#HES CALLED CRIMSON RAIN SOUGHT FLOWER. THE RAIN IS BLOOD

[average-hua-cheng-fan]

i think about this thumbnail every day

[hualianschild]

let's talk abt hua cheng and the way his entire *almost* existence relates back to xie lian cuz it's been my current roman empire, his name having the word 'hua' which means 'flower' can be seen as relating to xie lian's god name (the flower crowned martial god), also he's called crimson rain sought flower cuz he was shielding a lone white flower (also represents xie lian) from the blood rain (he can be the said 'flower' in that rain too actually), that red coral pearl on his hair braid ? it belongs to xie lian, that red string tied around his finger, xie lian tied strands of his hair around that finger which represents marriage and ofc the red-string-of-fate soulmate trope, he has xie lian's name tattooed on him in his terrible writing, made an entire city just so his love can come there and rest and build a temple there so he can worship him and remained his only devotee when xl lost everything (that thing abt gods being in existence as long as there is someone to worship them) he gave up on becoming a god cuz then who will be worshipping his god ?? isn't afraid to show his true form to xl which he never did to anyone, destroyed those thirty three gods cuz they ridiculed his gege, took lqq along with him to qi rong's den so he can clear the false accusations even if xl didn't want him to CUZ YOU WILL NAWT BE HATING HIS DIANXIA OVER THINGS HE NEVER DID i mean his entire existence is because xie lian said 'if you can't find any reason to live, make me your reason to live' and oh isn't that level of devotion and love so devastating ?

[huaenrose]

They call him the Crown Prince Who Pleased The Gods, but he’s one who has never feared defying them.

They call him Crimson Rain Sought Flower, but he’s the one who always prevented the blood from finding his Flower.

And in a world where the belief of other people meaning power, they’re powerful by their own belief.

[animebltches]

no wait you don’t understand it’s not just that xie lian saved baby hua cheng during his crown prince swordsman parade and that’s why hua cheng is so devoted to him. it’s that xie lian saved him again and again and again. against qi rong abusing little hua cheng for disrupting the auspicious parade of precious crown prince. when the swordsman of the xianle pavilion blamed the attack of demon spirits on hua cheng. when xie lian became a god and still somehow found little hua cheng and saved him from the beating of bullies.

it’s not just the red umbrella baby hua cheng found at the entrance to xie lian’s shrine. it’s that god xie lian put that umbrella there. saw this child bloodied and bruised and dirtied, shivering in the rainy cold. gave him the red umbrella hua cheng keeps still, almost a millennia later.

it’s not just that xie lian always keeps food on his person because in the years he was cast down from the heavens he was starved and scrounging for any token of survival. it’s that long long before that he watched his people, the people he was crown prince to, starve and suffer from drought and famine. he knew far before he ever learned himself, what hunger looked like.

it’s not just that hua cheng asked xie lian if he would hate his true form even if it was ugly. it’s that he, as a child, was beaten and shamed by those who should love him. by those who could have loved him. got told he was ugly and unwanted over and over again. with his one eye already carved out, and bandages always adorning his face. while still a child. a baby only stumbling out of toddlerhood. it’s about how hua cheng had not known what love without physical body meant. and about how xie lian saw him as a child, grimy and scoundreled, and was not afraid to hold him and his blood fingers, and his blackened clothes. it’s about how xie lian never thought to worry about the physical body. for he knew the heart always. it’s that hua cheng asks xie lian as a way to know if xie lian cared now, centuries later, about the physical body. it’s that xie lian stays the same, cares only for the heart within.

it’s not just that hua cheng is called crimson rain sought flower. it’s that god xie lian’s statues held those flowers to show his gentle heart. it’s that little hua cheng used to put fresh pure white flowers at the statue of god xie lian and ask to it every day. it’s that xie lian saw him replace an old flower with a crisp new one while it was raining in their kingdom of drought. its that hua cheng used that umbrella to protect the flower that gave him his famed name. it’s that crimson and rain and sought and flower are all things that mean xie lian, but given to hua cheng. it’s that hua cheng is named xie lian. it’s that xie lian is named hua cheng.

it’s that they have been connected their entire lives. since before any story could conceive of weaving together. it’s that hua cheng is hua cheng because of xie lian. it’s that xie lian has only ever felt like himself with hua cheng.

it’s that…it’s that…they’re devoted to each other. their reason to live.

[vogelimkafiiig]

Ah, look at all the lonely people

Summary: You're almost glad Erwin didn't live to see what happened after Shiganshina.

A/N: Very much inspired by Cody Fry's rendition of Eleanor Rigby. Angst with a side order of angst. And another side order of apologies.

Warnings: HUGE SEASON 4 PART 2 MANGA SPOILERS - DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILED!!! Angst and descriptions of violence/death/blood.

Ah, look at all the lonely people Ah, look at all the lonely people

You hadn’t been permitted to attend his funeral. It had been more of a proceeding than an honouring. A military affair- high-ranking officers only. A cold, looming gravestone with no body resting beneath it.

But as you kneeled before where his name was carved harshly into the marbled stone, lay a pristine white lily down somewhere he would never see it, you took what little comfort you could.

Erwin had always been fond of flowers. He knew their names, their significance. You’d often return to find a bunch sweetly wrapped at the door to your quarters. Red roses to represent passion. Peonies for beauty and elegance. Edelweiss for devotion. Hydrangeas for the gratitude of being truly understood by someone for the first time in his life.

Eleanor Rigby Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been Lives in a dream

Erwin had been smart. So smart. Devoted to his dying breath. Kind, gentle, tender. He had sought solace in you, holding you near and soaking up every sweet word you’d sighed into his ears. He’d find himself hunting you like the predator hunts the gentle fawn, craving the feeling of your lips at every hour of the day.

His corpse had never been recovered from Shiganshina- they’d deemed it too much of a risk. Levi had told you that he’d laid him down in a house, on a bed, the wings of freedom on his cloak spread over his unmoving chest. Peaceful, he had described it. Back then you weren’t so sure.

Waits at the window Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door Who is it for?

And now, as the whole world and its inhabitants were being slowly crushed to dust and bone, you found yourself agreeing with him. At least your beloved Erwin, for all the horrors he had witnessed, did not have to live to see this. You watched, helpless, every muscle in your body screaming in agony, as men, children, women were reduced to nothing under the feet of the giant titans, far bigger than the colossal had ever been- a culmination of walking terror.

Lovers clutched their partners, praying in vain for a chance to live. Mothers consoled wailing children, nestling them beneath their chins to hide their own acceptance of their fates. The smell of blood ran thick through the air, something familiar to every scout but never like this. Never this rancid.

All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?

Erwin had washed the blood from your hands once, knelt by your side in front of a stream. He’d been so careful, so delicate, had taken his time rubbing each crease and corner with his thumbs until the crimson had leaked from your palms to stain the flowing water beneath. He’d cupped them after that, stilling the trembling and bowing down to press his lips to them. ‘I’m here’ he’d said. ‘I’ve got you.’ ‘You’re safe with me.’

He wasn’t here to do it now. Your hands would remain bloodstained and shaking. The blood of your friends, of the people you’d devoted your life to protect. Once upon a time Eren Yeager had been one of those people too. You’d admired the unwavering bravery in the boy’s eyes. You’d be lying if it didn’t remind you of the same look that had frequented Erwin’s. But now as he unleashed hell upon thousands and thousands of innocents? Slaughtered without second thought? You couldn’t see that any more.

Like Erwin, none of these people would have funerals. There soon wouldn’t be anybody left to mourn them. You’d be there too soon, staring up with wide eyes at the sole of a titan’s foot about to rain down on you. Back with Erwin. With Hange. Levi squad, Moblit, Sasha, Miche, Nanaba. Everybody you’d loved and cherished.

Father McKenzie Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear No one comes near Look at him working Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there What does he care?

Erwin. The titans must have trampled his grave when they spread out from the wall. Must have taken those white lilies with them. Wiped clean the engraving of a name. The only record of him ever having existed.

Before they’d become a marker of his grave, Erwin had suggested white lilies at your wedding. Beautiful unstained flowers, representative of commitment. They would have matched the pure white diamond sitting on the fourth finger of your left hand.

All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?

You vividly remembered the day he’d slid it onto your finger, the way he’d called it a promise to always come back to you. A promise now broken, you realised, as you picked the dried flakes of blood from the ridges of the diamond with trembling hands.

Ah, look at all the lonely people Ah, look at all the lonely people

The morning of the day Erwin fell he’d kissed the stone on your finger, repeated his promise to you. Looking back on it now you should have noticed how he lingered longer than he normally did before an expedition, how his mouth spent a fraction too long skimming your skin. He’d always had excellent intuition. Sometimes to an irritating extent. He had pulled you up against his chest, cooed reassurances that all would be well into your hairline between passing kisses. Liar. Erwin had most definitely known what he would lose that day. What you would too. Erwin had a way of knowing everything. Except what was in that damn basement. That forbidden treasure that had led him to his death.

Would this have been what his father wanted for him? For his own son to die a cruel death in an attempt to repent for one fatal mistake?

No matter. What’s done is done. You had your own duty to fulfil. Dedicate your heart in turn, follow after all your fallen comrades - heart and soul to the cause.

That was the very last thing he had whispered against your lips mid-kiss. A reminder that duty always came first, nothing above the scouts. Bittersweet. The unspoken truth. Erwin would die to avenge his father.

Eleanor Rigby Died in the church and was buried along with her name Nobody came Father McKenzie Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave No one was saved

And Levi? Levi had always given his heart and soul to the cause, even when that meant sending the man he cared for above all riding to his death. Choosing the Arlert boy over his Commander. He had lost everyone now. Yet he still powered through, still managed to drive his blade right through Zeke Yeager’s neck, to stop the rumbling and the slaughter that came with it. To erase every last trace of titans on the planet.

Erwin would be proud, you thought. You didn’t have to spend long imagining what he might say, however. All of your fallen comrades, there in a fog, side by side, hands to hearts. You turned, looked to Levi to reassure yourself that you weren’t losing it, that you hadn’t died and entered the afterlife. The wide eyes and ghostly pale complexion that shone through from under the blood confirmed what you were seeing.

All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?

Erwin turned from Levi to you, a welcoming and longing smile on his face but despair and heartbreak in his eyes. An apology, you realised. Also a confession of love. Erwin had always been skilled with words but he’d never needed to use them.

The breath felt stolen from your lungs. Your eyes pricked with burning tears. Erwin was proud. He’d seen all your efforts. Been there by your side even when he wasn’t there to see or touch. He’d watched you visit his grave countless times, spend hours conversing with the marble of his headstone, lay lilies at its foot. He’d never left your side once.

Ah, look at all the lonely people Ah, look at all the lonely people

And one day, after you’d lived out a long life in a world without titans, you’d be able to walk back home into his arms once more.

[life-rewritten]

THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF HUACHENG; TGCF SEASON 1

TGCF just ended, and I just wanted to cry because I'm going to miss this show for a while until we're ready for season 2. Good news Season 2 has been announced and is in production so maybe end of this year? Hopefully? One can hope. Anyways because we're saying goodbye for a while, I decided to focus my review on Hua  Cheng this time. The many ways he has shown up in Season 1, the many encounters he had with Xie Lian who doesn't even know how long he's been by his side, the many forms he used to stay and help Xie Lian. In TGCF, Hua Cheng's appearances in Xie Lian’s life is essential because of his constant devotion and ambition to ensure that Xie Lian is protected, safe and happy. Hua Cheng shows up each time to an oblivious Xie Lian who only has been introduced to the knowledge of one form of him, San Lang in season 1. But what about us the audience, we've seen Cheng as a child in the first episode, in the intro, we've seen him as San Lang, and we've also been introduced slightly to his natural form, the Hua Cheng Ghost King form. So let's look into it more, how has each state been connected to Xie Lian and what have we been shown or told so far about the building relationship between our ghost king and our god. 

The Different Versions of Hua Cheng

So the first thing we need to break down is the similarities of each of his forms and their different meanings to his character dynamic and arc concerning his and Xie Lian's love story. So as mentioned before there are three different versions of him we're introduced to:

The Child: We see him in a desolated state, with bandages surrounding his face, blood and he's in tears looking forlorn at Xie Lian who also has given up on something throwing away his umbrella and face darkened and walking away, probably to a small shack. We also see this child more importantly connected to our story because he's the first version of Hua Cheng in our origin of these two's meeting. He's saved by Xie Lian who completely stuns him and gives him the meaning to life again. We see snippets of this version of him in flashbacks and in the opening intro because TGCF is a story that is planning to unveil the years of Hua Cheng's devotion to  Xie Lian, the reasons, the actions made, and the consequences created from it in the past. 

San Lang: Number two we get to see San Lang, he's the version we spend the most time within season 1, knowing and having suspicions that he's Hua Cheng. San Lang is a mortal and meant to be a teen; he's wise for his age, aloof, and sly. And he's made it an aim to accompany  Xie Lian on his journey to getting followers again. There's more to San Lang that meets the eye, he has a convoluted back story (which is backshadowing the truth of his past) he tells Xie Lian, and he's very loyal and protective of Xie Lian. Xie Lian gets to become close to this version of Hua Cheng; this is the version he trusts the most and is the person who becomes someone he cares a lot about unconditionally.

Crimson Rain Sought Flower/ Ghost King the most dangerous and scariest and wealthy demon/devastation ghost in the story.  Xie Lian is first warned away from him because the gods are not on good terms with him. But  Xie Lian can't help but wonder if he's more than meets the eye because they meet under a blood rain as bride and groom. Hua Cheng shows up in his real form to guide  Xie Lian to safety. This version shows up again in the Sinner's pit in the Banyue arc in episode 9. After San Lang jumps in a sacrificial move, Hua Cheng eliminates everybody ruthlessly in the Sinner's pit and shows up again to fight Pei Xu to protect  Xie Lian in episode 11. This version is the real Hua Cheng, he has one eye, he is cold, ruthless, but also he's made it clear he wants to protect and is on the lookout for Xie Lian. By the end of season 1, Lian chooses to ignore the rumours and become close with him despite the warnings. 

Age, Status, and Love; The growth of Hua Cheng

The first thing to notice about these versions of Hua Cheng is that they all have a way of shadowing how he's grown and his journey to Xie Lian. From a child who's naive and innocent and is traumatised by events in the world, to a teen who is not taken as seriously, is wiser and mature and able to fend for himself, to the Ghost King who is who he is at present, his real self after many years, who is now powerful, in control and older but also not alive.

 And the second thing to notice is the difference of status and wealth depicted with his versions;  as a child even though we aren't shown the details, we can see that he's not rich, he's dressed in rags, and he's bandaged poorly and looks like he has nothing. As San Lang, he's able to fend for himself and Xie Lian by collecting scraps and rebuilding their first place together, and with Ghost King, you can tell he's wealthy, he's dressed in the finest of robes, silver dangling from everywhere you look, and we know from Ling Wen; he's affluent. So another observation to notice. 

The last thing to notice with these versions is the one common motif, Xie Lian. Xie Lian is also seen in different versions/ forms to us each time Hua Cheng shows up.

 We see  Xie Lian in the child's eyes as a prince; golden, lavish and beautiful, he's dressed in the finest attire but also we see that Lian is the person who flies to save this child from either falling or jumping to his end. (still, we can't be sure why he was falling), 

But then with San Lang, Xie Lian is undercover as a mortal (though it's pretty apparent to guess he's not) without power, followers or any self-esteem (from his comments) and wealth. But with San Lang, Xie Lian is vulnerable and shown to be more lonely and filled with self-deprecation but is determined to protect everyone he comes across, which makes him more self-sacrificial. 

As Ghost King, we see Xie Lian on a mission as a god, untrusting, capable, and very cunning and intuitive, he wears a mask (literally wearing a veil) of happiness, ease,  but he's alert and ready to defend and knows how to avoid being caught by his enemies. 

Unconditional Devotion; The Love of Hua Cheng

In all versions, Hua Cheng shows us that he has with Xie Lian some kind of devotion and love:

As a child: His eyes light up for the first time, he follows after him (inferred from the intro and episode 1) and watches helplessly as he can't do anything to protect him at that moment. You can feel the determination, the longing, and the urgency in each scene he's shown watching after  Xie Lian as Xie Lian gives up on himself. 

As San Lang: He guides and protects Xie Lian, he stays by his side loyally and prevents Xie Lian from getting into harm's way using information that he knows. You can feel that he knows how Xie Lian is self-sacrificial, and he's here to protect and keep Xie Lian from being puppeteered or played around by others.

 As Ghost King: He is deadly when it comes to Xie Lian, he kills and destroys and doesn't waste time with others, he's also protective of where Xie Lian touches, he doesn't want him soiled by blood or anything ( using either an umbrella to protect him when they first meet, or cradling him to ensure his foot doesn't meet the ground). He's determined to get rid of anything that could hurt Xie Lian or make him suffer, and he does it through violence. 

And even though Xie Lian doesn't have any recognition of who he is yet in his life, in every version Xie Lian has also shown protection and care for Hua Cheng unconditionally which is embedded in his personality.

 He saves his life as the child, (just like he positively affects other children like Banyue who look up to him), he is determined to protect and make sure San Lang is safe. It terrifies him to think otherwise, and he accepts Hua Cheng unconditionally after realising who he is. 

He also shows awe and intrigue with all things, Hua Cheng, whilst others call him terrifying  Xie Lian says his name suits him because it's pretty when he sees his butterflies he's in awe and automatically wants to follow them because they make him feel at ease despite the fact that those butterflies can probably without his knowledge kill and maim. When he notices others may notice who Cheng is at the pit, he's worried but at ease to see him hidden as San Lang again, and he finally tells him; he doesn't care who he is because he's a friend.

 Xie Lian; The Goal of Hua Cheng

For Xie Lian he's realised there's unconditional care and like and reliance for Hua Cheng, it's automatic and he can't stop feeling safe and at ease with him. Despite his first time meeting San Lang and being suspicious, it took him an ox ride to find out he liked and was intrigued by San Lang even if he was Hua Cheng. He liked how he spoke, he liked his wisdom, and he enjoyed spending time with him. It became natural to rely on his protection, his touch, and his information each journey they went on. 

 And with Hua Cheng in all his versions there's that unconditional need to protect, devotion and determination to stay by Xie Lian's side. After all, that's where this started, him being affected by Xie Lian saving his life. We can guess he took it literally and made it a reality, though now we wonder how he went from a human child to being dead yet a mighty ghost king. 

 In a way we see Hua Cheng show up and start making Xie Lian find reasons for living too. Not that it's apparent that he doesn't want to live; that he's full of self-loathing and self-sacrificial tendencies. Hua Cheng seemed to be as San Lang, one of the first people who showed Xie Lian unconditional loyalty and support despite not seeing himself as deserving of it. Hua Cheng may not be his reason for living, but Hua Cheng is his reason for why he gets to live; many times Hua Cheng's protection is to keep Xie Lian from being hurt; the snake scorpion venom, the Sinner's pit, the Pei Xu and snakes, the head on the ground filled with demonic energy and Xuan Ji. Hua Cheng shows up as groom the first time we see him, and he leads Xie Lian to protection to the place he needs to go to know what's going on with the brides. With his determination, experience (giving Xie Lian information) and power Hua Cheng protects and pushes Xie Lian to keep staying safe and alive knowing someone does not see him as worthless or a misfortune. 

Ghost vs Human: The Disguise of Hua Cheng

It makes you wonder this need of why Hua Cheng does hide in many forms; why does he not make Xie Lian know that they've known each other for so long? why does he hide as San Lang and not his true form since Xie Lian doesn't know who he is, and why does he keep his true form out of sight from Xie Lian. He's determined to hide his natural form because showing it would lead to opportunities of weakness.

 As we can see from just his child self Hua Cheng was determined to do something, to become more so he could be of help, payback Xie Lian for saving his life, and become his reason to live. So he probably can not let any weakness affect him; he probably has built up protection of himself so no one can reach him so that no one can reach Xie Lian. His aim is to be a safeguard for Xie Lian, an impenetrable, protective and robust protection. People seeing his real form is a lead way to vulnerability and weakness. Him protecting how he looks makes him even more of a scarier person to deal with because you don't know his real self or strength fully.

 It also gives him a way to be by  Xie Lian's side without anyone knowing his goals; he does this as San Lang, shows a different version of himself which is more acceptable and less conflicting to be by Xie Lian's side. A mortal can be seen as a worshiper, a friend and a helper. But a ghost king by a god side is more looked down upon. We see this when Fu Yao and Nan Feng try to uncover who he is. Xie Lian has been warned that he should stay away from Ghost King version, and maybe Hua Cheng also thinks that version should not be known, or seen or met. With how scary and dangerous he seems, (he's known for his harmful actions, he also took out his own eye as he puts it because of insanity, he has incredibly deadly weapons and he's someone heaven is terrified of). Hua Cheng may think Xie Lian won't give him a chance to know him. But of course, he discovers that  Xie Lian doesn't care about that. 

Ghost King: The Past of Hua Cheng

The different forms of Hua Cheng we see as the audience showcases other assets to his mindset, we've seen him weak, vulnerable, and lost without Xie Lian when he was a child, there was a time where he was the most scared of everything,  a time where he probably had no control over whatever he wanted, a time where he was filled with despair and obliqueness, but Xie Lian showed up as a light, the same way Hua Cheng shows up in Xie Lian's life in season 1 as a guide, they both shift their mindsets and determination to be better and succeed.  

That's why his growth to becoming Ghost King is fascinating; he's become the opposite of his childhood self, he's no longer mortal and human, ( as we see with his other two versions) he's seen as ruthless and cold to anyone who bothers him or Xie Lian. It's not an easy feat; it must have taken a lot of pain, and suffering to get to who he is, for him even to become a devastation he would have needed to be filled with resentful energy, this means that he also is someone full of grief and suffering as  Xie Lian who hides his behind his mask of an easygoing and cheerful nature. 

Hua Cheng hides his behind strength and power, they both have scars and secrets hidden needed to uncover to know why they have become this way, but one thing stays for sure, and that's that Xie Lian and Hua Cheng both become healing to each other from their past scars. Xie Lian becomes Hua Cheng's sole reason to live, devoting himself to Xie Lian is what's making him good and not broken. Xie Lian on the other hand, Cheng becomes someone who makes him want to accept himself, Hua Cheng is someone who becomes a healing presence to him, he's happier, comfortable and safer by his side, and he knows this. Hence, he lets himself be pulled to him, carried and protected by him, he's shocked by it, but you can see it affects him each time Hua Cheng does something to protect him as San Lang. 

In a world where we are focusing on gods and demons and ghosts, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng seem oddly incompatible; the gods look down on the ghost kings because of their actions and because they're closer to evil or immoral actions. Xie Lian as a god is meant to be moral, just and higher than others, including mortals, and so being with the most powerful ghost king and slowly falling for him probably isn't a great idea. What matters now is how long these two have been near each other, how has both the journey of them affected the other, Hua Cheng is entirely devoted to Xie Lian even after his passing and resurrection as a ghost king, and that's interesting, he has been watching and keeping an eye on Xie Lian who's oblivious and has more things to focus on than that, Xie Lian has a past which he feels guilt, self-hatred and fear from, it's slowly being revealed, and it's fascinating to watch it. 

Hua Cheng also has many interesting actions he's made that also need a reason or explanation, like why he has one eye, what made him become a ghost king, why he aimed for an attack at the gods, and his real purpose with Xie Lian? It's been an amazing time watching this season. I can't wait to find out more about these two's journey and love story. The undying loyalty and devotion to each other despite being so far apart for time is fascinating. I can't wait to see season 2. 

[thunderpot]

sorry to ask, but on your tags for ch97 poem pic you say the scene is layered and I wanted to know more on it if that's ok?

Sure thing, noony! No need to be sorry about it. I just love the whole thing, honestly. When I read it for the second time it felt like a punch in the face HAHA! Long version with a lil XL under the cut! 

  TL;DR: that specific scene was, in my humble interpretation of events, the final push to the actual start of XLs long and slow process of healing. 

To begin with, this scene is the culmination of the Lantern competition. Hua Cheng built Xie Lian a temple in the molds XL believes a temple should be: no worship bullshit. There is no statue and no cushion to prostrate. Only the altar for offerings and the temple space for contemplation and prayer.

And then, on the altar, are HCs offerings: his signature single white flower, incense and, front and center, the calligraphy set ready to use -and this is where it gets interesting.  

What HC is offering him here is an opportunity to feel pride for his own accomplishments without the burden of shame or self-doubt, -given to him by HCs display of vulnerability through his lack of writing coordination- and a very subtle start at a new memory for XL regarding his own temple altars (I call forth the pain of ch 190 to the court as a witness!) that involves nothing but him being in the presence of someone who won’t betray him, in a situation in which he has easy control of -even with all the teasing because HC can't control his fox self haha-; a complete shift from happened in the past.

And control he takes, holding HCs hand to guide him through his devilish writing; Sword to brush, blood to ink, torture to gentle hand holding and bad thoughts shifted to love poems. HC cannot undo the past, but he can finish what he helped start in Puqi shrine, reclaiming XLs altar from desecrated, forgotten ground to a better place, born out of something pure and simple while still making XL feel like he deserves it.

I will also mention briefly here that the moment Xie Lian notices the lonely flower is important as well [I take it as the first time XL suspects HC as being Wu Ming while immediately blocking the thought, but that’s a story for another day], and the exchange they have (from Suika’s translation) : 

”After a pause, Xie Lian said, ”could it be that ‘Crimson Rain Sought Flower’ sought for this kind of flower?”

Hua Cheng smiled. “Gege has the premonition of gods.”

is extremely telling too. The flower is not alone anymore. It was found in that bloody rain and gained a home, and that home is right there, together.

Suffice to say that his god-forsaken-calligraphy also serves as the most basic of excuses for HC to spend time and engage in a casual intimacy controlled by XL to show him that's a safe space for him, and he is so successful in this that later on XL also finally acknowledges and accepts, inside that very temple, right on his own altar, the fact that he not only loves HC, but desires him too and that is completely ok! He needs some time to digest it, sure, but he is not a monster for it, he is no less God or good for it. It's just a part of him like the rest.

I joke that Qiandeng temple is a place of true worshipTM in my tags but there is a level of truth to that joke. The waves created by HCs bold [and risky] choice in building Qiandeng temple the way he did were so strong that it really became a safe haven for XL, enough to earn the spotlight of the very last moment in the series as we see calligraphy indeed became their own little thing [I personally do not believe HC is bad at calligraphy at all btw. Not anymore. But that is not the point to neither him or XL, either].

And ofc, HC does worship his god on altar at every opportunity because he is the only one who can do it in all the ways his god desires ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)💖 

[rudolphsboyfriend]

Ok i might be the last person in the fandom to notice this but Hua Cheng is also called Crimson Rain Sought Flower. That's because he once protected a white flower from getting drenched in his blood rain right?? Now in the book the flower is obviously very symbolic of Xie Lian, and let's not forget the times Hua Cheng shields Xie Lian from the blood rain, just like he did that flower.

Point is.

Even Hua Cheng's title is a frkn Xie Lian tribute this man is so whipped.

[melodramalust]

TGCF novel review

So I just finished book 1 and I have so many thoughts I need to plaster down somethere... here i go!

Crimson Rain Sought Flower (Ch 2-57)

So the story started out very humorous, but as it progressed towards the end of the book there was a lot of angst here and there (and im pretty sure this is nothing compared to the other 4 books) as well as many discoveries related to Xie Lian’s past.

As for Xie Lian, I already love him so much (all the fanart and artwork does him justice) but he’s such a… sad character? he’s so used to pain and being mistreated. He doesn’t care that people call him the laughing stock of the three realms because he himself agrees to that statement which tbh makes me feel so bad for him. In 800 years he’s clearly been through a lot of adversities and misfortune, however instead of racking up resentment and a vengeful attitude, he’s a very selfless and caring individual, but with a lot of guilt.

Now as for Hua Cheng… he just gives off a very unique (sexc) vibe? and he has such a strong personality too. Though not much about his background is revealed, I can tell that he clearly cares for Xie Lian. The umbrella scene— I already knew of this scene but truly now I know why it’s such an iconic moment. Look at him treating XL with so much care and gentleness making sure not a single drop of blood touches him.. oh what a great scene.

And then the sinners pit scene is pretty great, my heart was beating so fast while reading this lol

Anyways, I think it’s pretty obvious now that Xie Lian met Hua Cheng many centuries ago, like XL himself said even prior to his first ascension.

So I’m done reading the first book and I’m so excited and intrigued for what’s to come! I’m doing what I can to avoid spoilers, i need to finish this before the donghua comes out

[webster-akgae]

Far Cry From You pt.1

The damp squelch of the dark earth below the alpha’s boots was the only sound to echo across the desolate land. Pale red puddles splashed under his feet as well as bodies of both his men and his enemies lay still at his stride. His furs and armor were caked with blood, his sword that was still dangling in his grip was stained crimson from battle, even his face was splattered with it. Rain steadily fell from the sky in light droplets that began to slowly wash away the dirt and grime from his hair.

The pungent stench of bloodshed and ash burned his senses though the only relief was the numbness that flooded his body. He had made it out unscathed through the fray except for bruises and gashes along his sides and arms. It was nothing an alpha like him couldn’t handle, he’d had much worse over his years of engagement, but the rush of adrenaline that had been fueling him since the early hours of the morning when the skirmish had just begun was starting to drain from his system. He was in urgent need for rest, but his gait was determined even though it turned into stumbles as he struggled for breath.

The foreign warmth in the air had been tugging at his lungs for the months he’d been in the southern lands. The exhaustion that weighed his bones only aided its work to make him want to collapse. The north, his birth place, was bitter cold this time of year, but the southern part of the Amer kingdom still felt like summer even in the dead of winter. Joseph was used to seeing bodies frozen in the ground with blood so violently vibrant against crystal white snow it made grown men puke, that was what he knew, what he could deal with. The cold wind biting your skin and burning your lungs as you fought for your life, not the consuming heat that made you want to sink into the ground. But most of all, it made him angry. The soft breeze against his cheek was all too forgiving.

It reminded him too much of a certain, lost omega.

The alpha knew he should be moving in the opposite direction to go back to the makeshift base his battalion had taken for shelter. The aid station would gladly give him a hot meal and a bed to rest in, and damn did that sound fantastic compared to the ache in his body, but the pain in his chest hurt far worse. His grip on his sword’s leather handle turned his knuckles white from the pit sitting in his stomach. Everything in him wanted to move faster, to run until he could see it, praying nothing had changed since the last time he’d been there, over six years ago when he was just a pup. But he knew that was for not.

The last time he’d ever stepped foot in the southern lands was when he was no older than twenty five. Even as a rowdy cut up of an alpha, he saw that the southern lands were beautiful. It was at a constant state of youth, the trees and grass always remained lush and green as did the farming and cattle herding country. The very grounds vibrating with life and joy, the people were kind and welcoming to the surly northerners that passed through their homes. It was a fair sight to see, but he could never have imagined what was to come.

Looking upon the ruins of each home filled him with dread. The barbarians of the east had pillaged even the slightest of structures until they’d become nothing but piles of waste and ash. The livelihood of so many people lost at the hands of mongrels who only sought for power. Bodies of men and women littered the ground, some whose flesh was black and bubbled from what sick celebration had gone on once they’d trekked far enough into the southern kingdom. His clan had arrived just as their pillaging had begun to calm, when they were too busy warming their asses by the burning bodies of the innocent. Joseph’s throat itched to growl just to think about, but he couldn’t seem to conjure a thought as he saw it.

Six years ago, he could only stand and ogle at the grandiose edifice that stood right in the edge of the village’s commotion, just over a wide, dark wooden bridge where under crystal clear water flowed through a narrow rift in the ground. Rows and rows of flowers and grape vines that were always being tended to were scattered all around the grounds. It was obviously made for the wealthy with its grand height and sturdy build, it stuck out from the rest like a gold coin in a sea of copper. It was beautiful just as the soft soul that called it home, but even the most precious of lives and strongest of holds couldn’t have stopped the army of barbarians that ran through it like a playhouse.

It was nothing more than a crumbling mountain of wood surrounded by trampled, lifeless flowers. The shine of the carefully carved wood was now blackened by the devilish glee their enemies had taken with setting it ablaze. But it somehow still stood as the rain poured down its broken body like a fallen soldier. The alpha’s grip on his sword became impossibly tighter.

Joseph had felt many things in his life, but grief and regret were not among the welcome.

He was a brave man, he’d led his men into battle, into victory, enough to say so. But he couldn’t take a step closer to the bridge no matter the willpower he could manage.

“I’ve failed you.” The alpha whispered out into the bitter air though he knew no one would hear.

The quiet was replaced with the struggle of someone’s breath, but Joseph didn’t budge at the throat that was cleared to try and garner his attention. “Captain Liebgott?” The next try only made him sigh.

“How many of our own?” The alpha’s voice rasped.

“Of our ten thousand, nearly twelve hundred.” The shaky voice replied.

His hand idly twisted the heavy weight of his sword, “Theirs?”

“Obliterated, captain.”

Liebgott hummed and turned to the man, he was someone he didn’t particularly recognize but he was never one for caring for the messengers, “Gather the fallen men. They shall be buried in our homelands before the next full moon.”

The man swallowed, “The rest?”

“Burn it. Burn it all. Let nothing stand that will remember what happened here.” Joseph didn’t bother to stop the growl in his voice.

Without a second glance to the messenger, he fell to his knees and sunk his sword into the ground and prayed to whatever was above.

-

“David!”

The omega couldn’t hold back the loud giggle that fell from his lips as he braved the treacherous, winding stairs of his home. The blurs of family portraits and hideous banners passed by him in a whirlwind of color. His bare feet padded against the brandished wood floors and echoed up to the high ceilings. His heart pounded in his ears as the similar footsteps got closer and closer, his maid chasing after him in hopes of dressing him up for another of his father’s visitors.

His long, dark brown hair was hanging in soft rivulets down to his shoulders. His maids managed to weave braids into the top section of his hair before they’d made the mistake of leaving him alone for more than a few seconds. He was dressed in nearly nothing, a frayed tunic that was no longer than his knees and cinched at the waist with a leather band. It was indecent for anything else other than his maids and his father, but he’d done worse in the company of guests.

He just needed to make it past the throne room, to the gardens, from there he can hide out in the hydrangea bushes. Almost there-

“-honored for you to have welcomed us into your home, Hersir Webster.”

David nearly tripped down the next set of stairs and only managed to catch himself by snagging the sharp edge of the newel cap. Just one more story would have him down to the throne room and through the doors to the garden, but he hadn’t expected for their guests to be more than a visiting lord or someone from the next clan over, not a dozen vikings poised right on the polished wood floor of his home.

Immediately the omega could see and smell they were different. They weren’t southern warriors, that much was obvious from their thick pelts and cropped hair. Most southern warriors brandished their hair in long braids while most of these men had shaved sides and long coils of hair from their crown. They had a distinct smell that was familiar to David that he’d picked up on travelers, it was of the pine trees that grew in the north, like the woods had stepped forth into his house. They were intimidating even to watch from above. Most were alphas, he could tell by the overall domineering scent and musk.

He’d heard plenty about northerners. They were quite different from his people. They were raised by ice and frost and made for hard living. There was no use for farming due to almost constant snow and ice so hunting was priority, even omegas learned how to wield a sword or use a bow and arrow to survive. The stories he’d heard from the traveling merchants made his skin crawl though at first he’d refused to believe them, but the grueling look of these men below had him somewhat in belief.

The south didn’t prioritize armory or military like that of the north. From what southern warriors he’d seen most bore their chests bare and fought with long swords or spears, these men carried with them some small daggers on their sides and hips, some with both a bow and arrow as well as a sword, others even with dual axes sheathed in their belts. The north had almost routine skirmishes along their border with rouge clans who got too close looking for food, so most alphas and omegas were trained from a young age what survival really was, and David couldn’t deny he could make out violent stains along many of their visible weapons.

“There you are!” His maid cried as her feet clattered down the stairs.

David’s head snapped up as her exclamation echoed over the room. “Get back here before your father catches you!”

The omega had been so startled he hadn’t realized the chatter below had become dead silent. No doubt there were eyes peering up at him where he was still crouched down, if he’d been privy to it all he would have known to pull his tunic down over his thighs.

“That’s quite alright, Melda, I’m sure he’s ready to greet our humble guests!” The baritone voice of his father called out from below.

David froze in horror.

“I’ll bring him down then. He does so awful at times like this, hersir.” He shook his head so hard in her direction, not daring to look down.

She shook her head back, “You must, now get on your feet.”

“But I-“

“Don’t leave our guests waiting, David.” His father called out once more.

Melda, her and that stern face of her’s and sturdy grip on his arm forced him up despite his whimpering for anything but. She roughly pulled his tunic down and ran a cold hand through his tousled curls until she huffed in resignation. Her thumb wet with her spit smudged over his cheek to which he whined and tried to cringe away.

She gave up with a huff and fixed her eyes with his, “Behave.”

David wanted to roll his eyes, but thought better of it as she challenged him to try something again with a furrow of her brows. “Fine.” He growled.

The omega didn’t dare try to look over the dark railing of the balcony again. He could feel piercing gazes on his body from the alphas below and he dreaded to be face to face to them. No one would hurt him, certainly not unless they wanted to face execution, but his back burned in embarrassment when the amused chuckles got louder. He wasn’t new to being around alphas, most of his bodyguards and personal servants were alphas, but these men were too foreign, too different for David to find comfortable. He’d been present in customary council meetings with close by villages filled with all kinds of alphas, but they weren’t these grisly, hard eyed, mean looking vikings that stood before his own father.

Men and women a part of the southern military weren’t faced with the same hostility northerners were, David remembered hearing his tutor explain to him when he was looking over the maps of the kingdom. He never pressed for more beyond that and he knew his tutor wouldn’t be inclined to tell him any of the gorey details, but the travelers that came to sell pelts always had the most colorful of words to quell his curiosity.

The stories he’d heard weren’t as finely cut as the ones in his books. Instead of romanticized words that swirled along the vellum pages and perfect description of the victors of history, there were curses and tales about bloodshed in misty white snow. There were names they’d say so beguiled, places they’d just exchange looks over, like they’d repeated this grand story before and David would allow his imagination to fill in the rest.

[docmanda]

3 or maybe 34 for the Poly Pile? (Or any subset of it)

3. “I love you, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

They finally corner the ghost in a dilapidated shrine, not too unlike the one Xie Lian had at some point declared home, easily dodging the frantic attacks thrown at them, Xie Lian moving with the inherent grace of a Martial God and He Xuan simply blocking whatever came his way, the attacks too weak to do him any great harm. That was the second time this week already that some trash had interrupted one of their outings and He Xuan was getting fed up with all of it.

“I should just drown the lot of them, have my dragons rip them apart for daring to interrupt everything...”

Ever since it had become public that Crimson Rain Sought Flower and Black Water Sinking Ships had pledged themselves to a single, weak, insignificant little God challenges like this had become frequent, admittance of love being likened to weakness among the more powerful beings in the Ghost Realm after all. And so thinking that either the Devastations had grown soft and weak or, even more often than that, that it would be easy to steal their ashes from a single weakling little God and have them do their bidding they had been getting attacked from all sides.

This one, a Wrath Class ghost, old and pretty powerful even if they were a far cry from a Devastation class yet had turned out to be particularly annoying, leading him and Xie Lian on a merry chase across the country side. He was a nasty piece of work, keeping Xie Lian busy attacking every civilliain and farmer they met, forcing him to exhaust himself  keeping them safe while always just managing to slip out of He Xuan´s grasp, sneakily avoiding anything more than a puddle and continously leading them farther away from the ocean. Black Water was too strong to be weakened by that but not being able to summon his dragons did make it way more annoying then necessary.

What was even worse then that was that He Xuan couldn´t shake the feeling of knowing that particular ghost, some old memory nagging at the back of his brain but he simply could not remember, he was way too old by now to recognize every single person or ghost he had seen throughout his life. In the end it didn´t really matter. At some point he´d get a grip on him and tear him apart and then go have dinner with Xie Lian, he was -hungry-.

He is already busy thinking about where to take his A-Lian -hot pot maybe, he did like that last time, or that little fish restaurant close to his own domain that made that great sweet and sour squid- so when the dying wrath kneeling in front of him spits at him, the words dripping from his mouth like acid He Xuan is too stunned to even react

“Fucking Devastations think they´re the shit, I bet that wife of yours welcomed the knife that slit her throat!”

For a moment He Xuan is frozen, his always pale face looking even more pallid then usual with the shock, eyes wide in horror when something finally clicks into place and he recognizes the face in front of him as one of the jailors that loved to torture them back then, eating while standing in front of the bars, laughing at the starving prisoners begging him for scraps. But before he can shake himself free and tear apart the insolent piece of shit cowering before him a thin, long, black blade tears through it´s chest, bending slightly from the raw force of the thrust, an ear splitting scream the last thing they hear before the ghost shatters into a thousand pieces, ripped apart by a powerful golden blast, courtesy of the raging God behind it.

Before He Xuan can even blink the sword drops with a ´clang´ and soft warm hands, sticky with blood cup his face.

“A-Xuan? YuYu? Love, are you alright?”

The pure worry in Xie Lian´s voice finally wakes He Xuan from his stupor, making him nod while simultaneously saying “No.” much to his own confusion and before he can figure himself out he gets pulled into a tight hug, the warm body against his more familiar then even his own, the scent of incense and flowers always clinging to Xie Lian comforting like nothing else could ever be. He Xuan lets himself be held for some time until the onslaught of memories, all of them bad and painful, has subsided a bit...and then he realizes something.

“You killed him. Shattered him. Completely. You never like it when we do that.”

Xie Lian pulls back slightly, just enough to place a soft kiss on He Xuan´s mouth,worry and rage still visible in his beautiful, amber eyes.

“Of course I did.” Another soft kiss gets placed on He Xuan´s cheek and the tip of his nose,kissing away the tears that had gathered there without his consent.

“I love you, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

34. “you’re cuddly”

“You´re cuddly today. I´m supposed to practice my writing.” Hua Cheng says, sighing lightly and putting away his calligraphy brush to instead comb through the slick black hair spread all over his lap. He Xuan had been napping often these last few days, the push and pull of the Ghost Realm making him sluggish and cranky.

He Xuan snorts, curling himself tightly around Crimson Rain seated at his writing table, like a particularly clingy octopus. He knew it was just a token protest, Hua Cheng welcoming every distraction that would keep him from having to put letters on paper after all.

“No amount of practice can ever help with that abomination you call writing, honestly Crimson Rain, that stuff is a disservice to people with eyes everywhere. And I am frequently cuddly.”

“Usually not with me though, that honor belongs to A-Lian.”

But their Beloved had been gone for some hours now, attending business at his shrine, leaving He Xuan sleeping and Hua Cheng wrestling with his writing.

“Hm, just see it as a special blessing then. A-Lian always scratches my head a little, oh, yes, like that please don´t stop...”

Hua Cheng has to supress a grin as he gently drags sharp nails across He Xuan´s scalp, the other Devastations eyes closed in pure bliss, humming with pleasure.

“You are such a cat sometimes Black Water, I bet you would purr if you could.”

He Xuan blinks open one golden, lazy eye, sticking out his tongue while nearly swallowing Hua Cheng with the yawn that follows

"..meow. And don´t stop scratching.”

(there you go, hope you like them also poly pile made me laugh so hard, I LOVE IT^^)

(also google translate says that 鱼 Yú means fish in chinese, so I went with YuYu as a nickname cause it´s cute if google is wrong please tell me ^^”)

[mousehole5000]

 this is it... the final post.... 226 through THE END!!!!!

this shit with mu qing and the river of lava is SOOOO dramatic im loving it

oh my god theyre on a FUCKING bridge of course they are okay let’s go boys

“You’re right. We’re alike. You think me odd, I think you to be rather weird too.” - so what im getting from this is that xie lian and mu qing are the only characters in this book with working gaydar okay yup got it this checks out

god... the fact that xie lian is ready to be like “look mu qing we can just forget about the past it doesnt matter we dont have to be friends i know you dont like me but im not gonna let you die over it” and then mu qing is like “.... god i really do admire you huh”

“You...certainly...are rather amazing. You’re...also...a better person...than me. Long story short, I...very much wanted...to become your f-f-friend.”  - going to think about this for the rest of all time im about to become utterly unintelligible im overcome with emotions

“And, at the end of the white silk band, Feng Xin was gripping Ruoye with one hand while the other was holding on to a steel-faced Mu Qing, and he shouted towards him.” - the fucking IMAGE of this im gonna cry this is everything i could have asked for im so happy also mu qing dangling there like “ welp. guess ill live“

“Feng Xin was almost burnt by that pillar of fire, and he shouted in outrage. “WHAT’S WITH THIS BAND OF DOG SHITS, ATTACKING PEOPLE WHILE THEY’RE DOWN, SO VILE! FUCK YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!” Xie Lian responded, “IF THEIR ENTIRE FAMILIES ALL LOOK LIKE THAT, YOU SURE YOU WANT TO FUCK THEM??” - theyre so funny!!! and theyre best friends!!! theyre joking together now in the middle of all this i could cry theyre back!!!

“Using sticks as arrows, he held the bow with one hand and used his teeth to bite back the bowstring.” - no clue how practical this is but okay archer boy. hot

i actually have so many little quips between the three of them highlighted but we’d be here all night if i included them all. im literally so delighted by this omg worth the wait

“Each sabre strike slashed to the bone. It wasn’t like Xie Lian had never seen Hua Cheng use the sabre before in the past, but his style had always been easy and leisurely, nonchalant and casual. Rather than say he was handling a weapon, it was more like he was toying with a small knife. Yet those blade marks were filled with killing intent. It was easy to imagine just how skilled the one exchanging blows with him was, and how perilous this battle.” you have no idea how mad i was when i read this and thought we missed witnessing the fight between hc and jw omg

“Behind him, Feng Xin muttered, “Dear fucking god, may all the gods and buddhas grant their blessings, that better absolutely be Crimson Rain Sought Flower, otherwise he’s gonna go mad!” “Stop your rubbish,” Mu Qing berated. “We’re all the gods and buddhas ourselves and we can’t grant shit, just keep up with him! Look at the stumbling way he’s running, he’s gonna trip and fall to his bloody death before he even sees the man!” - okay i know i said no more quips but this is literally too funny i just wanted to read it again

“ However, for whatever reason, that vicious ghost, in its muddled state, took that large group of live mortals under its wing and fled for many days. In the end, they were still surrounded by millions of ghosts, trapped in a dead end, and it was going to be eaten along with those humans.” [...] “That vicious ghost almost made a move against those humans, but for some reason, in the end, it didn’t. It instead used one of its own eyes as the price to forge a blood weapon. That vicious ghost was already forcibly hanging on with its last breath; after digging out its eye it should’ve broken apart completely. Yet somehow something had shocked it, and it instead woke to its senses completely. “ - THIS IS AMAZING ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? IS THIS ALL WE GET ABOUT HIS GHOSTLY LORE?????? HUA CHENGGGGGGGG

“What a terrible offence, his old habit had come out, and he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry! You don’t have to listen to me!” Hua Cheng, however, only smiled happily. “Everything gege tells me is the best advice, so why wouldn’t I listen?” - this isnt the fucking time afjdkfjsdkl they really never stop

“So you can hold the illusion of a perfect Crown Prince of Wuyong to face and dismiss the Jun Wu now. Isn’t that your objective? Did you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?” “THAT’S NOT IT!” Guoshi cried. “Stop getting tied up in right and wrong, victories and defeat, I’VE NEVER THOUGHT THAT WAY BEFORE!” - jun wu only being able to see xie lian as his successor and believing that thats all anyone else sees too... okay

honestly this whole final showdown was a blast i cant put everything in but it was so much fun to read. the DRAMA the LAVA the SHOUTING t

“Hua Cheng had poured too much spiritual power into him. There really was too much, so much that it was completely outside the amount the cursed shackle could withstand.” - okay.... okay... the love you give will set you free... okay....

“With Jun Wu in his grip, he carried both their bodies and forcefully slammed into the incomparably-solid rock wall! He used all of his power in this smash, and in the rumbling and crashing of rocks, he also heard the sound of something breaking.” [...] “A moment later, Jun Wu suddenly asked, “That move. What is it called?” “...” Xie Lian raised his sleeve and wiped away the blood on the side of his face. “Shattering boulders on the chest.” YES!!!!! YES!!!!! xie lian actually lived that life!!!!!! i loved this detail so much

“After a moment of silence, Xie Lian took off the bamboo hat carried on his back, took it in his hand, and covered it over Jun Wu’s face.” - xie lian... good... another detail i love. a hat that protects from the rain, given in a moment of need, even to someone who has caused you hardship... we do not forget the kindness granted to us

“There was gratefulness, there was shame, there was heartache, there was wild joy, but above all else, there was incurable love.” - :pleading: i wish it was just that easy tbh. “i have to tell you about the worst parts of myself” “ive already seen them and i dont care i still love you“ truly the dream

“ It’s been so long since anyone listened to me talk, won’t you stay? Don’t...actually do this. I won’t be able to take it. Twice, it’s been twice already! I really don’t want there to be a third time!!!” - the bit about just wanting someone to listen to him talk... xie lian... :(

emily corpse bride moment.... i knew it had to happen.... butterflies.... death and rebirth.... inevitable

xianle trio bickering about ruoye..... mu qing complaining but not letting anyone else fix it... im so happy

“The Rain Master sat down on the spot, looking like she was going to perform a passing service for her. After all, Xuan Ji was the only one left of the Kingdom of Yushi besides herself.”  - xuan ji you sure the hell were... a character. this little moment tho..... yushi huang... many thoughts

“ Who hasn’t made promises, or swore to the mountains and the seas when they were young? Talking of affection, of love, of forevers. But, the longer I hang around in the world, the more I understand, something like ‘forever’ is impossible. It’s never going to be possible. Having it once was already good enough. No one can truly achieve it. I don’t believe in it anymore.” - jian lan im happy for you bummer it didnt work out with feng xin but yeah that was looooong ago. also this quote me same mood kin but its chill. having it once was already good enough

although yeah tbh if theres anyone who can have a forever like that... it would be a ghost and a god

fasdfjadklfj GOD... pour one out for ling wen.. but is that not the truth of this world? the one can be pardoned for being good at paperwork that no one else wants to do? isnt that the plot of the shawshank redemption?

okay but the fact that all xie lian’s friends come to visit him while he waits for hua cheng is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.... fengqing coming together to try to get him out of the house but get scared off by his cooking... amazing

“Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other. This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.” - im completely unaffected by this. im not lying i swear (i am lying im very emotionally affected)

okay i love this final wrap up chapter party its so fun. mu qing moving on from the broom thing!!! good for him!! the beggars get their reward!!! the fun ghost city chefs!! SQX!!!! and he xuan is?? here too??? he’s hungry??? fjadlkfjsdl

“The grounds that Feng Xin and Mu Qing had just swept were once again filthy from that giant crowd of muddy feet. Mu Qing gripped his broom, looking like he felt someone had infected him with fleas, and his eyes were wide.” - me when my dad comes into the kitchen when ive just finished washing dishes i get it king

the little folklore bit... fun!!! oh my god its over..... :(

that was really fun i had a blast reading it and on the whole really liked it i WISH soo badly that hua cheng had gotten more outside of being cunty and devoted even tho those are both important i just wish there was more about like how he got by during those 800 years and like did he ever have doubts? what shaped his worldview was it all xie lian or was it his experience as a mortal as well? why is he so mean to e’ming? theres bits and pieces here and there and i know it was already SO long but that really would have been great if there was more about hc cuz tbh by the end, at least for me, the hualian relationship didnt actually feel as fleshed out as the xianle trio relationship like i still liked hualian’s dynamic and it was really sweet how much they clearly really liked each other and  everything but i kind of wish some of the other subplots had been dropped or diminished in favor of more hc development i think that would have been cool

but anyway thats some of my thoughts and i really did enjoy the hell out of book 5 that was a riot and uhhh thanks to everyone who read these or commented *lends you spiritual energy through a high five*

[feietouhuo]

『 starter for @fuyao​ 』

he brushed off a speck of dirt clinging to his shoulder guards. when his subordinates called him down, he was expecting trouble by crimson rain sought flower or a wrath, however, it was only a lowly ghost. since mu qing landed in the southwest, it was nothing but a mayfly to a dragon. checking over himself for other stains, he ordered those under him to report back to the followers who prayed for his palace’s help. 

his heavy saber lay comfortable in his left hand. no blood tainted its form. there was no need to draw it for some resentful spirits when his spiritual aura was an overflowing blaze. mu qing’s eyes swept over the land before he ascended again. the bell tolls announcing his presence were enough to knock a mortal out & he didn’t want to risk casualties under his name.

mu qing did catch a silhouette in the distance. since it was upright, he almost paid it no mind. there was something familiar about it, so his attention kept returning to the wanderer until he could no longer look away. 

his pupils shrank. winds enough to shake mountains billowed around him when he darted forward. unsheathing his zhan madao, without a drop of strength wasted, he threw it at the person. he adjusted his aim to prevent a lethal blow, but the intent was clear. 

❝ dianxia. ❞ his voice was soft, yet the venom spiraling around the address made it sharp & cutting enough to rival his saber. in his territory, the distance between them was nothing. ❝ what a surprise! after centuries of silence, most of the heavens thought you’d disappeared. slow down & let’s have a chat. it’s been awhile. ❞ the words drifted in the air in contrast to what was more akin to a fight. 

& mu qing’s blood sang with a sick joy.     

[chibimuiwritesstuff]

MMA Fighters HuaLian - Meeting

Right. I’m just going to post this. The backstory to the Hualian MMA AU idea I thought up of how they initially met. This is not edited btw, so apologies for any errors.

----

They meet in a match.

Xie Lian has met many people in matches before, he is one of the best MMA fighters out there after all, so usually he doesn’t remember most of his opponents—but he remembers this one. He remembers him because he is tall (not an issue), lanky (he’s experienced enough to know skinniness doesn’t mean lack of strength), has an eyepatch covering his right eye (a handicap?) and is absolutely, ridiculously, unfairly, gorgeous.

The referee counts to three, the whistle blows, and Xie Lian tenses and is surprised when the other man barely moves a muscle. Just looks at him, expression unreadable. There’s an intensity to his gaze, but it’s not the usual look of a fellow fighter preparing to attack, it’s… it’s something else. It unsettles Xie Lian for a moment, makes his heart beat just a bit faster, but, well, if his opponent will not make the first move then that’s their mistake.

A rookie perhaps?

He launches forward and feels his heart sing when the man not only catches his blow, but dodges to the side in a way that looks effortless, but Xie Lian knows speaks of unbridled skill. Not a rookie then.

Not a rookie at all in fact.

The match is one of the toughest Xie Lian has had in ages. The other man is incredibly defensive and catches Xie Lian’s punches, kicks and feints blow for blow, although rarely making an effort to strike out himself. It’s mildly frustrating, somewhat confusing, and incredibly invigorating. It’s fun. It’s a joy Xie Lian hasn’t truly felt in a fight in ages. He dances around and is somewhat glad for the mask he wears so no one can see the ridiculously large smile he can feel stretching across his face. This is why he loves martial arts. This is why he loves fighting. So that he can dance with people like the man in front of him.

He’s almost sad when he finally manages to pin the other man on the ground for a count of three, and the referee blows the whistle again.

‘Winner, give it up for The Crown Prince!’

The referee holds his hand up, but Xie Lian can’t take his eyes off his opponent, who by this point is already sitting up and also looking back at Xie Lian as well. He looks unphased, unruffled. He does not look like a man who has just lost a fight. In fact, the small smile on his face somehow makes it seem like he was the winner of this match somehow.

His is registered under the fighter name ‘Crimson Rain Sought Flowers’. The people in the mixed martial arts underground call him Hua Cheng.  

Xie Lian remembers him and looks forward to the day he might be able to fight him again.

-

It takes another year before Xie Lian is able to meet Hua Cheng again—and it’s not for lack of trying. After their one match he had tried to seek him out, find out more information about this mysterious opponent who had stepped into the ring and fought with Xie Lian like he had just decided to do it on a whim, but there was nothing. There had been no previous fight records, and no fights he had signed up for afterwards. It was truly as if he had just appeared to fight Xie Lian and then left.

Mu Qing had commented dryly that maybe he had scared the other man off, as he did to so many other earnest newcomers, but Xie Lian didn’t see how that was possible. Hua Cheng had not been a rookie fighter, and Feng Xin had agreed on this as well. But, whatever the reason—Hua Cheng had never reappeared until now.

Once again Hua Cheng stands before him looking deceptively relaxed. If Xie Lian were anyone else he might have felt insulted. After all, he had won their last fight—Hua Cheng should look at least somewhat wary. But he doesn’t. Instead something about his expression makes Xie Lian feel like he’s just as excited for this match as Xie Lian is himself. Xie Lian smiles under his mark, forgetting for a moment that Hua Cheng can’t see his face. It’s nice, to face an opponent who not only isn’t intimidated by him, but appears just as excited and actually has the skill to back up their own air of confidence.

Xie Lian’s heart skips a beat as he catches Hua Cheng’s single eye and can’t help but shiver in anticipation of the match to come.  

The whistle blows, and this time Xie Lian waits. He wants to see what Hua Cheng will do, but Hua Cheng does nothing. In fact, the both of them stand still for so long, the audience begins boo-ing and Xie Lian’s mounting excitement begins to curl into confusion, and then into frustration.

Hua Cheng merely raises an eyebrow, “What is gege waiting for?” he drawls, smirking.

“I could ask you the same question.” Xie Lian replies.

Hua Cheng nods his head, as if he’s considering Xie Lian’s words very seriously, “Hm… that’s true.” And then he launches himself forward.

Xie Lian had been prepared, this is what he had wanted after all, but it shows just how skilled Hua Cheng is that for a second Xie Lian can’t track his movements at all and he is hit with a spike of surprise. It is only through muscle memory, born from hours and hours of training, that allows Xie Lian to effectively dodge Hua Cheng’s fist, following immediately with a counterattack of his own, which Hua Cheng also effortlessly dodges in return.

They continue like this for a few bouts, and it’s similar enough to their last match that it causes Xie Lian to pause. Despite Hua Cheng opening with the first strike, they’ve somehow fallen into a pattern where Xie Lian is on the offensive and Hua Cheng only defends and it’s… it’s frustrating. Xie Lian has never really cared about the actual competition itself, he simply joined matches for the sake of being able to fight others who were just as crazy about fighting as him, and so now he just feels incredibly put-out that it seems like Hua Cheng isn’t taking things seriously.

He stills, pulls out of his last punch and as expected, Hua Cheng jerks his arm back at the last second as well instead of taking the obvious opening to his advantage. Once again, they’re just two opponents, standing in the cage, staring at each other but neither of them moving. Neither of them have even taken a stance—standing almost casually, albeit somewhat alert. The crowd has also noticed the pattern of the fight, and some bystanders have begun jeering at Hua Cheng specifically.

“Come on! Put up a proper fight or just get out!”

“Don’t waste His Highness’ time!”

Both of them stand and listen to the calls of the crowd and while Xie Lian usually doesn’t like to encourage this sort of heckling, he can’t help but cock his head to the side and ask, “Well, are you going to take this seriously?” because what other conclusion is there to draw from this bout? It’s obvious that Hua Cheng doesn’t want to beat Xie Lian at all, doesn’t even really want to fight him at all. It doesn’t make sense and it makes Xie Lian wonder why he’s even here.

Hua Cheng simply smirks at him, but his posture doesn’t change. “What makes you think I’m not taking this seriously, dianxia?”

“You’re not even trying to go on the offensive. Any other person would have felt insulted by now.” Xie Lian replies.

“Well, it’s good that you’re not any other person then isn’t it?”

His voice is low and velvety smooth and it makes Xie Lian feel warm for reasons besides physical exertion. “Perhaps, but I also refuse to continue a match with someone who clearly doesn’t want to engage.”

He turns to the referee who also looks like he’s one second away from giving both of them warnings and it’s this that finally seems to pull a genuine reaction out of Hua Cheng.

“Wait--!”

Xie Lian turns and cock his head to the side again in question, since Hua Cheng can’t see his face.

“You’ve got me gege, this newcomer didn’t mean to offend. I was simply excited at being able to spar with you again and wanted to do anything to extend the time as much as possible.”

Xie Lian lets out a huff of air, feeling somewhat affronted.

“And what makes you think going on the offensive would have made the time shorter? Either you think too highly of yourself, or you are severely underestimating me.”

Hua Cheng shakes his head vehemently, “No, I can assure you I would never!”

Xie Lian signals to the ref to stand down and that he will handle things before turning back to face Hua Cheng properly once more, “Then, are you going to fight me properly?”

Hua Cheng nods.

They both return to the center of the cage and take up positions, eyeing each other warily. Since no time outs were taken, there will be no whistle to signal a new start—it is simply up to one of them to make a move.

The fight that follows leaves everyone breathless.

It is Hua Cheng that makes the first move, and when he does it is clear that he had been holding back. His attacks are quick, aggressive, and absolutely wild, but what is perhaps even more wild is how composed Xie Lian managed to remain in comparison. The only sign that he may have been struggling lay in the fact that despite the sharpness of his own moves, equally quick and unforgiving, he still had not won.

Attack are blocked, grabs and holds are escaped from and used to lead into secondary attacks, throws that would have had most fighters winded on the ground ended with miraculous recoveries with both parties somehow still on their feet. Even when the fight had devolved into wrestling, as Xie Lian struggled to pin Hua Cheng down for three counts, it was hard to see who was at an advantage—but eventually, a winner was decided.

The crowd roared with enthusiasm, a whistle was blown and as for the fighters themselves…

Xie Lian flinches when the referee grabs his wrist, having nearly forgotten where he is and what he has been doing. He had been too immersed in the fight. Too immersed in Hua Cheng. He hears nothing but the blood that is still roaring in his ears, continues to feel nothing but the soft panting of Hua Cheng’s breath on his skin as they had rolled on the ground, and sees nothing but Hua Cheng’s eyes as the other man continued to stare at him from his position on the ground—gaze dark and dangerous.

Then he blinks and he is back in the cage, his arm being held up, the crowd cheering. Hua Cheng stands and dusts himself off, calm and cool as ever, although even with the noise Xie Lian could still hear the ragged panting of his breath—matching his own laboured breathing.

“Good fight.” Xie Lian hears himself say, truly meaning it as he shakes the other man’s hand. It is warm, strong, and Xie Lian can still feel the traces of where those hands had left marks on his body. He represses the urge to shiver.

“It was truly an honor to be able to fight you again, dianxia.” Hua Cheng replies, smirking once again. Were it anyone else, Xie Lian would have been sure they were mocking him, but there was something in Hua Cheng’s voice that sounded more like reverence. Xie Lian drops the other man’s hand and laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“I think the honor should be mine, you really didn’t make things easy for me.”

Hua Cheng doesn’t reply, and afterwards they are ushered out of the cage to make room for the next match. When Xie Lian turns his head after toweling off his sweat, Hua Cheng is already gone.

-

Feng Xin and Mu Qing both tell him to forget about Hua Cheng. They are, and have always been, Xie Lian’s best friends, so usually Xie Lian does try his best to listen to their advice—they care for him after all. But he cannot forget about Hua Cheng. During training he imagines the other man in front of him, he walks down the street and pictures fights with him in his mind, he goes from competition to competition seeking him, tries and fails to search him up on social media, but just like last time, it is like he has disappeared.

“You’re thinking about him again aren’t you,” Feng Xin grumbles as he sits down, practically throwing his tray of food onto the table of the university cafeteria.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Xie Lian replies promptly as he takes a bite of his own lunch.  

Mu Qing takes the seat beside Feng Xin, placing his tray down more gently and completely ignores Xie Lian to turn to the other man at his side, “He was thinking about him again, wasn’t he?”

“I wasn’t!”

Feng Xin has the audacity to grunt and nod as he slurps up his noodles at an alarming pace.

“Hey! I said I wasn’t!”

Mu Qing lets out a sigh that Xie Lian thinks is supremely unfair, given the fact that his friends are the ones being rude to him. Then, Mu Qing grabs something from his bag—a piece of paper it looks like, and places it on the table. “We’re only doing this because we know you won’t stop mooning about him otherwise.”

“I’m not—mooning? I’m not mooning!” Xie Lian splutters, but he grabs the paper anyway, with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm and then stops short.

It is an address and apparently it is for a place called Ghost City. He’s heard of Ghost City. Xie Lian frowns. Before he can ask the question though, Mu Qing already gives him the answer.

“He’s there. We told you to give up on him, but we knew you wouldn’t so we thought it’d be better to just see for yourself what type of person Hua Cheng really is.”

Ghost City was an underground cage match arena—everyone who was anyone in the MMA world knew about it. It was for the fighters who desperately wanted to prove themselves beyond the world of sanctioned, formal, competitions. For the fighters who truly wanted to test their skill in a match where they had to put everything on the line. The only rule in Ghost City was the one: there were no rules. Although Xie Lian loved fighting, this was a place he had no interest in. He had never been interested in hurting and dominating others, he simply just wanted to test his skill and to experience the skills of others.

If Hua Cheng was there though…

“Please, just remember to be careful alright Xie Lian?”

Xie Lian nodded, gripping the paper more tightly than was probably necessary. He looked up at his friends, at Feng Xin who continued to studiously eat his noodles as if they had somehow offended him just by existing, and at Mu Qing who was looking somewhere off to Xie Lian’s left looking disgruntled, and smiled. “You two really are the best.”

Neither of them bothered to give him a reply, but the address was enough.

[hamliet]

Your Fate Is Up to You

“I WILL CHANGE FATE I DON’T POSSESS. MY FATE IS UP TO ME AND NOT THE HEAVENS!”

So said Shi Wu Du right before he died. In doing so he directly stated TGCF’s existentialist themes on deciding your own fate.

On the most obvious level, within TGCF the roles of god, demon, human don’t dictate whether or not someone is a good or righteous person. I mean, the worst demonic calamity in Bai WuXiang and the head god Jun Wu are the same person.

To start with I might as well just state it outright that my thoughts on Jun Wu are probably a lot harsher than most of the fandom’s. That said the narrative definitely has empathy for him and his ending was perfect and objectively beautiful.

Like most of MXTX’s antagonists, Jun Wu is attempting to force empathy because he feels lonely. It’s the same motivation that drives Shen Jiu, Xue Yang, Jin GuangYao, He Xuan, Qi Rong even, etc, etc, etc. It’s also what drives many of our protagonists (Wei WuXian, Luo BingHe, Hua Cheng, etc.) Yet in the end, Jun Wu is not actually forcing people to empathize with him, but instead dragging them down with him, and he needs to realize this.

The scene where Mu Qing is poised to fall into the lava (a symbol of the hell that started it all) tells us:

Many small broken threads of flames were also singing Mu Qing’s robes, and the hilt was scorching hot, yet he still gripped on hard, afraid to let go, and afraid to look down.

If he was to let go then it was nothing but blazing flames and lava waiting for him down below. There was also the hungry wailing of countless spirits of the deceased, their cries resounding and echoing, as if they were calling for the one struggling, hanging on for dear life above to hurry and join them in companionship.

Jun Wu really just wants someone to hurry and join him in despair. But it’s also symbolic in showing the difference in Xie Lian, because instead of sacrificing parts of himself (aka his three friends: Hua Cheng, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing, plus Mei Nian Qing again), he’s determined to save them even though some might not necessarily deserve it. Feng Xin and Mu Qing haven’t treated him particularly well, but they’re a part of each other. Mu Qing is the part of Xie Lian that others tried to shame, the part of him willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals (usually saving people), the part of him that almost led him into becoming Bai WuXiang himself. Xie Lian needs to reconcile that part of him, the choices he made that were both good and bad in these traits, with his animus (Hua Cheng) and with his princely side in all its strengths and flaws too (Feng Xin).

Anyways, all that to say it’s fitting Mu Qing is the one dangling, about to be burned. Because especially after Jun Wu has taken so much from Xie Lian, it’d be fitting for him to deny that part of himself and any risk that he would be like Jun Wu. But he doesn’t do this, because he is similar in some sense, and because he knows it. And even if Mu Qing had sided with Jun Wu by then (and he hadn’t), Xie Lian decides to save him. It works with the theme of rebirth, in which the butterflies cannot fly over, but Xie Lian himself can because he’s strong enough to do it on his own:

Hua Cheng casually let loose a silver butterfly. That silver butterfly fluttered its wings, flying out for a few hundred feet, but before it reached even one third of the way to Mu Qing, it dissipated into silver smoke and vanished in the air.

Xie Lian knew that he was demonstrating that the wraith butterflies could not help; it was a dead end, not worth dying for. 

Mu Qing also witnessed the vanishing process of that silver butterfly, his expression gradually turning into one of despair.

He understood. Right now, one, there was no one who had the ability to save him, second, no one believed him, and on the grounds of his triggering, there was no reason at all for Xie Lian to come pull him up at the risk of his own life.

But, while despairing, he still refused to yield, and he was unwilling to give up. Mu Qing gritted his teeth, shouting, “IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME THAT’S FINE TOO, BUT I WILL NEVER FALL THAT EASILY!” 

(It’s also why during the final physical fight, MQ and FX are yet again dangling over a pit.) Xie Lian chooses to reconcile with himself, with his shadow self and with what he could have (and almost did) become, with the friends he’d driven away. In saving his loved ones, he saves himself.

Therefore, it’s fitting Jun Wu didn’t die. He could not make Xie Lian into anything close to what he became because of his choices. It tells Jun Wu that yes, Xie Lian and him are alike, but that doesn’t mean they’re destined to walk the same path. It was his choices that led him here. And because Xie Lian reconciled, there’s hope for him to reconcile with himself too.

His being forced to remain alive even after having done so much evil, and Mei Nian Qing choosing to stay with him as well, ultimately disproves Jun Wu’s cynical view of the world. It offers him another chance. Someone can always choose to do better, and he is left with MNQ who chose to do better just like he needs to.

He didn’t intend to get up at all, and Xie Lian asked, “Master, are you not coming?” 

Head Priest shook his head, “I’ll keep his highness company. After all, in the past, I didn’t stay by his side.” 

The rain was coming down harder, scouring Jun Wu’s resting face, washing away the life and blood flowing from his wounds.

As the rain washed, Xie Lian felt the three human faces on his face seemed to have gradually faded somewhat. Maybe it was his imagination.

After a moment of silence, Xie Lian took off the bamboo hat carried on his back, and tossed it from his hand, covering it over Jun Wu’s face.

Not only that, but there is a part of Xie Lian and a part of Jun Wu that are similar, that are good. And that’s the desire to save people and an understanding of hypocrisy. Though Jun Wu completely forsook the whole saving people thing for awhile, it’s not like his actions are entirely useless. The dichotomy between the righteousness of the gods and evils of demons has been completely ripped into shreds, and people on both sides have to make choices to make better.

Like, it’s pretty telling that the three gods we see who are the kindest and most benevolent are Shi Qing Xuan, whose brother cheated to get him an ascension, Xie Lian, who got kicked out twice, Yu Shi Huang, who was scorned by all during her life, and then also there’s Hua Cheng who outright refused to ascend. Everyone else who was expected to ascend and then did is a complete disaster. (Though again, Shi Wu Du outright gave us this existentialist theme with his last words: “I decide my fate!”)

Even among these disasters, we see improvements. Mu Qing is honest with Xie Lian about how he wanted to be his friend. Pei Ming tells a demon whom he wronged who has now stalked him for years to love herself, to do better, that she can choose to be better. 

And among the demons, Hua Cheng saves the day with his love for Xie Lian. Qi Rong dies saving a human child, a callback to the same act that started all of this (when Xie Lian chose to save Hua Cheng instead of continuing a festival to the gods). And He Xuan helps save the gods he betrayed, in particular returning Shi Qing Xuan a reminder of who he is. He may not have earned his ascension, but he’s the one in the end protecting the people with spiritual powers, because he is strong enough even without his brother’s help. Instead of defining Shi Qing Xuan by who his brother is, He Xuan defines him by who Shi Qing Xuan is.

When he saw a “Hua Cheng” come by, he quickly called out, “CRIMSON RAIN SOUGHT FLOWER!!! You’ve finally come back! What the heck were you doing leaving for so long, have you thought of a way to connect with his highness? No no no you best think of a way to help me deal with the situation here first, do you see all those fiery rocks coming down from the sky? Think, fast! Blow a breath or make those endless little butterflies go up and chase them away or something, otherwise we’ll die....”

“Hua Cheng” didn’t speak a word, coldly allowing Shi Qing Xuan say that giant pile of words in one breath, and finally, as if he was growing impatient listening, he cut him off directly, “Deal with it yourself.” 

Shi Qing Xuan exclaimed, “Deal with it myself? Don’t joke at a time like this, I’m not his highness, I can’t understand your jokes. How do I deal with those rocks on my own…” Before he finished his sentence, “Hua Cheng” seized his back collar, and yanked him out of the human array directly.

...Yet unexpectedly, after “Hua Cheng” had pulled him out he wasn’t done, and a hand came swinging, smacked him and sent him flying out.

...“It’s fine it’s fine, I didn’t die! He didn’t really hit me, he was just lending spiritual powers!” ...

Shi Qing Xuan examined his hands, then looked at his own body, emitting spiritual light from head to toe...

Just then, “Hua Cheng” flung his right hand, and tossed something at him. Without thinking, Shi Qing Xuan raised his hand to catch, but when he saw what it was he caught, his entire face blanched.

That object was the Wind Master fan!...

Shi Qing Xuan was clutching that dearly familiar fan, his neck stiff, and slowly turned to that “Hua Cheng”.“Hua Cheng” then repeated again coldly, “Deal with it yourself.” 

He Xuan, someone who had no faith in justice or the gods or anyone, has faith in this one former god, now a beggar. And because of the return of his fan, because of who He Xuan is, Shi Qing Xuan remembers who he is and who he could be as a god, and saves people.

You only need one person to believe in you, to remind you that you can be better, in the end.  For Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, for Shi Qing Xuan and He Xuan, for Gu Zi and Qi Rong, for Xuan Ji and Pei Ming, and even for Jun Wu and Mei Nian Qing.

[dokuhebi]

asaraltu asked:  ‘ why didn’t you fight back? ’

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 // @asaraltu​ They awaken in a bed foreign to them, the lingering scent in the abode familiar and yet temporarily unknown. It takes them a moment to reacquaint themself with the world, to fully swim from slumber. There are bandages tied masterfully around their arm and midsection, but despite the residue of blood on the cotton, no injury is present on their skin once the serpent unravels the fabric. Proof that their chakra had steadily regenerated overnight, and within their sleep set to work on healing each cell and tissue. Now seated in the bed, slender fingers politely rolling the dirtied bandages up for disposal, they recount how they remember getting here. The fray comes to mind, the decision to flee rather than stand their ground, the flighty journey through dangerous weather - the sound of hail still present on the rooftop above them in haunting clarity. Then they remember their destination. Who they had fled in the direction of with sightless fatigue. Disheveled and drenched in water and blood. Relying on past relations... bringing trouble to Uchiha Madara’s door. It hadn’t been the wisest call. And yet, they could think of no other potential ally. They could think of nobody else capable of housing them and offering suitable refuge. That if anyone came knocking, he would be more than adept at deceiving those in pursuit of the viper. Again, bringing trouble in to his home. They can recall reaching his doorstep, even if everything is a haze and scattered thought. They can not tell if it was because they were weak when they arrived, or because they are simply weak now, and trying to recollect particular details is troublesome.  They catch their own reflection in the window, tinted by hail, rain and wind. A steady howling that threatened to breathe cold in to the home through any available crack or housing flaw. Their attire is not their own, but they know where it was sourced. A black kimono, with the undershirt of fishnet. Embroidery of crimson camellia flowers all along the sleeves. Fine silk. A golden rope to tie the piece together. Slender fingers coil in to the fabric of their collar, pulling it closed so it would fully shield as much of their chest as possible from the chill. This regal dressing belonged to a young clan lord, destined to take her fathers place as clan head - a gown now stolen by the viper, when they claimed her as their next host.  With steps as silent as a house cat, the Sannin has left the refuge of the room. Ensuring no one else was home other than the Uchiha they had sought out. Unsure whether he would be helping the younger shinobi with this new disastrous development, or whether he would be wiping his hands clean of this mess. He has his back turned to them when they first enter, golden eyes tracing the others imposing figure. No difficult feat to guess his Uchiha heritage, with every pure blooded feature they can map out, and the dark hair tumbling around his form. Of course, despite not having made a sound and remaining briefly in the shadows, he speaks as if he was well aware they had stirred a while ago. No surprise, when in the company of Madara himself. ‘Why didn’t you fight back?’ His question gives them pause, as they take one lingering look around to ensure it was only the Uchiha present. Content it was, at least for now, they come to more formally greet their host. Sauntering to his front, arms folded neatly over their chest. An act of being guarded, or an attempt to retain some warmth. They let him decide. They don’t know how much Madara is aware of. They hadn’t spoken much to him when arriving injured, mostly incoherent speech - and given his question, perhaps he isn’t overly wise on their transgression. Perhaps he merely thinks they were attacked, likely by Konoha, and had not acted to defend themself accordingly. Because he could deduce that the serpent hadn’t fought back by the fact that they had fled. For if they had reciprocated the battle properly - there would be nobody left standing to run from.

They remember heeding the call of Fire Country, they remember working under the order and command of captains not even a fraction of the serpents caliber. But criminals like them don’t get to lead. Later on, so too do they remember urging the captain to call for a retreat and to revise the plan. That a catastrophic trap would lay in wait. That the serpent was scoffed at and ignored. That although the mission had been to protect the clan leader, an arrogant young woman in her own right, the serpent had not been willing to pay for the mistakes of foolish leaders. So when the tables shifted uncomfortably, and it was clear victory not achievable, the serpent had taken the only way out. Their ‘comrades’ would not let the Sannin go, so the serpent convinced the team to safe guard the heir. That the young lord should be evacuated. But they had no intention of letting her be the sole survivor. And to fool every sensor and watchman - they claimed her as their host. With the identical chakra and genetic makeup to cover them. Her expense, but only one of them was making it out alive. Rather their right to life than hers. Less favorably however, it takes time for their body to claim a host completely. Which left them opportunity to run around in her image, but also to sustain injury without their full capabilities. A tedious and dangerous journey, until they arrive at Madara’s door in their own image. Wearing their own porcelain, lacerated skin and visage, but her evidently clan born clothes. Betting without much thought that he would help them recover, and ask questions later. They aren’t sure they want to tell him the long version - they aren’t sure what reception they will get. A last resort - but that did not excuse messiness. That her clan would seek her out, would seek answers. As would Konoha. A disappearing Sannin and Lord. No small coincidence.  “The option was not given to me so simply,” they answer, briefly tugging at a loose thread on their silk sleeve, before gold can meet the powerful gaze of the Uchiha before them, “I chose the path of least resistance. The only ones I could have opposed, had I fought my way out, were supposed allies... I have enough on my criminal record. I can not afford a second charge of treason.” Rain continues to thunder angrily at the abode, shattering any ability to try relax with the constant racket of a constant storm, “thank you, for treating my wounds.”