Chapter Text
“So?” drawled Hua Cheng as he made a show to check his nails, “Are you going to start talking anytime soon?”
“Shut up, you bastard! I’m still thinking!” shouted an aggravated Feng Xin who was pacing across the couple.
“Oh, you can think?” came the fake surprised response of the ghost king.
“You -”
“Alright, settle down.” Xie Lian gently patted Hua Cheng’s arm and gave an encouraging smile to the one who slammed Puji Shrine’s doors opened before the sun could rise with a harried look on his face, “What is it Feng Xin? Is there anything wrong in the Heavens?”
Ignoring Hua Cheng’s ‘Everything is wrong in the heavens’ comment, Feng Xin exhaled loudly.
“Mu Qing.”
Xie Lian gasped, “What’s wrong with Mu Qing? Did he get injured? Was he captured? Does he need our assistance? How could I help?
“I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with him,” confided Feng Xin to an enraptured Xie Lian, “But he’s been acting... odd . And I suspect he’s either possessed or someone’s controlling him.”
The Crown Prince of Xian Le immediately went into detective mode. “What are these oddities you speak of? And when did it start?”
“I’m not sure when it started per se but a month or so ago, he ga-” Feng Xin paused and looked like he was struggling with the next words, “he gave me a new bow.”
Xie Lian blinked.
And as if being able to tell that opened the floodgates, Feng Xin continued listing on as he returned to his pacing with wild hand gestures. “Then, the next day, he invited me out to eat with him. And he paid! For the both of us!”
“Wow. Sucks to be you,” commented Hua Cheng drily.
“After that, he started doing things with me every so often like checking on my worshippers, cleaning out some demon’s lair, and answering some prayers! Without saying any insult!”
Hua Cheng yawned.
“And - and remember how it was the banquet a week ago? So this time I won against him by one lantern that was floated up late. He congratulated me with a sincere tone!” squeaked Feng Xin, “And later, I found out that the last lantern came from him !”
“Tragic,” Hua Cheng sarcastically shook his head.
“Your Highness, please help me,” implored a stressed out Feng Xin
Xie Lian gave out an unsure chuckle. “Uh, Feng Xin...I don’t seem to see the problem? Doesn’t this mean your relationship has improved now? Isn’t that for the best?”
Feng Xin vehemently shook his head, “No! No, you don’t understand, Your Highness. He always did those things for me for the past eight hundred years and counting but he’s being too uh what’s the word he’s hmm he’s being nice.”
“Hold on,” Xie Lian tilted his head in consideration, “You mean to tell me that he’s been giving you new bows, inviting you to eat, and helping you out for the past years?”
“Yes! But as I said, he’s being nice now when he does it!” Feng Xin looked like he was about to cry.
“I need you to listen carefully,” started Xie Lian. When the other martial god nodded seriously, he continued, “Have you ever considered that maybe just maybe it’s because Mu Qing actually likes you and he just didn’t know how to show it properly before?”
Feng Xin scoffed. “Hah. That guy? Like me?! Please.”
“Well, have you?”
“I mean sure we made out like once or twice in the past but -”
“Base on my spirit butterflies, it’s actually more than once or twice I assure you,” interrupted Hua Cheng uncaringly.
Xie Lian coughed.
“Yeah, fine so maybe more. But who cares about the number?” he waved a hand carelessly, “What’s important is -”
“What’s important is,” and this time it was Xie Lian who interrupted, “Mu Qing’s technically been courting you for hundreds of years already.”
“And I thought my own pining was pathetic. Then I hear something even more pathetic,” smirked Hua Cheng uncaringly as the two gods discussed.
“No!” was the strong denial.
“Feng Xin, have you seen Mu Qing give gifts to anyone else?” asked Xie Lian.
“No but -”
“Have you seen him make out with anyone else?”
“No -”
“Have you seen him act like how he does with you with anyone else?”
“Sure! He’s always bitching to -”
“Feng Xin, you know what I mean.”
“...no.”
Xie Lian smiled. “And the conclusion here is that Mu Qing likes you.”
Feng Xin’s brain short circuited as his memories with the pretty martial god started flashing through his mind.
“And you like him too,” chimed in an wickedly grinning Hua Cheng.
Feng Xin choked on his spit.