Crown Prince and Ghost King

Chapter 21

Rectify, it wasn't something. It was someone.

As soon as the person that fell in the armory through the ceiling raised his head, Xie Lian knew he was – forgive his words – royally fucked.

It was none other than His Royal Highness Tai Hua. And when His Highness locked eyes with the one in the room bearing his own title, his face was drained of all color. Xie Lian, helpless, could only watch as Lang QianQiu's gaze moved from him to the ghost at his side, and then, slowly but surely, to the sword hanging at his hip.

The face of the martial god paled even more.

Then, a flash of anger materialized in his eyes, and Lang QianQiu jumped to his feet, a longsword suddenly in his hand. The blade was the size of a grown man's palm, a sword forged by a metal borne of a lodestone mountain. Xie Lian had always been fascinated by that weapon, by its ability to magnetize metals and melt them into the blade, but at that moment the only feeling he could recognize was pure and utter panic.

Lang QianQiu raised his sword with both hand and struck towards Hua Cheng, who drew out his scimitar with one hand, E-Ming generating silver shimmers in the air.

He was calm, ready to welcome the attack, while Lang QianQiu used all his power to strike. A newborn kitten trying to jump in the fangs of a fully grown tiger.

Xie Lian only had a split second to react.

Just as the blades of a sword and a scimitar were about to make contact, a blinding white light blew up within the armory, a light so immense it covered every inch of the hall, and everyone lost their sight temporarily. All they could see was endless white.

Xie Lian was more that prepared; Fang Xin unsheathed in one hand, he raised the other to Lang QianQiu's chest and imbued it with spiritual power. A second later, the Crown Prince of Yong'An was sent flying backwards, right through the open doors of the armory, and his unconscious body hit Shi QingXuan square in the chest.

Wait.

Shi QingXuan?

«Your Highness, I'm sorry! Lang QianQiu took the dice from me», the Wind Master apologized, grimacing at the passed out form of the martial god as he shrugged him away. Everything was going well, from the passageways that led them to He Xuan to the walk back, but that reckless young man suddenly snatched the dice from him without explaining a reason and fell through a hole in the ground after throwing them. Luckily for Shi QingXuan, he was in the company of a powerful ghost so they could find him easily, but what a disgrace had been to find him right where he should never have set foot!

He apologized again, picking Lang QianQiu up from the floor, but Xie Lian couldn't say anything.

Instead, Hua Cheng shot the prince a glare able to burn, and Shi QingXuan understood they needed to leave. Immediately.

The Ghost King was angry. And Shi QingXuan, whether or not he was considered a friend of his, didn't want to deal with it. Sending another apology to both of them, the Wind Master grabbed He Xuan's hand, tugged him away, and left as quickly as his feet could run.

The only thing Hua Cheng could see was the injury on his beloved's arm. Eye wide with worry, the ghost raised a hand to his shoulder and drew in a sharp, unneeded breath when he felt wetness in his palm, alongside a stark smell of blood. The vivid red of his robes didn't make it easy to see, but Hua Cheng could always feel when his husband was hurt. Even if Xie Lian never showed it.

Xie Lian's right hand, the one holding Fang Xin, was covered in blood. His entire arm, rather, was thoroughly dyed with blood, and the trembling in it was not slight, even if his fingers still refused to let go of Fang Xin's handle, sternly holding onto the weapon.