The healers told Xie Lian "your wounds are very hard to heal, it'll take a few years for it to make a full recovery." A full recovery?! Guess that E'ming sword really wasn't a joke, he dealt serious damage! Xie Lian thanked the healers as they left the room, now Xie Lian's concerns were Hua Cheng. Although he barely met Hua Cheng, he warmed up to the youths 'compassion' and kindness. It also felt like Hua Cheng blamed himself for the stabbing, Xie Lian wanted to speak to Hua Cheng to confirm he didn't harm the menace ghost, if Xie Lian hadn't ran in between Hua Cheng and Lang Qiangqiu, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
Xie Lian hanged his feathered cloak and roamed the halls of another manor Hua Cheng owned, this manor was also in shades of red, however it was colored with red and white. The ghost searched high and low for Hua Cheng, but to no avail. He couldn't find the ghost king anywhere in that manor, so he began wondering if Hua Cheng was staying in a different manor, hopefully with the bandaged boy.
After an eternity he gave up looking, he checked in every room, even the bathrooms! Since Hua Cheng seemed devastated, Xie Lian assumed that Hua Cheng really did stay elsewhere! Xie Lian was returning to his room, still in a daze thinking of how to explain to Hua Cheng of what happened wasn't his fault.
Suddenly, Xie Lian grabbed the girl behind him, who was in shades of red and pink by the throat. He questioned "why is a god like you doing here?" The girl couldn't respond because of Xie Lian's grip, he noticed she was remarkably young, about 11-12. She choked out an answer "S-S-San La-a-ang!" Suddenly, Hua Cheng appeared beside the young girl looking blankly at Xie Lian and the young girl. The girl began rambling to Hua Cheng about saving her from 'the prince's cold hands'. Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng and back to the young girl, obviously confused. Hua Cheng rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and said "This... is my old caretaker."
"What?"
Xie Lian questioned, the girl repeated to him again in chokes "I-I'm Hu-ua... H-Hua Chen-ng's car-re t-taker!" She coughed dangling her feet for support. Hua Cheng explained, "when I was barely a ghost, Jiu Liming cared for me and helped me a lot..." Hua Cheng looked almost ashamed to say this, Xie Lian's grip on Jiu Liming loosened, just a bit. Xie Lian questioned "then how on earth did heaven not find out!?" Hua Cheng looked away not knowing the answer, and by that point, Jiu Liming blacked out!
"Ah!!"
Xie Lian exclaimed picking the small girl's body, Hua Cheng blankly said "leave her in the room next to you, she'll be okay." With Hua Cheng leaving hastily, Xie Lian almost forgot the reason why he was out there in the first place!
"San Lang!"
Hua Cheng stopped in his tracks listening. Xie Lian spoke "Uhm... about E'ming, it's not your fault. I decided to jump between you two so it's only natural I got stabbed..." He could hear Hua Cheng muttering to himself before asking "how long will that wound take to heal completely?" Xie Lian looked down at the fainted child and to his wound, he responded "a few years, they said." Hua Cheng's first clenched as he gritted his teeth and walked away.
"Aha... He's probably upset with himself even more..."
Xie Lian thought, worried again, but now he had to take this young god home. He wondered if this young god was in a different form, or if this god had ascended to Heaven at a younger age after Xie Lian became a ghost. He carried Jiu Liming to the room next to his own and laid her on the bed. After getting her sleeping body comfortable, he sat on the bed beside her watching the young god passed out. Finally, he lifted himself up and left the room for her to sleep peacefully.
As he closed the door to then open the room to his bed, he heard Jiu Liming speak "Xianle." Xie Lian opened the door to Jiu Liming and saw her sitting on the edge smiling comfortably.
