Hsien Lian sighed, hearing the bell close to the market. For the last hour, he and XingYing had been explaining to Fu Hai and Buo what their theories were about the demon. Both of them had already been able to be turned back into a human, though it took until sunset to do so. It was almost night, and the four had only been able to buy enough food for the night, their rations going low.
"That's not a bad thought. Everything seems to fit." Buo thinks quietly. Their footsteps crunch on the ground as autumn leaves begin to fall even though it is still summer. A soft breeze flew past them, Hsien Lian's white and blue hanfu floating in the wind. His sleeves move up slightly to reveal the clean bandages that had been on him for centuries. Hsien Lian turned his head to XingYing.
He had a soft smile on his face, his lips as red as his hanfu. His black hair flowed down to his waist, pushed mostly behind his ears. Yet, a few strands escaped it's grasp, falling over his shoulder. His nose and jaw were sharp, with quick and subtle eyes. He wore a loose white undershirt under his red hanfu, the sun painted in gold on the front in a calligraphy style.
His pale hands went down to his waist, tightening the leather waist knot. He looked up at Hsien Lian, his footsteps buoyant and light. However his eyes held meaning, everything he did held meaning, Hsien Lian began to learn.
"Something wrong?" XingYing asked, laughing quietly. Hsien Lian perked up, before lightly shaking his head. "Oh- no of course not. I wasn't watching you, I was watching the forest." Hsien Lian quickly lied, nodding once more before turning to the front. XingYing stared at him for a moment, obviously not believing a word, before continuing to look forward. "But there is a problem with your ghost fake theory." Fu Hai voices, clasping his hands behind his back. Hsien Lian hummed. "What is it?"
"Let's say you were in a river valley, and once a day the river will flood and bring gold. However, the flooding was erratic. Wouldn't you wait all day for the gold, then go home?" Buo asked, him turning around to walk backwards. "Yeah, you wouldn't know if you got gold otherwise." Hsien Lian answered. Fu Hai smiled, nodding his head.
"Demons can't clone themselves, so how could the demon be in multiple places to collect souls." Fu Hai asked. Buo nodded along. "So then, why would their souls be eaten? That doesn't make sense. Their eyes were pitch black." Hsein Lian remembered how their faces looked. It sent shivers down his spine.
"What if it was a God?"
Everyone turned to XingYing, who had his head up high, a small smirk on his face. He didn't look at any of them. "What do you mean by that?" Fu Hai asked, already on the defense. XingYing shrugged. "Well, think about it. Both gods and demons can lure people into temples. However demons can't duplicate themselves, but gods can." XingYing finally turned to them, still with a smirk. "That couldn't be. Tao Wu would have found out-"
"Maybe it was Tao Wu." XingYing shrugged, meaning nothing in his words. "Just a thought, it's a little suspicious, you know?" Hisen Lian shook his head. Tao Wu could never do that. There was no reason for him to do that. "No, XingYing, Tao Wu wouldn't have anyone to do that. What's the reason why he would do something like that?" Hsien Lian asked, to which XingYing didn't answer at first.
"You know, Lian, the world is changing. China's changing. People don't believe in gods as much as they used to, people don't believe in a God as much as they used to. Maybe Tao Wu's doing this to assert his dominance. Make people remember that he is the King of Gods. Make people remember who's really in charge." He turned to Hsien Lian sincerely, smiling softly. "It's just an idea. It might not be true. But I just thought I might as well say it."
Hsien Lian looked away, back down at the dirt traced path. It made sense, Hsien Lian wouldn't disagree. While he was human, Hsien Lian hadn't heard anyone say anything about a god until Jing-Mei. Most people most likely believe in Taoist gods, even though they're just as real as the air. Maybe... Well, it made a lot of sense.
"Gods are most powerful in their own temples. Plus it would get people's attention." Buo mumbled, shrugging. Fu Hai sighed, rubbing his head. "Tao Wu isn't the type of person- he just isn't. He would never do something like that" Fu Hai defended. Hsien Lian thought the same way, but they didn't know what was real and what wasn't.
"I feel terrible for thinking this." Hsien Lian muttered, XingYing disappeared behind him, only to give him a hug. The slightly taller human places his chin on Hsien Lian's shoulder, wrapping his arm around the god's waist. "As I said, it's just a theory. It might not be true. There are some loose ends and weird questions."
"Like why would he tell us guys to go down here and fight these ghosts." Buo aided, turning back around. His hanfu dragged slightly behind him, not getting dirty on the dusted path. That's the thing about gods, no matter what happens, they never get dirty. A magical thing that people like Hsien Lian love.
"In case this is real, and in case it is Tao Wu, who are we going to call? There is no one above the gods." Hsien Lian asked, pulling XingYing's hands that fell over his shoulder closer. Everyone went quiet at Hsien Lian's question, trying to think of a good enough answer.
"Well," Buo starts. "There is one person."
Fu Hai smiles, nudging Boy's shoulder. "No, two."