too. The brats were still like a pair of jade statues, and then it was over. 

He got up, but found himself unable to pull their hands apart without hurting them. Where they've been touching palms at the beginning, they were tightly clasping hands now. Ye Baiyi did his best to shift them until they were laying side by side anyway. He couldn't help but grasp a strand of the crazy brat's hair in hand, letting it slip through his fingers like soft silk with a deep sigh. The hardest part was over, but they were not yet out of the woods. This part he couldn't have prepared them for. 

It had been so long since Ye Baiyi had practiced Six Harmonies Cultivation. The old scroll his idiot husband had found back then had been worn and incomplete. They hadn't known what to expect either but Ye Baiyi remembered it like a fevered dream. The memories. He still didn't know why he'd seen what he'd seen. Changqing hadn't known either. Maybe it had only been a dream, maybe it had been a test of their will to survive or a test of their devotion to each other. Either way, all he could do was trust the two idiots would be strong enough to wake up from it.

He was done arranging them on the bed just in time for the door to slam open and the three brats from earlier to rush back in.

"They still live." He assured, seeing the wariness in their eyes as they looked between him and the men laying too still on the bed. "I've helped as much as I could, it's up to each of them now." He didn't clarify how he'd done that and they didn't seem to care. 

The girl rushed to their side and sat on the bed, taking a pair of clasped hands into both of her smaller ones. She squeezed so tightly, he was shocked not to hear any bones creaking. The immortal was about make a joke about it when he saw her shoulders raise to her ears and a small shudder run through her whole body as she forced herself to hold the sobs in.

One of the boys ran to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Don't cry, Xiang-meimei. They will be fine." He murmured in a comforting voice. "Up and giving us a hard time about crying at their bedside in no time."

It was only the last one that followed more calmly, nodding in gratitude but even he seemed too distracted by the figures on the bed to pay too much attention to Ye Baiyi. Seeing their distress, the immortal stepped away to give them space. 

"Whenever I worried about him when I was younger..." The silly girl whimpered. "Ge used to tell me that he was invincible. He told me the same thing so many times and I was so young, that for a years I actually believed him." She sniffed, stopping to take a deep breath. "I wish he would wake up now to tell me again."

The one who'd wrapped his arms around her chuckled, even though it came out a little wet sounding. "Ge used to send me to my room without food whenever I failed in my lessons, and then send someone to sneak me dinner and pretend he didn't know."

"You knew about that?" The third brat, who'd sat on the chair by the bed, asked surprised.

"Of course I knew." The brat snorted. "He'd never let me go hungry or cold a day in my life. After... Before we moved to the Capital, and even after that he let me sleep in his bed because I was afraid of being alone. I think he actually preferred it, because he was afraid of leaving me alone and losing me too." He whispered sorrowfully as he glanced at the bed. Since the crazy brat was the one the girl had called ge when they've arrived, this one's brother had to be Zhou Zishu. "He held me every night and never scolded me for crying or mentioned it the next morning... Ge raised me and I never even told him how sorry I am for being a little shit back then... and now I might never get the chance to."

At that, the girl's shaking increased and a guilty look overcame the brat's face so he cleared his throat, changing the subject. "Do you know why he bought you home?" 

The other idiot shook his head. "No. It never mattered why to me, just that he did."

So they were both the sick idiot's brother, Ye Baiyi thought to himself.

"He would have helped you anyway, don't get me wrong, but he could have asked Uncle Bi or any older disciple to take you in. He bought you home for me." He explained, rubbing a calming hand over the girl's back. His own was starting to sound less shaky. "I had a hard time adjusting to life in the Capital and there weren't any kids my age in the Sect. It may not have seemed like it but I wasn't doing well. I held onto so much resentment after our parents passed away but he never held it against me. We used to fight often."

"Is this about the Window of Heaven?" The other brat asked. "You know he never held that against you."

The Window of Heaven, Ye Baiyi thought. He's heard something about that. The current Northern Emperor's little organization of spies and assassins. The immortal hadn't thought it odd since every emperor has had one of those for as long as he remembered, and they've all used them to strike fear into their enemies. But what did that have to to with Zhou Zishu? Had he been a part of it? Wen Kexing had said that Zhou Zishu was Emperor Jin's cousin. Someone of his power and standing could only have been the leader of such a place but why take the risk when someone else could have done it? From what he understood during his last visit down the mountain, this Emperor Jin was better than his predecessors so maybe it had been worth it in Zhou Zishu's eyes. Then Emperor Jin had married him off to someone as crazy as Wen Kexing too... but the Ghost King was also someone that no one wanted to cross. Had he been trying to get rid of his cousin once he's ascended the throne or protect him, the immortal wonders for a moment before shaking his head. Nevermind. Why and how didn't change anything. Court matters held little interest to him anyway, he'd helped because he owed the crazy brat that much not because of who the two idiots were or not. 

"Not only that. I really was a little shit for a while there." Zhou Zishu's idiot brother confessed shamefully. "He acts so cold and claims he was so strict, but he really wasn't. He just wanted me to learn how to survive."

"Gege says Zishu-gege is cold on the outside but soft on the inside." The girl whispered, interrupting the conversation. Ye Baiyi noticed that her shaking had subsided, though her voice was rough now.

These brats were whimpering like this was a wake, Ye Baiyi thought with a roll of his eyes! Leaving them to their bemoaning, he decided to snoop around the room a little.

Surprisingly the first thing he noticed when looking around was that the windows opened to the outside, and not just another cave though the wall was thick. When he'd previously visited with his husband, he hadn't paid much attention to the place as much as the people but he remembered some of the older inhabitants telling them it had been an abandoned temple before bandits and criminals had first moved in. The cave system had already been there but humans have somehow managed have bent the mountain to their will in time. Not what Ye Baiyi would call the palace most welcoming but if any of the crazy brat's enemies ever made it so far it would definitely be intimidating. The room itself was large enough and tastefully decorated, not what he'd have expected from someone as annoying and loud as the crazy brat. There was a bathing area separated by beautifully folding screens, a seating area with a table... a vanity.

No one paid him any mind as he sat before the mirror and started poking around. One of the brats owned a lot of jewelry and from what he'd seen of Wen Kexing little of it seemed his style so it must belong to Zhou Zishu. Golden and silver flowers with delicate petals, shiny pearls and precious jade. He'd thought maybe he'd find some secret hiding place but those two little idiots were utterly boring. As he was turning away from all that sparkly jewelry with a snort, a flash caught his eye. Taking a closer look, he froze.

The sword Baiyi was leaning against the wall next to the cabinet. This sword should be in the hands of Qin Huaizhang, Lord of Four Seasons Manor, where Ye Baiyi had entrusted it long ago. Why was it there? Wen Kexing had never attacked the North, why would he have it in his possession? With almost numb fingers he picked it up, sending a stream of internal energy through it. It vibrated in his hand happily. 

"This sword..." He whispered, but the brats were too busy whimpering to each other to notice. "Hey!" He snapped louder, startling them. "Why does the crazy brat have this? Your Chief!" He clarified when all they did was look at him in even more confusion.

The talkative brat, the one still comfortable the little girl, spoke. "That is ge's sword."

"Zhou Zishu's sword?" Ye Baiyi frowned. "Tell me, where did he get it!?" The immortal demanded.

The brat let go of the girl, turning away from the bed as he crossed his arms. "He didn't steal it!" He snapped, face reddening as if he'd been accused of some crime. "He inherited it from our Die."

"Your Die?" Could it be?... Had it been that long? Had Qin Huaizhang mentioned any children when he'd last visited? Ye Baiyi couldn't remember. "What's your name brat?"

The little idiot huffed. "Qin Jiuxiao."

"Son of Qin Huaizhang, Lord of Four Seasons Manor?" He couldn't help but ask. Then that sick brat too was... no wonder he had ended falling in love with someone everyone called a madman. Knowing that brat had been raised by Qin Huaizhang, he was probably just as silly as his father!

"Where is that idiot Die of yours? Why isn't he here if his son is this sick? Did your parents think this sword would cure him!?" He snapped, shaking the sword. The brat just stared at him as if Ye Baiyi were mad. Where was that fool?! How had he allowed his son to become in such a state?! Forget that idiot Wen Kexing, why hadn't Qin Huaizang been the one asking him for help?! Weren't they friends?!

Qin Jiuxiao looked about to growl something back in anger, before it suddenly turned to bewilderment. "Do you... not know? Die has been dead for over a decade. Him and Niang both. I am the Lord of Four Seasons Manor now, and Zishu-gege before me."

"What? Qin Huaizang is dead?" Ye Baiyi asked, shocked. No. The last time he'd seen him Qin Huaizhang had still been a brat in his eyes... but he had always been a reckless brat. Back then, Qin Huaizhang had been the one who'd braved the cold mountain even in a storm to bring them the bad news. If it hadn't been for his impressive qinggong, he wouldn't have made it and who knows when anyone would have found his frozen body. He hadn't been there and had only heard of the incident after it had happened but he had gone to them as soon as he had. After that Changqing had fallen ill, and Ye Baiyi had never been in the right mood for visitors again. Eventually, even Qin Huaizhang had given up trying.

"Of course, so many years have passed... It's been so long, I don't... I don't know anything anymore... Things have changed, even Qin Huaizhang has ceased to exist." He thought out loud. 

Ye Baiyi's husband was gone. His son was gone. All of his acquaintances were gone too. Yet these objects preserved in the hands of their descendants. Qin Huaizhang's sons were all grown up, one the age A-Xuan had been when he'd first left the mountain and one who would soon carry on the legacy of the Six Harmonies Cultivation. How long had Ye Baiyi been alive, did he even remember? Had they... always remembered to keep track of the years? On Changming Mountain nothing ever changed, but everything about the world had. No one can stay young forever, he thought, but there will always be others who are still young... He was really craving some chicken noodle soup. It's been too long since he'd had some, he decided.

Chapter Text

Time passes differently on the bridge between worlds. It existed, and yet did not. The river flowed from under the bridge in both directions as if it sprang from beneath it and was neverending. People came and went, some not even paying attention to the anyone else as if they were in a daze. They had different styles of dress, different ways of speaking... if they were heard speaking. Secrets didn't matter there, as everyone would soon forget them anyway once they were ready to leave.... Sometimes they were vagualy familiar from life.

The thing about the netherworld was that no one just showed up on the bridge itself. Leading up to it was a yellow road. It made for a slow walk, like stepping on golden sand that always shifted beneath your feet and forced you to walk the way in the direction. Going back was not possible. Though it was not, it gave the illusion of flowing water, and so it was named the Yellow Springs Road. From the road diverged smaller paths, some straight, some going uphill and some downhill and you could never see what awaited you at the end. Those were the roads leading to the various hells and if you were meant to walk them you did, because resisting was not possible. How many there were no one knew for sure, be it dozens or thousands.

They said good people would not need to be punished after death, but what made someone good or evil? Was it their actions? Did the reasons matter? Did their thoughts? Did defending yourself make you evil? Did fighting to survive? If you willingly took a life to save thousands? If you lied to spare someone the pain of truth? Was killing in defense of others different than killing in the service of others, were they both different than killing for your own gain? What were 'righteousness' and 'honour' if you only showed such courtsey to those you deemed as worthy but closed your eyes to the pain, the hunger, the suffering and the injustice of those you considered beneath you? Was there really a difference between men and women, poor and rich, emperor and slave, if they all ended up on the same Yellow Spring Road when they died? No one knew the answer until they found themselves walking the yellow road but no matter which way you took, be it long or short, painful or not, you always ended up back on the shifting sand at the beginning of the red bridge.

The Naihe Bridge itself was short and long at the same time. You could see both ends, the way people come and the way people go, and yet just like the river it crossed, it never ended. Maybe hundreds waited upon it, maybe thousands, maybe more. If one started walking from one end to the other you could walk for eternity, yet if one was ready to move on the other side would be right besides them. Some people talked to each other while others were silent, still as statues.

One particular young man had caught the attention of everyone who had passed by him. Though his face could not have been older than thirty he'd had a full head of startlingly white hair. He'd used to sit with his back to the road, facing a lonely rock... He'd made a lonely picture too. The young man had been there so long no one remembered his name, always still with his eyes closed as if he'd spent so long waiting that he'd turned into a statue. Even after he'd reincarnated everyone waiting on the bridge still told the story of Lord Seventh and everybody's heard it at least twice from somebody else. Somehow it was never exactly the same. In one story he had reincarnated as a dog that got eaten by his zhiji, in another he was a fly, in another a plant... No one could keep their story straight. Some even whispered, when the reapers were not paying attention, that the soup had not worked on him and when he'd finally left for his next life he'd remembered. All wishful thinking, of course. Everyone always forgot. 

Lovers waited. Young ones often refused to move on, stubbornness being a defining trait of youth. Sometimes they waited until they were joined by men or women with gray hair and old bones. They'd wrap each other in tight embraces, and drink the soup together. Other times married couples arrived together and passed right through with a smile. Sworn siblings waited for each other, soldiers waited for their friends... In fact, wars led a great many people to the bridge, and not all of them soldiers. Elders and children, women with haunted eyes... even entire families. Sometimes they left the smell of smoke behind them and a trail of ashes. It was stark against the bright shine of the liquored wood, dull grey footprints on the bright red of spider lilies on a sunny day... Red. The color of life. The color of blood. The color of death, too, it seemed. In contrast, the water if one dared look, was dark, dark, dark like the abyss.

Young children waited for their parents confused about what they were supposed to do or too scared to walk into the unknown on their own. Parents also waited for their children, only to realize their children had grown and wished to wait for their own children. So the parents left the children they've just been reunited with behind, moved on, and the wheel kept spinning. Death spared no one but was not completely unkind. They could see their families one last time at the viewing pavilion, or even wait to see their loved ones before they reincarnated. Eventually, everyone left. White and Black Impermanence were not the same White and Black Impermanence that have always been there and even the reapers changed. Everyone but Old Lady Meng. She always remained, helping other souls move on by imparting upon them the kindness of forgetting and starting anew. 

Miaomiao didn't know how long she and Ruyu had been waiting. At times she forgot who they are waiting for, and then she remembered. She'd long lost the count of how many people have passed by them on the way to their next lives, but none of them had been her Xing'er or A-Xiang. Miaomiao would recognize her babies, even if their hair had turned white with age she'd recognize them. So she just stood there, holding her husband's hand.

Ruyu had been waiting for her when she'd first arrived, and the emotions that had filled them both upon their reunion had been overwhelming. He'd held her in his arms as she'd talked and talked until her throat had felt raw. Miaomiao had been afraid he would resent her for all the choices she'd made, but all he'd cared about was that their Xing'er had had the chance to grow into the man the healer had known he would become one day. Ruyu had even asked after her sweet A-Xiang as if she were his own... But when her story had been over, and it had been time for them to leave, Miaomiao hadn't been able to bring her legs to move.

Xing'er had been a young man when she'd left him, already raising his sister on his own. She'd watched them through the viewing pavilion and though they were grieving and she was worried, they had their Aunty Luo and even that young Qianqiao that had started hanging out around her son. Miaomiao had seen the emotions in the young woman's eyes when she looked at Xing'er, she just hoped it would not be too late when she learned they could never be returned the way she wished. She hoped young Qianqiao would not abandon her son then. Even so, her children would not be alone. The women in the Department of the Unfaithful would never allow that, and soon her son would be strong enough to kill that monster and take his place as Master of Ghost Valley. Miaomiao trusted Xing'er to raise his sister well, she trusted him to avenge her and her husband. She knew soon they would both be safe, that A-Xiang would grow up happy and loved and Xing'er would never allow her to know the pain he'd had. Yet she could not bear to forget and move on to the next life and leave them behind, and Ruyu would not leave without her. They were still waiting.

Miaomiao remembered her life with distinct clarity, even things she'd wished to forget. Her childhood had been a happy one even though her parents had passed away too soon. They hadn't been on the bridge when she'd arrived there but she found she didn't mind. Her grandfather had raised her, and maybe he'd let her get away with a little too much. Growing up with Ruyu, falling in love with her best friend, felt like fairytale now that she was aware of the darkness of the world. As they've grown older, they've also grown restless in the isolated village that was their Sect. They've wanted to help people but they've also wanted to see the world. So not long after their wedding, they've left.

Life on the road hadn't been easy but it had been fulfilling and fascinating. Ruyu had developed his sword style while Miaomiao had learned that poison and medicine were like two faces of a fan painted in different shades. They traveled, and they healed whoever needed healing along the way. Over the years they've met people who, just like the two of them, only wanted to help. People like Long Que, like Bi Yifeng, even Rong Xuan had wanted to make the world better. Then they got the news that one of their best friends had gone mad. The whole story was still unknown to her but by the time Long Que and Ruyu had tracked them down, Fenger had been dying and Rong Xuan had been beyond help.

There hadn't been another option but to split up and go into hiding after that. The Armory could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the wrong people, even if keeping the stolen secrets there away from their rightful owners had been wrong. They didn't have the Glazed Armor anyway, and none of them had trusted the Five Lakes Alliance after that. Rong Xuan and Fenger's demise had been suspicious. What had caused him to break his heart meridians? Why then? And even so, Miaomiao refused to believe for even a moment that he would have hurt his wife. No. Something had been amiss there that day. So Long Que took his family and vanished, using his knowledge to hide them, while Miaomiao and her husband took advantage of their obscurity and quietly retired to a small, insignificant village close to the border. The few true friends they've left behind, and their Sect, would be safer without the threat of that cursed key in their lives... they hadn't known then that they would end up cursing their still unborn son instead.

Xing'er... Xing'er had been a perfect baby who'd grown up into a gentle child. He'd loved his mischief and hated his studies, but he'd always been kind. Protective of those he'd considered his. In a different life, he would have made an amazing healer... that life had turned to nothing but smoke. As much as they've worried for him, they've always been proud. When Luo Fumeng's warning had reached them, Miaomiao and Ruyu had done everything in their power to save him but that little idiot... who would have thought he'd come back? So Miaomiao had done the best she could to save him and hadn't regretted it a moment since. She would suffer the same pain she had for those years in Ghost Valley again for the lives of her sweet children.

She was still reminiscing, there was little to do on the red bridge beside that and waiting... and gossiping, when a tinkling wind chimes like sound notified her to the presence of a man appearing right in front of her. People didn't appear on the bridge when they died, nor was there any wind in the netherworld, so it was quite odd. The image flickered before her, like he was a specter even in the world of the dead. He was a beautiful man, dressed in expensive silks with pearls hanging down from a golden hairpin in the shape of flowers. 

Miaomiao had never seen him in her life, nor in her death, yet something about him tugged at her heart. His eyes reminded her of Bi Yifeng's. Not the shape of them, but that kindness hidden beneath a sharp edge. There was something so familiar about him that Miaomiao felt she should know who he was. She tried to reach out but her hand fell right through his, and that's when she saw it. She hadn't had much jewelry in Ghost Valley, but there had been a jade bangle Luo Fumeng had gifted her that she'd worn often and that she'd given to Xing'er back when her sickness had taken a turn for the worst. The carving of phoenix flowers on it had been unique, made by one of the girls her friend had rescued... and this man was wearing it! Her eyes widened, mouth half way to forming her question, but between one blink and the next he was gone. Not by crossing the bridge to the next life, but by flickering out like he's never been there in the first place.

She turned to search for him but when she faced to the side the bridge was no longer infinite. The end was just a couple steps away, with Old Lady Meng standing there holding out a bowl of soup. As if in a daze Miaomiao pulled on her husband hand, taking an unsteady step. It felt like she hadn't walked in a very long time. 

"Is everything alright, my beloved?" Ruyu asked with a frown.

"Everything is perfect." She smiled, pulling him down in a soft kiss. "I think it's time for us to move on."

When they parted he finally looked around and saw the end of the bridge as well. "I thought we were waiting for Xing'er and A-Xiang."

Miaomiao shook her head. "I don't think we need to wait any longer, they won't come through here for a very long time." She hummed, and found that she believed it. Deep in her soul she knew that her Xing'er and A-Xiang were in good hands. "If we go now, we will meet them sooner in our next life."

Chapter Text

The first thing Zishu noticed as he slowly slipped into conciousness, mind still whirling with memories both old and new, was the warmth. It sank into his bones likes sitting by the hearth after a long day spent training outside in the cutting winds of winter. He had to force his body still when he got the urge to curl up into a ball and try to trap it in so it never left him again but he couldn't help himself from wriggling his fingers and toes. That was when he noticed the second thing, the lack of pain. Before, it would have hurt if he so much as thought about doing that, his joints frozen and stiff, but now he felt nothing. Tentatively, he took in a deep breath through trembling lips and laughed out loud when the air easily slid all the way deep into his lungs. Zishu couldn't even remember the last time he'd drawn breath without it trying to burn the life out of him!

He wasn't tired. For the first time in months he didn't feel like he wanted to weep from exhaustion. It didn't feel like he would have to spend every second of every day just fighting to keep his eyes open anymore. His head wasn't pounding, his muscles didn't ache, his bones didn't feel like they were being stabbed by tens of thousands of poisoned needles. The room wasn't filled with the sound of his failing lungs and he couldn't feel the taste of blood on his tongue anymore. His meridians didn't feel like rivers trying to draw water from springs that had run dry, rubbing themselves raw fighting for every last drop of power just to keep him alive. They felt crystal clear and wide open, more energy freely flowing through them than he'd ever felt before. Someone had cleaned him up, hopefully that had been Lao Wen, and his body was light and relaxed. Letting out a content sigh, he turned his awareness toward the world outside of his own body.

The sheets were freshly changed, they were pleasantly soft under his fingertips and a faint fragrance of some kind of blossom filled his nose. The blanket that covered him up to the chest didn't feel like a weight trying to crush him under it. The air in the room was clean and crisp against his newly heated skin but it didn't chill him like it used to. He could hear the even, calm, familiar breathing of Lao Wen next to him louder than before. When concentrated on his hearing, he could make out the sounds of servants and guards walking a level below even though they were trying to be quiet, and voices talking everywhere in the palace though trying to focus on the words made him dizzy for a second. His body was still weakened, then.

Zishu's senses had been sharp even compared to most martial masters. He had been able to spy on someone talking inside a busy restaurant from across the street, see an arrow or bolt coming his way from a great distance. He'd trained himself to distinguish hundreds of poisons by sight, smell and taste. To fight blind and deaf until he could feel the slightest disturbance in the air around him. When he'd gotten sick his senses had also dulled, maybe in part because all of his internal energy had been focused otherwise. Taking in a deep breath, he slipped into a meditative state, and then promptly shook himself out of it. The world was... loud. Everything was too bright, even though he hadn't opened his eyes yet. Zishu had never felt so connected to the world before. It was all so alive.

When Zishu turned on his side after that, his body didn't protest. It felt pleasant, like stretching after a long training session. Gentle fingers pushed a couple of stray hairs behind his ear before settling agaist his cheek. Cold, he thought. Lao Wen's hand felt cold... when was the last time Lao Wen's hand had felt colder than his own skin?

"It takes some getting used to but it's amazing, isn't it?" His husband's low voice murmured softly. The warm breath brushed past Zishu's skin and he shivered. Finally, he opened his eyes.

White filled his vision and for a moment he thought that he was laying on snow before he blinked the last remnants of sleep from his eyes and realized what it really was. Hair, white hair was spread on the pillow between him and Lao Wen and as Zishu followed the strands he met beautiful dark eyes. It had to be nighttime because the only light in the room came from torches and candles that made his zhiji's hair shine like liquid silver. When they would lay side by side in the past and bath in the sun, back in that small, isolated village where they've spent some of the happiest months of his life, Zishu would sometimes watch the older man's hair and be reminded of the last dying embers of a warm fire. Now Lao Wen's face looked exactly as it had then. Content, free, a trace of a smile pulling at the corner of his full lips. The same tall bridge of his nose and high cheekbones, the same pale shade of his skin, but that warm glow to his hair was lost... like sunshine had turned into moonlight.

Zishu was reminded of the first time he'd seen the beautiful man, surrounded by snow with a thin layer of it covering his still body. The former assassin had found him breathtakingly beautiful back then, just as he did now. 

This was his husband, his lover, his zhiji... the man he had fallen in love with twice. A madman, and an idiot, and a pest. He was dumb and reckless and made bad choices. Jealous, possessive, overprotective. He talked too much, ate too many sweets and was too fond of poetry... And he was kind, and gentle, and patient, and he treated Zishu so well. How could someone love another so much that just the sight of them made their heart beat faster, their breath come shorter? Filled their body with that inexplicable emotion that made the rest of the world fade away until nothing else existed but the two of them? The former assassin moved slowly, covering the hand on his cheek with one of his own and pulling it away until they were both on hidden under the blanket. He squeezed it tightly to hide the slight tremor of his fingers brought by those emotions.

It was overwhelming. Everything was so overwhelming that Zishu feared if he focused on it for too long, he would start fearing he'd never woken up at all. Instead he snapped the first thing that came to mind about the memories he's just recalled. "I told you to get a weapon, you madman, not an accessory!" His voice came up raspy but the burn of his throat was so slight compared to what he'd gotten used to that he barely noticed.

The beautiful man didn't answer right away. First, he helped Zishu sit up until he was leaning against the headboard before getting up and returning with a tray. When he handed Zishu a cup of tea, he realized that the pot must have been kept warm for him. Unlike the disgusting potions he'd grown used to, it had a mild taste sweetened with a little bit of honey meant to soothe his throat. When he was satisfied with how much Zishu had drank, he replaced the tea in his hands with a bowl of soft, crumbly cookies that left oily residue on his fingers when he picked one up. His stomach rumbled at the smell and for the first time in weeks he was hungry, the thought of food not making him nauseous. As one delicious not too sweet bite was melting on his tongue, his husband finally spoke.

"Well, I learned from the best." Lao Wen teased with a smile. "Or did you think I hadn't noticed there was a sword inside your belt with how many times I've removed it for you back then? It's quite a famous sword, A-Xu, many would brag about having touched it." 

Did he just...?! Zishu swallowed his food, pinching the skin of the older man's shoulder. "You're fucking incorrigible!"

The pest laughed, making a point of rubbing his shoulder. "Besides, my fan has served me well. It's both elegant and deadly, reminds me of a prickly beauty I know."

Zishu rolled his eyes. They fell silent for a while as he finished his cookies, then drank another cup of tea when his husband handed it too him. Even though he'd been hungry before, after so long of having no appetite, he felt sated as he relaxed into the pillows.

"Why did you do it?" He asked after a while, startling Lao Wen who stared at him wide eyed before finally finding the words to answer softly. "You were so young and filled with hope. You are so beautiful A-Xu and I didn't want to trap you like a bird in a cage."

A bird in a cage, Zishu couldn't help but think. "Is that what I am now? A bird in a cage?"

It's certainly what he had expected to become when he'd first agreed to marry the Ghost King. He'd thought he'd never see the world outside of Ghost Valley again, never see his brother again, never be able to leave the palace again. Zishu had come to this place expecting to belong to his husband. A possession, no more or less valuable than a piece of jade. The former assassin had seen the way powerful men treated their consorts, the rot hiding behind the polished wood of the gates to their manors. He'd long stopped fearing such things from Lao Wen but did he still think of Zishu that way? Was it because of his status as a consort, because of his preference in bed? 

"No!" The older man snapped before he could dwell on it too long, cupping Zishu's face in his hands and meeting his eyes. "No. Of course not." He whispered in a soft voice. "But back then Qingya wasn't what it is these days. I've done so many things you wouldn't approve of, A-Xu. I wasn't the man you thought I was but I wanted to be, and I wanted you to be free to fulfill your dreams too." The beautiful man confessed. "Do you hate me? Now that you remember?"

Zishu sighed, turning to face his husband and hitting their foreheads together with a little more force than necessary. "You're a fucking idiot, Wen Kexing. I knew exactly who you were back then and I still loved you, because you were a good man. You are a good man." Pulling back a little, he kept staring into endlessly dark eyes. There were still so many secrets hidden behind them... "I don't know why you have done all of the things you've done, I don't know how the innocent boy born in a quiet village ended up becoming the Chief of Ghost Valley, why you thought you needed all of this power you've amassed since, but I know you."

The beautiful man parted his lips to answer, then shut them again and swallowed. His eyes were damp as he whispered a simple. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing!" Zishu snapped feeling guilty as he refused to meet the older man's eyes. Now that he remembered everything, he also remembered that Lao Wen had not been the only one planning to betray the other that night. "That night, I was planning to leave too." He confessed.

"A-Xu?" A gentle arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, and Zishu melted into his zhiji's arms, hiding his face into the other man's neck.

"After realizing who you were I told myself that the only reason I was staying was because you would make a good ally but with every day that passed I felt myself slipping more and more. I couldn't bring myself to use you. I was the Leader of the Window of Heaven, Lao Wen, I was never supposed to fall in love." But he had, and falling in love had been a little bit like falling off a cliff. Unexpected, terrifying, exhilarating, breathtaking and ultimately painful. He cleared his throat, wrapping his own arms around Lao Wen just to feel him closer. "That night you made an oath that in this lifetime you would only marry me, but I could not make that promise back. My life didn't belong to me, I thought I could never give you this so I was planning to leave once you fell asleep."

"It doesn't matter that your life didn't belong to you." His zhiji whispered when Zishu finished his confession as a confession of own. "Once it was all over, once you've achieved your dreams and enough time had passed, if we hadn't found our way back to each other yet I was planning on stealing you away anyway. Jing Beiyuan assures me kidnapping works kind of well."

That woke him up from his sorrow, and he pulled back with a glare. "What?! What nonsense is that idiot sprouting? Kidnapping?! He wanted to go!"

Lao Wen laughed, kissing him softly on the forehead. "Qianqiao said she'd write to him and Wu Xi, tell them the news."

"She was here?" Zishu asked, surprised. Wasn't she too busy? Zishu had been in and out of conciousness, suffering from fever for most of the last few days but he knew that with everyone running themselves rugged taking care of him, and Lao Wen having left without any warning, Qianqiao had taken over making sure the empire wouldn't fall apart around them. 

"Everyone was at some point." The older man answered, rubbing a thumb over Zishu's hip comfortingly. "A-Xu, its been three days."

He froze. "It didn't feel that long."

"I woke up after a few hours but you were still unconscious. I checked you over as soon as I could and the old monster did as well. He assured us that the sickness was gone and the Six Harmonies Cultivation had been successful. I think you were just worn out." Zishu had certainly felt worn out so he nodded in agreement.

Old monster... that was what his husband had called Ye Baiyi. "You never told me you knew the Sword Immortal." He accused his husband with a hiss. 

Lao Wen snorted. "Don't make him sound so important, it will get his ugly head to inflate."

The former spy in him wanted to ask more questions, to find out exactly how his zhiji knew someone as reclusive as Monk Gu or why he spoke of him the way he did but felt that it wasn't the time. Whatever their history was, the immortal had given them a priceless gift. They owed him a life debt now. Lao Wen had obviously spent the last three days plastered to Zishu's side like wet paper, he needed to figure out where he stood with Ye Baiyi on his own first.

In fact, Zishu wanted to stop thinking about anything for a while. His sickness, the past, the consequences of what they've just done. He just wanted to feel Lao Wen, Zishu decided as he climbed into the beautiful man's lap with renewed strength. His lower body already burning with need as he thought about feeling his husband inside him, it had been so long he almost moaned in anticipation.

Said husband jumped, catching Zishu's hands before he could pull his own sleeping robe open. "A-Xu, what are you doing?"

"What? Didn't you once tell me you're always ready for sex?" Seeing the hesitation still present in the older man's eyes he swallowed. "If the way my body looks right now is the problem, I can keep the robe on." Zishu pulled his hands free but didn't try to undress again. He would have liked to feel Lao Wen's cold hands against his heated skin and remember that it hadn't all been a dream but he didn't need to be naked for them to have sex. "I know I'm..."

Lao Wen covered his mouth with a hand, waiting until he stopped trying to speak. Then he took one of Zishu's hands into his own and slowly led it to his cock, which the younger man was shocked to find already hard. 

Zishu gasped. "You're hard."

"The most beautiful man in the world is sitting in my lap. Of course I'm hard." The beautiful man deadpanned. "But all of that demage to your body didn't just get erased overnight with the pain, A-Xu, you still need to recover."

Zishu sighed, laying a palm over his husband's racing heart. "Even when I couldn't get hard anymore, I could still feel arousal and I couldn't even do anything to relieve it." He admitted.

"A-Xu..."The older man breathed out in surprise. "I'm so sorry. I... why didn't you say anything?"

"I was also so exhausted and in so much pain at the time, even if I told you there was nothing you could have done." Zishu shrugged. He probably would have passed out if they've tried to have sex anyway.

"Alright." Lao Wen sighed and it took him a second to locate the a small bottle of oil they kept by the bed since it's been a while. "Alright." He repeated, pulling both of their robes open but not taking them off and wrapping the blanket closer around Zishu to keep the still chilly air out.

"I'm not fucking you until an actual healer says you're cleared for physical activity." The older man declared and Zishu had to reluctantly agree that he was right, so he nodded.

"Good." Lao Wen hummed, pouring some oil into his large hand and wrapping it around both of their hard lengths, pulling a whimper out of Zishu. "Tell me if you need to stop, alright?"

Instead of answering Zishu wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders. He slipped a hand under the open robe to trace the dragon tattoo he knew was on Lao Wen's back with his fingers and pulled him into a deep kiss to shut him up. His husband was really crazy if he thought Zishu would stop now.

Later than night when his muscles were loose from pleasure and he was finally sleepy again, he felt more than heard the whispers against the top of his head as he listened to Lao Wen's heartbeat under his ear. "I will tell you."

Zishu hummed back, too relaxed to talk and Lao Wen ran a hand over the back of his neck, pulling the hair away from his damp skin. "I will tell you why I've done all of the things that I've done." The older man clarified. The last thing Zishu heard as he fell asleep was a quiet whisper of "Soon.".

Chapter Text

Kexing hadn't wanted to part from his husband so soon after he'd woken up but Jiuxiao had came to check on his older brother that morning and had been overjoyed to find him awake. The Ghost King had known A-Xu would want to spend spend some time with him so he'd left the beautiful man in Jiuxiao's care. After a short stop by the kitchen to send a light breakfast their way, he'd left to tell everyone the good news.

Qianqiao had already been in his office and after letting out a deep breath she'd been holding for days she's assured him that she could keep taking care of the work for the day and that letters had already been sent to Nanjiang and his great grandfather. Aunt Luo had been busy getting a new girl settled in in another building and Bi Changfeng had been working with the guards on patrol plans, but they've both been deeply relieved by the news. Han Ying had been overseeing the morning training and thought he'd tried to contain his reaction Kexing had seen his shoulders drop slightly like a weight had been removed from them. He knew that all of them would find the time to drop by and check on A-Xu before the sun even reached its top height in the sky so he was not worried about the beautiful man being left alone for even one moment that day. Or that week. 

Surprisingly, he found A-Xiang in her room, huddled into a warm blanket and struggling to read a book through blurry eyes. She straightened up, dropping it to the side and cleared her throat pretending that she hadn't just been crying. "Ge! Why are you here?"

Kexing made his way to the bed and sat down by her side. "A-Xu woke up last night."

"What?!" His sister's eyes widened and she furiously wiped her face with her sleeve, all pretences forgotten. "Why haven't you told us?!"

He poked her forehead with a sigh. "I'm telling you now. Silly girl, it was the middle of the night. And besides, he was still tired. We talked a little while he ate and drank some tea and then we went back to sleep."

A-Xiang made a face as she mimed throwing up. "I'm sure that's all you did."

"Don't be a brat." Kexing warned, just as she started climbing over him. He caught her arm and pulled her right back on the bed. "Where are you going?"

"I want to see him, Ge!" She flapped her arms with a pout. "Why did you stop me?!" 

"Jiuxiao is with him." He explained. "Let them have some time together, will you? Now that A-Xu is awake that little idiot will have to leave soon. He is a Sect Leader after all and I think he's been away from Four Seasons Manor long enough."

"Oh..." A-Xiang breathed out, her anger deflating. "Yeah. I haven't thought about that. I just got so used to him being here that I forgot he's going to have to leave..." She pulled the blanket back over her legs but didn't let go, gripping it tightly. "Zishu-gege is going to be alright now though, right? You're sure?"

"I am." He smiled reassuringly, pulling playfully on one of her thin braids. "When have I ever lied to you?"

A-Xiang leveled a flat look his way, rolling her eyes. "All the time. You lie to me all the time. Like when you used to tell me that you were invincible or when you told me that if I ate fruit seeds a tree will grow in my stomach or when you told me that if I chewed with my mouth open insects will fly inside and eat my tongue or when you told me that if I didn't sleep on time..."

Kexing had to hold back a laugh, he'd almost forgotten about all that. A-Xiang had been such a curious and energetic child, and he'd been so young. Exhausted. He still didn't remember half the things he's made up to answer her questions or make her behave. He covered her mouth with a palm. "Got it! You can stop now."

The muffled sounds against his skin stopped, and he waited until A-Xiang nodded before taking his hand away.

"You always told me all kinds of crap and I always believed you." She huffed as soon as she could talk freely again, hands twisting in the blanket. "You told me all those nice things about Zishu-gege and made me so excited about you getting married and you were even right for once and then..." A-Xiang trailed off, wrapping the blanket around herself again, knees pulled to her chest and face buried down.

For a moment the image of a much younger A-Xiang refusing to come out from under the old blanket that had covered on their Niang's bed flashed through his mind. She hadn't understood where Mama had gone, but she had understood that she was gone and she'd wanted her to come back. His sweet little girl had been determined to hide there and wait until she did and Kexing hadn't known how to explain to her that she wouldn't. Never could again. So he'd laid down by her side, and held her over the blanket and waited her out. For days, after waking up in their shared bed, she'd climb out and pad over to their Niang's empty one to curl up under the blanket until her hunger got too much to ignore... And then one day she hadn't, and never asked when Mama was coming home again. The habit though had made a comeback every time she got really upset. When he'd became Chief and she got scared of the fighting. The first time he'd left Ghost Valley and told her she couldn't go with him. When the dog that she'd found had died because it ate something it wasn't supposed to. When he'd returned after meeting A-Xu that first time, when she'd been scared because he'd been missing for so long. When she'd wanted to leave the Valley, and he wouldn't let her yet. She'd climb into her bed, curl up into a little blanket nest and refuse to look at anyone... it had been years since she'd seen her do it. 

Humming softly, Kexing wrapped his arms around her covered form and pulled her closer just as he had that first time over a decade in the past. "I'm sorry that you had to go through this, A-Xiang, but A-Xu is all healed now. He's not going anywhere, alright?" He promised.

"Good." Her reply was muffled by the covers. "Cause I'd be really mad if he left you."

"I know." Kexing hummed softly, picking up the book she'd abandoned earlier and pulling it open. It was one of the strategy books he'd given her, that she'd complained was boring and hard to understand. "So, are you willingly reading this right now?"

"Zishu-gege said I should." A-Xiang shrugged and Kexing gasped dramatically, covering his heart. "When I told you to study them it was air blowing between your ears but A-Xu tells you something and suddenly you're so studious?!"

That made her poke her head back up to glare at him, then she shoved the blanket down again. "You're one to talk, you do everything he says too!"

Pushing the book back into her now free hands and he hurried out of the room with a laugh, leaving the pouting girl to her studying. His A-Xu really was incredible, he thought, if he'd somehow convinced A-Xiang to read without resorting to bribery.

The last person on his list was Ye Baiyi. When Kexing had first came to from the effects of the Six Harmonies Cultivation, the old monster had been sitting by the bedside eating nuts and drinking wine. He hadn't needed to ask to know what that meant, not after what him and A-Xu had just done. The Chief knew it was a conversation he needed to have and he's been avoiding it for days by using taking care of his husband as an excuse.

How do you even face someone who just did something like this for you? This was beyond returning a favor or even offering help. Ye Baiyi had not only saved A-Xu's life, he had taught them the Six Harmonies Cultivation. And then he had given up his own. Kexing hadn't known what to say in the face of that, so he'd said nothing.

He found the older man on A-Xu's terrace, sprawled against the wall close to the edge of the cliff. The old monster had one knee pulled up, an arm leaning on it, dangling an opened jar, his big sword laying next to his other leg. The Ghost King could smell the wine in the jar from the other side of the room now. When Ye Baiyi had offered to teach them Six Harmonies Cultivation he hadn't considered the consequences, he hadn't cared. He still didn't. What mattered was his zhiji, and his zhiji was alive, and everything else they could learn together.

Kexing made his way closer and sat down next to Ye Baiyi with a sigh, pulling the jar of wine out of the old monster's hand. He spit it out as soon as he took a sip, wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Just how long had it been since this fossil had had anything to eat other than ice and snow? Was his sense of taste frozen? Even the worst of A-Xu's collection were better than this, just where had he managed to dig that swill out from? 

"That's disgusting." Kexing said, handing it back with a grimace.

The old monster jerked it away with a sneer. "Are you here to fight me again, brat?"

He shrugged. "I'm too exhausted to fight you today."

Ye Baiyi snorted. "When I was immortal you were so eager for me to wipe the floor with you that I was starting to think you actually liked getting beaten up. Now that the tables have turned you're tired?" He shook his head, taking a drink. Kexing would have to tell the girls to supply him with something better from now on... and ban wherever he'd bought it from from selling anymore before A-Xu discovered it, just in case. "What a fool."

Kexing hummed, leaning against the wall. The stone felt like ice against his back but the chill didn't bite as hard as it used to. "It's not fun, picking on a feeble old man."

"I can still kick your ass, brat." The old monster huffed.

The Chief had no doubt of that. "You are the reason there is renewed life in my A-Xu's veins, old monster. If that is the price you require for it, I will let you beat me up every day for the rest of your life." He offered sincerely, causing the older man to freeze in place and turn around to look at him incredulously, before rolling his eyes. "...you are right, it really is no fun to bully someone when they are down." Then he snorted again. "How come you've managed to unstick yourself from that other brat for long enough to come here and bother me?"

"A-Xu woke up, so I left him with Jiuxiao." Kexing answered as he took the other's wrist in his hand. Surprisingly, Ye Baiyi didn't protest. The old monster's meridians were just as wide and the energy just as abundant and yet Kexing could feel a slight difference in it already. It was calming down. Almost imperceptibly so, but it was slowing... there was an end to the storm coming. "How long do you have, old monster?" He asked softly as he let go of the wrist.

"My hair will grow gray and my internal energy will slow to a still but don't go planning my funeral yet. I've got a few years left in me. A decade, maybe." The older man explained, taking a sip of wine before pouring some on the sword.

"Thank you." Kexing murmured. Ye Baiyi's choice belonged to him alone, he knew that better than anyone else. This wasn't a result of him helping them, but Kexing was the one who had disturbed his life all those years ago, he was the one who'd dragged him down from that mountain and now...

The old monster waved him off. "You had my son and daughter in law's ashes delivered to me so I could lay them to rest next to my husband. Besides, turns out I owed his father a favor or two as well so the debt is all repaid already. At least your idiot didn't go looking for trouble himself."

"The blood we've both spilled could fill a river." The Ghost King admitted. "I wouldn't say we didn't look for trouble."

Ye Baiyi shook his head, turning away to look over the Valley. It was too cloudy and foggy to truly see it in all its beauty, but watching the gray and white shift around the peaking mountain tips like smoke was calming. "This place is so peaceful..." He whispered, running his hand over his sword in a soft caress. "Changqing would have loved it here."

"It was a coincidence that there was a temple on the mountain when we moved there. The villagers thought the Ancient Monk lived in it, I don't think they ever figured out there was more than one of us living there." He continued after a moment of silence. "We settled there to practice our cultivation because it was isolated and quiet. On a trip down the mountain the moron gave the first sword he's forged away in exchange for a ratty old book. It was incomplete. I told him it was stupid to try to practice it but he thought he could figure it out."

"The Six Harmonies." Kexing hummed, and Ye Baiyi nodded with a sigh. "By the time I realized what he'd done it was too late, all I could do was give in and join him. Be it in immortality, or in death. Surprisingly, when I did that I found that it was so obvious how it worked so we both lived."

Six Harmonies Cultivation widened the meridians and increased the power inside them in the same way putting a lid on a pot increases the force of the steam the longer it stayed on. Kexing would know, since he's turned his body into that pot not too long ago. A-Xu had only redirected the power sent his way, but the Ghost King had been the one pushing his body past the limit and then draining it until there was nothing left. He knew exactly the kind of fear Ye Baiyi had felt for his zhiji's life, the sacrifice he'd willingly made.

"It was easier to get used to it all on the mountain, quieter, and by the time we did we realized it had become home." The old monster sighed as he finished the last of his wine, setting the empty jar down between them. "So we just stayed. We could leave, of course, but never did so for long. A-Xuan was born there, grew up there, trained there. Away from the cruel world, and he never learned how to live in it. I failed him as a father and I failed him as a master."

"No, you did not." Kexing declared.

Ye Baiyi sighed. "He's dead. A-Xuan perished because I didn't have the heart to teach him how to survive, and Changqing's heart had not been able to beat for long in a world where his did not. How is that not my fault? What kind of father and husband was I?"

Kexing had no answer to that, because if Ye Baiyi had failed Rong Xuan by protecting him and loving him too much, didn't that mean that he would one day fail A-Xiang by doing the same? But how was he supposed to protect her less? Love her less? He couldn't.

They fell silent, just watching the clouds swirl and shift until something cold and heavy was shoved in his lap, startling him. He looked down to see Ye Baiyi's sword laying across his legs and ran his fingers over the words carved into it carefully. "What is this, old monster?"

"What does it look like, crazy brat? I'm giving you my sword. I planned to take it with me to the grave but what use will a slab of metal be to a pile of ashes?" Ye Baiyi explained with an eyeroll. "Dazzling Falls is a fine weapon but it would suit your sister better than it does you."

Kexing had known that, of course. He had decided years ago to give A-Xiang his father's sword once she was ready but even after learning the Eighteen Moves of Qiuming from A-Xu, he'd never planned to get another one for himself. He shook his head. Shifting so he was facing Ye Baiyi, he tried to hand it back. "If you need me to do anything for you, old monster, I don't need your sword. You've already done more for me than I can repay in ten lifetimes."

"I don't want anything from you, you crazy brat!" Ye Baiyi snapped, refusing to take it. "Swords aren't meant to gather dust on graves, that's what the moron always believed. This was made as a pair with the sword that idiot Qin Huaizhang had left to his son, complete opposites but in perfect balance. They are meant to be used together but mine and Changqing's styles didn't match so I gave that one to Qin Huaizhang as a gift decades ago. It was nameless back then, so he named it after me." The older man explained, voice softening as he looked at the sword in Kexing's hands. "This one wasn't even supposed to be mine but after he passed away it just... keeping it close made it seem like he was still here with me but since I've decided to go join him soon, I won't be needing it anymore. He'd agree with me if he were here."

Kexing lowered his arms, looking into the former immortal's eyes for the first time that day. "What makes you think A-Xu and I can do that? You've never seen us fight together."

The older man snorted. "I know the Swift Moving Steps and the way you fight, and Liu Qianqiao told me your story."

"Did you bully her, you old tortoise?" Kexing asked with a sigh? Qianqiao was too mild mannered to deal with this irritable old man.

"No, but all those little idiots are grateful to me now. It's annoying." The older man rolled his eyes, before before gripping Kexing's forearm tightly. "Listen to me, brat. Take it from someone who has lost everything." He demanded, waiting for Kexing's reluctant nod before continuing. "It's hard enough to meet one's zhiji, it's even harder to find one's zhiyin in a lifetime. I've seen how the two of you are together, so perfectly in sync that you don't even need words. The way your energies just merged seamlessly when you were practicing the Six Harmonies Cultivation. You don't just understand each other, you resonate with each other. Maybe they were always meant to be yours." He insisted.

Kexing looked from the determined expression on Ye Baiyi's face and to the sword. The Dragon's Back, it read. The pair to A-Xu's Baiyi. He threw it in the air, watching it flip before falling back over his palms. It was the right length, the right weight. He curled one hand over the hilt, feeling it warming under his skin. It fit. Perfect in a way no sword had ever felt in his hands. "I will take good care of it, then." He declared, as he laid it across his legs again.

This old monster seemed really determined to entrust them with his legacy. Kexing had never been a worthy successor before, he thought to himself... he will have to do better this time around.

Chapter Text

Zishu sat on the edge of the bed, rolling his sock covered ankles. Lao Wen had helped him into a set of deep blue robes that morning, but he hadn't wanted the boots. Since it was unlikely he would leave the room that day, he liked the freedom of walking in only his socks for once. He waited until the girls set down the breakfast trays, too much food for two people, and took their leave with barely concealed happiness. As soon as they were gone, he gripped the bed frame tightly and pulled himself up.

A wave of dizziness overcame him, Zishu had to blink a couple of white spots away from his eyes, as a slight ache settled into his legs almost at the same time. They felt like they would collapse from under him at any second, like they were made from boiled noodles. Zishu had to bite his cheek to hold back a whimper from the shock of it. He'd thought it was all gone now but maybe that pest had been right about not pushing himself too hard too soon. If he hadn't insisted on having sex the night before, he wouldn't be feeling as bad. He'd probably feel even worse if Lao Wen had gone ahead with his idea and fucked him, he thought to himself.

Jiuxiao rushed to his side in a blink, steadying him by the arm. "Zishu-gege, maybe you shouldn't try this so fast." He chastised softly. "I can bring you the food in bed."

The former assassin rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly to push through the dizziness. "A-Xiao, how many days have I spent in that bed by now?" He asked once the floor didn't feel like it would slip from under his feet anymore.

The younger man furrowed his brows. "I'm... not sure."

Zishu was. It had been twelve days since he'd last been on his own feet like this. All of them had been spent in excruciating pain, and most of them he'd been feverish and delirious. There had been moments when he'd wished they'd just let him die, and then he'd hear them and feel them around him and remember what he'd been fighting for. For weeks, months even, he'd needed help with the simplest things. Eating, washing, even going to the bathroom. Lao Wen's help he hadn't minded, he had nothing to hide from his husband, but having other people doing everything for him had been humiliating. Zishu had though he'd known what feeling lost was like, until he'd learned true helplessness. True pain. True heartbreak. He'd thought losing someone you love was the worst thing one could feel, when his Shimu had died it had felt like his heart was actually falling apart inside his chest... but the pain of leaving behind the people you loved while knowing the sorrow they'd face was worse. Being sick had taught Zishu many things, but maybe the most valuable lesson of all had been that he wanted to live. 

"I need to get back on my own two feet." He declared, slowly unclenching his fingers from the bed frame.

"Alright, just..." Jiuxiao held an arm out for him to take. "...lean on me. If you fall and hurt yourself Kexing-gege will kill me."

Zishu's first instinct was to refuse, to try and cross the distance on his own. Before he'd gotten sick he wouldn't have questioned that thought. Forcing his body to work the way he wanted it to work, ignoring pain and discomfort, that was the way things had been for a very long time. Strength meant doing everything on his own, hiding his emotions and not allowing anyone in but now he understood that accepting help didn't make someone weak, nor did being strong mean having no emotions. 

When Zishu had been the Leader of the Window of Heaven he'd fought so hard not to get himself attached to anything or anyone, even going as far as refusing to accept new disciples into the Four Seasons Manor. He hadn't realized until it had been too late that he'd been closing his heart off to the people already there too, kicking them out. Had he never met Lao Wen, had life not led him back into his zhiji's arms when it had, he thought he never would have been able to melt the ice again. He'd been going numb.

Life had been something happening around him. Zishu had spent days feeling like he was outside his own body, watching someone else's life. Long before sickness had taken the warmth from his body, he had already been cold. Sometimes it had felt like maybe leaving it all behind, maybe ending it all would have been better. Freeing. When he'd had those thoughts back then, he hadn't considered what it would do to everyone he'd left behind. All he'd cared about was escaping the dull, gray world that had invaded his vision. The Capital that had once been the salvation for him and his Sect had became stifling, he'd been floating from one day into the next feeli6 useless, and the fact that he had never even seen all of the beautiful sights in the world he'd once been dreaming of had been disheartening. He'd wanted to do that, and maybe along the way pay for some of his sins so he'd suffer less in the afterlife. Sinking the nails into his own flesh wound have been so easy, and maybe he would have even felt something. Zishu had just felt so alone, like he was drowning underwater and everybody else had swam to the shore. The first few months in Ghost Valley had allowed him the time and peace he'd needed to find himself again. Now he wondered if maybe the people in his life hadn't been leaving him behind, Zishu had been slipping away all on his own. Everything was was always different in hindsight.

So Zishu didn't push away Jiuxiao's arm. Instead, he wrapped his hands around it and took a tentative step forward. They made their the table slowly, and Zishu allowed his brother to help him. 

"I'm sorry." He murmured after the younger man had helped him sit on a chair.

"What does gege have to be sorry for?" Jiuxiao asked, confused, as he sat down across from him. 

"For everything." Zishu sighed, closing his eyes and clasping his hands together to keep them still. "Everything that had happened after our parents died. For not talking about things with you. Their deaths, the precarious situation we were in, the move to the Capital, the Window of Heaven... For not explaining why I was doing everything I did, for being cold and distant. Spending so much time working that we barely saw each other most days. Acting like a general when all you needed was your older brother." His voice caught in his throat. Back then he'd thought that keeping Jiuxiao away from his work would keep him safe, now he realized it only drove them further apart... So much resentment, so many years spent fighting.

"I'm sorry for making you feel like I was abandoning Die and Niang's legacy." Zishu whispered, calling his Shifu and Shimu that for the first time since he's been a child and they've explained the truth of his parentage to him. "That I was trying to use Window of Heaven as a replacement for Four Seasons Manor. That I was abandoning you. I never was."

"I know. Ge, I know." Jiuxiao answered  A hand gripping his forearm tightly forced Zishu to open his eyes and look at him. His brother's face was unusually solemn. "Gege... You let me sleep in your bed for months, held me through the nightmares and the tears. You stayed up until late at night just to write my lessons in ways I'd understand. You bought Han Ying home so I wouldn't feel lonely. I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry for fighting with you over every little thing and making you feel like you weren't doing enough for our Sect. For giving you a hard time about the Window of Heaven. And maybe I didn't understand everything that was going on when I was a child or see how hard you were working or approve of your methods, but Kexing-gege explained everything to me and I think I understand it all better now." His brother confessed.

Zishu knew Lao Wen and Jiuxiao had been getting along, but he hadn't known they were talking about such things. When Jiuxiao had first arrived in the Valley, Zishu had been worried that after the way his marriage had started the younger man would never accept Wen Kexing. His didi was always like that, stubborn to the very end... The former assassin dreaded it will one day truly prove to be his end. That the young man would find himself in a situation where the only way out would be to surrender and Jiuxiao would rather die than give up on what he believed in. He feared that maybe he'd failed his brother by protecting him from the harsh world as much as he could. Allowing him to grow up to be too selfless. The world was unkind to the unselfish. But maybe Jiuxiao wasn't as rigid in his beliefs as Zishu had though. He was glad to have been wrong about that. Glad that his husband and his brother, though so different from each other, had somehow found a common ground to bond over... Lao Wen was good for him, maybe he would teach Jiuxiao some hard lessons Zishu has never had the heart to.

"I know now what you have been doing and why and how much it took out of you to do it." The younger man continued quietly, looking down. "I'm sorry about all those things that I've said. I was just terrified of losing you." Jiuxiao confessed and Zishu nodded, unable to say back that his brother would never lose him. It wasn't a promise he could make, not even now. 

They started eating, chatting about news Jiuxiao had been getting from his disciples recently, what trouble the younger ones were getting into and how some of them had snuck into town and got chased back by a restaurant owner when realized they've forgotten their money after drinking way too many jars of wine. The embarrassment had been far worse than Bi Xingming making them sweep every courtyard. Zishu found himself laughing, remembering his own days of sneaking out. After that, Jiuxiao helped him to the mirror then combed his hair out of the braid and gathered the top half into a pretty bun, pinning it in place with one of his buyao hairpins. He hoped Jing An was going to appreciate all of the skills this little idiot had learned from the girls in the Department.

For the first time in weeks, Zishu felt like himself again and he talked his brother into a game of Yi. It was a drawn out one, not the kind they played in order to teach A-Xiang without boring her but the kind he used to play with Beiyuan. At some point everybody dropped off for a short visit, A-Xiang squeezing him tightly until he'd been unable to breathe. Zishu was enjoying the company and mental exercise after so long, but a few hours in his eyes started dropping. 

"You are tired, ge." Jiuxiao murmured when he looked up from placing down a stone and caught Zishu trying to stifle a yawn. "I should let you take a nap. Kexing-gege will be back soon, I'm sure."

Zishu rolled his eyes. "It feels like all I've been doing lately is sleep. I want to spend more time with you before you go." 

Jiuxiao had been in constant contact with his Head Disciple and Jing An, but Zishu knew what it meant to be gone from home for months when you were needed there. And now that he was healed they needed Jiuxiao more than him, no matter how much he wished his didi never had to go.

The younger man shook his head. "I can stay longer." 

Zishu sighed. This idiot... "Do you want to get a beating?" He asked.  "You are getting married soon, even Xiao An will lose her temper if you delay going home much longer and end up being late to your own wedding."

The three disciples that had initially arrived with his brother had left once they've sufficiently assured themselves that their former Leader wasn't actually being mistreated, with promises to quietly look into a cure. When Jiuxiao had decided to return to Four Seasons Manor and Zishu had named him Sect Leader, a few elders had confessed to having secretly taught some young members of the Window of Heaven. Helian Yi had agreed to let them and the members of the Sect that had wished to follow his brother back home go without taking the Seven Nails. Because of that, Four Seasons Manor was now living on. 

His little brother fidgeted in his seat, refusing to meet his eyes before whispering to the floor. "We postponed the wedding until summer."

Zishu had to repeat the words in his head a couple times, the board game completely forgotten between them. They... postponed the wedding until summer? "Qin Jiuxiao!" He snapped, feeling like hitting some sense into the little idiot. How could he postpone the wedding!? 

"After I wrote to her that you are ill and how serious it was, Jing An was the one who proposed it and took care of everything back home herself! We thought it would be better if I didn't tell you, you had enough to worry about." His brother defended, before his voice softened, lips shaking for a second before he managed to calm himself. "I couldn't leave you, ge, and I didn't know how long you... I was afraid we wouldn't find a cure in time. I had to be here."

Zishu leaned over the table slowly, careful not to grow dizzy, and patted him on the arm in comfort. "I will be fine, A-Xiao, and we will come to the wedding... I miss the manor too." He admitted. Ghost Valley had become home somewhere along the way but Four Seasons Manor would always be the home of his childhood.

Jiuxiao looked up, taking in his calm expression and nodded reluctantly. "Kexing-gege, he treats you well." His little brother smiled. "At first, when Beiyuan-gege wrote to me that something was wrong I worried that maybe you were lying in your letters. It all sounded too good to be true."

"It was all true." Zishu may have left a couple of details out of his letters but he hadn't lied in them.

"I'm glad you married him." Jiuxiao declared with a smile, all arguments from months ago forgotten.

"I hope I will be a husband at least half as good as him. He'd make a great father too." His brother added and Zishu froze. He glared but of course the little idiot ignored it as he continued. "I know you're afraid and I'm part of the reason why, but you didn't fail me, ge."

"I'm not afraid." He said but Jiuxiao shook his head, not believing him. 

"The reason why I fought with you as much as I did was because I was never afraid of you." His little brother explained. "I was never afraid you would hurt me, or give up on me... just like I was never afraid of Die and Niang." Except that Zishu hadn't been their parents, and he hadn't done half as good a job at raising Jiuxiao as they would have. "Ge, you were barely fifteen when you had to raise me, and protect our Sect. It wasn't fair, but you succeed in both." Jiuxiao looked at him with damp eyes and Zishu swallowed back the protest that wanted to escape him. His throat felt raw again. "Four Seasons Manor still stands tall, and I am here and I'm telling you you have never failed me."

Zishu stared at him for a long moment before pushing against the armrests to stand, clearing his throat. "I think I should take that nap."

"Alright." Jiuxiao answered, helping him to the bed without any more arguments even though Zishu could see that he wanted to say more. Once the younger man was gone, Zishu laid there staring at the empty room until his eyes closed on their own and he fell asleep, but the thoughts about his brother's words still didn't leave him.

He woke up later that day to Lao Wen sitting with his back to him on the bed, taking off his boots. The conversation he'd had with Jiuxiao was still at the forefront of his mind so he distracted himself by trying to make out the red of the ghost face tattoo through the delicate fabric of his husband's robe.

"Why did you keep it?" Zishu wondered out loud. He understood why Lao Wen had gotten the dragon, but he didn't get why he'd kept the mask. "I know there are ways to burn tattoos out if someone has powerful enough internal energy. A master like Luo Fumeng could have done it. Even Qianqiao." He'd done it for a couple of his spies who'd had to get tattoos done for missions so he knew they worked. It was painful, but Zishu knew his husband wasn't afraid of pain.

Lao Wen laid down next to him but didn't look at him, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. "I didn't want to forget." He answered emotionlesly.

Oh... Zishu nodded slowly. "Why did you never ask me to get an identification tattoo? ...You thought I would leave." He realized.

Lao Wen took one of his hands and lifted it to his lips, keeping it there as he spoke softly. "Yes, at first I thought one day you might. I wanted to leave the option open, I didn't want to trap you here." He confessed. "And then you got sick. By the time I knew you would stay, I could not bear to put you through anymore pain."

Zishu nodded, he couldn't blame his husband for that thought. When he'd first left Four Seasons Manor to get married, the thought of being the Ghost King's consort had been daunting. Even after meeting Lao Wen, the marriage and everything it entailed had been intimidating still. He'd recognized his zhiji when they met again, but he hadn't remembered. He really hadn't understood, until he'd remembered. Now everything was so clear to him. His husband might be a crazy pest, but in his own misguided way everything Lao Wen had done had been for him. "Tell me. Tell me everything."

Lao Wen hummed and turned so they were facing each other, still holding Zishu's hand close. Zishu relaxed into the bed, listening to the beautiful man low voice as he started speaking. "It all began before I was born. You asked once, how I knew the old monster. It's because the story starts with his son..." 

Chapter Text

Zishu allowed Lu Ta to play with the bracelets wrapped around his left wrist. Qianqiao and Luo Fumeng insisted that jade had healing properties, he wasn't one to believe such claims but he indulged them and seeing him wear the jewelry seemed to make his husband happy. Zishu wasn't sure if that was because the older man actually believed it would help him heal or because he liked seeing him wear his gifts.

The former assassin had arrived in Ghost Valley with a varied collection of jewelry and treasures he hadn't given much thought to after unpacking. Just like the dowry and everything else about his marriage, they must have been chosen by his cousin because Zishu had certainly never seen them before. Because of his profession the only ornaments he's worn had been the subtle leather bands for his hair and the collar pins which had identified him as the Leader of the Window of Heaven to those who needed to know it. He'd needed to be able to melt into the shadows like smoke, and since he couldn't wear it he hadn't seen the point in owning any jewelry. He'd made sure all the Qin family pieces returned to Four Seasons Manor with Jiuxiao and had never known what had became of his birth parents' personal items. By the time he had been old enough to properly inherit anything, all that had been left of his parents' wealth were gold and properties... he suspected his royal relatives had had something to do with that. At least Die and Niang had managed to save him before he'd shared the same fate.

The pieces Helian Yi had selected were beautiful and expensive, it was obvious his cousin had wanted to provide him with as much protection as he could by making it obvious to everyone in Ghost Valley just how much he valued Zishu, but most of them were just... too much. Lao Wen's gifts were elegant and delicate, still expensive but they felt more like him. He hadn't been ready to wear most of them before, a part of him still clinging to his anonymity, to the traces left behind by his former profession, but he was starting to think that maybe now he was ready to admit how much he liked them. At least to himself.

Lu Ta caught his attention again by gripping his favorite bangle tightly, a green jade one with carved phoenix flowers that reminded him of Four Seasons Manor, and trying to pull it off. Zishu pried his fingers away gently, ignoring the little boy's pout when he didn't get his way. Maybe he could give a few bangles to Lu Ta as a gift when the family left Ghost Valley if he liked them so much, he thought.

The former assassin wrapped an arm around the toddler as he started squirming in his lap, apparently growing bored now. He still didn't understand why the child had latched on to him and refused to let go. Zishu knew he must still look scary to a child so young, skeletal thin and too pale, but he found that he didn't mind. Lu Ta was cute.

"We didn't think you would arrive so soon or Jiuxiao would have stayed a couple days longer. You just missed him." Zishu said, looking up from Lu Ta. Now that his sickness was gone and it wasn't an emergency anymore he honestly hadn't expected Beiyuan and Wu Xi to come until spring, at least not until the New Year's celebration had passed. 

Beiyuan waved him off. "We were already close. Looking for a flower that supposedly only blooms in winter, every ten years."

"It doesn't exist so it's good Senior Ye had been able to help you." Wu Xi added, frustrated.

Over the months they've all heard of many miracles cures only for them to end up being folk tales. Lao Wen had been so frustrated that Zishu was sure if the older man hadn't been too busy taking care of him, more than one person would have ended up paying with their lives for wasting their time and giving them false hope.

"Alright!" A-Xiang clapped loudly turning all eyes in the room on her. The six of them were catching up after a light meal in one of the sitting rooms, enjoying some hot tea. Zishu would have preferred sitting on the terrace, he missed the beautiful view of the Valley, but Wu Xi, Beiyuan and Lu Ta were still warming up after their long journey and he was still recovering.

"Little tyke, how about we leave these boring old people to their boring old people talk and go have some desert?" The purple wearing girl asked, probably realizing which way conversation was going, as she tickled Lu Ta's tummy from her seat next to Zishu. Though Lu Ta was aware Zishu had been sick, it would be better for him not to be present for the following talk and he found himself feeling greatful to A-Xiang.

The little boy giggled, holding out his arms to the girl at the mention of sweets. "Jiejie."

"That's right. I'm Xiang-jiejie." The girl declared as she stood and picked him up from Zishu's lap, bouncing him on her hip playfully. "Have you ever eaten durian?" At the boy's head shake she gasped loudly. "You have to try durian. You will love it. It smells all gross like..." She wrinkled her nose, making the boy giggle again. "...but it tastes like the most delicious piece of Heaven. So, want to taste some?"

Lu Ta nodded eagerly before turning back to Zishu. "Uncle Shu come?"

"I'm sure we can bring some desert back for everyone later. Want to go see if your cuteness is enough to bribe the girls in the kitchen into making some cake for us?" A-Xiang whispered quietly in Lu Ta's ear like she was sharing a great secret as she started walking towards the door.

"Jiejie, what bibe mean?" They heard the little boy asked as the door was closing, much to Lao Wen's and Beiyuan's visible amusement. Wu Xi pretended not to have heard A-Xiang trying to corrupt his baby at all and Zishu sighed. He had a feeling they were going to regret letting them leave together.

"So... What's durian?" Beiyuan chuckled, looking at the door through which his son had just disappeared and Zishu shuddered. "A monstrosity Lao Wen found in the south and dragged up here." 

"It's good for your health." The older man sighed. "Husband, you are a grown man. How can you drink bad wine but be so picky about food?"

Zishu rolled his eyes. "That thing is only food if you're a carrion bird." Something that smelled like it had already been eaten and regurgitated once already could not possibly qualify as food! Just thinking about it made him want to puke!

"Zishu has always been a picky eater." Beiyuan laughed as Wu Xi picked up Zishu's wrist, causing them all to fall silent. It felt like a weight pressed down on the air around them.

Zishu's breath caught in his throat watching Wu Xi's blank face. He focused on keeping his arm still and relaxed, almost jumping in surprise when Lao Wen covered his free hand with his own, squeezing reassuringly.

"How is he?" The beautiful man asked quietly when The Great Shaman finally let go. Zishu took a calming breath and turned his hand under his husband's, gripping it back tightly.

"Better than expected." Wu Xi answered, and they both let out twin breaths of relief, before turning to Zishu. "You still need to heal from the damage done to your body but the Six Harmonies completely burned every trace of the sickness out. I will prescribe some medicine to help regain your energy and muscle mass but you can resume physical activities. Slowly." He enunciated, and the former assassin nodded. Zishu may not have been the best patient in the past but now he didn't have a reason to rush anymore. No need to pretend to be unaffected by everything and no next mission to run to. "Even with the tremendous amount of internal energy you now possess, if you push too hard you will actually cause more damage."

"Can we...?" He started asking, only to be interrupted Wu Xi's exasperated sigh. "Yes. You can have sex if you are careful. Just don't jump back into your training like I know you want to."

"Start with short walks." The shaman continued. "When you regain some weight and strength, then you can start training in your martial arts again. I know it will be frustrating for someone who is used to jumping right back into the saddle, but you need to understand that if you were anybody else there would be no chance of recovery at all."

A wave of relief washed over him and Zishu had to keep himself from slumping against his husband's side. The healers in Ghost Valley, the ones who had monitored him during his sickness, had already checked him over but Zishu didn't trust any of them as much as he did Wu Xi. Which was why there was one thing he hadn't asked them about at all, but now he just... needed to know, he realized.

"What about children?" His free hand moved to cover the lower half of his belly before he could control himself. "Am I still be able to carry a babies?"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lao Wen's surprise at his question, and Beiyuan's wide grin, but couldn't deal with them. Instead, he kept his eyes on Wu Xi, who smiled softly. It was a good look on him, maybe because he so rarely showed his emotions openly, Zishu decided. "Once you are fully recovered, I don't see any reason why not. Have you ever discussed the details of a male pregnancy with a healer?"

Zishu shook his head. He hadn't wanted to know. For some reason he'd felt like knowing would make everything more real so he had refused to speak to the Imperial Physicians Helian Yi had secretly sent to Four Seasons Manor to have that talk with him. In fact, he'd refused to meet with them at all and had planned to ignore the issue until it was impossible to do so anymore. He was unsurprised when Lao Wen also shook his head, he knew the older man hadn't thought about it before at all.

Beiyuan looked like he wanted to hit them both over the head while Wu Xi just continued to explain calmly as if he'd expected the answer. "You both have some basic medical knowledge so you understand that every individual is unique. That information is written in our blood, our bones..." he waved his hand over his whole body. "In a regular pregnancy the father would pass it to the mother through the sperm, which fertilizes the egg that holds her half of the information. In a male pregnancy the sire will still have to pass that information but the the necessary roads are missing, there is no egg to fertilize and the space designate for the baby to grow inside is also missing because men don't have an uterus."

"So the internal energy does it all instead." Lao Wen added.

Wu Xi nodded. "By concentrating it in the lower abdomen, in the same place a woman's womb would be located, at the same time as having sexual intercourse it will... sense the need and provide it. The same way it helps the body become a better fighter, only this time it's about having a baby." He explained. "It might not happen on the first try, and that's normal. Dual cultivation, both parents focusing their energy there at the same time, helps. Eventually the bearer's internal energy, if it's strong enough, creates a womb. It reads the necessary information from both parents, like copying a book, and merges it but once it succeeds and a baby is formed it has to keep doing everything any womb should do until the baby is ready to be born. So as the baby grows there will be less and less energy to help with other things."

Beiyuan pouted at his side as he added his own opinion. "Since you get to experience the miracle of life, it will come with all the 'joys' of motherhood as well. Nausea, discomfort, confusion. You will have to adjust your diet, your lifestyle. As the fetus grows and your body will adjust to the size and having to carry all that extra weight around. Everything will itch and ache. A woman's hips widen to help with the delivery, yours will not but they will still hurt. Your feet will swell, you will feel the need to pee. A lot. At the end, you will inevitably be on bedrest as they practice their qinggong on your organs."

The shaman sighed, shaking his head at his husband. "In all known cases the carriers ended up on bed rest at some point during the pregnancy but you have more internal energy than they had, and a husband capable of transferring you even more, Zishu. Senior Ye might be able to tell you more about that, and most of those symptoms are regular pregnancy symptoms everyone experiences. When the time for birth comes, you will feel contractions but obviously won't be able to deliver naturally. The baby needs to be surgically delivered."

Lao Wen squeezed Zishu's had even tighter. "All the while A-Xu's internal energy would still be focused on the baby." 

"Yes, but once the baby and placenta are removed it will go back to doing all the other things it's supposed to do." Wu Xi reassured. "There are ways to handle the pain during delivery and I actually recommend delivering early so the healer can better be in control of everything."

"How risky is this? What are the chances of..." His husband's voice caught in his throat, his hand like steel in Zishu's. "Of miscarriage? Or death?"

Wu Xi was silent for a moment before answering honestly. "Every pregnancy has risks. One of the greatest risks in male pregnancy is that in case of a miscarriage, the fetus will still need to be removed surgically. If there is any bleeding, it might also not be obvious in time because there is no way for the blood to be eliminated through and it might pool internally for too long before it is noticed. And yes, the discomfort might be more severe than in a healthy female pregnancy but if you want to do this, either of you, there are shamans with experience in male pregnancy and I can have one here by your side every step of the way."

Zishu nodded, storing all the information away for later but not allowing himself to think about it. Not yet. "And feeding the baby?" He asked. "Will I be able to do that myself?"

"Yes, your body can do that." Beiyuan said. "It's... amazing. The first time you hold them in your arms, and their skin touches yours and... you can feel it, Zishu. Their life. The life you made. I can't describe how that feels and everything else it just... fades." He smiled warmly. "When you hold your baby, all of that pain and discomfort will be worth it."

"I'm not afraid of the pain." He had been a soldier, an assassin, and had just survived months of unbearable pain. He wasn't afraid of it but Lao Wen rose their joined hands to his lips and murdered against Zishu's skin anyway. "It would be alright if you were."

Wu Xi cleared his throat, and Zishu shook the distracting thoughts away. "While breastfeeding, you might continue to experience some discomfort. Dizziness, low sex drive. Babies need to be breastfed at least until they start teething but most healers recommend longer. It's why most men choose a wet nurse, if they have the possibility."

Zishu nodded but dismissed the option without even having to consider it. There was no way he would ever trust a stranger that close to his baby of he could do it himself.

A-Xiang returned with a sleepy and sticky faced Lu Ta just in time as they've finished their discussion. The little boy fell asleep as soon as he was in his Baba's arms and they all spent the rest of the day catching up. 

That evening, Zishu found himself staring into the mirror while Lao Wen combed his hair before bed, but felt like he was seeing through it. Seeing something inside himself he hadn't known was there.

"What is A-Xu thinking about?" His husband hummed, distracting him. "Is it about what you asked Wu Xi earlier?"

He nodded. "I've never even wanted children, you know? I shouldn't feel relieved now. I shouldn't care at all."

The beautiful man stopped, before leaning down to kiss Zishu on his forehead softly. "Of course you are allowed to care about it, A-Xu." He murmured.

Zishu shrugged. "Children need affection and patience anyway. I'm too cold, too harsh. I'm sure I would have damaged Jiuxiao beyond repair if it hadn't been for Beiyuan, or if he'd been a little less enduring. I would have made a poor parent but for years I just knew the possibility was... there."

Lao Wen shook his head, turning Zishu's chair to the side to kneel in front of him. "A-Xu would make a wonderful parent." He declared, cupping Zishu hand between both of his own. "A-Xiang loves you. Jiuxiao loves you. He threatened to lay siege to my gates for you, A-Xu! Your tongue may be sharp but your heart is as soft as the clouds and if we had a child I know that no one in this world would love them more than you. No one."

"When I first came here I thought I wouldn't have a choice anymore. I was terrified but then you said you didn't need an heir." He admitted, and Lao Wen squeezed his hand tighter. "I don't. I have A-Xiang."

Zishu nodded. "When I saw you with her I found myself imagining you with our child. Wondering if you would be as gentle with them as you were with your sister. If they would grow up as wild and blunt, as unafraid, because they'd know no matter what you'd never stop loving them and I knew you'd make a great father..." He trailed off, taking a deep breath as he looked into his husband's dark eyes. "I couldn't not think about it. Isn't it my duty to bear you an heir? My duty to you as your husband, to Qingya as the Imperial Consort, even to the alliance that was built upon it?"

"A-Xu..." Lao Wen sighed, touching his forehead to their joined hands for a moment before looking up again, determined. "You are my husband, my consort, and the only people who can decide what that means are us. I've told you before, I do not care what other people think, A-Xu. Your only duty to me is to be happy, and if a baby would make you happy but you're afraid of being pregnant that's alright too. I will give you one."

Zishu froze for a moment. His eyes stung and the words felt like sand on his throat. "But you don't want to. Lao Wen, you've never even thought about pregnancy at all." How much more was this madman willing to sacrifice for him, he thought to himself. Zishu shook his head, swallowing back the pain in his throat before speaking again. "I have." He admitted out loud for the first time. "I've thought about having a baby before but if I ever do it, it would mean two years of being useless."

Zishu didn't know if he could go through that again and stay sane. The pain might not scare him but the helplessness did. Just the thought of being unable to stand on his own again, of being defenseless, terrified him but being unable to protect his child... during the alliance negotiations, that had been his worst nightmare. Even now that he trusted Lao Wen to do everything in his power to keep them safe, it still scared him. So many people would give anything just to hurt him or his baby, all it would take would be one assassin good enough to slip through the cracks. Wouldn't it be cruel to bring an innocent life into such a cruel world when he wouldn't even be able to keep them safe?

"Not useless." Lao Wen squeezed his hand so tightly it almost hurt, stopping him from slipping down that dark road. "Focusing on your baby, our baby, but A-Xu, if you don't want to have a baby but still want children, we can do that. There are so many children in this world who need homes and parents to love them."

Zishu nodded, he knew children didn't always come to their parents the same way, his parents had loved him and he'd never doubted that. Birth or adoption, that changed nothing.

"Wen Kexing..." He whispered, looking into his husband's eyes. "Are you happy? You always say that it's all about what I want. That it's my choice. You gave up the chance to get revenge on your father's killer for me. You allow me to do whatever I want, whenever I want, go wherever I want and you ask nothing of me in return but what about you? What about what you want?"

The older man laughed, kissing his hand. "A-Xu, you make me happy. Every day. You are brighter than any pearl I can ever gift you, more precious than any jade. If the first thing that I see when I open my eyes from this day and until the day I die is you, and if the last thing that I see before I close my eyes from this day and until the day I die is you, that is all I'll ever need." He sighed, his gaze deepening as his smile softened. "Be honest with me, A-Xu. Do you want a baby?"

Zishu bit the inside of his cheek to keep from answering without thinking. Before getting married, his answer would have been no. Then the choice had been taken away from him, and for a while that had been... but Lao Wen hadn't taken that choice away. His zhiji was gentle and sweet and he'd made Zishu fall in love. Lao Wen had made him doubt, had made him wonder, had made him ask himself what if? And now... "I don't know." He realized with shock. "Shouldn't I know something like that by now?"

The older man shook his head. "I don't think there's a rule about this, A-Xu. I just need you to know that if you ever decide you want to have a baby, or adopt, I will love them just as I love you. Always." His husband promised, and Zishu nodded. He did know that, it wasn't Lao Wen he doubted. "And you don't have to know today. You don't have to know tomorrow, or next week. You have all the time in the world to figure it out and if one day the answer is yes, I will be right besides you through it all so stop worrying about it, alright?"

"I will." He whispered, relieved.

"Good." Lao Wen answered as he stood, pulling Zishu up with him and into a soft kiss. "Let's go to sleep."

Zishu hummed, and allowed the taller man to wrap an arm around him as they walked slowly towards the bed. Once curled up in his husband's arms in bed, he let out a content sigh as he fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Zishu walked into the medicine room and froze by the door. The last time he had used it to help with the Scorpion problem, even the traces of Wu Xi making his pills had been already erased. His mother in law had been dead for over a decade by then but everything had been exactly as she'd left it. The former assassin had felt like an intruder in there, the room had been her sanctuary just like his had been in the Capital, so he'd made sure he'd left no signs of his presence behind either. He hadn't been able to use it again because of his lungs but he'd expected to find it unchanged now. It wasn't.

The workspace looked exactly how he liked it, and had been moved so the sunlight wouldn't bother him as he worked. Gu Miaomiao had loved the light, maybe because she got to enjoy it so little, but his internal energy made Zishu's eyes so much more sensitive. Especially now. The tools had been restored to perfect condition, and others had been added as well. The old drawers that lined two of the walls had been replaced with lacquered ones made of dark wood. Zishu pulled one open, then another, and another... Not only had Gu Miaomiao's ingredients been sorted and everything unusable thrown away and replaced, but a lot more had been added. The shelves on either side of the window had been changed as well, one side was filled with ingredients that could be exposed to the sun while the other had been turned into a bookshelf.

There were books he recognized by title on healing, medicine, poisons, herbs, metals... some were his own collection but others he'd only heard about. The first unmarked book he opened, he almost dropped upon recognizing what it was. The recipe of the Water of Naihe. He placed it back, pulling the next one out with stiff fingers. It had the same handwriting, the same as the one that followed. His mother in law's research, he realized with shock. Work she had done in the Valley, things she and her husband had discovered on the road, old secrets of her sect... not only medicines and poisons but healing techniques Zishu couldn't even begin to understand. She must have hidden them somewhere safe because the library hadn't been there before. The former assassin understood, he's burned most of his own research, sharing the recipes with a handful of people or keeping it safe only in his own mind.  

"A-Xing had it fixed for you." Qianqiao explained once he'd studied everything, stepping in behind him.

Zishu wasn't surprised, he's recognized her soft footsteps before she'd even turned the corner of the hallway. Almost four months have passed since he'd woken up from practicing the Six Harmonies Cultivation method and Lao Wen and him have grown used to everything the technique implied. Zishu was starting to miss being able to get drunk, even if it used to require a lot of wine. It had helped that Ye Baiyi had remained in the Valley and helped them with the transition, explaining everything he knew about the technique and its consequences, the way it had affected him and his husband. Even now the older man wasn't giving signs of wanting to leave. 

The former immortal was... complicated. He was rude, ill mannered, arrogant and acted like the only thing he cared about was his next meal but Zishu had seen too many people care about no one but themselves, he had seen them treat humans lives like trash, to believe Ye Baiyi was one of them. Whenever they've visited the city together, it was obvious from his talks with the locals that he did care. He was curious about Qingya and the systems Lao Wen had established, about the peace the three empires were currently enjoying, about the current going ons of the Jianghu. Ye Baiyi cared about the state of the world, and more than that he cared about Lao Wen. They called each other names, they bickered and fought, yet they cared about each other.

Zishu could see that in his husband's eyes the 'old monster' was family, just as he could see that the reason Ye Baiyi was staying was Lao Wen. Maybe that was why Zishu couldn't find it in himself to dislike the older man, in spite of how annoying he could be at times. He was grateful to him for helping them, but more than that he was greatful to him for believing in Lao Wen, for seeing in the beautiful man the same goodness Zishu did... for supporting the man who had enough hope, enough strength, to keep fighting for someone most people would have given up on long ago. When Lao Wen had been at his lowest and needed help, Ye Baiyi had been there and for that more than anything in the world Zishu would always be indebted to him. 

Qianqiao walked closer, running her hand over the desk. "Jiuxiao and Han Ying told us how your medicine room in the Northern Capital was organized, and the Great Shaman helped with some details during his last visit. Everything you need should be here."

Zishu sighed. "I could have used the room as it was before, or made another." When his husband had said he could have the room, Zishu hadn't considered changing it. This had been his mother in law's sanctuary here, just as his own had been in the Capital. He knew how much that meant.

"Lady Gu was already sick when I got here so I never knew her well, but I do know A-Xing loved her very much." Qianqiao sighed, smiling sadly. "When he first accepted the marriage alliance, he was terrified of putting you in the same position she had been in."

Now that Zishu knew the whole story, he knew a part of his husband still blamed himself for not killing the old Master sooner, for his mother dying before he could free her. For her ending up in Ghost Valley in the first place even if it hadn't been his fault at all. Maybe he always would. Zishu knew his husband had had his insecurities about their marriage, but he had never thought of him being afraid. Worry, vulnerability, anger, pain... Zishu had seen Lao Wen feel all of those, but fear? Even when he had been sick, the older man had been convinced they would find a way, acted like nothing could scare him. 

"Lao Wen asked you to check in with me during the negotiations." Zishu realized. He hadn't thought about it at the time, because the Ghost King had been a stranger to him, but now Qianqiao had showing such an interest in his opinion made that much more sense.

She shook her head. "He only asked me to look out for you, to make sure the terms were in your favor, coming by was my decision. How could I look out for your interests if I didn't know you?" She smiled gently. "Have you ever read the alliance?"

"No." Zishu admitted after a moment of silence. He knew the idea of it, Qianqiao had explained it enough during her visits at Four Seasons Manor, and then Bi Changfeng had done so again when he'd arrived with the guards to pick him up for the wedding, but Zishu had never actually read it himself. 

"You should." The woman sighed. "While the whole thing is based on your ability to bear children, it doesn't state any consequences should it never happen. He even left the option of divorce open." They fell silent as Zishu thought of her words. His husband had reassuring him again and again of his freedom, but putting it down on paper? Hadn't he been afraid Helian Yi would see it as a weakness, take advantage of it? 

Qianqiao took his hand, startling him, and ran her fingers over the carvings on his jade bangle. "Did you know this also beloved to Lady Gu?" 

Zishu shook his head. The jade circle was a tighter fit than most but he'd assumed that was because Lao Wen had bought it before Zishu had arrived in the Valley and got the wrong size. He actually preferred that, it made the bangle more comfortable to wear everyday without it getting in the way or him being overly concerned about it slipping off by accident. 

"The owner of the jewelry store in town used to be one of the girls here. I'm told that when she first arrived she was badly wounded and Lady Gu healed her. So she took off her own bracelet, the only thing she had managed to salvage when bandits attacked her family, and carved the flowers into it. It was one of the few pieces of jewelry Lady Gu had here that she actually liked, and that A-Xing kept after her death." The beautiful woman explained. 

"What?" He whispered, removing his wrist from her hand quickly. Why hadn't Lao Wen told him!? Zishu wouldn't have risked it being lost or broken if he'd known the truth! The former Valley Master had destroyed almost everything his parents in law have owned in his search for the key when they've refused to hand it over. All Granny Guo had managed to salvage after that night had been Wen Ruyu's sword and Gu Miaomiao wedding bangle which she'd hidden away. This bracelet was probably one of the last pieces Lao Wen had of his mother, one that had somehow avoided being tainted by the pain she'd suffered in the Valley because it proved she could still help people!

Qianqiao shook her head, stopping him from slipping it off his wrist. "This bracelet has survived on the hand of the old Valley Master's concubine, I don't think there is anything you can do to break it." She insisted. "He gave it to you because that's what she would have done were she here, and that's why he fixed this room for you as well."

Zishu looked down at the beautiful piece. He's never cared much about wedding traditions but he remembered his Niang mentioning one when he'd been young, after he'd asked about her jade bangles. She'd told him a woman would receive at least three in her lifetime. One from her parents when she was born, one from her betrothed and one from her mother in law as a symbol of acceptance into her new family. Zishu wasn't a woman but the fact that Lao Wen had given him Gu Miaomiao's jade bangle made his heart feel the wrong size for his chest and he swallowed back the emotions that welled into it.

The beautiful woman let his hand go when he finally nodded, eyes growing damp. "Zishu, you are his family now. He's finally letting go of the guilt. Do you know know what it was like, watching him just..." She clasped her hands together tightly and took a deep breath. "...just hold it all in? Watching him drown without being able to help?"

Zishu shook his head, hands twitched to comfort her but somehow knowing it wouldn't be appreciated. This was the most distraught he'd ever seen Qianqiao. He was aware Lao Wen's situation had been bad, remembered the state he had been in when Zishu had found him that day in the snow. Back then he'd wondered how someone could live like that? If maybe there was no one who cared enough to just notice the pain he was in but now he understood, better than he'd ever wished to. Zishu understood what it was like to get lost in your goal until it felt like you only had one path left ahead, that it was too late for anything else. Until something had to go. For his zhiji it had been physical pain, for Zishu it had been his emotions. And that didn't mean that Zishu regretted any of his choices but now he understood that they hadn't only affected him and just like him, Lao Wen hadn't been alone either. He'd had people who loved him and had felt useless as they've watched, unable to help him... Qianqiao had loved his husband, Zishu had realized that a while ago, and maybe she still did.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. 

She laughed, the sound breaking into a sniffle half way through. "I'm not." She confessed wiping her cheeks slowly, before getting her emotions back under control. "You saved him. When you first met, you saved him."

Zishu frowned. When he'd carried Lao Wen to Granny's back then, it had been an impulsive decision. He had planned to see to his wounds and leave him in her care, then he'd seen the tattoo and realized his true identity, so Zishu planned to use the situation to his advantage. "I was planning to use him. We hid our identities from each other, Qianqiao." He admitted quietly.

"You concealed your identity, but you showed him your truest self. You woke him up, Zishu. When he came back he was alive. He missed you, all those years you were apart, but at least he wasn't slowly dying anymore. Him giving you this room means that he's willing to let go of the past and live in the present, for you." Qianqiao explained, smiling softly.

Oh... Zishu knew his husband hasn't given up on revenge, but he wasn't willing to risk anything for it anymore. Lao Wen was always open about what Zishu meant to him, with his words and his actions. The former assassin was never going to be as good with his words as the beautiful man was but... as he looked around the medicine room again, with all the equipment and ingredients he'd need, maybe there was a way to make sure his zhiji would always know. Turning back to Qianqiao, he nodded. If he went ahead with his idea, he would need her help, he thought.

That night Zishu laid down on the bed on his front, hair pulled up like he hadn't worn it in a long time and body bare as he enjoyed the warmth and sweet fragrance of the spring evening. He was halfway to dozing off when Lao Wen finally arrived. Inwardly, he sighed. His husband really worked too much.

A few minutes later cold fingers caressed his back, lingering on the scarred skin of his shoulder blades, careful not to touch the still irate skin between them and down his spine. Zishu allowed his husband to study the new tattoo silently. As it wasn't yet healed, the golden dragon that seemed to appear from smoke was still visible, curling and swirling around the delicate white flowers. The former assassin wasn't knowledgeable about the language of flowers, but the girl Qianqiao had asked to make the tattoo had assured him jasmine were the symbol of eternal love. Gentle hands cupped his waist and soft lips touched the skin just above it, at the base of his neck. "A-Xu." The beautiful man whispered. "The flowers?"

Zishu hummed contentedly, leaning up into his husband's touch. "One for each year we were apart." He explained.

Lao Wen had let him go so he could achieve his dreams and watched over him from afar for five years, Zishu never wanted to forget that. From now on they would lean on each other, he decided.

Chapter Text

A gentle breeze caressed his skin, carrying a sweet fragrance that caused Zishu to freeze in place. He'd expected the sight of the manor to bring back memories of his childhood. He'd expected the sight of the waterfall, of the carving his Die had made besides it, to fill him with grief as it had every time he saw it since his parents' passing. He'd even prepared himself for the sight of the forest in full bloom to affect him, but he hadn't thought to prepare for this. The scent of phoenix flowers overwhelmed him and it felt like his lungs expanded so much in his chest trying to capture it that they were crushing his racing heart against his ribcage. 

For a moment the world faded to a blur around him until he was back to the day before he left for his wedding. The flowers had not bloomed yet, but they were close enough that the fragrance was slipping through the closed petals already. Zishu had left his room early that morning, expertly avoiding the patrolling disciples as he'd made his way to his parents graves. He'd lit incense and poured wine and left offerings... he hadn't said anything, unable to ask for their blessing and unwilling to say goodbye. After that he went back to the forest and climbed high on a tree without using his powers, the same way he'd used to when he was a child, and hid there on the high branches away from the world. He'd closed his eyes, taking in the sweet scent and calming song of the birds around him. Allowed them try to soothe away all of his worries and all of his fears because for all that he used to pretend not to be Zishu was still human... and then he locked it all away. When he'd climbed back down hours later it was like they had never been there in the first place because Zishu had had to be strong. For his people, for his brother, for the sake of his own heart. 

Vaguely, he became aware of his husband waving the rest of their party ahead as he blinked away the mirage of the past. Han Ying and the guards reluctantly following A-Xiang as she skipped on, inspecting everything around her. Everything beyond the gates of Ghost Valley was exciting to the young woman who had never left them before. Her awe at the smallest of things was endearing.

A gentle hold on his arm forced his mind to focus on the present properly and he found himself staring into Lao Wen's dark eyes. His husband's white hair stood out against the bright flowers surrounding them as Zishu's vision cleared together with his mind. There was worry etched on his face, an almost unnoticeable line between his brows that relaxed as Zishu took a calming breath.

Lao Wen let out a sigh of relief, a cold hand grasping Zishu's own and squeezing softly. "A-Xu?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm sorry. My mind just drifted away for a moment." Zishu squeezed back, attempting to lift his lips into a reassuring smile. From the look on the beautiful man's face, he wasn't overly successful.

"And where did it go?" Lao Wen hummed, lifting Zishu's hand to his lips. Zishu used the touch to ground himself to the present as he turned away to look at the sea of flowers. Now that everyone else had faded from sight it was almost like they were the only ones in the world, here under the blooming trees.

"The flowers hadn't yet bloomed when I left for Ghost Valley." He confessed quietly. His breath hitched when strong arms pulled him into a gentle embrace, and he melted into them in spite of the warmth of summer. "I didn't remember you, and I knew nothing about the Ghost King. I thought I'd never get to come back here, see my childhood home or pay respects to my parents graves again."

Lao Wen nodded, humming in understanding. "So let's go now."

Zishu shook his head. "They are waiting for us."

Jiuxiao and Jing An were getting married the next day, they had already compromised and planned a small isolated wedding for their older brothers' privacy instead of a grand one, they deserved everything else to be perfect.

"And they can wait a little longer." His husband insisted. "I don't think the little idiot will hold it against you if you go see your parents first."

Zishu looked up at the sun shining through the trees. It was early enough, and he found he couldn't ignore the desire to introduce his zhiji to his parents. Reluctantly, he nodded, pulling Lao Wen by the hand in a different direction from the main road, jumping up in the air. It was even easier now to travel using his qinggong, and the world flashed by before they reached the clearing where he had buried his parents' ashes. 

He had avoided burying his parents ashes for a long time after their deaths, but before leaving for the Capital he did so higher up on the mountain. When Zishu and Jiuxiao had been young, their parents would bring them there to relax. Die would laze around, happy to escape his responsibilities for a few hours while Niang used to just quietly meditate. As a small child Zishu would join her but once his didi was born, Jiuxiao would drag him into whatever game he came up with that day instead, be it building snowman in the winter or trying to catch butterflies in the summer... Niang would always scold them for hurting the poor insects, until Zishu had learned to do it without harming them so Jiuxiao could see them better. His heart ached and he blinked the tears from the corners of his eyes away, before his husband noticed them and worried even more.

Taking in a deep breath, Zishu remembered his Niang's words from when he was young. She'd said the place made her feel like she was one with the world. For the first time he understood what she had meant, as if he was seeing it with fresh eyes now. On one side of the clearing was a cliff, and from below drifted up the gentle scent of the forest, in the distance was the fall, crushing loudly against the stone as if to drown out the rest of the world. The manor was too far away even for his enchanted senses to reach and it was... peaceful. Back then, he had chosen this place in a hurry. When he'd made the decision to go to the Capital it had felt wrong to take his parents ashes there, away from their home, and he'd also wanted them to have Zishu and Jiuxiao close, even when they would be unable to to visit as they should. Now, as he stood there so many years later, he was glad he'd chosen this clearing where they've had so many happy moments as a family. 

Incense was already lit when they finally stood before the domes of stone, most likely Jiuxiao had visited that morning as Zishu would have if he'd had the chance before his own wedding. Kneeling, he bowed in greeting. Before he could speak, a different voice startled him.

"Master Qin, Madam Qin, this disrespectful one is Wen Kexing." His husband had been so uncharacteristically quiet that for once Zishu was surprised to hear him speak. When he turned to the side he found the older man kneeling besides him, the beautiful elaborate robes they both wore stained by the grass beneath them. He felt stuck there, speechless, as Lao Wen continued. "I know I should have come pay my respects sooner, and insisted your names be added to the wedding, but I'm sure you understand A-Xu was my priority. You probably wouldn't have chosen me for your beloved son and I can't blame you. I don't think I'm worthy of him either but I'm shameless enough to ask for your blessing anyway. I can not promise to always protect him for he is his own person, and I can't promise to always make him smile for fate is uncertain. Here, before the Heavens and the Earth, before you and before him, all I can do is swear to love him and cherish him for as long as breath draws into my lungs." The older man declared solemnly, bowing deeply as he made his promise. Zishu had to swallow the emotions that built up in his throat, turning to his parents names to bow as well, hand reaching out for his husband's. When they rose, they rose together. 

Zishu got his voice under control, squeezing the cold hand in his own tightly. If he closed his eyes, he could almost see his parents faces before him. "Die, Niang, this is my husband. He's an annoying pest but he's also kind and fiercely loyal." Lao Wen chuckled and Zishu ignored him. "Jiuxiao is also getting married today, I'm sure you've met Xiao An already. You would have loved her too, she's clever enough to keep him out of trouble." Zishu trailed off for a while, imagining his parents laughing at that. "The two of us are settled down, we've found our own paths now. I hope this means you can stop worrying about us." He found himself adding.

Zishu didn't know if his parents were waiting on the bridge or had drank the soup and moved on, but he hoped if they could hear him in any way this would help them find some closure. Both him and Jiuxiao had found someone to grow old besides, whenever that may be. The two of them stayed there a little while longer, silent. Lao Wen took out his flask, pouring some wine over the earth, and Zishu's heart was filled with that emotion he still had no name for. Love was too simple a way to describe it.

"You didn't have to do this." He whispered when they reached the edge of the forest again, taking in a deep breath of the sweet fragrance as he felt all the tension he hadn't known he'd been holding inside for days leave his body. They were already married and while he had wanted to introduce Lao Wen to his parents properly, he hadn't expected the older man's actions and words. 

"Of course I did." His zhiji answered sincerely, pushing a strand of hair behind Zishu's ear, cold fingers lingering on the flushed skin of his cheek. Zishu had always disliked traveling in the summer, and he leaned into the touch.

"And I understand, too." Lao Wen continued softly, as if sharing a secret. "The first time I went back to the village where I was born, it wasn't because of Granny. It was to speak to my father. I had just disposed of the former Master and took over Ghost Valley, killed and tortured everyone who had opposed me before announcing my plan to conquer more land. Aunty Luo was wary of me. Not afraid, not really, but I don't think even she had expected the level of brutality." He admitted, regret flashing through his eyes. "I've always been careful not to show that side of myself to anyone, until then. Qianqiao was loyal but we were not as close as we are now, and A-Xiang was just a baby... Niang was gone, and the wound of her passing too raw still. I had no one in Ghost Valley to talk to and I felt so alone. So... lost. I missed Die and his wise counsel more than I ever had in my life." 

The beautiful man's voice didn't waver, but Zishu saw the slightest tremble in his lips as he spoke. He knew what the death of one's parents did to someone, how terrifying it was to find yourself alone in the world with responsibilities you don't feel ready for and people looking at you for answers you don't have, to feel like everything will crumble around you if you falter even once... Zishu knew it, all too well. He wrapped a hand around Lao Wen's fingers on his face, now holding both of his husband's hands in his own, squeezing tightly until the beautiful man let out a deep breath as if coming awake.

"You went home." Zishu realized. Ghost Valley may have been the place where Lao Wen had lived, the place where he ruled, but it hadn't yet been home.

Lao Wen snorted self deprecatingly. "And then realized I didn't even know where he was buried, so I went to Granny. She was as close to our family as my parents would allow, if anyone knew it would be her."

Knowing how much Granny loved his husband, Zishu was glad Lao Wen had gone to her regardless of the reason. Maybe after the wedding, they could visit her on the way home, he thought.

"I left the ashes there." His zhiji whispered. "I felt the Valley was too tainted to move Die's grave to. Unworthy. That I was unworthy."

"You were not!" Zishu protested and his husband chuckled. "But it felt like it back then." The beautiful man shrugged. "Sometimes, it still does. I didn't move his ashes until after I met you. I stopped my campaign, turned my life around and focused on making the world a better place, only after I met you."

Zishu took a deep breath, raising their joined hands to his lips, voice raw as he whispered against them. "I never wanted you to change for me, Lao Wen." His husband had been a good man when they've met and he was a good man now.

"I know." The older man smiled, leaning their foreheads together until his lips touched the back on Zishu's hands as well. "I didn't change for you, I changed for me. I wanted to see the peaceful world you spoke to me about, A-Xu. You bought so much light into my life that living in the dark again became incomprehensible. It was an entirely selfish choice." He declared.

Zishu rolled his eyes, not believing that at all. His husband didn't have a selfish bone in his body. "I'm sure it was."

"It was." Lao Wen hummed, nodding to himself as he stepped back, letting go of one of Zishu's hands to stand beside him. "Come on, let's go before they send a search party. I do believe I have yet to meet the bride."

Zishu nodded, closing his eyes as he focused on pleasant scent, allowing his husband to lead the way back to the main road slowly... When they left he would take some saplings back with him, he decided. 

Chapter Text

Kexing lounged on the daybed, one arm covering his face, as he listened to A-Xu helping his didi get ready for the wedding. He wondered who had been there with his zhiji before their own wedding. Qianqiao and Han Ying had helped him get ready for the ceremony, but what about the night before? Had anyone offered him comfort and words of encouragement? The thought of the fear his beloved had felt, the suffering Kexing had caused him almost made him choke. It made him want to scream, and kick himself up. He was such an idiot! How hadn't he thought of it? He'd been so focused on getting his zhiji safe within arms length that he'd neglected A-Xu's feelings along the way. Now nothing could ever erase the beautiful man's pain, that fear was always going to linger there in his memories. Because Kexing had been too hasty, he hadn't thought before he'd acted. He should have found a way to meet A-Xu before agreeing to anything, he should have found a way to reassure him sooner. Every time A-Xu opened up to him about it, it felt like he was being stabbed. All he wanted was to kneel and apologize, but that wouldn't make up for the past, it would only make him feel worse because of course A-Xu would forgive him. A-Xu always forgave him, even when doing so still hurt, even when Kexing knew he didn't deserve it. He had to find a way to deal with this on his own. It wasn't A-Xu's responsibility to make him feel better, he thought to himself with a grimace.

While he was haunted by his failures, Jiuxiao finished his bath and sat before the mirror. A-Xu had lit the candles and opened the window, before he started combing his brother's hair, complaining about how tangled it was. Guilt twisted Kexing's insides until he felt like throwing up, and the room was suddenly stifling with summer heat even though the evening air was drifting inside. They have never had any of this, A-Xu had never had any of this. He hadn't had his family to help him get ready or offer comfort, no one to bless his marriage. He hadn't even had his parents tablets to bow to!

Kexing got up and slipped out of the room quietly, leaning back against the door as he thought of where to go. Everywhere in the manor preparations for the wedding were in full swing and he'd just get in the way. Beiyuan was the only one he would probably feel comfortable talking about this with, but the younger man was helping his sister get ready as well and he didn't want to intrude. A-Xiang would ask why he wasn't with A-Xu if he sought her out, and Han Ying was catching up with old friends. Kexing didn't know the Great Shaman well enough to casually seek him out for company and he almost wished the old monster had come along. He could offer to help in the kitchens, he was good enough with a knife, but he didn't feel like spending so much time around strangers and his presence would make everyone uncomfortable anyway. Fresh air hit him and he realized his feet had carried him away on their own, taking him outside of the walls... The forest was even more ethereal in the moonlight. 

He had never seen Four Seasons Manor before. He'd heard about it from his husband and Jiuxiao and Beiyuan but never seen it with his own eyes. Beiyuan remembered it fondly the way one would an old friend they've grown apart from, for Jiuxiao it was a part of him as much as ones limbs were and his zhiji yearned for it, the same way he yearned for the embrace of his parents that he would never feel again. Everything Kexing saw now was tinted by that, as if he was looking through colored glass. He wondered what life would have been like if he'd seen it sooner, if his parents had sought refuge with their old friends instead of hiding into a tiny forgotten village. If him and A-Xu had grown up together, would they have ended up walking different paths or would they have just fallen in love sooner the way Beiyuan thought? His parents wouldn't have died, his Niang wouldn't have suffered... but then he wouldn't have his sweet A-Xiang either.

Kexing shook his head, erasing that line of thought from his mind as he jumped up to stand on a tall tree and took everything in. He didn't want to go back inside, he didn't want to stay in the forest and while the town was close enough he didn't feel like being around people either. He sighed as he made up his mind.

"I apologize for bothering you at this hour." Kexing whispered a few moments later as he landed in front of his parents in law's graves for the second time that day. He bowed  before sitting down on the wet grass facing their headstones and leaned back on his hands. Closing his eyes, he took in the rush of the water and smell of the forest, the dampness of the earth beneath his fingertips, and allowed it all to ground him. 

"I wish you were not gone, that A-Xu hadn't gone through the pain of losing you." He continued after a while.

Everything that lived, dies. It was the way of nature. That's what he'd told himself every time he'd left A-Xiang behind when she was young, knowing that he might not come back. Knowing that his plan for revenge might lead to his own death, that he might leave her alone. Ironically, life walked alongside death.

The old monster had given up his immortality. He was still young looking but Kexing could feel the power of the Six Harmonies Cultivation fading from his core. Soon, he would start to show signs of aging, just like Granny. When he had been a boy, Kexing hadn't understood what old meant. In his eyes her kindness had made her one of the most beautiful women he had ever known, and she still was. When he'd first returned to the village as a young man it had seemed like she hadn't aged a day. To him she had looked just as young and strong as she had been since he could remember, but she hadn't been. He'd learned that soon enough.

The last time he'd visited Granny was just a couple of weeks before his own wedding. By then he'd already had a couple of the girls move in to take care of her. Once he'd come clean about his identity on his next visit after meeting A-Xu, she took everything in with surprising calm but refused to move to Ghost Valley. 'I was born in this village, I grew up in this village, I got married in this village and I raised my children and grandchildren in this village. If I can, I would like to die and be buried in this village too.' she'd said and he hadn't been able to deny her, but a couple of years later he'd had to insist she at least accept his help. The last few years have been taking a toll on her old body, the strong woman who had helped A-Xu nurse him back to health had difficulty walking and remembering things. The last time she had seen him, she'd thought he was her grandson. Kexing hadn't corrected her. They should stop by her place on the way home, he reminded himself... she didn't have long left and A-Xu would want to see her again now that he remembered.

His Die was dead, his Niang was dead too... His Die's had been the first death he'd witnessed, his Niang's the most heartbreaking, but they had been far from the only people he'd cared about that left him. So many of the jiejie in the Department of the Unfaithful had died over the years, some before his eyes. People had died at his hands too, knowing them or not hadn't made a difference. Traitors, criminals and innocent warriors trying to defend their land and their families alike. Slaying them in battle or torturing them to death, he hadn't shown any mercy. Kexing was no longer a warlord, but he was no more merciful now than he had been before. Was he any better than Zhao Jing and his ilk, or just a different kind of evil? A-Xu thought he was a good man... sometimes Kexing even believed him.

He sighed, laying on his back to look up at the stars and allowing the scent of phoenix flowers to wash over him. It was overwhelming, it permeated everything like it had sunk into the very soul of the place. You could not think of Four Seasons Manor, he realized, without remembering the scent of blooming flowers.

"I never truly understood other people's yearning for their hometowns before, maybe I was really meant to be a wanderer with no roots." He found himself confessing.

"I never really fit in the village where I was born and then it became the place where Die died, the place where the monsters found us and Niang sold her freedom in exchange for my survival. Immortal Physician Valley was a place I never knew, a fairytale that my parents told me about before bedtime and Ghost Valley..." He trailed of, thinking of the answer. Ghost Valley used to be his worst nightmare, until he killed the nightmare and wiped away every trace of it. It had been a long time since he'd feared the shadows of that place. "Ghost Valley is the place that forged me and I made it into a home but I know that if I ever lose it, I can make another." 

Kexing felt like there was no place in the world that he was overly attached to, that would hurt to leave behind. Even the number of people he would not bear to leave behind, growing as it was, he could count on his fingers. Maybe Kexing was just cold but is husband... "For A-Xu though, Four Seasons Manor is his hometown, and I took it from him..." Kexing admitted, the words like sand scraping his throat. "I took many things away from him. His home, his mortality... his freedom." 

The joy on Jing An's face when Kexing had met her earlier that day, there had been none of that on his zhiji's when the Chief had gone to escort him to their wedding. When A-Xu had looked at Kexing after their fight that day, the only thing he'd seen in his eyes had been heartbreak. Being faced with Jiuxiao and Jing An's happiness now, he couldn't help but remember there hadn't been any joy accompanying him and A-Xu through their own ceremony.

"He claims it was his choice, but how was that fair when it was between his freedom and the safety of his people? It was never a choice." Kexing almost choked on the words, clenching his hands in the grass against the tears of frustration that threaten to fall from his eyes. "Have I forced this fate upon him?"

"No."

An actual answer to his question shocked Kexing into sitting up. "A-Xu..." He let out a breath of relief at the sight of his husband standing next to him. It was at times like this that he remembered what A-Xu used to do for a living, that the only reason Kexing had ever seen him by his bedside all those years ago was because A-Xu had allowed himself to be seen. "How much did you hear?" He whispered.

"Enough." The beautiful man sighed as he sat by his side, cupping Kexing's face between warm hands to run his thumbs under his eyes. "I've heard you leave earlier, I came here as soon as Jiuxiao was ready for sleep." 

Kexing forced out a wet chuckle, clutching at his heart dramatically. "Way to hurt my ego, A-Xu. I thought I was being stealthy."

"You are." His husband admitted with a smirk. "But I'm better." 

"How did you know I was here?" He asked and A-Xu hummed, touching their lips together softly before leaning back, letting go of Kexing's face.

"You may talk a lot but you don't always say much. Apparently, you find it easier to unload your worries on the dead." The younger man finally answered. "I can almost hear my parents telling me to slap some sense into you from beyond the grave."

Kexing held back a flinch, not out of fear because he knew A-Xu would never really hurt him but because of the pain in his husband's voice. Maybe he did deserve to be hit. "Will you?" He murmured.

"Maybe I should." A-Xu threatened but there was no fire in his words, instead he only took Kexing's hands into his own squeezing tightly until Kexing met his eyes. "You're an idiot, Wen Kexing. I don't regret the life we have." The beautiful man declared and Kexing sighed. This was why he hadn't wanted to talk to his husband about this. "A-Xu, you don't have to forgive me for everything. You don't owe me anything."

His zhiji rolled his eyes. "I'm not forgiving you, Lao Wen, because I don't blame you!"

Kexing shook his head. "I could have done more, found some way to ease your worries. I should have..." 

"No." A-Xu interrupted. "You didn't force this fate upon me, Lao Wen. Do you think there is anyone in this world who would force me to do anything if I didn't want to? I would have found a way out."

Kexing didn't doubt that but there was a difference between finding a way out and actually taking it. There have been many times when he could have ran away from the Valley over the years, he never had.

"If the only one in danger was you, yes." He admitted. "But not if other live were at stake. Not if the safety and stability of the entire Northern Empire depended on your cooperation. All you've ever wanted was to live a peaceful life, to fade away from the political world of lies and manipulations. You hated the life at court, A-Xu. You would never have chosen this life on your own and..." He bought his husband's hands to his lips, kissing them gently as he saw the beautiful man blink back tears before they could fall. "...would it be better if we just disappeared?" He wondered out loud. "We can. A-Xiang is old enough to come with us and Qianqiao is more than capable of taking over Qingya. Our faces aren't recognizable and..."

"Stop." A-Xu shook his head, covering Kexing's mouth with two of their still entwined hands. "Lao Wen, stop. I know you worry about this but in any life, in every life, I would choose you." The younger man confessed calmly. "Yes, I would love to travel the world with you, from the top of the snowy mountains to the edge of the sea, but I don't want to disappear. I don't care how we got here, I just know that I am the happiest I've ever been, so let it go because I wouldn't change anything."

"From the top of the snowy mountains to the edge of the sea..." He couldn't help but mumble to himself. Kexing remembered saying those words to his zhiji, when he'd taken him on the sightseeing trip around the Valley. And A-Xu remembered.

"Alright. I will try to stop thinking about this." He promised. It wasn't going be be easy, he might never truly believe he was good enough for his husband, but for A-Xu he'd try. "And I will keep that promise no matter how long it takes me."

His husband nodded. "Good." He answered, leaning into Kexing's arms to whisper into his ear. "Now take me back to our rooms because this day has been long and I want you to fuck me until I can't remember my own name."

Kexing felt his himself flush, ears burning as he thought of where exactly they were. 

"A-Xu!" He hissed, but the younger man was already flying away. Bowing one last time before his parents in law, Kexing jumped up as well. Flying by A-Xu's side, seeing his face shine in the moonlight, the slight smile that pulled on his lips as he lost himself in the feeling of flying above the trees freely, Kexing couldn't help but think that this was more beautiful than any view he might see in the world. 

Chapter Text

Seven years, and the sight of Zhou Zishu still made Helian Yi yearn for things he could never have... He was even more beautiful now. The emperor hadn't realized at the time how much the work he had been doing had affected Zishu, to the point where it had seemed like his face was cut from stone. His robes had been dark, his eyes sharp. Cold, distant and tired. Zishu had been weary, they have both been soul weary by then. This Zishu was bright, maybe that was why the difference stood out so much. His robes were light blue and comfortably loose, his hair was held half up with a golden hairpin with shiny pearl strings clinking as he walked, his creamy skin was glowing, his eyes shined with happiness and there was a soft smile pulling at his lips.

It was almost impossible to imagine that this man had been dying a few years before, so sick Beiyuan had contacted to Helian Yi after years of silence. The emperor had felt like someone was ripping his heart out of his chest with their bare hands in that moment. He had sent Zishu away from the nation he had almost died to protect more than once, in order to keep him safe from the very people he had fought for, only for the younger man to die on foreign lands? He had wanted to scream until his throat went raw and run his own sword through all of those who had caused him to send his zhiji away! It still hurt to think of now, and he couldn't even describe what he had felt when he'd found out that Zishu was recovering. Not because Helian Yi had somehow managed to find a cure, but because the Ghost King had. He had been the one capable of keeping Zishu safe and he had been the one able to find a cure and Helian Yi had failed at both... that didn't stop him from loving Zishu still.

The emperor knew it was improper for him to even have such thoughts now. Not when Zishu's husband was right there at his side and Helian Yi hadn't even looked at him once, let alone greeted him. He should be worried about insulting the Ghost King, yet it felt like he was frozen still. 

Helian Yi was an accomplished man in every aspect of his life. He had reached his goal of becoming emperor, had made alliances with two neighboring nations, was winning the war against corruption, had stabilized the economy and strengthened the military. The Northern Empire was safer and more prosperous than it had ever been. It wasn't that he had the right to feel lonely either. His empress was beautiful and talented, the daughter of a trusted general, and he had dozens of pretty consorts and kind concubines. None of them were lacking in any way, all of them he had chosen himself. They have given him children, three of them sons that have lived past their first birthday. If he were to die that very moment, his bloodline would live on. His legacy would live on. Helian Yi didn't lack in companionship or advice and yet the emptiness still lingered. If he were to marry ten thousand men and women, even together they would not fill the void left in his heart by Beiyuan and Zishu.

When they have been children, Helian Yi had thought the three of them would always be together, changing the world. From stupid pranks to defending their country to taking over the throne, they had done it all together. He had thought one day they would also rule together. Zishu and Beiyuan had been the only people he had completely trusted with his life, his dreams and his secrets and he had naively believed that once he became emperor they would join him and rule by his side as his Imperial Consorts. They would have been his equals and he hadn't even imagined he'd have to do this without them one day. Now both of his zhiji were out of his reach and no one walked by his side besides his own shadow. He had lost Beiyuan to Wu Xi a long time ago, years before the beautiful man had even left the Capital, and Zishu... he had sent Zishu into the arms of another man all on his own. He would never forget that day.

The door closed behind his cousin and Helian Yi slumped into his seat, defeated, as he rubbed his palms over his face. He had lied to Zishu, he had thought he'd never have a reason to lie to Zishu of all people. It was surprising the spy had even believed him. He waited until he heard the door open again and looked up, waving at the man kneeling before him to take a seat instead as he sipped some wine.

"Tell me, Bi Changfeng." He sighed heavily. "Are you certain that the man Zishu had met five years ago was the Ghost King?"

When Zishu had delayed returning after his mission back then, Helian Yi hadn't suspected anything untoward. He had trusted the assassin to make the right decision, if he thought he had a reason to stay then he had a reason to stay. It hadn't been until months with no more contact have passed that him and Beiyuan had started getting worried. So they had sent some senior members of the Window of Heaven to look for him and Bi Changfeng had eventually found him in a small border village. The old woman taking care of him had only said that he had defended their village and Zishu himself had been weak and delirious. When he'd finally recovered, he'd claimed his memory of the time was missing. At the time they hadn't wanted to push, he deserved his privacy, but now the emperor's entire plan depended on what had happened during those months. The beautiful man had been genuinely surprised at the proposal, he hadn't reacted at all like he'd ever met the Ghost King before... Maybe this whole thing wasn't as good an idea as Helian Yi had thought.

"I am certain, Your Majesty." The elder assured him. "The man I saw rushing away from that village and the man from the painting Officer Li has found were one and the same. He is not the kind of person you mistake or forget. The old woman's neighbor confirmed that she saw them together as well. Everyone in the village seems to believe the Ghost King is the old lady's grandson. He was born there, so they don't question his presence." He elaborated.

Helian Yi considered the words carefully. Were it anyone else he would question their abilities, especially since so long had passed that investigating was difficult, but he had known this man since he had been a child. He wasn't loyal to Helian Yi, and that was exactly why he trusted him in this instance. Bi Changfeng had been loyal to his Shifu and Qin Huaizhang had entrusted the man with the safety of his sons, he would never risk their lives.

The emperor rubbed a hand over his face again. "He really doesn't remember." He whispered. "What if I'm making a mistake?"

The old man shook his head. "We already know he isn't safe here and we can't hide the situation from him much longer, Your Majesty. The nobles are becoming more bold in their opinions, I fear they might take action soon."

"I hate this. I should just tell him the truth, or sent him on an official visit to the South. He can spend some time with Beiyuan, and he would be safe there until we fix this."

"That boy is too stubborn to run away from a fight, he has always been this way." Bi Changfeng protested. "There's too many of them, and some have yet to step out of the shadows. We don't know who else they are working with but Ghost Valley is the safest place in the known world."

Much as he hated it, Helian Yi had to admit that was true. Even the Window of Heaven wasn't capable of breaching through its defenses. 

"It's good that he's going to Four Seasons Manor, the sooner he leaves the Capital, the better." The old man added. " Duan Pengju will be able to investigate properly once we know for sure Lord Zhou is safe. They are still too afraid of him to be reckless so they will wait to see if he returns, they will fear it's a trap at first and stay hidden. Once they hear of the marriage and realize it's real they will panic and send assassins after him no matter how futile it will prove. Desperation makes mistakes."

"I should never have accepted his help back then... Now my enemies blame him for me sitting on the throne and my own allies are afraid of him stabbing me in the back and taking it for himself." Helian Yi thought out loud, pouring himself some more wine. He chuckled mirthlessly. "The only way for Beiyuan and Zishu to be safe is for both of them to be far away from me."

"Are you sure about the Ghost King?" He couldn't help but ask again.

"I am. The date of their meeting also lines up with the Ghost King stopping his campaign and the spies here in the Capital have orders to protect Lord Zhou. He will be safe in Ghost Valley, no assasin and no army will ever touch him there. Not even the gods."

The gods may not reach him, Helian Yi thought, but what about the very master of Ghost Valley? Was he gambling with his zhiji's safety? Just because they have spent a few months together didn't mean the Ghost King still loved Zishu, if he ever had. Helian Yi could only hope that even if that were the case, Zishu giving the man an heir would prove his worth in the Chief's eyes. Thinking of his zhiji with another that way had always made him uncomfortable but this time it was incomparably worse because in some way Zishu had always retuned to him before but this time Helian Yi might never see him again, just as he might never see Beiyuan again. Loosing Beiyuan had hurt, he hoped losing them both won't break him.

"Have you burned the painting?" He asked, pushing that line of thought away.  It was fortunate they have found it, but they couldn't risk another doing the same and coming to the same conclusions, unlikely as it might be.

"Of course." The older man nodded. "And made sure Officer Li knows to keep quiet. I've also sent someone to take care of the painter who sold it to him. He will not be a problem."

"Good." The emperor agreed. "We don't want our plan to be discovered. Hopefully, Zishu will never know we have betrayed his trust like this. As long as he is safe, I will make my peace with it."

Helian Yi shook the memory from his mind and forced his eyes away from Zishu to greet the Ghost King. He had to force himself not to flinch away from the dark gaze that met his, like the abyss trying to swallow his soul. It made the very air in the room heavy, a weight pressing on his throat. Helian Yi felt that if this man wanted to kill someone, the stifling presence of his power alone would crush them.

Bringing his hands together at the same time as the other man he nodded, forcing his voice to stay even. "Chief Wen." 

"Emperor Jin." The tall man echoed in a pleasantly low voice. 

Helian Yi took a moment to study the man. Unlike Zishu he was dressed in a deep green with red underneath, an impressively intricate golden crown adorning his silvery white hair. The dark outfit made the plain white of the fan in his slender hand stand out even more, and the emperor wondered why someone of his standing had a fan so simple. Looking up at the man's face once more, he couldn't help but think the Ghost King was even more breathtaking in real life than he had been in that painting. He doubted any painting could do this man justice. It wasn't that Helian Yi was unfamiliar with beautiful people, he had known Beiyuan and Zishu all his life, but Bi Changfeng had been right. This man was not someone one forgot. It was no wonder Zishu had been charmed by him all those years ago. Who could pass this person on the street and not take notice? Even the aloof Leader of the Window of Heaven would not be able to be indifferent in the face of such beauty. It wasn't that he thought Zishu had been seduced by looks alone, he knew the younger man better than that, but usually the spy hadn't even seen people beyond their usefulness to him.

He didn't allow himself to dwell on the Ghost King's appearance for long before turning back to his cousin.

"Zishu." He whispered, far more softly. The Ghost King might be a striking beauty, but Zishu still looked ethereal even next to him. "You look well." Beautiful he wanted to say, but couldn't. He hadn't allowed himself to say it before, and never could now. 

"So do you." The beautiful man smiled. "Thank you for meeting us like this."

Helian Yi nodded. He had been a little surprised when Zishu had requested a private, secret meeting in a location the Window of Heaven had used for such things before but he hadn't worried. It hadn't been easy to convince Duan Pengju to let him remain inside the building alone though, when the time for the meeting had approached.

"You know I trust you, always, though your idea to negotiate a treaty with the Great Khaganate worries me." The emperor answered as he gestured to the table his guards had prepared before hand and had to turn away as the Ghost King helped Zishu sit, even though he didn't need it. "Others have tried before, they've never kept their end of the deal. You should have just defeated them on the battlefield, violence is the only language these barbarians understand." He added as he busied himself pouring them all tea. Bi Changfeng's reports had assured him that the Ghost King treated Zishu well and that they were indeed in love but seeing them together hurt more than he'd thought it would.

"Everybody knows I could have won that war, Emperor Jin, that is exactly point." The Ghost King hummed, sipping the tea even though it had been kept scalding hot till then. "Ashile Sun had agreed to retreat, going against his father's wishes, because he cared about his people more than he cared about his own pride. I have seen his skills, undoubtedly he could have survived, but his soldiers wouldn't have. I believe he would agree to negotiate again, and I trust him."

Helian Yi sighed. "Ashile Sun is the Leader of the Eagle Division, not the Great Khan." It was true that the young man had made a name for himself over the last few years but he didn't have the power to make such decisions. He may be able to retreat from one battle, but not to sign a treaty in the name of the entire khanate.

"But he is the one that people follow, he is the one they respect." Zishu declared. "When he gave the order to retreat, they all listened to him regardless of tribe. He may not be the Great Khan now, but he will be."

"In time for negotiations?" The emperor asked, still reluctant. Even if this young man was as honorable as they seemed to think, the rest of his people were not. This would only work if Ashile Sun was the one to sign the treaty himself and was also strong enough to enforce it after while keeping his throne. 

"It isn't well known that there is unrest in the tribes, there has been for some time. Ashile Chuobi is dying and when he does it will all come to a head. Ashile Sun will be the Great Khan by the end of that battle." The Ghost King answered confidently.

"How are you so sure?" The Window of Heaven had investigated him as well but Ashile Sun had never even given an indication of wanting to rule the tribes. 

"Because the Khantun is the one poisoning his father, and he already knows. Ashile Sun reached out to me after the battle and I sent him the antidote. It will slow down the symptoms but it was too late to save him." Zishu offered.

Helian Yi frowned. The Greath Khan was being poisoned? None of his people had been able to get close enough to him to confirm what exactly his illness was without arousing suspicion. "Even if she is responsible, her son is still the heir."

The Ghost King snorted. "The tribes will not follow Ashile Sheer as long as Ashile Sun lives, and he isn't capable of defeating his brother."

Zishu rolled his eyes at his husband, before turning serious as he looked at Helian Yi again. "There is something else you must know." He murmured. "Changge was there. As his wife."

The emperor's hand froze half way to his mouth, and he almost dropped the cup. "She's alive? You've talked to her?" The words stumbled clumsily out of his mouth before he could even stop himself.

Zishu shook his head. "Yes, but I don't think she'd recognized me."

"It's been so long, I had lost hope..." Helian Yi murmured, leaning back in his seat. She had ran away back then, before he could even assure her no harm would come to her. When it became obvious that he couldn't trust most of his court after they've started plotting against Zishu, he had feared they've done something to harm her as well but now... at least he knew she was still alive and if this plan worked, maybe he would even see her again.

"She wouldn't stay at his side if she didn't believe in him." Zishu added. They have never been close, Zishu had allowed himself to be close to few people, but she had still grown under his eyes and Helian Yi knew a part of the beautiful man still cared about Changge. "He wants what is best for his people, even if that means becoming the Great Khan."

"Then I propose Yueyang." He would agree, he decided, if only to see Changge again. "It's in Jianghu territory but that is as much neutral ground as it can be for us."

"Sounds good." The Ghost King agreed. "And we will all need enough time to prepare so maybe in the summer. Ashile Sun should be the Great Khan by then."

"Well, this summer will be interesting, if nothing else." Helian Yi chuckled. After a moment the other two man joined him and they all relaxed slightly, leading the conversation towards less serious subjects.

It would have been for the best if he'd been able to avoid looking at two other man for the duration of their meeting but the glint of the light on Zishu's bracelet would catch his eye and he'd see the way their hands brushed together as they sat or the Ghost King would place a sweet cake or another on Zishu's plate for him to try and Helian Yi would be reminded all over again of what he'd lost. When they finally parted, it was both a relief and an ache deep in his heart. He had to remind himself that this time it wouldn't be seven years till he saw Zishu again... It had been so long since they have all been together in the same room. Changge, who was more a little sister to him than she had ever been a niece, was probably never going to forgive his betrayed even if for the sake of peace she agreed to put the past behind her, and Beiyuan and Zishu... the three of them would never be the same again... but it would be good, he thought, to see them all again if only for a little while. 

"Everything in this Empire belongs to me." Helian Yi said aloud, and his voice echoed inside the empty room. "And yet I'm all alone."

Chapter Text

Zishu leaned back against the wooden beam, face tilted up. The spring sun was warm on his skin, bright even behind his closed eyelids. Through the smell of dishes and wine that filled the restaurant, he could feel the floral scent of Lao Wen next to him and he breathed it in deeply as he allowed the sounds of the street below to wash over him. 

Yue was a beautiful city, far larger than Ghost Valley but smaller than Qing city. Zishu didn't usually enjoy visiting that place, which was more the capital of Qingya than any other. The few times he had gone there it had been loud, crowded and bustling with people. Locals, merchants and visitors from far away places, foreign dignitaries who wanted wanted an audience with his husband, artists drawn in by rumors of great beauty, young lords and ladies exploring the world... Qing city was never still and when night came, the lanterns got lit and life went on. The first time he had seen it, Zishu couldn't feel more grateful that Lao Wen had kept Ghost Valley as isolated as he had and that their home was as peaceful as it was. He wasn't a fan of big cities but Yue was pleasant enough and the rumors about the beautiful views that had tempted them to stop by hadn't been exaggerated either. Maybe they could stay a couple more days and visit the famous Mirror Lake Manor as well, he wanted to see if the peach blossom forest could compare to Four Seasons Manor, he thought, just as a conversation from the main floor of the restaurant caught his attention. 

"Sect Leader Zhang still refuses to see us!" A young man whined, and Zishu heard him slam a cup against the table angrily. "I don't know why Shixiong insists we wait here until he does, he's so rude. Why does Shifu even want him at the Hero's Conference? He doesn't get involved in Jianghu business anymore anyway!"

"This conference is important." Another male voice protested. "The sect leaders are gathering in Yueyang this summer to choose a Supreme Leader over the whole Jianghu, it won't look good for Sect Leader Gao if all of the leaders of the Five Lakes Alliance aren't there!"

Yueyang? They have known the Jianghu leaders have been planning a conference, but a date and place haven't been set before they've left Ghost Valley. He felt Lao Wen go still at his side and knew his husband was listening to the same thing he was. If the Jianghu leaders were meeting in Yueyang, it might mess up their plan. Han Ying was already there, collaborating with representatives sent by Helian Yi, Wu Xi and Ashile Sun to get everything ready and secure for the meeting between the leaders of the four nations... too much that depended on those negotiations going well.

"What Five Lakes Alliance?" Yet another snorts. "The Red Sunlight Sect has been all but gone for years, ever since Lu Taichong has passed away without an heir and his disciples have been assimilated into Mount Tai Sect, and Zhang Yusen has kept to himself for so long he might as well have died too without anyone else noticing!"

"Don't be so disrespectful, you idiot!" The second voice snapped. "People could hear you!"

"All I'm saying is the truth." The man continued. "Sect Leader Shen doesn't have any ambition of his own and everyone knows that all Sect Leader Zhao cares about is his wealth. All he does all day is worry about his failing businesses and dwindling piles of gold. He's loosing it and everybody knows it! The only one worthy of being considered for the position in the Alliance is Shifu, we would be more use getting the Manor ready for guests and showing our support of him than loosing our time here!"

He wondered if the famous Iron Judge knew his idiot disciples were yelling about such sensitive information out in the open for everyone to hear. Hadn't he taught them any subtlety? Zishu would have liked to hear more about this conference coming up when an argument was heard outside the restaurant.

"You brat!" A sharp, familiar voice rang in his ears. In all the years he had known her, that silly girl had never learned to speak any softer. "Don't you know to watch where you're going!?"

"Madam..." A quiet voice answered nervously, only to be interrupted.

"What did you call me!?" Lao Wen snorted at A-Xiang's indignation and Zishu could almost see her eyebrow twitch at the little fool.

"I mean, Miss..." He corrected himself uncertainly. "Please accept my apology, I wasn't watching where I was going. I can pay for your robes." 

"I don't need your money, brat!" A-Xiang huffed and Zishu finally opened his eyes, leaning over the railing when his husband's presence vanished from his side.

"A-Xiang, don't make a scene." Lao Wen warned, already by the young woman's side as she whined at him. "Ge..." Her beautiful purple robes were a mess and there was a bag of pastries at her feet, where it must have fallen earlier. 

The beautiful man just shook his head at her with a sigh before politely greeting the young man... No. No young man, now that Zishu was looking. This was just a child, who looked up at Lao Wen with wide spooked eyes when his husband turned to face him. "Please forgive my meimei, young master, I'm afraid she's a bit of a wild thing. It's my fault for not teaching her better manners."

"No..." The boy stammered. "No need. It was my fault anyway, I'm the one who walked into her."

"You never taught me any manners!" A-Xiang rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, and a snort escaped Zishu at the truth of it. His zhiji was as much a wild thing as his sister. "Fine." She relented, waving her hand dismissively at boy. "Just go, little brat." She elaborated with a sigh when the boy stood unmoving, still wide eyed, before he unfrozen himself and shook his head.

"Please allow me to have them cleaned, at least!" The boy squealed, his voice breaking half way through with an embarrassing screech. "I am Zhang Chengling, of Mirror Lake Sect."

This was the third son of Zhang Yusen? The little idiot didn't even seem aware of his surroundings at all, it was pitiful! It seemed Sect Leader Zhang had really become complacent over the years, the security around the city was pathetic too. No one was intervening or even seemed to notice the danger their young master could be in. What if he'd run into someone else? There was no patrol in this city at all and disciples of other Sects were running around unchecked. They had already known Zhang Yusen has been distancing himself from his sworn brothers for decades but he had been isolating himself even more than they had originally thought... well, that man's lack of responsibility wasn't any of their business, Zishu thought.

The boy clumsily took something out of his robe, and he was lucky A-Xiang and Lao Wen had long realized he wasn't a threat, before presenting it eagerly to the young woman. "If you come to the Manor and show the guards this, I can arrange for someone to wash them for you."

Was that an invitation token he was waving around at strangers in the middle of the street? Was this child dumb? He didn't even know anything about them! How could he give a stranger free access to his home?! First the Yueyang disciples, now this one, what were they teaching children in the Jianghu these days?! If Zishu had gone around doing such a stupid thing at Zhang Chengling's age, his Die would have locked him inside the Manor so he couldn't leave at all!

A-Xiang just signed, looking at the boy as if she had just been insulted, but didn't make any move to take the offered invitation. "Why should I go out of my way to fix your mistake?" She rolled her eyes. "Just go, little brat."

For the moment the boy looked like he wanted to argue some more but the servant who had been standing by the side silently so far pulled him away hurriedly when he realized A-Xiang was serious. Zishu could still hear Zhang Chengling protests and the servant trying to appease him as he placed double the amount for their meal on the table and jumped down to the street as well. A-Xiang also complained, making a face at her robes as they walked.

"Must you be so crude, you silly girl?" He asked once the three of them have reached their boat, pulling on one of A-Xiang's braids playfully. "We both know you could have gotten out of the way."

"Zishu-gege, you're the one who always said it's better not to reveal your skills unless necessary! Besides, he wouldn't have stumbled over his own feet if he weren't so busy gawking at you like a country bumpkin!" She glared in the direction of the city. "If anyone lacks manners it's him! Do people around here have no common curtsey?! It's disgusting!"

"I quite doubt he had any impure thoughts, that child was more innocent than a baby deer." Lao Wen chuckled, poking her on the forehead with his fan and Zishu held back a sigh at her indignation.

A-Xiang was no longer the innocent child he had first met and she was no longer unfamiliar with the world at large either. She was used to life in Qingya where Lao Wen's principles were reflected in the empire he had built, and a princess at that. As she had grown older she had started understanding what was happening around her, it had been a shock when she'd realized for the first time that women didn't have rights equal to men everywhere, that they couldn't really own property, run businesses or even make decisions about their own lives without a male guardian. Not everyone, and not unless they were noble and privileged. Some were looked down upon simply for having the misfortune of having no living male relatives, just as people looked down on Zishu and consider him weak for being another man's consort. That had been bad enough but once her eyes had been opened hiding the ugliness of the world from her hadn't been possible anymore, he still remembered the look on her face when she had seen servants being sold at the market out in the open while they had been visiting the Northern Capital. The disgust and the revulsion, the anger when she'd realized that maybe she could save some of them but it definitely wouldn't solve the problem, had been clear on her face. Zishu had always known that the world was a fighting pit where only the strongest survived, no darkness of the human heart shocked him anymore, but she had been raised sheltered in Ghost Valley. There were people still fighting against the laws his husband had set, it wasn't easy to change a people's beliefs and Qingya was a large empire, but most did fear the way those laws were enforced. Wickedness always found a way to survive, there would always be cruel people, law breakers, dark markets... but by law the citizens of Qingya were free.

A-Xiang had never had to grow up knowing her life was not her own, that someone else would make every choice for her. She had always been free and maybe that was why it grated on her so badly to be seen as an object, to see him being seen as an object, even when they were not. He wished he could reassure her that the world was going to change one day but he knew it was too much to hope for, no one could erase all the faults of humanity, all they could do was fight for a better future. Maybe if there was peace, if life was easier  people would try to change on their own.

"Should I be thanking you for defending my honor?" He teased her with a smile, not allowing his thoughts to show, and she pouted at him, annoyed. "You should have just worn disguises."

Zishu rolled his eyes. "Lao Wen didn't want to, he kept complaining about it."

"It's bad enough that you made me dye my hair, A-Xu." The older man complained, flipping a strand of dark brown hair over his shoulder with a grimace. "But I draw the line at hiding this Heavens blessed face behind one of your ugly getups!"

"Your hair stands out too much and only idiots hide behind beautiful masks, Lao Wen, it makes the flaws more obvious." Zishu explained for the thousand time. It wasn't that Zishu was adamant they wear masks, but it would have made things slightly easier.

"Then I refuse to wear one, and I don't wish to look at one every day either." Lao Wen answered, as he had every time they've had this talk before too. 

A-Xiang rolled her eyes at their bickering, she's also heard it too many times before. "The two of you stand out anyway!" She snapped. "Whatever... I'm just going to change."

"So... who pissed in her wine?" Ye Baiyi asked as he came up on deck not a moment later, crunching on a bag on walnuts. Zishu had to swallow back the nausea at the sight of them. 

"What do you care, old monster?" Lao Wen snapped at the older man.

"Crazy brat, must you always whine?" The former immortal retorted, and Zishu dragged his husband to their room before an argument could develop. He's had enough of those for the day, he decided, and he knew just how to distract his husband.

"A-Xiang is right..." Lao Wen whispered later that night, breath tickling Zishu's ear while cold fingers ran over his bare shoulders. It sent shivers down his spine as he felt himself growing hard again. Yue was warm enough already that the blankets were pushed to the side and Zishu's thighs quivered as a wave of desire washed over him, his hole burning to be filled again.

"Don't tease." He moaned, and Lao Wen chuckled, lips trailing down to his neck instead. "People do stare at you." The beautiful man murmured against his still flushed skin. 

Zishu bit his lip, forcing himself to keep his breathing even as he answered. "They are not used to seeing male consorts here." He explained evenly. It was even partially the truth. His husband was always so attentive, it was impossible to hide who Zishu was to him. Not only was seeing cut sleeves being so open about their relationship a rarity in the Northern Empire, but his clothes and jewelry were clear indication of their wealth. Some stared with desire, some with envy and some with both, others, like the little idiot, simply stared in wonder. Zishu had been surprised to realize he didn't mind the staring as much as he thought he would, he had came to terms with the consequences of his status a long time ago. It wasn't that he enjoyed this kind of attention more than he had when he'd been younger, it was simply that he didn't care at all. 

"I don't think that's the reason." Lao Wen hummed, laying soft kisses against his skin, moving down his shoulder and to his chest before stopping right over his rapidly beating heart to look up. His husband's dark eyes were bright with desire, it only fueled the fire inside Zishu. "It's because they've never seen such divine beauty before, they must think you're an immortal descended from the Heavens."

Zishu let out a breathless laugh, running his hand through his husband's hair slowly, pushing the loose strands away from his face so he could see his beauty more clearly. "If that were the case, wouldn't they also stare at you?" They would, of course, but their survival instinct wouldn't allow it even when they didn't understand why. 

"Not while you are next to me, A-Xu, they won't even notice me." Lao Wen murmured, going back to kissing down his body. Zishu gasped when that warm tongue reached the tip of his cock, teasing it but not doing any more than that. He used the grip he had on the pest's hair to pull him up until their lips were touching instead. 

"How about you show me again how much you appreciate my beauty, then?" He breathed out softly, wrapping his legs around the older man's strong body.

"Gladly." His zhiji laughed against his lips, pulling him into a deep kiss as he entered him in one smooth move.

Zishu was still loose from earlier, wet and dripping with his husband's come and the pleasure knocked the breath out of his lungs. He groaned into Lao Wen's mouth and tightened his hold against him until he was sure it was nearly painful. It didn't take them long to finish a second time as Zishu encouraged his husband to go faster and faster. He expected Lao Wen to clean them up after he pulled out as he often did, but instead he kissed down Zishu's body again until he reached his twitching bud, laying soothing kisses that turned into soft licks against the sensitive spot, causing tears of pleasure to gather in the corners of his eyes. Zishu was just starting to harden again when a noise in the distance distracted him. At first he thought he'd imagined it, and relaxed back into the bed, just as he heard it again. 

Lao Wen stopped too, looking up with a frown. "Did you hear that?"

"Screaming." Zishu confirmed, slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

A loud explosion echoed over the lake and they jumped up, barely cleaning before throwing on the robes they've worn earlier that day. They were too far away from the city, Mirror Lake Sect was the only place close enough for noise to carry so clearly all the way to their boat.

Senior Ye and A-Xiang were already on deck, the girl grimaced at their appearance but didn't comment on it for once. "The little brat's home is on fire." She explained. "He still owes me a new set of robes so I'm going to make sure he doesn't try to get out of it by dying on me."

Zishu nodded. What happened to Mirror Lake Sect wasn't any of their business but he knew that after meeting that little brat earlier A-Xiang wouldn't just stand aside and let him fend for himself no matter how annoyed he had made her. When he finally looked ahead, the lake was lit up. Mirror Lake Manor was burning... it seemed he would be seeing the peach blossom forest after all.

Chapter Text

Chengfeng hadn't been able to fall asleep that night, the letter his Die had finally accepted from Deng Kuan still echoing in his head. Ever since the war against the tujue had ended, the Jianghu has been growing restless. According to the letter Gao Chong had sent with his Head Disciple not only could the barbarians attack again but secretly the other Sect Leaders of the Five Lakes Alliance were also worried that the Ghost King's bloodthirst had been reawakened and he could turn his sight on the North at any time, so they had decided to propose choosing a supreme leader over the whole of the Jianghu at the next Hero's Conference. Someone elected to make decisions in all of their names, who was capable of leading them into war if necessary. It was a pile of bullshit! For one, the Jianghu leaders had never shown any kind of concern or bothered to help whenever the Empire had been under attack the last few centuries. For another, pissing off the Ghost King over an obviously bogus reason was the stupidest idea he's heard in his entire life! Even him getting wind of this idiotic rumor might be too great an insult, what were his Die's sworn brothers thinking!? It was no wonder the older man had chosen to distance himself from them, because obviously they weren't capable of thinking at all!

When the alarm was sounded and Ghosts rushed into his room, he had thought it might already be too late, but then as he'd fought back he'd realized that couldn't be true. Chengfeng had fought alongside Ghosts in the war and those were not Ghosts. Still, even though they were by far less skilled than him the combination of their numbers and the muscle relaxant incense they burned got to him and he had gotten dragged to his Die's study soon after. 

The assassins, whoever they were, were skilled. They seemed to have known beforehand exactly how their defenses worked and the plan of the Manor. Not only that but they were after the Glazed Armor. The only people supposed to know his Die had a piece of it in his possession were his sworn brothers and Chengfeng. Of course, those idiots could have also told people, over three decades had passed since the death of Rong Xuan and almost as many since his Die had stopped talking to the others. One thing was for sure though, Mirror Lake Sect had been betrayed.

Most of the Ghosts Chengfeng had met during the war had worn cloth masks over the lower half of their faces in order to protect their identity, the different designs indicating their specialty and rank. It was a practice Shamans had also shared, he didn't know who had borrowed it from whom. The mask the leader of the assassins wore was that of a high ranked archer, but he could see no bow in sight. At least he could have put more of an effort in his disguise. The other masks were poor imitations of the real thing, like someone had seen them and tried to recreate the style from memory. 

"If loosing an arm won't loosen your lips, let's see if loosing a son will." The bastard sneered, moving his blade from Die's side and to Chengfeng's neck.

A-Luan barely held back a scream and he could see the panic in his Die's eyes but the older man held strong even as he was bleeding profusely from the shoulder, with his arm laying on the floor next to him. Chengfeng didn't know where the piece of armor was, but he could guess. If his Die had had any warning at all, he would have hid the piece with A-Ling. Chengfeng wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his youngest brother's safety, A-Ling was just a child, so he only blinked up uncaringly. If they wanted fear from him, he would not show it. He had thought he would die so many times during the war, that he had learned not to react to it anymore.

At the same time the sword flashed the door shattered to pieces with a loud bang and the assassin stopped, turning his attention to towards it instead. A purple glow entered the periphery of Chengfeng's vision before he even had time to properly register what was happening, a streak of glowing purple flashing to the other side of the room, and half of the fake ghosts fell to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. The others fled before that internal energy infused sword could turn on them. Even though the purple dressed woman had her back to him, eyes on their cowardly backs as they ran, Chengfeng would always recognize that sword. Dazzling Falls. 

Almost a year before, Chengfeng had lied to his Die. He couldn't remember lying to his Die before, not about something as significant as this. The news of the war brewing at the northern border had reached him at the beginning of summer while he had been traveling alone, studying martial arts at different temples to broaden his knowledge. By that point, the Ghost King's marriage to Emperor Jin's beloved cousin had earned them all six years of uninterrupted peace. During those years the empire had visibly flourished. That peace had abruptly ended when the Tujue Great Khaganate had attacked a city at the northern border. They were pushed back but it had only been a trial, a way to test the speed of their reaction and the strength of their alliance. A decade before the barbarians had almost breached the Capital, now they have been gathering their strength for years and it seemed not even fear of the Ghost King and his army could hold them back anymore.

Maybe it was because Chengfeng had been alone that he had made the decision he had. His Die would not have approved, Niang would have worried, but what was he to do? The battle hadn't even begun and refugees had already been walking past him on the road, afraid of what was to come. Some were old enough to have lived through this before, they knew the atrocities the northerners committed in the cities they conquered, so they took their families and ran. Most of the Jianghu thought the Emperor's wars were not their own but were they not also part of the Northern Empire? Was it not their responsibility too, to protect their people? Chengfeng could not stand aside and do nothing, so he had pretended to do just that. He'd wrote to his parents that he would lay low in a larger city, wait for the storm to pass, and then he had walked into the closest military camp. That's how he'd found out nothing about war was glorious.

When you step on a pile of dung it trails behind you every step you take and even when all traces are gone the stink lingers in your nose, making you wonder if it's really there or if it's all inside your head the entire day. Every time you stop at a restaurant, or walk into a store, or meet people it's there at the back of your mind. At the end of the day, you find yourself  scrubbing your boots clean for hours and never forget that day. War was like that, it was a pile of dung. Long after it was over it still lingered in the back of your mind, and you never forgot it. Even now, months later, war followed Chengfeng like his own shadow. It was there in his dreams, in his choices, in the way he saw the world around him.

War wasn't constant fighting. When he had been a small child, listening to stories about great heroes and renowned Generals, Chengfeng had thought war meant the battle never stopped. It did. The waiting had been worse.

Chengfeng had been hungry, all the time. Even when the supplies arrived on time they were never quite enough, there was too much work to be done everyday and while his internal energy was strong, after a while he'd started feeling the hunger like a stone in his stomach that he'd carried with him everywhere. Chengfeng had thought the life of a Sect heir had been demanding, that his martial arts training and discipline would have prepared him for that, but it hadn't. War was harder. Always harder. Changfeng had been tired, all the time. He never could sleep deeply enough to properly rest, always ill at ease at night, when they were most vulnerable. Their food stores had burned one night and they've had to stretch whatever they could salvage and what the city could spare for the two weeks to follow. That time, his stomach had felt like a hole trying to turn him inside out. The summer had been stifling, sun beating against his armor so long he'd thought he'd cook inside. His skin had hurt to the touch, his throat had burned and he had stank so bad he could barely stand to be around himself. By the time the heat had started dying down his feet had been permanently blistered, and then the cold had started sweeping in. Autumn had been barely long enough to register and then the cold had firmly set in, dry and bitter. His fingers had been so cold, to the point of numbness, that he had feared losing them more than once. Chengfeng had thought he had known the world, but war had proven him wrong. 

Their camp's commander had been a woman. In the world he had left behind, women learned how to fight to defend their home they did not go to war, but half the troupes that have arrived from the South and Qingya had been women. They hadn't shied away from the gore, they hadn't feared the pain and they hadn't been any less lethal than the men. Chengfeng had spent his first few weeks at the border without catching even a glimpse of General Gu. When he had, it had been on the battlefield.

It had been the first real battle, before that there had been short skirmishes here and there but that day it had been an all out assault on the city gates. Chengfeng, more skilled than most of his fellow soldiers, had ended up advancing further in the enemy line trying to take out as many of them as he could, and cut down an arrow just as it was about to hit the person next to him in the back. 

A-Xiang had fought fiercely, her style unlike any he had seen before. She moved like a swirl of petals in the wind, that slipped through your fingers like sand and cut like a thousand blades. Lotus flowers bloomed under her feet, and death danced in her hands. She was as beautiful as she was deadly and as sharp tongued as she was kind. Her knowledge of strategy and the enemy were unmatched by any other in the camp, and no one there had been able to best her in martial arts. General Huang, a member of a noble family with long ties to the Northern military, had been furious at having to take orders not only from a woman but from a girl half his age, but there had been nothing he could do but shut up and endure.

Chengfeng had stood by A-Xiang's side after that day and though he'd only introduced himself as A-Feng to her she hadn't mentioned it. The war had ended months later when they got news that the Ghost King had defeated the Eagle Division on the eastern front, closer to the Capital and the Wolf Division had gotten called home soon after. 

"A-Xiang." He called out, relieved.

"A-Feng." She titled her head to the side, taking in the room as she threw a small box into his lap. When he opened it he found a few pills inside and didn't hesitate to take one before also passing one to A-Luan and his Die each. The effects of the muscle relaxant started fading almost instantly and he picked a discarded sword up from the floor, using it to stand. "Zhang Chengfeng." She stated as he handed back the box of antidotes and he nodded.

He wished to ask how come she was there, so far from Ghost Valley. Was it a coincidence or had she been tracking down the impersonators? The Ghost King would not take kindly to such a stunt as this, but his Die interrupt them. "Will you introduce us to your friend, Feng'er?" 

The older man was also standing up, having blocked the flow of blood from his shoulder and his brother was tying strips from a robe he'd torn off of an assassin around it. That was when Chengfeng realized they were wearing only their thin nightclothes.

He quickly took three more outer robes, grimacing at the way the corpses flopped when he moved them. "No time for that, we have to go." He answered as he passed the extra two to the other men. 

When they stepped outside, a crowd was gathered there. His and A-Luan's mothers had drifted close to each other somewhere to the side of it and Changfeng nodded at them but didn't allow himself to get distracted. He would check on his Niang once they were all safe. Most of their fighters were missing, he noticed, but other members of the household had survived. They must have been taken out first before they've had a chance to fight, weakened by drugs, and the civilians left for later. The survivors were surrounded by people in gray robes, some of which Chengfeng recognized as being A-Xiang's personal guards. They had never said as much but it had been obvious from the start that they hadn't been just soldiers assigned to her squad.

A-Ling was huddled close to his mother and that boatman that kept lurking around the island was standing guard over them. When he took them in, he squeaked. "Miss Xiang?" 

"It's Gu Xiang, you brat." She huffed. "Someone told me to tell the guards at the gate if I want my robes cleaned. There wasn't anybody there, so I hope you don't mind that I let myself in."

In spite of the situation, Chengfeng held back a snort. Was A-Xiang the one his brother had ran into earlier that day, he wondered? Had she came to their rescue when she'd noticed they were in trouble because of him? ...No. She would have come regardless, he decided. She would not stand by while innocent people died like this.

Hong Lu looked at him curiously as she stepped forward but he shook his head discretely and she nodded at A-Xiang instead, not giving away any indication that they knew each other. "General Gu. We have gathered all the survivors we could find here."

Chengfeng heard his Die's breath hitch, too exhausted and injured to properly control his reaction, but didn't turn to see his expression. After the most recent war against the tujue everyone had heard of General Gu who had led the estern front and defended half of the border, and everyone knew she was one of Ten Devils of Ghost Valley. 

"Good." The young woman answered as she started walking without waiting for further explanations. Chengfeng followed, trying to tune out the cries and whimpers from behind him. Fighting by A-Xiang's side was as natural as practicing a familiar technique after healing from an injury. Enemies fell down around them, but they had to move slow and more yet kept coming. The Manor was burning, if they didn't get out before the fires overwhelmed the forest they would be trapped there! They were almost outside the Manor walls when their path was blocked just inside the main courtyard.

The assassin leader with the archer mask stood in front of them, backed up by two dozen fighters. It wouldn't have been a problem even for him and A-Xiang alone under different circumstances but he wasn't sure they could protect everyone if the assassins spread out and attacked from different directions. Just as he was contemplating their options a swishing sound echoed in his ears, a flash of white flew through the first row of fake Ghosts before turning around and, just as the assassins started falling down, it cut through the second row as well. Before the 'archer' even had the time to make any demands, all his men laid dead behind him. He turned around, a shocked cry on his lips, and Chengfeng followed his line of sight to the wall above the main gate.

Two man were standing there, one of them fanning himself slowly with a red edged white fan. He was more beautiful than handsom dressed elegantly in ivory robes with an ornate golden hair crown. He would have passed for a young master from one of the merchant families Chengfeng had met on his travels had it not been for his unfathomable gaze, as if he could look into their souls. As attractive as the stranger was though, it was the shorter man next to him that made the breath freeze in Chengfeng's lungs for a moment. He was so beautiful, Chengfeng thought, that even the river would stop moving just to look at him. He had wide eyes as dark as ink and lips as pink as peach blossoms, sharp features and hair so dark it faded into the shadows cast by the flames. His skin was as pale as the moonlight and his beauty was as graceful as a flower. He wore pale blue robes of the highest quality, layers upon layers of silk so fine it was almost see through with intricate embroidery and precious jewelry. 

The taller man wrapped an arm around his companion and flew down from the wall as flawlessly as taking a step forward, they landed as quietly as snow on the ground, the only sound coming from the strings of pearls hanging from the shorter man's hairpin.

A-Xiang looked unimpressed with the display of power, crossing her arms as her guards surrounded the assassin leader in his shock, bringing him to his knees. She didn't pay them any mind, keeping her eyes on the taller of the strangers as she snapped. "Ge!"

Chengfeng felt himself relax slightly when she didn't show any concern, and found himself studying the two men again. A-Xiang had told him once that her older brother was the one who had influenced her fighting style most but that her brother in law was the one she considered to be her Shifu. Her brother had raised her to be made of steel but her brother in law had forged that steel into a sharp weapon. He had refined her martial arts until they flowed from one move and to next as naturally as the water in the river flowed towards the sea and taught her everything she knew about strategy, manipulation and how the human mind worked. This man was the reason they now called her the Bladed Lotus. Chengfeng wouldn't make the mistake of thinking his delicate beauty meant he was any less dangerous than his husband. In his opinion of the two people before front of him A-Xiang's brother in law was the one truly dangerous. 

"What? I left one alive!" A-Xiang's brother protested, distracting Chengfeng from his thoughts. The drugs must still be affecting him more than he'd thought if he was so easily distracted, he decided, and tried to clear his head. "You were taking too long, A-Xiang." The man continued with a pout. After seeing him kill so many people as easily as breathing with a smile on his face, Chengfeng wasn't fooled by it at all. "A-Xu was starting to worry." Said A-Xu pinched his shoulder with glare while A-Xiang rolled her eyes at them before turned towards the assassin silently.

Chengfeng heard his Die hold his breath as the young woman approached the man and ripped off his mask. The face underneath was unfamiliar and completely unremarkable. If Chengfeng had met him before, he was certain he wouldn't remember. She slid her sword under his chin, lifting his face up. "Who do you work for?"

"Who do you work for?" She repeated more forcefully, pushing the edge of the blade into his skin when he refused to answer, causing a drop of blood to trail down from the cut. 

"Fucking bitch!" The bastard snapped. "Who do you think you are?!"

A-Xiang's brother laughed loudly, causing everyone to turn his way. "You mean you don't recognize her? You must be really dumb, that is probably why they set you up to take the fall from this." He shook his head, pretending to be dissapointed on the assassin's behalf. "Even if you survived this attack, the Ghost King would have had you hunted all the way to Hell for this."

"Lao Wen, stop playing with your food." A-Xiang's brother in law sighed, pulling his husband back when the man tried to take a step forward. "It's obvious he won't talk, I doubt he even knows anything. Just take him with us." He ordered the guards. "Make sure he doesn't kill himself. We shouldn't linger here, the fire is spreading too fast."

The predatory look in the taller man's eyes faded as he yielded to his husband with another pout. "Fine."

The real Ghosts moved as one to follow the order without question, it made Chengfeng wonder who exactly those people were. The Ghost Army didn't just answer to random people, even if they were related to one of their Generals. No. A-Xiang had said she had been born in Ghost Valley, her brother at least must have been there already when the Ghost King took over the throne. As they started making their way through the blooming forest, Chengfeng realized that they might be safe for now, but apparently he didn't know much about A-Xiang at all. 

Chapter Text

Zishu pulled the outer robe that Lao Wen had laid over his shoulders closer around himself. Even though it was spring and the weather was warm, they had taken shelter in an old abandoned temple and it was much colder inside the stone walls than it was outside. Mirror Lake Manor was still burning in the distance, the sky darkened with smoke, and their boat had barely been able to withstand transporting so many people to the shore let alone hosting them all. Taking everyone on foot to the city would mean walking blind in the dark through the dense forest that could be filled with traps. Sending someone to ask for help from the Yueyang disciples was also unwise, their arrival in Yue suspicious at best. Zhang Yusen had also refused to cooperate with them more than once. Zishu could guess that they were most likely not involved, but Zhao Jing was obviously throwing his dirty water in their backyard and there was no way to explain his knowledge to Zhang Yusen without drawing the suspicion upon themselves instead. 

They really should have left these people to their own devices after rescuing them but most of the survivors were servants and children who shouldn't pay for the sins of others, so they had introduced themselves as merchants from Ghost Valley who were traveling to Yueyang on business. Lao Wen had claimed to have learned some healing from his mother, a wandering healer who had long passed away, and Zishu had provided medicines where necessary. Ye Baiyi and A-Xiang had also assisted where they could, but mostly kept an eye out for trouble, they didn't know how many Scorpions were out there. Now the survivors of Mirror Lake Sect had slightly calmed down, some were dozing off while leaning against each other, and they still hadn't left yet.

"Sect Leader Zhang, have you thought about what you are going to do now?" His husband asked, drawing Zishu's attention to the conversation around him.

"I am not sure." The older man sighed, looking at the worn and injured people on the other side of their makeshift camp. They have lit a smaller fire a little to the side once everyone else had settled, so they could talk more freely. It was only him Lao Wen, Zhang Yusen, Zhang Chengfeng, A-Xiang and Ye Baiyi there. 

"Do you not wish to contact your sworn brothers?" Zishu asked, curious about what Zhang Yusen would do now. Would he finally act or would he continue to hide his head in the sand? Lao Wen had been keeping an eye on Zhang Yusen and his sworn brothers for a very long time but it was still impossible to know everything about them. Having held the secret of the Glazed Armor in their possession for so long, they have become paranoid. This had been a bold move, there would be no turning back now. The war for the secrets of the Armory had already started, but which side would Zhang Yusen be on?

The leaders of the five most powerful sects have been sworn brothers for many generations. Though The Five Lakes Alliance was not actually an official title, the Jianghu have been calling them that for so long people have started believing that it was. The first generation of leaders had been like minded people who had met in their youth and had helped each other establish their own martial arts sects. After that they rose in fame and power and their families have dominated the Jianghu for many generations, until almost four decades ago. Then, the most powerful alliance in the Jianghu had shattered and fallen apart together with the Glazed Armor. Even those who on the surface pretended nothing was wrong did not fully trust each other, as a result the current heirs had never even met let alone swore brotherhood. Zishu wanted to see just how bad the divide between Zhang Yusen and the other three men was. Did he suspect any of them? Did he know exactly who was behind the attack?

Zishu already knew the answer, of course, and though they hadn't had time to discuss it he was sure his husband had figured it out just as easily. The assassins had been Scorpions, having experience in dealing with various groups from that organization it was obvious to them. The Scorpions were blades for hire so technically anyone with enough money could have sent them but underneath it all they worked for Zhao Jing. Zhao Jing had been growing more and more desperate to get his hands on the Glazed Armor and the key ever since they've started chipping his wealth and influence away bit by bit.

The former assassin wondered if the vermin would have a heart attack simply from knowing that the hidden treasure was impossible to open safely. Not only had Ye Baiyi crushed the key to dust but Zishu had blown up the mountain and buried the door under a mountain of rocks and snow. After so many years the entrance might be impossible to find at all and even if someone did, trying to blow it open or break it apart would only bring the already unstable mountainside on their heads. No one could ever own the secrets inside again. They were forever lost.

After Zishu had fully recovered from his illness, he'd come up with a plan and shared it with Lao Wen. What Zhao Jing cared about most wasn't power, it was his reputation. Zishu knew people like him well. He had met many of them, he had killed many of them too. What they wanted most was to be remembered, they wanted to be famous. They wanted to be worshipped for thousands of years to come, to become legends... to become gods. In order for Lao Wen to really get revenge he couldn't just kill Zhao Jing, he had to drive him to the edge of the cliff, to drive him mad with despair until he revealed his true colors to the rest of the world. He had to completely ruin him until everyone saw the monster inside. Zishu knew how to do that, manipulating and ruining people were his specialty. He hadn't always killed those who had stood in Helian Yi's way, sometimes they had been so corrupt that all he'd had to do was push them in the grave they've already dug for themselves. Zhao Jing was the scum of the earth, he was the kind of person that had pushed Zishu to found the Window of Heaven and fight to get Healin Yi on the throne, so he had taken his husband's advice and formed a squad of his own from the older man's most trusted soldiers and a few of Luo Fumeng's girls. While he had been dealing with Zhao Jing, he had also destroyed the door to the Armory just in case, that worm was never going to get what he wanted, but it seemed they had been doing a good job. This attack and the coming conference were proof of it, Zhao Jing was on the edge of the cliff. All he needed now was a one more push. Zishu shared a look with his zhiji, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

"Talking to my sworn brothers might not be the best idea." The older man answered cautiously after thinking it over for a while, poking the fire with a stick to stop it from dying out. He seemed lost in thought as he stared at the embers.

"You suspect one of them was behind this?" Lao Wen inquired, feigning surprise.

"I can't say, this is all a little too coincidental." Zhang Yusen frowned. "Too many things have been happening..." He sighed. "I fear this may have started many years ago. I think I need some answers I can only find in LongYuan. I will take the boys with me and go there, my wives can stay here and watch over what's left of the Sect." 

"Longyuan? As in Longyuan Pavillion?" Zishu leaned closer to his husband as he spoke. He allowed Lao Wen to pull him into his arms, ignoring the looks it got them from the Zhang Yusen. He saw the recognition in Ye Baiyi and A-Xiang's eyes at the mention of Longyuan.

Long Que had been the one who'd asked his parents in law for help, and he had been the one who had begged them to deliver the key to Ye Baiyi. He had been one of the last people to interact with Rong Xuan and Yue Fenger before their death, and had vanished from the world ever since. Rumors have been floating that Long Que had a way of opening the Armory without the key. In the first three of decades after Rong Xuan's death, every time those rumors faded they would somehow resurface soon after but they eventually stopped a few years ago. Zishu suspected Long Que himself was behind those rumors, that he'd spread them in an attempt to distract people looking for the key in order to protect his friends but he didn't know why he had stopped. If he'd heard of their demise, or is something had happened to him. He hadn't shared that theory with Lao Wen yet, since they've been unable to find Longyuan on their own. Rong Xuan, Long Que, his parents in law and his parents, they've all run in the same circles, somehow connected to each other. Long Que had probably known his Die, had maybe even suspected him of being involved in that incident. It wouldn't be a surprise at all if he'd taken precautions against the methods of Four Seasons Manor when he'd hid away. Zishu had been searching for years and Lao Wen for even longer, he wondered how it came Zhang Yusen knew where to find him. 

The older man nodded. "Long Que and Rong Xuan were close friends. I've long suspected that Brother Rong's descent into madness and subsequent death were not as they seemed but I was too cowardly then to inquire after the truth. I just couldn't forget the ties of brotherhood." Zhang Yusen confessed, looking ashamed. "Look where it got me now, while I was hiding in Yue and pretending everything was the same as it used to be." He snorted.

Zishu did look. The older man had lost a lot of blood and even though Lao Wen had stopped the bleeding and they've numbed the wounds he was still haggard looking. Mirror Lake Manor could be rebuilt but no one could regrow his arm and no one could bring back the Sect members that had been lost. The former assassin knew what it was like to hit rock bottom but at least he'd known back then that he could trust Beiyuan and Helian Yi implicitly. Even now, he still knew that. Even when he had helped Beiyuan run, or when Helian Yi had proposed his marriage to Lao Wen, or when Beiyuan had informed Jiuxiao and Helian Yi of his illness it had not been crossing the line. They understood each other's limits, had similar morals and principles. That Zhang Yusen couldn't even trust his sworn brothers was almost pitiable, he decided.

Said pitiable man sighed. "I should have paid Long Que a visit long ago. It is too late to regret things now."

"Then I will trouble you with our presence a little while longer, Sect Leader Zhang." His husband spoke softly. "I have long heard of the brilliance of Master Long but could never find him."

"It is no trouble." The Sect Leader answered, though Zishu could see the unease in his eyes. 

"Many thanks." His zhiji nodded before turning to where A-Xiang was sitting next to Zhang Chengfeng. "A-Xiang, you take the guards and go to Yueyang ahead with the boat. Tell Han Ying we have been delayed will arrive soon, the two of you make the decisions until then."

The young woman stared at him incredulously for a moment before snapping. "You want me to let you gallivant around on your own without any kind of protection?!" 

It was more an act than any real concern, of course. Not only did she know their skills but she was used to them dissapearing alone for a couple of days or weeks. Killing them was no easy task, if it were someone would have succeeded a long time ago, Zishu thought.

"I will also go with them. Do you think I can't keep those two brats out of trouble, little girl?" Ye Baiyi chirped in with a snort.

"Old monster, who are you insulting? Most of the time the trouble is you!" His husband hissed and Zishu inwardly rolled his eyes. "How did you even survive for so long being so annoying!?"

"I am very good at martial arts." The former immortal snorted arrogantly. "So don't worry, silly girl, you go ahead to Yueyang. Leave the crazy brat and the lazy brat to me."

A-Xiang stared at the white haired man for a long moment before crossed her arm, letting out an exasperated breath. "Fine."

"I will also go with A-Xiang." Zhang Chengfeng jumped in. "People will look for us together, they might be fooled for a while if we part. I also want to investigate the situation in Yueyang, which might be easier to do on my own."

Zhang Yusen frowned at his son, looking like he wanted to deny the request before he realized it hadn't been a request. According to their spies, the two had a good relationship but didn't often agree with each other which was why Zhang Chengfeng hadn't informed his father before enlisting in the army. A-Xiang had naturally investigated who A-Feng was, she had simply asked Yun Zai not to tell her anything unless it was necessary as she hadn't wanted to betray his trust. Yun Zai had still reported to them. The way the former assassin saw it Zhang Chengfeng seemed to care about his father but if the older man didn't cede the leader position to him soon, he might have to let his son leave the Sect. In a way, the relationship between the two reminded him of how his own relationship with Jiuxiao used to be before he got sick. He could just count himself lucky that his didi hadn't joined any wars behind his back!

The older man just sighed as the lines on his face seemed to deepen. "Let's get some rest then, it will be a long day tomorrow for all of us."

Everyone agreed, hoping to catch at least a couple of hours of sleep before morning. Zishu allowed his husband to pull him into his arms, letting out a content sigh as the older man's warmth enveloped him. Ever since his illness, even though he wasn't affected by the cold much he still disliked it. He didn't consider going back to the boat though, it was too far and too much of a hassle. As long as his zhiji held him it was warm enough.

Chapter Text

His eldest son might think him ignorant for isolating himself in Yue for so long, rarely even leaving the Manor, but Yusen wasn't stupid. He had long known that someone as righteous and brave as Chengfeng would never hide in some unimportant village and ignore the suffering of the people. Yusen had been young and idealistic once too and as much as he had wanted to go to the border and drag Feng'er back home he had understood that his son wasn't a child anymore, but that didn't mean he hadn't tried to keep an ear on the ground for news all the same. He'd spend months lying to his Second Wife about their son's whereabouts and dreading bad news. Back then every other piece of information coming down from the north had also held some gossip about General Gu. The woman who had defended the eastern front, unmatched in skills and power by any man on the battlefield. The Bladed Lotus, one of the Ten Devils of Ghost Valley.

Mirror Lake was connected to one of the principal rivers of the nation and famous for its beauty so even when Yusen didn't go out looking for news, news found him. While allowing strangers to stay overnight at the Manor had its risks, it also had its rewards. In the past Yusen had thought that if Ling'er never got the hang of their Sect's martial arts, at least he could use this particular advantage of theirs to build an information network when he became Sect Leader.

Traveling young heroes and merchants, famous scholars and curious young master and ladies had all heard about the beauty of Mirror Lake Sect. People always called him generous for treating everybody who showed up at his door well, but Yusen was not as kind as some thought. Like everyone else in the world, he also had ulterior motives. When he'd decided to retire from the Jianghu, he'd already planned to use this way to keep informed about the going ons of the world. It was also how he'd found out where Long Que was hiding from a random scholar who hadn't known Yusen would recognize the origins of the fascinating traps he had once encountered in the woods and shared the story over a meal. Back then he hadn't wanted to stir the hornet's nest by going there but he'd made sure that scholar wouldn't share that story anymore either. It was also how he knew a lot about Qingya, he thought, sneaking a glance at Wen Kexing and Zhou Xu riding side by side in front of him, dressed as travelling musicians.

Qingya was in many ways different from their Northern Empire. It was a wealthy nation, not only in riches but also in culture. The Ghost King had united many tribes under his rule, built roads and encouraged trade and cooperation between them. If Yusen had to describe it in one word, he would say Qingya was bright. Qingya's citizens mixed and traveled freely, it was an amalgam of beliefs, traditions and faiths but while the Ghost King had not forbidden the old ways, he had also set rules above all. Women and men were equal, everybody was free and all officials must join the military among them. Some of the most narrow minded officials in the Capital called Qingya wild, but those who had any kind of understanding of the Ghost Army knew that it was anything but. The Ghost Army was extremely disciplined, and they worshiped the Ghost King as a god. A merchant, no matter how wealthy, would never be able to order them around, let alone someone of General Gu's status.

Wen Kexing's power was like a tightly coiled dragon, even if he restrained it it could not be completely contained. When Yusen had first met him, he thought it felt like the heat of a too strong sun on his skin. His beauty was sharp and cold like he was cut from stone, his eyes were like the abyss and his voice like the rumble of the earth. Wen Kexing was the kind of person impossible to ignore, and so was Zhou Xu. If Wen Kexing was a scorching sun that one didn't dare look at, Zhou Xu was a serene moon one never wanted to look away from. A delicate beauty, whose every move was like petals floating in the wind and internal energy soothing like cold water on sunburned skin. 

Yusen sighed. Those two were trying to hide the fragrance of osmanthus under a pile of fallen leaves. The eye couldn't see it, but the nose could still smell it. If his guess was correct and Wen Kexing was the Ghost King and Zhou Xu was Zhou Zishu, the Imperial Consort, then this was even more of a mess than Yusen had originally thought. Not only had Wen Kexing already said that the Ghost King would never let such an insult go but Zhou Zishu had the confidence of Emperor Jin who had been trying to leash the Jianghu for years. They had managed to retain their independence so far but he had the feeling that this time they might not be able to get out of it.

Yusen had even considered that the attack had been a warning against the upcoming Heroes Conference and those had been real Ghosts after all, but then he remembered the rage in General Gu's eyes and knew that whoever had dared attempt to frame the Ghost King had a turbulent future ahead. Ultimately, he didn't think his new companions were a danger to him and his sons. 

Wen Kexing's identity answered many of Yusen's questions, but it rose even more. What has the Ghost King been doing in Yue? Was it really a coincidence or had someone tipped him off about the attack before hand? If he hadn't known, why would he bother with a small Sect like his own that had little influence or power? Maybe he had done it out of kindness or on a whim, he could certainly afford to help people without expecting anything in return, but why stick around after? Why follow him to Longyuan? What business would the Emperor of Qingya have to attend to in Yueyang of all places? Was Wen Kexing after the Glazed Armor too? The thought almost made Yusen laugh. Those idiots fighting over that cursed library, they could study it for a thousand years and would still be dancing monkeys compared to the Ghost King standing before him today. Only fools thought there was a shortcut to power without consequences and the Ghost King hadn't gotten where he was, so far above the rest of them, by being a fool. Maybe he was after the Yin Yang book? But in the end the Yin Yang belonged to the Immortal Physician Valley, whichever secret was written inside it they also held. No matter how reserved and reticent the elders there, someone with such influence and resources would eventually find a way to win them over. Now that he had met him Yusen knew that the thought of the Ghost King running around after broken pieces of glass as if he were a headless chicken was simply laughable, but what did he want? 

The Ghost King didn't need to leave Ghost Valley, anything he needed or desired could be delivered to him. Since the end of his campaign he hasn't left other than to fight the tujue a few months before. Yusen had thought it was because he treasured his privacy. Ghost Valley was sealed so tightly that even if one were to find a way inside, they would not dare utter a word of what they had seen once they left as if afraid death would walk out of their own shadow and strike them down on the spot. You could get gossip out of the Northern Emperor's Inner Palace but not outside of the large and populated Valley. It was only now that he realized all of that didn't mean the Ghost King had never left, only that none of them would ever know if he did. Just as he thought this, he heard his second son call out from his side. "Lord Wen, Lord Zhou, how did you two meet?" 

Yusen inwardly shook his head at his son's awkward question, but Chengluan had always been honest and direct just like his older brother. Of his three sons Ling'er was the most shy, always taking care of his mother and aunts, Feng'er was the best at martial arts and Luan'er the most studious... but he did love reading those useless novels too much. Maybe if he were reading strategy books instead, Yusen wouldn't worry about him so much. He wished he could have found an excuse to leave Chengluan home with his mother, or send him ahead with his older brother, but that would have meant sending Chengling as well, and Ling'er had to stay by his side. As much as he loved his sons, he couldn't risk the Glazed Armor piece falling in the wrong hands.

He held back a sigh, he had failed his two youngest sons. They weren't strong enough to defend themselves now that evil was targeting their family. Only Feng'er didn't make him worry about the future. Maybe it was time to start preparing everything for him to take over. Chengfeng was not the son of his First Wife but he was still the eldest and best at their Sect's martial arts. Ling'er would understand, and they needed someone capable of taking over now. Even if they all survived this mess... the world wouldn't let Yusen and his sworn brothers live peacefully once everything was out in the open. 

"Little brat, am I that scary? Call me Uncle Wen." Wen Kexing clicked his tongue in annoyance, before waving his fan slowly as if lost in the past. Looking at him like this, Yusen could almost believe he was a normal young man.

Luan'er looked at the tall man warily, before mumbling reluctantly. "...Uncle Wen." He had probably expected Zhou Zishu to answer, who seemed far more approachable than his husband, but the beautiful man was acting as if he hadn't heard anything at all, still looking ahead as he rode quietly.

Wen Kexing hummed, answering the original question. "For me and A-Xu it was fate."

"Fate?" The boy asked, and even Chengling and Ye Baiyi who was riding in the back seemed to perk up curiously. Wouldn't Ye Baiyi know the answer, though?

Ye Baiyi was the only unknown in their little party but Yusen had a theory about the white haired man's identity as well. Most of the Generals of Qingya were known in one way or another, but there was one that no one had seen. A traceless presence that had assisted the Ghost King in the last war, the Shadow King. Ye Baiyi had an aura of frigid ice and his eyes were ancient and knowledgeable. If General Gu had trusted him to accompany the Ghost King and the Imperial Consort on his own, his skills and his loyalty had to be unquestionable. It was very likely that Ye Baiyi was this Shadow King, Yusen concluded.

"I was still a young man when I first met A-Xu, who was even younger." Wen Kexing explained in a fake whisper behind his fan, as if shearing an important secret. "That winter had been harsh and people were hungry. I had barely escaped a fight with a gang of bandits alive, I thought for sure I would die there in the snow and A-Xiang would never know what became of me. Fortunately, A-Xu passed by and saw me. He carried me on his back all the way to a nearby village and nursed me back to health. It was love at first sight."

Zhou Zishu turned his head to look at them all with a roll of his eyes. "More like annoyance at first sight. You were a shameless pest."

Wen Kexing grinned proudly at that just as Ling'er spoke eagerly, curious enough to get over his wariness of the strangers. "So you got married then?"

"Of course not..." The Ghost King sighed, a faraway look in his eyes that seemed way too genuine. "A-Xu was of the North, and I was from Qingya. We each had our duties." He explained. "We didn't see each other for many years after but who would have known we'd be reunited by fate? I never forgot A-Xu and refused to even look at any proposals, always throwing the letters into the fire. I knew no one would ever compare to the one already in my heart but my aunt had been growing increasingly worried about me overworking myself, with no one by my side to take care of me, and eventually forced to hear one out. It was from A-Xu's family." He smiled softly for a moment, love flashing through his eyes as he looked at his husband. Zhou Zishu rolled his eyes again when the tall man gasped dramatically. "I was shocked and sent her to negotiate immediately. I swore that since fate bought us back together I would not allow it to part us again, and I intend to keep that promise."

Yusen listened intently to the story, not speaking a word as the chatter around him continued, and decided it had to be part of their cover. What kind of bandit in this world could best the Ghost King in battle? Still... a part of him became doubtful. Wen Kexing's adoration for his consort was clear as the waters that surrounded Yusen's manor. It had been a shock to the world when news of the marriage alliance had leaked, so much so that even Yusen hadn't been able to escape gossip about it in his own home. Everywhere he turned the servants and disciples were whispering about it, even his own wives had asked him his thoughts! The ruthless warlord who had refused beauties from all corners of the known world had accepted a marriage alliance. The Ghost King could have taken advantage of Emperor Jin's inexperience and the chaotic situation left behind by his predecessor yet he hadn't, instead he had increased the security around Ghost Valley and done everything in his power for the marriage to happen smoothly and timely. After the wedding, when hundreds if not thousands of assassins had ruthlessly been killed trying to reach the Imperial Consort the Ghost King had shown absolutely no mercy, and not long after a river of healers entered and left the Valley. Three nations had turned every stone and read every star looking for a cure that didn't exist. Even if they tried to hide the reason, people had talked. In the end the person those three leaders had in common was only Zhou Zishu, the Imperial Consort of Qingya was the cousin of Emperor Jin and the Imperial Consort of the South was also their cousin. When people expected the worse and prepared for the Ghost King's reaction should something happen to his consort, no bad news were announced and the search was abruptly stopped. No matter how one looked at it, whether there feelings had been involved in the beginning or not, everyone had long known that the Ghost King valued his consort. Now Yusen could even see it with his own eyes how favored Zhou Zishu was. Not only was he allowed to leave the Valley and act as he pleased, but Wen Kexing treated him as if he were a precious pearl in the palm of his hand. Could it be that he had truly lost him once and was willing to shake the Heavens to ensure it never happened again?

Wen Kexing kept whispering mysteriously, spinning an unbelievable tale, until Zhou Zishu reached out and and pinched his side, an annoyed look on his otherworldly beautiful face. "Lao Wen, stop sprouting nonsense."

"A-Xu..." Wen Kexing whined, rubbing his arm, but indeed fell silent as he pouted at his husband. No matter how much of the story was fake, Yusen didn't think the feeling were. Not anymore. Who would have thought that that ruthless Ghost King had not been stopped by any sword, but by love?

Sighing, he looked at Wen Kexing again. Yusen owed him too much already, had it not been for him Mirror Lake Sect would have been turned to ashes. Now, Yusen still had his family and the chance to rebuild. Yusen owed Wen Kexing a lot and he would never be able to repay him in this life, even if Wen Kexing were the King of Hell he would still be greatful. If he wanted to go to Longyuan, Yusen would take him to Longyuan and his reasons were his own, he decided. The game was already set and the stones were on the board, all they could do now was keep going.

Chapter Text

Zishu stood by the river as he weighed the bamboo pieces in his hands, mind wandering. Fate... He sighed to himself. If Lao Wen had waited for fate to reunite them, they might never have seen each other again before Zishu died. Back when he'd gotten married the former assassin hadn't been in the right state of mind to question things and it was only after his illness had passed that he'd started doing so. Zishu was the best spy the Northern Empire has ever had, he didn't need torture. With enough time, he could get whatever information he wanted. After finally putting it all together, he had wanted to be mad at Lao Wen and Helian Yi for not telling him the truth but he couldn't bring himself to be. 

The northern court had turned against him. He had known it would happen once his cousin became emperor, he just hadn't expected it to happen so fast. It was why he hadn't thought his people were hiding anything for him, only that they didn't need his input in dealing with the situation at court anymore. The truth was that what stung the most wasn't being kept in the dark. It was that he, off all people, had been manipulated in such a way and hadn't even realized it. Not only had Helian Yi hid the situation from him but Lao Wen had also been aware of it and hadn't said anything about it after... The beautiful man had ordered his people to keep an eye on Zishu, had ordered them to send Zishu to the Valley should that very situation arrive. How else would the Window of Heaven had even found a portrait of the Ghost King if Qingya's spies hadn't leaked it to them? How would they have known what orders they had regarding him? His husband and his cousin might never admit to anything but Lao Meng and Bi Chengfeng hadn't been able to hide it from him once he'd started digging about it... They've worked together even when they hadn't realized the other side had the same goal.

Zishu ran his thumb over the surface of the wood, comparing its properties, shaking those thoughts away. The past was long gone and the situation was now different, it didn't matter anymore. He had stopped caring about the circumstances of his wedding long before figuring out the entire truth anyway. Just as he thought that, an arm wrapped around his middle from behind, pulling him against a strong chest and he relaxed, allowing himself to lean against his zhiji.

Soft lips touched the side of his neck as his husband hummed quietly against his skin. "What has my A-Xu so deep in thought today? Are you worried about A-Xiang? She must have reached Yueyang by now."

"It's been a long time since I held a whittling knife in my hand, I just want to see if I can remember." Zishu answered, lifting the two pieces of bamboo so the older man could see them. His Die had thought him when he was young but Zishu hadn't used the skill much. Back then he'd thought it was a waste of time when he could train his martial arts instead. Since their cover was pretending to be musicians, Lao Wen had placed his sword in a wooden case and wrapped it gray gauze to carry on his back, saying it was a custom made qin. Zishu had a jade xiao hanging from his belt but he wanted to try his hand at carving one himself from bamboo. And about A-Xiang... he had never been worried.

"She's not alone." He countered. "Han Ying and Axinlai are there, and Jiuxiao and Jing An are also supposed to join them soon enough. Besides, I trust her." Even though she had been a wild little thing when he'd first met her she had applied herself and succeeded in all of her lessons, there was nothing more Zishu could teach her. No matter what they threw at her in Yueyang, she would be able to handle it. He turned around in his husband's arms, kissing him softly. "It's you who's worried." He teased.

"I'm not." The beautiful man denied, looking away with a pout before his face suddenly turned serious, the arms around Zishu tensing slightly. "... Did you hear that?"

"Be careful." Zishu whispered against his husband's lips as he concentrated on his hearing. They were still far but someone was sneaking towards their camp, using the dense woods as cover. Lao Wen always dealt with the trouble that seemed to be following the companions around before they could figure it out, he didn't want the boys to worry even if he didn't care much about Zhang Yusen. This was already the fifth time. 

"My husband is so sweet to me." The older man grinned as he stepped away and Zishu rolled his eyes. "I'm just worried you will leave too much of a mess behind and attract more attention to us."

"I take it back. So mean..." His zhiji muttered under his breath as he turned away from him.

Zishu watched until he faded into the shadow between the trees before he left the riverside as well and went to sit against a log closer to the fire. Zhang Yusen was sitting quietly as usual, he'd rarely spoken since they've set out. Ye Baiyi was watching Zhang Chengluan attempting to teach Zhang Chengling some hand to hand move to no avail. The middle Zhang sibling was never going to be a master, but he seemed to have a decent grasp of the techniques. The youngest though... Zishu had studied various methods over the years and it was obvious Mirror Lake's style didn't work for Zhang Chengling. He shook his head inwardly and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Zhang Chengling wasn't his problem.

"Little brat, come here." He heard Ye Baiyi call out in annoyance after a while, and the two boys stop in their tracks. "Master Ye?" Zhang Chengling asked quietly.

"Give me your wrist." The irascible man snapped, only to snorting loudly. "Like I thought. Tell me, little brat, why do you think you're not progressing in your training?"

"Because I'm too dumb to understand it?" Zhang Chengling asked, a little uncertain.

"Whoever told you that is too dumb to live." Ye Baiyi huffed. "Little brat, the reason you struggle is because you are trying to use a hammer when you should be using a knife. You are not made for the style of your Sect." The older man explained, sounding even more annoyed than before. The boy really wasn't dumb, even though he had just been through a shock he had been picking up survival skills along the way simply from watching.

Intrested to see where this was going, Zishu opened his eyes to see Zhang Chengling sitting next to the white haired man with a scared look on his face. "But I am a direct descendant of the Zhang family, every member of our family has used this style for six generations!"

It seemed the little idiot must have misunderstood Ye Baiyi's meaning, but the older man didn't pay attention to that at all as he huffed. "Then they must have been crippling their members for six generations! Masters these days, trying to have their disciples copy their moves like mindless monkeys just to make themselves feel superior to the rest of the world. Utterly pathetic!" The older man sneered. It wasn't the first time Zishu had heard him complain about the subject, it would probably not be the last... Ye Baiyi loved to complain about it. "No two trees of the same kind also grow the same, little brat. Every branch bends it's own way."

"I don't understand." Zhang Chengling answered, frowning down at his own hands. His brother also looked confused, still standing where they had been practicing. 

The former immortal shook his head, pointing to the woods around them as he continued speaking. "In this entire forest you won't find two identical trees even if they grew from the seed of the same fruit, just like two people can never be identical even if they are born of the same parents. Your Sect's style was suitable for your father, and it's suitable for your brothers but that doesn't mean it must be suitable for you. Being unable to learn that one specific style doesn't make you stupid, it makes your teachers incompetent for not realizing the problem sooner. Do you understand now?"

"I... think so." The boy started, still hesitant and Ye Baiyi sighed, exasperated. "Tell me, have you heard of the Ghost King and the Shadow King?" The older man asked. 

Zhang Chengling nodded, eyes brightening. "The Chief of Ghost Valley and one of his Generals."

Zishu sent a warning look at Ye Baiyi when it seemed like he wanted to correct Zhang Chengling and the white haired man shrugged. "Close enough." Ye Baiyi declared.

"The Shadow King was adopted, but took to his father's teachings like a duck to water. The Ghost King was his father's biological son, yet his father's moves didn't fit him. In terms of internal energy, they are equal, yet their styles could not be more different. Power comes in different forms." The man said as he used his internal energy to send a gust of wind into the fire, causing it to flare up in a blaze. The warmth almost stung on Zishu's skin and both Zhang Chengling and Zhang Chengluan flinched back in shock. "The Ghost King is like earth and fire, the Shadow King is like water and wind." Ye Baiyi added calmly as he let the fire die back down to normal. "The Ghost King will crush and raze everything on the path, the Shadow King will split the path in two. One is the river that runs through the valley, the other is the cliffs that keeps it safe. One is the raging forest fire, the other is the breeze that fuels it. One is strong and devastating, the other fast and accurate. One is the mountain, tall and intimidating, the other is the lake, deep and mysterious. Breathtakingly beautiful from a distance, but equally dangerous to cross. If asked to complete the same task, they will both succeed, but their methods will be different." The white haired man explained and even Zhang Yusen, who was considered an accomplished master, seemed immersed in the words now, curious where Ye Baiyi was going with his explanation. Zishu had to admit that when he wanted to, the white haired man could be compelling.

The former immortal took a sip of wine from his flask and pulled a loquat from his bag. "Take this for example. Imagine that the seed inside is the heart. If you asked them to destroy the heart the Ghost King would leave it shattered and unrecognisable, while the Shadow King would do it in such a delicate way that even the most skilled healer would be unable to tell what had caused it to stop. If you tied something to the top of a pole and asked them to get it without flying up there, the Ghost King would use his internal energy to shatter the pole, bring it down and get the object while the Shadow King would use his internal energy to cut the rope from a distance and catch the object while it fell. If you hid something inside a puzzle box, the Ghost King would break the box and leave it as a warning, while the Shadow King would solve the puzzle, steal the object and put the box back so you won't even notice it's gone for a long time. They fight so well together because they complement each other seamlessly."

Once the older man finished speaking, the Zhangs looked at him in wonder for a long moment before Zhang Chengling nodded in understanding, slamming a fist against his palm as if he had just figured something out. "The Ghost King is a hammer, the Shadow King is a knife!" He grinned, breaking the silence.

"Now you're getting it." Ye Baiyi also grinned, patting him none too gently on the shoulder. "See, you are not that dumb. Of course, those two are a different breed of monster but you don't have to worry about that yet. You are a long way from learning that which doesn't come naturally to you. One day, if you try hard enough you might become a hammer, but first you need to learn how to cut like a knife. Now, if you really want to learn martial arts you will go to the silly brat over there..." He said, pointing to Zishu, who glared at him in warning. "...and kowtow really fast, maybe he will teach you something useful."

"Uncle Zhou?" Zhang Chengling blinked at the older man incredulously.

"What? Did the crazy brat's coddling make you think he's fragile?" Ye Baiyi laughed and Zhang Chengling looked down with a shrug. The former immortal sighted, shaking his head. "He's perfectly capable of taking care of himself, he just enjoys shamelessly allowing his husband to do everything for him... One more thing, brat." He added, ignoring Zishu's constant glares, and grabbed Zhang Chengling's arm to stop him as the boy got up. "As swiftly as the Shadow King can prepare poison he can also mix medicine and just as unflinchingly as the Ghost King can break one's bones, he can also ease one's pain. Nature can be as nurturing as it can be destroying, never forget that a true master of martial arts is capable of both. Only you can decide how to use your own skills." The boy nodded quietly, bowing to the older man before he turned away. 

"No." Zishu said decisively before Zhang Chengling had even walked around the fire then he sighed, ignoring the child standing awkwardly in front of him as continued to look straight at the former immortal. "Senior Ye, I'm already retired. Why must you insist on making life more difficult for me?"

"Because his family has already failed him." The white haired man declared unashamed.

"Senior Ye." He sighed again, turning to the Sect Leader who hadn't uttered a word yet. "Forgive our senior, Brother Zhang. He's spent many years in seclusion, away from social interactions." Not to say Zishu didn't agree with the older man. Zhang Yusen had indeed failed his son. If Ye Baiyi didn't believe he had great potential, he never would have considered pointing him Zishu's way. 

Zhang Yusen shook his head. His complexion had recovered over the last few days but he still looked tired from travel and the sleeve of his missing arm swayed freely in the breeze. "These is no need to apologize, Senior Ye is right." He admitted, hurt flashing in his eyes. "I have grown complacent with age and I've failed my son. If Brother Zhou could teach him, I would be in your debt again."

"See." Ye Baiyi snorted, waving his sleeve at the Sect Leader. "Even the brat's brat of a father agrees with me, and between you and your crazy husband, you're the one less likely to break him. He's already older than most disciples are when they learn this, if you wait to find someone else to dump his teaching on he will be even older. Do you want to cripple his potential because you're too afraid you'd break him?" The older man asked, uncharacteristically serious.

Zishu didn't answer directly but he kept his face expressionless and looked the boy up and down. Most sect disciples started learning when they were six or seven but that didn't mean it was impossible for someone to start learning martial arts later in life. Zhang Chengling was not yet fifteen, and he wasn't done growing yet. Zishu snatched the boy's wrist sending a small stream of internal energy through his meridians. Even though the boy's skills were bad, his meridians were naturally wide and unobstructed. He could still become a great master one day if he dedicated himself enough. Letting the thin hand go, he sighed. 

"Fine." He relented. "But I'm only teaching him a few things. I'm not taking him as a disciple." He hadn't even formally taken A-Xiang as a disciple, and wasn't planning to accept this brat either even if Ye Baiyi was right about him not wanting to cripple his potential further.

"Sit down, I'm going to teach you a meditation technique." The former assassin patted the grass in front of him and waited until Zhang Chengling followed his instructions.

"Meditation?" The boy asked, wincing as Zishu fixed his posture.

"One must first prepare the land before they start planting the seeds." The former assassin declared. Zhang Chengling might have been born with larger meridians, but there was little to nothing running through them. "If I start teaching you before you have enough internal energy of your own, it will only end up hurting you. I am more demanding than those teachers you've had before, what you have now isn't enough. The kind of demage done by rushing things might never be undone. Remember that." Zishu was strict but he had never pushed someone to their breaking point, not even while in the Window of Heaven. A broken subordinate was worse than a stupid one, they were a liability. Only an idiot would break his own men like that. 

"Yes, Shi... I mean, Uncle Zhou." The boy nodded eagerly.

"Good. Now close your eyes and take a deep breath." He ordered, placing a palm on the boy's back and circulating the meager reserves of power for him. "Feel what I'm doing and start doing it on your own."

It took a few moments before he felt Zhang Chengling's breathing even out as he fell into a meditative state. Just as he removed his hand, he heard quiet footsteps approaching from behind. The boy didn't even notice, Zishu would have to teach him how to retain his awareness of his surroundings while meditating another time. 

"What did I miss?" His husband whispered curiously in his ear as he sat down next to him.

"I just found out that Senior Ye is indeed an annoying old tortoise." Zishu hummed as he leaned against the beautiful man, closing his eyes again. The shoulder under his head shook with laughter and Zishu held back a laugh of his own when he heard Ye Baiyi hiss under his breath that he was just a lazy brat.

Zishu wondered how things were going in Yueyang, maybe if he was lucky when they got there he might be able to pass this brat to Han Ying. Han Ying was more patient than him, and kinder. Yes, passing him off to Han Ying sounded like a good idea, Zishu decided. He would just... teach him a few things until then, that was all. 

Chapter Text

A-Xiang tapped her chopsticks against her bowl, growing increasingly annoyed with the scene across the restaurant. Fengyang had been an important gathering spot for martial artists in Yueyang for many decades, so one of their spies had bought it when the previous owner had passed away. Any information one wanted could be found here but this time the princess hadn't even had to use any secret code before those morons had showed up. After hearing the whispers from the rest of the guests, she'd simply asked the waiter. Apparently this lowlife by the name of Liu and his herd of dimwits has been causing trouble all over town for years and no one seemed to be doing anything about it because his family was wealthy. The behavior had only gotten worse as the bastard got older. A-Xiang had came here to look for an opportunity to make her presence known, but the opportunity had found her instead. Always take advantage of the situation presented to you. She could make a scene and teach this imbecile a lesson while she was at it. It could be considered doing a good deed, she thought to herself, pretending to be bored.

It didn't take long for the idiots to get drunk. Just as the waiter had told her would happen, their voices became louder and their actions lewd. At first it was only a few comments here and there, before they focused their attention on the shy female musician.

Yueyang Sect disciples were constantly patrolling the streets in large groups Through the window A-Xiang had seen three groups pass by the restaurant since this herd of thugs has started getting rowdy, yet none of them had intervened. Cowards and lowlifes, A-Xiang hated them all. If this were Qing City Liu and his ilk would have been dragged away and severely punished but here they have been acting however they liked for years. Those who wanted to stop them didn't have the power, and those who had the power didn't have the will. It was absolutely disgusting! Out of all the people in the restaurant, no one got up to call for help or protest such behavior. Only one young man sitting alone to her left seemed ready to intervene. He had looked like he'd swallowed a lemon for a while and his hand was white on the hilt of his sword. Too bad A-Xiang wasn't going to give him a chance to be a hero, even if she hadn't been planning to attract attention to herself she wouldn't have ignored this. She was going to give those scums a taste of what it felt like to be weak at the mercy of someone more powerful than you, she thought, as she got to her feet.

"If she doesn't know the song, how about I entertain you for a while?" A-Xiang asked with an obviously fake smile on her face, walking closer.

She had left A-Feng in Han Ying's care and had came out with just Hong Lu and Yun Zai dressed as maids. Even though she wore her usual narrow sleeves and short robes, they were still fine and expensive enough to identify her as a nothing more than a rich noble lady. To a bunch of drunk morons, she didn't come across as dangerous at all. They probably thought she was too naive and stupid to know what she was doing and gathered around her like vultures. The young man who had been ready to act before was halfway up from his seat to defend her when A-Xiang vanished from her spot only to reappear a moment later. All the men around her fell to their knees, horror on their faces when they realized they couldn't move anymore. Such braggarts, but they didn't even have any internal energy to fight back now that she had blocked their acupoints. The young man fell back into his seat, mouth half open, and the old musician dragged his daughter closer to A-Xiang's maids, sensing it would be safer there. In the lower level of the restaurant people seemed to be frozen in shock for a moment, before half of them ran away in fright and the other half gathered closer to watch... like carrion birds, she sneered inwardly.

"Yun Zai, my whip." She held out her hand, before addressing the rest of her guards. "Line them up."

"Yes, My Lady." They answered, moving as one to follow her order. Now that they were finally allowed to act her two guards didn't show any mercy as they dragged the five drunk man along the hard floor, forcing them to kneel with their backs to A-Xiang. Though they could not move, and as such couldn't even tremble in fear, they could still speak and A-Xiang ignored their mumbling begging as the hilt of her whip was placed in her outstretched hand. With a loud crack she let the tip hit the floor before lifting it, landing a hard slash against the one first from the right. His cry was loud enough that even if no one had reported the fight already, the patrolling disciples had certainly heard it. Maintaining an expressionless face she slowly lifted the whip again, this time aiming at the next in line. Every time it landed they squealed like pigs and by the time she got to the last one a squad of Yueyang disciples were already rushing up the stairs.

The one in the front almost tripped at the sight before forcing a calm look on his face and greeted her politely with a bow. "I am Zhu Yaozhi from the Yueyang Sect. May I ask who started trouble in the Five Lakes Alliance's area?"

The princess lowered the whip, allowing her arm to rest at her side, before turning to face him with a raised eyebrow. "May I ask if this is how all disciples of the great Five Lakes Alliance conduct themselves? Accusing innocent people of starting trouble? Is it uncommon here to investigate and get all the facts first? Do you always judge without proof?"

"I..." Zhu Yaozhi trailed off as he gathered his thoughts, looking at the kneeling lowlifes for a moment before looking at her again. A-Xiang didn't give him a chance to continue. "Or is it that you do have all the information and it is considered righteous to sexually harass someone in these parts?" She demanded.

His eyes widened, looking around before leaning closer to her with a whisper. "Miss, may you please lower your voice? Of course Yueyang Sect doesn't condone such things as sexual harassment!"

"And yet here you are, asking me to lower my voice." She snorted. "No one came to ask them to lower their voices when they were making a ruckus, disturbing other costumers and assaulting defenseless people!"

Zhu Yaozhi frowned at her for a moment before he turned to ask the kneeling lowlife. "Young Mater Liu, does she speak the truth?"

Angered by the action, A-Xiang resisted the urge to whip at him too. "You accused me of starting trouble before you even knew the situation but are willing to take his word for it now? Why? Is it because I am a woman or is it because I am a stranger!?" She shook her head with a sigh. "Do you even know how to conduct a proper investigation or is that not taught in the Yueyang Sect? Don't ask him! Ask the witnesses! Is this how the Jianghu teaches their disciples?! Marvelous!" She snorted and raised her whip again, letting it land on the first in line again.

"Miss, this is Yueyang Sect territory! You can't just whip people as you please!" Zhu Yaozhi protested indignantly. 

"Why can't I?" She inquired, head tilted curiously. "It seems to me that in Yueyang everyone can act as they wish without regard of manners or laws of the empire. These lowlifes disturbed my meal by acting like uncouth savages. Since no one else is going to teach them a lesson, I will do it myself." As soon as she rose her hand again Zhu Yaozhi moved to stop her and found a knife at his neck instead, causing him to freeze in place, wide eyed. His Sect brothers had no choice but to stand down as well. A-Xiang threw her whip to Hong Lu, who caught it easily.

"Even if you write a letter to the Emperor to report me later, I will not mind. Should he summon me, I will gladly answer." She declaired, keeping her knife steady, turning around to keep her eyes on the kneeling lowlifes and completely disregarding the Yueyang disciples that had came to stop her. "Ten lashes each. Don't hold back."

Hong Lu nodded, before following her order without mercy. Her guards had once been sold into prostitution, men that treated women the way these ones did they hated the most. What followed was a cacophony of screams and by the time she was done, Liu and his gang were a whimpering mess. Pathetic, the princess thought. They wouldn't have survived half a day in the war. A-Xiang almost laughed as she slipped her dagger back up her sleeve and took a step back.  

"Since you're so concerned about them, you can take them now. Should you need to find me later leave a message here, someone will deliver it to me." She told the still stunned Yueyang disciples and, not caring if they listened or not, she ordered Yun Zai to hand the young musician and her father some pieces of silver. While she had saved them, she also felt a little guilty for taking advantage of the situation they had found themselves in and not stopping those lowlifes sooner. They bowed lowly and followed reluctantly after the Yueyang disciples who were carrying Liu and his dimwits out. With the show over the crowd also lost interest and left to their seats, the only one left staring at her was the young man from earlier. He had never left his seat, she noticed. Not even when Zhu Yaozhi had showed up.

"What are you staring at? Want a taste of my whip too?" A-Xiang snapped. When she got no answer she clicked her tongue, snapping him out of his daze.

"Whaaa..." He waved his hand in front of himself quickly. "No! No. I only... I only thought that your food must have gotten cold so I could... treat you to a... meal?" He eventually stuttered out.

"Huh?" The young man had a dumb smile on his face as if he hadn't witnessed her whip someone bloody... He must be an idiot, A-Xiang decided. The same kind of wrong in the head as her gege who got all bothered whenever Zishu-gege acted like this. He always dragged his husband away to get disgusting with each other after. This one was... kind of cute for a crazy person though, she thought as she sat down with a grin of her own.

"I'm Cao Weining, from the Gentle Wind Sword Sect." He introduced himself enthusiastically as he waved a waiter their way and ordered a kind of duck dish to be bought to their table.

Gentle Wind Sword Sect? Wasn't that the Sect led by that ugly fox Mo Huaiyang who had allied himself with Zhao Jing? Though... this Cao Weining seemed too upright to be aware of such schemes.

"You're cute, Cao Weining." She answered, enjoying the blush that blooms on his cheeks. "I'm Gu Xiang." She introduced herself simply and Cao Weining started reciting poetry about her name. Zishu-gege always seemed irritated whenever her ge would do this but A-Xiang found that it felt... kind of nice.

By the time the food was bought over, A-Xiang found herself in a good mood again and couldn't help but smile when the first bite of meat melted on her tongue.

"Miss Gu, do you also like tasting new food?" Cao Weining asked curiously and she found herself answering honestly. "When I was young my ge would often leave home for long periods of time. When he came back he always brought me all kinds of candy and foods from the places he went to. Seeing me enjoy them made him happy so I ate them all even when I didn't like the taste..." A small smile tugged at her lips as she thought of it. It was much later that she found out that every time her ge left he had gone to war, not knowing if he would ever return. "Later, he would take me to town all the time to try new foods."

"Miss Gu's older brother sounds like a kind man." The cute man hummed.

"He is. My parents died when I was young, he raised me." A-Xiang answer, thinking of all the things her ge had done for her. She couldn't help but think that had anyone ever treated her the way those lowlifes had treated that young woman earlier, he would have skinned them alive for days. 

"He did a good job." Cao Weining declared. "My Shifu and Sect Leader Gao are good friends, I visit Yueyang often and am familiar with the city. Maybe I could take you to some other places some day?" He asked and A-Xiang thought it over carefully. If the offer still stood by the time he found out who she was, she would take him up on it she decided before nodding.

She spent the rest of her day with Cao Weining, putting everything else out of her mind and enjoying the moment. Later that night she was staring out the window of her temporary room, an invitation to Yueyang Manor for the next day in her hand.

"Your Highness, are you sure about this?" Hong Lu asked from her side. 

A-Xiang hummed. "Do you know what men like them hate most in this world?"

"Men more powerful than they are." Yun Zai answered for her.

"Women more powerful than they are." The princess corrected.

Her guards frowned before Hong Lu spoke again. "But wouldn't it be better to stay hidden and watch what happens from the shadows? Investigate while they don't know we are here?" 

"If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared; appear where you are not expected." A-Xiang quoted without having to think about it. She had read those books so many times she could even recite them in her dreams. The princess was sure about her plan. No matter how united they were, since they were the only ones supposed to know where the pieces of the Glazed Armor were, they would eventually suspect each other. Her presence at this time and knowledge about the upcoming conference would rattle them, and their inability to control her would irritate them. When the time was right Jiuxiao-gege could use his skills with skin masks to prove to Xie Wang just how little Zhao Jing valued him and take away his greatest weapon. Soon, she thought, hand tightening into a fist... soon Zhao Jing was going to pay for all the pain her Niang and ge had suffered.

"What about Cao Weining?" Yun Zai inquired curiously. 

An involuntary smile tugged at her lips, hand relaxing, as though of the time she had spent together with Cao Weining and how she had ended up paying for their meal because his money pouch had been stolen. The embarrased look on face when she had offered had been adorable. A-Xiang had never thought she'd meet such a decent man in the Jianghu. In this world where the strong ate the weak it was so rare for someone to maintain such a positive outlook on life, yet this young man was still kind and open minded. 

"What about him? He doesn't know anything, let him be." She ordered. Cao Weining was truly... interesting. Maybe the Jianghu was not all bad, she thought to herself. 

Chapter Text

Gao Chong listened to the story with a deep frown on his face. Yaozhi was one of his most trusted disciples, if he said something the Sect Leader was inclined to believe that was how it had happened. Even if he sometimes tried to play down some of his shidi's mistakes to help them get out of punishments, he would never exaggerate something like this.

"Brother, you must send someone after this woman to arrest her!" His youngest sworn brother yelled, looking angry enough to spit blood. Gao Chong couldn't blame him, he was equally angry, but he had long grown out of the impulsiveness Shen Shen insisted to hold on to even now. Hadn't his brother realized that such action without thought to consequence never lead anywhere good? Zhao Jing on the other hand was wringing his hands, looking worried. His Second Brother has had a hard time lately, his business failing one after another and disciples seceding. His Second Brother had never been the most courageous of them and now that his life was falling apart around him, he had become even more cowardly. Gao Chong sighed to himself, if only Zhang Yusen were still talking to him he wouldn't have to deal with everything alone. Thinking about that sent a needle through his heart, as he didn't even know where his Fourth Brother was, only that he had survived.

Rubbing his temples, he considered the situation carefully before he finally answered. "No." 

This young woman might have seemed unruly but everything she had said and did had deeper meaning. She had dared punish someone publicly, choosing a target generally disliked so the common people wouldn't even blame her. The people of Yueyang had long been growing dissatisfied with the Liu family, but they were powerful. Martial Sects didn't have the same support from the throne as government officials. Though they performed similar duties and even collected taxes in their cities, they didn't have much influence in the political world. Gao Chong hadn't wanted to alienate the Liu family unless their actions were truly inexcusable. The youngest son acting uncouth wasn't reason enough to risk anything, yet this woman showed that she didn't fear a family like the Liu. She had declared that she was not afraid even of meeting the Emperor and blamed them of not abiding by the laws of the Empire. If one paid attention, she had covertly accused them of both incompetence and planning a rebellion. No one would dare act this arrogantly by relying solely on their own ability, it was because she knew that even if they caught her they wouldn't dare touch her. To have such confidence, she had to be sure that the power behind her outweighed that of the Five Lakes Alliance. She had refused to introduce herself, probably because her name would have been recognized, and intentionally told Yaozhi how to contact her...

Inwardly gritting his teeth Gao Chong picked up his brush and started writing a polite invitation to the Manor on a blank piece of paper. Once dry, he folded it and handed it to Yaozhi. "Wait until later tonight and deliver this invitation to her." He ordered, not wanting to seem too eager or scared by summoning her right away. "It's obviously what she was after in the first place so let's give it to her and see what we are really dealing with."

His disciple nodded and he dismissed everyone for the day, wishing to be alone for a while. The next day he called his brothers to the main hall and waited for Yaozhi to show his 'guest' in. 

The woman was younger than he had expected. Martial artist rarely showed their true age, but there were always signs one could look for. The Sect Leader had thought that someone so daring must have more experience but she couldn't be older than his own eldest daughter. For the blink of an eye she seemed familiar to him, before the feeling faded away. She was dressed in a bright purple riding outfit, with leather vambraces and a sword next to the rope whip he'd heard about. Her hair was held up in a high ponytail by a leather piece with dark colored beads hanging from it. Everything she wore was subtle but obviously of the highest quality. By the style he couldn't place her origin, she didn't look like she came from a noble or merchant family.

Cupping her fist in her hand, her spine remained perfectly straight as she spoke in a clear voice that carried across the room. "Sect Leader Gao, it is an honor to meet the Iron Judge. Tales of your fairness and wisdom have reached even our humble lands." 

The Sect Leader held back a grimace at the words. After the scene she had caused the day before it couldn't be more clear that she was mocking him, but that was indeed what rumors said about him so there was nothing he could even do about it. 

"Such insolence!" His youngest brother spit, jumping up from his seat. "Just who do you think you are?!"

"Brother!" His Second Brother scolded, pulling Shen Shen back down to his seat.

The young woman didn't even pay any attention to their antics, her eyes not straying from Gao Chong as she continued. "This one is Gu Xiang of Ghost Valley."

The Sect Leader felt the blood in his veins turn to ice and had to force himself not to react. Next to him, Shen Shen's further protests got stuck in his throat and Zhao Jing visibly flinched back. In Ghost Valley there was only on person by the surname Gu who would be recognized by name everywhere and that was General Gu, one of the Ten Devils and a hero beloved by the common people for her contributions to the war. This was much worse than a merchant with connections to the royal family or a rebellious noble lady! Much worse!

Before the Ghost King had sent her to defend the eastern front no one had heard about the Bladed Lotus. It was Beauty Ghost who had accompanied the Ghost King in his campaign as his most trusted General for decades. When the war had started everyone had expected that she would follow him this time as well but Beauty Ghost had remained nowhere to be seen. Instead he had gone to the frontline with only the mysterious Shadow King by his side as a trusted advisor and sent this little girl to the eastern front. Since then General Gu had proven herself by holding strong against wave after wave from the enemy army and nearly crushing them completely by the end of the war.

"Sect Leader Gao, I am greatful for your invitation. In fact, before I received it I have already been planning to visit Yueyang Manor." She continued calmly. Though she had a spine of steel and refused to acknowledge their status with even a nod, she had an elegant and refined air about her that was far from the wildling he had expected. 

"You see, on my way to Yueyang I have passed through Yue just in time to thwart an attack on Mirror Lake Sect. Most of the assassins have been killed in the fight except for the leader. Unfortunately, before I could hand him over to Sect Leader Zhang, he had vanished together with his sons." As she explained, she gestured with her hand and two female guards dragged a tied up man inside the hall, throwing him to the ground. "Since you are his eldest sworn brother, I will hand him over to you now." 

Geo Chong had already known about the incident, Deng Kuan having told him everything when he had returned that morning. When they had seen the fire his disciples had rushed to help but all the boats had been sabotaged. They've feared for the worst until his Fourth Brother's wives and other survivors had appeared in town the next morning. Deng Kuan hadn't been aware though of whom exactly had saved them, only that they had been convinced the Ghosts who had attacked them were fake. 

"Have you questioned him?" He asked, glaring furiously at the blank faced man.

"I have. Since they have been attempting to dress as Ghosts, I wanted to know who dared to frame our Chief but he refuses to speak at all. If Sect Leader Gao has more luck than I did, please share." General Gu answered, it was obviously a lie. Though tied up, there were no signs of torture or distress on the man. There were interrogation techniques that didn't involve that, of course, but he refused to believe General Gu wouldn't have covered all bases with a prisoner that wouldn't speak. Which meant that she hadn't needed to question him... but if that was the case and she wasn't sharing her thoughts it could only mean she suspected one of them. Bringing the prisoner to them had nothing to do with Zhang Yusen having ran, she was testing them. 

"Of course." He agreed, inwardly greeting his teeth.

"Then I shall no longer bother the Sect Leader with my presence." She saluted again before turning to her guards without giving him the chance to answer. "Let's go."

As soon as she was gone, Gao Chong slammed his palm on the seat next to him hard enough to hear it crack. "I should have never listened to you!" He hissed, glaring at his brothers as he ordered a couple of disciples to drag the prisoner to a cell and watch him.

Even if they wrote to the Emperor, she would gladly answer... General Gu had done more in Yue than save Mirror Lake Sect, she knew exactly what their letter to Zhang Yusen had said and all but informed them that their accusations were baseless! Gao Chong should never have allowed Zhao Jing's paranoia and Shen Shen's impulsiveness to blind him! "As long as she is in this city, no one will touch a hair on her head!" He ordered, wishing he could slap some sense into his past self.

Emperor Jin had had an axe to grind against the Jianghu ever since his cousin had become a Sect Leader at the age of fifteen and all of them had descended on him like vultures, making him have to flee to the Capital and leave his home behind. Not only was the Ghost King married to said cousin now and treasured him greatly, they had also managed to piss him off!

Gao Chong resisted the urge to rub at his face... Had they known about the wedding beforehand, how could anyone in the Jianghu have allowed Zhou Zishu to reach Ghost Valley? Emperor Jin had already been in laws with the Great Shaman, the Jianghu would never have allowed the two of them to become family with the Ghost King as well but they had covered their tracks too well, by the time news of the alliance had been leaked Zhiu Zishu had already been married off behind impenetrable walls. No matter how they've tried, they hadn't been able to reach him. Gao Chong had thought, even if they couldn't take him out, they could wait for the three emperors to turn against each other. Three tigers could not live on the same mountain and royal brothers always ended up turning against each other, all they had to do was be patient... but years have passed, the relationship between the three nations was ever growing stronger. Now that the country was stable and Emperor Jin had the court under control, he had been pushing against the Jianghu more and more. The Sect Leader had allowed himself to be convicted that things had changed since the war, but it seemed those three had never had any intention of betraying each other at all!

"How do we even know this is not a trap? This could be part of the Ghost King's plan!" His youngest brother protested angrily. "Wipe out Mirror Lake Sect and then turn us against each other, watch while we destroy ourselves!"

"No." Gao Chong shook his head. "He wouldn't use this kind of tactic."

For a warlord the Ghost King had a deep consideration for people's lives. Had it only been fighters in Mirror Lake Manor that had been targeted he would consider that option too but the Ghost King had never involved civilians in his battles. He wouldn't have attacked the women, children and servants. The Ghost King would have declared his intentions openly... and if he really had sent his people to sneak in in the middle of the night he wouldn't have had them wear their uniforms! Gao Chong didn't doubt General Gu's claim that this had been a frame job for a second but... if someone had the guts to do this, what else were they capable of?

"What about the Window of Heaven?" Zhao Jing whispered worriedly, eyes darting around as if he was afraid a spy was actually hiding in the shadows. "The common people have been praising the Ghost King and the Bladed Lotus ever since the war had ended. It could have caused Emperor Jin to turn against him in fear and he already hated the Jianghu. Maybe be is hoping to kill two birds with one stone."

Gao Chong resisted the urge to slap the other man. First he had convinced him that the Ghost King was crazy and might betray the alliance, now that it had blown up in their faces he was trying to claim the same thing about the Emperor?!

"If he were so easily intimidated, would he have ever allowed Zhou Zishu to marry into the Ghost Valley and Jing Beiyuan to remain in the South?!" He snapped. "They might not have the Helian surname but everybody knows the right blood flows in their veins!"

Before Emperor Jin took the throne, no one had paid attention to the two useless royal cousins following him around. Jing Beiyuan had been the player of the Capital, making eyes and flirting with every beautiful man or woman he met, while Zhou Zishu had been like a stone statue that no one could move but other than their beauty they've had no other talent. Even their titles and official positions had only been there because the former prince had cared for them, whenever a battle had happened or the situation at court got tense Jing Beiyuan and Zhou Zishu had always been sick or busy elsewhere. Their cultivation might have been high but they had lacked any skill. If Qin Jiuxiao hadn't grown up to inherit his father's Sect, the already small Four Seasons Manor would have dwindled to nothing under Zhou Zishu's leadership. During the years that he had been Lord of the Manor he hadn't accepted even one disciple... but maybe that had all been intentional. No one had taught they were worth much and no one had paid attention to them. In the dangerous political games of the Capital, being useless might actually have been what kept them alive. Now the people who had once looked down upon them had to bow at their feet. Zhou Zishu and Jing Beiyuan were the Imperial Consorts of two of the most powerful men in the history of the known world, even if they truly had no other skill they've already won.

"Besides..." He continued. "...people have also been praising the Shaman Axinlai and Governor Gongsun Heng. Before you even mention it, it wasn't the Great Shaman either!"

"But this kind of attack..." Shen Shen frowned. "...who can carry it out?"

"The only other organization that has the resources and manpower is the Scorpions but they work for hire. It could be anyone behind them." Gao Chong answered with a sigh. For a moment he considered the new Great Khan of the northern tribes, he would surely profit from causing such chaos, but it would be too obvious. If he were to try something, he would have waited longer until suspicion wouldn't fall on him so easily. The war was still too fresh in people's minds.

Gao Chong left his sworn brothers, too angry to remain in their presence at the moment, and retreated to his study deep in thought. If the reason for the attack hadn't been to cause chaos, why else would anyone target his Fourth Brother? Of all of them sworn brothers Zhang Yusen was the most amiable, he didn't have any enemies. Unless... Zhang Yusen hadn't been the real target but something else, something in his possession, and that was why he had vanished with his sons. But Deng Kuan had reported that there had been no signs of the attackers being bandits, that only left the piece of Glazed Armor in his Fourth Brother's possession. The only people who were supposed to know they even had the Glazed Armor were the five of them. Gao Chong gritted his teeth in anger. Obviously one of them had loose lips. As for the conference... they could only go forward with choosing a Leader. If they stopped now it would only confirm they've indeed been planning something and give the Emperor a reason to act against them. The man already hated them so much that even a little girl could freely humiliate them in their own home, they could not make any mistakes. General Gu had obviously been sent both as a warning and to monitor them. From now on, Gao Chong decided, he would have to watch his sworn brothers more closely and make sure they didn't do anything stupid.

Chapter Text

Zishu tied his clean, wet hair up in a bun before leaning his head back against the wooden tub with a sigh, enjoying the chance to relax for the first time in almost two weeks. The progress they were making was slow and they had yet to reach Longyuan. From his understanding of what Zhang Yusen had explained it was close to the Capital and would take them at least another week to reach at this rate. The older man's shoulder was healing well but he was still getting used to having only one arm and Zhang Chengling and Zhang Chengluan had never left their home before, they weren't used to walking or riding for this long. Even Zishu had started to feel uncomfortable after a while and convinced Zhang Yusen that stopping at an inn for a day or two would be fine. There was only so much washing one could do on the road, and he missed his zhiji. 

Maybe Ye Baiyi was right. Zishu really was spoiled, he thought, as he caught some floating petals in his hand. He had gotten used to being the Imperial Consort, living in luxury. During the rare occasion that they traveled, they slept at inns and dined at restaurants. Even during the war, he hadn't had to go without anything he'd needed. The former assassin hadn't had to sleep under the open sky for longer than a couple nights in years, but that wasn't what really bothered him. It was the lack of privacy. In the war camp there had been a large tent, a big bed and guards. No one had dared disturb them at night unless it was an emergency. Zishu sighed again, letting his hand fall underwater again. Sleeping in Lao Wen's arms every night without being able to do anything else for so long was torture, not that he would ever admit it to his pervert of a husband.

The water was still warm enough that he was tempted to close his eyes and rest there until the beautiful man returned from buying supplies, he didn't have any plans to sleep that night and wasn't in danger of drowning in the small tub, when the gentle tone of a pipa washed over him. It flooded the space of the room, tugging at his gut and vibrating through his meridians before Zishu sat up abruptly. Taking a deep breath, he circulated his internal energy, pushing against the external influence.

The former assassin recognized this technique from his time in the Window of Heaven. When the Poisonous Scorpions had first started being active the Window of Heaven had investigated them but Zishu hadn't bothered to get rid of them. The new organization hadn't been powerful enough to be a threat and the Scorpion King had been smart enough to stay out of his way. He had compiled a file on them though and this person had already been one of the higher ups, Qin Song.

No one knew where this person came from or who his master had been but rumor had it that he had been kicked out of some sect and they didn't want to be associated with him anymore. Using music as a weapon was rare but not rare enough for Zishu to guess Qin Song's origins. If this person was here, then the Scorpions had dropped any pretense of innocence. For an assassin, this person was very conspicuous. It was actually more accurate to say he was a hired killer than an assassin. Aside from the fact that the music always gave him away, he also wore makeup and dressed in bright clothing. The Scorpion King rarely sent out any of his lieutenants but when he did it everybody knew who had been responsible for the hit. They must not be trying to hide anymore, A-Xiang must have done something in Yueyang to reveal their involvement in the attack on Mirror Lake Manor. That was a good thing. This branch of Scorpions must be giving their all for this attack. If they killed this whole group it would take a long time for the Scorpion King to investigate and send another. If they were lucky they might already be in Yueyang by then but that would mean Zishu would have to deal with the problem himself, since Lao Wen was in the city and he didn't trust Ye Baiyi to do it. The former immortal was even more lazy than he was and Zishu wasn't sure he wouldn't just entertain himself by sitting back and watching the Zhangs struggle.

It only took a few seconds since the music started for Zishu to resign himself to the fact that he wasn't getting his peace and quiet back now. He got up from the bath and wiped his feet so his boots wouldn't get wet when he stepped into them, but slipped the middle layer of his robes over his still damp body as he picked up the flute he'd been carving from the table and flashed out the door. The instrument was not finished and it's quality was bad, it let out a shrill sound when he blew into it, but it was perfect for the purpose he had in mind. The internal energy infused tune traveled like an arrow, aiming straight for the source of the musical attack. The sound of the pipa stopped abruptly, just as Zishu reached the restaurant area of the inn.

The others were already there, Ye Baiyi thankfully already holding a hand against each of the Zhang boys back's as he helped them regulate their internal energy and Zhang Yusen holding a sword in his hand, standing in front of them protectively. Through the open door Zishu could see that the Scorpions had indeed not held back this time. There had to be at least three dozen assassins just that he could see, and more that he could hear surrounding the building. The place they had chosen to stop at was just outside a small city and empty except from them, the owners and a few servants, all of whom were making too much noise while hiding in the kitchen. Zishu internally scoffed. Had they really been in danger, they would have been found and killed already!

He allowed himself a moment to regret not having stopped long enough to bring his sword with him before he untied his hair with a sigh, wet strands falling heavily down his back. The ribbon was thin and long in his hand, made from strong silk. Zishu pushed internal energy into it like a thread, turning it into a weapon both sharp and flexible. The Scorpions continued watching from outside but made no move to attack yet. It wasn't that they were benevolent, it was just that they must have realized already that they weren't only dealing with the Zhangs and were waiting for the other side to reveal their hand first. Too bad for them that it wouldn't make a difference, no matter who made the first move Zishu had already decided that no Scorpion was going to walk away alive that day. 

"Senior Ye, please take care of things here while I deal with this insect infestation." Zishu requested in an emotionless but polite voice, taking slow steps towards the door. He heard Ye Baiyi acknowledge the request with a low humm and the Zhangs gasp in surprise but didn't pay any attention to the people behind him as he walked out the door, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Who are you?" The leader, a large burly man in heavy armor that the former assassin recognized as Jiang Guai, asked in a gruff voice, frowning as he measured Zishu up.

"Your ancestor." Zishu laughed at the same time he moved his arm, so fast it was barley a blur, throwing something that had previously been hidden under his sleeve like a dagger. Half of the wooden flute, sharpened where it broke in two, hit the giant man in the throat. Blood sprayed as he tried to curse, eyes bulging and knees hitting the ground with a heavy thud, nearly shaking the yard like an earthquake. The Scorpions that had been standing next to their leader took a step back in shock but didn't have time to recover before Zishu jumped forward, using the ribbon as a whip.

True to their Sect's reputation, it didn't take long for the assassins to recover and raise their curved blades to defend themselves. The fight progressed slower than Zishu would have liked. Aside from the fact that these Scorpions were far more skilled than the ones who had attacked Mirror Lake Manor, he was also restricted in his actions. Had it only been him he would have been free to move as he pleased but if he wanted to defend the people inside the inn he couldn't stray too far. Still, they were no match for him. Using the ribbon as both a whip and a blade, the ground was eventually littered with bodies and he had to step around them to avoid the pools of blood. The Scorpions hiding in the shadows around the building joined their comrades, a few trying to sneak past him thinking he wouldn't notice, but it made no difference. Towards the end he heard someone trying to slink away, feet dragging and breathing heavy, only to meet a swift end at the edge of his husband's fan as Lao Wen returned from the market. The pest didn't interfere in the fight though, content to enjoy the view from the side until Zishu finally landed on the stairs of the inn and stopped, looking straight at him. The assassin didn't speak as he focused on his hearing to see if there were any more Scorpions hiding before he finally threw the ribbon down, having found none. 

His husband flew over the yard to avoid the mess on the ground and landed next to Zishu with a sigh. "Why did you throw it away, A-Xu?" 

The former assassin rolled his eyes. The ribbon had been a plain one, even if he didn't have another at moment it was the kind one could buy nearly anywhere. He wrapped a hand around his husband's before the older man could lean down to pick it back up. "There's blood on it, I don't want to touch it now." He explained, holding back a grimace. Even if he knew Lao Wen would wash it for him, Zishu would rather walk around with his hair loose than touch that again. Indeed, there was so much blood on the ribbon that the silk was dyed red almost all the way to where his grip had been, yet there was not one drop of it on Zishu or his clothes. 

"My beloved truly is like the moonlight, not even blood dares touch your beauty." His husband teased before bringing their joined hands to his lips and turning them around to kiss Zishu's palm. "I'm sorry I was late."

The former assassin pulled his hand free with a glare, couldn't this pervert ever stop flirting? The blood around them smelled so disgusting that Zishu really wasn't in the mood for sex anymore. "If you are sorry you can help clean up." Zishu suggested as he turned around and walked inside the inn without another look back. He felt a warm robe being slipped over his shoulders and pulled the gray silk close around himself as Lao Wen hummed in agreement next to him. "I will dry A-Xu's hair first." He declared softly. "Luckily I bought a few things while I was in town." 

It had been so many years, Zishu thought to himself... He hadn't gotten sick again since they've successfully performed Six Harmonies Cultivation but his husband hadn't stopped worrying. It wasn't an overbearing kind of care, he didn't stifle Zishu or try to control his movements, but every winter he ordered more fur coats to be made and made sure all the rooms in the Palace were warm. Zishu stopped the protest that he could dry his own hair before he could voice it, heart squeezing in his chest as he looked into his husband's concerned eyes. He knew a small part of the older man was still worried that he might catch a chill and that would lead to him getting sick again, even though his illness had had nothing to do with the cold. Those winter months Lao Wen had spent taking care of his broken body had not faded enough from the beautiful man's memory so Zishu allowed himself to be pulled inside and pushed to sit at a table.

Lao Wen placed the large pack of supplies that he'd bought down and searched inside for a little while before pulling out a wooden comb and a hair tie made from braided leather cords and dark colored wooden beads. The older man was already using his internal energy to dry Zishu's hair with one hand while the other combed it gently when the world around them finally unfroze. Ye Baiyi let go Zhang Chengluan and Zhang Chengling's collars to plop down in the seat across from then and unceremoniously pour himself some wine from the jar that had been abandoned on the table due to the sudden attack. Zhang Yusen seemed more reluctant to put away his sword but when he saw that they really weren't worried he sheathed his sword and pushed his sons towards the table as well. The people hiding in the kitchen also took the opportunity to sneak out and when they realized the fight was over they resumed their duties, if a little slower. No one dared go outside yet.

The Zhangs spent a few minutes just gaping in silence, before that little idiot Chengling finally broke it. "Shifu, you..." He babbled, eyes shifting from Zishu to the door to Zishu again. "Shifu is amazing!"

The former assassin felt his brow twitch. "Who is your Shifu, you brat?!" He snapped, ignoring the way the boy's gaze turned pitiful. As if that would work on him! "When did I agree to such a thing? I'm only teaching you because Senior Ye bullied me into doing so."

"Bullied you?" Ye Baiyi snorted. "Is there anyone in this world who can force you to do anything you don't want to, Lord Zhou? Even that lunatic of a husband of yours does not dare." He said, pointing his chin to the beautiful man who was now styling half of Zishu's hair into a ponytail.

"It's not that I don't dare." Lao Wen retorted back. "It's that I don't want to, you ugly tortoise."

"Of course, everybody knows he has you wrapped around his little finger." The white haired man chuckled and Zishu felt his husband scoff close to his ear.

"Stop it, both of you. Don't cause anymore of a mess." He ordered while holding his hand out to Zhang Chengling. "Give me your hand, brat. Let me check on your energy."

The boy offered it eagerly and Zishu hummed to himself as he held the thin wrist. Ye Baiyi had helped and there didn't seem to be any kind of damage, though the small amount of energy seemed to be vibrating in excitement under Zhang Chengling's skin. If the boy meditated now, he would advance twice as fast. "Spend this night meditating." He ordered, letting the hand go. 

"What?" The brat blinked at him, slightly confused. "The whole night?" 

"Did I stutter? Zishu asked, and the boy shook his head, lips pressed in a pout as he shifted obediently on the bench until he was in a meditation position. "No, Shi... I mean, Uncle Zhou." Zhang Chengluan looked at his brother thoughtfully for a moment before deciding to join him. 

Later that night, after the mess in the yard had been cleaned by Lao Wen and the servants at the inn and Ye Baiyi had offered to stay downstairs and watch the boys, Zishu and his husband finally made their way to their room again. The water in the bath was long cold but they both soaked some towels in it and wiped themselves clean before slipping into bed. 

"I got a message while I was in town." The beautiful man started, shifting to his side to face Zishu. "A-Xiang revealed herself to Gao Chong and handed the prisoner from Mirror Lake to him." His husband elaborated, confirming Zishu's previous suspicions.

"That must be why the Scorpion King held nothing back with this attack, then." He answered. If the Alliance already knew that the Scorpions were behind the attack and not Ghost Valley, they no longer had to hide their involvement. 

His husband hummed in agreement. "Two of the top echelon of the organization have died in one fell swoop, the Scorpions will take some time to regroup."

"None could get back and relay any information, either. Hopefully we will be able to finish our visit to Longyuan peacefully." Zishu sighed. "Do you think it will go well?"

"I only wish to tell Senior Long that the promise my parents have made all those decades ago has been fulfilled." Lao Wen answered indifferently as he wrapped an arm around Zishu and pulled him closer. "Zhang Yusen's business is his own."

"I will be with you." Zishu declared softly, snuggling closer with a sigh. His plans for the night were ruined but at least it seemed like their journey might be smoother in the future, he thought before falling asleep.

Chapter Text

Weining walked besides A-Xiang, allowing her to pull him along by the hand as she skipped from stand to stand, and found himself getting lost again in the bright smile on her face. Ever since they've met, he had rarely left her side other than to return to Yueyang Manor at night. He had never thought he'd one day meet General Gu of Qingya in a random restaurant, and had definitely never imagined that such a beautiful and independent woman would pay more than a moment's attention to someone like him if he did, but he couldn't say he'd never dreamed of meeting her.

When the war had started Weining and a few fellow disciples had pleaded with his Shifu to allow them to enroll but the older man had refused. 'Gentle Wind Sword Sect does not get involved in the emperor's wars.' they had been told. Weining hadn't agreed but he'd had no choice but to listen. Even if he'd wanted to he wasn't skilled enough to fight Mo Huaiyang over it. He'd have lost and been useless by the time he'd have reached the frontline so Weining had obeyed. Since they hadn't been allowed to fight, they had decided to at least help by distributing food and medicine to the refugees. Hearing the horrors some of them had survived, a seed of doubt had taken root in his heart. Before he'd always thought that his Shifu was honorable and his Sect righteous but when the leader and elders had refused to allow them to fight, that was when Weining had started questioning things. Could someone who refused to defend the innocent really claim to be honorable and righteous? It was when he had been asking himself that question that Weining had first heard the words General Gu. 

The border the Northern Empire shared with the tujue was too large to be defended from one camp only. The army had been divided between the larger cities along the border, and for orders to travel faster the command had also been split in two. The western front had been under the direct command of the Ghost King, and the eastern front had been under the command of General Gu. The refugees Weining had talked with had said many officers of the Northern army had been unhappy with the choice as General Gu was a woman and wasn't even from their country. The Ghost King was the Chief of Ghost Valley and his reputation was bloody, no one had dared say anything against him, but General Gu had been young and an unknown. There had been nothing holding them back from giving her trouble, yet she had prevailed. General Gu had used her own strength to prove herself more powerful, more knowledgeable and more capable than any man who had dared challenge or question her. She had done her best to provide safe passage for the refugees who wanted to go south or shelter for those brave enough to stay, kept her army under control and never wavered in the face of the enemy. General Gu was kind, smart and fearless and Weining had admired her even back then, but now that he also knew the A-Xiang who was sweet, honest and unrestrained he had to admit he felt more than admiration for her. 

Yueyang was bustling, he thought as they reached the heart of the market. News about the upcoming conference had already spread, disciples from various sects already roaming the city and filling the inns. The market had grown to twice the usual size as merchants had been drawn in by the opportunity of good business and tourists had also been lured in by either the market or news of the conference. Civilians had always been curious when it came to martial artists who were so much more powerful and enduring than them. To common people some of the most powerful of masters might as well be gods. When Weining had attended conferences before he'd kept more to himself, only leaving his accommodations to try visit new restaurants and had never been to such a crowded place as this market in his life. He wondered if this was what the Capital was always like, so swarming with people it was almost suffocating. Someone bumped into him and he was pushed into yet another person, forcing himself to hide a frown when A-Xiang pulled him upright again.

"Are you alright? Your money bag didn't get stolen again, did it?" The woman teased him with a laugh but Weining couldn't bring himself to react to the joke.

He waited a few more minutes before pulling her into an alley just as a large group walked by them, obstructing the view. Weining made sure that person was left behind before whispering softly. "I think we're being followed." It hadn't been the first time he'd seen that man, it hadn't even been the first time that day. At first Weining had thought he was being paranoid but this time he had actually dared come close enough to listen to their conversation!

A-Xiang stared blankly at him for a second before her serious mask cracked. "Cao-dage." Her lips trembled as she tried to hold back her laughter. "I'm sorry."

"A-Xiang." He protested. "I'm serious."

"I know." She giggled, covering her mouth with a hand and clearing her throat as she tried to straighten her face. "Sorry." She apologized again, even though her lips were still twitching. "I won't laugh anymore, I promise. It's just that they've been following us for days."

...What?! Weining felt his eyes widen at the revelation. "You knew!?" If A-Xiang knew they were being followed, why hadn't she done anything about it?! She didn't even take her guards with her when she went out most of the time! 

"They are from the Five Lakes Alliance." She waved her hand nonchalantly. "Let them be."

The Five Lakes Alliance?! Why?! Weining knew that A-Xiang had talked to his Uncle Gao after that incident in the restaurant, that was how he had found out her real identity as well, but why would they spy on her? The North and Qingya have been allied for years and the Ghost Army have proved themselves in the war. If they've had to fight alone, the North would have had a much harder time and might have even lost a few cities! Who knew how far south the barbarians would have managed to plunder? In the past they had even reached the Capital! Had Emperor Jin not allied with the Southern Empire and Qingya the consequences of this war would have been so much more dire!

Weining frowned to himself, at once disappointed with his uncle for doing this and angry at himself for not noticing sooner. "It took me so long to notice, you must think I'm an idiot."

The beautiful woman took his hand in her own and squeezed it lightly as she grinned. "You always see the good in people, of course you wouldn't suspect them of doing this. I think it's cute. Thank you for trying to defend me. Come." She hummed softly, pulling him by the hand again. "I want to look for some presents for my brother and brother in law."

Weining nodded absentmindedly, still trying to wrap his head around the Five Lakes Alliance following A-Xiang when a noise from the back of the alley caused them both to freeze in place. He wrapped a hand around the hilt of his sword and A-Xiang's also let go of him, inching her hand closer to her whip as they walked deeper into the shadows. Weining almost pulled out his blade when a pair of human eyes looked their way from behind some abandoned boxes, usually he didn't react so harshly but after realizing they were being followed he no longer felt as benevolent as before, only for the beautiful woman to grip his wrist in a flash. His heart almost stopped at the speed but A-Xiang was not paying attention to him anymore, instead crouching down by that pile of trash. 

"Hello, little one." She whispered softly, startling Weining again. Little one? He couldn't keep the surprise off his face when he finally paid attention to just who was hiding there only to realize it was a child, knees pulled to his chest as he stared at them in fright and Weining had almost killed him!

"My name is A-Xiang." The beautiful woman continued quietly. "Does the young master also have a name?" 

There was silence for a long time and Weining crouched down as well, trying to make himself look smaller and taking the chance to study the child. He couldn't be older than three or four, but most likely on the younger side. Weining frowned. The child couldn't have been on the streets for very long, his cheeks still held some fullness in them that was always missing in homeless orphans and his clothes were worn but mainly whole. The boy stared at them for a while, lips quivering, before answering in a scratchy voice that indicated he hadn't spoken in a while. "Mama calls me Lanlan." 

A-Xiang nodded before cupping her chin as if in deep thought. "Do you know which Lan that is?"

The boy scooted back slightly, eyeing them up and down silently and Weining moved back as well, but kept himself within sight. Once he'd seemed to determine that they weren't there to hurt him the child turned back to A-Xiang, shaking his head. "Does pretty jiejie have food?" He whispered, as if afraid to be heard, and Weining's heart almost shattered. A child this young shouldn't have been on the streets. Yueyang disciples patrolled the streets every day and even if they didn't want to take him in they could have tried to find a family, or even taken him to a temple, but no one had done that and Weining doubted they'd even noticed... he was beginning to doubt they'd ever cared. Ever since the war his world had been slowly shattering to pieces. Everything was different now, like he had been looking into a bronze mirror his whole life and only now had turned around to see the reality r behind him.

"Let me see your hands first." The beautiful woman ordered and held out a palm, not moving until the boy held his own dirty hands out fearfully. "If you eat dirty food you might get sick." A-Xiang explained softly as she took the little hands into her own without hesitation and wiped the grime off with her silk handkerchief, Weining could see some of the fear seep out of the boy when he realized he wasn't going to be hit and he understood what A-Xiang was doing. The child was going to be scared of them anyway, like setting a broken bone was going to hurt whether you waited until counting to three or not, might as well show him they weren't going to hurt him from the start than wait. Once she considered her job well done enough A-Xiang took out a small packet of sweet cakes she'd bought that day and offered it to the child. He only looked at it warily for a second before hunger won over suspicion and he stuffed one whole into his mouth, barely chewing. A-Xiang waited patiently for him to be done, not saying anything even when the boy ate so fast he was sure to make himself sick. 

"A-Lan..." She started again once all the cakes were gone and she had replaced them with candy. Weining was starting to wonder just how much food she was hiding on her person. "...do you know where your Mama is?"

The boy stuffed a sugary rock in each of his cheeks before shaking his head. "Mama said she come back. Lanlan wait here for Mama." 

"I see." They whispered at the same time, giving the boy a knowing look. Either something had happened to her or she felt she wasn't able to care for the child anymore but... they both knew that A-Lan's mama wasn't coming back. Weining wanted to believe that the little boy hadn't been abandoned but he had seen too much of the world by now. 

"Does A-Lan have siblings?" A-Xiang asked, and the little boy shook his head. 

"I do." She declaired. "But all of them are older, and I've always wanted a didi." She whispered, holding a hand to the side of her mouth as if she was hiding a secret from Weining. "Would A-Lan like to be my didi?" A-Xiang asked and Weining couldn't help the shock from showing on his face anymore than the child could stop the fear.

"Lanlan can't leave!" The little boy cried out, eyes darting around for a route to run only to realize they were blocking the way. "Mama will definitely come back and not find Lanlan!"

A-Xiang didn't try to calm him, only hummed as if deep in thought before nodding in understanding. "What if we leave a message for your Mama? Make sure she would definitely know where A-Lan is?"

"Pretty jiejie can?" The child leaned closer, looking at the crumbs of candy in his hand longingly. Weining was tempted to reach out and hug him close and never letting him go.

"Of course!" The beautiful woman smiled reassuringly. "I will tell the lady from the shop over there." She pointed to a stand across the street, and then moved her finger to the stand next to it. "And the stand next to it, and the stand next to it so that if they see your Mama, they will tell her where A-Lan is."

The boy seemed to consider it for a moment, eyes staring wide at the stands A-Xiang had pointed out, before he nodded and stood up hesitatingly, stepping closer. "Then Lanlan will come."

"Good." A-Xiang smiled gently, holding out her arms. "I am Gu Xiang so your name from now on is also Gu. Gu Lan, Lan as in mist of the mountains." She explained as she nodded to herself, pretending not to care as the boy walked over to her side.

"Lanlan is Gu Lan." The child nodded when he was finally within reach and A-Xiang wrapped her arms around him slowly, careful not to spook him, before standing up and placing him on her hip.

They made an odd picture, Weining couldn't help but think as he followed her out of the alley absentmindedly. The beautiful woman with her delicate, bright silk robes and the dirty child in worn clothes. More than a few stares turned their way once they were in the sunlight again causing the boy to hide his face in his new sister's shoulder, but A-Xiang paid them no mind as she and Weining stayed there looking awkwardly into each other's eyes for a few long moments. It was like she was just now remembering he had been with her all along.

"I apologize, Cao-dage, it seems I can't accompany you today." She finally spoke after a while, shifting the quiet child higher in her arms.

Weining blinked incredulously at A-Xiang for apologizing for such an insignificant thing before he waved his hands in front of his face, spitting the words out hurriedly when her face started to harden at his silence. "No! No." He repeated more calmly. "This is more important. If A-Xiang will tell me where she is staying, I can talk to the stall owners and buy some clothes for A-Lan to bring over." He offered, even though he didn't think anyone would ever try to contact A-Xiang. The child's mother was never coming back but they had promised him to try and Weining would keep that promise, pointless as it was.

"Oh. That..." The beautiful woman blinked at him, lost for words for the first time since he'd met her, before a smile brighter than the sun lit up her face causing Weining's heart to skip a beat. "That would be great. Thank you! We're staying at the White Jasmine inn by the river and tell them to leave a message for Gu Xiang at the Fengyang at any time and it will reach me. Here." She babbled, pushing her money bag into his hands.

"I don't need..." He started, only for a slender hand to cover his mouth as she shook her head. "He is my baby brother now, I get to pay for his things."

Weining still wanted to refuse, Shishu had always been generous with his spending money and he had more than enough, but he knew already how stubborn A-Xiang was. "Alright." He accepted reluctantly and watched the beautiful woman skip away happily, chattering the poor child's ear off, but he also couldn't help but notice that the boy... A-Lan, relaxed more and more as she did. 

Shaking his head Weining felt a smile pull at his lips as he made his way to the closest stand to relay the message and a beautiful toy drum caught his attention. He would use A-Xiang's money for necessities, he decided, but use his own to buy the toys. As he shopped and talked to stall owners, his mind wandered away from him. 

Growing up Weining had been told that all Ghosts were evil spirits and their Chief was a demon that had been spit out of hell. Even when the Ghost King had stopped his campaign his Shifu had refused to think of them as anything more than bloodthirsty savages. When the Ghost King had built roads and schools and orphanages, and even now that Qingya was a thriving empire and the Ghost Army had respected their end of the alliance and defended their borders, the Jianghu still refused to accept the truth that was right in front of them. Weining knew that his Sect Leader would never accept him marrying a Ghost. As long as A-Xiang was General Gu, as long as she was a Ghost, he would never be able to introduce her to his Sect but... from the moment he had met her Weining had known that unless he could be with her he would never be happy. In that moment he had already made a choice and that choice had been A-Xiang. For him she was that someone who is able to understand you with just a mere few words, someone who can complete you like a pair of immortal soulmates. Weining knew he would never be able to walk away from her, whatever lay ahead he knew nothing was ever going to change his mind. From that day on he decided, as long as she would have him, where A-Xiang went he would follow.

Chapter Text

Chengling was starting to regret having listened to Senior Ye. Looking down at his hands he tried to flex his fingers but they were so stiff they had gone numb and the skin of his palms was a disgusting mess in the places where blisters had split open. His legs were weak like cooked noodles and it felt like he had needles in his boots with every step he took. Chengling's whole body ached to the marrow of his bones... Even his hair hurt!

'Take that lazy brat as your Shifu, he might teach you something.' He mumbled to himself, trying to immigrate the white haired man's voice. Well, Chengling felt like he had learned nothing! Training was hell and this time his Die didn't seem like he even cared. Die had always been on his side before, even though Chengling had never complained to him the Sect Leader had always told his former teachers not to push him too hard but he seemed content to let Uncle Zhou do as he pleased this time. Had Chengling disappointed him so much that he was willing to either let him succeed or die trying?

When Chengling had first seen Zhou Xu he had thought the older man was a fairy like the ones in Niang's favorite stories. The beautiful man had hair darker than a raven's feathers, skin as flawless as white jade and lips like the petals of peach flowers in full bloom. The fine layers of blue silk had made it seem like he was clad in rippling water, shining in the sun as blindingly as the lake that surrounded Chengling's home and the pearls clinked in the wind like singing birds. Seeing him in that moment, with his eyes closed and an ethereal aura surrounding him, had left Chengling dazzled because the older man hadn't looked like he belonged in Yue. Zhou Xu had a delicate beauty that made him seem like he didn't belong in the mortal world at all. Of course, Chengling had only believed that until he'd met the man properly. Now he knew that the older man's looks were as misleading as those of a brightly colored venomous snake and he was the furthest thing from a fragile fairy. Zhou Xu was cold, foul mouthed and powerful enough to crush a mountain without even blinking

When Senior Ye had first checked his meridians and told him he was not as dumb as he'd believed his whole life, Chengling had been elated. For many years he'd thought that the only way he could be useful would be by showing filial piety to his parents and taking care of them in their old age. As a small child he had watched his brothers train, waiting eagerly for the day he would be old enough to join them. And then he was. Chengling had worked hard every day and when that hadn't been enough he'd even woken up and trained even harder at night. He truly had wanted to make his Die proud, to learn the skills of his ancestors, but no matter how hard he'd worked it just hadn't been enough. Every month, every year, the other disciples his age advanced while he was left farther and farther behind... and he'd tried to hold on to hope, he had but then one day he'd realized he had already turned twelve and there were six years olds in the Sect that were more advanced in their training than him... so Chengling had just stopped trying.

From then on he'd barely attend training at all, preferring to go into the city for walks or run errands for his Niang instead. He was never going to become a great master, he was never even going to be average, so what was the point of deluding himself? Better to stick to what he was good at which was... nothing, really. Chengfeng-gege was good at martial arts, a genius even more powerful than their Die had been at his age according to the Elders back when... back when they had been alive, and Chengluan-gege was so smart he only had to read a book once to memorize it and Chengling... was just Chengling. And he'd been content with that. Happy to just stay by his parents side and support his brothers. Maybe marry a nice, simple girl one day and continue the bloodline. Chengling had not minded, truly, and had made his peace with his lack of talents years ago and then Senior Ye had just had to ruin it all! The white haired man had made him hope again!

When Uncle Zhou had agreed to teach him Chengling had thought 'This is it, this is my chance.'. All the older man had made him do at first had been meditate, which had been boring, but Chengling had to admit that the methods he used were completely different than what he'd been taught before. For the first time in his life it hadn't felt like he was trying to fill a water bucket with a sieve, his internal energy was increasing! Then the assassins had attacked them at the inn and Chengling had been terrified, until his Shifu had come down the stairs and then he had been even more in awe of the man than after he'd first seen him because not only was Zhou Xu a peerless beauty, he was actually a badass too. Chengling had finally understood what Senior Ye had meant when he'd told him to become a knife. He'd been proud to be Uncle Zhou's disciple even when the older man refused to acknowledge him as such. It... only went downhill from there.

After he'd spent that whole night meditating Uncle Zhou had deemed him ready to start 'real' training and it turned out that wasn't learning new stances or strikes or kicks. At least not yet. No. Chengling was pretty sure this was an actual, literal torture  method somewhere in the world and it had been going on for two weeks... Though taking the long way to that Longyuan place probably had more to do with his Die trying to avoid anymore people out to kill them than any desire to prolong his suffering. And suffer he did. Every day he was shaken awake before dawn, and every day he had to repeat the same steps over and over again. Sometimes his Shifu would throw pebbles at him and tell him to avoid them, sometimes he would place his hand on Chengling's shoulder and press down with such strength he was surprised he'd never been buried in the ground to his neck yet and when his legs felt like they could no longer take it and he might actually fall down? Uncle Zhou didn't take pity on him and let him take a break, no, he made him walk the rest of the way on his hands! When Chengling was finally allowed to go to bed, as he laid there feeling like something a wild beast had spit out, he sometimes wished he'd died in the attack on the Manor. Not because training was hard but because even now, even though he endured it all without complaints, even with someone as powerful as Zhou Xu for a teacher, he still wasn't making progress. There was more energy running through his meridians than he'd ever thought possible but his martial skills were still nonexistent. It was like he was incapable of learning! 

Chengling shifted his gaze from his hands to the lake they had set camp by, letting the small ripples the wind cased on the water to calm his mind. It reminded him a little bit of home... except that this lake was barley lager than a puddle, it smelled like damp earth instead of blooming flowers and it held none of the comforts he had grown up taking from granted. Because Chengling wasn't home, he was far from home. His home had gone up in flames, his Sect had been slaughtered and they were on the run. Chengfeng-gege had chosen to leave them and he didn't know how his Niang was doing, if she was well or the enemy had gotten to her even though she obviously didn't have what they wanted. Chengling had it, he had what they all wanted even though he didn't know why anyone would want a useless piece of glass that wasn't even pretty.

It had taken Chengling a while to get over the shock of the attack and realize what had actually happened, why their home had been targeted. He didn't know what had hurt more, the fact that his Die had cut him open to hide it or that the Sect Leader obviously cared more about that stupid trinket than his own family. He could have handed it over in exchange for their safety, he could have chosen to protect his sons but instead he had almost sacrificed Chengfeng-gege and Chengluan-gege and turned Chengling into a target. If he hadn't been a vessel for that glass, would his Die have even sent him away? He didn't want to have such thoughts about his Die but sometimes Chengling was just so angry! Angry and frustrated! He wished he could just take a knife and cut the coursed thing from under his healed skin and throw it into the lake so no one would even find it ever again! His Die had trusted him with it though so he wouldn't even if he hated it... and hated his Die a little bit too. Chengling took a deep breath to calm himself and his thoughts went back to his Shifu. He couldn't help but think Zhou Xu would never have asked such a thing from him.

It was true that his Shifu could be cold and strict but he always took care of Chengling too, he reminded himself. The older man might push him hard, but never more than Chengling could take and he always defended him to Senior Ye when the old man called him dumb and always made sure he was warm and well fed so he could train as hard as he did. The truth was that he didn't hold any of the training against his Shifu, Chengling was only really disappointed in himself. Back then he would have died if it hadn't been for Uncle Li protecting him and General Gu coming to their rescue. He had to get stronger, he told himself again, he had to.

Looking down at his hands again Chengling focused on circulating the internal energy through his body in hopes they would heal faster. Uncle Zhou wasn't going to give him a free day tomorrow just because Chengling was too weak to even protect his skin from something as simple as getting blisters.

"Gather your qi and let it flow into your limbs and bones like rivers into the sea, to clear up your meridians. That way, you may reverse its circulation and dispose of it freely." Chengling muttered the words his Shifu must have yelled to him a thousand times. "Breathe and guide your qi through the Ren and Du meridians, like a river that flows into the sea and leaves no trace behind." He repeated it over and over again like a mantra, allowing his mind to clear of the thousand thoughts weighing it down. 

Chengling didn't know how long had passed until he opened his eyes to see his hands were all healed and his body no longer felt like chewed food, but he did know that he was no longer sitting alone. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. 

Wen Kexing was the opposite of Zhou Xu. Where his Shifu appeared soft but had a cold personality, Uncle Wen appeared cold but had a warm personality. Wen Kexing was tall, broad and had an aura so intimidating Chengling hadn't dared meet his eyes for days after meeting him. Even his handsome face couldn't put people at ease in his presence, the only way to get used to it was to endure it but once Chengling had done that it turned out Uncle Wen was actually the nicest person he had ever met. The kind of nice person that rescued innocent people in need and helped old ladies at the market carry their bags and let homeless children steal his money bag and told silly stories and answered Chengluan-gege's million questions without getting annoyed even once and worried about his little sister even though she was a grown woman and treated his husband like the most precious thing in the world even though the man definitely wasn't a frail maiden and he always looked out for Chengling. Whenever everything became too much and Chengling itched to be away from everyone else Uncle Wen would wait a while for him to calm down and then come to check on him, heal any injuries his flimsy internal energy hadn't been enough for or just sit with him for a while. Chengling really didn't understand why Senior Ye thought Uncle Wen was the one who'd break him. 

"Do you want to cry?" The older man asked, leaning back against his hands to look at the sky and Chengling shook his head. Uncle Wen never made fun of him for crying or told him that he shouldn't but Chengling wasn't going to this time. He wasn't going to cry over a couple of blisters!

"Is Shifu really going to break my legs?" He found himself mumbling quietly instead. At first Chengling hadn't minded the threat because he knew his Shifu would never actually do it but now... it's been weeks and Chengling wasn't getting anywhere.

"Of course not, little idiot." Uncle Wen answered quickly, sounding offended on his husband's behalf. "A-Xu is going easy on you, you know?"

Chengling gaped, turning to look at the older man. "Easy?" If that was easy, what was the harder method?! Throwing someone off a cliff and waiting to see if they survived?!

"Of course. He may be strict with his training but that's because you're older than most people when they start learning, there are things you have to learn now if you want to achieve your full potential. A-Xu had endured much harsher methods when he had been but a child and survived, so he knows that you can take. Otherwise he wouldn't push you so hard." Chengling shuddered at the honesty in Uncle Wen's voice. He knew the older man wasn't making that up to defend his husband and something told him Uncle Wen's training hadn't been any easier than his Shifu's. 

Chengling nodded before he answered just as honestly. "I don't resent Shifu, I know he cares about me." These days he wondered if maybe Uncle Zhou and Uncle Wen cared more about him than his own father. Chengling sighed inwardly and shook the thought away before he fell down that hole again. "But who was my Grandmaster? Was it Senior Ye?" He frowned. Senior Ye had been sure Uncle Zhou could teach him but he had never heard Uncle Zhou call the man Shifu. 

"That ugly tortoise?" The older man snorted a laugh. "No. Your Grandmaster was A-Xu's father. He loved A-Xu, don't worry your silly little about it." He clarified, poking the frown away from Chengling's face and he rubbed the place with a pout. "But he knew how cruel the world can be. You Grandmaster wanted A-Xu to be ready for anything and he was right..." Uncle Wen explained, hesitating a moment before continuing. "Your Shifu's Sect is Four Seasons Manor."

Chengling's eyes widened and he wasn't able to hide the shock from showing on his face. Four Seasons Manor? He might be dumb but even he knew Four Seasons Manor was the Sect of the Ghost King's consort! For the Imperial Consort to choose his Shifu to accompany him to Ghost Valley, Uncle Zhou had to have been very powerful and dependable even then. In a moment, Chengling went from shocked to awed to puzzled. The Imperial Consort's name was Zhou Zishu, his Shifu's name was Zhou Xu. Could his Shifu be... related to the Imperial Consort of Qingya? And Uncle Wen was the older brother of someone like General Gu, who knew who he really was in Qingya's court. They... they really weren't merchants, were they? He finally realized. Of course his Die didn't dare deny them anything! It wasn't just because they had saved their family, it was because the older man must have realized all this much sooner! No wonder he had been so content to allow Chengling to take a master from outside the Sect, even he knew this was not the kind of political connection one could ignore. Chengling didn't know how to feel about that at all. 

"Come on, kid." Uncle Wen said said after a while, pulling Chengling up by the arm without waiting for an answer as if he was made of feathers. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow you start over."

Start over again? For some reason that seemed more daunting now than ever before. Zhou Zishu wasn't only the Imperial Consort of Qingya, everyone knew he was Emperor Jin's cousin. It was one thing to fail when his Shifu had been a merchant's consort, but a whole other thing to waste the time of someone related to the royal family! "I don't know if I can do it." He murmured, unable to meet Uncle Wen's eyes now. "Maybe I'm just not as talented as you all think I am."

"Little idiot." Uncle Wen sighed as placed a comforting hand on Chengling's shoulder. "Talent has nothing to do with it. You want to get stronger?" The older man asked and Chengling forced himself to look up as he nodded. "Then grit your teeth and take it. The only way to get stronger is through hard work. No one is ever going to dump power into your lap for free, that's not how life works. You may not realize it now but having A-Xu as a master at this point in your training, helping you establish your foundation, is a blessing from the gods so take advantage of it. Others have not been so lucky. Got it?" The man asked, squeezing his hand a little tighter and Chengling swallowed his nerves, voice hard when he finally answered. "Yeah." 

Yes, Chengling thought as he followed the older man to their camp for the night. No matter how hard it was, he wouldn't give up. Shifu thought he was worth it enough not to give up on training him so Chengling was going to prove him right. He was going to make the older man proud, he decided, no matter how long it took. 

Chapter Text

Longyuan Pavilion had long metamorphosed from a real place to a legend in the minds of most people, a mystical place that no one could find. Kexing and A-Xu had both searched for it for a long time, separately they've completely failed but even after pooling their knowledge together a few years before they had still been unsuccessful. Half their men had returned confused and lethargic, having no idea how far they've wandered or how they got back and no knowledge of where Longyuan might be, the other half hadn't returned at all. A-Xu had suspected some kind of poison, one that most likely wasn't lethal on its own. Not unless it made you step off a cliff, of course. Eventually the beautiful man had managed to find an antidote, only the team that had left after that had completely vanished. And so had the team after that, or the team after that. Even if by then they've had a general location, they've realized sending others was useless and looking themselves would have taken too long, so eventually the search had been called off.

It was impressive, how well Long Que had hidden his home. Even if by chance one wandered upon it, reaching it was still almost impossible. There wasn't one person alive who had seen it and tales of its existence became more and more embellished as the years passed. Kexing had long lost any hope of actually seeing it and finishing the task his Niang had left for him on her deathbed but if he had the chance he couldn't not take it, even if he had to work with Zhang Yusen. His resentment for the chaos the five sect leaders of the Five Lakes Alliance have caused back then, and hatred for Zhao Jing, had been outweighed by his desire to fulfill his Niang's wish and the possibility of finally finding out the truth about what had happened all those years before. 

They've left their bags and horses in the village at the foot of the mountain and Kexing was glad because the beasts would have fled with all their things otherwise. Not only was the terrain difficult to travel, him and A-Xu having had to help Zhang Chengluan and Zhang Chengling more than once already, the atmosphere became more and more oppressing as they climbed up too. Bones littered the ground until they couldn't avoid stepping on them anymore and they snapped under the boots of the Zhangs, whose steps were heavier. Kexing had heard the two children gag when they had happened upon the first human skeleton, missing its head. The father and sons didn't seem to notice but those of them who had practiced Six Harmonies could also feel the stench that permeated the air like a warning. His mind flashed to the battlefield, blood soaking his clothes and corpses left too long to the elements piling up, to his first few weeks in the Valley, trying to get used to reek of unwashed bodies, death and blood both fresh and old. One of the first orders he'd gave as Chief had been for everything and everyone to be scrubbed clean.

More skeletons had followed after that first one, in various states of decay. Some had been stripped clean to the bone by the passing of time and by scavengers, some were still fresh enough to still have skin or bits of rotting flesh clinging to them. Among what was left of their clothes, he could still identify uniforms of the Ghost Army. So that was what had become of his men, he thought to himself indifferently. These must have been the ones before the antidote, fallen victim to the vicious traps while under the influence of the poison, the ones who hadn't reached the Longyuan Pavilion at all and died on the way. Even though such a thing wouldn't affect him the way it used to, suddenly he was glad the antidote was simple enough that A-Xu had easily made some as they took a break in a city and that the old monster seemed adept at finding the traps.

The path through the forest was like a labyrinth riddled with dangers and the old monster halted them all once in a while, drawing calculations on the ground with a twig that threatened to give Kexing a headache just looking at them. Some of the people they had sent had been great scholars, engineers and cartographers that had also been masters at cosmic calculations. Their death had been a real loss to his army which was why he hadn't wanted to risk losing anymore on a fools errand. It took decades if not centuries to train someone to such levels of knowledge but that old monster was older than the dirt so who knew how long he had been studying these mind numbing calculations for? Kexing had never had the patience for such things, neither had he had the time to waste. When the old man held a hand up to stop them once more and Zhang Yusen moved closer curiously, Kexing was glad to ignore both of them and trust Ye Baiyi to let them know of any issues that came up. Instead he walked over to A-Xu, who was keeping an eye on both children at the time, and wrapped an arm around his waist.

The beautiful man rolled his eyes but didn't pinch him away so he called it a win and pulled him closer with the intent to kiss him regardless of who was watching, when a small voice from behind distracted them. "Why would someone want to live in such a creepy place?" A-Xu's little idiot disciple asked. 

His husband sighted, pushing Kexing away with a glare before he turned to answer the child. "There are all kinds of people in the world, I suppose."

"Isn't it like hiding mouse traps under your own bed though?" The boy continued and Kexing saw the older brother cover his mouth with a hand before a laugh could escape. "Mouse traps?" He couldn't help but ask, sensing there was a story there.

"There was a mouse that got into his rooms once and no one could catch it, so he set traps under his bed before going sleep but forgot they were there by morning and broke his own toe stepping on them." Zhang Chengluan elaborated, not wasting the opportunity to embarrass his baby brother before bursting into laughter. Kexing resisted the urge to slap his own face and he even felt A-Xu's shoulders shake slightly as the little idiot pouted at them. "I was ten!" He protested, which only served to make them laugh harder.

It didn't take long for Kexing to sober up though... What had he been doing at that age? Not stepping in his own traps, for sure. At ten he had been in Ghost Valley, struggling to survive as he watched his Niang suffer under the Master's cruelty. Part of him wanted to resent Zhang Chengling for having the quiet childhood Zhao Jing and his sworn brothers had stolen from Kexing but found himself rather fond of his zhiji's latest stray. Zhang Chengling was so pitiful he was impossible to dislike, like a little bird who had fallen out of the nest and would have been eaten alive if no one had protected it and taught it how to fly. He knew that since A-Xu took the boy under his wing he wasn't going to abandon him now so the Ghost King resigned himself to having to deal with someone from the Five Lakes Alliance for a long time to come. Zhang Chengling and his siblings were surprisingly tolerable though... they must all take after their mothers, he thought to himself.

"There are two reasons someone would hide in a place like this. One is fear, the other is heartbreak." Kexing answered himself. The first reason was similar to why people used to run to Ghost Valley, even back when it was at it's worst the place hadn't been filled only with criminals. There had been people like his Niang and him, like some of his Aunt's girls whose only crime had been to be ignored when they'd said no and none of them have had anywhere else to go. The outside world would have torn them to shreds, just as much. At least in the Valley no one sneered at them or whispered behind their backs for something they hadn't had any control over. As for the second reason... A knot formed in his throat and he forced himself to breathe through it so the boys wouldn't notice as he remembered A-Xu laying on their bed, so thin Kexing was afraid he'd break himself with every shuddering breath he took. If A-Xu had faded then, Kexing wouldn't have hesitated to follow but... he couldn't help but think that if things had gone differently and A-Xu, without his memories, had rejected him upon meeting again Kexing would have also hidden in such a way. Knowing his zhiji was out there in the world yet not being able to be with him, searching for him in every crowd... The Ghost King was a coward that would have hidden away in some forsaken corner of the Valley, unable to take the pain of his heart breaking every day again and again.

A-Xu must have noticed his change of mood anyway because he kissed him on the cheek to bring him out of his musings when Ye Baiyi gave the sign for them to proceed again. Kexing only realized that letting go of his husband was a mistake when the ground under them started shaking without a visible cause, doubtlessly another hidden mechanism, and A-Xu and Zhang Chengling suddenly vanished from sight. All he had the time to do was grab Zhang Chengluan by the arm and throw him at the old monster before the ground to opened under him as well and swallow him whole. Before he even hit the bottom, the hinges above screeched back shut and he was left in complete darkness. He couldn't hear anything from above him anymore and the air was dusty.

Kexing took a small luminous pearl from his pocket. It was easier to carry around and more durable than flame sticks and his eyesight was sharp enough that the faint light was enough for him to see even in this void. The Ghost King took in his surroundings while keeping an ear out for danger. He was at the dead end of some kind of narrow tunnel, the other end of which he couldn't see. Walking to one wall he ran a hand over the smooth surface before knocking on it softly. It sounded like natural rock and hollow, like there was the another empty space behind it. His first instinct was to break through in the general direction A-Xu had fallen in, but he had to restrain himself. He didn't know what this place was, didn't know what dangers it held or if the structure would even hold once he started bringing down walls. Kexing didn't even know how deep he was underground or if there were more levels to this place. A-Xu could be here, or he could be above him or he could be underneath him. Whoever had built this place had been able to outsmart even the old monster, Kexing wasn't going to underestimate them. He had to trust A-Xu to take care of himself and the little idiot. If he got out first, Ye Baiyi could help him search for them but at the moment his best choice was going forward, Kexing decided.

He was only a few steps in before he heard a sound behind him, like stone sliding on stone, and turned back to see a small trap door opening in the wall and a metal sphere about a foot in diameter rolling out. It wasn't very fast, nor large enough to crush someone as Kexing simply jumped over it and let it roll forward, deciding to follow it. He reached another perpendicular corridor and when the sphere met the wall he barely had time to jump back as it exploded. So that's what they did... maybe he should have some of his people look into it later. It wouldn't hurt to have such weapons on the battlefield. Though they would have to be careful not to catch their own into the blast, even using them at the beginning of the battle would make a difference.

After that it was a maze of corridors and spheres leading deeper into the mountain and he discovered it could stand to lose a few walls to explosions. The Ghost King didn't know how long he wandered around before another sphere he'd just jumped over left a hole in the stone structure and he heard his husband caughing on the other side... That sound had haunted his waking and sleeping hours for long enough that he would recognize it anywhere so he jumped through the hole without the slightest hesitation. The sight on the other side made him freeze for a second.

His eyes sought A-Xu first and found him leaning against a wall, hand clutching at his chest as he struggled to breathe. Close to him Zhang Chengling was facing an odd looking man that only took Kexing a moment to realize wasn't human at all and there was an acrid smelling rain falling from the ceiling and melting the debris that had flown from the explosion drop by drop, blocking their way to the other side of the room. There was no qinggong in the world that would make someone flash through the rain without getting wet, so there was only one way out. Kexing grabbed Zhang Chengling and threw him back into the maze before flashing to his husband's side and gathering him into his arms gently. Thankfully he didn't have to worry about the marionettes following them for long because the brain was harder to duplicate than the joints, apparently, and they took each other out for him.

Once they were in the narrow corridors he found a relatively safe corner and gave his luminous pearl to Zhang Chengling, ordering the boy to watch out for the exploding spheres, before sealing A-Xu's acupoints to make sure he wasn't bleeding and set him down on his feet. After helping the beautiful man lean against the wall he took out a handkerchief and cleaned the blood he could see on A-Xu's lips before it dried, then started pulling his robes open.

"What are you doing in a place like this, you pervert?" His husband hissed, casting a subtle glance at the child standing obliviously not far away.

"You're injured." Kexing answered simply, not stopping until his task was done and the beautiful man's torso was bared. There was no visible wound on his front so he didn't linger, taking the pearl A-Xu was still holding he around him. The Ghost King's breath froze in anger at the sight before him.

There was a bruise covering half of his zhiji's back, so dark it completely concealed the part of the white jasmines tattoo. It was no wonder the beautiful man had trouble breathing! The Six Harmonies Cultivation might have burned the illness out but nothing could reverse harm it had already done to A-Xu's lungs. A hit like this would affect his husband more than it would have affected him, he had to take a deep breath to calm himself before he did something stupid and attracted unwanted attention to their position. The Ghost King knew how powerful his consort was, the only reason he could have gotten this injured was if he'd somehow protected Zhang Chengling from a hit. It wasn't that he blamed the child but he did blame the child's father for failing him for so many years which left him so defenseless now!

"It's fine." The younger man whispered but couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped him when Kexing wrapped a hand around his ribs as gently as he could, feeling for breaks. There weren't any but from A-Xu's flinches, at least two ribs were fractured.

"This doesn't look fine. An inch to the side and it would have broken your spine." He retorted, slowly reaching out with his internal energy, and couldn't completely hide the anger in his voice. Yes, they were stronger and yes, they aged slower and yes, they healed faster but that didn't mean they didn't feel pain anymore! It didn't mean they couldn't get injured in the first place or that they were invincible! Their skin was as vulnerable as anyone's and their bones broke the same. If they injured their spine or brain, he didn't know for sure they'd walk away from it. Even a technique as powerful as the Six Harmonies Cultivation had to have limits.

"If a puppet could break my spine I'd be too ashamed to keep on living." His husband snorted in spite of the pain he had to be in and Kexing sighed, laying a soft kiss to the beautiful man's shoulder. "You should take something for the pain." He advised, looking at the small pouch with poisons and medicines A-Xu had tied to his belt.

A-Xu looked like he wanted to shake his head before he thought better of it, leaning it against the wall instead. "They make me drowsy, and it doesn't hurt that bad anymore."

Kexing wanted to argue, hating the idea of his zhiji being in pain, but knew the younger man was right. It was probably best for him to be able to focus, at least until they met back up with Ye Baiyi. Spreading his internal energy over the ribs and lungs, he focused on speeding up A-Xu's healing as best as he could. The bruise looked bad but A-Xu could live with a bruise and the internal injuries were more important. It must have taken at least an hour before he deemed he'd done all he could and helped the beautiful man slip his robes back on, then walked to Zhang Chengling's side.

"Uncle Wen." The boy jumped up, startled by his presence. "Is Shifu going to be fine? I can carry..." He offered, worrying his lip, but was interrupted before he could even finish that sentence.

"Your Shifu's stronger than he looks, and he can walk on his own!" A-Xu snapped, not even realizing he'd called himself the boy's Shifu for the first time and making the boy jump again, as he made his way to them slowly. 

"A-Xu..." Kexing sighed, taking in his husband's pale skin and stiff movements. He'd done his best but it would still be a few days before the beautiful man would be completely healed. That hit had had enough force behind it that he was certain Zhang Chengling wouldn't have survived should A-Xu not taken it for him. 

His husband shook his head. "We need you to be able to fight, Lao Wen. I don't this place is called Marionette Manor only because of those two overgrown dolls."

That was true, The Ghost King thought with a frown, and as much as he wished to take the child's offer seriously, Zhang Chengling wouldn't be able to carry A-Xu even ten steps. The last thing they needed was for the little idiot to injure himself as well.

"Fine." He answered reluctantly. "But you lean on me and tell me if you need a break." Kexing stared at A-Xu until he rolled his eyes and nodded, then wrapped his husband's arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer by the waist, making Zhang Chengling follow them closely behind. If they didn't find an exit soon, he decided, he would just have to take his chances with the breaking ceiling after all.

Chapter Text

Zishu's lung burned, many years have passed since he'd struggled to draw breath like this. There had been a time when breathing was the hardest thing he did everyday, when every breath he took threatened to be the last. Days, weeks, months stringed together in his memory now. Every time he'd thought it couldn't get worse, it had. It hadn't even been his lungs by the end, his entire body had hurt. His bones had felt like they were being stabbed by thousands of little needles, his muscles had constantly ached, his throat had been raw like it had been shredded by broken glass from all the caughing. One problem had led to another and to another and to another like an endless chain of divine torture. Caughing, pain, exhaustion, breathlessness, nausea, headache... When the fever had set in it had almost been a blessing, the times he'd spent delirious a reprieve from the constant suffering and a promise of an end to it all soon enough. Zishu hadn't wanted to leave but part of him had also wanted to be free of the agony. By the time his zhiji had returned with Ye Baiyi he had been nearing the end of his strength, it had taken all he'd had to cling on to life long enough to see his husband again.

He knew what falling to pieces felt like and compared to his former illness the pain from this hit didn't even come close. It was nothing. The pain was insignificant, but that hitch in his lungs every time he drew in air? That shortness of breath? That moment of paralysis before his body remembered what it was supposed to do and his chest expanded, only for it to repeat with every inhale? It fucking terrified him. He wanted nothing more than to burrow into the comfort of his husband's arms and allow himself to be pampered until it was all over, but he couldn't. They had a child to take care of and a house trying to kill them and he was just going to have to endure it... Like he always did.

The former assassin really hoped they wouldn't encounter any more mechanical snakes or murderous marionettes before they met up with the others though because that little idiot Zhang Chengling was more fucking useless than dead weight! He would know since he'd carried literal dead weight before, to leave no evidence behind and because his subordinates deserved to have a proper burial if he could provide one, and they had been less of a burden. Partially because he'd never had to worry about dead weight getting hurt but mostly because they couldn't have bad ideas of their own. Not only was Zhang Chengling as graceless as a dancing bear but he also recklessly acted without thinking! As if the most infamous assassin to ever live needed the protection of a snot nosed brat, even injured as he'd been. If Lao Wen hadn't arrived just at the right time, he might not have been able to save Zhang Chengling when he'd jumped at those two marionettes to 'save' Zishu. He didn't know if that made the kid very brave, as dumb as every one of his previous teachers had claimed or a weird combination of both but it did make him loyal and everything else... Zishu could teach the brat everything else. Starting with how to dodge when one needed to dodge and retreat when one was best to retreat!

Leaning most of his weight against his husband's solid form his breathing eased some as his posture relaxed and Zishu could focus on keeping an eye on Zhang Chengling walking behind them, lest the boy stumble into some trouble without someone holding his hand. After wandering aimlessly for some time, two sets of faint footsteps echoed ahead and the former assassin closed his hand around the luminous pearl in his hand, just as his husband did the same. Zhang Chengling stumbled into the taller man's back noisily and Zishu grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back until Lao Wen was a wall between them and whoever was coming. The older man flashed ahead to meet the attacker and Zishu ignored the fresh stab of pain in his lung, tightening his grip so he could drag Zhang Chengling away if needed, only for the fight ahead of him to be undeniably familiar. Even though he couldn't see he could determine enough by sound and opened his hand again to reveal Lao Wen facing Senior Ye, their forearms crossing. Seeing that there was no enemy Zhang Yusen and Zhang Chengluan stepped around the corner as well and hurried over to Zishu's little idiot 'disciple'.

"Still not a match for me, crazy brat." The white haired man snorted as Lao Wen stepped back to Zishu's side with a low humming sound of agreement, even though all three of them knew that wasn't so anymore, before his eyes landed on Zishu with a frown. "And what happened to you, lazy brat? Please don't tell me you're dying again, I don't have any more miracles up my sleeve!" He snapped, waving a hand as if to show the lightness of said sleeves. Even though his tone was harsh, the underlined worry in his voice was obvious. 

Zishu allowed his body to lean against Lao Wen, internally letting out a sigh of relief as the piercing pain lessened again at the same time he outwardly faked a smile. "I'm just too lazy too walk on my own." 

Ye Baiyi rolled his eyes, checking him over more seriously before looking at Lao Wen. Whatever he saw in the Ghost King's expression set him at ease because he nodded at them once and turned to walk ahead of everyone without another comment. With the former immortal there and seeming to know exactly which way to go to avoid traps Zishu allowed himself to relax more and focus on his healing. Drawing breath was still difficult and the faster his lung was fixed, the better.

It all went smoothly until they reached a large, lit chamber that resembled a reception hall, only empty of any furniture or people. The purpose for that became clear when the walls opened and dozens of spheres like the ones Lao Wen had described rolled into the room. His husband slammed his palm forward before they could get too close, a gust of energy hitting them like a wall that caused them to detonate one after another with a loud thunder like sound. 

"Stop playing hide and seek and show yourself already!" Ye Baiyi yelled once the dust had settled, voice echoing in the large empty space as he sent a less intense wave of energy of his own straight at the wall ahead.

Zishu had to hide his surprise when another much larger trap door than the ones the spheres had appeared through slid away to reveal a man. A living looking man. The first real person they had seen since arriving on this mountain, though he wondered if it was indeed a human. Large bulbous eyes set in an even larger head that seemed to loll to the side unintentionally from the weight and small atrophied limbs that looked like a child's skeleton covered in wrinkled skin, the man made for an ugly sight as he rolled forward in a wheelchair and the wall slid shut again. This couldn't be Long Que, he thought to himself. Though the Master of Longyuan Pavilion had not been as famous as others in his generation he had still been described in tales as a handsome, tall man that appeared to be in his thirties. This man indeed appeared to be in his thirties but even if Long Que had somehow become a cripple, he couldn't have gotten shorter like this. 

Ye Baiyi frowned. "You're not Long Que."

"Of course I'm not." The man's voice was unpleasantly shrill. "And who are you who dare intrude upon Marionette Manor?"

"It's none of your business. We're looking for Long Que, we have something to talk about with him." The white haired man sneered and Zishu resisted the urge to cover his own face when the cripple's face turned even uglier. "That old goat?" He let out a piercing laugh, like nails on one's eardrums. "He's long bit the dust. What business would you have with a pile of decomposing bones?"

"Long Que is dead?" Zhang Yusen, who had been quite most of their journey, asked the question on all of their minds. Zishu thought back to the rumors Long Que had most likely spread to protect his friends, if he was gone it would explain why they had ceased years ago. 

"Dead dead." The man sang with a giggle, making everyone tense up at the deranged tone. "I killed him with my own hands." He boasted, slowly lifting up the emaciated arms.

Long Que had been killed... by this? The former assassin couldn't help but think with a frown, already doubting the words. The forest and maze had caused even Zishu and his husband trouble, dozens of their men had died trying to reach Longyuan Pavilion. This man who couldn't even walk had bypassed all the obstacles and then killed someone that was physically at least ten times stronger than him? Zishu couldn't even sense any internal energy from this person. Even if had cultivated some, it meant that he was weaker than Zhang Chengling when he'd met him! The only way he'd killed Long Que was if...

"Bullshit!" Senior Ye interrupted his line of thought. "You killing Long Que is akin to a slug cutting down a tree. Preposterous. Unless you're his son and he laid down to let you chop him up as you please." The white haired man huffed, not at all affected by the way the cripple's face turned nearly purple with rage.

So the statement was true... what could have caused a son to take his own father's life, Zishu wondered to himself, but it didn't seem like they would be getting an answer to that question as the cripple yelled an unidentifiable sound and slammed his hands on his wheelchair. In a flash Lao Wen pushed Zishu into Zhang Chengling and Zhang Chengluan's way, stepping in front of everyone as he stretched an arm behind his back to open the qin case he carried. The former assassin saw the shock on the two boy's faces as his zhiji pulled out Dragon's Back just in time for rows of human shaped puppets to start marching into the room. Unlike the two Zishu and Zhang Chengling had previously encountered they didn't seem to be as detailed, but bald and faceless.

"Be careful. They are made of some kind of durable material I can't recognize, Baiyi couldn't pierce it." Zishu warned in an even voice, knowing his husband would hear him, and pulled the boys closer to himself. He ignored Zhang Yusen who pulled out his own sword, ready to fight. 

After hours of focusing on his healing while following Ye Baiyi through the maze the hitch in his breathing was fortunately gone, even though the pain in his lung continued to persist so Zishu was not afraid anymore. He could take the boys and jump up since the puppets would be unable to follow, but he would prefer it if it didn't get to that. Before the marionettes could even move Lao Wen acted first, moving so fast that to a less sharp eye it would have seemed like he'd simply vanished from his previous position to appear in front of them.

Zishu must have underestimated how furious his husband had been at his injury, because the man didn't seem inclined to hold back anymore. Using the flat of his sword to push back the masses he destroyed the puppets one by one. Steel might be unable to cut their shell, but it seemed their insides were as vulnerable as those of humans. Lao Wen slammed his palm into their torsos in a familiar technique, the pressure of which Zishu knew was enough to liquefy one's organs or turn stone into dust. The mechanisms inside came undone, rattling inside their shells like children's toys as they fell to the ground. Zishu had also considered disrupting the mechanisms inside when he'd first came across the creepy dolls but before he could try one of them had attacked that little idiot 'disciple' of his who'd froze. The so called battle went down so fast the cripple didn't even have time to give his orders for attack before he was left without soldiers. He didn't have time to call for more either before he found himself dangling in the air, the Ghost King keeping him there by the throat.

"What kind of monster are you?!" The cripple screeched, trying to grasp at Lao Wen's wrist with his hands but they were so tiny he couldn't even get a proper grip. The tall man didn't bother to answer and the cripple grew even more desperate. "You will never find that old goat without me!" He threatened once it became obvious his efforts to break free were useless.

Lao Wen had only been holding him up until that point, studying him curiously like a bug in a jar, but at that statement a low chuckle burst out of him. "So Long Que is still alive? Good." He grinned. "Very good. Then we really don't need you anymore." Zishu saw the exact moment the cripple realized he'd made a mistake but it was already too late. Lao Wen didn't even seem to move as a loud crack echoed through the room and the large head tilted to the side, eyes dulling as the cripple was carelessly thrown on top of the pile of marionettes like it was just another broken puppet.

When Zishu turned to check on the boys Zhang Chengluan looked more pensive than anything else, but his little idiot 'disciple' was a shade paler.

"Shifu..." He heard Zhang Chengling whisper in a trembling voice when the Ghost King turned his gaze their way, a hand clenching on his sleeve like a vice. "Uncle Wen... He is... He..." 

Taking a deep breath through the pain in his lung, Zishu resisted the urge to slap some sense into Zhang Chengling. He truly was never going to understand this little idiot. When Zishu had killed dozens of humans, leaving them to bleed on the ground until it had turned to mud he hadn't even flinched, but his husband killed one person that barely resembled a human and the brat turned into a coward? "Your Uncle Wen is your Uncle Wen, what do you have to be so fidgety about?!" He snapped with a roll of his eyes while Zhang Chengling watched Lao Wen out from the corner of his eyes, looking like he wanted to hide. "And stand up straight, did I teach you nothing?!"

"Sorry, Shifu!" Zhang Chengling whimpered and Zishu didn't even bother to correct the form of address this time, glaring at the boy until he straightened his posture. How did this brat even expect to learn martial arts if he couldn't even stand properly?!

"A-Xu." His zhiji sighed as he made his way to them, wrapping an arm around Zishu's waist again. "Stop being so harsh on your poor disciple."

"Harsh?!" Zishu bit out incredulously, pinching the man's arm with a glare. "Do I tell you how to train your men?" He countered, staring into his husband's eyes until the taller man raised his hands in surrender. The age limit for joining the Ghost Army might be older than Zhang Chengling's age, and they might be aware of what they are volunteering for, but Zishu had seen his husband push his elite recruits to the breaking point until only the strongest survived more than once. The Ghost King telling him he was too harsh, that was like Ye Baiyi calling someone else a glutton!

Said former immortal mumbled something about overdramatic lunatics as he made his way to the still intact wheelchair, studying it carefully. Like poking a bear he pushed buttons here and there. A blade flew out of one armrest, causing Zhang Chengling to jump in place as Zishu simply flicked it away with a finger at the wall behind them, where it stabbed halfway into the stone. Luckily the white haired man didn't trigger anymore hidden weapons before he found what he was looking for and the door the cripple had arrived through opened again. Behind it lay a room that seemed from another dimension, an entire wall covered in indescribable scribbles looming over them. Senior Ye confidently strode forward while the rest of them froze in place.

"Even if... you gave that map to me," Lao Wen whispered into his ear after a long while. "I couldn't make sense of it." Zishu learned more comfortably against him with a large grin. "What a relief. That makes two of us." It had taken him a few long blinks to even realize it was a map at all!

Ye Baiyi turned to stare at them in disbelief from where he was studying the scribbles before shaking his head in exasperation and calling for Zhang Yusen to help him. After a while of the two man tinkering the wall split in half down the middle to reveal a slew of moving gears. Long Que, Zishu decided, was probably the smartest person he had ever encountered in his life. It was no wonder no one had found him before, even with all of them together they've barely made it here. At least an hour or two more of tinkering later and the ceiling itself split open as well, a flight of stairs sliding out of the wall.

They made their way up cautiously, and the former assassin realized they had been deeper underground than he'd thought. Ye Baiyi walked in the front, Zishu and Lao Wen behind him keeping a hand on Zhang Chengling and Zhang Chengluan each, while Zhang Yusen bought the rear. By the time they stepped up into a quaint little courtyard Zishu's lung was burning again, but they were out. The spring sun warmed his skin, the slow wind carried the faint scent of grass and birds chirped in the distance. A gigantic tree rose in the middle of the yard, shading a house under it... The real Longyuan Pavilion, he realized. At first glance it was beautiful and peaceful, it would have been almost impossible to believe this place was at the center of that eerie forest and treacherous maze, but then Zishu noticed the iron bars blocking the windows and door. And suddenly it wasn't an isolated home anymore, where someone might retire to escape the outside world, but a small jailhouse, falling apart and surrounded by weeds.

The former immortal didn't waste any time before ripping through the locks and pushing the door open with a blast. When Zishu approached the door with his husband he couldn't help the sign that left his burning lungs. Though the former assassin had already suspected the truth when he'd seen the place, he'd really hoped he was wrong.

The first thing that hit him was the smell, a mix of stale air, rotten food, feces and unwashed bodies, but the thing that froze both him and Lao Wen in place was the sight. There was a bed in the middle of the dark room and upon the bed was a man, eyes unfocused and white hair a tangled mess from neglect. He was the kind of thin only a starving person could be, held up by thick chains that passed directly through his shoulders and the threadbare blanket was flat on the bed where his legs should have been. Zishu had seen many things in his life and he'd tortured others without flinching, he'd even invented such a cruel technique as the Seven Nails of Torment, but even he had to hold back the food that fought to escape his stomach as his brain supplied only two words, Long Que.

Chapter Text

Long Que's sight wasn't what it used to be. When the door was first blasted open, the light that came through completely blinded him for a moment. Not that he needed to see, the only visitors he ever got were the puppets that 'took care' of him and that unfilial son of his, whenever he felt like torturing him some more. He'd long lost hope of anyone finding him and resigned himself to his fate. Who would have known that the ingenuity that had kept him safe for so many years would one day come to bite him in the ass? No enemy had managed to get past his tricks and neither would any of his old friends without him there to let them through. That was if any of them ever came. Over three and a half decades had passed, who knew if they still remembered their old brother... or if any of them still lived. So he hadn't had any great hopes when the door was blasted open, from the force of it he'd thought that maybe that little bastard had finally lost patience and came to kill him. It would certainly be a preferable fate to this, he'd thought to himself. Except that his unfilial son was a cripple and Long Que heard steps approaching him. 

Blinking the haze out, his eyes opened on a tall man with white hair. His robes were white too and they almost glowed like a fluorescent pearl in the dark and dingy room that had became Long Que's prison for years. "Who are you? Where is Long Xiao?" He whispered, voice low and raspy from lack of use. When was the last time he'd talked to someone, he wondered. Weeks? Months? Talking to himself had kept him sane at first, speaking the plans for his next project out loud, and then... and then after a while it had all started to feel redundant. He'd realised he was never going to get out of this place and there was never going to be another project.

"By Long Xiao do you mean that annoying cripple that moved around in a wheelchair?" The man snorted. "Is so, he's dead."

Dead? Something warm that he identified as tears rolled down his cheeks at the same time laughter burst out of him. That little bastard was dead, he'd died before Long Que had! Something in the back of his mind whispered that this might be a trick, another one of that little beast's attempts to get the answers he wanted but another, larger, part of him wanted to believe it. Of course that little bastard could have promised someone access to the secrets in the Armory or some of Longyuan Pavilion's designs if they helped him, but the beast was either too dumb or too greedy to work with someone else. Otherwise, he would have done so long ago.

Long Que had been so busy reveling in the good news that he hadn't even paid attention to the other people that had walked inside until the white haired man spoke again. "Give me your sword."

Instinctively he followed the white haired man with his eyes, watching as he walked around Long Que's bed and swung a giant sword down at the chains keeping him up. A loud clang echoed in the room as the sword vibrated violently, yet the metal of the chains was completely undisturbed.

"Don't waste your energy." Long Que found himself rasping again, feeling deeply greatful even though it hadn't worked. How long had it been since anyone had done something kind for him? Not since his wife had been alive, he thought. "It won't break."

The inventor had never encountered this particular metal before stumbling upon it on this mountain by chance and realizing that it was nearly impossible to destroy. Extracting it wasn't very hard, because one didn't have to be careful while removing the rock or impurities around it and it could only be moulded at temperatures so high they were very difficult to reach. Certainly not something one would be able to replicate in a fight. Access to that metal was the reason why he'd chosen to hide here, building as many of his defenses and puppets from it over the years. This man could spend an entire day hacking at the chains and he wouldn't leave a scratch. The only result would be, perhaps, breaking his sword instead.

The man didn't answer at first, tugging at the chain gently and tapping at them with a fingernail like he was testing to see what they were made of. If he got past all the obstacles to get here and killed that little bastard, he was probably powerful enough that he didn't often meet something he couldn't break.

"What abominable sin have you committed for that cripple to hate you so?" He eventually huffed in annoyance, finally giving up and moving back in front of Long Que, which he was greatful for when he no longer had to twist his neck to look at him. 

"Only the sin of being his father." He answered honestly. A decade after hiding in this mountain his wife had found herself pregnant and in spite of their circumstances they've been overjoyed, but then she'd died when that little bastard had still been young. Long Que had done his best, teaching the brat everything he knew and building him the chair so he could move around, marionettes to serve as his servants, but the little bastard grew more and more resentful the older he got and then he'd heard the rumors Long Que had spread to the outside world, that he somehow had access to the World Armory and the Yin Yang Manual that was locked inside it. And that's how the inventor had ended up in this situation, worse than a rat in a trap. No matter how he'd tried to convince that unfilial son of his that he couldn't actually open the Armory he wouldn't believe him, nor had he believed that there was nothing inside that place that could help him. Long Que had even convinced him too seek out Physician's Valley where the Yin Yang Manual originated from but the brat hadn't believed them either when they'd told him that there was no cure for his condition. Long Que knew that there truly was nothing in the world that could have helped his son, or else he would have sought it out himself after the bastard had been born. 

Maybe they should have drowned him then, when he had still been a baby. Maybe it would have even been a mercy not to have to grow up so different from everyone else, they've heard the stories of course, but they've thought it wouldn't be a problem in this isolated place and the disability hadn't been one that had made survival impossible. What kind of parent didn't love their child? How could they have done something as cruel as that? But now... if he'd known then what he knew now, maybe he would have chosen differently.

"Xiao... You don't mean the Xiao for filial piety, do you?" A low, pleasant voice murmured, causing Long Que to turn away from the white haired man to look for who was speaking, only to freeze when he was faced with a familiar sight.

"Brother Wen?" He couldn't help but choke out through trembling lips, one hand already reaching out, but then his sight adjusted and he couldn't help the dissapointed that rushed through him.

The man before him held some resemblance to Wen Ruyu, it was true, but he obviously wasn't him. The healer had been kind eyed, always wearing a smile that lent a softness to his face. This person was taller than his old friend, his handsome features colder and his eyes a bottomless pit. Long Que couldn't tell very well but his expression was almost pained as he tightened the arm he had wrapped around another man, this one a vision of otherworldly beauty even to his broken eyes. Long Que blinked a couple of times in disbelief, but they turned out to be real... or maybe nothing was real and he'd finally croaked. Either way, it was better than the alternative.

"No one's confused me for Die before." The tall man answered far more quietly. 

Die? Could it be their son was already a grown man himself by now? But then again, hadn't that unfilial son of his also been grown for many years? Truly a lifetime had passed. "You are the son of Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao?"

"I am." The man nodded. "My name is Wen Kexing."

"Then your parents, they are..." He trailed off. If Wen Kexing was here and they were not then... 

"Dead." The tall man sighed, the man in his arms leaned closer in comfort and Wen Kexing's expression softened slightly as he turned to look at him. "So are A-Xu's parents, Qin Huaizhang and Bi Yifeng."

"They are all..." Long Que started but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. Rong Xuan and Yue Feng'er had been dead for decades, his wife had also long left him, now he found out the rest of his friends were also all gone. Out of all of them Long Que had been the one last skilled at martial arts, and now he was the last one standing. Well, as much standing as he was capable of doing in his state, he snorted to himself. 

"And the two of you..." He started looking at the two men standing so close together they might start to meld into one being soon. When they had parted him and Wen Ruyu had both agreed not to contact Qin Huaizhang and Bi Yifeng but so long had passed... Wen Ruyu and Qin Huaizhang's sons were in love, what else had Long Que missed, locked away in this place, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Are married." Wen Kexing confirmed, as his husband continued to stay quiet. This Qin Xu son of his old friends didn't speak much, Long Que noticed. He must have taken more after his mother because Qin Huaizhang had so loved the sound of his own voice. "I've come to tell you that the promise Die had made, I've kept it in his stead." The tall man continued in the same even voice he'd used so far, before swiping a hand at the white haired man that had entered the room first. "This old monster is Ye Baiyi."

Long Que didn't have time to analyze the old monster comment before the name lit a spark of memory. Ye Baiyi... Ye Baiyi was one of Rong Xuan's parents! "You're really Ye Baiyi?" He couldn't help but ask, a hint of excitement in his voice, and the white haired man nodded quietly. Then... the promise they had made so long ago, it had truly been fulfilled! A smile tugged at his lips for the first time in who knew how long. "Good. It's good, then. It had not all been in vain. Brother Rong and Sister Yue's ghosts can finally rest knowing that their murderer never got what they wanted."

"Master Long, can you please elaborate what you mean by murderer?" A new voice caused Long Que to turn to the last people to enter the room, only to nearly choke on his own spit in anger.

"You...!" He yelled, almost working himself into a caughing fit, and forced himself to take a deep breath. The two boys at the back were still young enough to be considered children so he couldn't have known them before, but even with his going sight he could recognize Zhang Yusen! He had committed those bastards to his memory long ago as he'd sworn to himself to never forget just what they've done!

"You want me to believe that you don't know anything? Zhang Yusen, if it weren't for your wretched Five Lakes Alliance, would any of it have happened at all?! Why would I tell you anything, so you can use the information to cause even more misfortune? How dare you stand there and demand anything like it is owned to you?! Haven't you caused enough grief?! I won't tell you anything! I won't...!" A deep caugh put an end to his rant and he grasped at his chest, gasping for breath as he thought of all the times he'd spent thinking of that here in the dark. How many times had he gone over those days, over every interaction they've ever had with the Five Lakes Alliance bastards with a comb, searching for a hint. A grain of information. Anything that could have warned them of what was to come. Before his breathing could become even more erratic he saw Wen Kexing pass his husband into the arms of the two boys, before stepping behind Long Que.

Two cold hands touched his back through the rags his clothes had become and a soothing energy flooded his body like a neverending stream. Long Que almost burst into tears again when the pain started leaving him. All of it! He'd almost forgotten what that was like, he felt like he could float! His energy had been struggling to keep him alive for years, he hadn't had any to spare on pain in a long time. Even his eyesight had cleared slightly. He knew he wasn't healed, and that this relief was temporary, but he couldn't keep the emotions out of his voice when he murmured a 'thank you' to Wen Kexing as the man stepped away again. Qin Huaizang's son pulled out a flask and had his husband pass it over to him too which Long Que opened cautiously and took a sip, barely stopping himself from gulping it in one go and making himself sick when he tasted sweet, clean water for the first time in years.

Zhang Yusen didn't give him time for showing anymore gratitude before he countered. "What do you mean if it wasn't for us? This whole mess started because Rong Xuan was obsessed with the perfect technique, none of it would have happened if he hadn't built the Armory in the first place."

"Obsessed, yes, but he wasn't stupid." Long Que answered, finding his voice so smooth he almost shocked himself! The burn on his throat that used to accompany his every word was also absent and he sent another thanks to Wen Kexing in his mind. That boy truly was his parents' son, he couldn't help but think. "Would someone as smart as Brother Rong cut off his own heart meridians if he were in the right mind?" He asked with a snort. "I think not!"

Silence fell over the room like a veil at his words. Zhang Yusen almost seemed to take a step back, the expression on his face unreadable, while Ye Baiyi stepped closer cautiously. "What happened back then, I'd also like to know." The white haired man stated quietly, as if afraid to spook Long Que.

"Old monster, don't push him." Wen Kexing warned in a calm tone but it held the kind of commanding pressure the inventor had never heard before. He'd met arrogant nobles and self righteous sect leaders but none of them had seemed to carry the kind of authority this young man's voice alone did. What shocked him even more was that Ye Baiyi, the immortal that so many worshipped, yielded to it. "Have some tact for once in your life." He continued more softly.

The white haired man scoffed at that before turning to Long Que again. "I only wish to know how my son and daughter in law died." He added sincerely.

The inventor would rather not relieve those memories, and he certainly wouldn't for the likes of Zhang Yusen but... Ye Baiyi and Wen Kexing deserved to know the truth. Even Qin Xu. If his parents, skilled as they were, have passed away so young they might have been implicated in some way after all. Even if they were strangers they had still taken care of that little beast for him. Could he really deny them this little? He sighed. "I do not know everything either." Long Que confessed. "But I do know Brother Rong would never have killed his own wife. He's always said Sister Yue was his guiding star, even if he were out of his mind he would have recognized her." 

"We were all in the prime of our youth when we met, our little group." He started. "There were no children to care for, no rules strong enough to deter us. We did what we wanted, when we wanted, with nothing to hold us back. Recklessly standing up to those is power, always willing to help the common people. Made quite the name for ourselves, I'd say." He joked. They've been so young and idealistic, they've thought they could change the world. Arrogant children, really, but it was too late for regrets now. They've already paid the price for it. 

"Did this group of your include the young masters of the five leading sects by any chance?" Ye Baiyi inquired with an annoyed huff and Long Que snorted a laugh. "They wished. They used to loiter around but we never really accepted them." He saw Zhang Yusen press his lips together like he was holding himself back from making a comment while Wen Kexing and Qin Xu's shoulders shook with amusement.

"Brother Rong was always willing to speak up for them but Brother Qin wouldn't hear of it, saying growing up on that isolated mountain had made Brother Rong naive. Brother Qin refused to trust anyone from the Jianghu's so called elite clans, with good reason it turns out, but we weren't careful enough back then." Long Que sighed to himself before elaborating. "Our group was formed of Rong Xuan, Yue Feng'er, Qin Huaizhang, Bi Yifeng, Wen Ruyu, Gu Miaomiao, me and my wife, Yu Zhui. We would often meet to discuss our latest adventure and talk theory over wine, eventually some of us grew closer and got married and then..." The inventor trailed of as memories of days long past surfaced in his memory. Of a life that wasn't constant hell, of a time when they've all been happy. He'd met Qin Huaizhang by chance, and Rong Xuan through him. Then Rong Xuan had met Yue Feng'er and she introduced them to her martial arts siblings, Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao, who bought their friend Bi Yifeng to one of their meetings, who dragged along Yu Zhui. All of them had flocked together like birds of a feather... until tragedy had struck. 

"Brother Rong was always the best of us when it came to martial arts. Not only in raw talent but also in knowledge." Long Que recalled his friends rants on the subject fondly. "He'd never believed in the school system, as every one of them was the legacy of some great genius but all of their descends only knew how to stiffly repeat the teaching of their forefathers without any contribution of their own. As such each generation was worse than the last, eventually leading to the death of a sect and the loss of their ancestor's teachings."

Rong Xuan and Qin Huaizhang used to have such rows about it. The first had thought the whole concept of schools was stupid, not to start on what he thought of martial arts compatibility and bloodlines, while the second believed that the system itself was not at fault but the teachers for limiting the students' ability to think on their own. Rong Xuan had argued that each child should be encouraged to develop their own style from the start, while Qin Huaizhang had countered that it was better to lay a strong foundation first upon which to build later. They could spend hours debating on the subject without reaching a conclusion, as they often had.

"That brat." Ye Baiyi huffed, trying to sound indifferent but his voice was rough with emotion. "So I didn't waste my breath for nothing, he did listen to what I was saying after all. Those were my words. Those so called 'martial artists' who take pride in their so called bloodlines are only good at what they have been taught like circus monkeys. Smashing each other's skulls for someone else's leftovers while their own brains are left to rot away, the so called geniuses of old must have died of embarrassment after learning what their descendants would become." He snorted, and Long Que indeed recognized the words from Rong Xuan's speeches.

"Senior Ye." Qin Xu sighed from where he was still leaning on his husband. At first he hadn't seen it properly but now he noticed the man was pale and his breathing shallow. If the man was injured, it was most likely that it had happened trying to reach the Pavilion. Long Que felt a flash of guilt, the sons of his old friends of all people shouldn't have fallen victim to those tricks. 

Ye Baiyi seemed to look the beautiful man over for a moment before rolling his eyes. "So maybe some of you are not so bad, but are you going to tell me that you blindingly follow the teachings of your Sect?"

Qin Xu opened his mouth as if to answer, then closed it without saying anything. The inventor almost laughed at his disgruntled expression and wished his old friends were there to see it.

"Brother Rong had great respect for you and your husband, he took your words to heart dearly." He found himself adding towards Ye Baiyi. Rong Xuan would share stories of his childhood whenever the chance came up and Long Que always got the feeling that he missed his parents. "It's one of the reasons why I refuse to believe he would have done something as stupid as destroying his own heart meridians. He never forgot your teachings about benefits and drawbacks being independent when combining methods of different schools. Yes, he was obsessed with the perfect technique and had even defied you by stealing part of that book but he had never done anything untoward with it. It's always been just theory, just research. Another reason is that his wife was a healer, he understood what doing that would mean better than most."

"I admit that I have my suspicions about what happened back then but we all saw him do it with our own eyes who were there that day, Rong Xuan severed his meridians with his own hand." Zhang Yusen frowned. 

Seeing that Zhang Yusen wasn't protesting his words and instead looked quite intrested in his opinion, some of the fury left Long Que. Could it be that he really hadn't been involved, he thought to himself as he sighed. "Did he? If I order one of my puppets to rip off their own head, is it also done by their own hand? Couldn't someone have whispered evil thoughts in his ear while no one else was looking? It's true he'd bought it up before. That day you had all challenged him to a duel, five on one, and he won. Later he acted very odd, drinking wine like he couldn't sate his thirst which was very out of character. He stood up from the table and started sharing his theory about combining all the clans techniques, which we all knew, and how he'd finally figured out the fundamental meaning of Six Harmonies Cultivation. That time all of you five bastards supported him, edging him on, only to back out at the last moment." At this, Zhang Yusen had the decency to look ashamed. Back when Rong Xuan had first bought up that nonesense about shattering one's meridians, those five bastards had all sworn to do it together with him, only to back out of the deal one by one.

Long Que took another gulp of sweet, sweet water from Qin Xu's flask before continuing. "Had Brother Qin not been fast enough to stop him, who knows what that idiot would have done." The whole thing had been suspicious even back then. Long Que blamed himself for not paying more attention to what had been going on earlier that day; but he had just discovered this particular mountain and had been lost in his own thoughts, coming up with ways to manipulate the metal here. "Sister Yue, Brother Wen and Sister Gu checked him up after that, even Sister Bi looked for signs of outside influence, but none of them found anything."

"Why didn't I hear about this?" Ye Baiyi asked irritated and Long Que understood his ire. He too had a son and unlike that unfilial bastard Rong Xuan hadn't grown up to be a beast. A little rebellious, maybe, but not a beast.

"We didn't think it was that important." He admitted. Qin Huaizang had threatened Rong Xuan that he would go to his parents if he attempted something so stupid again but their friend had been as shocked as the rest of them and most of that night was a haze in his memory by morning. He'd sworn that he had no idea what had overcame him and they've attributed it all to him drinking more than he was used to while being high on adrenaline after his duel.

"I remember Brother Qin being furious at the Five Lakes Alliance bastards, yet there was nothing he could prove or do about it but chase them away. Brother Rong was back to normal by morning and Sister Yue promised to keep a better eye on him before we parted a week later. The lot of us found ourselves too busy to all meet together in the months to come and then..." He trailed off to swallow the knot of grief that blocked the words in his throat. "Then I got a message that something was wrong from Sister Yue. I grabbed Brother Wen who was with me at the time and the two of us rushed there as fast as we could, but we were too late. The inn they were staying at was in ruins and Sister Yue was dying, Brother Rong's sword through her. Brother Wen managed to keep her alive long enough to tell us what had happened but couldn't do anything more than that." As he said those last words he closed his eyes, knowing that if he saw Ye Baiyi's reaction to them he might be unable to continue.

He took a moment to recall Yue Feng'er's words before he went on with the story. "They've met with those five bastards again, and Brother Rong joined them for a drink. She hadn't agreed and retired early, by the time she was drawn in by the noise later he'd already been on the ground, bleeding from his mouth and his heart meridians severed. Everybody in the restaurant agreed that he'd done it himself, but she refused to believe so. Sister Yue had read the Yin Yang Manual many times and did her best to save him but what woke up wasn't the husband she had married. She was suspicious of what had happened so she passed us the key to the Armory and made us promise to take it to her parents in law before she passed away."

Long Que's throat had gone dry but thanks to Wen Kexing's energy transfer it didn't bother him as it would have otherwise. He only took a sip of water as he went on with the tale. "We tried tracking Brother Rong down but he was already surrounded by the time we got there, and all we could do was watch from a distance as he attacked everything in his path in a crazed manner while the so called 'heroes' of the Jianghu demanded he handed over the Glazed Armor. He was dead before we even reached the crowd..." The inventor took a moment to gather himself back together, taking a deep breath before he went on. "Brother Rong was lost to us but he still had a promise to keep. We didn't know exactly where Mount Changming was and we were reluctant to reach out to Brother Qin. It was bad enough the rest of us were involved in that mess and didn't want to implicate him too. So we parted. Brother Wen took the key since he thought no one would suspect a healer to have it and promised to look for Mount Changming, while I came to hide here and acted as a distraction."

"The rumors that you could open the Armory." Wen Kexing whispered and at his acknowledging nod, bowed as well as he could while still keeping his husband upright. "Thank you, Master Long."

Long Que shook his head. He didn't feel worthy of that gratitude, if he had done more maybe all his friends wouldn't be dead. "I only wish I could have done more. After that, I don't know anything. I isolated myself in this mountain and tried to interact as little as possible with the outside world. I only left to spread the rumor and get supplies and never reached out to anyone I knew from before."

"What about now?" Wen Kexing asked softly. "What do you wish to do now? I know this metal is strong but I'm sure between A-Xu and I we'd eventually break it, or the old monster might even find a way to pick the chains apart. The key is gone and that little cripple is dead, you don't need to stay here anymore. You would always be welcome to come with us." He offered sincerely.

Long Que thought the words over carefully. Such an offer of a fresh start might sound good to someone else but to him... The world he knew had passed through the test of time. His wife was gone, his friends were gone and even that little bastard he called a son was gone. His legs were gone, his cultivation was all but gone and his youth was gone too. Now that he knew that promise had also been fulfilled... there was nothing holding him here, indeed. Not on this mountain, but in this world. 

"Now I join my wife." He grinned, feeling some inexplicable joy in his heart at the freedom to die. That little bastard wouldn't let him but now Long Que could finally do as he wanted and he wanted to be free of the torture. Maybe in the netherworld he might finally be able to settle the score with that unfilial brat as well. He drank the rest of his water, unwilling to allow the opportunity to slip since sickness wouldn't matter soon anyway, before looking Wen Kexing in the eyes as he spoke. "Do a good deed, young man, and grant me a quick and painless death with that sword of yours."

The tall man looked like he wanted to protest but a glare from his husband made him hold his tongue. Long Que held back a chuckle in turn. So however powerful this man was, some things were always the same. Wen Ruyu would also fall silent from just a glare from his wife. Passing Qin Xu to those two boys again, Wen Kexing approached Long Que slowly, placing a hand over his heart. "I can shatter your meridians in a second, you won't have time to feel a thing. Is there anything else you wish for before I do so?" He asked quietly.

The inventor almost said no before he remembered there indeed was something. "Behind the map is the wall with the gears and behind that there's yet another room. All of my designs and theories I've ever written down are there. I want the two of you to take them, make sure they don't end up in the wrong hands. That's all." He hadn't gotten around to telling that little beast about the library before the brat had turned on him and now he was glad he hadn't done so. The brat had gotten his hands on some book, but they had been merely copies. Now he could rest easily knowing that his legacy was in good hands. 

Wen Kexing nodded. "I promise, and about the one behind what had happened back then, I also promise that they will pay." He whispered quietly. 

Good, Long Que thought with a laugh that froze half way through. His face was smiling when he felt that familiar energy against his skin again only this time it wasn't a soothing stream, but a crushing wave... and then it hit him.

Chapter Text

Zishu took in a deep breath as soon as he woke up to notice the annoying pain in his lungs was finally gone, then stretched his body across the small bed him and Lao Wen were borrowing. The other side was long cold, he realized with a sigh. It wasn't that the former assassin wasn't used do waking up alone. His husband was the Emperor of Qingya, he woke up with the sun to attend to his duties and left Zishu to wake up alone most days, but they weren't home and maybe he'd grown too used to waking up in his husband's arms recently. It wasn't that Zishu was mad at Lao Wen for leaving him alone that made him get up from bed in a flash either, it was that he was worried. Lao Wen had spent the past two days carefully carving the stone on Long Que's grave, and Zishu felt helpless to bring him out of the dark mood he'd fallen in. During their first day in Longyuan, once the old inventor's eyes had fallen shut, his chatterbox of a husband had barely spoken a word.

Lao Wen had spent hours studying the chains, refusing to allow the room that had been Long Que's prison also become his grave. The old man's dying wish had been to finally be free and Lao Wen had been determined to do that for him. The metal, on the other hand, had refused to cooperate. Even under the full force of his zhiji's internal energy the chains wouldn't break, the most he'd accomplished had been to bend them slightly. It provided that the metal was not actually indestructible but also that breaking them would take too long. Unfortunately the bed frame had been made from the same material and his husband had absolutely refused to cremate Long Que while still chained to that thing. They seemed to have been somehow welded together too, with no mechanism to open them built in. That annoying cripple must have hated his father with a passion to condemn him to such a fate without a way to escape it. In the end the solution had been the simplest, but also the messiest. The Ghost King had used a sharp dagger to cut Long Que's healed over flesh, cracked the bones of his shoulder blades and pried the shackles out of the dead man's body. It was only after the old man had been carried out that Lao Wen had set the small house on fire. 

After that Lao Wen had prepared a proper pyre for Long Que and watched over his body until the end, gathering the ashes into a ceramic container Ye Baiyi had found somewhere. Then he'd searched for the grave of Long Que's wife and dug a fresh one next to it, covering it with earth and stones he'd carried from the river. His zhiji had also dragged over a large boulder to write Long Que's name and date of death on, and he'd insisted on doing it all by himself. He's been carving that headstone ever since, even though he had long finished every stroke of every word he still insisted it was not done yet. Zishu didn't know what else to do but let him grieve.

It didn't even matter that they hadn't really known Long Que. When Lao Wen got attached to something or someone he went all in and when people he cared about died, the grief was all encompassing too. It was there in the way the need for revenge over his parents' deaths still burned through him after so many decades, it had been there in his husband's declaration that if Zishu died he would follow him to the netherworld and it was there in the way he was acting now. Zishu had seen it when Granny had died too. The girls watching over her had sent a message, but they had still gotten there too late.

Granny had died in her sleep, with a smile on her face, the night before they've arrived and his husband had been devastated. Lao Wen had refused help back then too, digging into the frozen earth with a dull shovel until the shaft broke and then he'd continued to dig until he'd made a shallow grave, completely ignoring the pain of the broken wood digging into his hands. By the time Zishu had managed to get through the madness clouding his zhiji's mind blood had been running freely to the ground from his shredder palms. Images from that awful day flashed through his mind and the former assassin forced himself to blink them away. He would never forget the mangled flesh of his husband's palms, nor the lost look in his eyes when he'd came back to himself and realized, finally allowed himself to process, that Granny was gone. Even now Zishu's heart hurt thinking about that day.

Lao Wen had loved Granny as one could only love a last connection to their lost innocence and he'd cared about Long Que as someone who had suffered to keep his family safe, but what about when Ye Baiyi finally passed away? That day was approaching faster with each year that passed and when that day came... but people were mortal, Zishu thought with a sigh, one day all things turned to dust. He couldn't help Lao Wen grieve, all he could do was be there for his zhiji when he was finally ready to join the land of the living again and it hurt... It hurt worse than his lungs ever had.

Not even bothering with meditation he took care of his morning routine as well as he could in this place, then went in search of that little idiot 'disciple' of his. He found the boy already practicing his footsteps while Zhang Yusen supervised his elder son's training close by. Zishu shook his head at the dancing bear sight his little idiot 'disciple' was making and left him with instructions for the rest of the day, knowing that the boy might whine about it but he wouldn't slack off. As he walked away he couldn't help but think that even if every day someone passed away in a remote corner of the world like this one, every day there would also be a youth brimming with joy at getting a step closer to realizing their dream. For every Long Que there was a Zhang Chengling and that was the endless cycle of the Jianghu, both the ugliness and promise of it. 

Sighing, he slowly made his way towards his next destination, admiring the desolate but beautiful place around him. Longyuan Manor was larger than they had originally assumed. Once one left the small courtyard in the middle that had held Long Que's prison, there were more yards and buildings of various purposes. Rooms intended for the family to live in which seemed to have been occupied by Long Xiao, a large kitchen, sheds for tools, greenhouses, servant quarters that were inhabited by unmoving marionettes that gave Zishu the creeps when they looked at him with human like eyes, hot springs, even guests quarters that led him to believe Long Que must once held hope the whole Armory mess would blow over one day and he'd be able to reunite with his friends... Friends that would never see this place. They would never know how much work Long Que had put into building everything by himself, how he'd beautifully crafted every table, every chair, every shelf, every parting screen... If Zishu paid enough attention he could tell which room was intended for whom. Maybe Long Que had done it out of boredom, maybe he'd done it out of wishful thinking, but no one could deny that the real Longyuan Pavilion was a work of art. It might not be Long Que's most clever invention but in many ways it was his greatest masterpiece, and Zishu had no intention of burning it down or letting it descend into complete ruin. Once they've left the mountain he would send word to the Valley, have Luo Fumeng and Qianqiao send people to fix and guard it. It would make a nice place to run away to for some peace and quiet once in a while but for the moment it had a wine cellar, and that was more important.

Once he's reached the place he grabbed a jar of wine then made his way to sit by his husband's side but when he finally made it to Long Que's grave, well past morning, he realized someone had beat him there. Ye Baiyi. Zishu halted his steps and after a couple of seconds turned around and left before they could notice him. It would be an understatement to say his husband and the former immortal had been most affected by the last few days, there was something raw in their eyes like they were walking through fog... Whatever they were talking about, he knew only they could provide for each other. 

With a sigh he jumped on the roof of a nearby building and watched the horizon. It truly was a beautiful view from up there and he understood why Long Que would have chosen this place to isolate himself in. Lao Wen had kept the promise he had made years before and whenever he could run away from his duties for a few days, he took Zishu to visit beautiful places. Though these days he allowed Qianqiao to know their location so she could contact them in case of emergency, on those trips his time belonged to Zishu alone.

Zishu had huddled into the warmth of his husband's arms, drinking warm wine, while watching a world made only of snow and clouds from the highest mountain tops where no mortal had ever dared venture. He'd laid down on hot sand while holding Lao Wen's hand, eyes closed as he'd enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his skin, feeling like he was floating in an endless sea of liquid gold, waiting for the sun to set and then he'd opened his eyes to the clearest night sky. Millions and millions of bright stars splitting the abyss apart like a reverse of ink spreading in water. They've sat together on top of warm rocks in the middle of the green sea, the breeze caressing their skin, and once Zishu had gotten over his fears, discovered a whole new world underwater. There were colors he hadn't known existed, creatures he would never have imagined, and yet they hadn't even scratched the surface. Let alone see the world, they hadn't even seen all of Qingya, hadn't even seen a small part of it! In a hundred years, he thought, even in a thousand years, there would still be new places to see, new things to discover. Back when it had felt like he was marely adrift in life, yearning to see the world, he couldn't have even dreamed of this but even so there were places that would forever remain special in his heart.

Perhaps the place his heart remembered most fondly would always be Four Seasons Manor, no matter how many familiar saplings found their way to the palace's courtyards or how many little creatures that he'd rescued lingered around. The forest around Four Seasons Manor was where he'd learned how to climb trees and later taught Jiuxiao how to do the same, it was where he'd ran around carefree and wild as a child, where his Die had taught him what was safe or not to eat and his Niang had taught him that the most insignificant weed or the prettiest flower could be just as deadly as the sharpest blade. Four Seasons Manor was where he used to build snowmen with his Die and didi, it was where his Niang used to scold them all as she made them drink hot soup. Four Seasons Manor was where he first gripped a sword hilt with his Die'd hands wrapped securely around his own, it was where Niang had first guided him through writing his own name and it was where he had first held A-Xiao in his arms and looked into those big, trusting eyes... but Four Seasons Manor was where he'd lost all of that too. Where he'd buried his parents and had to grow up too fast. Four Seasons Manor belonged to a Zhou Zishu long gone. Then there was Granny's place, warm and loved. The place where he'd first met Lao Wen, the little house where he'd fallen in love, the remote little village where his wonderful husband had grown up... but that belonged to a different Zhou Zishu as well, one who had been young and idealistic. Even his time in the Capital had marked him, as much as he wished to forget most of it, but now his heart truly belonged in Ghost Valley.

Ghost Valley was where he'd found himself again, it was where he'd learned to live again and it was where his zhiji was. If Zishu had to choose now he wouldn't go back to Four Seasons Manor, he'd stay in Ghost Valley. Ghost Valley with its friendly people and its dense forest and tall mountains and high walls, the brilliant green that covered it in summer and mist that fell like a blanket in the cold, that was home. Even so, as he looked over Longyuan Pavilion Zishu wondered what life would have been like if the world would have been just a little less greedy, just a little less cruel. If others hadn't sought power and their families hadn't fallen apart, if maybe he would have met Lao Wen for the first time right in these hills as children, if they would have ran around wherever they'd came to visit their Uncle Long... but that life will never be. No use dwelling on any of it, he thought to himself as someone landed on the tiles and sat down next to him.

"Is Senior Ye going to be alright?" Zishu hummed as an arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him close into his husband's arms, and another stole the jar of wine from between his fingers.

"He will be." Lao Wen sighed against his hair. "He's glad to finally know more about what had happened to his son and daughter in law, it's just that some old feelings have resurfaced. He will be back to his old monster self soon, don't worry. Knowing that Rong Xuan never let go of his beliefs helps, knowing that his son had never truly lost his way helps more. I think he's always known but having it confirmed by someone who was there is different." The beautiful man explained and Zishu nodded, leaning back until they were both lying down, basking in the warm sunlight, and turned to wrap himself around his husband.

"Are you alright?" He asked more softly and the older man went still for a moment before laughing gently. "Of course I am, I have the most beautiful man in the world in my arms." Lao Wen teased. His voice didn't hold its usual cheery tone as he did so but the former assassin could hear that whatever had been bothering him before wasn't there anyone. Zishu would have to buy Ye Baiyi a feast for whatever he did, he decided as he hummed in answer.

"The old monster said he's finally got the door to the library open. After we take care of that, we can leave." His husband added before picking up a stand of his hair and letting it fall over his shoulder with a pained look in his eyes. "I think it's time I wash out this dye out of my hair too. It's becoming troublesome."

Hearing that Zishu couldn't help but kiss him softly, trying to offer comfort without any words. Ever since Long Que had confused Lao Wen for his father, the former assassin had known this moment would come soon. The beautiful man had once thought himself unworthy of even using his father's sword, being confused for the healer had to bring the kind of pain Zishu didn't want to consider. He was lucky enough, he guessed, that he couldn't be mistaken for his adoptive parents. As much as he would love to attract as little attention as possible, he would rather his zhiji be comfortable.

"Alright." He agreed easily, but unfortunately he needed his supplies and the special soap he'd made to wash it off properly. "When we get to the village, I will wash it off."

Lao Wen only kissed his lips gently in answer as they relaxed in the sun, wrapped around each other. They would deal with everything else and face the outside world again later, Zishu thought, but for now this was enough.

Chapter Text

Changge ran her fingers along the wood of the gate as her mind whirled... she'd never thought she would stand here again. How many times had she ran past those gates, not even paying attention to the guards? How many times had she sneaked out without a care in the world? Thousands? Tens of thousands? For the first sixteen years of her life, this place had been the only home she'd known. At times it had felt like it would be her only home, that she'd simply never marry and spent her life caring for her A-Niang or go to war like the female generals of old. How proud had she been of who she was, of her skills, of her meaningless accomplishments... but that was before life had kicked her in the teeth, flung her into the ground and made her crawl out of the mud.

She had gotten her wish to be a general but she had also felt on her skin what it was like to be a slave. To mean nothing, to be nothing. Changge had been on the run, knew the terror that burrowed into one's mind ever present with every breath. She knew hatred, that burrowed into one's heart like poison. She hadn't realized how carefree her life had been until she'd lost it all. She hadn't learnt the true meaning of strength, until she'd had to climb back up the metaphorical mountain with her own abilities, her fingers numb and skin raw. She had been a pampered princess... but she was not anymore. 

The last time she had stood here, the gates had been cracked open and there had been drops of blood staining the wood. The last time she had stood here, she hadn't yet known that she had lost everything. Her home, her status, her wealth... even her name. The father whose approval she'd craved even as she'd pretended not to, the little brothers and sisters she used to enjoy teasing... her A-Niang who had always protected her. She hadn't known, in that moment, that she'd become no one and she hadn't known, in that moment, that she could survive being no one. But she had survived. She'd fallen and she'd gotten up and she'd crawled to the top and she'd survived... and then she'd lived. Changge was no longer a princess, sheltered in her palace. She had seen the struggles of the world, felt hunger and thirst, fear and hate, love and mercy. She'd fought, she'd bled, she'd beat death and maybe she'd learned that nothing was ever black and white. That sometimes the future was red like blood and there were as many heroes in the world as there were villains. She could hold on to her thirst for vengeance or she could look towards the prosperity of her people. Maybe she'd never be able to forgive her uncle but she could choose peace, instead of war. In the face of that, in the face of the millions of lives what weight did her sorrow hold? 

Pushing back her grief before it could properly resurface again, Changge opened the gates and stepped inside the yard. Allowing memories of that day to resurface in her mind, she cut off any feelings that might have been associated with them. She couldn't allow herself to slip onto the path of vengeance again. Not now, not when peace was so close and they were on the way to sign a treaty. Slowly, she retraced her steps from that day, crouching down behind the same wooden pillar she had hidden behind back then while A-Sun followed her silently, letting her do things at her pace... A-Sun always let her do things at her own pace. 

"This is where I hid when I saw it." She finally spoke. "Zhou Zishu executing the last of Fuqin's surviving guards."

"Zhou Zishu?" Her husband looked at her incredulously like she'd just told him a great joke. "The Ghost King's consort? My people told me he was nothing but a dandy."

What? "No." She rapidly denied. "No." She repeated. "My uncle might have personally dealt with A-Niang but Zhou Zishu was the one who led the attack on my family." 

Had she not told her husband that before? At first she hadn't trusted A-Sun and then... then she hadn't wanted to talk about such things. She would have, had she realized he was missing such vital information. Once, she had also thought Zhou Zishu to be nothing more than a beautiful idle prince. Even being friends with Jiuxiao and Han Ying she hadn't realized the truth. What an idiot she'd been but not anymore, not since that night. She would never forget that night.

The servants had been tied up and led away but the guards had all been killed. She remembered feeling like all the blood had been drained from her body, even though the weather had been warm Changge's fingers had been so cold gripping the wood, like ice had somehow slipped into her veins. Even when her uncle had stepped out of her A-Niang's room with his armor splattered in blood, when fear and rage had warred inside her, it had been Zhou Zishu she hadn't been able to look away from. It had been him that she had feared most.

"He was there during the war too, right at his husband's side." She added and A-Sun frowned. "You mean the Imperial Consort is the Shadow King? Are you sure?"

"Yes. He was wearing a mask that night as well but I still recognized him. His eyes..." She trailed off, holding back a shudder as a blurry image of that day filled the yard... as if she were still there. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt A-Sun grip her hand tightly, pulling her back to the present. Changge swallowed, blinking the image away before whispering. "They called themselves the Window of Heaven but his eyes that night were a window to nothingness. They were so empty, like there was no soul behind them. Only a void."

"Your whole family had just been slaughtered in front of you. Of course you thought he didn't look human." A-Sun assured as he pulled her into a comforting hug and she shook her head against his chest. "No. It wasn't just that. Zhou Zishu had always been described as an out of this world beauty, there's always been something untouchable about him but that night... he wasn't the man you saw fight in the war, A-Sun. I have never seen someone so dead walk among the living." Her words almost got stuck into her throat and she swallowed. "It was summer but I felt like my soul was freezing. Like all the warmth was gone. I don't think I will ever be able to meet his eyes again without my worst nightmare flashing through my mind." She admitted softly.

Changge had never been as close to Zhou Zishu as she had been to her uncle, but she had grown up with him. Her uncle had bought her to visit Jiuxiao and Han Ying and she used to run around and play in Zhou Zishu's manor. While he hadn't paid much attention to them, he had never been cold. Jiuxiao had sworn that his gege was a good man and Han Ying had worshipped him. Zhou Zishu had been the first person to teach her and Jing An how to apply rouge to their lips when he'd caught them making a mess of their faces in one of his pavilions with the vermilion Changge had stolen from her A-Niang. Her uncle, Zhou Zishu and Jing Beiyuan always encouraged her and Jing An to learn the same things as the boys, to be independent. Had taught all of them how to play yi, how to defend themselves. Even when everyone had believed him to be useless, Zhou Zishu had still been the leader of a martial arts sect. He had taught her many things, including some basics of disguise that she had later used to hide from him. And then she had watched him and her uncle kill her whole family... Even so, she couldn't completely forget the good times. Couldn't forget that they had spent more time with her than her own father... She could barely remember a time at all when they hadn't been a part her life.

"Do you think they would have killed you, if they'd known you were there?" A-Sun dragged her out of her thoughts again.

"Now?" She shrugged. "No, but back then..."

"I see." He hummed, eyes distant as if he too, were somewhere else. Sometime else. "The Ghost King used to be like that, a god of wrath and blood descended upon the earth, someone that didn't belong in this world. He would fight for hours, days, without faltering or stopping like he couldn't feel the bite of steel or pang of hunger. I remember that when he had first attacked our lands, my uncle fell under his hand. And then my second uncle fell too, and then my third uncle ended up on the throne. When they went to battle again I snuck among the soldiers." Chnagge startled at that, eyes widening. When the Ghost King had attacked the tribes in the northwest, A-Sun couldn't have been older than seven or eight! How had no one noticed such a small child sneak on the battlefield!?

"I remember the first time I saw him, he was wearing all red. The outfit had been tight and made for battle, a silk mask had covered the lower half of his face and he hadn't been holding any weapon. He'd had no need of one, his whole body was a weapon. I, on the other hand, had picked up a fallen sword and was lifting it up with all my strength as if I could have hurt him at all." Her husband snorted and Changge had to admit the thought of a small child even getting close to the Ghost King would have been funny it hadn't been so terrifying too.

"I thought my life flashed before my eyes and even though until then I've told myself that I'm a man and a warrior, in that moment I froze." He admitted, an of course he had. He'd been a child! "He had towered over me like a mountain and all I could smell was blood. Whatever color his robes and mask had been, they were soaked red by then. His hair had been matted, strands sticking together. Even his skin had been covered in drying flakes under splashes of richer red. Everything about him had been red except his eyes, like a bottomless pit. It felt like looking into the netherworld, like staring into an abyss. For a moment I thought I was already dead but his hand stopped a breath away from my face. He saw I was a child, and he let me go." A-Sun explained, voice thick with emotion. Just like the day she had lost her family marked the greatest change in Changge's life, the day he had nearly died had marked a change in her husband's, she realized. 

"He ordered his general to hide me, even though I had just tried to kill him. Showed me more mercy than my people ever would have someone on the opposite side of a war." Oh... Changge had always wondered why A-Sun was so different from the other tegins, less cruel and more merciful, cared more about his men and was less willing to harm innocents, but would never had imagined that the one who had inspired him had been the infamous Ghost King. "He had been the world's most feared monster, literally covered in blood, and yet he'd had enough self discipline and mercy to stop a blow from hitting the enemy just because said enemy had been a child. The energy had backfired and injured his own hand..." He trailed off for a moment, before coming back to the present. "People are complex beings, Changge. There's no such thing as pure evil, just as there's no such thing as complete selflessness." He explained, touching their foreheads together in comfort.

Zhou Zishu and the Ghost King were a true match made in the netherworld, Changge couldn't help but think, though she was sure that wasn't the point A-Sun was trying to make. No, he was trying to tell her that just like the Ghost King was human, just like his father had been human, as her father had been too, so were Zhou Zishu and her uncle. She didn't want to think about that, instead she steered the conversation in another direction. "You greatly admire him."

A-Sun nodded, not even concealing the fact. "I guess I do. He showed me that being a warlord does not have to mean being a monster, that I can fight so my people have a better life without giving up on my honor. Yes, he was bloodthirsty but do you think if he had killed everything in his path he would be so respected by his people now? There had been war before him, struggle after struggle for power, but there was no more war after him."

Changge thought about it. The tribes and small kingdom the Ghost King had conquered had always been at war with each other, or in constant danger of being subjugated by one of the lager empires. Even before his campaign they had never been safe, but after they had been. Even as the Ghost King had taken able men and powerful cultivators into his army they had been well compensated and the people's quality of life had improved over all too. Since then, war and its horrors had no longer been something they've lived in constant dread of because just as the Ghost King had conquered them, from that point on they had also been under his protection. If the common people had peace and prosperity, food and clothes and roofs over their heads, they didn't care who sat on the throne. It no longer mattered that he took it all by force because now their lives were better... just like it no longer mattered how her uncle had won his throne either, she thought with a sigh.

"That's why you believed he was genuine about this treaty from the start?" She couldn't help but ask, and her husband nodded. "Qingya, the South and the North are politically stable and thriving in everything else. I understand your reticence, Changge." He whispered, squeezing her closer. "But they are good leaders. Sometimes being a leader means making the hard choices, even if no one else understands. Even if not everyone likes it... even if some condemn you for it." He finished quietly.

Changge pressed her lips together, stepping out of his embrace as she looked away from him. She understood now what sacrifices it took to protect one's people, had understood when she had seen A-Dou fall in front of her while she'd been helpless to help. So much more would have been lost back then too if it hadn't been for Zhou Zishu marrying the Ghost King. The man she had hated had also bought her people years of peace by paying for it with his own freedom. It had stopped the war back then, and even though she had ended up being captured by the tujue anyway, she couldn't ignore what he had done. 

"They have been allied and peacefully coexisting for years, now they are offering the same opportunity to us." A-Sun squeezed her hand, and Changge understood. She did... she did. "If there is a chance for better life for my people, I will take it. A chance not to have to go to war just to not starve to death." A chance for her people, all of her people to coexist. A chance for the war to finally end.

In the beginning Changge had been reluctant to believe the treaty wasn't a trap but after meeting her Uncle at her mother's grave and finding out his version of what had happened back then, she wasn't sure what the truth was anymore. She had seen Zhou Zishu and Helian Yi kill her family with her own eyes, she knew how close Jing Beiyuan had been to the two of them before he'd disappeared from the Capital too, but now that the cloud of hatred had cleared from her mind over the years, she could also remember what kind of man her father had been. Her father hadn't been a good man, he wouldn't have made a good emperor and while she was his daughter and it was her duty to avenge his death... she also could believe that he had been plotting her uncle's death first. She remembered her A-Niang slapping her for the first time in her life, the desperation in the older woman's eyes... her A-Niang had known what her father had been planning, she had chosen her uncle's side and she had chosen to take her own life. The letter her uncle had shown her had been in her A-Niang's writing, it had smelled of the incense that used to permeate the air of her room, Changge had recognized her words... being faced with that proof, and the prosperity of the empire under her uncle's rule, she now understood her mother's choice and it was time she made her final choice too. 

"If you believe in them, then I will too." She declared before making her way to her A-Niang's room with trepidation. Gripping the door to hide the trembling, she froze in the threshold for a moment. Just like at the grave, everything was clean and tidy. Everything was cared for, as if her A-Niang would return any moment. She had known her uncle had loved her A-Niang as if she had been his older sibling instead of her Fuqin, but hadn't realized how much he had been affected by her death as well... they've both been mourning, and maybe that changed something. Changed everything. 

Drawing strength from her husband's presence she made her way inside, to the little shrine her A-Niang had once made her kneel before. Changge's fingers twitched to touch the jade statue but didn't. Was she even worthy? That day she had repeated her A-Niang's words as ordered but she had still left the room with anger and resentment filling her heart, irritated that the older woman could not see the world as Changge had wished her to. She had parted from her A-Niang in anger but the one who had not understood was her. Changge had wanted to be free, she had wanted to be equal to men. It had irritated and grated on her that just because she had been born a woman, she could never have thoughts or wants of her own. That she was expected to be nothing more than a tool for men to get what they wanted, that her only worth could be her ability to bear children, that she was expected to stay silent and be beautiful. She'd cursed her A-Niang in her heart for being a coward. Now Changge was no longer sixteen years old, she was no longer the child her A-Niang had sheltered under her wing. No longer a little princess who knew nothing about the world but what she had read in books. Now she was an empress in her own right, the Khatun of the Grasslands, she had all the power she had ever wished for and had paid the price for it with her own suffering and blood... and the suffering and blood of others. Now she understood what her A-Niang had tried to protect her from and she understood that it was humans who had never been equal in the first place. It had never mattered what gender she was born, she had never been free. As royalty, her life belonged to her people... whether that meant living or dying for them.

Slowly sinking to her knees, Changge stared at the jade statue in front of which her A-Niang had spent so many hours praying. While her A-Niang had been alive she had been unlucky to have a daughter who hadn't appreciated her enough. Changge hadn't known back then how much she'd miss her A-Niang's cooking and words and warmth once she was gone. She hadn't known how much she'd miss her strength, because she hadn't understood it. Changge hadn't understood how hard it was to live each day with no resentment, she hadn't understood how hard it was to leave behind the pain inflicted upon you in order to protect those you loved. She hadn't understood that her A-Niang's silence and ability to forgive, those were a type of strength too. Changge had thought she knew everything when she had known nothing, now she wished A-Niang were there for her to hold just once more... but it was too late. She'd thought her A-Niang weak because she chose to let go of her resentment but now Changge realized peace didn't come from revenge, it came from within. "A-Niang." She whispered, bowing deeply until her forehead touched the floor. "I promise that from this day on, I shall live with no hate in my heart."

Chapter Text

"Jiejie stay." A-Lan whimpered pitifully against her neck and A-Xiang felt her heart quiver in her chest at the sadness in his tiny voice. Was this how her gege had felt every time she'd begged him not to go? How had he ever left her without breaking down when she could barely stand it now, knowing she would be back within hours? A-Lan had overheard her planning with Han Ying and Jiuxiao and now seemed to be under the impression that she was leaving him behind and going away. Her didi was surprisingly resilient and had recovered from his life on the street very fast, maybe because he was a small child surrounded by new people and new things that succeeded in distracting him. He didn't even ask about his Mama anymore, though he sometimes dreamed of her or mentioned her absentmindedly. Rarely, like now, did the fear of being abandoned or forgotten resurface.

"A-Lan, jiejie isn't leaving. I have a..." The princess paused, thinking about how to explain her mission to a small child. "...a chore to take care of." She decided, not that A-Xiang had done chores in her life but it was a good comparison to her duties, right? ...What was it normal people did when they weren't killing people or training to kill people, she thought to herself with a frown? "Like going to the market to buy food, but I am coming back." A-Xiang eventually added, kissing the side of his head softly.

"An-jiejie is going to watch you until I come back. You like An-jiejie and your new nieces and nephew, don't you?" She asked, pulling the little boy away from her neck to point at where Jing An was sitting with her two daughters and son that was around A-Lan's age. A-Xiang had been surprised when Jiuxiao-gege and An-jiejie had bought their children with them but she supposed they wanted the little ones to spend some time with family, and maybe meet some they hadn't yet. It proved how much trust they had in their older brothers, in all of them, that they hadn't thought any harm would come to the little ones. Not that she didn't agree, if she'd thought there was any real danger to the children, she would have sent A-Lan to the Valley with Hong Lu and Yun Zai long ago.

A-Lan pouted for a while, watching his new friends, before he finally gave in and admitted. "Like them."

"If you promise to let go, jiejie will bring you back sweet buns and tell you a story tonight." A-Xiang bribed, resorting to one of her gege's tried and true parenting techniques. The young woman was certainly understanding him more and more these days, she had even told A-Lan that if he didn't comb his hair a bird will nest in it! ...And that if he didn't eat his vegetables the wind will steal him away. And that if he chewed with his mouth open bugs will fly in, though she had refrained from saying they'd eat his tongue. Inwardly, she sighed. She was never going to complain to her gege about all his lies ever again. 

Her didi's eyes lit up and the tiny arms around her neck loosened. "I want the story about the red and blue dragons." He demanded.

A-Xiang held back a giggle at the mention of what had swiftly become A-Lan's favorite fairytale. The two dragons in the story were her gege and Zishu-gege, she really hoped her didi will love them just as much when he met them in real life. "If that is the one you want." She hummed.

"Alright." The little boy nodded. "A-Lan will wait."

"Jiejie will be back before bedtime, I promise." She hummed as she sat him down next to Jing An, who smiled reassuringly at her, before finally walking out the door. 

"He's sweet." Jiuxiao smiled softly from where he'd been waiting for her. 

A-Xiang sighed. "I just hope this fear won't linger his entire life. Is everything ready?" She asked, looking him up and down in his disguise. If she hadn't been there when they've came up with this plan, even she would have believed this was the real Yu Qiufeng. "What did you do with him?" She asks curiously.

"Everything is ready." Jiuxiao-gege confirmed. "And don't worry, he's alive and can't interfere with our plan. I knocked him out and gave Drunk Like a Dream before dumping him in a brothel. There are people we trust watching over him just in case." He explained.

She rose an eyebrow at that, amused. "Was using Drunk Like a Dream really neccessary?" That was a powerful hallucinogen kept people in a dream like state for around a week if ingested. Even Zishu-gege was careful about using it.

"After what he did to Qianqiao-jiejie he should consider himself lucky to still find all of himself whole and no parts missing." The Sect Leader huffed, crossing his arms. It was weird to hear the familiar voice out of someone else's face. Imitating voices was far more taxing on the throat, she'd learned from her Zishu-gege, and harder to learn too which was why Jiuxiao-gege wasn't using it yet. They could have used someone else to implement their plan, but they hadn't wanted to and if some repercussions were to come Yu Qiufeng's way later? Well, it was no skin off their noses, Qianqiao-jiejie would forgive them... Eventually.

"And Zishu-gege still thinks you're nice." A-Xiang giggled.

"I'm always nice to people who deserve it!" The man pouted as they started making their way towards the back exit of the White Jasmine inn. 

"I'm just glad you know ge would never hurt Zishu-gege and won't use your evil mind against him." A-Xjang laughed, though it would be kind of funny to see her shameless brother jumping through hoops, trying to prove himself innocent. 

"I was nine when my parents died but sometimes it feels like it was so long ago. I remembered them but... that life feels almost like a dream now." The Sect Leader confessed guiltly. "So when I got married, when I thought about the kind of husband I wanted to be, it wasn't Die that came to mind. It was Kexing-gege." The Sect Leader admitted with a sad sigh and A-Xiang nodded solemnly for a moment before skipping ahead, a grin pulling at her lips. "Of course, my gege is the best!" 

"He is." Jiuxiao-gege laughed as he followed along calmly.  "He taught me a lot during those months I stayed in the Valley and since, A-Xiang was very lucky to have him growing up."

She hummed. "I think Jiuxiao-gege was also very lucky to have Shifu. He's awesome as well. No one else would be good enough for my gege." Her brother was the only parent A-Xiang remembered, her Niang just a distant ideal she only knew from stories. Not even her Aunt Luo had any claim to the title of a parent, but Zishu-gege came closest after her gege. Though she had been almost grown when she'd met him, she had to admit her brother had been right all those years ago. Zishu-gege did love her and he was that great. 

"I think so too." Jiuxiao-gege smiled. "I'm glad they found each other. Let's go take care of this little insect for them, shall we? So they can have one less worry when they get here."

As she was reminded of their mission A-Xiang sighed. With one last nod they parted as they stepped out of the inn, blending into the crowd and making their way to the meeting place. Jiuxiao-gege went right ahead to Yueyang Manor, where they knew Zhao Jing would be taking care of his paperwork at that time of day, while she walked to the forest where she'd asked Xie Wang to secretly meet her. The man was already there, smiling maniacally to himself... and people called her ge a lunatic, she couldn't help but think as she held back a shudder.

"Xie Wang." The princess stated, breaking through whatever daydream the man was plagued with. He didn't startle at all. Not that she'd thought for a moment he hadn't sensed her approach, she hadn't been hiding her presence and he was not that careless. No person able to run an organization as ruthless and large as the Poisonous Scorpions would be anything less than always prepared for an attack.

"General Gu, I was surprised by your message to met in private." He greeted, tone somewhere between teasing and mocking. "I've heard you were quite attached to that little rabbit Cao Weining."

Cao Weining's shixiong, Mo Weixu, had just arrived in Yueyang and they were spending the day catching up, which was good as she hadn't had to come up with a reason for her absence. She smiled as she thought of the young man who had somehow managed to capture her heart.

A-Xiang was well aware that not all martial artists shared the same beliefs, and was quite attached to Four Seasons Manor and A-Feng, but she was also well aware of the rot that hid underneath the self righteousness of those who considered themselves above 'worldly affairs'. She knew well what they had done to her family, the sufferings and humiliation each and every one of them had endured. The very reason the pit of depravity that used to be Ghost Valley had existed was because they had been unwilling to deal with the consequences of their own failures and misdeeds. Out of sight, out of mind had always been the core foundation of the Sects. All they cared about was their own power, their own wealth, their own reputation and generation after generations nothing ever changed. No, nothing ever will... but her Cao Weining was different. She'd known that from the moment they've met and instead of being afraid of her, or shunning her for her actions, he'd praised her for defending the weak. She'd known, from the moment she'd seen him ready to do the same. Zishu-gege had told her there were few truly good people in the world. She didn't consider herself one of them, she didn't even know if her gege and Zishu-gege were truly good as would burn the world to the ground for the people they loved, but she thought Cao Weining might be one of them.

What A-Xiang truly cared about in a partner, unlike most 'young ladies' she'd met the past few weeks, was not power or wealth or status. She had enough of them on her own, she'd rather have a partner who'd offered her something far more valuable. Genuine kindness. Because she knew, if she were to announce her true identity all the 'young masters' present and even some of the Sect Leaders would fall all over themselves to make her their wife in order to obtain the benefits it would gain them. Now that she stood on top of the mountain they'd grovel at her feet but if she were at the bottom of the Valley they'd spit on her grave. Cao Weining alone, would stand by her. If she had no power, wealth or status, had she been less lucky, had she grown up in that pit of depravity that Ghost Valley used to be where the strong ate the week, he would love her no less. And that was why even if she had a thousand or ten thousand men to choose from, she'd choose Cao Weining every time. 

"Brother Cao is indeed a rare treasure among the pile of dung that is the Jianghu." The princess eventually answered.

Xie Wang looked at her in wonder for a second before he burst out in laughter. "Why did you call me here, then?"

"Follow me, and you will learn." A-Xiang offered.

"And if I don't?" He asked, but she already walking away again. "Then you shall never find out." She added, knowing that he would follow.

The Scorpion King was many things, and curious was one of them. It was one of the many reasons he sought the Glazed Armour, he wanted to know what others did not. To see what so many would kill each other for. And now that curiosity was working in their favor. When she heard his steps behind her, she knew he took the bait and now the hook was in. She saw the disbelief on his face when she led him to a hidden passage that led to Yueyang Manor and rose an eyebrow in challenge. He took it, of course, and was even more shocked when he realized they had stopped behind a wall that led to his Yifu's room. A-Xiang touched a finger to her lips, indicating for him to be quiet. There was only a small crack in the wood for them to see though but the voices carried clearly. Everything had gone exactly as predicted and Jiuxiao-gege tuned a worried look in Zhao Jing's direction not long after.

"You look worried, my friend." Zhao Jing inquired, acting the kind, benevolent elder wishing to impart his wisdom. A-Xiang would have even bought the act had she not known just how slimy he really was underneath it all, like a poisonous frog.

"I am reluctant to bring this to you but..." Jiuxiao-gege answered in that unfamiliar voice that grated on her ears for some reason, sounding extremely hesitant. He always acted like such an idiot, A-Xiang considered the day she first met him as a prime example of that, but he truly had mastered the techniques of his Sect to perfection. Zishu-gege had his part of the credit for that, she knew. In spite of all his claims to the contrary, he was a great Shifu. "I have heard some worrying news. People are already talking. They are saying that Xie Wang, your son, is..." His voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "They are saying he is the Scorpion King, Brother Zhao."

"That isn't..." The slimy bastard started, before sucking in a deep breath. She could almost see the troubled expression on his face in her mind, as she allowed the silent Xie Wang to watch through the small crack on his own and leaned against a wall, arms crossed. "Ah... I don't want to lie to you, Brother Yu. It's true. It's true." He sighed deeply. "Xie'er is a wild thing, he's young still. You know what its like, he thinks he knows everything best at this age."

"I know you care about him, but I don't know if I can support you like this. Everybody knows what evil deeds the scorpions would do for enough money, they say he even... they say he was even behind the attack on Mirror Lake Manor! Brother Zhao, how can you defend him after such a thing?!" Jiuxiao-gege snapped, sounding distressed. The leader of the attack that A-Xiang had passed over to Gao Chong had mysteriously passed away before he could be interrogated, ever since then a small fracture had formed between the three sworn brothers, the distrust growing into a wider and wider chasm every day. They've made sure to help with that. Zhao Jing had now lost almost all of his support and today was to be the final nail in the coffin.

"I... I know." The slimy frog stammered, and Jiuxiao-gege didn't let him speak further before he hammered on, pushing the bastard into a corner with each word. "Brother Zhao, I can't support you at the conference if I know he will have power over the Jianghu in the future... as your son..." He sighed, and she imagined him shaking his head. "Who knows what he could use your relation to get away with, and no one would dare report to you then! I can't risk it and I don't think anyone else would either. People are already talking, ever since General Gu had delivered that prisoner to your eldest brother. I have some connections in the Capital and have inquired there too, even in the Emperor's court they've heard of him, and now people are starting to realize that that... that scourge and your adopted son are one and the same!"

"What do you mean, Brother Yu?" Zhao Jing whimpered cowardly.

"I fear that he might put you, and all of us, in danger should he not be... dealt with properly."

"I see. I see." The bastard sighed, as if in disappoint. "And you are sure he did such despicable things as they say? I know Xie'er is headstrong but..."

"He did." Jiuxiao-gege interrupted. "There is only one solution to this, you must realize?"

Zhao Jing fell silent for a moment, before answering in a painted voice as if he were a father in mourning. "I am still relying on him for some tasks, he is really the only one competent enough but... if it is really as Brother Yu says, once everything is over I will hold a public trial and should he be proven guilty, even carry out the execution myself."

"Good." Jiuxiao-gege answered decisively and A-Xiang didn't wait anymore, pulling Xie Wang back out by the arm. As they stepped into the daylight once more, he failed to hide the heartbroken expression from his face fast enough. "That was not the real Yu Qiufeng."

"No." She admitted, seeing no reason to lie. While she trusted Jiuxiao-gege's skills and that Xie Wang wouldn't find Yu Qiufeng should he search for him until the man resurfaced on his own, getting that particular bastard in trouble was not their main task... besides, she didn't want Qianqiao-jiejie to be too sad, waking up in that place with no recollection of the past week would have to be punishment enough and if she arranged for the man's son to stumble upon it all just in time, no one would know the truth.

"Then how do I know that was really Yifu, then?" He accused. "You must think me so foolish, to think I'd believe this show of yours."

She did. The princess thought him painfully dumb and terminally naive. It was almost pitiful but saying it won't get her the results she needed, A-Xiang thought as she internally rolled eyes. "I'd only think you foolish if you were to continue to cling to the hand ready to stab you in the back, now that you know the truth." She answered instead. "All you did you did for him but he is more than willing to use you as a scapegoat. In only one conversation, he had already condemned you just to appease the worries of one friend. He could have lied, of course, but do you really believe that? How many times had you begged him to allow you to stand at his side?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." He huffed.

"Don't I? Before this conference, how many times has he refused to introduce you to the world as his son, telling you it wasn't time yet?" She challenged, knowing he wouldn't be able to deny it was true. She saw a spark of anger flash through his eyes, but he didn't answer. Xie Wang had indeed been asking Zhao Jing to officially announce their familial relationship for a while, only to be placated with sweet words each time. There had been a reason for that, of course. Zhao Jing had known the 'righteous' Jianghu would never accept someone like the Scorpion King. Now that he believed his plan to have almost come to fruition, he needed someone to blame for all of his crimes. Someone needed to be punished, someone needed to die, the bastards would be satisfied as long as they saw blood and Zhao Jing had been smart enough to know that from the start, smart enough to make sure nothing could be traced to him. When it came to a trial, when it came to an investigation, Xie Wang would fall alone. There was a reason they have chosen to act only now, because they knew the bastard had already written this naive son of his off. Before, he wouldn't have admitted what he had today.

"Didn't he give you a token of his love, to convince you his affection is genuine? You are not the first person he's fooled, Xie Jie Liu Bo." A-Xiang explained, enjoying the way his already pale face lost even more color when she said his real name. A name he thought no one remembered but they had the resources of three intelligence organizations behind them, and none of them had allowed Xie Wang out of their sight since the moment he'd surfaced on the playing field. In the large scheme of things, she thought he wasn't even a mantis, let alone the oriole.

"How do you know...?" He mumbled in shock.

"We know a great many things." She laughed, before humming lowly. "We know he only introduced you to the world now because he knows it will all be over soon and he needs someone to blame for all his past misdeeds. That has always been your intended role. If you don't believe me, I know he keeps trophies of all who had fallen victim to his manipulations. A letter written in blood on a white handkerchief from Luo Fumeng, a jade ring from his adopted father, the hairpin he had gifted to Li Yao as a token of his love, maybe even whatever he had used to drive Rong Xuan mad... who knows how many more there are. I'm sure he took them with him, he wouldn't leave them behind and risk them being discovered. Isn't there a chest he always carries around? Why don't you look inside, see if I'm lying." She offered. It was all there, they've already checked. Zhao Jing was too paranoid to let such things laying around when he wasn't there.

"He doesn't." Xie Wang lied and A-Xiang laughed. "Do not bother with lying to me. We know a great many things."

"Then you must know who I am and what I've done for him. Why show me this? Why not just kill me? I could go to Yifu and tell him everything about this little trick of yours." Xie Wang hummed, that deranged smirk of his pulling at his lips.

"You could." A-Xiang acknowledged, but she also knew he wouldn't. Not now that the seeds of doubt had been planted, and even if he did it was too late to help Zhao Jing. 

"When Qiao Luohan walked into the Ghost Valley she'd known that she might never leave alive but she did it so you wouldn't have to. When she was caught she didn't try to escape and didn't beg for mercy for herself, she only begged for you. Even though she was dying and the pain was unbearable she didn't ask for a quick death, she only asked that my Chief spares you that same pain when the time comes." She explained, watching anger flash through his eyes at the mention of his fallen general. A-Xiang knew the fate that had befallen the other woman, the torture she had suffered for Zhao Jing's whims. "She knew the master in the shadows would one day betray you and you might end up in her place and did her best to protect you even in her last moments. Tell me, Xie Jie Liu Bo..." She hummed softly. "Is Zhao Jing more worthy of your loyalty, or is she?" 

"Isn't he? She was a loyal subordinate but he took me off the streets and gave me my life. If he wants it, shouldn't it be his to take?" Xie Wang inquired. 

Should it? A-Xiang thought to herself. Some would certainly claim so, but she had never understood the whole filial piety bullshit in the first place. The existence of the concept itself made her angry. Children didn't ask to be born, didn't force anyone to take them off the streets. Should she be thankful to that peirce of shit that had sired her for killing her step father? For abusing her Niang and gege? Should she build a memorial tablet and a shrine to leave offerings to? She scoffed inwardly. She'd rather cut off her right hand. If she could rip his blood from her veins, she would. Would she ever treat A-Lan the way Zhao Jing obviously treated Xie Wang? Never. Expect undying loyalty while offering nothing but crumbs of affection and lies in return? Obviously not. It should be obvious. She had chosen to take A-Lan in. It had been her choice. Her ge had chosen to love her, so A-Xiang owed him that same love in return. Zishu-gege had chosen to love Jiuxiao-gege, and Jiuxiao-gege loved him in return. She believed that in life, each person should get what they give. 

So. "No." She answered honestly, Xie Wang didn't owe Zhao Jing a thing. "But I can't make this choice for you, it's true. It's yours to make alone." A-Xiang admitted. "My jiejie once told me that other people can only show us the way, but only we can decide whether to walk on it or not." Qianqiao-jiejie had told her that when A-Xiang had been very young, since then it had been proven true many times. "Consider this though, Xie Jie Liu Bo. Three of your four lieutenants are dead. Who is he going to ask you to sacrifice next? You might be willing to give him your life, but are you willing to give him your sister's?"

"I don't have a sister." He denied, a little too fast. 

"Don't you?" She smiled, knowing that in fact, he did. Du Pusa might not be his sister by blood, A-Xiang knew, but she was his sister in every way that mattered and that was all they needed. "We won't ask to do anything, other than do nothing. Stay out of our way, and we won't have to remove you from it. The world is big enough, even if not in the Jianghu, there's a place in it for you if you choose to take it. Think on it, Xie Jie Liu Bo." A-Xiang finished, not bothering to stay around and watch his reaction. She didn't need to know, it didn't really affect them much. 

Xie Wang might listen to her or he might not but one thing she knew for sure, whatever he did in the future, the memory of this day would remain. It would fester like a wound. His trust in Zhao Jing, his devotion, would never again be unwavering. The Scorpions were the foundation of Zhao Jing's strength, they were the ones who did all his dirty work, and now Xie Wang had doubts deep in his heart. One way or another he would help them because now he would no longer follow orders blindly, but whether Xie Wang chose to follow him into the netherworld or not Zhao Jing would end up there soon enough. The slimy bastard's fall had started a long time ago, it was but a matter of time. Until then she had sweet buns to buy and stories to tell. 

Chapter Text

Chengluan felt his face heat up when Wen Kexing and Zhou Xu walked back into camp and leaned closer to the fire so he could pretend that was the reason he had suddenly turned red. Chengling on the other hand stared wide eyed at the two, mouth halfway open. The young man really hadn't meant to see anything he wasn't supposed to, it was just that after so long spent in the constant company of others he'd wanted a minute to just think about everything that had been going on the last few weeks! Everything was just... just... urgh... he constantly felt like screaming! 

His home had been attacked, his home! His Niang had been in danger, his didi had been in danger, the little disciples had been in danger, the servants had been in danger and Chengluan had almost died. He'd seen his Die's arm being cut off, he'd seen someone hold a sword to his gege's neck! The elders and senior disciples actually had died. He'd seen his home burn. Mirror Lake Sect had been nearly wiped out and they would have all perished with it if it hadn't been for General Gu rescuing them, because of something his Die had done! Not by mistake, not because of some misunderstanding, not because of random evil, but because his Die had actually done something to draw such attention to them! And now they had no way of knowing the situation in Yue, his gege was alone in Yueyang putting himself in danger every day while they had been stumbling around in the wild so that his Die could try to push around a dying old man! His Die... he couldn't believe the things that man and his sworn brothers had done for that cursed Glazed Armor! And he'd had the audacity to use his didi to smuggle it out during the attack! Chengluan could have punched the older man himself when he'd realised exactly what his Die had hid under Chengling's skin that night.

All those years his Die had clung to that cursed glass instead of destroying it or getting rid of it. He'd known someone was after it, he'd suspected one of his own sworn brothers had already killed for it, and he'd put his family in danger instead of looking for a different solution. For thirty six years! Thirty six! None of them had even been born back then, if he'd been so determined to protect that glass he could have chosen not to have a family at all! Heavens! Their ancestors were cursing from the afterlife. How was he supposed to trust his Die as a Sect Leader ever again?! He'd failed them, he'd failed them all, and the worst part was that Chengluan didn't think the man even understood the real gravity of his actions! He'd known of the evil growing inside his own brotherhood and instead of doing something he'd buried his head in the sand!

As Chengluan forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself he made the mistake of looking in the direction of the two beautiful men again. Zhou Xu and Wen Kexing were too beautiful, there was almost a pressure radiating from their bodies. It drew you to look at Zhou Xu, and made you want to look anywhere but at Wen Kexing. Two opposing forces, in complete balance. Chengluan liked to read, he liked to read a lot, and he wasn't stupid either. Most of the time he actually read useful books, in spite of what his Die thought. He probably knew far more about cultivation than the man did.

He knew the difference between spiritual energy and internal energy was that internal energy had been tamed by the user and stored inside their own body. Internal energy was as unique to a person as their blood or fingerprint, and someone sensitive enough or with the right training, like a talented healer, could even use it to trace bloodlines. It was why some Sects thought bloodlines were so important but as his didi had proved, it wasn't always true. While both Yin and Yang spiritual energies could be used, they were wild and volatile, it was much easier to use one's own reservoir of internal energy. Once refined it became a part of them, as much their's as a limb was.

There were many theories about the best method to tame and store said energy. Some said it should be in constant motion, spinning into a condensed ball, others said it should be static and deep like a calm lake, others claimed it should be equally distributed through the bones and muscles for best efficiency. Mirror Lake Sect had practiced constant motion theory since its foundation, with the goal of forming a permanent core. Maybe that was why Chengling had constantly failed.

After putting together information from various sources, Chengluan had realized that the constant motion theory was usually associated with cultivating Yang energy, while the static theory was was usually associated with cultivating Yin energy. Yang cultivators, like him, were naturally predisposed towards what Senior Ye had described as 'hammer' techniques that relied on brute strength, while Yin cultivators were predisposed towards the 'knife' style based on speed and agility. One was force, while one was fluidly. Though someone powerful and knowledgeable enough could overcome such obstacles to learn something they were not naturally inclined towards.

From Chengluan's deductions while watching them and listening to their advice when training Chengling, Wen Kexing seemed to practice the core theory while Zhou Xu the lake theory. That must have been why Senior Ye had asked the later to train his didi who had been failing in their families techniques for years. Even though the foundation of their cultivation seemed to be different, the two still perfectly complemented each other. Strength and fluidity, fire and ice, Yang and Yin. They were equally powerful, and that was very powerful.

Anyone with half a brain who spent more than a passing moment in their presence would realize something was off about them, but anyone who spent weeks in their presence would realize that no mortal had power evaporating off from their skin! It had taken him embarrassingly long to realize that pressure they gave off was literally internal energy. Not only that but their energies were so attuned that they naturally pulled towards the other like two side of a magnet whenever they were standing closely together. Clearly an indication of dual cultivation, much to the embarrassment of everyone that figured it out, he was sure! Though if two people who practiced fundamentally opposed styles were able to dual cultivate it completely invalidated the beliefs that one method was superior to the other, and also proved that they were compatible. He wondered if someone could cultivate both at the same time... but that would probably take a lifetime to study. The point was that Wen Kexing and Zhou Xu had so much power it was impossible to condense and completely conceal and since no mortal could contain so much power without shattering their meridians or burning from the inside out... they weren't mortal. It was just... a nightmare!

His Die had not only caused the downfall of their Sect that had stood for six generations before him, but he had somehow managed to piss off two immortals in the process! Chengluan hadn't pieced everything together yet since he's got his information in crumbs and hadn't even been born yet at the time, but he was pretty sure Wen Kexing and Zhou Xu's parents' deaths had been caused by whatever idiocy his Die had been involved in. Before Longyuan Pavilion and their talk with Long Que, Chengluan had thought the World Armory to be a bedtime story parents told to children so they wouldn't grow up power hungry. It had been a cautionary tale. Now he'd found out his Die was part of the reason there was a cautionary tale in the first place! Innocent people had died. Even if it hadn't been his Die's intention, he'd facilitated it. He'd been involved in the mess thirty six years ago and had done nothing to make amends or fix his mistakes ever since. Wen Kexing and Zhou Xu had every right to want justice for their parents, and if they were who he suspected them to be no one could stand in their way however they chose to enact it!

Chengluan hadn't meant to see anything, truly! He was a sexually frustrated seventeen year old who was attracted to men but he was not stupid, he'd never dare ogle Zhou Xu while bathing! He was very much attached to his eyes, thank you very much! It's just that he'd decided to take a walk through the forest after they've set up camp earlier, clear his mind away from everyone else while he looked for some wild fruits, when he'd stumbled upon the two men bathing in the river. It wasn't that he hadn't seen them in less than ideal situations, he still remembered Zhou Xu showing up to fight assassins in only a sleeping robe that clung to his body but at least it had covered most of him! Chengluan hadn't meant to stare, but it hadn't been easy to tear his eyes away from the sight either. Thankfully they've both been facing away from him and though he was sure they've felt someone's presence, since they haven't said anything he really, really hoped they could all pretend it had never happened!

They had both been naked, kneeling in the water so that it came up to their waists, while Zhou Xu had been rubbing soap into Wen Kexing's hair with his fingers, the color running out of it. Already there had been stands of silver shining like moonlight sticking to pale skin, the tips freely floating in the river. Chengluan knew what white hair meant for someone so young and had to hold back a shudder as he remembered it. Most of them didn't survive such situations, but Wen Kexing's hair wasn't what had shocked him most. The sun had yet to set, casting a warm glow over the two lovers and causing the tattoos on their bare backs to shine golden as they've both pulled their hair away. Chengluan had heard about the Ghost Valley ink that glowed in the light, and there were only two people who would dare tattoo dragons on their skin with it. The Ghost King and the Imperial Consort. It was as that realization had flashed through his mind that he'd managed to unfreeze himself and flee.

Zhou Xu was obviously the Imperial Consort, he hadn't even bothered to change his name of hide his affiliation to Four Seasons Manor. Which meant that the mild mannered, kind Wen Kexing was the infamous warlord who had struck fear in the hearts of the entire Jianghu, of emperors and king and tribe chiefs all over the known world. The man who had made them fish soup because Ye Baiyi had demanded it. The Chief of Ghost Valley, the Emperor of Qingya, had made them soup. Soup! And Zhou Xu... people said Zhou Zishu was nothing but a striking beauty, yet not only had Zhou Xu proved otherwise already but Chengluan had seen the scars on his back. Old scars, battle wounds. The Imperial Consort was obviously not as unskilled as he'd pretended to be.

Chengluan also remembered the ease with which the beautiful man had administered medicine after his Sect had been attacked, while the Ghost King had been helping heal as many as he could. Learning from their mothers obviously hadn't been a lie, now that Chengluan knew who their parents had been, but he also recalled Ye Baiyi's words to his didi the day the older man had annoyed Zhou Zishu into taking Chengling as a student. 'As swiftly as the Shadow King can prepare poison he can also mix medicine and just as unflinchingly as the Ghost King can break one's bones, he can also ease one's pain.' Apparently the Imperial Consort of Qingya wasn't just an otherworldly beauty that could melt even the heart of the Ghost King, he was the Shadow King. Those two truly were each other's match in every way, it would be annoyingly romantic if it didn't terrify Chengluan as much as it did! How had his Die managed to get into such a mess!? At least he didn't think the two would have helped save them if they were just going to kill everyone later... but then there was the issue of Ye Baiyi.

Ye Baiyi was Rong Xuan's father. The same Rong Xuan who had apparently died because one of his Die's sworn brothers was so power hungry he didn't care who he killed to get what he wanted and none of the other four had stopped him! Rong Xuan, who had learned about Six Harmonies Cultivation from his parents. His parents who had practiced it. And now Ye Baiyi was obviously dying, mourning a husband and son and daughter in law. A former immortal, one of the most powerful people in the world, who had nothing left to lose.

It was no longer a mystery to Chengluan what those three and General Gu had been doing going to Yueyang. General Gu, who was Wen Kexing's younger sister. Nor was it difficult to figure out who the mastermind had been all those years ago. Lu Taichong was long dead and they hadn't killed his Die when he had been already down. Out of the other three left only one seemed to be struck by disaster after disaster, slowly loosing his wealth and influence year by year. By now it was hard to find someone who held respect for Zhao Jing, even if they still pretended otherwise. And if the man was as power hungry as Chengluan though, he would definitely make a grab for the Leader of the Jianghu position at the conference. He sighed inwardly, resisting the urge to scream into his hands. Everything was such a mess!

He was distracted from his inner tirade when his didi finally gathered enough courage to speak. After the whole puppets incident, Chengling seemed to have gained a healthy wariness of Wen Kexing. Which was a good thing in Chengluan's opinion, now that he knew who the tall man was.

"Uncle Wen, what happened to your hair?!" The boy cried out, and Chengluan couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him at his didi's visible distress.

"Nothing happened to his hair, little brat." Ye Baiyi rolled his eyes. "That lunatic's hair went white before mine did!" Right... lunatic, Chengluan thought. Because that's what people who weren't eating soup he'd made called Wen Kexing! Said lunatic and his equally crazy husband, Chengluan had come to realize, only sat down on a log to laugh silently at his didi's reaction.

"What? How?" Chengling frowned. "Uncle Wen is not so old." No. Since Long Que had mentioned that Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao hadn't had any children when they've disappeared from the Jianghu, Wen Kexing couldn't be older than thirty six. Even his idiot didi was capable of figuring that one out.

The former immortal waved his hand lazily in Zhou Xu's direction. "The lazy brat got himself sick some years back and the crazy brat burned all of his internal energy out healing him, then he drew even more spiritual energy in so his hair turned white." 

Chengluan froze for a moment, before forcing himself to act as normal. To heal someone that no healer in the world could help, that took more than just drawing in extra spiritual energy. Coupled with the fact that Ye Baiyi seemed to have been present at the time and the two were now obviously immortal, there were just too many things piled on top of each other for it all to be a coincidence. Did that mean that... Six Harmonies Cultivation was a dual cultivation technique? Did it require two different types of core or could two people withthe same type also practice it? Did the one drawing in the energy need a spinning core or could Zhou Xu have done what Wen Kexing had, had he been healthy? There were so many questions!

Chengluan wondered if they would ever let him study their meridians and cores, if there were cultivation theory books in Long Que's library and if so, if Wen Kexing and Zhou Xu would ever let him read them. Ye Baiyi and the two of them seemed willing enough to share information, so he would have to ask later... If he survived past that stupid conference he definitely would, he decided. Maybe even write his own theories down one day.

Chapter Text

Yueyang's streets were so crowded and loud that Zishu felt a headache creeping up on him as they walked closer to the White Jasmine. Thankfully the inn was in a quieter area by the river, mostly surrounded by old couples enjoying a walk late in the evening. He sensed the guards hidden around increase in number as they got closer to the place, successfully slipping by the Yueyang disciples that patrolled the streets. Good. He would have thrown their lot to the mercies of his husband's training had they been unable to hide from those buffoons who hadn't even blinked at their group entering the city!

Those idiot Yueyang disciples they've encountered in Yue had returned not long after A-Xiang reached the city, according to the reports they've received. If they've been at least half competent, and the one in charge had seemed so, he remembered, they would have informed Gao Chong of what had occurred during the attack. He was sure Zhang Yusen's wives wouldn't have talked but there had been servants and children involved who certainly would have let some details slip, traumatized and in shock as they've been. If nothing else, the Five Lakes Alliance should know by now that Zhang Yusen had lost an arm and Yueyang disciples should be on the lookout for any such person entering the city. They should have received a description of Zhang Yusen's looks and even that of his sons if they've been smart enough to ask around in Yue. Yet no one was keeping an eye on their group!

A-Xiang had also written that no one had noticed her until she'd made a scene even if she hadn't made much of an effort to hide and that preparations for the treaty had been going well. There had been an increasing number of powerful martial artists and foriegn dignitaries arriving in Yueyang for the past months and Gao Chong seemed none the wiser. Was the Five Lakes Alliance so arrogant or was the Jianghu so ignorant of politics, that they didn't even notice what was going on right under their noses? No wonder Mirror Lake had fallen so easily. If they've been there to attack Yueyang, the Sect wouldn't even be a stain of ashes on the ground anymore!

He sighed, looking at his travel companions. At least this ignorance made settling at the White Jasmine easier, they could really use a warm bath and some rest before meeting anyone. Since that last encounter with the Scorpions, they hadn't risked staying over at an inn again and he was getting really tired of the lack of privacy.

The journey from Longyuan to Yueyang had been mostly uneventful, if one didn't count his little idiot 'disciple' continuously ruining the beautiful sights with his stumbling bear inpersonations. Zhang Chengling's internal energy was steadily improving but his martial skills were atrocious. Zishu wasn't even teaching him anything more than what he considered to be basics anyone who called themselves a martial artist should know, certainly not some secret, difficult techniques of Four Seasons Manor or the Window of Heaven. Skills that he had taught his didi as a young child and Han Ying when he'd first bought him home. Things Zhang Chengling definitely should have known by now, but it was obvious his previous masters had completely failed him and the boy had lost all motivation long ago. The boy was trying but Ye Baiyi hadn't been wrong when he'd said that letting him flounder about as he'd been much longer would completely cripple his potential. Even Jiuxiao had learned faster than this, and Zishu had to admit his didi could be... slow. Once he'd understood what he had to do A-Xiao had mastered every techniques in half the time it took most people to fumble through the first step but it took him at least twice as long as most people to get said understanding. That said, even he would have learned everything he'd tried to teach Zhang Chengling by now. Zishu couldn't even be mad, it wasn't that the child didn't try but he simply had no grace! It was like he'd been born with his feet switched over! He understood what he was supposed to do, until he actually attempted to do it and then it looked like he was wearing stilts on slippery mud.

The former assassin shook his head to himself. Zishu had been planning to pass the kid on to Han Ying, but would Han Ying even know what to do with him? The younger man didn't have the spare time to deal with someone like Zhang Chengling while also planning the upcoming treaty. There was also Jiuxiao, Zishu thought as he looked at the boy out of the corner of his eyes where he was walking dejectedly next to his brother. At this rate the boy wasn't going to make any progress at all before they had to part, regardless of who was training him. He much doubted Zhang Yusen would be amenable to sending his youngest son to Ghost Valley to be trained even if Zishu were to guarantee Zhang Chengling wouldn't have to become a Ghost. Zishu would keep trying. Maybe one of the others might know a training method he hadn't tried yet and if not, sending the boy to Four Seasons Manor would probably be easier than taking him to Ghost Valley, he decided as they stepped inside the White Jasmine only to find the main room empty except for the employees and even more guards.

"Young Masters." A middle aged man, dressed a little more elegantly than the waiters Zishu could see, hurried over to bow before them. Though the place belonged to their spy network they've never visited before but the man was one of their own, and he could tell by the combination of fear and worship in his eyes as he looked at Lao Wen. Had he not known what to look for though, the former assassin wouldn't have noticed the flaw in the acting. "I was asked to inform you that General Gu has a private room ready on the right side of the restaurant and Young Master Feng is in a private room on the left side, and lead you to them if you so choose. Your rooms have also been prepared and there are warm baths drawn if you so prefer." He explained.

"We will excuse ourselves to meet A-Feng then." Zhang Yusen addressed them with a slight bow first, then followed a waiter up the stairs on the left. His little idiot 'disciple' looked at Zishu as if asking for permission to go with his own family for a moment and the former assassin had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at him. That brat... he really had to figure something out for the boy before returning to the Valley.

"Lead us to General Gu." His husband ordered softly and the manager calmly did so himself.

Zishu could smell the food before they even reached the door, and felt a pang of hunger tug at his stomach. Warm food that hadn't been cooked over an open fire was tempting. It was only after the manager slid the door open and stepped to the side that he realized A-Xiang hadn't been the only one waiting for them. Their people must have noticed their group approach and announced their arrival long ago for everything to be ready like this.

Jiuxiao and Jing An were sat with their children between them and Han Ying had stopped mid conversation with Jiuxiao next to him, on the other side of the table was A-Xiang, sat between a young child and a young man. The thing was large enough to sit twice their number and have room left and it was completely covered in dishes... at least they wouldn't have to fight Ye Baiyi over food, he thought and almost burst out laughing when the former immortal ignored any kind of manners or courtesy and sat himself down on one end of the table, digging in without a word to anyone. Nobody was surprised, except maybe A-Xiang's new companion who stared at him wide eyed. Before the young man could say anything though, Zishu's purple wearing sister in law pulled him up by the sleeve at the same time she picked the child up from his seat with her other arm.

"Ge! Zishu-gege!" She yelled enthusiastically. "A-Lan, look." She grinned at the child. "Remember what I told you about your Kexing-dage and Zishu-gege?"

The little boy nodded eagerly as he answered rapidly, as if he'd had to answer that question so many times he'd memorized it all. "That they will always protect me just like jiejie because that's what older siblings do."

"That's right." The young woman nodded with a grin before turning to face him and Lao Wen. "Ge, Zishu-gege. Meet the world's cutest didi, Gu Lan." She introduced with a bright smile.

They've known about the boy A-Xiang had adopted, of course. The latest report they've gotten right before reaching Yueyang had been half composed of how adorable the boy was. Though in all of her ramblings, she had failed to mention that A-Lan was quite this young. Had a child this tiny really been living on the streets? Zishu's heart squeezed at the though and was more glad than ever for the homes his zhiji and Beiyuan had set up all over Qingya and the South for children just like this. Maybe after this treaty Helian Yi and Ashile Sun could be convinced to do the same. This was why they needed stability and peace, he was reminded. This was what they were fighting for. So all children like A-Lan, all children of their nations, could have a brighter future and not only those who were lucky.

The boy was still a little thin, Zishu noticed, but his cheeks held some of that adorable roundness all children seemed to have and he still had a couple of crumbs on them from the cake he'd been snacking on. There was a shred of wariness in his eyes, a familiar shadow that he remembered from Han Ying's own gaze during his first few months in the Manor but A-Lan seemed to be much more trusting. Maybe it was his age or maybe it was A-Xiang's loud and bright personality, as opposed to Zishu's own apathy back then, that made it so.

"And this is Cao Weining." A-Xiang continued without stopping. "He was with me when A-Lan and I first met." 

Now this one, Zishu thought, they definitely hadn't known about. Not that he could blame A-Xiang for the lack of warning, knowing how overprotective her lunatic of an older brother could be. Lao Wen proved his point by setting a glare capable of causing someone to pee their pants on the poor man. "Was he, really?"

This Cao Weining surprisingly didn't flinch and actually met his husband's gaze. Though the consort saw the way his fingers tightened around the sleeves of his robes, Cao Weining didn't look away, much to Zishu's interest. Even A-Xiang looked surprised. Jing An seemed amused... Jiuxiao and Han Ying looked like they expected Cao Weining to turn into a pile of dust on the floor at any moment. The only ones not aware of the oddity of this situation were Ye Baiyi who was still too busy eating to care about anything else and the kids. His didi's brats loudly exclaimed their enthusiasm that their uncles had finally arrived while A-Lan watched the two idiots for a moment before growing bored and turning to study Zishu instead.

Cao Weining continued to meet the Ghost King's gaze until the tall man let out a small huff, then the young man finally blinked and they both looked away. This one had great potential, Zishu decided as he took in his appearance. The young man was handsome in an adorable kind of way and dressed like he was attempting to blend in with common people but didn't quite know how. It reminded Zishu of Jiuxiao whenever his idiot didi tried to disguise himself and thought the two must get along well. He had a calm air about him and a smile pulled at his lips as soon as the staredown was over. 

"It is an honor to meet A-Xiang's older brothers." Cao Weining said softly as he bowed to them both. "This one has heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Lao Wen rose an eyebrow, face as hard as stone as he subtly flicked his gaze between Cao Weining and A-Lan. "We've heard nothing about you."

Zishu sighed at the older man's ridiculousness, just as A-Xiang finally snapped, glaring at her brother herself. "Ge! Stop glaring at Cao-dage! You know we've only been apart for weeks. Please tell me you know how babies are made, otherwise I will really pity Zishu-gege!" She pouted, though she knew perfectly well Lao Wen wasn't that dumb. "What do you even do when you disappear to be disgusting together? Is this why the two of you don't have babies yet? Are you trying to shame our entire bloodline of healer ancestors!? Zishu-gege, I'm really sorry you have to deal with this fool!" She huffed, still glaring at said fool even as she spoke to Zishu.

The consort rolled his eyes at the siblings' antics and decided to put an end to it. Zishu pulled the little boy from A-Xiang's arms and placed him on his own hip. A-Lan's eyes were instantly drawn to the wooden beads dangling from the leather ornament his husband had bought for him, pulling at it until Zishu almost winched and covered the small hand with his own gently to keep it still... children really were all the same. Then he pinched his husband's shoulder. "Lao Wen, are you more childish than our youngest didi? Set a better example!" He hissed, dragging the pest to their table before he could attempt to kill A-Xiang's lover with his glare alone. 

What followed was a most awkward meal. The little ones seemed excited at their arrival, already begging for bedtime stories and trips to the city, and Cao Weining tried and mostly failed to impress Lao Wen with his literary knowledge while the rest of them watched with varying degrees of amusement. Wherever A-Xiang had found him, the young man truly was a harmless little rabbit, Zishu came to realize. Incredibly brave, for such a naive little thing. He thought even Lao Wen was starting to warm up to the young man by the time they got full, switching to catching up over warm wine and Zishu finally gave in to A-Xiang's puppy eyes, faking a caugh as he pressed a hand to his chest. Instantly, his husband ceased his glaring to take off his outer robe and lay it over Zishu's shoulders as the younger man leaned closer, whispering softly. "I'm tired, Lao Wen."

"We shall retire to our rooms forthe night." The beautiful man declared loudly, helping Zishu to his feet.

"No bedtime story?" A-Lan pouted at them from where he was leaning sleepily against A-Xiang, almost buried in purple sleeves.

"Maybe tomorrow, didi." The young woman hummed, running a hand over the boy's head as she sent another pleading look Zishu's way. "I think our geges might be tired after their long journey."

"Tomorrow." Zishu promised and was glad Lao Wen nodded in agreement because the former assassin didn't even know what kind of stories children liked. Their parents had still been alive when A-Xiao had been at that age and Zishu himself had never been intrested in what he couldn't prove. Myths and legends, he'd thought, were wistful thinking and a waste of time and he very much doubted A-Lan would be intrested in military strategies and martial arts theories yet. The small child looked heartbroken that his new geges were leaving, but he did reluctantly agree to wait until the next day. As they found the manager again and were led to their room, Zishu decided to listen to Lao Wen's stories and try to memorize them. It couldn't be that hard.

The door was barely slid shut behind them when his husband kissed the side of his head, body shaking with silent laughter. "Consort Zhou, you are so ruthless. Manipulating your husband like that."

"And you're an annoying pest." Zishu snorted, pushing Lao Wen away so he could take the outer layer off and throw it over a table. Summer was just around the corner and the weather really was starting to get too hot for this.

"They are young. Did you forget how falling in love for the first time feels like in your old age?" He asked, then rolled his eyes when the older man pouted. "They are around the same ages we were when we met, Lao Wen." Zishu sighed, pulling his husband closer.

His zhiji scowled for a moment before giving in and wrapping his arms around Zishu, touching their foreheads together with a deep sight. "Reminding me the shit I pulled at that age doesn't help their case, A-Xu."

The former assassin grinned as he remembered the 'shit' his zhiji had indeed pulled at that age, managing to seduce him even in his bedridden state. Lao Wen was such a gentle and devoted husband now that it was easy to forget how shameless this pervert used to be! He'd flirted with Zishu before he'd even seen his face! But his husband had also been sweet and respectful and kind. It hadn't been his zhiji's looks that had gotten to him in the end, though they've certainly helped. It had been the way he'd treated Granny, acting like a spoiled child whenever she was in the room, then forcing his broken body out of bed to cook or fix her roof. It had been the way he'd teased Zishu but had never been crude about it. Treated him like he was someone precious, someone worthy of being gentle with, in spite of all the blood on his hands.

"You loved me. You loved me so much, you let me go." Zishu hummed, touching their lips together softly before a smirk pulled at the corners of his own. "Besides, it would never even cross Cao Weining's mind to do half the things you did. He probably thinks holding hands is being adventurous."

"I'm not worried about that, A-Xu!" The taller man protested. "A-Xiang can take care of herself. She had the best Shifu, after all. It's her heart I'm worried about." He sighed. "That little girl is so stupid and naive."

"And that little rabbit is harmless." Zishu retorted. "He adores her, it's sickening just looking at them."

For a moment he thought he'd won the argument before Lan Wen whined. "He mixes up his poetry!" 

Wait. Really? The former assassin thought as he tried to recall it. All that flowery crap the two had been sprouting had sounded the same to Zishu but it did explain why his husband had looked increasingly annoyed during dinner instead of impressed, he thought with a laugh. Not that A-Xiang had seemed to care or noticed either. Every time Cao Weining had said something to compliment her she'd stared at him with stars in her eyes. Zishu had been afraid she was going to miss her mouth with how little she had been intrested in her own food, a sight he'd never thought he'd see. The little rabbit also seemed to think A-Xiang had hung the moon in the sky, so Zishu wasn't worried. Really, what worried him most was that they might trip overtheir own feet and break their necks while they were too busy making eyes at each other! Yeah... Cao Weining was staying and his husband would just have to get used to the idea, he thought with a sigh.

"You can always teach him." Zishu proposed.

"Don't tempt me." Lao Wen snorted. "Unlike you, I don't have the patience for little idiots." He answered, referring to Zishu's little idiot 'disciple' before the amused look in his eyes faded. "He's from the Jianghu, A-Xu. Even if Cao Weining chooses to cut ties with his Sect, whichever one that is, they will both still get their silly little hearts broken."

Deep down in his heart Zishu scoffed. Most of he Jianghu really seemed to hate his husband, and it wasn't just the Five Lakes Alliance. Lao Wen had turned Ghost Valley into a prosperous empire, not only did they fear his power but they also resented him for taking away their dumping ground for all the mistakes they didn't want to deal with. They actually had to catch and punish their criminals now, and couldn't sweep every scandal under the rug and blame it on innocent women anymore either. Even if they hadn't wanted the key, those bastards would have found some reason to hate his husband.

"Lao Wen, you can't protect her from everything." He eventually stated. "A-Xiang is a grown woman and a renowned General and you  have raised her. She's strong. I'm not saying she doesn't need you anymore but it's high time we let her walk her own path." Zishu said, and he meant it too. A-Xiang wasn't the same child that used to badger him to train her anymore. She no longer flinched at the unfairness of the world. A-Xiang had fought in a war, and she'd done it without them by her side.

Lao Wen pressed his lips together and the former assassin knew that he was thinking the same things he had. "Very well." The Ghost King conceded. "But when she gets her heart broken and is crying her eyes out, you hold her." The beautiful man threatened and a small chuckle burst out of Zishu. "We have a deal, then." He answered. As if his husband wouldn't wrap A-Xiang in a blanket and then go on a warpath against Cao Weining if that ever happened, he thought.

"Come on, Lao Wen." Zishu hummed as he stepped away from his husband, pulling him by the hand. "There's far more pleasurable things you could be doing right now than torturing that poor little rabbit." He whispered suggestively.

"There's a baby in this place, A-Xu!" His husband protested, even as he allowed himself to be pulled along.

"A-Lan is far from a baby." Zishu rolled his eyes. How could this idiot be so shameless and yet so shy? "And he's going to come back to the Valley with us, are we never going to have sex again because he's in the palace?" He asked, laughing loudly at the pure horror that crossed Lao Wen's face before pulling his zhiji towards the bath again with a seductive smile.

"I was promised a warm bath tonight, husband, and then I want you to fuck me until I can't move." He declared, enjoying the way it made the beautiful man swallow any futher protest back and follow him. They finally had a bed, Ziahu thought as he dragged Lao Wen towards the bath, and he planned to make full use of it. A full, long, satisfying use of it.

Chapter Text

Sect Leader Gao was throwing a banquet in honor of his Fourth Brother showing up in Yueyang alive and A-Xiang was not at all surprised, she thought as she rolled her eyes to herself. The four sect leaders were sitting at the head of the hall and she'd lost count of all the toasts that had been had in Zhang Yusen's honor. Those same bastards who had been salivating at the though of a strategically placed city like Yue being up for the taking were now lining up to kiss the ass of a man they'd wished dead not a few days before. Really, the hypocrisy was astonishing. And then there was the gossip.

A-Xiang rolled her eyes again as the daughter of some sect leader or another whispered to someone's sister's daughter about how cute Sect Leader Zhao's adopted son was. Idiots. Maybe she should send them Xie Wang's way and tell them to try their luck, it would certainly be more entertaining to watch than this disaster of a banquet. Then she rolled her eyes yet again when the other mentioned how it was too bad that her Zishu-gege was obviously another man's consort, since he was clearly much more beautiful. Her ge and Zishu-gege were on the other side of the hall and people were staring at her brother in law. Again.

The two men had given up on their traveling musicians disguises now that they've arrived in Yueyang and went back to claiming they were merchants from Ghost Valley. Gao Chong and his two idiots sworn brothers hadn't even blinked at the obvious lie. Her great grandfather had claimed A-Xiang was the spitting image of her Niang, and Long Que had apparently confused her ge for his Die, yet they had obviously been forgotten. Even Zhao Jing, who had hunted them for the key for a decade, hadn't blinked at either her nor her brother. Or maybe they were too busy leering at Zishu-gege to even notice his husband next to him!

It wasn't really the idiot girls that bothered her, they were only a danger to her ears, it was the men. Because she knew exactly what they would do to Zishu-gege if only they had the chance. And it didn't even matter that he was more powerful than all of them put together, all that mattered was that they would. Just thinking about it made her sick to the stomach. How could her ge even stand this without slapping all of their heads away from their shoulders? How could Zishu-gege? And these bastards dared call themselves 'righteous'. The Jianghu were even more corrupt than the nobles since most of them weren't even afraid of the law! Because who dared stand against them? They were simply too many. Even the emperor would cause a civil war if he were to try and do something as things stood now. The Jianghu was nothing but a bunch of thugs with power. Things shouldn't be allowed to go on like this!

A-Xiang had to shake the thought away before she stabbed someone in the eye with her chopsticks and tried to distract herself by listening in on the airheads again. Thankfully, as the 'savior' of the Zhang family she was sat right next to the main table and only had neighbors to her left and behind her. This time ahe focused on the group to her left instead of the one behind her, only to get more of the same. Heavens! Did those empty headed dolls ever talk about anything else but their clothes, their jewelry and men? Oh right. They also cared about painting, poetry, dancing and playing the qin! At least if they've been talking about musical cultivation like her An-jiejie practiced she could have understood since it had many uses both in calming the mind and assisting meditation or disorienting and even attacking the enemy, but no. They were talking about actual music. What was even the difference between those idiots and the useless nobles in the Capital if they wasted their time on dancing and playing the qin instead of training their martial arts or sword skills? Was it only their internal energy? Was this really all the sects of the Jianghu taught their 'young ladies'? If they've focused half as much on training as they did on this nonsense, they'd be famous by now!

As they braved looking at her ge for long enough to notice that 'Master Wen was indeed handsome enough to be married to someone like Consort Zhou', she rolled her eyes again. If she kept going like this for much longer, she feared they might actually fall out of her head! She couldn't help it though. While women and men weren't seated in different rooms here as those ridiculous nobles in the Northern Capital tended to do at banquets, some idiot had decided to sit her next to this bunch of gossipy twits. They were absolutely insufferable!

Cao Weining was sitting with his sect so she couldn't use his presence to distract herself, Jiuxiao-gege and An-jiejie had laughed when they've said they weren't coming and Han Ying hadn't even been invited since he wasn't supposed to be in the city at all. He hadn't appeared very sad about it. At least Jiuxiao-gege had taken A-Lan with them, so her didi wouldn't have to be subjected to the same torture as her! Even that little brat Zhang Chengling seemed to be having more fun, marveling at the rare dishes they were being served next to his older brothers. A-Xiang couldn't help but think that the spicy noodles from the small stand Cao-dage had taken her to the day before had tasted better than this. At least she'd enjoyed the company.

The only woman in this place A-Xiang could stand was Gao Xiaolian, and she'd seen the sweet girl sneak out a while ago. Not that the princess could blame her... in fact, maybe it was time to follow her example, she decided. With a nod to her ge, she stood up and made her way out as discreetly as she could. Hong Lu and Yun Zai, who had been waiting close to the entrance, walked with her as she explored the manor. With everyone focused on the banquet it was nearly deserted with the exception of a few patrolling disciples, who upon realizing who she was, paid her no mind. 

A-Xiang had never seen any sect manors besides Four Seasons Manor and Mirror Lake as it was burning, but she couldn't find Yueyang to be in any way special. If it weren't for some standard equipment in one or two training yards, it was just another rich man's house. Mirror Lake had been placed in the middle of a peaceful lake and Four Seasons Manor was surrounded by an ever blooming forest. Like the palace back home, both were quiet and beautiful, away from the dizziness and hectic activity of the city. Isolated, serene. Away from human life, from 'wordly affairs'. Yueyang Manor was the opposite of that, in the middle of the city. If she concentrated she could hear the busy life beyond the gates. A-Xiang stopped. She could hear... fighting. With a frown she flew up, knowing her guards would follow her without the need for instructions. 

The princess noiselessly landed on the roof, facing an isolated courtyard far away from the loud banquet and took in the scene before her. It was Gao Xiaolian. A-Xiang didn't know the girl well but she knew Gao Xiaolian was not the type to start fights. Though she was far more competent compared to her peers, their reports all said she was mild mannered. The young woman was panting slightly, holding a sword in front of herself, but didn't look panicked so A-Xiang turned to study her opponents. There were two of them and the princess recognized them instantly thanks to the distinctive bright pink and green robes they were wearing. Granny Tao Hong and Old Man Lv Niu. Last A-Xiang knew they've joined the Beggar Gang and still held a fierce grudge against the Five Lakes Alliance. For some reason she couldn't comprehend, that idiot Gao Chong had invited them to represent their 'sect', as much as the Beggar Gang could be considered one. In her opinion they were too undisciplined and their skills too inconsistent, far too obvious to be an effective network of spies too... On closer thought they were just as incompetent as most of the Jianghu, so they probably fit right in. 

"Little girl." Tao Hong growled. "Just give up fighting and come with us quietly!"

"If you want to take me, it will have to be unconscious!" Gao Xiaolian snapped back, raising her sword as the old woman shifted her staff to attack again. A-Xiang narrowed her eyes at the way the young woman seemed to hold herself, as if to protect her middle. She remembered the way Gao Xiaolian had appeared slightly pale and uncomfortable before leaving the banquet, something she'd noticed only because they've been sitting next to each other. Deciding she'd seen enough, she jumped down just as the old woman moved.

"Tao Hong. Lv Niu." The princess stated calmly as she landed in front of Gao Xiaolian, redirecting the staff away effortlessly with a small flick of her wrist. "Bullying younger people, I see."

"Get out of the way, General Gu." The old woman snapped, hand tightening on her staff but not daring to attack again. Even though she'd signaled for her guards to stay hidden, A-Xiang's reputation alone was enough to make them reluctant to keep fighting. "If you know who we are then you know this has nothing to do with you!"

"Who doesn't know who you are?" The princess snorted. "You run around the Jianghu bemoaning and complaining, acting like you are the only ones in the world who have lost a loved one. You blame Rong Xuan and the Five Lakes Alliance, but is it really their fault that your son died for his greed?" A-Xiang asked calmly and saw their teeth grind in anger, yet even now they didn't dare attack her. She hadn't even drawn her sword. Where was their earlier haughtiness now? Cowards, she couldn't help but sneer inwardly as she continued. "Don't pretend that he was there that day out of some sense of righteousness, he was there for the Glazed Armor just like everyone else. The only difference is that the Five Lakes Alliance got it, and your son died." A-Xiang heard even Gao Xiaolian quietly gasp in shock behind her at the words.

"You!" The old man raged, hand trembling on his cane as his wife seemed to have been rendered speechless. "How dare you?! What does a brat like you understand?! Once we have her, Gao Chong will finally know what it's like to lose a child!"

Even seeing their obvious distress A-Xiang couldn't bring herself to pity them. Couldn't feel guilty for stating the truth. No one seemed to have before and maybe that was part of the problem. She couldn't claim she understood the pain of loosing a child, but A-Xiang knew how it felt to love one. A-Lan might have been with her for only a short while but wasn't it normal for parents to love their children from the very first moment they laid eyes on them? Even though she called A-Lan her didi, as she had been the one who made the choice to take him in. He was her's to love, and also her responsibility. The thought of loosing him was unbearable, but those people's son hadn't died in an accident. He hadn't been murdered. He hadn't been an innocent bystander or a hero trying to help the innocent. He'd also made a choice that day and it seemed like they've spent every day since denying it.

Tao Hong and Lv Niu weren't the only ones who'd lost a child, not even the only ones who's son had died that day, so they didn't get to act like it either. If anyone had the right to be angry it was Ye Baiyi, who had lost his whole family. As her Shifu had warned her an average man was guiltless but being talented was a crime, and they've all descended on Rong Xuan like the wrath of the Heavens. It should be her ge, who had suffered and lost. It should be her Niang, her stepfather, Long Que, Yue Feng'er... The ghosts of all those innocents who were gone, who'd died for other people's greed. If they weren't trying to burn the whole world to the ground then those two definitely didn't have the right to.

"Your child killed himself, so now everyone's children must die?" She asked still calmly, though a hint of anger must have slipped through from the way they flinched back. "Your son was greedy, but was he without scrupules? What would he think if he saw you now? How is this honoring his memory?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she rose her hand and Hong Lu and Yun Zai appeared before her in a flash. "Take them to Sect Leader Gao." She ordered. "Let him deal with them as he wishes, I will escort Miss Gao to her room."

Her guards nodded silently and before the old couple could even figure out what was happening, their acupoints were sealed so they couldn't use their internal energy and they were already being herded away. She watched until they were far enough to not be a problem, just in case, before turning to face Gao Xiaolian. The other woman didn't appear to be injured, nor were there signs of blood on her light colored robes as he sheathed her sword and bowed, her hands still tight around the hilt the only sign of distress. "Thank you, General Gu."

"I only did what was the right thing to do." She answered, waving any further protest away with a smile. "But if you wish to thank me, I wouldn't say no to some tea that keeps me away from the banquet for the rest of the night."

"That can be arranged." The other woman laughed a little shakily as she started walking in the direction of what had to be her rooms. 

"How far along are you?" A-Xiang couldn't help but blurt out as soon they were sat in a quiet open pavilion andshe'd checked that there was no one close by.

"How far along what?" Gao Xiaolian blinked at her innocently.

"How far along pregnant." She answered, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure that I am." The other woman reluctantly confessed. "I'm late this month but it could be something else. I can't accurately feel my own pulse and I couldn't trust anyone else with such a secret."

"I won't tell anyone. May I?" The princess held out her hand, waiting until Gao Xiaolian placed her own in it before pressing two fingers to her pulse, letting a small stream of her own internal energy slip into the older woman's meridians. Aunt Luo had taught A-Xiang how to check for a pregnancy the moment she'd been old enough to know what that was, but before she'd really understood the importance of such a skill. It was one skill she wished it hadn't been necessary to use during the war... but it had been. She'd had to do this exact thing for far too many women fleeing the chaos of war, far too many of her own soldiers who had been cornered alone, and got far too much experience at being accurate.

"You are." She confirmed, pushing back the memories of the past. "Around three weeks. What will you do?"

Gao Xiaolian hummed, a questioning look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"If you don't want to keep the baby, I can help." A-Xiang offered. "I have medicines you can take to... make it go away."

"Go away how?" The other woman asked, confused.

"Your body will reject it. There will be some pain and a heavier bleeding than you are used to, you might experience some side effects like nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, diarrhea, headache, dizziness or hot flashes." The princess explained with the same blank face and even voice she'd heard her aunt use with new girls, the same expression she'd picked up without realizing during the war. "But it is safe. Safer than childbirth, even." A-Xiang assured. She knew that wasn't always the case. Sometimes women lacked the right resources or were desperate enough to take some brews that were barely better than poison. Medicines like this were rare in the world and difficult to make. Zishu-gege was one of the few who could, a recipe he had learned from his mother... the same recipe her own Niang had left in her notes. He'd kept her aunt well supplied ever since he took over the medicine room in the Valley and he always made sure A-Xiang carried some with her. "There are also methods healers can use to simply remove it, with your internal energy healing from that shouldn't be a problem either." She added absentmindedly, thinking of A Xin Lai who was in the city, working with Han Ying. He would help, if she asked.

Gao Xiaolian listened with an intrigued look on her face the whole time, busying herself with preparing and pouring their tea. A-Xiang allowed her to process the information for a while, sipping the warm drink, before she continued. "Or I can make you disappear, and no one would ever find you."

The older woman shook her head. "I don't think there will be a need. A-Kuan..." Her gaze turned soft as she touched her stomach. "A-Kuan is a good man. We have been sweethearts since childhood and Die had even agreed to let us marry a while ago. We will just have to choose an auspicious date sooner than planned."

A-Xiang had never met Deng Kuan and knew little about him besides the fact that he had been in Yue during the attack on Mirror Lake and had tried to come to the sect's rescue only to find all the boats had been sunk. She hummed. "That's good. That he will stand by you."

Gao Xiaolian blushed, smiling softly as she nodded, before a thoughtful look crossed her face. "This medicine though, I've never heard of anything like it. Do you think I can learn how to make it?" She inquired and A-Xiang thought it over for a moment. The other woman was smart, and she was also kind and level headed. While the princess had never really been intrested in medicine making herself nor had the patience to learn, she was sure Zishu-gege would not mind teaching this recipe to Gao Xiaolian himself.

"I can make that happen." The princess answered.

The woman nodded in thanks, before a teasing smile pulled at her lips. "What about you?"

"I'm not pregnant?" A-Xiang tilted her head, confused. It wasn't that she hadn't been intimate with Cao Weining but she was far more skilled in this kind of thing than Gao Xiaolian and could tell if such a change had occurred in her own body. Aunt Luo, Qianqiao-jiejie and even Zishu-gege had made sure of that. A-Xiang inwardly grimaced as she thought about it. There were embarrassing conversations that had been had that she wished she'd rather forget!

"No, silly." Gao Xiaolian laughed. "I meant, what about you and Weining."

"Oh..." A-Xiang frowned. "What about us?"

"Have you chosen an auspicious date yet?" The other woman grinned. "He's talked about nothing but you since you've arrived in Yueyang, not even Mo Weixu had escaped his mooning. I'm pretty sure everybody in the Jianghu knows by this point that he's in love with you. Everyone knows that he wants to marry you, but do you want to marry him? Should I start preparing wedding gifts?" She teased again.

Marriage, A-Xiang thought to herself, looking down at the tea to hide her surprise... she hadn't thought about that at all. A-Xiang recalled the way Cao Weining had met and held her ge's gaze. Even she knew, had seen, what her ge was capable of. She understood what other people felt when they looked at him and yet Cao Weining had done that. For her. And she knew she cared about him deeply too, had for a while, but... she was the princess of Ghost Valley, a general of the Ghost Army. When she had been a child all she'd wanted to do was grow up to be a famous martial artist and when she had grown older she had wanted to be someone her ge could rely on. Someone her people could rely on. And she had. 

The princess sighed, thinking about what that word meant to her. Marriage. For the first fourteen years of A-Xiang's life marriage had been an abstract thought. Something that happened out there in the world, somewhere. None of the girls in the palace who had been married had had any happy experiences with it and even her Niang's marriage had ended up in heartbreak one way or another. It was only after Zishu-gege had came to the Valley to marry her ge that she had understood that marriage could be a good thing. They had been the first real example of a couple that she had ever known, it was from them that she'd learn that marriage could mean happiness and it was from them she'd witnessed first hand the kind of pain it could bring. She'd watched Zishu-gege slowly fade away and her ge slowly break apart. And yet her ge never looked more human than he did when he looked at his husband and Zishu-gege never seemed more happy than he did in the arms of her ge. A-Xiang wanted that kind of happiness too, but she didn't think she'd ever be able to do what her Zishu-gege had done. She couldn't leave her home and her family, not even for Cao Weining.

A-Xiang did want to marry Cao Weining, she realized, but she never intended to leave Ghost Valley. She was General Gu, the Bladed Lotus of the Ghost Army. That was who she was. Ghost Valley was where she belonged. If Cao Weining wanted to marry her, he would have to marry only her and he would have to marry into her family. If he truly loved her, if he understood her, then he would already know that too but A-Xiang wasn't going to ask him to leave his own home and family for her. That would have to be his own choice.

She hummed in agreement, looking up at Gao Xiaolian with a calm expression on her face as she answered. "It is up to him now."

Chapter Text

It was a dark day in Yueyang. A physical phenomenon heralding the trouble ahead. A summer storm. It had come unannounced by anything other than the inky clouds that had gathered as if summoned, the sound of thunder booming and lightning flashing, spreading across the sky like threads of gold. People had started running, panic setting in when the rain had poured down like an endless waterfall.

While everyone else had been too busy to pay attention to anything but themselves as they've elbowed each other out of the way to flee faster, Zishu had stopped right there in the middle of the street, ignoring the chaos around him as he'd tilted his face up and allowed himself to just feel. Feel every drop that had touched his skin, a needlepoint of coldness that had instantly faded on his warmth, the wind whip by, ruffling his robes, the scent of rain falling on dry earth and wood and roof tiles. The buzz in the spiritual energy. Zishu had lost himself in the storm and his husband had silently stood by him like a sentry until the chaos had started to calm. The heavy torrent had turned into a drizzle, the whipping winds into a breeze, and the thunderstorm into a peaceful rainfall. The world had been quiet, sweet silence in the middle of the usually deafening city. When Zishu had opened his eyes, there had been no one but them left in the street.

They've walked to the inn in silence, and Zishu had gone to their room while Lao Wen had ordered water to be bought over for a bath. He'd calmly waited while the servants had filled the tub and undressed while his husband had warmed it with his internal energy, then he'd sunk in with a deep groan, only moving to allow Lao Wen to slip in behind him. The tub was more than large enough for two men of their size and he absentmindedly wondered if one of the others had let the manager know to procure it before they've arrived in the city or if it was simply the type of tub provided for the most expensive rooms, but he was glad for it. The consort shifted so he was sitting sideways in his husband's lap, facing the open window so he could still watch the rain. He let out a pleased humm when gentle hands took out his hairpin, it fell to the floor with a low thunk, and then proceeded to untangle his wet hair. They haven't spoken since the storm had started, and his usually loudmouthed zhiji seemed content to wait until Zishu was ready... Not yet, he thought.

The former assassin allowed himself to melt into the beautiful man's embrace. While the older man washed his hair, he focused on his hearing. His little idiot 'disciple' was having a meal with his family in the restaurant area, they seemed to be enjoying their time together and Zishu didn't invade on their privacy further. He heard Jiuxiao and Jing An rush in with their children and ask for a warm meal to be sent to their rooms before they hurried to dry and change themselves. A-Xiang, A-Lan and Cao Weining arrived not long after and asked for the same. Zishu left them to it and searched for Han Ying. The younger man was still in a meeting with A Xin Lai, Ashile Sun's right hand and a young general from the Window of Heaven that he remembered as having been one of his best strategists. Ye Baiyi seemed to have joined them for the day too and the five had barely noticed the storm. He listened for a little while but trusted them to do their job well so he drifted again. A-Xiao and his family were eating quietly and he moved on to A-Xiang, A-Lan and Cao Weining who had huddled into the young woman's room. 

They've already finished the meal and were now trying to persuade A-Lan into taking a nap. Apparently the storm had caught them by surprise while taking a walk around the market, and now the child was afraid of being left alone and refused to nap in his own room so they eventually decided to all stick together. He heard Cao Weining leave only long enough to deliver the leftover soup to the kitchen, then all of them settled on the bed and A-Xiang started spinning an unbelievable tale about a red dragon who was so cold his heart had started hardening into jade, who's life was saved by a kind blue dragon. Zishu decided to listen further, intrigued. Ever since arriving in Yueyang and spending time with A-Lan he'd learned to enjoy such tales more, some of which he could barely recall from his own childhood. He wondered absentmindedly if his husband also knew this one, but Lao Wen would tease if he asked and A-Xiang was telling it anyway.

He listened as the blue dragon nurtured the red dragon back to health and fell in love, embracing the ruthless red dragon as he was. The red dragon also found himself drawn to the great beauty, yearning for his presence more and more, but as time passed he became increasingly afraid that he'd hurt the blue dragon who was so gentle with him. He tricked the blue dragon into drinking a kind of poison that'd make him forget their time together and then left. The red dragon promised himself to seek the other out and ask him to mate only after he learned how to feel emotions again, not realizing that he already had. He was afraid of hurting the blue dragon, and had already fallen in love with him, so his heart had already been unfrozen. Zishu frowned at the familiarity before realization struck him and he pulled back his focus, shocked. The fingers in his hair were still too, indicating that his husband had also heard the story.

A-Xiang was telling A-Lan their story, the way she'd understood it. Did she think Lao Wen had been afraid of hurting him, and that's why he'd left? Did she really think her brother had been numb to emotions? Was that really how she'd seen Lao Wen back then? Zishu couldn't imagine his husband ever being cold to A-Xiang, but maybe he hadn't had to be. Children had the tendency of seeing and hearing things they weren't supposed to. Was that why she had been so happy when they've married, so scared when she'd thought Zishu would die and leave her ge alone again? 

"Lao Wen..." He whispered, gently cupping the other's cheek to get his attention. The beautiful man blinked absently for a moment before looking into his eyes. "I'm alright, A-Xu." He hummed sadly. "It's true."

The former assassin frowned. Did his husband also think he had been incapable of feeling emotions before they've met? Zishu knew how being numb felt like, and Lao Wen had been nothing like him during his last few months in the Capital. He still remembered Lao Wen when they've first met. His kindness. His shamelessness. His annoying flirting. His expressive face, his eyes. If the older man had been faking emotions, he'd been doing it really well. Better than Zishu had ever done it, better than anyone he'd ever known. The former assassin shook his head, touching their lips together in a soft smile. "No. It's not. Your body might have been numb, but your heart was not. I..." was the one going numb, he meant to say before a slender finger covered his lips, Lao Wen eyes unfocused once more. Zishu sighed, warming the cooling water around them again before he allowed himself to also listen. 

The two dragons had reunited by this point in the story, and he was kind of disappointed to miss how she interpreted what Lao Wen had been doing in those five years they've been apart. A-Xiang seemed to have a rather particular opinion on things. He did get to listen to her describe their wedding, 'mating ceremony', and how the red dragon's people had been overjoyed that their king had finally found someone to grow old with. Then they proceeded to rule in harmony until news of the prosperity of their kingdom spread to lands far and wide, shattering the long lasting peace. And so the dragons went to war.

"Were there evil monsters in the war?" He heard A-Lan whisper sleepily.

"No." A-Xiang hummed. "Only hungry people."

"Being hungry hurts." The little boy mentioned absentmindedly and Zishu had to painfully swallow the knot that formed in his throat at that. The arm Lao Wen had wrapped around his waist tensed and he rubbed a soothing hand over the wet skin. He really wished one day A-Lan would get to forget what being hungry felt like.

"I know." A-Xiang answered softly, voice breaking, and he could imagine her running a hand over the little boy's back in comfort. Cao Weining, who had so far been silent finally spoke. "That's why the dragons decided to share their prosperity with their neighbors too, once they've realized the truth, and ended the war." He added, allowing the young woman time to recover her strength.

"That's good." A-Lan mumbled. "I like dragons."

"Me too." A-Xiang giggled. It came out a little bit like a snort, her voice still a little wet. "Now it's time for little boys to go to sleep. You can hear all about their other adventures next time."

The child didn't answer and Zishu thought he'd probably drifted off already so he stopped listening too and pinched Lao Wen until he pouted at him, probably having wanted to spy on whatever A-Xiang and Cao Weining were talking about now. They finished washing quietly before getting out of the bath and drying their hair. Lao Wen closed their windows, muffling the sound of rain as they finally laid down on the bed. The cold hadn't really affected them but Zishu allowed himself to snuggle closer into the warmth of his husband's arms anyway, kissing him softly.

"She is not wrong, A-Xu." His husband stated once again, running long fingers through Zishu's hair when they pulled back, laying down on their sides so they faced each other. "I tried not to show that side of myself to A-Xiang, she had been just a child, but she must have noticed anyway. I was becoming more and more the Ghost King. I knew it was happening and was unable to stop it." The beautiful man explained, a distant look in his dark eyes. "My heart had been turning into jade. It was easier to endure it all, it was easier to do what I thought needed to be done, and then I met you. You saved me, A-Xu, your light saved me." His zhiji confessed softly.

Zishu hummed in answer, not interrupting as Lao Wen trailed off for a moment only to chuckle later, eyes filled with amusement. "I quite like her story, maybe we should tell it to our children one day. If we have any?" The older man whispered, pulling him closer by the waist, a suggestive look in his eyes. The consort knew Lao Wen was only flirting, but he couldn't help but answer honestly. "Maybe."

Zishu hadn't thought about children in a long time, not since they've had that conversation with Wu Xi all those years ago and Lao Wen had convinced him to stop stressing over it. He probably wouldn't have thought about it now either, if it hadn't been for spending the last week literally surrounded by little ones. Especially after Wu Xi and Beiyuan had also arrived in Yueyang a few days before, though they were staying at one of Ping An's places to avoid attracting too much attention. Zishu had always enjoyed spending time with his nieces and nephews, but it was different now that little A-Lan was there. Because A-Lan was staying, he was coming home with them, and he'd allowed himself to get attached in a way he hadn't since Jiuxiao was born without even realizing it. A-Lan was theirs in a way Jiuxiao and Beiyuan's children were not and now he found himself wondering about how things would be if he were really theirs... because he also wasn't theirs, not as much as he was A-Xiang's. It wasn't them telling him stories when he was scared of the storm, it was her, and it made him ask himself questions he hadn't in many years. It made him wonder... but now was not really the time. Not yet.

"It wouldn't hurt to practice, just in case." He joked, rolling their entwined bodies until his husband laid on top of him, laughing. "Really, A-Xu." Lao Wen chuckled as he started kissing down his still naked body. "It's like you're trying to break this bed, with how much sex we've had lately."

"I don't know about that. My husband seems to have grown soft, he has yet to make me unable to move since we've arrived here." Zishu teased, humming pleasantly when the beautiful man started biting and sucking at his nipples in 'punishment'. "Do you think I should go look for someone else? There seem to be plenty of options available in the city."

The older man froze for a second before running his hands up Zishu's thighs, parting them to fit better and making his way downwards. "As long as you're aware that I will rip out their spines once you're satisfied." He growled against his already hearted skin between kisses. Zishu knew his husband was joking, but he was only half so when he answered. "Tempting show to watch." He laughed. "But too much trouble. I doubt they'd be worth the mess."

It wasn't that he was really intrested in any of the disgusting lechears that kept staring at him but part of him would enjoy watching his husband rip them to shreds. Zishu had long gotten used to being stared at since marrying his husband and even came to terms with the fact that he couldn't hide in the shadows anymore. On their travels outside the Valley he'd even gotten used to the fact that the stares weren't always innocent, but the last few days had been particularly unpleasant. He was starting to understand A-Xiang's irritation better. The looks some of them sent his way sent shivers down his spine, and not the fun kind. Not that it could be helped, he thought to himself as he sighed inwardly. Even if he wore a veil it wouldn't completely fix the problem, though maybe he wouldn't feel their stares burning on his skin quite the same. 

"Good." His zhiji hummed as he reached Zishu's dick and bypassed it, moving even lower until his soft lips were kissing a part of Zishu that tingled under his warm breath, twitched with want as Lao Wen whispered against it. "This dragon doesn't like to share his most treasured pearl." Zishu could almost hear the smile in his voice.

"You're such a pest!" He growled in answer, wrapping his legs around the older man's shoulders and squeezing him closer. He relaxed his hold when a slick tongue licked him in apology, his zhiji's silent laughter vibrating against his hole and sending a wave of pleasure over him so intense he couldn't hold back a moan.

Lao Wen thankfully didn't tease again after that, only focused on giving him pleasure, and Zishu closed his eye, allowing himself to get lost in the sensations as the rain still pattered quietly outside their window. With their healing, the chances of Lao Wen fucking him until he couldn't move were low, but they could certainly fuck until they were so lost in the pleasure the rest of the world faded away. There was a long way till morning, after all. 

Chapter Text

Old Meng watched with trepidation as Imperial Consort Zhou accepted the cup of wine offered by Zhao Jing and bought it to his lips. When the Sect Leader had first explained his plan to him the spy had been skeptical, he knew what Zhou Zishu was capable of, but Zhao Jing had insisted his son was extremely skilled and that the poison would work. The poison Xie Wang had made specifically for this wasn't placed in the wine itself, so it wouldn't affect everybody, nor was it lethal. Zhao Jing, who had already taken the antidote, had placed it on his sleeve sleeve and transferred it to cup after he'd proposed the toast at the beginning of the conference. As the saviours of Mirror Lake Sect, and Old Meng really hoped the Chief never found out of his involvement in that attack, the Ghost King, General Gu and the Imperial Consort had all been sat with the Five Lakes Alliance on the main platform. That Cao Weining was also there, glued to General Gu as he was, but Old Meng wasn't worried about him. Unlike Zhou Zishu who was a snake, Cao Weining was a harmless rabbit. It was the snake that posed the threat. All Zhao Jing had had to do was make sure to subtly rub his sleeve against Zhou Zishu's cup before offering it and the muscle relaxant should start to work almost instantly. At least, according to Xie Wang, it should.

Old Meng was aware of the risks but he absolutely loathed the Imperial Consort and as long as no one found out of his involvement, even if they failed it wouldn't affect him. The spy wasn't stupid enough to leave any stone unturned but he also really, really hated that snake who had ruined everything. He knew it had to be because of Zhou Zishu that the Chief had changed all those years ago. It couldn't be a coincidence that Old Meng had been ordered to protect him at all costs right after the Chief had halted his plan to attack the Northern Empire.

Wen Kexing used to be strong, he used to be invincible. If it weren't for that snake Qingya's lands would now stretch all the way to the eastern sea, the other three empires would have long fallen and the Ghost King would be Chief over the entire known world. That's how it should have been, but it had never happened because of Zhou Zishu.

It wasn't too late though. If Zhou Zishu were gone, Wen Kexing would go back to being the unbending Chief he was before, Old Meng was sure of it so he'd made a deal with Zhao Jing. The Sect Leader would show Wen Kexing just how much of a liability his husband was, and Old Meng would help him get they Glazed Armor and the key he wanted. Not kill him though, never kill him. The Ghost King's reaction should his lover be so much as scratched in his presence would be too unpredictable to risk. Old Meng still remembered the way the Chief had reacted when Zhou Zishu had gotten injured defending the northern Capital from the barbarians, remembered the terror deep in his bones as he'd kneeled in Yama Hall that day, and now also for Zhou Zishu the Chief was willing to sign a treaty with those same barbarians! He'd even defended the North against them himself and then he'd showed them mercy! Mercy! The Ghost King had allowed an entire enemy army to retreat, even though he would have been capable of defeating them all by himself! No, Old Meng would never risk harming Zhou Zishu in front of Wen Kexing, he just wanted to show him that Zhou Zishu was a weakness.

The spy knew what other people thought, but he was loyal to Wen Kexing. Yes, in part that loyalty was owed to the benefits it came with, but also because he truly respected the Ghost King. It was Zhou Zishu that was the problem. The Chief's feelings for that snake had made him soft, and if the Wen Kexing refused to see it for himself, Old Meng would prove it. 

Old Meng had watched Wen Kexing since he'd been a boy. Not in the same way others in the Valley had watched him, but with curiosity. When he'd first noticed Wen Kexing the boy must have already been in the Valley for a few years and because of his mother's status as the former Master's concubine and personal healer, they had both been untouchable much to the ire of most men there. Gu Miaomiao had been a great beauty but her son had been more so, even back then. Especially at that age when he'd had yet to grow into his body, still slender and delicate. Old Meng had watched other people watch Wen Kexing, and he'd watched Wen Kexing. The boy had barely talked, moving around like a wooden puppet. He'd never worn a weapon, no one ever saw him practicing martial arts and he'd spent all his time in the presence of women. He'd smelled like one of them, acted like one of them and almost looked like one of them. Wen Kexing had done his best to appear small and harmless but there had been a sharpness to his eyes. Old Meng, who had spent his whole life trying to blend into the background, first as a thief who had needed to fade into the crowd and then as a weak fighter trying to survive in a place like Ghost Valley, had recognized that things were not as simple as they've seemed. He hadn't informed the old Valley Master of his suspicions either, the man had been a depraved beast that made even a criminal like him shudder with disgust remembering. So Old Meng had watched, and he had been proven right.

Wen Kexing had become the Chief of Ghost Valley when he had been barely more than a child by skinning the old Master alive and killing all his loyal followers. In all his years before that, Old Meng had never seen as much blood and brutality as he'd seen that night, well deserved as it had been. Merciless and unbending, Wen Kexing was the strongest Chief the Valley's ever had and he'd led them to glory. He'd pulled them out of the mud and the shame and made them a force the whole world feared. A force the whole world respected. Wen Kexing had been a god among men, so powerful Old Meng had nearly forgotten that he was even human underneath it all, until that snake had appeared. Zhou Zishu had proven that Wen Kexing might be the most powerful man alive, but he was still a man. He still wanted what all men wanted, had the same needs as all men did, and fell for all of the same tricks. Zhou Zishu had seduced the Ghost King and Wen Kexing had willingly fallen for it, because Wen Kexing might be the most powerful man in the world but Zhou Zishu was undeniably the most beautiful.

Old Meng had considered just killing the other spy as soon as he'd realized what was going on, one wrong word to Helian Yi's enemies and someone else would have done all the work for him. The infatuation had been new enough that surely the Chief would have gotten over it soon enough but he had been ordered to protect Zhou Zishu. If his Chief ordered him to do something, Old Meng would do it even if he loathed it to the marrow of his bones. He hated the Imperial Consort but until now he'd never acted against him. Old Meng had protected Zhou Zishu, aided him in his mission of getting Helian Yi on the throne, arranged everything that needed to be arranged so all the pieces would fall into place at exactly the right time for Zhou Zishu to be sent to the Valley to become the Chief's consort, he'd done his best to search for a cure when the Imperial Consort had been sick, he'd answered all of his questions and even followed his orders. He had watched his Chief change for Zhou Zishu, bow to Zhou Zishu's whims while ignoring his own wishes... Even his hair had turned white, for Zhou Zishu. A permanent reminder that the Ghost King valued his consort above all, even his own life, even his legacy.

Old Meng had hated every second of it but he had still followed every order because his Chief had ordered it and his Chief's word was law. But this? This treaty? Wen Kexing should be ruling over the entire known world, those weaklings should all be bowing at his feet, and instead he was signing a treaty. As if they had any power, as if they were his equals in any way. Old Meng couldn't allow that to happen standing down!

It was risky, to use this method against Zhou Zishu of all people. Old Meng had watched him for long enough to know the man breathed poison the same way he breathed air, but Zhao Jing was absolutely confident in that little upstart Xie Wang's skills. Old Meng... not so much, which was why he was watching the whole thing from the back of the crowd, ready to slip away at any moment. 

The spy knew their plan had failed the moment Zhao Jing placed his sword at Zhou Zishu's neck and made him stand from the table. The Imperial Consort stumbled. Old Meng had watched Zhou Zishu for five years in the northern Capital, not daring to lose track of him even when he'd gone to the Valley to report. As the 'civilized' world of the emperor's court had thought him an ice prince, Old Meng had seen his real face. He'd seen him change more faces than most people did clothes, turn himself into he perfect object of desire for each and every target. Seduce men and women alike for information, and if the occasion called for it warm more beds than Old Meng could count. Had seen him slaughter entire families, from those too young to walk yet to those too old to walk anymore without blinking. Fight an entire army to defend the city gate and then stand in court for hours while his wounds must have still been bleeding under his robes, in order to avoid suspicion. Zhou Zishu was a snake who could shed his skin at will and rewrite himself to fit any role in the blink of an eye. Old Meng might not like him, but that didn't mean he didn't recognize his skills. Not when those skills were the very reason he was doing it all in the first place. Which was how he knew this was just Zhou Zishu playing another role, because he'd faltered and Zhou Zishu never faltered. If he'd been poisoned he never would have allowed himself to show it, never tripped over his own feet. Not when he had stood on his feet and walked with injured that would have had other man screaming in pain, not when he'd stood on his feet and continued walking when illness had eaten away at his body until barely more than bones had remained.

Old Meng gritted his teeth as he turned away. There was no point in staying when all it did was rise the chances of him being discovered. He should have known better than to trust that incompetent idiot of a Sect Leader who couldn't even keep a business afloat. Either Xie Wang was overconfident to the point of stupidity or he'd intentionally given them water, but it was obvious that idiot Zhao Jing had yet to realize they've lost. They've risked and they've lost. If that imbecile had half a brain in his head, he'd try to find a way out by now just as Old Meng was doing. Getting out of the city was out of the question with so many soldiers of the four empires milling about in preparation for the treaty, so he would continue to lay low dor a while. He had traveled there as a farmer trying to sell his produce, taking advantage of the influx of people the city was experiencing because of the conferance, and was not supposed to leave for days yet. His cover was flawless and one he'd built without using the Ghost Army's resources. It shouldn't have failed him but since when it rained, it poured, as their plan had failed, so did his cover. 

When the Ghost King walked into his rented room that he wasn't supposed to know about two days after the conference, Old Meng knew he was going to die. He wasn't stupid, he'd known that was a risk. Even though he'd worked really hard to make sure there were no witnesses to his treachery and wipe all his trails clean, he must not have been throughout enough. He could try to think about where he'd made a mistake but it made no difference now. Wen Kexing's dark gaze pierced his soul and Old Meng dared do nothing but kneel.

"Your Majesty." He greeted, almost succeeding in keeping his voice even. The Chief didn't look furious but this jade like expression was almost worse. The light of the candles caught on his moonlight hair, the hair that had turned white for Zhou Zishu even though Wen Kexing had not yet been thirty, and Old Meng was reminded that he might have risked everything but he didn't regret it.

"In nearly twenty years, you have never failed me." The Ghost King stated, voice low but still filling the room with its weight. "I'd ask you why, Old Meng, but I think I've finally figured it out. You have been loyal to me, too loyal maybe. I can't allow a someone who is a threat to A-Xu to live."

"He makes you weak." Old Meng found himself saying calmly before he could even think it through. Surprisingly, knowing he will certainly die made him braver while facing Wen Kexing than he had been since the younger man had first become Chief of Ghost Valley.

"He makes me human." Wen Kexing corrected. "Tell me, Old Meng, who doesn't wish to be human?" The Chief inquired softly.

Humans were weak, the spy couldn't help but think, the Ghost King was a god. Why would he want to be human, when he could rule over them instead? Old Meng didn't dare voice those thoughts though.

Wen Kexing sighed before speaking again, not really intrested in the answer Old Meng had been unwilling to give. "I wish you'd simply betrayed only me, Old Meng, then I could let you live. Even after this treachery you'd still be more useful to me alive than dead, as you've always been. You were very good at your job... but you didn't simply betray me and now I must find a replacement just as competent as you." The Chief declared, letting a small jar fall from his hand and onto the floor in front on Old Meng. The spy couldn't help but look up at the Ghost King's face, starled. "Poison?"

"I find it fitting." The Chief answered blankly. "And A-Xu didn't want me to torture you for doing exactly what he wanted you to do. I have misjudged you before, Old Meng, and for that I apologize. Thank you for your service." He finished, and this time he seemed genuine, tone no longer flat and unfeeling.

Old Meng didn't look down as he answered either. "Then dying in your service is an honor, Your Majesty." He declared honestly as Wen Kexing nodded, and then left the room.

Old Meng didn't get up from his knee as he picked up the small jar and opened it, taking a sniff. Lethal and fast acting. Such a harmless looking little bottle held such a powerful weapon. One sip, and he would gone. No pain, no suffering. Human, not weak. Was that really how things were? Had he been wrong? The old Wen Kexing, the Chief he'd once sworn fealty to, would never have apologized to him, would never have thanked him and most certainly would never have shown him such mercy. He would have broken every bone in his body and made an example out of him but he wasn't going to, because of Zhou Zishu. It was always for Zhou Zishu, it would always be for him. Old Meng sighed. 

"I hope he is worth it all, Your Majesty." The spy whispered as he uncorked the bottle. The Imperial Consort had won, and Old Meng had lost. There was no use dwelling on it anymore. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no more chances in the future. His choices were to drink the poison or run a sword through his own heart and between the two, Old Meng chose the poison. 

Chapter Text

Chengling felt like such a fool. Things made so much sense like this, things that had confused him before. Like why Ghosts acted the way they did towards his Shifu and Uncle Wen, why Wen Kexing was so intimidating, why Sect Leader Qin who was the Imperial Consort's younger brother called his Shifu ge, even why they dressed so expensively and acted like they expected to be obeyed without even realizing it sometimes. It was so obvious! Maybe all of his previous teachers had been right about him being dumb, after all. He'd thought his Shifu was related to the Imperial Consort but he hadn't for a moment stopped to consider that the beautiful man might actually be Zhou Zishu. Or Zhou Xu, or whatever he wanted to go by, it didn't matter. Not now, when Zhao Jing had a sword to his neck and was using him to threaten his husband. Wen Kexing. The Ghost King. Chengling really, really should have paid more attention to what was going on around him because he was the only one surprised by those revelations! Had everyone figured it out and just decided not to tell him?!

At first he'd wondered why his Shifu wasn't defending himself but then as Zhao Jing had made him stand, Chengling had seen him stumble. Zhou Xu never stumbled so there had to be something wrong with him. Zhao Jing had waited until after the toast, had insisted on it really when Uncle Gao had wanted to go directly to discussing things, so maybe he'd put something in the wine. Chengling wanted to jump to his Shifu's rescue, he really didn't care what the man's real identity was, he was still his Shifu, but his stupid body refused to cooperate!

He tried to look around for help but couldn't find any. Most of the sect leaders below were also frozen in shock, the murmurings of the gathered crowd gone. Lady Qin had gone white where she was sitting with her husband and Senior Ye, who had an icy look on his face. Sect Leader Qin's hand was gripping his sword so tight Chengling thought they might fuse together as he glared at Zhao Jing but he was too far away. Even if the older man were as fast as his Shifu, he wouldn't reach them in time. Xiang-jiejie had moved almost at the same time Zhao Jing had and was holding her own sword at the neck of Zhao Jing's son. Chengling had never talked to Xie Wang, even though in a different world they might have been sworn brothers, so he didn't care much as long as Xiang-jiejie managed to help his Shifu. Absentmindedly he wondered if he should call the purple robed woman Your Highness now that he knew she was a real princess, but he could figure that out at a later time. Uncle Gao, Uncle Shen and his Die were also gripping their swords, but they weren't moving either. There were also his geges, Brother Cao and Xiaolian-jiejie up on the platform, but none of them were armed. Xiaolian-jiejie looked really, really pale, like she might throw up. Chengling couldn't blame her. 

This was supposed to be a Hero's Conference! Starting fights at conferences was dishonorable unless it was an official challenge, and even then it was frowned upon outside of competitions for juniors. It was only supposed to be a way for young martial artists to gain experience. No one had expected something like this to ever happen! Chengling looked at Wen Kexing last, the older man had stood as well and from his seat Chengling could only see part of his profile. Uncle Wen loved his Shifu, that was true no matter who they were, and he was almost scared of what he'd find but Wen Kexing's face was completely expressionless. He didn't look furious or terrified like Chengling had expected. Instead his face was completely blank like one of those marionette from Longyuan Pavilion, he didn't even seem human anymore. The white fan looked innocent as he held it in front of himself, open and unmoving, but Chengling knew better. He remembered it cutting through the throats of dozens of assassins before they've even seen it coming but Zhao Jing would see it coming and he was also holding his Shifu in front of himself. Uncle Wen hadn't thrown the fan yet, so he'd probably decided finding out whether his fan was faster than Zhao Jing's sword wasn't worth the risk.

"Let him go." Uncle Wen didn't raise his voice at all, yet it carried so much power Chengling half expected the threes in the distance to shake with it. A voice in the back of his head screamed at him to let go of everything he was holding, though he wasn't actually holding anything!

"As I've said before, Chief Wen, I hold no resentment towards your consort. I will release him, in exchange for the key to the World Armory." Zhao Jing answered evenly, though the man wasn't as unaffected by the order as he'd tried to appear. The arm holding Shifu around the shoulders twisted in light blue silk to hide the shaking of his fingers even as the one holding the sword kept completely still. 

"I don't have the key to the Armory." Wen Kexing man declared in answer and Chengling allowed his eyes to dart over his Shifu's face for a moment, but the beautiful man's expression didn't waver for a moment. Zhou Xu still had his lips pressed together, eyes wide as he forced himself to stay completely still, not even able to breath too hard with the blade at his throat only a hair away from the skin. "I handed it over to Rong Xuan's father." Uncle Wen continued, piercing eyes firmly glued on Zhao Jing's face for any sign that he would react badly to the news. "If you want it, go demand it of the Sword Immortal and let my husband go. This has nothing to do with him."

Zhao Jing ignored the demand, taking a step backwards and pulling his Shifu with him. They were really not far from the edge of the platform now and Chengling felt his heart almost stop in fear for a moment. "You see, I'd believe you but my people have already informed me that the Sword Immortal is missing. Gone. His Manor abandoned like he's never been there. So how do I know you hadn't just killed him and kept the treasure for yourself!?"

Wait... Chengling would have frowned if his face hadn't been frozen in horror. Wasn't Rong Xuan's father Senior Ye? Hadn't Uncle Wen mentioned mentioned that when they've been talking to Long Que? So why wasn't the old man saying something? Didn't he care about his Shifu?! Chengling allowed his gaze to wander back to the man to see his reaction, only to find him holding a sword he hadn't noticed before. Wasn't that... Wen Kexing's sword? But the Ghost King was known to have conquered Qingya without a sword, right? Chengling remembered the other disciples his age talking about how he must be really strong to be able to fight without a weapon that way. So maybe it was really Ye Baiyi's sword and Wen Kexing had only borrowed it during their travels, but... something was wrong, he realized.

Why wasn't Ye Baiyi stepping forward, when so obviously cared about Wen Kexing and Zhou Xu? Why weren't there any guards coming out? The inn had been filled with Ghosts since they've arrived, so many of them that Chengling had lost count! And Uncle Wen might not have a sword, but he knew for sure his Shifu did. His Shifu always had his sword hidden in his belt. Why was he gripping Zhao Jing's arms instead of reaching for it? It made no sense. Even if he were sick, he should be ready to act. Always take advantage of any opportunity, always. That's what he'd taught Chengling, so why wasn't he following his own advice now? His Shifu had killed dozens of assassins on his own with a hair ribbon and destroyed a snake made of indestructible metal by outsmarting its mechanism, there was something just off about the man just helplessly waiting to be rescued. Actually... if his Zhou Xu had needed to be rescued Chengling was pretty sure Zhao Jing would be a pile of broken limbs on the floor already, he thought as he remembered Wen Kexing fighting the marionettes in Longyuan. Did that mean his Shifu... wasn't actually in danger? Chengling forced himself not to let out a relieved sigh as he realized things were actually under control and to keep acting scared. He was overjoyed his Shifu was safe, but also a little bit annoyed that no one seemed to ever tell him anything!

"I don't know if I should be flattered that you think I could have killed an immortal or insulted that you think I killed an innocent old man minding his own business on top of a mountain." Uncle Wen bit back, hand tightening around his fan in the first sign of emotion that he'd showed since his consort had been taken hostage. "If he's not there, maybe he simply didn't want to deal with the likes of you."

"Enough chitchatter!" Xiang-jiejie demanded loudly, causing everyone to turn their attention her way. "We don't have the key and we don't care about your stupid Armory, so how about you let my brother in law go, and I don't cut off your son's pretty little head." She hissed, pressing her own sword closer to Xie Wang's skin until a thin line of red trailed down from the shallow cut. The pale man was even paler than Chengling had ever seen him before, lips slightly parted as if he couldn't even breathe properly.

"Second Brother, she's right." His Uncle Gao growled harshly, seeming to have finally unfrozen himself. "Don't do something you can't come back from." He tried to reason with his sworn brother but Zhao Jing only shook his head, looking at his son with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry, Xie'er, but you understand why I have to do this, don't you? I can't give up now, this is too important." He expressed with a heartbroken look on his face that was so convincing, Chengling would have felt bad for him were he not holding a sword to his Shifu's face! Then turned to address his sworn brothers. "I'm not doing this for myself, dage. I'm doing this for all of us. The secrets in that vault should belong to everyone! Just imagine what we could do with those healing techniques, those new methods of cultivation? Rong Xuan had no right to keep them from the world!"

"Is that why you killed him?" His Shifu snarled through gritted teeth, pulling weakly at Zhao Jing's arm, causing the older man to tighten his hold as his face flashed angrily. "I didn't kill him, he went crazy and had to be put down! Everybody knows that!"

"Do they?" Uncle Wen retorted. "Does everybody know it? Yes. Rong Xuan had changed after he'd cut his own heart meridians and nearly died, but he'd changed even before that, hadn't he? In fact, those changes were awfully coincidental to him meeting you and your sworn brothers."

That accusation seemed to shake everyone present all over again, some even daring murmur quietly to each other as his Uncle Gao snapped, turning from Zhao Jing to the fan wielding man instead. "Chief Wen, what are you implying?!" 

"I'm not Implying anything, Sect Leader Gao." Wen Kexing answered, voice still even, though his eyes hadn't left Zhao Jing's face for even a blink. His gaze was so unnerving, like a dragon waiting for a moment to strike, that Chengling was almost impressed by Zhao Jing's ability to withstand it. "I'm stating facts. The facts are that Rong Xuan had been acting strange for a long time and it was always after meeting you lot. All of his friends had noticed it, but he was too nice and trusting to shun you for it. He almost killed himself when you were all there even though everybody knew it was completely out of character. After he went crazy and was hunted down, the Glazed Armor he always carried on him was missing from the body when it was taken to be burned together with his wife's by Immortal Physician Valley. The Armory held the secret techniques of Rong Xuan's parents, Yue Feng'er's sect and theories they or their friends had either created or written from studying other sects styles. They didn't belong to anybody but them, nor did they owe anybody anything. Not any more than any other sect owes the world their secrets. Yue Feng'er died on her husband's sword, yet no one can say they saw him stab her. In fact, only three people were there when she gave away the key. Yue Feng'er died that day, Long Que never revealed who the third one was until the day he died himself, yet the location of the key was leaked. A married couple withdrew from Jianghu to live in seclusion in a small village, terrified, hiding away from the world, yet unable to hide from the evil Ghosts. Mirror Lake Sect was attacked and nearly wiped out. The assassins were looking for a piece of Glazed Armor, the same Glazed Armor that has been missing for decades, that they were very convinced Zhang Yusen was supposed to have and they have tried to frame me for it all. Someone had been trying really hard to turn the whole of the Jianghu against me for a while. Those are all facts, Sect Leader Gao." Uncle Wen explained without pause and Chengling saw his Uncle Gao pale with every sentence and a spark of anger flashed through him as well as the attack on his sect was mentioned. 

"So who did all that, then?" The Ghost King continued, his voice sharp like it had turned to steel. "Who poisoned Rong Xuan's mind? Who was it that had interrogated Yue Feng'er about the arsenal key, then killed her when he did not need her? Who had escaped in a panic because someone else was coming, and who hid away somewhere secret, knowing everything that had happened? Who was so talentless, that he sold out the whereabouts of Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao? Who attacked Mirror Lake Sect? Who tried to start a war between Ghost Valley and the Jianghu?" The fan in his hand twitched, and for a moment Chengling almost saw it fly, but Uncle Wen stilled his hand as he continued icily. "Did you think I had the key because I was their son, or because I am now the Chief of Ghost Valley? Zhao Jing, why won't you just admit that you're a spineless worm?"

At first Zhao Jing hadn't seemed to react to the words at all but as everyone else did his composure had started to falter. Chengling saw shock turn to recognition turn to anger on the faces of his Die and Uncle Gao and Uncle Shen, heard the gasps the crowd let out during Uncle Wen's speech, then everything fell silent. Was there such a thing as the absence of sound? For a moment Chengling thought he couldn't even hear the birds in the threes around the Five Lakes Monument clearing before Zhao Jing let out a sharp, deranged sound that almost resembled a laugh.

"A spineless worm." Zhao Jing laughed, pressing the sword closer to his Shifu's skin. "Fine. I am a spineless worm. What would you know, Chief of Ghost Valley, about what it feels like to struggle for every drop of power? Yes, you've suffered, but you were born with talent to spare, to famous parents from a famous Sect." He hissed the word talent as if it was an insult, as if being the Chief of Ghost Valley now justified all the pain Uncle Wen had had to endure to get there, and Chengling wished he could hit Zhao Jing right in his stupid face! "If you had wanted to be a healer, it would have come easy to you. Since you wanted to become a fighter, you became the greatest martial arts master in generations! It's true that I can never compare to the likes of you. In order to win I had to resort to lies and tricks, poison and manipulation. And so what if it was me?" He admitted with a sneer, causing yet another wave of gasps of shock and whispers to wash over the crowd. Chengling wondered if this was what his Shifu and Uncle Wen had wanted all along. Thinking back to all of their lessons... that was most probably accurate, actually.

"So what if I poisoned Rong Xuan? So what if I killed Yue Feng'er? So what if I sold Wen Ruyu and Gu Miaomiao's location to the former Valley Master? So what if I orchestrated the attack on Mirror Lake Sect and tried to start a war?" Chengling tightened his hands into fists as his sect was mentioned again. He remembered his Niang, scared as she and his aunties slept on the cold floor of an abandoned temple. Remembered the little children crying, and the bodies that had littered the ground of his home as it burned to ashes. So many people had died, all because this one man had wanted power? "I even had that stuck up prick Lu Taichong killed. They all looked down on me! Them with their privilege and their talent! Just like you do now! And so what if I can't defeat you in a fair fight? I'm still the one who has a sharp blade to your beloved consort's throat and if you ever want to hold him in your arms again, you're gonna give me what I want!" Zhao Jing ranted, a crazed look on his face like he was a completely different person from the one who had first taken his Shifu hostage.

Uncle Wen only hummed, waving the previously still fan back and forth lazily. "Too bad I really don't have it, but thank you."

"What?" Zhao Jing's eyes widened in shock at the blase answer, but by the time he seemed to realize something was wrong it was already too late. Chengling saw Zhou Xu's stance shift, the scared look on his face replaced by one of complete calm.

"For your confession." Even as his Shifu spoke, the hand that had been wrapped around the wrist holding a sword to his neck tightened and Chengling heard the bones shatter from all the way on the other side of platform. The sword clattered to the ground as the beautiful man turned around, holding Zhao Jing's pained gaze as he slammed an open palm into his chest. It pushed the bastard back until he almost fell off the platform and he fell to his knees, clutching at his heart in shock.

"What kind of monster are you?" Zhao Jing gasped, looking at Zhou Xu with an expression of horror mixed with pain as his Shifu snorted down at him. "Did you think you could poison me, Zhao Jing? Didn't you think everything was a too easy, a little too convenient?" He asked and Chengling could almost hear him roll his eyes even though he could only see his back, but Zhao Jing didn't have time to answer as the Ghosts that had previously been nowhere to be found flooded into the clearing, cutting the exist of the crowd that was trying to slip away and forcing everyone back around the platform. They started pulling Zhao Jing's paralyzed body towards the wooden beam behind the tables.

"What are you doing?! You can't do this!" His Uncle Shen yelled angrily, moving to stop them but even the soldiers crossed the spears they were holding, halting him. "This is the Northern Empire!" He growled, turning to Uncle Wen who was already holding his consort in his arms, inspecting his neck for the tiniest scratch while Shifu rolled his eyes at him.

"Yesterday it was the Jianghu and you wanted your own Leader, now it's the Northern Empire?" The tall man snorted, throwing something at the angry man's chest. "Perfect!"

Uncle Shen clutched the scroll tightly, going whiter than the paper as he rolled it open. "An Imperial Decree...?" 

"My cousin in law can be extremely helpful when presented with evidence." Wen Kexing hummed, before turning towards where Chengling was now standing by the tables with the others, addressing his sister. "A-Xiang, take the little idiots out of here."

The young woman nodded silently, sheathing the sword she'd been holding to Xie Wang's neck as she addressed him quietly. "You don't need him, Xie Wang, and you don't owe him anything."

"I was surprised when you told me to just give him the poison, but I think I get it now." The pale man hummed with a smile on his face as if nothing unusual had just happened. It gave Chengling the creeps as he moved to stand closer to his geges. "I can have the body?"

"It will be delivered to you at the end of the day." Xiang-jiejie nodded. "Though the state it will be in might not be a pleasant sight."

"Then I will take my leave, General Gu." He placed his hands together with a nod, and Xiang-jiejie let go of her sword, doing the same. "Good luck, Xie Wang."

The young man left and Xiang-jiejie watched him for a while, and unreadable look on her face, before she waved lazily to the rest of them. "Come on." The woman wrapped a hand around Chengling's arm to pull him along as she started skipping down the platform. "Little idiot, you don't want to be here for this." She hummed as the Ghosts surrounding the place stepped away to let their group pass. Chengling noticed Senior Ye's white robes in the distance as he seemed to already be leaving with Sect Leader Qjn and Madam Qin. They were almost out of the clearing, his Chengfeng-gege helping Xiaolian-jiejie who was still sick, when he heard a voice yell loudly. "Cao Weining!"

Xiang-jiejie fell to a stop, so the rest of them did too. Chengling didn't think they would be allowed to pass without her, anyway. The representatives of Gentle Wind Sword Sect were behind them when they turned around, and it just then occurred to Chengling that Brother Cao hadn't been sitting with them.

"Shifu." Brother Cao bowed deeply to the one in the front whom his Die had introduced as Sect Leader Mo before, and didn't get up. "Thank you for the opportunity you have given me, I will never forget it, but I will be leaving the sect now. The beliefs of Gentle Wind Sword Sect and mine no longer match." When the older man finally stood straight again Chengling couldn't help but think that he looked towards Sect Leader Mo in disappointed, though he couldn't figure out why... but everyone seemed to know more than him about everything, so it wasn't anything new.

The Sect Leader seemed speechless, face turning red in rage, while a younger man asked, heartbroken. "Because of her?" 

"Because of me." Brother Cao shook his head. "I'm sorry, shixiong."

"You..." The sect leader started again and Chengling knew that whatever was to follow couldn't be pleasant, only to be interrupted by Xiang-jiejie. "Sect Leader Mo, if I were you I'd reconsider whatever you're thinking right now." The young woman stated calmly, meeting the Sect Leader's eyes. "I know exactly who you are, what you were planning to do and who you were planning to do it with. You're alive now because Cao-dage cares about you and I care about him, but that can always change. You will get a front row seat to what happens to those who make an enemy of my family soon, I suggest you pay close attention."

"You dare threaten me?" The man growled and even Chengling who wasn't the smartest person couldn't believe he'd just asked that after what they've all witnessed!

"I have been raised by my brother, and trained by my brother in law. They might not be my parents, but you will find that that I am every inch their daughter. I don't make threats, Sect Leader Mo, I make promises." She answered, eyebrow raised in challenge, and the man paled slightly. Before a fight could actually break out, though Sect Leader Mo would have to be really dumb to do that, Chengling thought, Brother Cao wrapped a hand around Xiang-jiejie's. "Come on, A-Xiang, let's just go." He whispered, and her eyes went all soft when she looked at him. It reminded Chengling of the way Uncle Wen's eyes went all soft whenever he looked at his Shifu. The siblings were really alike in that moment.

"Shishu, shixiong, I will write." Cao Weining promised, bowing one more time before pulling his beloved away, then they were really leaving the clearing. As they walked further and further away, Chengling looked at the two lovers.

Brother Cao had left his sect to be able to go to Ghost Valley with Xiang-jiejie, would he have to leave his sect too in order to continue training with his Shifu? Chengling was torn. He didn't want to have to leave his family forever, he already missed his Niang and would miss his geges, but he didn't want to abandon his training either. Shifu and Uncle Wen had been so good to him and he was finally starting to make some progress in his martial arts and... he would miss them too, he thought, even if he had only known them for a few months. If he had to choose, Chengling really didn't know where he would go. Sighing, he decided not to think too much on it until he talked to his Die. 

Thinking about his Shifu and Uncle Wen reminded him of the scene they've left behind, though. "Xia... Your Highness." He corrected himself. "What is Uncle We... I mean, Chief Wen, going to do?" He asked quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the others as they made their way through the forest. "Why would he want Zhao Jing to be strung up?" He frowned. His Shifu appeared to have already paralyzed the other man, shouldn't they be arresting him now or something? Or even executing him?

"He's still Uncle Wen, and I'm still Xiang-jiejie, little idiot." She giggled, poking his forehead in amusement, before tilting her head to the side. "Do you know how my ge became the Chief of Ghost Valley?"

Chengling shook his head, thinking on it. One had to kill the old Master to become the new one, or so he'd heard things used to be, but Chengling hadn't even been born yet when Wen Kexing must have become Chief so how would he know?! Maybe the old Chief had simply died and Uncle Wen had been the strongest among the others. That could have happened, right?

"He skinned the old Master alive." Xiang-jiejie answered with a blank look an her face and Chengling felt the tips of his fingers and toes grow cold as if all his blood drained from his body as he thought of someone being skinned alive.

This was one of Xiang-jiejie's jokes, right? By the grim looks on everyone's faces though, it wasn't. Chengling frowned. His Uncle Wen who always looked after the injuries he got from training too hard, his Uncle Wen who always made sure he didn't push himself too hard, his Uncle Wen who let him listen in when he told little A-Lan bedtime stories, that Uncle Wen wouldn't skin anyone alive but... he would, wouldn't he? Because that same Uncle Wen was also the Ghost King. The Chief of Ghost Valley. The warlord. The conqueror. The feared demon. Some people even thought he was a real ghost! Chengling turned back as if he could see or hear it, but they were too far away already. He should feel something about that. Pity or regret or something, but he couldn't bring himself to. Zhao Jing had done so many despicable things. So many innocents had suffered and died. He had attacked Chengling's sect, he had sold out Uncle Wen's parents and he had held a sword to his Shifu's neck so whatever was coming his way, let it come, Chengling thought. Zhao Jing deserved it.

Chapter Text

Kexing fluttered his fan, waving away the summer heat as he skipped thought Yueyang's market. Even with the conference over and the... drama that had occurred, the place was still buzzing with activity.

Rumors about Zhao Jing's fate had spread like wildfire but few seemed to hold any sympathy for the former sect leader. His zhiji had been right. Of course his zhiji had been right, he most often was, but this really was the beautiful man's area of expertise. Striking at Zhao Jing at once would have turned him into a martyr, he would have forever been immortalized as a good person, a hero, a legend... now he would forever be remembered as a spineless worm. Even Aunt Luo would have to admit that this outcome was preferable to any other. For years A-Xu had been using all the experience he had acquired while leading the Window of Heaven to brush the dirt and dust off of every secret Zhao Jing had ever had, every crime he'd ever committed. Publicly announcing it wouldn't have worked, of course. It would have all been lies, slander. Allowing 'secret' whispers to be overheard, though? People were more likely to believe things they've heard with their own ears from 'reliable sources'. By the time the conference had came around, with the perfect opportunity for his confession, the masses had already judged Zhao Jing and found him guilty. The confession, and the Imperial Decree, had only proven what they've already 'known'. The scene at the conference had been just the honeyed filling of an already sweet cake. 

If Kexing had followed his original plan, chances were he would have eventually been deemed a tyrant. Killing Zhao Jing would have been seen as him using his power for personal reasons, or they might have even claimed he was afraid of the Jianghu's power and had done it to cripple them. But now they already saw him as a hero for defending them against the tujue, whom their people had been struggling against for centuries, with little loss of life. It was only natural that from there he became a filial son, a devoted husband, a righteous man. Human minds were fickle things and he was never going to understand them as well as his A-Xu did. Zhao Jing was gone, had suffered as he was supposed to and the Jianghu was in chaos. It had all gone perfectly thanks to his zhiji's brilliant mind. The angry mob had even broken the Five Lakes Alliance monument, and burned the structure built for the conference to the ground in the night.

His parents had been avenged. When he went home Kexing would visit the ancestral hall and inform them that justice has finally been served. Their souls could finally move on if they had not yet and he hoped, one day, they could meet again. The promise he had made to Ye Baiyi to avenge his son and daughter in law was now fulfilled too. The debt he still felt he owed the other man got just a little bit smaller. The Ghost King would always feel like he owed the old monster, his zhiji's life was priceless and as such could never be fully repaid, but now he had given Ye Baiyi the one thing he wanted most in the world. It was freeing to leave it all behind, he thought as a particular stand caught his attention.

"A-Xu, look!" Kexing exclaimed happily, pulling his husband behind him by the hand.

"Lao Wen." His husband sighed for the thousand time that day. "We're going to be late."

The Ghost King ignored the exasperated reminder in favor of pointing at the slices of red, juicy looking fruit shaded by the wooden structure to keep fresh and there was also a pile of whole fruits against the building behind the stall! "They have watermelons, and they look so ripe too! Do you think A-Lan would like them?" He hummed. Their little brother ate nearly everything he was offered but Kexing was finally starting to figure out his tells.

The woman behind the stall, who was waving some kind of fan to keep away insects, smiled brilliantly. She didn't seem to know who they were because she interrupted his husband before he could answer. "Young masters, would you like some? They are fresh and sweet!"

"No. Thank you, madam." A-Xu smiled politely, pulling Kexing away before he could protest.

"A-Xu." He pouted, looking at his husband cutely, hoping to change his mind, only for A-Xu to roll his eyes. "Lao Wen, you can buy all the sweets you want for the children after we're done. Stop getting distracted!" The beautiful man hissed.

"A-Xu..." He protested again, looking longingly back to there the stall had faded from view. They could have just bought some and left them somewhere cool during the meeting, A-Xu hadn't had to be so mean! "It's not like they wouldn't wait for us."

"They shouldn't have to! Han Ying and the others worked hard to organize everything and we've worked hard the last week, we shouldn't..." His zhiji trailed off, stopping in the middle of the road to look him in the eyes. "I just want everything to work out, Lao Wen." He explained, voice so full of emotion that Kexing bought their still joined hand to his lips and kissed the delicate skin of his wrist, ignoring all the looks it got them to speak against it. "And it will." He assured the beautiful man gently.

"We've all been working hard on this and the old monster had even mediated and helped compose the final draft of the treaty. All the real work is done already, now we only have to show up, read it once more and stamp our prints on it. It's all done already. Nothing will go wrong, A-Xu." Kexing promised, deciding he could enjoy the market later just the same.

Not lingering anymore they easily walked around the crowd, making their way to the manor they've grown familiar with. The guards of the four nations were subtly hidden around, coordinating with each other after so long spent together. Having them all arrive in Yueyang so early had been practical, but it had been a political move as well. They all held high ranks in their respective armies and would now go home understanding that the soldiers on the other side were human too. It was a small first step on a long path to lasting peace.

"Crazy brat, you're late!" Ye Baiyi snapped when they were finally led to the main courtyard of the manor that had been bought just for this reason months before. It was owned by a 'retired old merchant', who had made many friends from 'distant places' over the years. Unlike every time before when they've met inside one of the rooms inside, a large round table had been placed under an open pavilion. The former immortal was sitting between Han Ying and Wu Xi, crouching loudly on a pile of nuts. Everyone else had arrived, it seemed, except for them.

"We're not late, old monster. It's not our fault everybody else was early." Kexing snorted, helping Zishu sit next to Han Ying before doing the same. That put him next to Helian Yi's advisor, followed Emperor Jin himself next to him, then Ashile Sun's advisor, the young Great Khan, Helian Changge, A Xin Lai, Beiyuan, Wu Xi, the ugly tortoise, Han Ying and his zhiji on his other side. Silence fell over them all after his answer, but no one was tense... A-Xu and Helian Changge avoided looking at each other, as always. 

Eventually, Helian Yi looked up from the jar of wine he was cleaning of hardened clay. "Have you gotten what you wanted?" The emperor questioned casually. They hadn't given him all the details when they had showed him proof of some of Zhao Jing's crimes over the years but the evidence had been damning enough for them not to matter. He probably knew more by now though, as certainly he'd had his men present at the conference.

"Yes, and so have you." Kexing chuckled. "It will take the Jianghu a while to recover after this." 

The other man nodded in acknowledgment. The Five Lakes Alliance had fallen and left a power void behind, Kexing suspected many more would fall before a victor emerged, most likely another alliance. The Jianghu could decide to elect a leader after all and organize themselves behind him but there were few, if any, capable enough, who even held enough power and respect. No, most would try to take the power for themselves and a supreme leader was unlikely unless they had the power to take that seat by force. He didn't know of anyone capable of that, except maybe Xie Wang who hadn't seemed interested in such things. 

"It was quite the show." Ashile Sun grinned from his seat and Kexing laughed, knowing the Great Khan had watched the conference from a distant tower.

He'd grown fond of the younger man during the treaty negotiations. Most of the work had been done by their generals before they've arrived but there had still been things they've wanted changed or clarified and it had taken a few tries for the final draft to be written. They've spent the week before the conference leaning over maps of trade routes and drafts of the treaty, this meeting was already setting out to be 'peaceful' compared to the rest simply because they weren't all huddled in a small enclosed space with each other. It had started to get a little stifling by the last meeting. If no one left with a headache this time, he would consider it a win.

The only ones who hadn't argued even once were A-Xu and Helian Changge, who hadn't spoken to each other at all. They seemed to have come to some kind of unspoken agreement to not acknowledge each other's existence at all, even though Helian Changge seemed to have warmed up to her uncle well enough and held no apparent resentment towards Beiyuan. It was irritating that A-Xu seemed to be held solely responsible but Kexing did know of his husband's role in the assasination of her family. Part of him, the part of him that had allowed the need for revenge to nearly overcome him for years, had to admire the young woman's strength for being willing to let go of her personal revenge for the good of her people. Kexing had never been put in her place but he did know that between revenge and A-Xu, he'd chosen his zhiji twice. To this day he didn't regret it, and if Zhao Jing had gotten away because of his choices... then he still wouldn't regret it. He understood her, probably better than any of the others ever will, and knew what it took for her to even sit there.

"I know we are all eager to sign the treaty, but first." Helian Yi declared as he opened the jar he'd been working on, leaning over the table to pour each of them a cup of wine. It smelled delicious even before Kexing picked it up. "Let's drink a toast." 

"Is this...?" Beiyuan started, before his voice died off as if he'd been strangled. A-Xu was also looking at his cup, Kexing noticed, but his eyes were unfocused as if his mind was somewhere else entirely. He took one of the beautiful man's hands into his own, bringing him out of whatever memory had taken hold of him, and A-Xu looked at him gratefully as Helian Yi answered.

"Yes." The emperor nodded. "It's the jar we buried back then. Some of us might not be here in body today but I thought they could still be with us in spirit. Know that they haven't died for nothing." He stated as he poured some of the wine left in the jar on the table, then held up his own cup. "To many years of peace to come."

Kexing sensed there was a story there, he remembered A-Xu telling him about the pact made to help Helian Yi become emperor. Out of all of them, only the three present had survived. He couldn't help but think his parents would also have loved to see this day, as would have his parents in law and all of their friends. Solemnly, he nodded as he held his cup up as well. Everyone else followed.

"To peace." They all agreed, before drinking in one go.

As he'd predicted, the signing of the treaty hardly took time after that and they each left with two copies in their possession. Wu Xi and Beiyuan were returning with their group to the inn, where their children were being watched by Jiuxiao, Jing An and A-Xiang and were only planning to stay in Yueyang for a couple of days more. Kexing knew they would most likely have to leave around the same time, he has been away from the Valley for too long already. Even though Auntie Luo and Qianqiao were used to dealing with everything in his absence, and he'd been in contact if necessary, it would be better if they returned as soon as possible.

Hopefully, this time around they could travel by boat uninterrupted, maybe drop the Zhang's home on the way. Zhang Chengling would stay there for a visit before Zhang Yusen had surprisingly agreed to let him move to the Valley to continue his training The sect leader had also announced that he would retire in favor of his eldest son. Kexing wondered if that had anything to do with Zhang Chengling coming to them, but the boy was as close to both of his brothers as ever so the Chief didn't think he held any resentment for Zhang Chengfeng even if the position of Sect Leader should have technically been his. 

The lady selling watermelons was still there when they passed through the market and he bought as many as they could comfortably carry without dropping them. It turned out A-Lan did love them, as did all the other children. It was late evening by the time they retired to their room and A-Xu sighted as the dying noise of the evening was muffled further by the closed door.

"A-Lan will be sad to realize he has to part with his new friends when we all leave here." The beautiful murmured as he started removing the sea foam robes he'd worn that day. 

Kexing hummed. Yes, that would most likely be the case as Jiuxiao was going back to Four Seasons Manor and Wu Xi and Beiyuan to Nanjiang. "I'm sure A-Xiang will take him to the city often enough, he can make other friends there. Hua Ming's youngest is around his age, isn't he? I don't think she would mind letting them play together, might even free some of her time so she can experiment with all the new recipes she always wants to try." He answered, getting ready for bed himself.

"You just want to bribe her into letting you taste test her new concoctions." His husband rolled his eyes.

"Not true." Kexing protested as they started washing themselves for the night. "And anyway, A-Lan won't have time to miss his friends for long. Everyone will come to the Valley for that silly girl's wedding soon enough." Kexing grimaced at the reminder. It wasn't that he actually disliked Cao Weining, the young man really was an innocent little rabbit. He'd even asked to be allowed to come to the Valley with them as if that had ever been in question, as if Kexing could deny A-Xiang that happiness, as if she'd let him. Kexing might even be starting to like the little rabbit, if he were honest with himself, it was just... A-Xiang was his little girl, even after the war she had still been his little girl and now...  soon she would have a consort of her own and Kexing wished she could have stayed his little girl just a little bit longer. Inwardly, he sighed. He'd always known he'd have to let her go one day but that day felt like it had come too soon. Not long ago she was learning how to walk, gripping his fingers tightly, and now she'd let go and had a child of her own. He wondered if this was how A-Xu had felt, allowing Jiuxiao to leave the Capital on his own and take over Four Seasons Manor all those years ago. 

"What if he has someone closer to play with?" His zhiji whispered into his ear as they laid down on the bed, distracting him from his thoughts. "Closer?" Kexing questioned curiously. Were any of the others planning to visit sooner than he'd thought?

"Much closer, maybe a few years younger?" The beautiful man hummed, grasping one of Kexing's hands and placing it over his strong belly. Over... oh. Kexing's eyes widened, his gaze seeking his husband's warm one. "Are you sure?"

The beautiful man nodded. "Zhao Jing is dead, the Jianghu is subdued for now. We have just signed a peace treaty with our three most powerful neighbors and the opposition will be laying low for a while until they get a feel of things in this new world. The western lands had already been wary of you and now will be even more reluctant to risk your ire. We're at peace, Lao Wen." A-Xu answered before kissing him, a soft smile already pulling at his lips.

He had suspected this day would come, Kexing saw the way A-Xu looked at all the little ones, he just hadn't thought it would be yet. It was obvious that his zhiji loved children, loved babies, and would probably want at least one of his own one day, but A-Xu had also seemed scared of the possibility back then. He'd thought it would take the beautiful man longer to come to terms with everything a pregnancy would entail, but if A-Xu said he was ready then he was. Kexing pulled the beautiful man closer by the waist until their lower halves brushed together. His A-Xu was already eager to start trying, he felt.

"As my A-Xu wishes, then." He chuckled.

Kexing had once been ready to set the world on fire and burn with it in order to achieve his goal. He'd thought he wouldn't survive it, that if by any chance he did the world wouldn't let him live after all that he'd done... and then he'd met his A-Xu. Everything had changed. A pressure Kexing hadn't realized had been pushing on his shoulders was gone and everything had seemed... lighter. Brighter. And now it was over. Everything was over, and he was free in a way he hadn't felt before. The desire for revenge that had been a shackle around his ankle, was completely gone. Kexing was always going to love his parents, but now his life would no longer belong to the dead. From now on it belonged only to the living, to his A-Xu, to their family.

Chapter Text

Bi Changfeng watched as Liu Qianqiao directed the girls around, Yama Hall getting wrapped up in more and more wedding red while A-Lan, Qin Jiuxiao's and Jing Beiyuan's children ran around, 'helping'. It was... lively. Everybody seemed so happy their little princess was getting married, he wondered if they've been this overjoyed over the last wedding that took place in this hall. He was grateful though that his Lord had been welcomed warmly back then, regardless if initially it had been their personal feelings or Wen Kexing's orders that had made it so. What mattered was that Zhou Zishu had always been treated well in the Valley, and he did know that everyone genuinely loved him now. 

It wasn't only their love for the princess that was driving them to make sure everything was perfect this time though, but also their pride. This would be the first time the Valley was open to outsiders. Invites had been sent all over the known world and hundreds of people would attend. So many so that they were not all going to fit inside the Yama Hall  and only the ceremony was set to take place inside, while the feast was to be split between the courtyards. The girls in the Department of the Unfaithful were overjoyed, eager to show off the superiority of their home to the society that had once shunned them. Bi Changfeng considered the whole thing a security nightmare. 

The Ghost Valley was the safest place in the known world because the gates were always closed. Unlike other cities were the gates were always open and only closed in case of emergency, traveler's documents and possessions checked superficially most of the time, Ghost Valley's gates were only opened after someone's identity had been confirmed. Even officials and high ranking members of the military were subjected to the same rules when summoned or seeking an audience with the Ghost King... which was why the Valley had maintained its air of serenity for so long. The small city had been built around Wen Kexing's core army, the ones handpicked by him to be his elite soldiers, and their families. The real Ghost Army, the only one's in Qingya's military to officially hold the title of Ghost, though the distinction between the Ghost Army and Qingya's army wasn't commonly made. As such, while the area the actual valley covered was very large the city barely held a fraction of the Northern Empire Capital's population. It was possible for other citizens to relocate to the Valley, of course, but they were thoroughly investigated before being allowed to do so. Lowlifes were unlikely to slip through the cracks and most of them didn't dare risk drawing the Ghost King's ire in the first place by even coming close to the gates. In the time Bi Changfeng had lived in the Valley, he could count the violent crimes that had taken place there on the fingers of one hand.

Then there was the palace, far away from the city, deep into the forest. Not only would any potential threat have to get past the gates but they would have to get through an entire city of Ghosts to get to the palace. The only other way into the valley was over the unforgivable mountain ridges filled with sharp, slippery rocks, poisonous plants and dangerous wildlife. Bi Changfeng had studied the landscape over the years, and only a crazy person would try to cross that way. Even then, he doubted many would survive it. The only people he knew for sure could, were not a threat.

What Bi Changfeng loved about the Valley the most though was that what made his work easy were the people. He knew that he could trust everyone in the palace, from the guards to the kitchen maids and that each and every one of them would give their lives for the royal family without hesitation. Bi Changfeng appreciated that the guards were always loyal, but not incapable of making their own decisions if the situation called for it. He could have any of them protect any of the royal family, and should an unexpected situation arise he needn't worry that they would freeze. Life here might not be as luxurious as that of the northern emperors, people took their own baths and poured their own tea, there were no servants standing in every corner of every room just in case someone might need their sleeves held back, but Bi Changfeng could with certainty say he knew every face that was supposed to be there. He liked knowing every face that was supposed to be there. Liked knowing all of their names and all of their stories. If someone else by any chance showed up wearing their faces, he'd know.

The people at the palace were a close knit community and it felt like everybody coming to the wedding were invaders. Their presence was like an itch all over his skin, the kind he'd felt his entire time living in the Northern Capital. Back then it had felt like he was surrounded by enemies, he'd felt like he couldn't even trust the fruit vendor at the market. It had made it nearly impossible to do his job and it hadn't helped that Zhou Zishu had insisted on running around being a spy, putting a target on his back as the Leader of the Window of Heaven. Since the day Sect Leader Qin and Madam Qin had bought the little young master home to Four Seasons Manor, Bi Changfeng's duty had been to protect him, just as before that day his duty had been to protect Qin Huaizhang since the day the late sect leader had been born. Bi Changfeng was one of the elder disciples of Four Seasons Manor, and since he'd been old enough to understand what duty was, he'd always known his. He had just become a senior disciple when he'd been assigned as the new heir's guard, then continued to protect Qin Huaizhang as he'd become sect leader until he'd had an heir of his own and Bi Changfeng's duty was transferred to said heir... and they hadn't made it easy, either. 

Zhou Zishu might claim otherwise, say that he had always been a dedicated student or serious little disciple, but in truth he had once been the most adorable mischievous child. The first time Bi Changfeng had seen him he'd been a chubby little thing of two, holding onto his Niang's hand and looking at the disciples of the sect with wide eyes as they were all introduced to him. Their sect had never been large and there's never been too many little ones at a time so it had made sense that Zhou Zishu, as the heir, would be spoiled by everyone. It never got to his head though. When his didi was born the young master didn't complain that the baby needed more attention and when Qin Jiuxiao grew older, he took care of the boy even when he pouted about it. Zhou Zishu had been an adorable toddler and a bright child and his talent had been one in ten generations... rarer, even. Bi Changfeng had never resented the duty of being his personal bodyguard, following him around the forest as he climbed trees and watching from a distance whenever he snuck into town. Watching him grow had been an honor, watching him become the man he was today, even more so. 

When Sect Leader Qin and Madam Qin had passed away one after the other, leaving the burden of leading the sect on the shoulders of a fifteen year old, they've all tried to come to terms with the fact that it might be the end of Four Seasons Manor. Zhou Zishu might have been powerful, with the potential of becoming even more so, but he had been just a child. It hadn't been fair to expect him to carry all of their fates, yet he had. Somehow, he'd managed to preserve the legacy of their sect, keep most of them alive, raise his little brother and make an emperor. He'd succeeded where most men three times his age would not even have dared try, but that had come at a cost. And that cost had been his safety.

Qin Jiuxiao had been safe, his brother unwilling to allow any danger to come to him, but Zhou Zishu had been not. Bi Changfeng had never had to worry about Qin Jiuxiao... as much, anyway. Qin Jiuxiao was a little idiot but he'd always had his older brother to protect him, there was no older sibling to protect Zhou Zishu. Maybe that was why Bi Changfeng had chosen to stay with Zhou Zishu even once Qin Jiuxiao had returned to Four Seasons Manor instead of leaving with the new Sect Leader to protect him... or maybe he'd simply grown too fond of his Lord. He'd even joined the Window of Heaven in order to protect Zhou Zishu, always considered his main duty to be as Zhou Zishu's bodyguard above all even as that had became increasingly harder... until he'd found an unlikely ally in the leader of Qingya's spies in the Capital.

The Window of Heaven had always been aware that the other nations had spies in the Capital, as long as they didn't get in the way and were not a threat to the safety of the people they had let it be. Even used it to their advantage more than once. Politics was a game half played in shadows. Everyone will always remember the treaty that was signed, but not the dozens of people who had organized everything so that the four leaders could even meet the way they had. Everyone will always remember Emperor Jin, but they would never know what role the two men who had put him on the throne had played, what Zhou Zishu and Jing Beiyuan had done to make it happen. Everyone always remembered the victory but no one wanted to know how the battle was won. No one wanted to know what had to be sacrificed. Every light cast a long shadow, the shadow was a whole other world of its own. In the shadows was where Bi Changfeng had always found it most comfortable, and where he'd always felt his Lord had never belonged. Yes, Zhou Zishu had been the greatest spy and assassin the world had known, but he didn't belong there. He belonged in the light, where he stood now, and Wen Kexing had made that possible. 

Bi Changfeng might never know what exactly how his Lord and the Chief had met all those years before but he did know that whatever it had been, Wen Kexing had still cared about Zhou Zishu enough after parting to order his spies to protect him at all costs. The bodyguard had enjoyed working with Old Meng because the man had been loyal to his Chief, and they might have been on different sides of the game board but Bi Changfeng had always known where the other had stood. He might not have always known what Old Meng was thinking, but he had known what the other would never do. Betray Wen Kexing. The same as Old Meng had known where his loyalties laid. They've never been able to become friends because of it but they've understood each other. When Helian Yi had become emperor and his Lord had been in danger, Bi Changfeng had understood that the portrait he'd found hadn't been an accident. He'd never shared that particular thought with the emperor though, he hadn't needed to know and now... now Old Meng was gone, Bi Changfeng was unsure how to feel about it. He mourned his old ally, and yet couldn't blame Wen Kexing for removing a threat to his consort. Inwardly he sighed. If only Old Meng hadn't been so stubborn, he might have seen that his actions had been unnecessary. There was no two people in the world more suited for each other than Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing.

The marriage, he knew, had been a great risk. Bi Changfeng had had an advantage though, he'd known Qingya's spies and although loyal, they've let tiny little pieces of information slip over time that he'd managed to put together. He'd known even back then that Ghost Valley was not hell on earth behind its gates and that the Ghost King was not the monster the world believed him to be. Before informing Helian Yi of anything though, he'd gone back to that little village and found out that his Lord had not only been there for months before Bi Changfeng had found him but he hadn't been alone. Xing'er, Wen Kexing, was a good man and he'd loved Zhou Zishu, according to most ofthe villagers. They had all thought that the two had already been married and that Wen Kexing had bought Zhou Zishu over to introduce him to his grandmother. So in a moment of desperation Bi Changfeng had gambled, and that gamble had paid off. As the Imperial Consort of Qingya his Lord was safer than he had ever been, and happy. Even when they ran away like idiots and ditched all of their guards, he knew his Lord would always be safe with the Chief... Even now that Ghost Valley was being 'invaded', he admitted to himself reluctantly.

Bi Changfeng's eyes swept over the hall once more when he heard someone approach his shadowed corner, he recognized Luo Fumeng by her steps before she even reached him.

"Thank you for organizing the security for this, I know it's is difficult for you." The white haired woman spoke softly, eyes drawn to the group of children by a loud giggle that echoed through the hall.

"Difficult, but not too difficult." He stated honestly. Not so much so that he would protest against the idea. "I won't let anything happen to the girls." Bi Changfeng promised, knowing she shared his worries about so many strangers close to her home.

"I know." The woman hummed, just standing there silently for a moment before speaking again. "I've known her since she was born, A-Xiang. Back then I feared this day would never come. Did anyone tell you she was born early?"

Bi Changfeng shook his head, surprised. No one had ever mentioned it and she had grown into such a strong woman, no one would ever guess.

"Not dangerously so, but early enough to be so tiny in A-Xing's arms that he was worried he'd hurt her. Their mother was already weak and sustaining a pregnancy in this place..." Emotions warred on Luo Fumeng's face as she remembered the past, grief and pain and regret, before she shook it away. A part of her still blamed herself, he knew, for not being able to save the Wens back then, for their fate. "...it was no easy feat, even with A-Xing trying his best to help. There was only so much he could do to protect them from the former Master and as much as he hunted and foraged, it only went so far. I guess A-Xiang is lucky that Lady Gu survived long enough for her to no longer require her mother's milk but A-Xing did everything else." She swallowed, smiling sadly as her eyes grew damp. "He washed her, clothed her, soothed her to sleep, held her through the nightmares... A-Xiang is his daughter in every way that matters, he just wants her to have everything he can offer." The white haired woman tried to explain even though there was no need. Wen Kexing and Luo Fumeng might not always agree with each other, but she was always going to be on his side. He could appreciate that. 

"I know what you mean." Bi Changfeng hummed, remembering the look of wonder and determination on Zhou Zishu's face the first time he'd held his didi. His Lord might not have raised Qin Jiuxiao from as young an age on his own, but he loved him just as much.

The guard was wary but that didn't mean he didn't understand Wen Kexing's choice, both emotionally and from a strategic point. Gu Xiang shouldn't have to be isolated from her friends and Ghost Valley shouldn't stay so isolated forever either. Today it was a mystery, tomorrow it could be the dangerous unknown. They couldn't rely on one man's reputation forever, or it might turn against them. No. Opening up the Valley in a controlled and unique situation as this was the right choice but that didn't mean he had to like it even after they've taken all the precautions possible. The only time the outsiders would step into the palace would be for the ceremony itself, but he still couldn't shake this... apprehension away. Already they've caught two groups trying to sneak in weapons, one of them from Cao Weining former Sect. Until this wedding was past, all those intruders had left and every inch of the Valley inspected, Bi Changfeng suspected he wouldn't feel at ease again.

"They will make good parents." Luo Fumeng stated, reminding him of her presence, and he silently nodded his agreement. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu would undoubtedly make good parents.

Bi Changfeng had watched Zhou Zishu turn from a cute stumbling toddler into a graceful beauty, his power unmatched by any other than husband. Qin Jiuxiao from a squealing infant into a competent Sect Leader. Jing Beiyuan from a mischievous child into the Great Shaman's responsible consort, even Wu Xi from an insecure young man to a capable leader he was today. Helian Yi from a child with a big dream into an emperor that had turned the fate of his nation around. Gu Xiang, from a loud child into a strong woman... Now they were all grown and he was watching their children play. Soon Zhou Zishu's children would join this wild herd, if he knew his Lord at all and Bi Changfeng knew him well. It wouldn't be long now that peace was held so carefully in their grasp, before he would be asked to defend his Lord while he was vulnerable. When the young ones were born, Bi Changfeng would watch over them too. Protect them as he'd protected their father and their grandfather before him, as he would protect their children after them. That was his duty and it was a duty he was proud of. 

Chapter Text

Zishu kept running the comb through A-Xiang's hair even after the blessing ceremony was over. The last time he had done this it had been for Jiuxiao... and his didi already had children old enough to start their training. Now it was the night before A-Xiang's wedding. He still remembered the day he'd met her, the day of his own wedding, when deep down his heart had still been filled with dread in spite of his husband's gentleness and meeting A-Xiang had bought him solace. Everything after that day had been uncertain, unknown, unwalked paths. The treaty, his marriage, his health, the future... and A-Xiang, she had been a constant through it all. He'd watched her grow and mature, learn about the world and herself, but never change in her heart. She was still loud, still kind, still bright and even though he wouldn't say it out loud because he wanted her to choose her own path, he was as proud to call her his disciple as he was to call her his sister.

By the time his hands finally fell still they were alone in the room, window open and the scent of candles and hair oils still permeating the air. Qianqiao and Jing An had already left, promising to check that everything was perfect once more before going to sleep. Zishu should probably say something, yet every time he'd tried speaking once the blessings were done the words got stuck in his throat. As he placed the comb in front of the mirror, A-Xiang caught his hand between both of her own, standing up to face him. She didn't look like the naive child he'd first met but like a grown woman when she looked into his eyes and whispered. "Thank you." 

Zishu nodded, then sighed. "I know you would have preferred Lao Wen to do this for you." But his husband was with that little rabbit Cao Weining, doing just this. Giving his blessing to the union, if there had been any doubt left. So A-Xiang had been stuck with him.

"I wouldn't have." The young woman denied, shaking her head. "I love ge, but I love you too. I'm glad you were the one here for me today, Zishu-gege." She declared, eyes growing damp even as she smiled. "You have taught me so much, so many things I didn't even know I needed to know but most of all you have taught me to always be true to myself and to always protect those who can't protect themselves. You and ge have taught me that two people who are on the outside so different from each other can still walk the same path. You pulled him out of the darkness when he was lost and forgave him and lived for him." She swallowed, voice raspy as if her throat hurt. Zishu wished to tell her that Lao Wen had been the one to save him, but didn't want to interrupt.

"I can't cook or sew or dance." A-Xiang continued once she got her voice under control. "I'm not famous for my skills with a qin but those with a sword. I made my name on the battlefield, covered in blood during the war. I was raised to speak my mind and to never back down in the face of adversity. To fight for what I believe... and I love to fight." She giggled, causing Zishu to smile as well. "I'm not the kind of girl Weining grew up with but if you were brave enough to come here on your own and marry my brother, then I know I can do this too." The young woman declared and Zishu had no idea what to say to all of that, his mind was still whirling to find an answer when A-Xiang spoke again, absentmindedly. "You are going to make a great dad."

What? "How did you know?" The words left him before he could even stop them as he started at her in shock. Zishu hadn't wanted to tell anyone that they were trying yet, partially because he knew that if they did everyone would be focused on him instead of A-Xiang and partially because in spite of Wu Xi's and Ye Baiyi's assurance a part of him was still afraid that... it might not work. 

"You taught me how to recognize all the signs, remember? You might not be pregnant yet, but your energy is already focusing on making it happen. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone until you're ready." A-Xiang promised before grinning happily, all previous seriousness erased from her face by the joy. "A-Lan is going to be so happy to have a new friend! And I'm gonna be the world's best aunt!"

Zishu couldn't help but share her enthusiasm, smiling widely as well as he poked her forehead. "Focus on your wedding first, little idiot."

"I will." She agreed. "But you will have to promise when it happens I will be the first to know."

Zishu nodded as he inwardly rolled his eyes. She only wanted to brag about knowing first to everyone else, he knew, but he had the feeling that even if he didn't tell her she'd be able to sense it anyway. "After Lao Wen, you will be the first." He promised and her smile got even brighter. 

They talked a little longer before Zishu left her to rest. He was too busy the next day to give pregnancy much thought until a wave of nausea rolling over his body woke him up, a silent gasp parting his lips. Eyes still closed he took in a deep breath, trying to circulate his internal energy to calm his body, only to find that most of it was pooling in his lower belly. Before he could focus on what that implied, another wave of nausea made him cover his mouth and swallow the acid he felt flooding up. Taking a deep breath he extricated himself from his husband's arms as slowly as he could, climbing to the open side of the bed before getting up on unsteady feet. The room felt like it was spinning while he made his way to the terrace quietly. Fresh air washed over him with a shudder as soon as he slid the door closed behind him and he took a deep steadying breath. Even though it was the height of summer the night felt pleasantly cool on his skin, the stone grounding under his bare feet. It was a clear sky, the stars shining bright, and he focused on the full moon as he ran the internal energy that wasn't swirling his belly through his body in some kind of attempt at meditation. 

Beiyuan had said Zishu shouldn't feel anything when it happened, Ye Baiyi on the hand said Rong Changqing had described the experience like someone pulling at a hook that was anchored to his gut. Maybe it was the Six Combined Harmonies that was at fault, their heightened senses and deeper connection to spiritual energy, the raised awareness they had of their own internal energy, but Zishu had to agree with the later. Though he would liken it to a punch to the gut too. Not the pain of it, it didn't hurt exactly, but the aftermath. The nausea, the dizziness, feeling like his internal organs were being rearranged even though it was far too early! It was like something was trying to prepare his body for what was to come and Heavens, the former assassin thought, but it felt like Hell! If this first moment indicated what he was to expect from the rest of the pregnancy, if this was a warning of what was to come, he was cursing the next few months already!

He sucked a deep breath through his teeth and almost jumped in place when a familiar warmth wrapped around his shoulders, startling him. Slender hands pulled the outer robe closed around Zishu and remained there, holding him as gentle lips touched the side of his head in comfort. Leaning back against Lao Wen he felt most of the tension leave his body even as he continued to fight the nausea.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." Zishu murmured softly.

The consort knew how tired the older man was, how stressing this wedding had been for him. Not only because he loved A-Xiang and wanted everything to be perfect for her but also because of the many strangers that had invaded his home. So many strangers in their home had made Zishu's skin crawl and he knew it hadn't been easy for his Uncle Bi and Luo Fumeng either, but it had probably been ten times worse for his husband. Lao Wen had been the one to ultimately agree to allow people he didn't trust into the Valley, into the palace where his family lived. His aunt, his sisters, his baby brother, his consort. To Lao Wen it was his duty to protect them, his responsibility, and knowingly allowing danger to cross their doorstep like that went against every fiber of his being. The wedding had been bright, joyful, unpredictable. There had just been too many guests to just control everything, more than once Zishu had thought that his husband would snap when someone laughed too loudly or they were informed that a drunk guest or another had almost wandered somewhere they were not supposed to be. Then, when the celebration had been finally over and everyone not supposed to stay at the palace escorted to the city, Lao Wen still hadn't stopped to rest. He'd stayed behind to be informed when the guests had been safely delivered to their temporary accommodations, for the patrol to report that everything at the palace was as it should be. It had been well past midnight when Zishu had felt him slip into bed and he couldn't have gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep. 

"A-Xu didn't wake me up." The beautiful man hummed against his neck. "His absence did. Did something happen? You don't usually wake up so early." He asked anxiously, pulling him closer by the waist. The pressure caused Zishu to swallow back another wave of nausea, but he could feel that the process had already finished while he'd been surprised by his husband's arrival. Already his internal energy was starting to settle down, his discomfort easing.

"Nothing bad happened." He answered, moving his husband's large hand until the cold palm covered his lower belly over the sleeping robes. It felt soothing as he held it there.

"A-Xu..." His name left his husband's lungs like a prayer, a long drawn out whisper that seemed to render him breathless. "You're..."

"Pregnant." Zishu finished for him, turning around in Lao Wen's arms even though it dislodged the hand on his belly. Thankfully the nausea had left him, and he touched their foreheads together, staring into his husband's deep gaze. "I'm pregnant." He repeated, almost like he couldn't believe himself because for a while Zishu had been... skeptical. The former assassin wanted a baby but he hadn't wanted to get his hopes up. If after all the horrible things that he's done the gods had denied him this happiness he wouldn't have blamed them. It would have been his due. He had taken away so many people's children, that maybe he didn't deserve the joy of having one of his own but... he'd wanted it. Zishu had wanted it so, so much.

"We're going to have a baby." His husband whispered almost reverently while he kneeled, pressing his ear against Zishu's abdomen as if to listen for a heartbeat.

"It's just a tiny spark, Lao Wen." He sighed, running a gentle hand over the older man's moonlight hair.

"I know." His zhiji murmured, turning his head so his forehead was touching Zishu's belly instead. "It's just... I knew I'd be happy for you, I am, but I hadn't expected to also be happy for myself. I'm..." His voice broke and Zishu pulled him back to his feet, hugging him close. He understood perfectly what Lao Wen was thinking. "Happy. So very happy." The beautiful man finished against the skin of his neck, almost inaudibly.

Silence fell over them as the last traces of dizziness left Zishu. He laid his head on his husband's shoulder, just enjoying being held in the warmth of Lao Wen's arms, and they watched light engulf the Valley as the sun rose in the sky. No matter how many times he got to see this view, Zishu though, it would never stop being beautiful and soon... soon he would get to share it to his baby too. Because Zishu was pregnant. It finally registered to him that... it had worked. There was no life changing realization, no great moment of truth as he'd expected. His heart didn't stop and restart, life didn't gain new meaning. For some reason he'd thought this moment would change his life and... it didn't. His life had already changed. When his birth parents had died, when his adoptive parents had died, when he'd become sect leader, when he'd founded the Window of Heaven, when he'd accepted to be married off to the Ghost King for a peace treaty, when he'd met Lao Wen and fallen in love with him... Life was always changing but right now, safe in his husband's embrace and with a tiny spark growing inside of him, Zishu was also happy... So very happy.