Chapter Text
Lang Qianqiu, the Crown Prince of Yong'an, was pretty excited for the Zhongyuan festival. The barriers between the mortal and ghost realm are the weakest then which makes it the perfect day for sending off restless spirits to the afterlife. Besides ferrying off the spirits in the old capital, he had convinced (needled) his Guoshi into enjoying the festivities together this year.
And the said shifu skillfully convinced (asked outright with no further explanation) his parents to let them travel without any attendants or bodyguards which wasn't too difficult as they always listened to him without doubt. The fact that the entourage during his inspection tour was practically useless against the attacking demons when his Guoshi single handedly subdued them with a flowering branch also helped his case.
Lang Qianqiu tried not to blame his men but seeing a single cultivator facing off against fierce demons for days instilled fear for his saviour’s safety and even more anger. Anger that he had to do it all alone without someone to lean on, even as blood covered his robes enough to feel as if they were red all along. Even as exhaustion made him sway in his step, Guoshi's eyes had remained vigilant for hidden dangers.
Just how much pain was he feeling then?
Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts that made his heart ache, Lang Qianqiu remembered there was one person who he should be telling about his impending departure. His best friend.
“An Le!!” he called out as he reached the imperial guard training ground. One of the men in the archery range raised their head towards the platform he was standing on, grinning as he did a playful mock bow in response.
“If it isn't our beloved Dianxia! Do you need this lowly servant for anything? A little sneaking out of the palace perhaps?” An Le sidled to him with his voice lowering in a conspiratorial whisper till it abruptly cut off as Lang Qianqiu held him in a headlock, tussling his hair all the while.
“What sneaking out? When have I ever done such mischief, huh?” he asked in mock indignation, and An Le played along saying “yes yes, our Dianxia is the most disciplined prince to ever exist, he would never ever run around in the capital betting on racing horses, watch opera troupes or- ack” The two playfully shoved at one another, settling down in one of the benches to catch their breath after a while.
“We are friends, aren't we?” Lang Qianqiu asked suddenly, startling An Le. “Wha-” his eyes widened in shock suddenly narrowed into a smug smirk, “Wait, is this about the time I snuck in a few romance-?” His response was cut short with a resounding “No!” and a blushing face.
Lang Qianqiu searched for words that would not seem too overreaching or hurtful, his fingers lightly tapping on his thighs, his eyes narrowed in the same focussed look he usually had during his swordsmanship lessons. He felt that this was a conversation long overdue and cringed at abruptly starting it out of the blue seemingly without reason.
“I just- you don't have to lower yourself when you talk with me. You are a vice captain of the imperial guards, not my personal servant.” He felt like he should make this clear as his relationship with An Le- no, An Le Wang- was quite complicated.
An Le Wang was one of the few remaining royals from the previous dynasty from Xianle. Lang Qianqiu knew they were once treated like mere decorations to show off the “virtuous and kind” nature of his ancestors to wash away the stain of usurping the ruling Xie clan of Xianle.
His parents, in his own unbiased opinion, were truly kind and virtuous as they had loosened the various restrictions placed on the nobility to make their lives a little easier. The court officials were initially very opposed but with little reason. After all the civilians had intermingled for generations enough to be undistinguishable for it to have any real political impact. And so the rules were amended enough for even old festivals celebrated in Xianle to be integrated to honour and remember their culture.
Lang Qianqiu himself aimed to completely cut off those suffocating chains for good once he succeeded his parents. The people of Xianle, both alive and dead, are now his people so helping them overcome their hatred and sufferings is his duty and his lifelong dream.
He did notice that his shifu wasn't overly fond of An Le Wang. His friend wasn't exactly being subtle when he dropped hints on how he wanted to train under the infamous Fangxin Guoshi, but he had just shook his head in response and that was the end of it.
Maybe it was the slight fawning edge he had when they first met. Lang Qianqiu knew buttering up the ones above and kicking down the ones below is the norm inside the palace and didn't disdain flattery as much he detested bullying the weak.
Besides, An Le had shed his hard shell as time passed on and he could now say with certainty that he is steadfast and loyal. His parents’ acknowledgement of his good character is also why he was able to join the imperial guards at all, often accompanying him whenever he left home for his official duties (and the occasional “unofficial” ones).
“I have always admired your diligence.” Lang Qianqiu reminisced. “Even when I was just a sickly crown prince, the few times I dragged myself to the window to at least see the outside world, I have always seen you practice martial arts with persistence. Your swordsmanship was truly too amazing, I wanted to learn as well but-” he waved a hand towards his body and shrugged. “You know how my body was then. I could barely get out of bed, I could only dream.”
“You watched me train?” An le asked, shock evident in his wavering voice.
“That groove wasn't as hidden as you thought it was,” Lang Qianqiu grinned, “but don't worry, only my room had an actual view to see clearly, no one knew you snuck off for extra training.”
“And there was the ghost and the talisman and your condition started to improve” An Le nodded along.
“And then I met Guoshi and-” Lang Qianqiu started and then had to remind himself not to chatter about his shifu for once and soldiered onto the main topic of their conversation. “Well, I was still bedridden for a while thanks to those demons but I got better. It was also impressive how you held yourself back from punching those idiots back then. I know your status didn't allow for it but it really was so unfair.”
What he referred to was their first proper meeting. An Le had just won an archery contest and Lang Qianqiu's cousins had seen it fit to be offended that a person with such “lowly” blood could actually surpass them and cornered him in a back garden. They started off with honey coated words dripping with venom but soon devolved to blows, shattering the thin veneer of nobility they pretended to have.
As luck would have it, Guoshi had taught some martial art moves to him that same day and he thought it was a good opportunity to give them all a live demonstration.
Lang Qianqiu had then dragged An Le off to teach him some archery techniques in the public training grounds and that itself was more than enough for people to stop bullying him in fear of angering their crown prince. It had taken a lot more meetings for them to click and truly become friends after.
An Le seemed to be lost in his thoughts, likely remembering their past as well.
“A-Qiu is overthinking it.” He replied, his voice soft. “I did think you treated me like some charity case at first, but you really-” he shook his head in apparent wonder, “You really are just this kind of person.”
“It is better if I follow the proper etiquette, I should at least pretend to follow rules, hmm?” He continued in a joking tone, the somber conversation seemingly behind him already and Lang Qianqiu let it be, moving onto telling him about his trip instead.
“Eh? But isn't the ghost festival supposed to be celebrated with families to honour their ancestors? Your Guoshi is still making you practice your skills on a day like this?” An Le had the same pitying expression he had whenever Lang Qianqiu was made to copy the dao de jing, many times enough for him to recite it from back to front.
The only time Lang Qianqiu didn't regret an imposition was he got to learn the more admirable dao of the two shifu practised, an opinion that would earn a scolding considering Guoshi had never wanted to teach it at all.
“I was the one who asked Guoshi in the first place, I want to ferry some more spirits from the Cang City. And we get to walk around the nearby town after and enjoy the celebrations, how fun is that!”
Lang Qianqiu spinned around rather spiritedly, chattering on and on about how he was going to see a festival in person for the first time in his life without any restrictions and all the sights they might see.
An Le sighed, wondering how he could be that glad when he had already lost count of how many beatings this chatterbox before him got from that Fangxin Guoshi for doing a wrong move during his martial arts practice or how many times he had to run laps around the imperial city for sleeping in class.
“Guoshi!” Seeing a familiar figure approaching them, Lang Qianqiu almost tripped in surprise and righted himself. He had already run to him and in the middle of tugging his sleeves in excitement when An Le greeted him.
“An Le Wang” With a slight nod, Xie Lian resumed his focus on his student pretending not to notice his paling face or his anxious demeanor.
“Dianxia, we are already a bit late” he told Lang Qianqiu, a bit bemused at the happiness practically radiating off his student’s body. It was truly the first time he has seen someone looking this forward to exorcising ghosts in the one day they are most powerful.
Lang Qianqiu nodded and pulled his shifu to the palace entrance, practically skipping along the passages and declared this-
“Oh, I just know our day will be well without any unexpected roadblocks, I feel lucky today!!
“-the fuck?”
Lang Qianqiu looked at the blood soaked land, wishing he could slap his younger self silly for saying such words. Now, the ferrying of resentful spirits surprisingly had nothing to do with this situation considering a majority tend to curse out the Lang bloodline for ruining their lives. Lang Qianqiu resisted the urge to cover up his nose with his sleeves, still gagging a bit at the fishy scent of blood that filled up the place.
“Language, Dianxia” Xie Lian murmured, looking as tranquil as ever.
But he himself was even more dumbfounded as he could feel the sheer power of whichever beings had a confrontation in this area. Heavenly officials?? Ghosts?? This one should be a Wrath at the very least-
He grabbed Lang Qianqiu's hand to stop him from running off to some hidden dangers, a task that he was unfortunately rather adept at doing (“This is not a compliment, Qianqiu! Stop running already!”). Holding the other hand over his student’s head to shield him from the drops of blood from a tree above them, he exclaimed, “It's a blood rain!”
They walked around, the dry branches crackling under their feet breaking the eerie silence. Not a single sign of wildlife was there as they had all already fled at the first sign of danger.
“This must be quite a powerful ghost if it can pull this off, shifu!” Lang Qianqiu finally reined in his shock, snapping to attention. “Should we prepare to clear its lair lest it harms the people in the nearby town?”
“Let's observe first” Xie Lian had already noticed some marks in the nearby tree. “Traces left from a sword …..no, a saber” And a very familiar one at that.
Lang Qianqiu tugged his sleeves again, “Look, shifu! These twigs under us, most are broken arrows”
And arrows too? No way, surely not those two-
Looking around a bit confirmed Xie Lian’s suspicions. He would assume it was just the two getting into another brawl if not for all the blood. And the thick ghost qi permeating in the air.
“The Two Generals of The South fighting together and not against?” Xie Lian sighed. Wonders will never cease- Lang Qianqiu could almost hear his unspoken thoughts and agreed. After all, it is well known that their grudges are so strong that even their worshippers get into fights all the time.
When his Father-Emperor had allowed him to take in smaller petitions last year to train himself to rule one day, the most troublesome ones he had to deal with were the pair submitted by worshippers from General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen fighting over a land with good fengshui to build a temple which had resulted in bloodshed.
He wondered just which being was capable of pushing those two into a corner. He didn't even pause to consider why his shifu was familiar with not one but two heavenly officials. If Guoshi says so, then it must really be so.
“Shifu, look! Another trace left by a saber. A mark this deep, General Xuan Zhen is surely impressive!” Even if he clearly got his ass kicked here.
Xie Lian saw what his student was pointing and sure enough, it was a saber but- “this one is left by an expert more skilled than the General.” So, this ghost is also skilled with a saber. Mu Qing would consider this a personal affront, he would not take this well.
Tracing his hands over the rock which had almost split into two, he explained, “See, the strokes seem more……unrestrained. Powerful. An excellent swordsman indeed.”
This was the first time Lang Qianqiu had seen his shifu being this impressed by another’s skill but Xie Lian was more concerned about his former attendants.
Unpleasant separations aside, he had never held a lasting grudge against them. Besides, he personally knew how impressively skilled they both were and seeing signs of them both getting obliterated truly worried him.
Even against a stronger opponent, escape shouldn't have been that hard. Xie Lian thought. The two should be fine. Hopefully.
Suddenly seeing a flash of pure white from the corner of his eye, Xie Lian tensed, his one hand tugging Lang Qianqiu towards himself while the other brushed against his blade. He turned around to face off against this unknown threat and found-
“Flowers?”
Across them both, a patch of wildflowers were waving merrily in the flowing breeze, a bright unblemished sight against the crimson rain.
“These little things actually survived everything that happened here?” Lang Qianqiu asked in wonder, “There isn't even a single drop of blood on them, shifu.”
Xie Lian walked towards the flowers transfixed, feeling a sudden bout of nostalgia without knowing why. Letting go of his student's hand, he knelt down on the ground without a care for the blood staining his robes.
With a small smile blooming on his face and his fingers lightly brushing over their soft petals, Xie Lian murmured to the little flowers, “Daring to torment two martial gods yet compassionate to the little flowers…… what an interesting ghost this is!”
“Shifu, are we going to track that ghost down? It might harm innocents.” Lang Qianqiu asked as if they hadn't been walking around in the after effects of the said ghost wrecking two heavenly officials into a crushing defeat.
He really should spend more time knocking some sense into his student’s thick head on how to deal with opponents above his skill level. Xie Lian thought, fretting over his student’s total lack of caution. Ones that didn't involve recklessly charging into danger without another thought.
A flash of brightness interrupted his worries as a dazzling silver butterfly flew from the flowers, leaving behind a resplendent trace as it fluttered around him.
Xie Lian couldn’t help but extend a hand towards it and smilingly say, “Hello.”
The quick-witted silver butterfly also seemed to be rather fearless, stopping to hover at the tips of his fingers, its pair of translucent wings flickering with the utmost beauty and serenity under the setting sun, as if an illusion that could be shattered by the touch of a hand.
Xie Lian noted that its sparkling wings were very sharp, rather like the edge of a deadly blade. Beautiful!, he praised, guessing who would own a lively spirit like this one.
“Oh my, did your master beat up those gods, hmm? He has such beautiful companions too!” He asked the butterfly, his smile widening as the spirit preened at the compliment.
Lang Qianqiu watched, transfixed as it was rather rare to see his shifu smile so genuinely.
The last time was when he had gifted earrings that looked like a pair of fluttering silver butterflies to match his mask- hmm, this butterfly spirit does fit in perfectly with Guoshi! Very suited!
Then he registered his words and couldn't help but say, “Shifu, I don't think we should be encouraging ghosts to go beat up gods.”
Xie Lian finally snapped into his senses, masking his excitement as he replied, “No further investigation needed.”
Looking at his student’s dismayed face, he emphasised his deduction to stop any reckless decisions ahead.
“This seems to be a personal grudge with the location of their fight just coinciding Yong’an territory.”
“We are doing nothing then?” Lang Qianqiu asked, his voice quite regretful. Xie Lian could empathize, he felt regret as well.
“A pity we came too late. I would have loved crossing swords with this ghost” he confessed. “They seem to have a magnificent saber too, wielded in such a wild style-” With a long sigh, Xie Lian shook off his wilder thoughts and let out a slight “ah!” as the butterfly spirit flew from its perch on his fingertips.
The clever spirit once again fluttered around him, surprising a giggle out of him as it landed on his nose for a moment. Then, it fluttered around him once more before flying away.
“Goodbye, little friend!” he said softly, waving his hand in farewell.
“This day can still be considered good as we came across such a…….. one of a kind sight!” Xie Lian heard his student say and had to break his optimism for once.
“Look at our states and see if your opinion still stands, Dianxia” he waved at them both, especially their clothing that had already begun to stain red.
Lang Qianqiu sniffed at himself and gagged a bit, silently cursing the ghost for using a skill this smelly, super impressive or not. Xie Lian allowed himself a small smile and said, “Let's find an inn in the nearby town to clean ourselves up.”
“I would die for a hot bath, shifu! Let's go, let's go!”
And so, as the two left the desolate wilderness towards the flickering lights, a sign of life (finally!), Lang Qianqiu decided that he would find this ghost for Guoshi.
After all, this was the first time he had ever seen his shifu so spirited and excitable , a sight that never peeked out of his cold mask unless he was looking at sharp blades or particularly impressive martial techniques.
A dead sparring partner that can't die any further would be wonderful, he thought, pleased with his rather excellent idea, maybe he could finally witness Guoshi go all out in a fight. Or get a friend. Or both.
He resolved to ask An Le as soon as possible. After all his best friend had always been a well of knowledge when it comes to ghosts even more than his shifu who never kept up with matters of the heavenly or the ghost realm.
“-and they have a huge market too, shifu! We should go see it!”
Unlike the confident self who had told An Le that he would go enjoy the festivities, Lang Qianqiu in truth has not asked his shifu for permission. Yet. (He had meant to, he would swear but one look at Guoshi’s face and he would lost his nerves.)
Xie Lian looked on, amused at his student’s truly impressive descriptions, half of his information so obviously pilfered from those books An Le had thought he was sneaky about gifting.
Well, it was quite an impressive attempt at convincing him of the wonders of a local festival.
Xie Lian was only worried that their luck might run out if they delayed further but-
Lang Qianqiu looked the very picture of an energetic youth, a far cry from the sickly child from when Qi Rong was haunting him still. It won't hurt to indulge him just this once, he does have a lot of those literature lessons he hates in the upcoming days……
Xie Lian walked out of the inn room they were staying in without a word and turned around to look at his student’s increasingly wilting expression before asking, “Well, aren't we going?”
When his student was still stunned, he continued, “If Qianqiu has changed his mind, we might as well leave-” and had to dodge as the said student rushed past him.
Chuckling, Xie Lian grabbed him before he could actually run out of sight or worse, run into some unlucky civilian and off they went towards the marketplace.
“Alright, Dianxia should stick close to me then. And stay vigilant.” Lang Qianqiu clutched at his sleeves, nodding like a chick pecking on rice.
They walked into the crowd together, a marketplace spreading before their eyes with many a street performer spread around, making quite the colourful chaotic sight. Xie Lian had to drag his wayward student from getting distracted multiple times before eventually stopping at a food stall to buy some snacks to fill their stomachs.
With sizzling skewers in hand, Lang Qianqiu dragged him to watch a nearby busker show off his skills. Maybe I can learn some new techniques, Xie Lian thought as he focused on the show. Even buskers need to keep up with the trends.
“Shifu, shifu? How are they blowing fire like that? So they have fire talismans in their mouths?”
"Did he swallow an entire sword, shifu? Is he okay?”
“Shifu? How is he breaking bricks like that when he doesn't seem to have an affinity with martial arts?”
“Shifu-” Those persisting whispers continued from his student who was bouncing in place from excitement and Xie Lian gave in, infected from his enthusiasm and started explaining what he knew from experience.
What Xie Lian didn't notice was this. Lang Qianqiu, being amazed that he was explaining busking techniques with the same focus as his sword forms and watching him with his mouth agape.
What he also didn't notice was the crowd, noticing his clear voice and the demeanor of an immortal, started paying more attention to him instead of the busker they had gathered to watch.
Unfortunately for him, the busker did notice.
He noticed his hard earned crowd gathering around some phony cultivator, one that was ruining his craft by destroying the wonder of his performance.
What busker doesn't know to hide the ins and the outs of their craft, this bastard destroying my business, he will pay!!
“This fucker is stealing my spot! My brothers, let's teach him a lesson” this angered shout finally snapped Xie Lian into his senses and looked towards that booming voice, noticing some of the nearby shopkeepers and street performers responding to his call and some even picking up sticks and daggers.
Oh no, not again-
With practiced ease, Xie Lian picked up his student who was bristling like an especially angry cat at the perceived insult and had actually started pulling up his own sleeves in return, ready to beat people up as always. In a heartbeat, the gathering people could only see an afterimage as their targets dashed on and away, as swift as the wind.
“Catch those bastards!” With a war cry, the busker's group gave chase and the marketplace became even more chaotic as people alternated between staying out of the way and watching the excitement.
Xie Lian had no spiritual energy to do any of the impressive qinggong skills he excelled at when he was still the powerful flower crowned martial god but what he did have was way too many first hand experiences on running away from angry mobs.
He made many twists and turns, running into many narrow alleys and with many “excuse me”s and “sorry”s as he bumped into people here and then, Xie Lian reached one path with a dead end. Fortune favoured him for once as he was a cultivator who could easily jump past it as opposed to the very mortal crowd chasing him.
And this led a very confused crowd staring at a wall blocking off any path of escape unless that damned charlatan had actually absconded by jumping through the roofs.
Grumbling and cursing, they finally abandoned the idea of catching the two and returned to their own businesses.
“Don't worry Lao-Zhong! If they dare show their faces here again, we will surely teach them a lesson!”
“Yeah, yeah! Let's just go back for now, the night is only so long, we have a lot of stuff to sell, come on!”
Xie Lian jumped down from a rooftop into another uninhabited alleyway in an entirely different part of the town and placed Lang Qianqiu down who acted as if he didn't spend the entire chase whooping in excitement and almost giving the two away.
Xie Lian then led his student to a shop that would help hide his identity from any grudge holding angry buskers- a shop selling festive masks.
The vendor looked at the two coming in, the elder with the grace of an elegant noble, greeting with a nod (and with a mask already on, what a pity!) and the younger one giving a more cheerful greeting, with endless praises about his masks and their beauty as he dug through them. Amused, he helped the kid select one by showing off his wares that children his age would prefer till he picked one for himself.
“Doesn’t your child look dashing, Gongzi!” The vendor pointed at Lang Qianqiu after tying his mask snug against his face, both of their gazes expectant for his response.
Xie Lian looked at his student striking a pose with a fierce tiger mask, snorting at the rather amusing display as he was entirely too little and too adorable to actually carry the mask well. The said student pouted a bit behind his mask, acutely sensing his shifu's teasing gaze through years of experience.
Well, I will just find a more unique mask for Guoshi then, one mask for another, it is just right.
Nodding to himself, Lang Qianqiu browsed through the masks, each more colourful than the other. His eyes eventually caught on a bright mask, a snow white one. And so Xie Lian saw his student bound over to him with a spring in his step and something hidden within his sleeves to reveal…….a ferret mask? “This will be the perfect disguise, shifu!” he declared, eyes shining.
“A white mask?” Just the tone made it clear Xie Lian was raising his eyebrow behind his perfectly fine yao mask. Lang Qianqiu looked especially proud of himself, saying “Because shifu always wears dark colours, wouldn't it be completely unexpected if you wear all white for once? Maybe we should go to a clothing store and get a white robe to match-”
Ai, you child! Why else would I go out of my way to wear such dark robes if not to hide myself? Xie Lian truly did not know whether to laugh or cry, listening to such wondrous words and feeling as if his disguise was almost torn out in a single sentence.
“No need, we are going back to your home soon” One look at the prince and unable to withstand his wide eyed silent pleading, he added on- “after setting off lanterns for the departed, come.” Xie Lian flicked his sleeves, nodding at the shopkeeper as he paid for their masks or at least attempted to before Lang Qianqiu insisted that “All of today's expenses are on me, Guoshi” with a grin. He paid for the masks and waved goodbye at the cheery shopkeeper when they left.
Then they walked towards one selling lanterns and joss paper money. Xie Lian did hang the ferret mask in his belt because- well, it is kind of cute and I could find a use for it after I leave this life behind..…..
Lang Qianqiu ran over as fast as the wind, already paying for two lanterns as if he were afraid he would change his mind about their extended stay.
“Oh these lanterns are the best! Such excellent craftsmanship!” Even the harried shopkeeper seemed to think of such an excitable teenager as cute and gave some additional joss paper for free with lighters as well.
“Add a couple more lanterns” Xie Lian said softly, remembering the three people he lost in a short span of time, shaking his head to clear it of the memories that threatened to cloud over at the reminder.
The two then walked towards the nearby river and Lang Qianqiu, perhaps sensing his melancholy, for once subdued his excitable air, leading to a companionable silence.
Lang Qianqiu watched as the lantern he sent floated towards the countless lanterns, a riot of shapes and colours bobbing in the current with a fiery glow colouring the river with warmth. At the river banks, various families had come together to pray for the peace and well being of ghosts, some cheerfully wishing for their long departed ancestors and some grieving for their lost loved ones, each sending their lanterns with their hearts’ deepest wishes.
He looked back to his shifu, whose hand was absentmindedly stroking one of the three lanterns, his gaze a little lost.
“Shifu?” When that elicited no response, with a louder voice he called out, “Guoshi?”
Xie Lian startled, realising he had forgotten himself for a moment, remembering another night with a river set alight by ghost fires.
“May I know-” Xie Lian looked back at his student, who had his shoulders squared up and his jaw set though that wasn't as visible through the mask.
“May I know who Guoshi’s paying his respects to? They count as my elders too, I can join in and- uh pray for them? Too?” Lang Qianqiu's request tapered out into uncertainty, nervous as he held his shifu’s gaze, wondering if he had crossed a line this time.
He could guess his shifu didn't want anyone to know of his past given how both his mask and cold demeanor might as well have been made to keep people at a distance. Yet, he couldn't help himself as his shifu looked so sad.
His mother had told him tales about her mother, his maternal grandmother. She talked about how she was a stern woman who would teach her discipline and the four arts with sharpness but would have moments of indulgence when they would catch butterflies in the garden or sip wine as they watched the moon and the stars from the highest rooftop. His grandmother had died of illness when he was too little to remember, but she lived on in his heart and his mother’s through the stories she shared, sometimes with laughter and sometimes with red-rimmed eyes.
She had told him that her heart felt lighter when she shared her precious memories, when there were more people to remember them with. He wished his Guoshi the same.
Maybe he would feel a little less lonely.
Xie Lian had indeed never intended to even think of his past, especially not in Yong’an where the worst days of his lives were spent with his worst mistakes and regrets haunting him still.
But he looked back at his student who looked more and more like a stiff board as time passed, feeling his gaze through his mask, though the child seemed to have forgotten the fact that he was even wearing one. Xie Lian could also guess the stubborn expression he was making behind it-
He remembered another mask with a smile painted on its face and thought it wouldn't be such a bad thing for such bravery and loyalty to be remembered by more than just himself.
“Wuming.” He heard himself say, his voice hushed. “A nameless ghost who believed in me when even I didn't”
Xie Lian racked his head to remember what little he knew of his last believer.
“A sixteen or seventeen year youth wearing all black with a smiling mask. Taller than me. Younger too."
“Excellent with a saber and a very powerful Wrath”
“A ghost clinging to the world out of love and devotion”
“We met at this very festival a…..few years ago”
A few centuries ago.
“An old conman had captured him and a few others from a battlefield into lanterns to sell to unsuspecting kids. I bought them instead and sent them off with a ritual but he alone stayed behind.”
“He even recognised me because…… because I led armies once. And suffered crushing defeats over and over, leading soldiers like him to their deaths. But he still- respected me, believed in me even.”
“He said he had a beloved in this world. He wanted not confessions or even reciprocated love but to stay behind to protect them. He vowed to never rest in peace for their sake.”
“The next time we met, I mistook him for the owner of the grave I stole some liquor from.” Seeing Lang Qianqiu's neck snap up from shock, he added, "and that was after I stole- well, tried to steal. Even got caught by a former colleague in the middle of it.”
Well, it's about about time his student stopped holding him in a pedestal, Xie Lian thought. Who would, if they see everything?
“Forget cultivating, I was too ashamed to even step out for days after. So I got drunk and the ghost fire tried warming me up but-”
“Ghost fires are inherently cold” Lang Qianqiu recited. Guoshi was probably speaking from memory when he taught me this.
“Very sweet of him to accompany me still. I hadn't had anyone who stayed as long as he did.” Xie Lian said softly, his heart still stinging a bit as he thought of the separations that followed that day, even more so as he felt Ruoye twisting under his sleeves in worry.
“My drunken state ended up creating a lot more trouble so I thought I might just go cultivate in a blessed land to turn my fortunes around. I found one first but other cultivators who came after tried chasing me out.”
“At first they tried shaming me for the robbery- gossip is a very strong suit of theirs. Then it came to blows and” Xie Lian smiled, a rather sharp one as he continued, “demons aren't the only beings I can thrash with a stick.”
“But then one of the cultivators far away from me claimed a ghost fire helped me cheat. He was clutching his head, turns out my ghost fire had stepped in and hit him in the eye”
“Good!” Lang Qianqiu couldn't help but exclaim, his heart already boiling at such injustice.
“It was not very good when they captured him and almost destroyed his soul for helping me.” Xie Lian continued over his student sucking his breath in shock, “I hadn't even recognised him then or even before.”
“I got distracted-” Mu Qing “-and one pushed me into a ditch and well, there went my plans to cultivate to ascension”
Here, Lang Qianqiu exploded in rage. “So intolerable, they all have no shame! And they dare call themselves righteous cultivators?”
Not only just cultivators, they dared to ascend to godhood with that blessed land with countless worshippers offering incense and prayers. Xie Lian barely remembered the pain and humiliation he had felt that day. It's been centuries and he has had worse since then.
Xie lian could only offer up a wry smile. He was suddenly reminded of his silly younger self with thoughts of righteous heroes or friends who never separate on bad terms, everything with a happily ever after, read straight from stories. Well, they are fictional for a reason.
He did know he had told a bit too much as his student tended to be just as impulsive as his little ghost fire when it comes to defending him.
Most of all, stories of that incident might be still circulating up there where he might ascend one day. A different one painting him as the villain, hopefully too different to make a connection between him and the unlucky trash god heavenly officials loved making fun of.
It wasn't as if he wanted to hide his identity forever as much as he worried any association with him in particular would stain his student’s reputation in the heavenly court.
(He dearly hoped his student would never get into a fight with any of them on the little chance he ever knew. He hoped he never did. He said too much.)
Besides, the story he was telling wasn't about him, this was about Wuming.
“Then there was this powerful…..monster, one I am still scared of,” Xie Lian confessed, carefully not sinking into the despair those memories would usually bring about.
This is about Wuming. He told himself. A sharp burst of clarity made him continue.
“He even dared to strike against that thing again and again even if it was as effective as an insect fighting a tree. And another time-”
Again, Xie Lian had to fight to not freeze from fear of that day, a task made significantly difficult by the jian against his hip.
“Seeing me bleed, he evolved into a Wrath. Burned everyone who-” Xie Lian shuddered in a breath.
This is about Wuming.
He went on, “A curse stuck him, weeks after. His soul was shattered to shreds.”
“Which bastard-” Lang Qianqiu’s growing anger sputtered off into a confused mess when he heard his shifu’s reply.
“Me”
Xie Lian said, “It was the worst part of my life. I hated the world and blamed others for my pain. Then I cast a terrible curse.”
“How terrible was it?” Lang Qianqiu whispered, that his entire being was trembling in fear, anger or worse, guilt.
“The kind that can destroy a nation” Yong’an.
“I didn't mean to curse him, just- countless other innocent people. It was so much worse but-”
“A simple act of kindness” Xie Lian raised a hand to brush against his bamboo hat before remembering himself.
Fangxin Guoshi. Disguise. Yong’an.
He continued.
“It was enough to snap me to my senses, only it was too late. The curse was already cast and I thought it would be enough if I took it upon myself. I created that mess so it was my responsibility to deal with, I couldn't die from it anyways but Wuming, he-”
Pointing at Fangxin, he said, “He took this very jian and used it to focus it on himself instead. The entire curse would never harm innocents but his soul-”
Xie Lian murmured, his voice a broken whisper, “He still had a beloved. A reason to stay. He is gone now, I failed him.”
Xie Lian couldn't help but talk further of how he wronged this precious brave ghost.
“He had said he didn't have a name so I called him Wuming, He offered his devotion and loyalty and I crushed it myself without a care. I was so cruel to him”
“I don't know anything of him. How he looked, what he was like or even his name” Xie Lian said, his voice finally steady “But he was far far braver than I ever was.”
His heart felt as if it was pierced by a thousand swords- NO. Not that. Not now.
His student’s voice dragged him from those thoughts. He was saying- “I still think Guoshi's the best teacher I could ever ask for”
Xie Lian looked at Lang Qianqiu in slight wonder and heard himself asking, “Did you not hear a word of what I said? I am not some idealised person you should be placing on a pedestal. I have stolen, drunk, cursed, rolled in the mud, worse than-”
“I wouldn't think any less of Guoshi or judge you for any mistakes you made in your past.” Lang Qianqiu continued in a louder firm tone, “I will admit I am still rather ignorant of your past and I did place you in a pedestal but I already knew Guoshi isn't all knowing or incapable of making mistakes.”
“For I know”, he lowered his voice as if he was saying some great secret, “that Guoshi is absolutely terrible at cooking without a shared of talent!”
Hearing a choked off laugh, Xie Lian realised it was coming from himself. Slapping a hand over his mouth, he still had the mind to demand, “I don't remember giving you anything I cooked, when did you ever have the chance to judge it so?”
“The two Imperial Residences” Lang Qianqiu replied, his voice suddenly sheepish.
The ones that burned down when he was trying to cook. Wait did he just admit to-
“Dianxia. Lang Qianqiu. My dear student. Did you see two burning buildings and think it was a good idea to try to eat the things I had made that resulted in such a fiery reaction?”
“I thought your cooking would be as good as your martial arts” his student’s tiny voice sounded from his mask “it was the complete opposite, shifu”
Hearing the grievance in his tone, he sharply laughed with a little anger at his recklessness before he remembered. The Talk. Miraculously, his heart didn't feel as wrung out as before.
Lang Qianqiu suddenly walked past him and towards the river.
“Offering my respects, Guoshi” he said, noting his questioning gaze, “I promised, didn't I?”
He then knelt down in front of the lamps, his palms pressed together in a prayer.
“I wish Wuming would have a peaceful next life!” Lang Qianqiu stated, his eyes closed. “A loving family and a lovely name”
Xie Lian felt a stabbing pain in his heart, remembering the careless cruelty with how he treated that loyal ghost.
A battered flower and his devotion crushed under his foot.
“Wuming has no need to worry over shifu anymore, if anyone dares bully him I will kick their asses for you.”
Xie Lian pressed his hand to his lips stifling the sudden laughter that bubbled from within. Ah, they might have gotten along well, had they met.
Then he remembered how Wuming had once knocked out his ancestor in a pool of his uncle, Lang Ying's blood as his red coral pearl was rolling around in the gore, he felt like laughing and crying or both.
“Of course, I would love meeting you as well, it would be even more fitting if we beat them up together!” Xie Lian snorted as his student’s wishes got more and more ridiculous, his heart unknowingly becoming lighter again.
“I wish you to be well loved and happy. Oh, and get a super cool saber, Guoshi says you are good with them”
Good enough to dance through Yong’an guards as they dropped down like flies, blood flowing through their palace as they set it on fire. Xie Lian thought with a tinge of hysteria, Ah, maybe this wasn't a good idea at all.
Lang Qianqiu was still going on, his tone entirely sincere. With a softer voice, he said-
“I wish…. Wuming is reunited with his beloved, their hearts intertwined with a red thread of fate”
His soul is scattered and never to be reincarnated. Xie Lian wanted to scream, He will never meet his beloved again.
Like a dam bursting, tears started flowing down, under and below his mask, his body shaking in silent grief. Why is this happening now of all times, he thought, taking in a deep breath yet failing to calm his wailing heart. Lang Qianqiu was still kneeling before him, talking to the lantern as if it were his ghost himself.
He will never hear your sincerity, he is gone.
Xie Lian slightly curled into himself, hugging his arms as he knelt and hoped his student wouldn't look behind and see his sudden loss of control.
Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Calm down before he is done.
Then Lang Qianqiu’s voice filtered back to him. “- Mother-Empress can’t give offerings for the late members of her maternal family this day since we have way too much formal stuff to ‘honour the royal family’ apparently” And after an impressive eye roll that tragically couldn't been seen, “so we always pray later the next day-” and he went on and on.
Xie Lian let himself break a little as he watched his student’s back and heard his voice and yet not at all, till he pulled himself together once again.
Lang Qianqiu had of course noticed his shifu’s breaths get quicker and knew not to turn back. He talked about his grandmother and even other trivial matters, stopping only when his shifu felt calm enough to interrupt his mindless chatter by clearing his throat.
“Let's set off the lanterns. It's getting late” Xie Lian said. He felt as if there was a lump in his throat still but stubbornly maintained his mask, sounding calm and composed as ever.
Looking at the twin lanterns for his parents, he thought, This unfilial son is ashamed to say, he is unable to even come near your resting place. The heart wishes but the body isn't able. Please let this one offer his respects from far away.
But then again he was currently teaching a Yong'an Dianxia and protecting him from the restless spirits of Xianle. His mother was kind and would at least pretend to be accepting but he knew his father would explode of rage if he knew.
Maybe it's better if they don't hear from him at all. He still let those lanterns float away in the river.
Then he pushed off his ghost’s lantern into the water and watching it join the others, Xie Lian still made a wish deep in
his heart. He knew Wuming could never hear his wish, but he still prayed.
May you believe in a better god in your next life, my last and most devoted believer.
Live well.
Their walk back was silent as well, the only sounds made by their masks clinking against their belts. Xie Lian still held Lang Qianqiu's hand as he led them both to a horse renting service he had noticed earlier in the town. If their horses are as fast as they claim, it wouldn't take too long to reach the capital.
“Ah, we really are too late.” he said, looking at the night stars twinkling in the sky around the full moon already high up in the sky.
He was now truly embarrassed at himself for his tears even as his heart felt lighter than it had in ages. He even felt a little, no, a lot more happy that his loyal ghost soldier would be remembered and even admired for his bravery but still- “Their majesties will be worried sick.”
“Not when I am with Guoshi! They know I will be always safe and-”
Clang!
Sparks flew as Fangxin struck against an unknown blade, a cloaked assailant striking them in a sudden lethal attack. Xie Lian once again grabbed his student in an increasingly practiced motion, slightly distressed at the fact that it was becoming familiar at all.
Sudden flames ignited as malign ghost qi erupted around them in an eerie glow- a planned ambush!
Xie Lian wasn't too worried about the ghosts with a terrible fashion sense- really, whose wonderful idea was it to have them wear such gaudy robes and carry even gaudier lanterns! After all, Lang Qianqiu had a talisman that would repel even wraths. These small fries were mere nuisances.
But the cloaked assassin attacking them, he was-
“Alive?” Lang Qianqiu muttered from where he was already nestled against his chest, held with one hand as the other still parried the attacker, the speed almost too much for a mortal eye to catch. In a moment, they had exchanged several blows with neither gaining the advantage.
Not good! He is targeting Qianqiu, he isn't focusing on me at all and yet-
“Beautiful!” he exclaimed as his opponent executed a truly impressive set of sword moves, each with a single target once again-
“Not beautiful at all!” Xie Lian amended. Looking at his student whose eyes were still shining with trust, he gave an assurance. “Don't be afraid. I will protect you”
In a split second, he had made a decision. Jumping back from the fight, he slightly flicked his jian, making all those little nuisances fly and crash around the assassin to buy some time.
But who would have thought him to be cruel enough to cut off his own subordinates? And so brutally at that?
Emerging from the sea of green flames from the broken lanterns, the cloaked figure stuck forward once more, finally piercing his pesky opponent, the Fangxin Guoshi. Blood flowed from his wounds, staining his blade black- black??
In shock, he and the surviving ghosts watched the two figures melt into the ground as ink kept bleeding from the “stab wound”.
Paper puppets! We have been had!
“Search for them both! Look everywhere! This is our last chance! Lang Qianqiu will die today before the Zhongyuan festival ends!”
This time as Guoshi was carrying him in a truly fast paced sprint , Lang Qianqiu did not feel any of the joy and excitement he had felt in the evening just a few hours before.
His heart grew cold as he remembered how the mystery attacker had aimed each and every strike at his vital points- another person who wants him dead! First ghosts, then demons, now even mortals are aiming to take his life?
He then recalled his words just this morning.
“Oh, I just know our day will be well without any unexpected roadblocks, I feel lucky today!!”
Lang Qianqiu dearly wished to go back in time to throttle his younger self for jinxing them both this terribly. He finally snapped out of his thoughts when his shifu’s voice sounded out into the night.
“Ah, there is a crossroad ahead.”
Before them lay two paths, each leading to destinations unknown.
On the day where the passageway to the underworld is opened widest-
Xie Lian despaired as he had only intended to deal with the threat after the ghost festival ended, a strategic retreat by waiting the night out. Although, at this point-
They might as well have jumped out of the frying pan into the raging flames!