Chapter 194 - I Pray You Are Well

"Remind me, when you both return to share the song I wrote for you two."

Ye Wu pulled back with brows up to his hairline.

"You wrote us a song?!"

"Mm, now go. I expect the walls to be a quarter way completed."

Pang Xi smiled and bowed, but Ye Wu was already pulling him away. Wang Li watched them leave and smiled at their retreating backs, before he sighed out. He relaxed his face for a moment, before straightening it into the cold king he was.

He made a wave gesture and another trial for freedom appeared.

Yawning, Wang Li stared at the empty room after finishing another ten trials. Placing his elbow on his arm rest, he leaned his head against the fist and closed his eyes. His mind drifted and he found his lips curling when the image of his beautiful Ying Yue appeared.

["Look! Ah Li," the platinum blonde at the age 13, called out.

He watched as his friend waddled out of the lake, wet and soaked holding a small pool of water in his hands. Ying Yue… this was the day before his best friend had disappeared for five years, the memory he had to hold onto for so many moons. His young self walked over to meet the pretty blonde. 

In the pool of cupped water was a tiny golden-orange fish moving from one end to the other.

"A koi fish."

"Mm! It is amazing, isn't it?"

Wang Li nodded and moved to the lake wanting to also catch a koi fish too. To his surprise it did not take long before a black one with red underbelly swam around his cupped hands. Ying Yue stepped into the lake to where he was and they stared into their hands. Without words, they cupped each other's hands to form a bigger pool, so the black koi and the golden one swam around one another.

'This…'

He glanced up to stare at the platinum blonde who was staring at the fishes with a soft smile. He tugged lightly and green eyes glanced at him. They bent down to release the fishes back into the water and watched them swam around them, before leaving them to bathe under the sunset sky.

Hands still wrapped around the other.]

His silver eyes parted ,opened slowly and he lazily slid over to the presence beside him. Navy hair slipping down tanned skin, as the head leaned against his leg. He smiled gently and ran his fingers through the child's hair. A mumbled escape his loyalist's lips, but none he could make out.

"My king?" Mo Chou yawned.

"Mm."

Purple eyes blinked up at him and he watched the tanned man rubbed his eyes.

'His eyes were brown once,' he remembered and his heart softened when he remembered back to the days with this child.

Reaching his palms to clutch the man's cheeks, he took out his handkerchief to wipe the drools from the child's lips.

"Eh? My king. I am not a child anymore," purple eyes looked at him and a pout formed on Mo Chou's lips.

"You will always be my child."

A flush covered the boy's cheeks and the pout turned into a grin. He nodded and stood up stretching, before dragging the heavy bag to where his king sat. He saw silver eyes widened and he let out a laugh with a shrug.

"Guess they miss you even more than you thought."

"Chou-er…"

Mo Chou laughed and shook his head.

"Do you want them here or in your room, my king?"

Wang Li did not reply for a moment searching the child's face.

"How is my nephew?"

Purple eyes shifted away before a grin pasted itself on the Mo Chou's face. Silver eyes searched his loyalist's face to see the tension along the eyes and a small twitch at the corner of the right lips. Letting out a sigh, he shut his eyes and rub his face.

"He wrote you a long scroll worth of lectures. One of the reasons it took me so long."

"He is upset with me."

"He is always upset with someone," the grin dropped and the words were mumbled out of the child's lips, "He is rarely happy."

"I see."

Wang Li stood up from his throne and went to pull the child into his arms. Placing his forehead against tanned skin, he closed his silver eyes for a moment.

"Go rest, Chou-er. I will need your help when you wake."

"Alright."

Placing a kiss to the child's forehead, Mo Chou always got red in the ears. He smiled amusedly as the tanned man headed out of the throne room and he picked up the heavy bag. Entering his room, he sat down with the bag and wondered why it was fuller than it normally would be. He opened the large pouch and a grin immediately caught his lips.

How he missed the surface world.

He pulled out well baked sweet buns, biscuits, and strawberry filled rolls. Then there were letters upon letters and a few small boxes. He pulled out scrolls, paintings, and books from those at the school. He felt his lips curled into a smirk when he saw the letter from Han Mo. 

'Are you going to tell me you finally won his heart, cultivator? You've wished for it for centuries.'

Opening the letter, he read the words written and found himself laughing.

"Ghost King," it said, "I despise how deep your hook is in Ah Shen. Why can't you just keep Ah Yue and give me Ah Shen!" Wang Li could hear the groan and see the defeated look, "He talks about you like he always had in all his life. Even with the treat you gifted me to give him, he knew it was from you! Did you know! I will win his heart, Ghost King!" 

Wang Li shook his head with a grin as he read the last line.

"Although I want you to stay there until I win Ah Shen's heart, I cannot do that to my brother. He misses you."

"And I miss him," he sighed out a smile, "Han Mo, you really are blind. Ah Shen already cares for you more than the others," Wang Li chuckled to himself as his mischievousness colored his words, "Never more than me. Keep fighting, cultivator. Ah Shen will always be mine."

Laughing softly to himself, he saw a medium sized wooden box, similar to the one he left for his wife. Wang Li held it in his hands for a moment, before placing it down.

Opening the lid, he saw a golden hair pin with a silver gem.

"My dear wife, how you spoil me," he whispered with a smile.

A letter was folded under the pin, so he slipped it out and read it.

"My dearest husband-"

Closing his silver eyes, he folded the letter back and placed it under his nose. He can smell his wife's honey rose scent. Pressing a soft kiss to the note, he placed it gently aside. Reaching for the two small boxes, he opened on to find a golden butterfly. It fluttered its wings before flying to land against his ear.

The sound of music entered his ears and he found himself relaxing. The notes were not perfect and there were pauses from time to time, but the sound of the flute brought back old memories. Once the music ended, he opened the next box. Another golden butterfly flew to land against his other ear.

This one was the sound of the pipa strings being plucked.

His silver eyes stared at the large scroll and unrolled it to read what his dear nephew wanted him to know.

==

(Surface Realm)

Ying Yue had just met with the Sect Leader in the East and was walking through the forest between East and South. He had not gotten the chance to check to see if the temple Sect Leader Zhi and Mo Chou built was still erected. Entering the rocky clearing, he looked around and saw the temple.

Still up and still lighted.

Walking to it, he expected it to be unkempt because of the Great Death. Many hated his husband and some do not wish to speak of him. He didn't blame them, he understood. It still saddens him to think people did not know the truth.

Shaking his head of his thoughts, he wondered who was caring for this temple for the Ghost King.

"Hello?"

There was a noise at the other side of the altar and he walked over, only to see a broom stick pointing at him. Blinking his golden eyes, he stared at the man holding it. The man suddenly dropped the broom stick and bent down to his knees.

"Apologies, Heaven's Chosen. I thought you were others."

"What… what is your name?" He whispered and the man with navy hair hesitated for a moment.

"It is Feng Zhi."

"Feng Zhi…" Ying Yue smiled and looked at his husband's statue, "You've kept this temple lit?"

The man stood up and nodded.

"I only discovered it recently when I was in hiding. At first, I thought nothing of it, but then… I just… I don't know. I just felt like the Ghost King could protect me. I didn't have the chance to pray or have anything on me to purchase any. All I can do is keep it clean and people trying to defame it."

"You are a good man, Feng Zhi," Ying Yue looked at the man with blue eyes and dark navy hair, "Wait here. I will return with items to pray."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Heaven's Chosen. Many thanks to you."

Doing as he stated, Ying Yue went to the village and purchased the items he needed. When he returned he saw Feng Zhi kneeling on one of the pillows, staring at his husband. Smiling, he walked in and saw blue eyes lit up happily. They placed the items in their rightful places, placed the offerings, and burned the incense. Kneeled in prayer, Ying Yue closed his eyes.

'My beloved husband, Ah Li. I pray you are well, happy, and at peace. Please protect my family and yours, bless us with your beauty, your love, your smiles.'

Ying Yue smiled and pictured his lover, his beautiful husband smiling back at him.