Crown Prince and Ghost King

Chapter 52

Two weeks later, time Xie Lian and Hua Cheng spent mostly in Qiandeng Temple by themselves, the god finally received word from Qi Rong that his kid was willing to let him go and stay with Lang QianQiu some more.

Luckily for everyone involved Xie Lian had – hopefully – calmed down a lot, his anger and frustration towards the Heavenly Court mellowing out to leave space to a less aggressive set of emotions.

It didn't mean that he was happy to throw the dice and go back to PuQi Village, because it meant climbing up to the heavens immediately after. However, he promised GuZi he would always be there to help him, if needed, and he wasn't going to back away from a promise made to a child.

Especially a sweet and gentle child like him, who had managed to warm the heart of none other than Qi Rong.

Clad in red, the red of stagnant blood, deep in its dull crimson color, Xie Lian waited for a couple of villagers to leave the shrine before approaching, not wanting to be recognized. He took great care of his appearance, looking like a malevolent Crown Prince rather than his dazzling image, and terrified villagers weren't in his list of problems for the day.

When he entered, the first thing he noticed was the mess of books and paper on the table, alongside a used inkstone, an ink stick, and a couple of brushes. It looked like a calligraphy lesson, judging from the sheets of paper covered in repetitive characters.

Seeing that, despite his bad mood, Xie Lian hinted a small smile. It was nice to see his cousin trying to teach GuZi how to write properly. Qi Rong wasn't that good at calligraphy, not like Xie Lian; he had never been too interested in that kind of lesson back in XianLe. But, and it didn't change too much throughout the years, he still had a really nice handwriting. One that many would never associate with someone as crass and hyperactive as him, very neat and clean.

«Qi Rong!», he called, hearing voices come from the back room. «GuZi! Are you... oh». Just as he was asking, both stepped out of the back room and Xie Lian was stunned for a moment.

Not because of GuZi, despite the brand new set of robes he was showing off, but because of how Qi Rong was dressed. A leap straight into the past, back to days where he would cover himself in refined fabrics and precious threads, in brocade and silk and embroidery. The only difference was the – absolutely not proper – way his robes parted on the front all the way down to his belt, a silver chain keeping the collar half-closed around his neck.

Even his hair were different, not anymore a simple bun and a ribbon, but an hairdo trapped in a silver crown and adorned with braids.

A Ghost King through and through.

«Where did you-».

«I have skilled ghost acquaintances», Qi Rong cut him off, clearing his throat. He wasn't used to such luxurious clothing anymore, the last time he wore something even remotely precious had been before being captured as a war prisoner during the XianLe War.

He also wasn't used to complicated hairdos, after spending centuries with just a plain bun and nothing more than that. It even felt weird, having a crown and jewelry again.

Xie Lian didn't question that answer, and simply believed it.

Instead, he looked at GuZi and smiled: «Are you ready to leave?», he asked him, in a much gentler tone.

The kid nodded and immediately held onto Xie Lian's wide sleeve, uncaring of the scary look the god was showing to the world. It was almost funny, how unbothered such a young child could be when faced with ghosts and godly beings. Many adults would have already ran away in fear or fell to their knees, begging for their life to be spared or their prayers to be heard.