Xie Lian ascends for the third time!!! But a lot has changed in the heavenly realm. The emperor takes a liking to Xie Lian and a romance slowly blossoms between the two!!
TGCF AU where Hua Cheng is the heavenly emperor and Jun Wu is the ghost king.
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"Gege, hold my hand." Hua Cheng spoke with utmost care laced in his tone of voice.
Xie Lian allowed Hua Cheng to take hold of his hand, gently grasping and holding it safely and securely in his own.
"Ready?"
Xie Lian nodded.
"Ready."
They both jumped, leaping down from the heavens and into the ghost realm below.
If Xie Lian was alone, he most definitely would have hit his head on a tree somewhere and fallen flat on his face, body covered in bruises and scratches of all the like.
But, Hua Cheng was with him. He was holding him, safely and securely, his grip not too harsh on the God, but just tight enough so that they couldn't be separated, no matter how harsh the wind blew as they fell. Hua Cheng would never let him go.
They landed safely and Xie Lian was amazed at how clean their landing was. No falling flat on his face, no tumbling down a hill, no getting caught in a tree. They both landed with such grace and elegance, and Hua Cheng even made sure to double check if Xie Lian was okay from their descent.
Xie Lian always had terrible luck in life due to his cursed shackles, so 9 out of 10 times he would always expect the worst of any outcome. However, he was starting to think that Hua Cheng was like his lucky charm. His time in the heavens and the mortal realm were so peaceful and happy because of the emperor. He truly should thank him properly when the time is right.
After they had smoothly landed, they both stared at their hands that were still held, which made it quite awkward for them. But, Xie Lian didn't want to let go, and it seemed that neither did Hua Cheng, so they simply carried on walking with their hands still held.
As they approached what they assumed to be the city's gates, they noticed that there was also a crowd of ghosts heading into the city.
They were bickering amongst themselves, seeming to be excited about entering. "San Lang, are these ghost newcomers?" Xie Lian asked.
Hua Cheng nodded, "Every day, ghost city gets more and more populated by new ghosts who come to visit and end up staying. It's a very popular place."
Xie Lian could tell. They weren't even inside the city yet, but he could see masses upon masses of ghosts all populating the city from afar.
As they entered, they were greeted with a rain of joss paper that littered the entirety of the ghost city.
"Joss paper..." Xie Lian mumbled.
Hua Cheng plucked a piece out of the air and examined it. "It's not unusual to see, this is the ghost realm after all."
Hua Cheng was right. Joss Paper was commonly burnt for the deceased, and it was also known to be a form of ghost money.
