Crown Prince and Ghost King

Chapter 11

Ling Wen wanted to curse a god, but didn't know which one to choose. That was, by far, one of the worst things that happened to her. She immediately regretted her decision to stay silent, and would have scrambled to ask Xie Lian not to bring his husband into the picture, but... it was too late.

And, honestly? She didn't blame him.

She was the only one, aside from the Wind and Earth Master, to acknowledge him. In the brief time His Highness spent in the Heavenly Capital, or in the communication array, no one gave him heed. Even junior officials were treated better than him. Hell, even mortals were treated better than him, because the gods would actually listen.

Resigned, and terrified, Ling Wen tried to prepare herself to the storm coming.

And the storm didn't come late.

Hua Cheng was angry. As much as he could be.

When Xie Lian backed away from the communication array and asked him to get involved, he immediately sensed something was off. The explanation he received made him want to challenge the heavens again, this time with much less method and much more destruction. He wanted to summon his blood rain on the palaces above the clouds, and never make it stop unless those pitiful, wretched officials kowtowed and apologized to his husband until their knees were sore and scraped to the bone.

But his beloved didn't want that. He could see his anger, but he could also see the hurt behind it, and the latent hope that things would grow to be different. Hua Cheng loved him too much to deprive him of that hope.

So, he softly kissed his distress away, and accepted to enter the communication array he had with Ling Wen, a civil god Hua Cheng never failed to consider someone reliable. Now, he was backtracking all of his positive steps.

"Ling Wen?".

"Still here, Your Highness".

Xie Lian knew his husband grinned at the dread hiding in her voice. He didn't scold him.

"I'm positive you already know who my husband is, but allow me to officially introduce him", he said. Outside the array, Hua Cheng tightened the hold around his waist, he could feel his smile pressed behind his back.

Ling Wen swallowed dry. She had no positive outcomes to imagine for their meeting. Not even a hint of one.

"I... yes. Please, introduce him, Your Highness", she nodded, inadvertently choking on her own words. Which was quite the feat, since she wasn't talking with her mouth, but with her mind.

"Ling Wen, this is my husband; I call him San Lang, but please feel free to call him by the name you're most familiar with", Xie Lian dragged it out on purpose. He was done with their attitude. With Ling Wen joining the other heavenly officials as well. "That name, as you may know, is Hua Cheng".

And that was the confirmation she was afraid of. Ling Wen, despite her previous indecision, ended up cursing Shi Wudu; at least he wasn't around anymore to be mad about it. For good measure, she cursed him a handful of times, until she calmed down enough to address the looming presence that was now predominant in the array.

Hua Cheng oozed negative spiritual energy, evil radiating throughout the entire array, and she couldn't help but shiver. Ling Wen almost wanted to flee and hide in her piles of work. Anything but having to deal with a very angry, very powerful, very revengeful Ghost King.

But she couldn't.

"I would try to say 'nice to meet you', but the only nice thing here is His Highness' presence", Hua Cheng coldly spoke. The civil god flinched at that, enough to make it obvious in the array, and the ghost grinned even more. Good, she deserved to be scared.