Chapter 52

"So, that's what you really look like? Or is 'Hsien Lian' what you really look like?" XingYing asked, a small basket in his hands. They were going to the market in town again. XingYing's life, though seemingly chaotic, had a very fit schedule. He would do chaotic things to mess with people now and then, but he didn't do much too much. He was shockingly calm throughout his daily routine.

It was weird spending so much time with a man like XingYing. It felt like the two had known each other for much longer than a year. It seemed like they've known each other forever. For Yao Wang being a new Heavenly Deity, he hadn't been in Heaven and doing Melee God meetings as much as he should.

He had rarely seen Fu Hai and Buo. It had mostly been then coming quickly to tell him something. An update on Heaven, other things. Yao Wang had to know, didn't he? "Why? You say that whenever I look like this?" Yao Wang asked. He rarely ever looked like a Heavenly Deity, only when it was useful to him. XingYing shrugged. "I'm only used to ghosts changing as quickly as you. It's unusual." XingYing explains, stepping into the market.

It was mostly empty, most likely because it was a day of rest. Not that Yao Wang and XingYing rested. Of course not. The two had more important, and more funny things to do than just rest. XingYing scans the market, his red eyes stopping at a small booth. "Can't you change into a human. It's just like that." Yao Wang explained. XingYing only hummed, starting his long stride over to the booth.

"Do you think you have temples?" XingYing asked, scanning the different fruits. It was spring, so the booth was mostly filled with cherries, carrots, grapefruits, and lemons. "Probably not." Yao Wang, shrugged. XingYing calmly held the grapefruit in his hand, before placing it in his basket. As XingYing began to walk away, without paying the man, Yao Wang sighed. Another mess he would have to clean up.

The man stood from his seat. "Hey! You forgot to pay!" THe man yelled. It wasn't angry, instead he was simply reminding the man to pay. Yao Wang sighed, pinching his nose. He stepped back, his vision turning a tint of blue as his hands did the same, glowing a bright blue. He stepped back once more, holding his hands behind his back. Simply waiting. XingYing smirked, turning around slightly.

"I didn't forget. Just didn't feel like it."

Other people looked at the two with glares. Something the village doesn't take easily is thiefs. Yao Wang watched as the man began to take out his old dao, threatening XingYing and Yao Wang. Though Yao Wang had a dao hanging at his hip, he didn't take it out. Yao Wang wasn't going to hurt the human.

XingYing glanced at the dao, which was pointed at Yao Wang, who was calm. XingYing assessed the situation for a moment, something he rarely did, before glaring harshly at the man. XingYing lifted his hand quickly and enchanted something in mid air, a cloud of smoke slowly forming around his hand.

His steps were quick, each one carefully thought out. His glare was horrifying, directed at only one man. Not yet. He hadn't expected XingYing to suddenly be more angry than usual. More upset than usual. But Yao Wang still waited silently. XingYing grabbed the sharp edge of the dao with his leather gloved hand, snatching it out of the man's hand, and throwing it to the side, right at Yao Wang's feet.

The black smogged hand gripped the man's hand, the old man screaming out. Yao Wang quickly became alert, a single word sliding out of his mouth. "Xui." He whispered, the spirit beginning at his wrists, before going to his hand. Yao Wang quickly walked up to the two, seeing exactly what XingYing was doing. With a single slide of his finger, the man's wrist was cut. Before XingYing could do the other, Yao Wang stepped, grabbing XingYing's arm with one hand, grabbing the man with the other.

"XingYing, enough." Yao Wang warned, his blue eyes meeting Ghost King's red ones. At first, XingYIng tried to pull away, but Yao Wang only tightened his grip. "Enough." Yao Wang repeated. XingYing stood his ground for a minute, before sighing. He stepped away, lowering his head.

Yao Wang looked abc at the old man. He was scared for his life, horrified. However, Yao Wang didn't care about that so much. Instead, Yao Wang went to the man's hands. One was burned from XingYing's grip with blood flowing down. The other was luckily fine. He held out his palm, Xui's silky blue string wrapping itself around the man's wrist and hand.

XingYing will barely even touch the people, barely even glance at them. Yet XingYing had hurt this man. Why? Because he pointed a dao at Yao Wang. "What did I tell you? About hurting humans." Yao Wang scolded. It was less of a question, and more rhetorical. Yao Wang had talked to XingYing about hurting humans.

He had made the other promise.

"Why did you hurt him then?" Yao Wang asked, as if XingYing had answered his first question. Yao Wang opened his palm, Xui unwrapping itself to go back into Yao Wang's palm. "Y-you're- you're a god?!" The man yelled. Yao Wang, just like XingYing, barely gave the man a glance. "Because, they wanted to hurt you." XingYing muttered.

Yao Wang sighed, going to where XingYing was looking at. It was the man's dao. Seemingly, only with XingYing's glance, the man's dao broke into several pieces, shattering into many different sharp pieces. "A GOD! A GOD HAS COME TO EARTH!" Yao Wang sighed, lowering his head. A young lady ran up to him.

"God, please help! My son, he's sick. He's only a child- I barely have enough to feed him! Please!" The young girl begged. Yao Wang gasped, crouching down to help the girl. "Really? Do you know if he's ok? How can I-"

Another young man ran up to him. "God! God! Please! My family is struggling. We need to get my sisters married, but no one will take them! Can you-" Soon enough, there was a ground around Yao Wang, each with someone in a terrible situation. Yao Wang listened to each other, saddened. How could Yao Wang see the Human Realm as such a happy place, when so many are struggling.

A long series of claps came from Yao Wang's side. Yao Wang could barely see what was happening or who it was. But people turned, gasping. Yao Wang took a breath of relief, the people around him disappearing, giving him room to breathe. But Yao Wang still wanted to help each one of them, but he didn't know how.

When he finally looked up, he saw Chen Guo and Fang Hai, in their Heavenly Deities form. The two had gold coins in their hands, throwing them onto the ground. "The God Of The East and The God Of The Sea have come to assist everyone with their problems." Chen Guo said in his most stereotypical godly voice ever. Fang Hai looked up at Yao Wang, winked, before going back to the people.

Xing Ying grabbed his wrist, pulling him into the path. His basket filled with fruits.

It wasn't what they were planning, but it was the distraction that they needed.