[ as xie lian's world moves on, as tragedy is averted, at least in a place or two, the young former prince fetches a lantern carrying a ghost fire. the situation is much the same, there - he didn't quite manage to avoid the 33 gods who ruined his life, and drunk and miserable, curled up in a grave where he found the lanterns and freed the spirits.
... but this time, it stirs a memory, and xie lian holds onto the final spirit lantern himself. drunk and miserable, he stumbles back home, and curls up around it, and cultivates.
his spiritual energy is loaded back up from his final encounter with the older hua cheng - it was shockingly long lasting, which says everything of how powerful the ghost king was. it's enough that he can cultivate to help restore the ghost fire's tenacious spirit. it's slow going, as he feeds the tiny ghost fire that stays close to him, pouring his own spiritual energy into him (how ironic) because he knows that this ghost fire is a soldier of xian le.
mu qing and feng xin don't ask - or, if they do, it's quiet and away from the prince, and they allow xie lian his single oddity, his single indulgence. as their world falls apart, he cultivates. he works, and he cultivates, and he works, and cultivates, day in and day out, and then, one day, nearly out of his own -
it's enough, and the ghost soldier takes a full, solid form.
he gets to do so in the back courtyard of the tiny cabin that the xian le fugitives have called their home, on a beautiful fall day. maple leaves drift down from the trees overhead, the world awash in red, and the very first thing that the ghost soldier will get to see -
is his prince, smiling at him, warm and flush with happiness, the same kind, gentle smile that was on his face when he caught him, all those years ago.
xie lian's heart flutters at the sight of the soldier, because it comes with a rush of memories - of the mt. tonglu he experienced, of baraqiel, of hua cheng who stayed at his side throughout his entire misadventure in that realm of celestials and temporals, and he strokes his fingers lightly over the top of ruoye's head. the ferret is almost vibrating, standing up straight and staring at the ghost soldier too. ]
you get taizi dianxia
... but this time, it stirs a memory, and xie lian holds onto the final spirit lantern himself. drunk and miserable, he stumbles back home, and curls up around it, and cultivates.
his spiritual energy is loaded back up from his final encounter with the older hua cheng - it was shockingly long lasting, which says everything of how powerful the ghost king was. it's enough that he can cultivate to help restore the ghost fire's tenacious spirit. it's slow going, as he feeds the tiny ghost fire that stays close to him, pouring his own spiritual energy into him (how ironic) because he knows that this ghost fire is a soldier of xian le.
mu qing and feng xin don't ask - or, if they do, it's quiet and away from the prince, and they allow xie lian his single oddity, his single indulgence. as their world falls apart, he cultivates. he works, and he cultivates, and he works, and cultivates, day in and day out, and then, one day, nearly out of his own -
it's enough, and the ghost soldier takes a full, solid form.
he gets to do so in the back courtyard of the tiny cabin that the xian le fugitives have called their home, on a beautiful fall day. maple leaves drift down from the trees overhead, the world awash in red, and the very first thing that the ghost soldier will get to see -
is his prince, smiling at him, warm and flush with happiness, the same kind, gentle smile that was on his face when he caught him, all those years ago.
xie lian's heart flutters at the sight of the soldier, because it comes with a rush of memories - of the mt. tonglu he experienced, of baraqiel, of hua cheng who stayed at his side throughout his entire misadventure in that realm of celestials and temporals, and he strokes his fingers lightly over the top of ruoye's head. the ferret is almost vibrating, standing up straight and staring at the ghost soldier too. ]
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