#Di Feisheng

[difeisheng]

A Jianghu Mystery of the Middle Xi: The Tomb of Li Xiangyi

By Qiling, University of □□ (2024)

Left: A photograph of the inscribed text at Li Xiangyi's tomb, reading, "The grave of the Sigu Sect's departed Sect Leader, Li Xiangyi". Right: Artist's sketch renditions from eye-level frontal and aerial side views, recreating how the tomb may have appeared during the Xi dynasty.

Among the numerous important archaeological finds from the Xi Dynasty, the tomb of Li Xiangyi is not the most well-known, nor has it yielded any artifacts of particular intrigue, yet it has raised questions about certain points in history since its discovery. The tomb constitutes a small site, near a mountainous overlook which should have received little common traffic at the time of construction. Its structure is in line with some other aristocratic burials of the Middle Xi period: aboveground, with a chamber at the center of a raised rectangular dais several meters wide, large enough to bear only a single individual. A stone marker, which has survived in legible condition until today, declares it the tomb of Li Xiangyi, leader of the Sigu jianghu sect.

Records about Li Xiangyi are found at other archaeological sites contemporary with this tomb, and so his name is not an obscure one. The Sigu Sect complex has already undergone excavation for nearly two decades, with evidence that Li Xiangyi spent several years there as its first sect leader and founder. His tomb is within two hours' walking distance of the Sigu site, though isolated in its location, compared to the Sigu Sect's grand mountain entrance. (The complex itself was inhabited well after his death; bamboo slips cite Qiao Wanmian as the Sigu Sect's next major leader some years after, who oversaw it for several more decades into the later Xi). In addition, the Baichuan-Pudu site, closer to the eastern coast and historically the headquarters for the Baichuan Court, is affiliated with Li Xiangyi. Its origins apparently lay in an offshoot of the Sigu Sect, which grew into its own independent legal organization after his death.

Legends surrounding Li Xiangyi's life have been well-documented, both at Sigu and Baichuan-Pudu, but also in books and transcriptions of oral stories at sites around the country. These are dated to both the Middle and Late Xi periods, as well as a few scattered mentions in writings from the following dynasty. As a jianghu sect leader and swordsman, Li Xiangyi's reputation truly preceded him. Some tales speak of his early accomplishments, ridding towns of villainous tyrants and defeating criminals. Others talk about the founding of the Sigu Sect when Li Xiangyi was seventeen, and his subsequent missions leading his fellow swordsmen to protect the borders of the country. Not all of these narratives can be verified with surviving historical proof, and given Li Xiangyi's status in the shifting canon of folklore, the percentage that are hyperbole or fiction is likely significant. However, one that should be true, and is the most frequently told story throughout these sources, is that of Li Xiangyi's death.

All texts place Li Xiangyi as having died relatively young, with some providing a specified age, generally around twenty. He perished in a duel with Di Feisheng, leader of the Jinyuan Alliance, a rival jianghu organization and presumed threat to the Sigu Sect. As the sources say, the Jinyuan Alliance killed Li Xiangyi's sect brother, Shan Gudao, and in retaliation he used the Sigu Sect to launch a war against the Jinyuan Alliance. His final battle was the last in this war, dying in the East Sea on Di Feisheng's ship. The Jinyuan Alliance in return was badly defeated by the Sigu Sect; excavations at its first compound in the last five years have shown evidence of siege, with fire having destroyed large parts of the buildings. Afterward, the Sigu Sect disbanded without Li Xiangyi, with only the Baichuan Court continuing to function, before being resurrected one decade later.

Given this knowledge we have about Li Xiangyi, the matter of his burial should be straightforward. He had a tremendous impact on the jianghu in the few short years that he stood at its peak. He died heroically, if tragically, to obtain justice for a brother. He was honoured with a tomb, standing guard over the sect he dedicated his youth to. Why, then, is said tomb regarded as somewhat of a mystery?

This tomb was first stumbled upon during extended surveys of the Sigu site territory, with excavation taking place within the last two years. Parts of the stone chamber and foundation of the dais have withstood time, as have most things left inside. The tomb bears no signs of looting. However, there are some details which, alongside discoveries from other archaeological sites, contribute to a shadow of uncertainty on the existing narrative of Li Xiangyi's life.

Firstly, is that the austerity of the tomb does not line up with what we know of Li Xiangyi. Although overall sufficient enough for someone of his great reputation, the tomb is rather plainly embellished. There are an unexpectedly small number of burial objects inside, with those present being neither rare nor expensive. For all his contributions to the jianghu, less money and resources were poured into remembrance of Li Xiangyi than seems proper for his time.

Secondly, and far more significantly, is that the tomb holds no human remains. Whether the fact of Li Xiangyi having no recovered body to bury was made public is unknown; if it was, we do not have record of it. Certainly those who arranged for the tomb to be built and sealed would have carried this with them the rest of their lives, but no one else may be accounted for. Granted, it is not impossible for a disappeared body to have been common knowledge or presumption, as Li Xiangyi was killed at sea with no guarantee of being found. Yet this, combined with the ordinary appearance of the tomb, causes the entire site to appear... a nominal thing. Constructed to maintain acknowledgement of Li Xiangyi's absence, though his death was only marked by words, rather than a physical state.

He was given a tomb, but was Li Xiangyi truly dead before it was built?

In terms of the aforementioned other archaeological site findings, there is one that potentially implicates Li Xiangyi's death at an interesting political junction, within the context of the dynasty. The Xi Dynasty was unstable and relatively short-lived, established after taking back the Central Plains and adjacent territories from the southern conquering state of Nanyin. It endured for just under two centuries, the first of which was fraught with pockets of conflict, with many jianghu skirmishes such as that between the Sigu Sect and the Jinyuan Alliance. The greatest threat to the Xi Dynasty (until its fall) came one hundred years after its founding. Recovered archival records from the Xi capital excavation report that remaining Nanyin loyalists attempted a coup, supported by jianghu organizations, including a restored Jinyuan Alliance (although whether Di Feisheng was still its leader at this time is unclear). This attack was ultimately unsuccessful, but important to note is that the leader of this renewed Nanyin force is described as being Shan Gudao, Li Xiangyi's former sect brother.

Although Li Xiangyi brought the Sigu Sect into a war upon news of Shan Gudao's death, that demise seems to have been faked, with Shan Gudao disappearing underground only to reappear as part of a later rebellion. Could Li Xiangyi have been aware of this? Was his reaction to Shan Gudao's apparent death genuine? Or part of a coordinated plan, using him as a reason to destroy the Jinyuan Alliance, to eradicate any future resistance? Did Li Xiangyi, too, fake his death alongside Shan Gudao, in service of a shared cause? Were remnants of the Sigu Sect instructed to build an empty tomb, cementing Li Xiangyi as a dead hero so he could work in the shadows of the jianghu instead?

This is merely speculation, contradicted by the fact that if Li Xiangyi had indeed done as such, unlike Shan Gudao, after his duel with Di Feisheng he has no reappearance in any surviving records or at any archaeological site. As well, Li Xiangyi should have had no motivation for committing to such a scheme, with even loyalty to Shan Gudao a stretch for putting all the lives of the Sigu Sect on the line. That being said, history has a way of surprising the present, and this theory may not be entirely ruled out. At any rate, Shan Gudao's survival is a baffling accompaniment to Li Xiangyi's (lack of a) burial, one which will hopefully receive clarifying answers in future archaeological developments.

Perhaps the strangest piece of the puzzle concerning the end of Li Xiangyi's life, however, is Di Feisheng. After the Jinyuan Alliance was scattered by the Sigu Sect, stories regarding Li Xiangyi declared him dead and disappeared. Yet not unlike Shan Gudao, he became known in the jianghu once more about ten years later, witnessing the Nanyin's attempted coup and living long after. His tomb remained untouched, and was excavated eight years ago as part of the greater Tianji Mountain site project. The location of Di Feisheng's tomb is surprising, not only because it directly links him to the powerful and wealthy He clan of Tianji Manor, but also because he was buried next to their sole young master during the Xi Dynasty, Fang Duobing.

The son of financial minister Fang Zeshi and engineering master He Xiaohui, Fang Duobing became a notable youxia travelling the jianghu in the emperor's name, assigned in the wake of the attempted Nanyin coup. According to palace records, he was also betrothed to Princess Zhaoling, although the marriage agreement was eventually formally dissolved. What is otherwise known of Fang Duobing was his admiration of Li Xiangyi, having styled himself as a follower and disciple of him during his youth. As well, one eye-catching artifact among Fang Duobing's burial goods was a preserved wooden replica of a blade, with Li Xiangyi's name carved near the hilt. Likely a children's toy, prized and kept safe throughout Fang Duobing's life.

The exact nature of the relationship between Di Feisheng and Fang Duobing is not entirely certain, but it must have been a very close one, for Di Feisheng to have the privilege of burial on the Tianji estate. This topic justifies future study for our understanding of the Tianji He clan, already known in prior generations for its socially subversive relationships, but pertinent to Li Xiangyi is that the man whose most infamous act was to kill him, was laid to rest beside one who revered him. Why was there such a bond between these two figures, if the stories of Li Xiangyi's death have any truth to them? Did Li Xiangyi really die by Di Feisheng's blade? Did Li Xiangyi's empty tomb, plausibly signifying Di Feisheng's innocence, alter his relationship with Fang Duobing? Or indeed, did Li Xiangyi, the man himself, have a part to play in this?

No traces of him from this time remain in the archaeological record, true. But this should not be taken to mean without doubt that he was not alive then at all.

The discovery of Li Xiangyi's tomb has been an exciting development for studying this era of the Xi Dynasty, but it has also outlined doubt in areas of one man's life that were previously taken as likely facts. Li Xiangyi's tomb is scarcely fitting for his name as a founding sect leader, built more for the sake of its existence than anything else, and there was no body sealed inside to begin with. In addition, Shan Gudao— someone dear to Li Xiangyi— established a precedent of faking his death. Di Feisheng, known across the jianghu for killing the man, held a close bond with someone later in life who had personally looked up to Li Xiangyi, and so he may not have been fully responsible for Li Xiangyi's death to begin with.

What truly happened to Li Xiangyi, resulting in a tomb such as this? The past holds the answer, knowing things that we do not. Hopefully the future of archaeology will continue leading to new discoveries, and allow us to more completely understand the legend that was Li Xiangyi.

[kingsandbastardz]

I'm not allowed to add video to a reblog, apparently:

@a-memory-a-distant-echo posted footage of Fang Duobing and Li Lianhua horse riding - and since I'm a completionist, here's XSY's bts vlog where he rides in the beach and plays with Dahuang. [x]

Across several dramas, I noticed xsy often rides with only one hand on the reins and his other hand either free or gripping the pommel/ his front armor flap, etc.

Also some photos from a different angle

Additional reuters here.

[lyselkatz]

Lycoris Aurea*

Happiness, courage in adversity, placing hopes in the future.

My HC here: DFS followed the tales of a golden flower blooming in the legendary PéngLái Immortal Island 蓬萊仙島** beyond the Eastern Sea and managed to find it after an arduous journey.

Consumed by them both and combined with their respective blends of YángZhouMàn, BeiFengBáiYáng and the cleansing technics from LXY's master, it successfully cured HuaHua's poison, at the price of half of DFS's inner power***. HuaHua's hair turned totally white in the process.

👩‍🦳

* Lycoris flowers are actually toxic to humans and animals - do not touch/sniff/eat!

** Of course I picked Formosa/Taiwan among the many theoretical locations for the legendary island and the actual places where the flower is endemic.

*** And I just wanted to draw a-Fei with facial hair 🤭!

For @howling-harpy ♡

...☕?/commission

[cheetahing]

One sentence prompt but it's 2:

"A-Fei is an adult, educated, and he's not slow, so why do you explain everything to him so clearly, but you won't have the courtesy to do the same for anyone else? It's almost like you actually tell him the truth."

"what do you mean," li lianhua says mildly, "i always tell the truth."

"do not start with me," fang duobing says, pointing an imperious finger at li lianhua, "you liar!"

"how hurtful," li lianhua murmurs, taking a sip of tea.

"hurtful? you think that's— okay, no, i'm not falling for that, you sly old fox."

"again with the name calling," li lianhua says, in that infuriatingly calm tone.

"answer the question," fang duobing says, "no more prevaricating."

li lianhua is quiet, face unreadable. fang duobing hates when he does that.

"a'fei," he says finally, "is a man it's better not to have misunderstandings with, that's all."

fang duobing scoffs. "you always talk like you're so familiar, so why be afraid of that?"

"perhaps it's a matter of respect," li lianhua says, scratching his nose.

"are you saying you don't respect me?!" fang duobing squawks.

"hulijing," li lianhua says, standing up, "i think it's time to go home."

"hey," fang duobing says, trailing after him, "answer the question!"

a'fei detaches himself from the wall by the door, eyes glittering. he gives no indication of having heard the conversation but fang duobing gives him a suspicious look anyway. he points two fingers at his eyes, then at a'fei, then his eyes again. a'fei sneers.

"li lianhua," he says, falling in beside li lianhua, "i have a question."

fang duobing stops dead. "do not answer that!" he cries, running to catch up with both of them, hulijing trotting merrily at his side.

*

fic meme requests still open!

[the-wintry-mizzenmast]

笛花 Dihua/Feihua prompt fill for @kingsandbastardz The groupchat had a burst of inspiration from @lyselkatz's post-canon fanart of silver-haired Li Lianhua and bearded A-Fei, and wanted to play around a little.

[Being officially dead doesn't mean they no longer solve problems. Dead bodies keep appearing with distressing regularity.]

-----

Normally, a dead body found in the streets of Jia Town isn't their problem. But three bodies scattered in different places in one night? Even Li Lianhua's old fox ears begin to twitch as the news breezes through the morning market bustle. 

“Don't,” Di Feisheng warns, as his husband stops to inspect some radishes being sold by Sun Erniang and ever so casually inquires about the strange nature of the injuries found on all three corpses.

She claims she doesn't know much, but the excruciating detail with which she is able to describe the blood which was seeping from the corpses’ eyes, nose, and ears, and the bloom of black bruising on their necks when they were discovered, means that the farm wife rumor mill has been hard at work.  

After he's wrung out every last scrap of detail that Sun Erniang knows—for her neighbor's cousin’s brother-in-law works at the local yamen—Li Lianhua turns and deposits an armful of radish and cabbage in the woven basket Di Feisheng is holding. The farmer has been well-rewarded for her information, he observes.

Li Lianhua turns, bidding her a good day. He cozies up to Di Feisheng, relieving him of the basket and uses the excuse of steering him through the crowd to hang off his arm so they can convene in low tones. 

“So, A-Fei,” says Li Lianhua lightly. “Do you think this is the Qiankun Wudu Shou 乾坤五毒手 or the Tiangang Xuanwu Zhi 天罡玄武指?”

Di Feisheng strokes his beard thoughtfully. Since his retirement from Jianghu ten years ago, between the travels, the sunsets, and the chores to do around Lotus Tower, he's managed to amass quite the collection of esoteric martial arts tomes. Between the two of them, there's not a single technique that can escape their discerning eye, but that doesn't mean that the old fox should be poking his snout where it doesn't belong. If the Emperor ever gets word that Li Lianhua yet lives…well, Di Feisheng doesn't need to remind his husband of how suddenly the quiet life they've managed to lead will come to a juddering halt.

“I'd have to see the bodies myself to know for sure,” Di Feisheng hears himself saying, even though he knows where this is going to lead. 

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Li Lianhua agrees, with a mischievous grin playing about the corners of his mouth. “The yamen is that way,” he says, nudging Di Feisheng to turn right down the next street. 

“Don't worry,” Li Lianhua continues, before Di Feisheng can even open his mouth to voice his concern. “Sun Erniang’s neighbor’s cousin's brother-in-law works there. They won't tattle on us.”

Di Feisheng merely grunts, and lets his husband lead him onto the next mystery. It's only been a week since the last one. He begins to wonder whether they are somehow cursed, or if his husband is just terrible at minding his own business. Perhaps it's a bit of both.

[jiaoliqiao]

Fanghua + Calling for A-Fei (and the one time it wasn't needed)

[zishuge]

The only thing I remember is killing people. You say I'm someone who saves people. I won't kill you — but I don't believe you either. Do you think I'm a fool? You're not a fool. Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) | Ep. 20

[renshengs]

so i really like this show and decided that i should make a powerpoint to get people to watch it. and now 5 hours later here we are. this is my pitch. please watch 莲花楼

[carduelis-art]

[mutantfactor]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook | pov: there are only 2 beds

[difeisheng]

I have already fallen deaf and blind

And we are left now with the final countdown

How can one speak clearly of every minute, every moment, in just a few words?

If there still remains the final tacit understanding between us

The only gift we have, this final tacit understanding

Then let us use it

To lay this love to rest.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) // 啊默契 (Ah, Tacit Understanding), Liu Yuning

[roncheg]

I am eagerly watching Mysterious Lotus Casebook*o* so good!

idk what will the ending bring (nothing good, knowing Chinese dramas); but in my mind Di Feisheng (“gay as hell to have arch nemesis; what’s he arching? his back?”- meme personified) will always aggressively care for Li Lianhua (there probably will be threats of the snake pit at least twice a dayXDD)

[travalerray]

how to not introduce your new cat to the old one: a guide by Li Lianhua

[cheetahing]

written for @yletylyf for the @cdrama-action event!

“Oh, meat buns,” he says, the vendor down the street catching his attention. He pulls A’Fei along by the hand, ignoring the perplexed look he gets in response. This is science! He orders two, biting into his own while A’Fei is still examining the one in his hands like it might grow legs and run off. So suspicious! “Eat, eat,” Li Lianhua urges, chewing. It’s good. The meat is fragrant, spiced just enough to bring out the flavor, and the dough is tender without being so soft that it falls apart in the hand. “If we eat enough here,” he says, “I won’t have to make dinner.” That does it.

Fandom: Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Rating: G

Relationship: Di Feisheng/Li Lianhua

[tiny-breadcrumbs]

Must not be late to shan gudao funeral

[the-wintry-mizzenmast]

笛花 Dihua/Feihua prompt fill for @dharjeeling Still on the topic of @lyselkatz's post-canon fanart of silver-haired Li Lianhua and bearded A-Fei.

[When Di Feisheng finally woke up, Li Lianhua's hair was so lily white. But he was standing, his cheeks flushed with life, and Di Feisheng would do it all over again.]

-----

When Di Feisheng finally wakes up, sunlight is already streaming through the windows of Lotus Tower. He pushes himself up to his elbows, and the motion catches Li Lianhua’s attention. The old fox hurries over to the side of the bed from where the congee has been simmering in the kitchen.

It smells like congee now, like something that an ordinary person might actually want to eat, instead of reeking of noxious fumes like a medicinal warehouse that’s been set on fire. It’s a sign that Li Lianhua’s senses are returning, that he can smell and taste again, that what the Bicha poison took from him is slowly being restored. 

The light captures Li Lianhua’s silver hair as he stands at Di Feisheng’s side, framing his benevolent features with the radiance of a bodhisattva. The next thing that comes out of his mouth, however,  shatters that illusion. 

“You went too hard last night, A-Fei. I don’t approve.” 

Di Feisheng wants to tell him there’s no such thing as going too hard, that the way Li Lianhua’s cheeks are flushed with life and vitality prove that more than anything, but it’s too early in the day for such melancholy sentiment. 

So he says instead, “I know my limits,” and before his husband can protest, he adds, “and I know yours too.”

Li Lianhua purses his lips. “I’ll get you some food. You know, you’re lucky I can walk today,” he mutters, as if that’s his chief concern, and not the fact that every time they dual cultivate, Di Feisheng uses up a little more of his internal energy to dissolve what remains of the Bicha. Li Lianhua doesn’t like it, but how Di Feisheng chooses to use his internal energy is not for him to say. 

It has taken almost two years for them to get here, for the majority of the poison to be cleansed, and it may take another two to five before it is driven out completely. Li Lianhua’s hair has turned completely white, and Di Feisheng already has a lock of white at his temple. Li Lianhua plays with it often, curling it around his finger, or paying it extra attention when he brushes his hair. Di Feisheng knows that he may also go completely silver before the last of the Bicha is gone, but he takes it as a sign that they will remain together well into the white hairs of old age, as the expression goes. The thought pleases him. 

They sit down at the table together, Di Feisheng’s bowl filled almost to the brim, Li Lianhua’s own only half full. 

“I’ve already eaten,” he explains. 

Di Feisheng stares at his own husband with a faint frown, but then picks up his spoon and digs in. He can tell when Li Lianhua is lying—the subtle shift in his voice and gaze, the flex in his fingers—the old fox isn’t lying right now. 

There’s a rule that Fang Duobing set when all this all started—when you eat at Lotus Tower, you eat together. It means that Li Lianhua has had to eat whenever they do, has to snack whenever they snack. It’s gradually put some meat back on those skinny fox bones, and Di Feisheng is thankful that Fang Duobing had the good sense to make up that rule and then enforce it.

Li Lianhua reaches forward, and Di Feisheng thinks there must be a fleck of rice stuck in his beard. Instead, Li Lianhua takes his chin and strokes a thumb through the short, rough hairs there. 

“You’re getting a bit of white in here too,” he says.

That’s news to him, but Di Feisheng finds he doesn't mind. “It matches the hair,” he replies and shoots Li Lianhua an easy, reassuring smile. For all that Li Lianhua is an old fox, sometimes he is afraid—of wanting too much, of Di Feisheng is sacrificing too much, of being undeserving of whatever he receives. The fear rears its head less and less as the Bicha recedes, when Li Lianhua can see that he is needed and he is loved, and that not all of the ills of the world were born from the hubris of his youth.

There is a long road yet ahead of them, and it is precisely because of that that if Di Feisheng were given the choice, he would do it all over again. He wants to walk this road with Li Lianhua, and Li Lianhua only. 

They finish their meal, and there is much to do before the day is done—dishes to wash, floors to sweep, a whole field of golden wangchuan flowers to tend to. They get up, and set about the chores, together.