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“How was the mission with Xianle?” Jun Wu asked, already knowing the answer. He was only here because he had been told by another official that Pei Ming had spent all his time sulking and moping since he got back.
The martial god was wearing something that a common person would wear. His hair was down and it appeared that he hadn’t bothered to brush it in a few days. He looked almost as disheveled as someone who lived in a poor village.
Pei Ming sunk into his chair. “Bad.”
“I noticed you came back without three members of your party.” Jun Wu stated, trying to carry the conversation.
“Don’t remind me…” Pei Ming grumbled, dragging his hands across his face.
“Would you mind telling me what happened to them?” Jun Wu prodded.
“Qingxuan disappeared with He Xuan, who was disguised as the Earth Master by the way, and-” Pei Ming cut himself off with a loud groan. He didn’t want to talk about it.
Jun Wu could tell that Pei Ming was in intense mental pain. He’d barely left his palace and refused to talk to anyone. Jun Wu had to force himself inside to get the martial god to meet with him over tea.
Speaking of, Pei Ming had not touched his cup. It stayed sitting in the spot that Jun Wu had placed it.
“And? Tell me more.” Jun Wu interrogated, taking a sip of his tea.
“They killed the Water Master.” Pei Ming finished. It was obvious that those words stabbed Pei Ming like a hundred swords through his heart.
“You never told me why you held him to such a high post. I know he was your friend, but-”
“He was the only guy who didn’t treat me like some common whore.”
“That’s quite interesting.” Jun Wu hummed. “Well, what happened with him?”
^\/^
Pei Ming sat quietly under the deck of the boat. It was still swaying wildly, but thankfully gods didn’t get motion sick. It was peaceful until Shi Wudu barged in.
“Those idiotic bastards!” He yelled, kicking an empty box. “Telling me I need rest, I am a God! An elemental master for goodness sake!”
“Sounds like a rough time.” Pei Ming monotoned, checking his nails.
“Aaah!!” Shi Wudu jumped, turning to the martial god. “You scared me!”
“My apologies, oh high and mighty Water Master.” Pei Ming sarcastically apologized. He stood up and walked over to the other man, crossing his arms in front of himself.
“You have been in such a mood, not very kind of you.” Shi Wudu huffed, looking away from Pei Ming.
Pei Ming rolled his eyes. “I’ve been watching Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. I desperately need them to do something about their affection, but they are refusing to do so.” He complained, sounding much more dramatic than he needed to.
“You say that like you’ve ever done anything right in a relationship.” Shi Wudu accused.
Pei Ming gasped, feigning offense. “I’m not a good partner but I’m a damn good matchmaker.”
“Go check yourself out in the reflection of your bracers, alright? I’m irritated enough.” Shi Wudu ordered, walking away from Pei Ming.
The Water Master stomped around the ship, huffing and puffing.
Pei Ming watched him, trying to think of something to say to get the other to calm down. He had to admit, he was good with women but terrible with men. More often than not he found himself stumbling over his words when he tried to flirt with men.
Well, the only man he had ever flirted with was Shi Wudu but that didn’t matter.
“The next section of your trial won’t be easier than the last, rest would be beneficial.” Pei Ming blurted out.
Shi Wudu shot him a look. “Now even you’re telling me what to do.”
“We’re each other’s only friends, Water Master. People don’t like you, people don’t like me. Don’t you think that there’s some importance in my words?” Pei Ming asked. He never liked pointing out the fact that he didn’t have any friends. He liked to think that he was popular among the heavenly people.
Shi Wudu stood in front of Pei Ming, looking up at him. His eyes were sharp and unforgiving. Pei Ming was used to this. He’d known the Water Master for hundreds of years and throughout many of these tantrums that he threw.
“I don’t understand why you’re so adamant on being good to me.” Shi Wudu resigned, walking away and sitting down on a crate.
“This Pei believes that those with a common enemy should come together and help each other.” Pei Ming explained. He walked over and sat next to Shi Wudu.
“Yes, I know we have a common enemy of the Heavenly court.” Shi Wudu admitted.
“....And?” Pei Ming asked hopefully. He never thought that Shi Wudu considered him a close friend, but he desperately wanted to be that for him.
“You’re just clingy.” Shi Wudu insulted. He clacked open his fan and began to fan himself gently. It was clear that he held himself well above his title.
Pei Ming just sat there for a moment. He’d never been called clingy. He’d called women clingy, but never considered himself to be clingy.
“I am not clingy,” He huffed, turning away from Shi Wudu. “You’re just mean.”
“I am not, you’re just a masochist!” Shi Wudu said in offense. He closed his fan and smacked it over Pei Ming’s head.
“Ow!” Pei Ming exclaimed, grasping his head. “That hurt!”
Shi Wudu huffed, crossing his arms and turning away from Pei Ming.
Shortly after the last exclamation, the hatch door opened. Both men could see the familiar silver ordained boots of Hua Cheng.
“Maybe you two should just make out instead of arguing!” The Ghost king yelled down, then slammed the hatch.
Above the deck, Shi Wudu and Pei Ming could hear Xie Lian scolding Hua Cheng for saying such a thing, although the voices were muffled. Pei Ming was still rubbing his head, trying to ease the stinging pain from where Shi Wudu had hit him.
After hearing the anguished screams of the wind master, Pei Ming rushed to their general direction. He knew he would find them there. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian followed behind him, not moving quite as fast. The trees caught his robes as he ran but he couldn’t get it out of his mind that something had happened to one of the Shi siblings.
Much to his dismay, Pei Ming loved them both very much. Qingxuan treated him like an older brother and he thought that felt nice. Wudu was relentlessly mean to him, but he didn’t mind that. There was a stunning face and kind smile behind that forest of red flags. He didn’t want anything to happen to either of them. He loved them both with his whole heart, in a way that wasn’t going to end in heartbreaking abandonment.
Adrenaline fuelled Pei Ming entirely. His legs carried him mindlessly, arms pushing aside branches that might be in the way while he ran.
Then he got to the clearing. He saw the headless body of Shi Wudu laying in the shallow water. He Xuan held his head by his hair and Qingxuan knelt next to the body of their brother.
He stopped.
In an instant He Xuan and the Windmaster were gone.
Pei Ming remembers feeling Hua Cheng’s hands on his arms holding him back as Xie Lian went and checked the area. He remembers carrying Shi Wudu’s body back to the shore to bury him. He remembers feeling drained and empty and tired when he got back to the upper court.
He hadn’t even gotten to tell Shi Wudu how he felt. It was something that would eat away inside of him forever. He had never gotten to have a proper relationship with Shi Wudu and he wouldn’t ever get to do so now.
^\/^
Jun Wu stayed silent for a while after Pei Ming finished speaking. The Martial god had taken a break between telling stories to collect himself. As far as Jun Wu knew, there was still a lot of lingering feeling despite the amount of time that passed.
“That sounds terrible.” Jun Wu stated calmly.
“It was,” Pei Ming sobbed, wiping his nose on his sleeve.
“Well,” Jun Wu began to clean up the tea. “I don’t expect you to be on duty until you think you are capable of doing it. That should give you as much time as you need to recover.”
“Thank you.” Pei Ming mumbled.
Jun Wu called in one of the servants to take the tea tray away. He then stood up, bowing to the martial god. “I’ll leave you be. Please make an attempt to take care of yourself.”