A silver butterfly drifts into view, its wings glimmering in the light. A tall man in crimson follows at a leisurely pace, chains on his boots chiming with each step — Hua Cheng, the Ghost King, eyepatch gleaming, smile lazy and sharp.

Beside him walks a graceful figure in plain white robes, bamboo hat tilted low, grey eyes calm yet bright — Xie Lian, the once-Crown Prince of Xianle, now the Flower-Crowned Martial God. His presence is gentle, humble, quietly unshakable.

Where one appears, the other is never far.