Work Text:
Feng Xin wished Hua Cheng hadn't spared his life. If only he could have gone out with his fighting spirit still burning. This was pathetic. There he was on his knees, covered in dirt and blood. Hua Cheng didn't even spare him some words of triumph or mockery, staring down at him with cold disdain.
There was no way it was all over. Feng Xin somehow felt despair as he watched Hua Cheng's back recede into the settling dust. If he had stayed, maybe he could have pleaded more for a compromise. The finality of being left alone on the ground was crushing.
Feng Xin picked himself up and dragged himself back to the heavens. He didn't feel like going to the healing pavilion. He wanted to hurt, so he went straight home instead. Slumped against a pillar in the foyer was a bloodied Mu Qing. Feng Xin's stomach sank. He would have burned from the inside out with jealousy if Mu Qing had won when he couldn't, but seeing Mu Qing like this, Feng Xin realised it would have been less painful if at least one of them had won, even if it wasn't him.
Mu Qing smiled bitterly at the sight of Feng Xin. "You look lively today. Did you do something to your skin?" He teased with a straight face.
"It's offensive that you knew to wait here for me... like you knew I'd lose..." Feng Xin replied, and was surprised when his words came out slurred. The smirk was wiped off Mu Qing's face and he leapt to his feet.
"Okay, come and sit down..." Mu Qing instructed, eerily calm as he took Feng Xin by the shoulders and led him to a bench.
Feng Xin watched the ground tilt beneath him in a daze. Hands began to pat around his head until they came into contact with something wet and painful. "When were you going to tell me you got your skull caved in?" Mu Qing demanded.
"What??" Feng Xin panicked.
"Ah, bad wording, it's just a bump. A bump that's bleeding." Mu Qing replied quickly. He fished out a bottle of medicine and got to work.
His hands were feather light on Feng Xin's head. It was comforting after the harsh impacts of battle. With their defeat weighing heavy on his shoulders, Feng Xin suddenly found his eyes aching. He squeezed them shut, willing himself to stay strong. "Oh, don't be a baby," Mu Qing chided. "It shouldn't hurt that much once the medicine takes effect."
Mu Qing sat down beside Feng Xin and stared at the floor in thought, his jaw set. It was hard not to get lost in the giddiness. "Do I have a concussion?" Feng Xin asked.
"Yes." Mu Qing sighed. He had no idea what to do with that information other than continue to bask in the dizziness. His head was beginning to throb. If he focused on the pain, brought himself back to basic survival mode, he didn't have to think about more complex things like what he would do now that he was expected to step down from his position.
Mu Qing broke the silence. "I'm not descending just because some ghost told me to," he declared confidently. "His words weren't legally binding." Guilt stirred in Feng Xin's stomach. He normally would be inclined to stick to his word, but after such a big wager, he wanted to break his side of the deal. He didn't want to go down heroically, he wanted to survive a coward. He was terrified.
"What will you do?" Feng Xin asked. He watched Mu Qing like he was the last ray of sun before dusk, waiting to hear his answer. Maybe there was a way. He could follow suit.
"Just keep living." Mu Qing shrugged. "If he doesn't chase us up, we might as well keep living our normal lives." Then that was what the scared Feng Xin would do.
"Hey, would you mind... staying here tonight?" Feng Xin asked timidly.
"Did you think I was going to leave you alone in this state? Your damaged brain probably can't tell up from down." Mu Qing scoffed.
Feng Xin couldn't shake the feeling that the sky was going to come crashing down on them in their sleep. He kept dreaming about Mu Qing walking out of his palace and getting up to check on him in the guest room. The next day, Mu Qing was still there and nothing had happened. Feng Xin had a few days of quiet, where he began to think they were evading the consequences of their actions. Right as he was finally starting to relax and the concussion symptoms were subsiding, all his shrines went silent.
"Mu Qing?? Mu Qing??" Feng Xin called in the communication array. "Did you-"
"Yes." Mu Qing answered immediately. Everything came crashing down surprisingly quickly. Once all their shrines were burned down, their deputies quit and moved to different officials and their merits stopped. Their spiritual power depleted. They suddenly had nothing. It was like the fall of Xianle all over again, but the worst part was that this had been preventable. They only had arrogance to blame.
The other thirty-three heavenly officials, who all lost as well, were descending left right and centre. With a growing feeling of doom, Feng Xin and Mu Qing found themselves drifting towards each other so they wouldn't be descending alone. Brought together from the beginning to the end. It felt like they were about to die. They exchanged reserved nods. Feng Xin wanted to take Mu Qing's hand and cry. His chest ached, but he kept it all inside for the sake of a dignified 'death'. Then, they stepped down together.
The mortal realm felt so much bigger now that they were powerless. Feng Xin felt as lost and helpless as before his ascension. Neither of them could really think of what to do. They wandered through the countryside looking out of place in their elegant robes, always staying near each other, the only familiarity they had left. They needed to find food and shelter, but Feng Xin couldn't feel his stomach rumbling. He watched the sun set in a state of shock.
It wasn't like they had any money to book a room at an inn. Even as night fell, they continued to wander aimlessly side by side. In a heavily wooded area, they heard some bushes rustle. Feng Xin's hand flew to his bow, but Mu Qing simply laughed coldly. "What are you going to steal from us? We have no money or food." He called out.
A pretty young man in white daoist robes emerged from the bushes with a small basket of berries. It was a pathetic picking, half of them were tiny and sour looking. There weren't even enough berries to constitute a small snack, but it was the face that shocked Mu Qing and Feng Xin most of all. Feng Xin felt an inkling of familiarity at first, and then the memories came pouring in. "Your highness??" Feng Xin cried in disbelief. Tremendous sadness flashed in Xie Lian's eyes for a second as he pieced together what had happened. Then, his face lit up with a warm smile, and he spoke gently.
"It's been a while."
Mu Qing was pale. Feng Xin's chest ached. He couldn't believe they'd found each other after falling from greatness. None of them could ever have predicted this reunion, in such bleak circumstances, but it somehow made Feng Xin feel that not all was lost. "Want some berries?" Xie Lian offered. He led Feng Xin and Mu Qing through the darkness, inviting them lovingly into his meagre dwelling. There was no knowing what the rest of their lives would be like, but it somehow felt fitting that they had found each other again.