My Nemesis Who Fell from the Sky Is My Childhood Friend?

A pretty powerful vengeful ghost & a rather unserious Daoist

Better to fall in love than to catch ghosts

Brooding, occasionally tsundere, protective, patient top x unknowingly flirtatious, oblivious, occasionally dark and sly bottom (unaware he's flirting at first, then knowingly flirts like crazy)

In the twenty-eighth year of Renhe, the emperor of the Li Dynasty died, and Crown Prince Li Xun ascended the throne.

The struggle for imperial power was already surging beneath the surface.

But Li Chi'an, the famous next-in-line choice for crown prince, said he just wanted to lie flat. Who cares about becoming emperor? Let whoever wants the job take it.

He took the opportunity to leave the palace and, by chance, met someone.

Surname Shen, given name Yao, courtesy name Qingming.

Shen Qingming was fair and beautiful, elegant and graceful, with sharp brows and bright eyes. He might well have been the most handsome person Li Chi'an had ever seen.

Well, evil spirits really were the most beautiful.

Out of a few selfish motives and a Daoist's sense of justice, Li Chi'an tied him to his side.

From then on, the two started making a chaotic life together. You show off, I swindle; you make money, I spend it... They even picked up a child along the way and raised him for fun.

One day, Li Chi'an got a sudden craving for wine.

Half-drunk, he stared at Shen Qingming's face and, in a moment of impulse, kissed him.

Shen Qingming froze on the spot.

The person he'd had a crush on for nearly ten years had kissed him. Had his love finally paid off???

No, because Li Chi'an forgot all about it the next day.

But that was fine. Shen Qingming hadn't been asking for a title anyway. He just hadn't expected Li Chi'an to force one on him later.

Once they realized their feelings were mutual, everything started looking bright, with a wonderful future ahead!

But then, one night...

Shen Qingming's eyes turned blood-red, tears clouding his vision as he plunged a knife into Li Chi'an's heart.

Li Chi'an: "Hey, which one of us got stabbed here? Why are you crying???"

That single stab brought back more than ten years of memories.

A destined enemy turns out to be a dreamboat, and in the end, the person who's been by your side for over a decade is your childhood friend?

Li Chi'an: "Listen, I can explain. I really don't remember! I'm not a jerk!"

Shen Qingming: "I understand. I understand everything."

Li Chi'an leaned in and kissed him hard. "I forgot you, and you hurt me. Now we're even, okay?"

Shen Qingming pinned him beneath him and growled, "We'll never be even. In this life, the next, the one after that, and for all eternity, you'll be tangled up with me."

Li Chi'an: "Fine, fine. What else can I do? I love him, don't I? Guess I'll spoil him."

--

Shen Qingming: "Help! I reunited with him, but now he thinks I'm his enemy and some kind of freak. What do I do?"

Li Chi'an: "What kind of decent person starts by sniffing someone's neck and saying, 'You smell so sweet and nice'?"

Love at first meeting, childhood friends, separated by death, he's the only one (happy ending)

Notes:

1. The whole story is made up, so don't overthink it.

2. The two leads love each other deeply, but there are evil spirits causing trouble (so they have to fight them). The child is adopted, not born to them.

3. The romance is a slow burn. The early chapters focus on the plot, and the later ones focus more on the relationship (the story is currently in its later part).

4. They are childhood friends, though perhaps not in the most conventional sense?

(Li Chi'an: I think that's debatable. Shen Qingming: It's perfectly conventional.)

5. Most of the basic settings for the ghosts and monsters in the book come from Chinese Monster Stories, with the author's own adaptations and innovations.

Theme: There is true love in this world