Chapter 193 - How We All Feel

"I want you to be flustered, upset, but not hurt."

Xu Lan took the letter and read it quietly to himself. Mo Chou waited and observed the pinkette to see the pale face scrunched up. He heard the hiccups and saw the tears slipping down splotchy red cheeks. He reached out and cupped the master's face, thumbing the tears away.

"If it makes you feel any better, Ah Lan, he sometimes calls me your name."

"We aren't even alike," Xu Lan hiccupped.

"I know! You're prettier than me," Mo Chou laughed with a grin.

"Stop it," the pinkette frowned and pushed him gently away. Mo Chou followed and sat back before reaching back into his sleeve. A white clouded butterfly revealed and the pinkette wiped his eyes.

"He said if you ended up crying, to give you this."

The butterfly spread its wings and flew over to the pale man.

"Lan-er," his uncle's voice entered his ear and he scrunched his face feeling more tears coming, "I miss you nephew. If you are hearing this, then you are in tears and Mo Chou felt you needed this. Remember that you carry much on your shoulders. Share the burden, dearest nephew."

Xu Lan sniffled and saw the red handkerchief with a gold plum blossom handed to him. He had seen this before. His Uncle Yue had the same one.

"Wipe your tears, Lan-er. When you would cry in my palace as a babe, I would play you a song. Would you like to hear it?"

He nodded.

Xu Lan closed his eyes and felt his lips curled to the melody his uncle was playing. He wished he could watch the raven-haired man play this before him. He wished the man in red was here helping him with his powers. He wished his uncle was here.

Opening his black eyes, he saw Mo Chou just watching him. Clearing his throat, he looked back down at the items and felt his body calmed. With his uncle's music playing against his ear, he picked up a talisman with a golden phoenix.

He then reached to a round beaded bracelet. It was clear, but when he touched it, it bled into black. Holding it up, he turned the item and stared at it with furrowed brows.

"It would clear if your powers are balanced, Ah Lan."

He looked over at the navy-haired man and glanced back at the bracelet. He slipped it through his hand and he called forth the power of the Heavens to see the wrist lightened gold. The pinkette pulled it back and saw his bracelet colored half black and gold.

"Wow."

"He wanted you to be able to see when you are unbalanced."

"He really makes it hard."

"Hm?"

Xu Lan let out a short laugh and looked at his uncle's loyalist.

"To be able to stop him when he goes bad again. Ugh! This is how Uncle Yue feels."

"No, Xu Lan," Mo Chou sighed with a small smile, "This is how we all feel."

==

(Netherworld)

Red eyes looked amusedly at his lover and his brother. They both had been working hard building another set of homes for more of their people to roam freely. The demon ate a piece of bun with a grin as he watched the beautiful men sweating. Chests and backs bared for his ruby eyes to drown in.

"Ah Wu, stop staring. Bring us those bricks."

He laughed and dragged the bricks to them. He kissed the green haired man and sighed feeling his lover kiss back. He pulled back and ran his fingers under the left eye.

"Ah Wu, do not distract me or I could not help our king."

"It is alright, Pang Xi. I will finish this wall."

"Are you certain?"

"My brother in insatiable, Ah Xi. Please him enough so he doesn't bother us again."

"Ah Li!" Ye Wu shouted red in the face, but Wang Li only smirked at him.

Pang Xi nodded with his ears red and dragged the head demon with him to the palace. Wang Li laughed and sighed relaxed. Down in the Netherworld, he could not see the sun or the moon. He could only tell time from the light in the sky. Staring up at it, he closed his eyes and imagined the moon, his wife, his beautiful lover.

Exhaling a deep breath, he returned to his work. It kept him busy, kept his mind at bay, and his heart at peace. He would smile every so often when he felt a slight tug of anger, of lust, of sadness, of pain. It only proved to him how much his wife was trying to not let it affect him. 

'How I miss you, Ah Yue.'

"Ah! Yes!"

Wang Li sighed shaking his head amused. Reaching his hand out, he sent out his energy to cover the palace into silence. No one needed to hear Ye Wu and Pang Xi making love. Although he was happy for his brother, he did not want to hear any of it.

'Hm… were we too loud as well, beloved?' He wondered for a moment before his lips curled into a deep smile.

"Mm ka-ing."

His silver eyes turned to the conjoined twins.

The ones his dear wife almost killed due to his power warping in the blonde. He was glad he stopped his lover. He knew Ying Yue would never forgive himself. His wife certainly blames himself for many things and Wang Li would forever try to lessen his lover's blame.

His eyes softened seeing their big eye staring up at him, reminding him of his nephew. They held their hands out with grabby motions and he squatted down quirking his brow.

"Candy." "Candy."

"Did you two do good today?"

They nodded quickly, bobbing their heads like it was on springs. He smiled amusedly and hummed, placing his fist under his chin.

"Tell me, children, what did you learn today with your teacher?"

They looked at each other for a moment and held out two fingers in one hand and two in the other.

"Chu! Chu puhsh chu," they moved the fingers together, "Por!"

Their eyes shined at him and he felt his heart melted. Pulling out two candy on the stick from his pocket, he handed it to them. They gave him a quick hug before their black tongues wrapped around the sweet. Wang Li patted their heads and returned to completing the wall for homes.

His smiled when the children went to sit where Ye Wu had occupied earlier, blabbering sounds at one another. He welcomed it. It filled the space so he didn't feel so empty, so alone, under the realm where his lover lived.

==

Sitting on the throne, Wang Li listened to the ghost pleading to be among those who are free to roam. He glanced at Ye Wu who quirked a brow at him. His silver eyes caught the pale golden ones and he smiled.

"What do you think, Pang Xi?"

"Me? My king… I don't-"

"Your opinion is important to me as Ah Wu's. You are my brother, after all."

The red eyed demon perked up with a grin and the green haired man chuckled softly with a nod. Golden eyes assessed what the ghost had stated and he hummed. This ghost was an elder, one who had done horrible things to children. The elder had been locked up for fifty centuries and had not been able to leave the confines of his cage since.

The elder looked pleadingly at him and Pang Xi sighed, returning his eyes to waiting silver ones.

"I believe everyone deserves forgiveness, my king. What this elder had done is unimaginable and terrible. But… a trial of freedom, perhaps?"

Wang Li listened and a part of him could not help seeing his wife in the green haired man. The kindness, the hope that only one of the Heaven's could possess. Silver eyes slid to the elder demon bowed lowly.

"You are free to roam and we will assess after the 70th nights. If you have done nothing wrong, you will be free, but listen closely elder. If I find out you lay any part of you on my children even after assessment, then I will rip you soul apart just to put it together and do it all again! Do you understand."

"Yes! Oh I thank you, my kind king. Thank you!"

The ghost kowtowed and Wang Li dismissed him with narrowed eyes. He called forth a demon snake to follow the ghost, monitor the elder's movements. If the elder were to do anything against what he stated, the snake would eat him whole, just to bring the ghost to his palace to be tortured.

He looked over to see pale golden eyes staring at him, searching his face.

"Eh, Ah Xi, keep looking at Ah Li like that and I will get jealous."

Golden eyes blinked and turned to the red eyed demon to see a frown on those pretty lips. He let out a quiet laugh and placed a kiss on his lover's temple. He pulled Ye Wu to stand with him and he turned to his king.

"My king, may I return to work on the walls?"

"As long as my insatiable brother works as well."

"Ah Li," the demon pouted before sighing, "Alright, fine. I hate you," Ye Wu mumbled.

"And I love you, Ah Wu."

Red eyes widened before a bright grin covered the demon's lips. Wang Li was embraced and felt Ye Wu rubbing against his temple with his cheek. He tapped his brother's arm with a laugh and the demon pulled away to place their foreheads together, smiling softly at him.

"I am happy that you are mine again, Ah Li."