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Mu Qing wasn’t sure which of his transgressions had him stuck on a mission with Feng Xin, but he hoped it would balance out his karmic debts permanently. According to reports, there was a menace or possibly savage level ghost sweeping over the land and had already taken out two small villages. They needed to work together to investigate the towns already destroyed and stop the threat from continuing its path of destruction. Why it had to be the two of them neither knew but couldn’t refuse since the mission came directly from Jun Wu himself.
The entire trip so far had been as disastrous as one would expect with the two of them bickering over every little thing as they made their way to the second village that was struck. The first had been more or less useless in matters of information gathering, with only mangled corpses and miscellaneous missing body parts. If they hadn’t been there on a mission from the heavenly court, it could be mistaken as a slaughter by a group of bandits. The air was tinged with the smell of drying blood as they entered, scanning the area for hints as to where their target was headed. It was only about 15 houses together, some of them looking as if they had been unoccupied at the point of attack. Unlike the previous location, there were living people doing their best to bury the dead and clean up the remains. No one passed them more than a glance as the two of them were in their deputy general disguises.
“I wonder why there are so many people here in comparison to the last town,” Nan Feng muttered, scanning the area with his eyes. “Word must have gotten out faster.”
“Obviously,” Fu Yao with an eye-roll. He focused his spiritual energy to see if there was any of its essence lingering in the air but didn’t feel anything specific at first. Due to it being only a few days after the attack, the only way it would have been able to disappear so well would be if it was a supreme or if a priest had been through the area. He approached what looked like the clan leader’s dwelling, seeing many people stopping by the steps and offering prayers for the departed. “What happened here?”
One of the people glanced over appraising them briefly before answering. “Good travelers, a demon has swept through the town. This is the third village to be swept away since the last full moon.”
“Third?” Nan Feng asked, knowing both of them had only heard of two locations.
“Yes,” a woman approached both of them, causing Nan Feng to straighten up and take a step back. “There is a town a bit farther from here, that doesn’t even have bodies to bury. It’s as if they were consumed wholly.”
“I see,” Fu Yao opted to try and continue the conversation, knowing that Nan Feng would be no better than a mute until they disengaged with the young woman. “And is there any reason you think that those specific villages were targeted?”
“They must have upset the gods,” she said, looking up to the sky. “Otherwise they wouldn’t have let such an awful thing happen.”
“Right,” Fu Yao said with a sigh. Unless a god was constantly watching over a specific town it wasn’t like they could sense and protect everyone all the time. And more often than not, that meant any other villages were open to being attacked. They were there because enough prayers had reached the heavenly court that they were summoned to look into it. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that without giving rise to a more useless conversation, but he wanted to. He was about to ask her something more probing, such as a tragedy that could have caused something evil to be created, when Nan Feng’s head abruptly turned to the East. Before Fu Yao could ask him what was going through his mind, he started walking in the direction he faced. He gestured at his back, clearly offended for just being left standing there, and then focused his attention back on the woman.
“Excuse us, I need to get my dog before he wanders into a ravine,” Fu Yao stormed after him, catching up easily as the town was settled up on a hill that had a river on one side and a marshland on the opposite end. Nan Feng seemed focused on the stagnant water. “If you’re just going to leave while I’m talking to an ugly woman, at least have the courtesy to say goodbye.”
“Shut the fuck up, I’m hearing something,” Nan Feng said, squinting as he peered towards the opposite side of the marshes. A dense fog covered the far end, but as Fu Yao looked where the other god was focused, he could barely make out the mouth of a cave.
“Great, you’re hallucinating,” Fu Yao shook his head and sighed, turning his attention to the cave as well. There was a subtle presence of malice there but not enough that would make either of them think they were in danger if they went to get a closer look. However, aside from the people shuffling around in the village, he heard nothing out of the ordinary. “Squinting isn’t going to make you hear better, and I hear nothing.”
“Someone’s praying to me,” Nan Feng explained, jumping down the short distance to land on the edge of the marsh.
“Oh?” Fu Yao asked as he landed next to him, a bit lighter on his feet. “To Ju Yang?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, no!” Nan Feng yelled over his shoulder, starting to navigate through the solid pieces of land that created a mazelike path towards the cavern. “For strength against an evil nearby.”
“Maybe they smell your bad breath and think it’s a rotting corpse,” Fu Yao said, carefully jumping over a soft patch that Nan Feng wordlessly pointed out by repositioning his footing a bit to the left side of the path they were on.
“More like your piss poor attitude. You reek of egoism and disdain,” Nan Feng retorted as they arrived at the entrance. The sun was starting to set in the sky, casting a long shadow that slowly crept across the ground behind them. Summoning a small orb of light, he peered into the cave and saw how it curved downwards just a few feet inside. The essence of evil was stronger than before, indicating that most likely their target was hidden somewhere deeper. He straightened himself up and gestured to some algae-like growth forming where the sun never touched. “This place looks like it could use a little sweeping though.”
“I’ll sweep the floor with you,” Fu Yao crossed his arms and peered into the darkness below. It was rather steep, descending quickly into whatever cavern was below and the ceiling had less of a dramatic angle. The further they traversed, the bigger the headspace so at least they wouldn’t be crammed together. “Let’s get this over with.”
Nan Feng nodded silently, flicking his wrist to cast the light orb down further to illuminate the best path down. Fu Yao, slid after it with relative ease, keeping his balance and avoiding a few stalagmites along the way until the floor leveled out. It was considerably colder in the cave and the dampness of the air clung to him as if the moisture could seep through his clothes. Nan Feng followed, taking a more direct path on the opposite side from the mouth and coming to a stop in a puddle that had gathered underneath a stalactite. He summoned the orb back to himself and walked toward the middle to meet Fu Yao halfway.
“You know, if there’s actually a follower down here, I don’t think showing up in all your glory is the smartest move,” Fu Yao commented, giving him a once over and fixing him with a look. He had watched him descend, hoping that he would get tripped up on a rock only to see him take his godly form as he came to a stop.
“What?” Feng Xin asked and turned his head, finding that he was looking down at the face of Fu Yao. When they were both in disguise, he was maybe a centimeter or two taller than him, but in his true form, there was an entire head’s worth of a difference. He glared at his hand as if it had betrayed him in some way and grit his teeth in annoyance. “Now why in the fuck-”
Fu Yao’s brain seemed to cut off any further audio processing as he stared up at him. Even in what should have been less than flattering light, his jaw seemed sharper than usual and his adam’s apple protruded out as he groaned with his head back in frustration. He should have been used to his appearance, they had been around each other for the majority of 800 years. However, the slight change in perspective seemed to be something he couldn’t immediately process, and he refused to try to focus on it any further.
“I can only assume it has something to do with the water,” Feng Xin gathered, his voice finally getting through to Fu Yao as he brought himself back to full awareness in the present. Fu Yao silently agreed, nodding his head and making sure he watched his step as they headed further into the cave. Feng Xin stayed close behind him, transforming himself back into Nan Feng as he felt the presence of something malicious growing stronger with each stride. Both of them kept quiet, being on the same page to draw less attention to themselves in case they were able to mount a surprise attack on the enemy nearby.
Suddenly they heard some gravel get misplaced off to the side and both of them took their own stances, ready to strike. Fu Yao immediately zeroed in on the area the sound came from and Nan Feng sent the orb of light over to it, ideally blinding the creature temporarily so they could assess the situation. Instead of seeing any kind of demon, however, they saw a Daoist Priest on the ground holding a hand over his eyes to block the glare of the orb.
“Please! I mean you no harm!” He shouted in a shaken voice, clutching onto a chord that held a medallion etched with the script for Nan Yang around his neck. Additionally, there were other blessed items, such as talismans and incense strewn on the ground around him. Nan Feng lowered his shoulders with an exhale, glad that he had reverted back to his disguise before continuing deeper.
“What are you doing here?” Nan Feng asked as he extended a hand to help him to his feet which the man took gratefully.
“I could ask you the same sirs,” he spoke, wincing at the light overhead and trying to get a better look at the two men in front of him. “Not many people traverse the marsh just go to exploring a cave, and you’re not dressed like the villagers in the area.”
“He’s a guard with basic magical abilities, it’s nothing special,” Fu Yao quickly lied as he stepped closer earning a sneer from Nan Feng. “We could also say the same about you. This region doesn’t have a specific affiliation with your god, and I don’t think you should be descending into a cave alone. It would be more believable for you to be a threat in disguise by the evil residing here.”
“I have blessed the waters in this cave to reveal the forms of all creatures that touch it. Should you need proof of my humanity, I can splash some on myself now,” the man offered already starting to hop towards an overhead drip that was nearby. Nan Feng caught him before he lost his balance, redirecting him back to sit against the wall instead.
“We believe you,” he assured him, hoping to diffuse any tension that could lead to the two of them being encouraged to touch the water as well. “But why did you come down here?”
“I’ve been following the demon that’s in here. You see, it destroyed a village I was on a pilgrimage to,” the man explained holding onto his medal. “I serve general Nan Yang and was praying for aid when you two came. Perhaps you’re the answer I need.”
Fu Yao glanced over to Nan Feng who had already been comparing the sound of the prayer to the voice of the man they had encountered and gave a slight nod. “We did feel compelled to come this way so maybe we are. What do you know about the demon?”
“It’s a wicked spirit, carrying malice for small villages along the river,” the priest said confidently. “Each village had mostly elderly or children for their limited population and each shrine had either just lost its priest or had been abandoned for many years. Without the protection of a deity as great as Nan Yang or even Xuan Zhen, the people stood little chance against a creature with such cunning.”
“Not impossible,” Fu Yao said, feeling conflicted over being lumped in with the god next to him so casually. “So you believe it’s in here somewhere, either resting or preparing to strike the next village?”
“I’m not sure why it’s stayed around so close this time, but I want to do right by the ones who have lost their lives already” he answered, shifting his weight a little and looking down at his hands. “I admit I came to face it, but I injured my leg during my original descent last evening. I was resting when I heard your footsteps and fell out of the small opening I hid in.”
“We’ll help you out,” Nan Feng said quickly, earning an eye roll from Fu Yao.
“Always happy to help,” he said in a mocking voice. He assumed that if Nan Feng heard the man’s prayers then he was most likely human. Or at the least, if he wasn’t, they were on the outskirts of the God of the Southeast’s territory so his powers could easily carry him through battle. “Go help the old man up to the surface, I’ll see what else I can find down here.”
“I’d like to be of service if I can,” the priest attempted to argue but Nan Feng held up a hand.
“If this thing is as dangerous as you say, you’ll be in grave danger especially if you’re already injured,” he explained moving to the side that he hadn’t been putting weight on. “If you get to the surface, you can try sealing its power within the cave so it can’t escape when we find it.”
“You’ll only be in the way if you stay here so if you really want to help out, leave,” Fu Yao said coldly, taking the bit of light Nan Feng had conjured and looking through the talismans the priest had made. They were good enough, none of the characters were written wrong to attract evil instead of repelling it, and enough of them were completely dried which supported his claim of being trapped for some time. He picked the items up and placed them into the satchel that was on the ground next to them, along with the other effects the human had brought down.
Nan Feng used his energy to secure his footing as he took the bag from Fu Yao and gave him a you’re being rude glare which got him a not my Daoshi you think I care shrug in response. He offered his shoulder to the priest who firmly grasped on and began the careful journey up and out. As they were traveling towards the surface, the man began some nonverbal prayers in thanksgiving.
Thank you General Nan Yang for sending these two handsome young men to my aid. The one next to me is very kind and gentle and would do well in your army, with a strong sense of responsibility. The other… the priest stopped as if he couldn’t find positive words to say about him. Nan Feng bit the inside of his mouth to stifle a laugh as they neared the opening. I don’t understand your taste but that’s alright my general. I’m sure his coldness towards me is because he doesn’t trust others easily and would want to protect his companion from harm should I have been an enemy. I never would have thought someone with the disposition of the aloof Xuan Zhen would get along well, but I see your wisdom is far beyond me.
The furrow in Nan Feng’s brow was more pronounced as they got outside, the light streaming in just a bit further with the low position of the sun. He bowed to the priest who stopped him just before he turned his back. “How long have you both been companions?”
“Too fucking long. He drives me nuts most of the time, but he means well enough,” Nan Feng answered without thinking and then closed his mouth. As much as he wanted to try to make a further correction on their dynamic, he didn’t want to indicate he heard any of his thoughts. So instead, he gave another nod before descending into the cave smoothly.
My taste? The fuck you mean my taste? He’s a dick sure but if he wasn’t rude to you, you probably would have stayed down here. And what do you mean get along? The only reason we haven’t successfully strangled each other is that killing another god is frowned upon in the Heavenly Court.
Knowing the cave was too dark for the priest to be able to see him, he purposefully stepped into the puddle and assumed his god form once more. With his bow strapped to his back, he felt ready to face off against the monster with a renewed desire to get the escapade over with. Following the dim light, he traveled past where their encounter with the human had been and felt the air become heavy with ill intent.
“The priest is at the mouth of the cave,” Feng Xin announced as he got close enough to make out Fu Yao’s figure with near-perfect clarity.
“I assumed as much,” Fu Yao responded, looking at the claw marks that began shallow and grew larger the further as it traveled away from the entrance. “Whatever destroyed those villages can’t be too far off from-”
Fu Yao stopped talking as he turned to face Feng Xin as he felt that he was right behind him. Surprised by seeing Feng Xin’s figure and not Nan Feng's, he sucked in a breath quickly and then elbowed him. “What the hell are you doing?”
“The fuck is your problem?” Feng Xin asked, caught off guard by the blow in the ribs.
“Why are you- YOU?” Fu Yao yelled as he gesticulated at his physique. The energy around had already put him on edge, and now he was thrown off once again by bearing witness to Feng Xin in all his glory.
“My powers flow better in this form?” Feng Xin explained as if it was obvious and thumbed back towards the entrance. “He can’t see shit down here so why the hell would I keep the facade up? I though you said you wanted to get this shit over with.”
“Oh and if he decides to wander back down here?” Fu Yao argued, putting a hand on his forehead like some wooing maiden. “‘Oh my general I have dedicated my life to serving you! You have graced me with your mighty presence.’”
“Shut up,” Feng Xin hissed through his teeth. Even if they couldn’t be seen, he had no idea how much their voices would carry up to the entrance. If the priest did hear any of it, his cover could be blown or the human would get a very wrong idea of what was happening.
“I have memorized all prose and poetry about your mighty stature,” Fu Yao continued, unbothered by the intense glare Feng Xin was giving him just a few arm lengths away. “In fact, I have even written some myself upon being inspired by the mere thought of your heavenly pillar.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Feng Xin said louder this time, debating on throwing Fu Yao up with the priest so he could deal with whatever kind of devastation they had on their hands himself. If the demon didn’t know they were there before, there was next to no chance it still didn’t thanks to his antics. Then he felt a cold and damp breeze starting to ooze from the deeper part of the cave as if something was winding up to strike.
“Shall I recite some for you, my general?” Fu Yao asked, unaware of or apathetic towards the change in the atmosphere. Most of his rambling was to try and get a rise out of Feng Xin, which was working with its usual efficiency. It was only fair he got embarrassed as well since Fu Yao felt unreasonably flustered being around him for the first time since he had ascended to godhood. “When seeking strong sons and a spouse who serves well, lift your voice in the palace of the God of Great Masculinity-“
Fu Yao was unable to finish as an explosion-like force erupted from deep within the cave and shook the ground. Some stalactites broke off from the violent tremors, careening to the ground below where they stood. Without thinking, Feng Xin closed the distance between them and pulled Fu Yao tight to his chest while he used his power to break one of the large rocks over their heads with one hand. He backed Fu Yao up against a solid formation and used his own back as a shield, peering into the darkness of the cave with his mouth firmly shut.
“Get off,” Fu Yao whispered as the rumbling settled down in the cave. Pushing against Feng Xin’s chest was like pushing against the wall that was at his back, hard and unmovable. However, unlike the rock behind him, his chest was warm and the fabric on his outer robes were soft to the touch. Feng Xin locked onto something moving in the shadows and leaned impossibly closer to Fu Yao, trying to shield him more. Somewhere Fu Yao couldn’t see, a massive black snake was coiling around in the depths, oozing malice and trying to find the source of the sound it had just heard. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Feng Xin immediately covered it with his bare hand.
Seriously? You couldn’t just shush me? The indignity. Fu Yao rolled his eyes and sighed quietly, resigning himself to just sit and wait until he could speak again and give him a piece of his mind. He was tempted to bite his palm or at least lick it to set him off, but the grip he had was too firm. And since when has his hand been so damn big? I swear it covers the entire expanse of my fucking jaw.
Feng Xin deemed it safe enough to talk, able to see the creature’s head was turned away from their hiding spot. As a precaution, however, he kept his hand over Fu Yao’s mouth as he fixed him with an intense stare and whispered. “I think we’re dealing with a savage devastation. I’m going to let go and don’t fucking shout, you shit head.”
Fu Yao’s shoulders loosened a bit as he conveyed a no-shit glare, content to berate him either during the fight or once the threat was eliminated. Overhead a few drops of water had accumulated from the previous tremor, and finally fell directly on Fu Yao’s forehead. His eyes closed on instinct to prevent the cave water from getting in them as he felt a firmer pressure on his mouth and more weight against his body. He opened them to realize that the pressure against his mouth was Feng Xin. Since the water in the cave caused him to revert to his godly form, the height and any distance they had between their bodies disappeared.He felt their legs slotted together and Feng Xin’s mouth pressed on the back of his own hand as their eyes flared in shock.
Mu Qing prided himself on his masterful control over his train of thought through near-constant cultivation over the past 800 years, Feng Xin did not have nearly as much discipline over wandering thoughts. He could feel slender curves of muscle under Mu Qing’s robes and his thigh was dangerously brushing against the underside of his manhood. If he shifted at all the wrong way, the already awkward situation could become a lot worse. It also didn’t help how he realized that if his hand wasn’t there, they would have connected their lips. Yet that wasn’t the worst part as his mind careened out of control taking in their predicament at breakneck speeds. The idea of kissing Mu Qing wasn’t eliciting disgust; instead a part of him was disappointed that he hadn’t removed his hand right after he finished speaking.
Wait why am I disappointed? He would have kicked my ass and still would. Feng Xin thought to himself, leaning back enough that they had space between their bodies without leaving him vulnerable to the demon lurking nearby. He released Mu Qing’s mouth and braced that hand on the side of his head to push off with. He couldn’t exactly tell what was going through Mu Qing’s mind as he stood perfectly still and had an unreadable expression on his face.
Why are my knees weak? Why is my heart racing? Mu Qing broke eye contact and his gaze strayed to his mouth that was mere inches from his own. He started to recognize the draw that boiled up from his core, a longing he thought he had put away centuries ago. Before he didn’t have a word for it, and if it was what he had spent centuries quieting and telling himself to stay away from, he was in danger. Closing his eyes he willed himself to focus on breathing as a means to steady himself and get strength back in his legs. Clear as day, his mind presented the words to describe the desire coursing through him.
I want to kiss him .
“Mu Qing?” Feng Xin whispered and he opened his eyes to glare at him. The crease in his strong brows was there, as intense as ever, but his eyes softened with concern. “You alright?”
Of course, he would ask that. No, stupid, my cultivation power is in danger because you’re handsome and I’m a mess . Mu Qing knew if he tried to speak too quickly, he would stutter and stumble over his words, so he opted to hold one hand up. A silent request for a moment’s pause as he reeled in his emotions and consciousness.
It could have been a trick of the low light, but upon him turning his head to the side Feng Xin could have sworn that his ears were darker, as if they were dusted a shade of pink. He wasn’t sure the last time he saw Mu Qing flushed, always having a level of control over how much he was outwardly affected by things. Between the two of them, Feng Xin would be the type to get red in the face from embarrassment or anger. He was about to speak again when Mu Qing folded his hands in front of himself as if he were about to make an announcement in the Heavenly Court.
“Let’s kill that stupid fucking thing, and get out of here,” Mu Qing forced out, using a familiar posture to ground him physically. If he put his energy into fighting something other than the cause for his internal panic, he could try to address it later on with a clear head.
Feng Xin nodded once and glanced past the protection of the rock they were hidden behind. A dark cloudlike mass obstructed a clear view of its body but the head remained above the fog, making an easy target. If he shot it with his arrows from the distance they stood, he could blind it or at the least draw the attention of the demon. Then Mu Qing could get into a better position to strike with his sword, ideally decapitating it in one slice of his blade. He glanced back at Mu Qing whose complexion was even and pale as normal, coldly appraising their target for himself. He looked back at the Southeastern god and inclined his head towards the snake to indicate it was time he made the first strike. Feng Xin trained his bow on where he wanted to land the first hit and walked calmly from the cover of the rock. If it noticed him before he was exactly where he wanted to be, he could still fire and hit the glowing eye. With a grounding breath and the snake turning its head just into the perfect angle from where he was, he loosed three arrows with incredible precision. Two in the eye and a third in the neck to check the durability of the scales. The creature screamed in pain as it was partially blinded, leaving an opening for Mu Qing to jump out from the cover and fly across the room with his blade drawn. However, instead of succeeding with a swift decapitation, his blade only made a deep gash in the enemy’s neck before it summoned dark tendrils in retaliation.
Mu Qing kept the entity’s attention, positioning himself higher up on the side of its one working eye, pointing Zhanmadao as a threat and challenge. The shriek pierced both of their ears as Feng Xin took aim and successfully impaled the remaining good eye. The tail thrashed around, knocking the walls and nearly hitting Feng Xin more than once. He took a few more shots, and conjured a blaze of fire to injure the demon from all sides. With the black tendril-like pieces being cut by Mu Qing’s blade and being seared by the fire, they started to slither towards the exit.
“Damn,” Mu Qing cursed, seeing how the fragments were trying to escape and was about to draw Feng Xin’s attention to the issue when the reared up in front of him. Though the snake couldn’t see, the holes on its nose flared before the jaw unhinged and it lurched forward directly towards the Southwest god.
“Shit, Mu Qing!” Feng Xin yelled as he saw the creature slam its open mouth into the wall, effectively embedding its teeth into the interior of the cave right where Mu Qing had been a second before. He shot a few more arrows into the laceration in the neck, hoping to make it draw back but it remained motionless as a low hiss filled the air. He used the fire he conjured to send himself up in the air and grabbed onto the head of the creature. The light from the flames illuminated the familiar blade of Zhanmadao which had pierced clean though the mouth and out through he back of the head.
He let out quiet sigh of relief, putting his strength into grabbing onto the demon and pulling it off the blade. As it dislodged from the wall, a small ring of concentrated fire singed off the edge of the mouth so the fangs fell without grazing Mu Qing. He had one hand firmly on his hilt, which was positioned against his hip and his free hand relaxed from casting the last spell. Once he reached the edge of the blade, he let the corpse crash to the floor of the cave in a lifeless heap and watched as the demonic essence started ebbing away.
“Ow,” Mu Qing said, wincing as he dislodged himself from the rock behind him. “What happened to the parts of it that headed for the mouth of the cave?”
Feng Xin took his arm to help him out as he looked towards the exit and saw dissolving pieces rolling back down as they had no energy feeding their animated bodies. “Looks like the priest made the ward well. The shards don’t have enough power to break through.”
“Good.” He nodded in acknowledgment, straightening himself up and brushing off the rubble that had broken off in his outer robes and hair. Feng Xin kept a hand at his elbow as they alighted to the ground and Mu Qing was too tired to try to wrench himself from his grip. He didn’t mind the support and whether or not he intended to, he could feel some of Feng Xin’s spiritual power oozing from his hand aiding his recovery speed. “I’ll heal up faster once I’m back in my palace.”
“Yeah,” Feng Xin muttered as they walked, taking their time now that the mission had been completed. It was steep enough that Mu Qing slipped a few times in areas he had no problem with his footing before. He cursed internally, knowing Feng Xin could feel every subtle save he had to avoid from completely wiping out but neither of them spoke. Reaching the start of the steeper incline, Mu Qing took a deep breath in and sighed, knowing if he did lose his footing he would end up on all fours trying to keep himself from sliding back down into the pit. Instead of Feng Xin giving him some kind of dignity he felt his companion move behind him. So he would push him up the slope, somehow that was even worse than being left to flounder on his own. Instead however, there was an arm placed across his back and he looked over just in time to see the top of Feng Xin’s head as he bent down to grab onto the back of his knees.
“No, no no, don’t you dare,” Mu Qing flailed, pushing against his head as he was hoisted off of his feet.
“Stop fucking struggling for a second damn it,” Feng Xin said as he struggled to keep his own balance. “We’ll get out sooner if you just fuckin relax!”
“HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO RELAX WHEN I’M BEING CARRIED LIKE THIS,” Mu Qing yelled back, pinching his ear to try and get him to put him down. He had just calmed his mind after defeating the devastation, he didn’t need round two of ‘up close and personal with General Nan Yang’.
“Would you prefer I fucking carry you like a dead deer? I can do that shit too you know, you stubborn ass!” Feng Xin yelled, using his fingers by his knee to pinch the side tendon and started to walk up the steep incline.
“OW, I’M INJURED YOU DICK,” Mu Qing shouted, reflexively flinching away from the prick on his leg and feeling like he was about to be dropped on his ass. He reflexively put his arms around Feng Xin’s shoulders and hung on without looking at his face. He couldn’t bear it, if he just pretended he was being carried by someone else maybe his heart would stop racing. He felt secure and hated the way it warmed his chest. “I hate you.”
“I know, I know,” Feng Xin said, continuing the ascension with a lot less effort since he wasn’t wrestling with the god in his arms. They continued in silence, Feng Xin happy to have some peace and quiet so he could focus on the physical exertion while Mu Qing was saying the Ethics Sutra in his head to stop himself from thinking of how he was beginning to understand why some women fawned over the strong and handsome general. They reached the top after a few minutes or so, and were relieved to find that the priest had left the area already, most likely headed to settle down in the town for the night.
The moon had risen high in the sky, illuminating both of their figures as Feng Xin put Mu Qing down on his feet with ease who adjusted his robes to lay perfectly. He then proceeded to declare that they would never speak of the incident and leave the details of the mission to end once the devastation fell to the ground defeated. Feng Xin was fine with that notion, not wanting to dwell too long on any feelings that had popped up for himself. Between seeing Mu Qing more flustered instead of frustrated and feeling the way squeezed him just a bit tighter before being set down, he was pretty sure internal combustion was on the way.
Not too long after they returned to Upper Heaven and things returned to normal, both noticed they received prayers for companionship like that of “you and the other southern god”. Mu Qing waved off the first few ones he had heard, simply heeding the intention and sending a blessing for another part of their prayers. However, after one of them started gushing about some broad soldier they couldn’t stand but were attracted to, and prayed to Xuan Zhen to help purge the impure desires she harbored, he had enough. He stormed over the palace of Nan Yang to demand why the two of them were being lumped together so much. He must have been the one to blame as he was the one who was so careless with his disguise.
Feng Xin was almost glad to hear Mu Qing yell at him instead of his previous misspelled title starting to come to light again. He had been receiving prayers about Xuan Zhen’s beauty and asking for insight on how to break through a cold person’s exterior and gain their affection. A few were even asking how to discourage a person from pursuing cultivation of abstinence by the promise of companionship. All he could do was vent his frustration into cursing back at Mu Qing whose complexion was dusted pink from the moment he stepped in the door.
Ling Wen did have a report from the human world that construction on the border of the East and West of a joint temple of the two of them was underway. Apparently a priest claimed to have been saved by the gods and garnered a following that wanted to worship both of them. However, upon hearing the familiar sounds of the generals’ heated arguments and insults, she put the scroll away. They didn’t need to know something that would only fuel their animosity towards each other.