Chapter Text
Nothing happened of note for the next few days, and Bai Wuxiang was yet to return.
Xie Lian continued to explore the ruins, finding more ruined homes, the rubble of what might have once been temples, and a trail of debris that he suspected might have been a bridge to seemingly nowhere.
It was not until the end of the first week that Xie Lian found a painting on the wall of one of these abandoned temples.
Unlike the divine statue that was so destroyed that you could not even begin to try and tell what gender of god it was supposed to be, much less what type, the mural looked significantly newer -like it was painted within the last century or two.
The mural depicted a martial god by Xie Lian’s best guess, serenely above four junior officials, with dozens of random silhouettes below them to represent the common people; behind the god depicted was a golden bridge that led into the sky, and in the background it showed an erupting volcano and a sky full of smoke.
That explained what the rubble he had found before was, and Xie Lian knew this had to be at least part of what White No-Face had meant by the answers being here.
He was on the right track.
***
Since the sun was finally dipping past the horizon and he was loosing the light, Xie Lian went back to the ‘camp’ Wu Ming had set up for them.
It was in a one-room home they had found on the edge of the fallen kingdom, significantly less destroyed than the rest of the homes that were closer to the volcano, and while any items of use or worth had long since been plundered from it, it was a perfect place to stay in the meanwhile.
But, Wu Ming had been busy these past few days simply making furniture out of wood he chopped and carved himself and now they had a set of chairs, and a table; he had also somehow procured a rather thin blanket and partially ripped-up pillow, a straw mat, as well as a cup, bowl and spoon that were a bit chipped but still functioned.
It was nothing grand, a far cry from the comforts and luxuries he had once enjoyed as a prince and then a god, but something he had grown accustomed to since Xian Le fell.
Wu Ming noticed Xie Lian’s return immediately, quick to bring him the freshly prepared food and a cup of water collected from the stream.
As previously requested, the ghost ‘general’ was maskless, but his smile made it seem like it was still on with his ever-present smile.
Xie Lian ate the served meal, eating the roasted fish with stewed lotus root.
It was always simple fare being made up of whatever the ghost scavenged, but after spending all day wandering the ruins it was always delicious and filling.
Once the fallen god was finished, Wu Ming was quick to take the dirty bowl, chopsticks and spoon away to wash in the stream later and return to Xie Lian’s side for whatever else he might want.
“I found something today.” Xie Lian told his last believer, “ A mural. It was of a god I have never seen before, perhaps just a local deity. The odd thing was that the paint was newer, it went into the cracks of the wall instead of being fractured by it and it was only a bit peeled.”
Wu Ming was kneeling in front of Xie Lian, looking up at him with his mismatched eyes full of wonder, soaking up every word, “That is strange. Do you think that was what Bai Wuxiang meant by ‘all the answers being here’?”
“I do. Or at least the first clue, I know it is something important.” Xie Lian replied, his gold eyes then widened, “It is him.”
“Who, your highness?” Wu Ming asked
“Bai Wuxiang.” Xie Lian replied simply, not elaborating
The ghost looked around as if the White Clothed Calamity had suddenly popped up in their base, “Him?”
“He is always talking about how no one will ever understand me like he does.” Xie Lian said, “The god in the mural is him. He is a fallen god turned ghost. That is why he is so powerful, why he knows so much. He has to be ancient, older than even the Heavenly Emperor, with how old the ruins are -at least a thousand years old.”
The younger man’s eyes widened as well, neither had ever heard of such a thing before, that a god could fall and become a ghost.
“This in itself is a major revelation.” Xie Lian said, “But I cannot help but feel that it is just the first step in a monumental discovery.”
***
After that talk, Xie Lian went over to the mat and had Wu Ming lay down beside him.
His last believer was always eager for this part of their routine, smiling so brightly Xie Lian sometimes wondered if his face was frozen.
For the past week, nothing had happened when they lay together like this, but today Xie Lian felt emboldened and well, he felt like he did not have anything else to lose so why should he hold back from his desires anymore.’
He leaned his head up, getting closer to Wu Ming, before pressing his lips to the ghost’s.
Neither of them had ever kissed someone before, that quickly became evident with how sloppy the kiss was, but they both very much enjoyed the kiss.
When they parted, Xie Lian pulled away and looked at his devoted believer, how his Wu Ming’s youthful face was somehow beet red despite being a ghost.
Xie Lian smiled at him, feeling happy for the first time since before he had lost his parents.
“Never leave me, Hong-er, ever.” Xie Lian said to him softly, cupping his chin
Wu Ming leaned into his touch, “I will never willingly leave your side. I would claw my way up to Heaven if I had to to return to you, or fight my way through Hell.”
“Are your ashes hidden well? Are they safe?” Xie Lian inquired
The ghost rusted through his pocket, pulling out a crystal ring and handed it to his god, “They are here.”
Xie Lian’s golden eyes widened at that, trying to return them, “Hide them.”
Wu Ming again put them in Xie Lian’s hands, “You keep them. If anything happened to you, I would have no reason to exist.”
The ghost pulled at a string coming off of the mat, looping the ring through it and then tying it around Xie Lian’s neck as a necklace -he wished he had a real silver or gold chain to offer him instead of the string, but that was all he had to offer for now.
Tears formed at Xie Lian’s eyes as he realized that Wu Ming was putting his life -his afterlife, more accurately- in his hands, and cradled the ring of ashes in his palms just as tenderly as he previously had the ghost’s face.
They kissed again before laying down again properly to sleep.
***
In the morning, Xie Lian woke up curled up against Wu Ming, yawning as rays of sunlight entered through the rotting shuttered windows.
He started to sit up, smelling a pleasant scent in the air, and quickly realized it was tea.
At first, Xie Lian wondered if Wu Ming had made it and where he had found such leaves, but he turned towards the table and saw White No-Face sitting at the table with a pot of tea and three cups, his mask slightly ajar just enough to reveal the corner of his mouth and a scarred cheek as he sipped his own cup.
“Good morning.” Bai Wuxiang greeted with a hum, fixing his mask back into place
Wu Ming shot out of bed at the sound of the calamity’s voice, reaching for his sword immediately.
Xie Lian stopped him by putting his hand on Wu Ming’s shoulder, assuring him everything was fine.
Both the ghost and the fallen god stood up and went over to the table, Xie Lian taking the other chair while Wu Ming kneeled obediently at his feet.
Xie Lian and Wu Ming’s masks were resting on the table while they had their tea, both just staring at the masked man in silence, waiting for him to speak after a week missing.
“Have you learned anything yet, your highness?” The White Clothed Calamity asked
“You were a god but fell.” Xie Lian stated, “I am guessing this was your homeland, due to how similar all the temples I have found are and the quantity.”
The masked man hummed, clearly pleased, “You are correct. Anything else?”
“No.” Xie Lian replied
“I see.” Bai Wuxiang said, “Since you have done well, I will answer three questions for you.”
“How old are you?” The former crown prince asked after thinking for a few moments
“One thousand two hundred.” The calamity answered, moving his mask slightly again to have another sip of tea, “I do not recall the exact number, but it is in that range.”
“When you were a god, what was your title?” Xie Lian asked next
White No-Face paused before answering, “Mò Chóu Wǔ Shén.”
Well, that told Xie Lian that he had been a martial god as well, but that was not at all a surprise to the former crown prince.
No, it was the first part of the title that surprised him: ‘Mò Chóu’...‘free of sadness’, or rather ‘the Happy Martial God’.
And well, for a being that went around wearing a mask that was half-laughing and half-crying, such a title was unexpected.
“And your last question?” Bai Wuxiang inquired, curious
“Where do you go when you are not harassing me?” Xie Lian decided after pondering for a few moments
The masked man set his teacup down, and Xie Lian could feel him smirking a bit under his mask, “Spoilers.”
He stood up, clearly about to leave.
So Xie Lian grabbed his hand, “You said you would answer three questions, not that I could only ask three. What is the name of this land?”
“Wuyong.” The older man answered, stroking Xie Lian’s knuckles with his thumb before pulling his hand away
Xie Lian frowned at that, “For someone claiming to want to be my ‘partner in life and death’, you seem keen on disappearing constantly.”
A chuckle escaped the masked man’s lips, “Oh, dearest Xianle, you are . You are putting the pieces together so wonderfully, everything will make sense soon.”
He stroked the top of Xie Lian’s head affectionately, his hand dipping down so his fingertips ghosted along the skin of Xie Lian’s neck where his cursed shackles lay, before finally pulling away.
He then walked towards the door, glancing back at Xie Lian before walking off back to wherever he went.
Xie Lian sighed, still feeling like he had so many more questions than answers, before looking to Wu Ming, “I am not making much progress on my own. We need to split up to look around the ruins. With any luck, we might find a library.”
Wu Ming nodded, eager to obey.