Xie Lian

White No-Face is one of the four calamities. And throughout his life, he'd be emotionally abusing me.

My hatred only grew ever since he orchestrated the fall of the Xianle kingdom. The person responsible for my parent's death and for my attempt to end it all.

I've never hated someone so badly. The thread between losing composure was thinning.

I was not myself around that monster.

I had never understood why he was being this way. Although, it could be because I'd been the only survivor.

With the years and years of him disappearing, I'd thought he was gone for good.

It wasn't the case.

I remembered the time he tried to comfort me when I was at my lowest. When I was filled in sorrow and tears. However, he really reinforced the idea that the world wants to do me harm.

And I believed him.

There was doubt. With San Lang, I doubted, and around my friends.

I achieved my goal to gain believers, and San Lang stuck with me. This was always true. It didn't make sense to me, although maybe he just wants to be entertained.

Me and San Lang. It made me doubt too much. He wasn't truly a stranger, but I'm not even sure what he was in the first place.

There was a flash of light, and I was shot out of my thoughts. I lifted my arm and blocked my eyes. I don't recall how much time passed, or whether White No-Face would come back.

I just let my eyes stay closed, taking in a heavy breath of air -- a long time must of passed because my clothes weren't clinging to my skin and that aching feeling in my head dissipated.

As a matter of fact, something felt wrong.

I squinted and opened my eye-

Eye?..

I stared at the silver vambrace around my wrist and the maple red cloth against my arm.

..Wasn't this San Lang's attire?

My fingers traced the silver trinket, along with the string around my finger. A heavy breath escaped my throat, a shaky feeling following after.

I slowly ran my finger across my face. My eye widened as I traced upon an eyepatch across my right eye.

It is..

I sat up and lifted my legs up, or -- San Lang's legs.

What was going on..

I huffed and ran a hand through my black hair, contemplating on what to do. This wasn't possible!

My breath got shallow, a wild look in my eye as I dug my fingers into my skin. This wasn't my skin, and my clothes weren't my own-

"Gege-"

I jumped and turned my head -- the voice sounded just like mine, except there was a venom to it. It was scary, even to me.

San Lang dug his hands in the dirt, coughing out water. His lungs must burn from my act of saving him. Afterall, he was in my body. It was..odd to see myself, but I suppose this is a first for us both.

"Ah! It's okay!" I moved beside his kneeling body, patting his back.

My voice was heavy and deeper than usual, it was San Lang's, except the tone I'm used to made it feel so soft.

He hacked, and had finally got a glance at me. His eyes were wide, and instead of confusion, it was of distress. "No wonder.."

"Do you know how this happened?" I asked quickly.

E-Ming begun to panic as much as I did -- I tried to calm down but this was too much to bare.

I was hit with realization -- E-Ming was feeling my emotions, as least what it interpreted. I needed to calm down for its sake.

"The darts." He answered, looking back at me with irritation. I took a long and soft breath as San Lang spoke to me again. "That man, do you know him?"

"He's tormented me," I paused and my voice dimmed to silence. I was afraid to tell San Lang. I felt as though he would judge me, and surely think I was in deep trouble.

I don't want to bother him. Of all things. Not with that cruel man.

San Lang gave me a worried look, I've never seen it so clear before. His expressions were so vivid -- I glanced at the floor and dug my fingers in the cloth. "It's nothing. It's nothing at all."

"It isn't nothing. I'll kill that man." He said back.

My distress seemed to reach him as he stood and cupped the side of my face, brushing his thumb in the area. "Does anything hurt?"

"No, it's worse," I sighed. "I feel death."

"You are now the Ghost King afterall," He assured before grinning. "It gets better."

Him cheering me up, it gave me some reassurance I knew I needed.

"You know.." He playfully moved a hand to his cheek. He gave me a smug grin, his shiny teeth gleaming to me. "Your body is so pure. It's essence exhilarates me."

I blinked a few times, a tint of pink on my cheeks. "San Lang! We have more important things to think about-!"

He squinted at me before turning around -- he started to lift the white material with curiosity.

I gasped and ran over in a panic, my face felt like it was on fire. I tugged his clothes down firmly. "San Lang, please!"

He snickered before bursting into laughter. "Gege, you can't get so embarrassed over my curiosity! You must think I'm going to journey into a perilous zone."

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest -- part of me was very curious. San Lang is a calamity, a powerful one at that. But, resisting would be the best idea, although he would probably allow me to take a peak.

I couldn't help smiling while San Lang felt strands of brunet hair, and the soft texture of my body's face. "You're face is so soft."

"Is it now?"

"So smooth, like a porcelain doll."

"San Lang?"

"Yes?" He turned to me.

"Have you always felt admiration to me? You do not need to compliment for my sake." I said back.

He'd gone quiet and smiled warmly, moving until he was in front of me. Our switch of heights didn't change the fact that San Lang still held power over me. "As I've said, I am you're believer. I will always be sincere with you."

I supposed he answered the question, but it still left some holes.

"Let's find that place we were hiding before. We'll be safe," I assured, grabbing the basket of fish before looking to San Lang.

He must seem discomforted by all the feelings thrown onto him at once -- in the body I'm in, I feel as though I'm protected by some unnatural force. It was hard to describe.

I gently grabbed his arm and tried to help him through.

He brushed some hair across his other eye as he now led me to the place.

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We ate and dined for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it felt so long because San Lang fell asleep first.

It did take him a while to admit to it, but I knew how it felt. "San Lang..sleep. Let that body recover."

"Who will protect you?" He asked, rubbing his eye with his sleeve. "I have told you that I will be by your side."

"And that needs rest." I said back, before moving over. "You will still be by my side anyways."

He was eating as he was, and as time went on, he dipped into slumber. He was at peace, and I used my knees as a pillow to him, running a hand through his hair.

He shuffled and grumbled under his breath, and I coaxed him back into it.

"Gege.."

"Shh, close your eyes." I urged, running my fingers over the corners of his eye. The one eye he usually had.

Once he fell asleep, the rest of the night was..lonely.

I wasn't able to sleep.

My mind was wide awake, and strange thoughts poured in.

Some were faint like a common 'Gege', or a 'It's been 800 years.'

I suppose this body still can't get used to me being the entirety of San Lang's soul now. It was bound to disappear by tomorrow.

One would say being restless was torture. And it was. It was making me crazy, not getting sleep to block worries away. But, I just smiled down at San Lang. He was safe. And I knew how vulnerable my body can be. It was truly what mattered the most.

Since Ruoye wasn't connected to my body and soul, he was unactive. He was just a piece of fabric meant to cover his skin. It hurt to see.

I ran a hand down my wrists, and a couldn't help but a small smile to form. I remember when I was injured in that cave. San Lang drew upon shackles to assure that the shackles weighing me down weren't burdens.

'I'm your believer, you must let me watch over you.'

I chuckled lowly. San Lang said that.

I pressed the side of my head against the dirt walls, my eye closing shut. Maybe I would get a chance to sleep. I furrowed my eyebrows, keeping a firm hand on San Lang.

We needed to figure something out.