Y/n had missed all of it.
༻ ❍ ༺
"XIE LIAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Y/N ASKED BLANKLY, TURNING HIS HEAD THE OTHER WAY FROM HUA CHENG TO LOOK AT XIE LIAN. SENDING A FOND SMILE TO THE WHITE CLOTHED CULTIVATOR.
"Xiu Y/n, we need to talk," Xie Lian said firmly as he held a blacked out Da Hong on his shoulder like a bag of rice, "and you know why." Da Hong stirred a little at that but then fell limp again. Y/n looked at Da Hong with concern, not many things could make Da Hong just fall limp like that. But, Y/n didn't really wanna test Xie Lian's limits if he could do that to someone with the same power level as himself.
"Of course I do, Da Hong and I both knew this day was coming. The day everyone found out. We weren't expecting it to happen like this, I'll give you all that." Y/n sighed dryly as he lifted himself up from Hua Cheng's hold. Sending Hua Cheng a small look of 'screw you for this' before turning to Xie Lian.
Y/n silently took Da Hong into his own arms from Xie Lian before pressing two fingers to Da Hong's temple, a small zing of spiritual power traveled from his finger tips to Da Hong's brain before Da Hong jerked awake. They both aligned each other's nearly identical eyes (Da Hong having a whitened eye) as Y/n lowered the poor Da Hong to his feet, Life with an artificial smile, Death's face showing no emotion.
Classic move, from both of them. Everyone who had had a greeting with them at some point knew that, Life and Death knew that they knew.
Whether any of the men surrounding them would be able to break them down to interrogate them was the question. The two were clever and slick in their words and general appearance, this would no doubt be difficult if Xie Lian and Hua Cheng didn't touch their soft spots. Which, no one in the universe knew: including Da Hong and Y/n themselves.
Yea, they don't know themselves that well. No one knows themself and their actions to be honest, even after they die.
"We have few questions," Xie Lian started with a dry tone. He was standing in front of the two, blocking the path to move out of this small clearing.
"Comply, or don't. We all can wait here until the end of eternity. It's not like any of us will be dying soon." Hua Cheng finished darkly, looming behind the two. His glare focused on the one in purple robes, Da Hong visibly hunched forward, moving so that Y/n was closer to Hua Cheng to hide himself from that gaze.
Weird, Da Hong doesn't seem like the type to inch away hunched up like that. Whatever, probably just in these circumstances he's more uncomfortable than usual.
"Well, why don't you start asking. After all, none of us want to be here till the end of eternity." Y/n copied the man's words shadily (and being as petty as he could), making sure to flash a dark smile back to Hua Cheng.
This was going to take some time and patience.
───༻ ❍ ༺───
"First question we have," Xie Lian said to break the tension, making sure to look them both dead in the eyes. How he looked both of them dead in eyes? Y/n didn't really want to know how, "what do you know about each other?"
Y/n's brows furrowed, Xie Lian was trying to draw more information out of them to find out details that would help in this interrogation. Smart, Mei Nianqing taught him well. Y/n pursed his lips before answering, "Just a basic outline of the other's life before we met. We've shared things like our spiritual array's communication password for obvious reasons." Da Hong nodded in agreement.
"Okay, next question," Xie Lian cleared his throat, untucking his hands from his sleeves. He pulled out a small object, it was a silver swan necklace that mirrored the one he had given Y/n not too long ago, "Xiu Y/n, you have the golden version of this on your neck correct?" Y/n nodded, Xie Lian bit his lip in hesitance. He flipped his wrist and let the necklace dangle on two of his fingers after a few moments, Y/n rose an eyebrow in suspicion.
He snapped his fingers before Y/n was suddenly dragged forward to him by an invisible force. Y/n was suddenly pulled into Xie Lian's arms in less than a second, the necklaces clacking together and connecting like magnets. Locking Y/n and Xie Lian together like the way a wedding ring would.
Y/n moved to shove himself off Xie Lian but a strong arm wrapped around his body, holding him in place.
"This is not part of the interrogation-!" Y/n whirled his head around to look at Da Hong, making sure he was okay as he struggled against Xie Lian's chest (that he was very rudely pulled into).
But, Da Hong and Hua Cheng's bodies seemed...off, they were, how does Y/n say this... melting. They were melting like liquid. They seemed to be morphing and shapeshifting into inhuman shapes. Y/n's mouth went dry, he was disgusted by this deformed sight. Then they seemed to make another drastic change. They faded into dry grains of black sand, everything around Xie Lian and Y/n faded into the same black sand. It whirled around them like a tornado, but refused to touch them.
That soon changed when the sand began to close in, the space between the two men and the sand quickly closing off by the second.
Y/n pushed his head into Xie Lian's chest to try and shade himself away from the sand that was closing in on them.
Wait.
He should feel the ring around Xie Lian's neck press against his cheek. It wasn't there anymore, Xie Lian would never let go of Hua Cheng's ashes no matter what were to happen. If he had lost it in the sand, he would've dropped Y/n and start frantically searching.
This wasn't Xie Lian at all.
Y/n knew exactly who it was.
Y/n slammed his fists against the man's chest, the man didn't budge.
"GET OFF YOU ASSHOLE!" Y/n screamed as he surged spiritual power into his palm and slammed it against the attacker's chest, no more Xie Lian's as it was the man's original skin. The man grunted slightly, but when he moved he only dragged Y/n with him.
Where did he get the time or energy to build up this much spiritual power?!
Y/n lifted his knee up and slammed it into his abdomen. The man went flying back. It was too late. The black sand was done spinning. They weren't in that fake clearing anymore.
Y/n whirled around and bolted for his life, he didn't know where he was going or where he was. He only knew that this was some sort of closed off building that was abandoned. It might be a temple. Who cares. That's the last thing on his mind. Y/n ran blindly, his gaze fixed on the door he had only just seen now. It was so far.
A hand latched itself on his ankle and yanked him, he cried out as he fell to the ground. His whole body slammed against the ground and he felt a small cut form on his face from a wood splinter on the ground. Shit it hurt bad.
He was yanked backwards on the floor and he thrashed around as he was pulled upwards off the ground, back where he started in the man's hold. Y/n felt tears flow down his face, he was so angry that this man had used Xie Lian's gift and appearance to bait him into such a perfect trap like this.
The whole plan was accordingly scripted. It was presented with great skill that slipped past Y/n and Da Hong's notice. Then was orchestrated and completed to the brim of practical perfection.
Let it be him started off with Hua Cheng's skin of one of his many fake appearances and chasing Da Hong so that he would lead him to Y/n. Then the creation of Feng Xin's fake body to make Y/n's mind more frantic and not pay too close attention, and to chase Da Hong away and knock him out cold. Also using "Feng Xin's" eyes to capture Da Hong's appearance and create a fake one. Then the battle, then the appearance of Xie Lian as he left "Hua Cheng's body" the moment Y/n turned around.
Y/n had missed all of it. Only turning a blind eye once to Da Hong's behavior.
"I missed you my dear A-Y/n," Jun Wu whispered softly as he traced Y/n's face, adding extra care to his movements as they stroked over his lips and eyelids, Y/n trembled, "shhh, it's okay my dear. You'll be safer than ever in my care, you'll feel no more pain or suffering. You won't have a worry in the world." Jun Wu said with a fake sense of serenity as he canceled out the spiritual energy in Y/n's body.
Y/n felt so weak.
So venerable.
He hadn't felt this way ever since he appeared on the island, or when he had died in this exact man's arms.
It was horrible. He didn't want to be here.
He should've ran away the moment he landed in "Hua Cheng's" arms.
"I'm going to murder you Bai Wuxiang," Jun Wu's face darkened at the cold threat. He clicked his tongue. How could his Xiu Y/n be so spoiled?
"Ah, that isn't something you say to someone who loves you, cherishes you, and cares for you like no other."
"NO OTHER MY ASS." Y/N HISSED. JUN WU SMILED DARKLY AND PULLED HIM INTO A TIGHT HUG.
ONE OF OUR CHARACTERS WILL BE RETURNING!
(As well as the appearance of another from TGCF!!)
Who do you think they are?
Gotta love them cliffhangers 🤭
Bonus Roblox meme