#madame xiu

[septemberlikestea]

dang girl you got the whole squad uncomfortable.

deceive inc turned 1 year old yesterday and i did a meme redraw of all the agents :o)

this is who theyre looking at. yu-mis haircut sucks so bad.

[cardinailed0]

some deceive inc art I've made over a while!! this is a very very fun game that is on sale rn iirc so 👀👀👀 if you like multiplayer shooters with stealth and style then do check it out please please pleasepleaseplease

[u-so-silly]

👌💅

[coconanodayo]

With @art-from-the-gabe & @moonlightmagpie we did a Deceive Collab! 🕵️

[c-mm-d]

Deceive Inc’s Madame Xiu

[theirisproject]

Xiu: I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives. Vigil: I wake up at 4:30 AM every day to train. Xiu: I want to see you at some point every day for the rest of our lives.

[lavender-phoenix-flames]

The real girlbosses of mdzs are Wen Qing, Luo qingyang(mian mian), A-qing, Jiang yanli and Cangse Sanren NOT madame yu.

[carrot-felisidad]

Has this poll been done before?

[symphonyofsilence]

MXTX writing MDZS female characters who were not Mianmian:

[seineko]

i seriously don't get it when people say that lan wangji doesn't really know love outside of wei wuxian.

his entire damn character is about learning about love, about what is love and what is obsession and how he loves way too much.

he knelt in snow, an entire day every month, for god knows how many years, just to get a glimpse of his mother - just looking for a small sign that indicated that he hasn't lost one of the only few people that understood him.

his love for his brother, the only person who ever understood him completely, and the only person who put his happiness above everyone and everything - as quite as breathing, but just as necessary. i strongly disagree with anyone who says that lan wangji might not have done the same thing as wei wuxian if the twin jades swapped places with the yumeng prides (giving his golden core to his brother). because while lan wangji might've lived for his wei ying, i'm pretty sure he'd just as easily die for his brother.

his love for a-yuan, his dear son, which he might believe to be selfish - not letting go of the last piece in the world that still had ties to wei ying - but is most certainly what gave the child a new life. a life in which he would not be scowled upon, a life where he doesn't have to live under the pressure of a war in which all the part he had was being born into the stomach of a wen, and a life which gave lan sizhui the childhood he had to give up. it's clear in the way he raised him, to not become a shell of what he was, to be able to question when necessary, and put himself and his safety above all - even rules. it's clear in the way lan sizhui grew up to be. he might have taken in a-yuan because of wei wuxian, but he more certainly loved lan sizhui enough to burn the entire world for him.

(even his love for little soundless creatures is as fierce as it can get.)

and i don't even have to talk about wei wuxian. his silent, unconditional devotion towards the love of his life, not expecting anything in return, did not even expect the love back. just wanted to protect the one of the most important person in the entire world for him and fight alongside him. be there by his side as long as wei wuxian's willing to accept him because he would die before he would force wei ying and let him become a shadow of what his mother was. he might have inherited his love from his father, but he loved his mother enough to never let anyone face the pain she went through if it was in his hands.

lan wangji is the embodiment of what lan sect is - what it actually was, when it was established - in every way. he cannot control how fiercely he loves and that, is both a curse and a boon in one.

wei wuxian might have the heart to love as many people as the ocean is wide, but lan wangji has the heart to love the people he cares for as deep as the said ocean.

they both teach us so much about love!

fuck! i absolutely love this novel.

(i wrote this in a very emotional state after reading a very angsty piece so i apologize if it sounds like gibberish, but i sincerely hope what i mean to say comes through.)

[blackhuajia]

I MISS DRAWING MO XIANG TONG XIU’s CHARACTERS I MISS THE JIANG TRIO SIBLINGS , I MISS YILING FAMILY , I WANNA DRAW MADAME YU SO BAD 

anyways here’s one of my early 2021 drawing where I get emotional because the last time Jin Ling receive a motherly kiss was probably when he’s still a baby and we know how loving Yanli is but Jin Ling was still a very small tiny baby at that time so he can’t remember all of those affection. And I am so sad I wanna bang my head so much.

 Might try to redraw it again later

[phr3ia]

Resonance (Jiyan x Fem!Reader x Calcharo) [Chapter 2 : Fake]

[Jinzhou]

You are seated comfortably in your office, your fingers tapping restlessly on the table as you read through the documents before you. There's a certain Mercenary Group causing trouble around Huang Long known as the Ghost Hounds. "Hmmmmm." your eyes shifted from paper to paper. It was evident how visibly angry you looked at the moment.

You are well-acquainted with this notorious group, particularly with their leader, Calcharo. "This guy..." you muttered, staring at his image on the screen, your teeth gritted in anger as you unknowingly gripped the documents in your hands. You have been investigating him for three years now, but you always struggle to locate his whereabouts due to the group frequently changing locations.

"Zhi Yu." you called, prompting your personal assistant to rush towards you. "Yes, Madam Secretary?!" he nervously responded, sensing your fury. For you, enough is enough. Calcharo has pushed you to your limit.

"Could you provide me with all the information we have on the Ghost Hounds and their leader?" You couldn't bear it any longer. This group had been abusing their power, even resorting to killing innocent citizens of Huang Long. While you understood the nature of mercenaries, you couldn't stand idly by if they continued to harm the innocent. "Okay. Fuck this! I'm going to hunt down this group myself." With a forceful slam of your hand on the table, you rose abruptly from your chair and grabbed your coat.

"M-Madam Secretary! Where are you going?!" Zhi Yu asked, well aware of your impulsiveness. As the Secretary of Justice, you needed to be as safe as possible. "Don't say a word of this to anyone, especially not to the General." you ordered, fixing a stern gaze on your assistant. "B-But Madam Secretary! You can't take action like this without a direct order from the Magistrate!"

Ignoring his protests, you continued towards the door. "I'll do my best to return before midnight." You stated before shutting the door behind you.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

[Desorock Highland...]

Jiyan clashed with waves of Tacet Discord with his broadblade, slicing through the air with grace and might. He was ready and cunning, anticipating their moves. His eyes, though carrying a hint of fatigue, were sharp and focused throughout the battle.

He had overexerted himself in his battles, to the point where Jiyan could barely hear the battle's sounds over the ringing in his ears. His arm ached with every swing of his sword. His heart thudded in his chest as he heaved for breath. He was close to Overclocking, but he shoved that realization to the back of his mind.

"Major Yue Xiu requesting immediate evacuation at Desorock Highland. I have discovered a nest of TDs hiding in a secret cave. I cannot seem to shake them. Aid is needed ASAP." Jiyan transmitted before making a hasty retreat, the exhaustion now difficult to ignore.

He stabilized his breathing as he marched back to the safety of the position they held. His eyes scanned the battlefield before his gaze fell on his trusted Lieutenant, Qiang. He relayed the information as Qiang readied more soldiers. He then tended to his most important duty: To lead by example.

The General wasn't always a man of many words in front of his soldiers, but he could roar against the TDs, and his army respected and followed his lead.

The day's triumph belonged to them.

With the sun setting, Jiyan gave the necessary orders to secure the area before he retreated to rest.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

You headed to the Port City of Guixu, as this was the last lead you had on the Ghost Hounds. Despite the presence of Tacet Discords roaming around, you chose to maintain a low profile to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention if there were indeed any Mercenaries in the vicinity.

Quietly, you entered the abandoned building and meticulously inspected each floor. Upon entering each room, you found nothing but traces of leftover food. "So they were really here." you mumbled under your breath as you continued to investigate the area.

You ventured back outside and wandered around until you reached a corner where you spotted a few members of the Ghost Hounds engaged in conversation. You crouched down, intending to approach them stealthily. "Hahaha! Did you see the looks on those villagers' faces? They didn't think twice about handing over all their food supply!" exclaimed the male mercenary, grinning as he rummaged through his bag.

"Is this how the Ghost Hounds operates? Exploiting the vulnerable?" You seethed inwardly as you listened. You were about to circle around to find a better position to attack when one of the mercenaries, who was urinating, caught sight of you. You locked eyes with him for a few seconds, but before the man could react, you had accidentally activated your Resonance Liberation Skill, triggering a massive explosion in the area.

The man in front of you was charred to a crisp, but the others managed to shield themselves from the sudden attack. The explosion also caught the attention of the Tacet Discords, drawing them towards your location.

"Shit!" you hissed, seeing the countless of TDs heading your way. You couldn't believe you  momentarily lost control. You had no choice but to fight them off while ensuring the Mercenaries wouldn't seize this opportunity to escape. "Let's go!" exclaimed one of them, prompting the others to flee alongside him. "Not on my watch!" you grinned, excitement gleaming in your eyes as you sprinted at incredible speed, flames trailing behind your feet.

You unsheathed your broadsword, poised to strike the fleeing criminals, when suddenly an Inferno Rider appeared in front of you. "An Overlord class?!" Your eyes widened in shock. You realized the challenge ahead, knowing that you shared the same element. The Overlord Tacet Discord standing before you possessed a strong resistance to fire.

One of the Mercenaries made a rash move despite the looming threat. "Don't move! That's not a Tacet Discord you want to provoke!"you warned. You couldn't afford to lose all of them. You needed them alive. With a single casualty from the accidental release of your skill earlier, you couldn't risk making the same mistake again.

Despite your warning, the man defiantly moved, and in just a single swing of the Riders's blade, he was burned into ashes.

Your eyes darted around, as you strategized to devise the best plan to defeat the TD before you.

"Wanna make it out of here alive?" you asked, locking eyes with the frightened Mercenaries beside you. "I need your cooperation to execute my plan." You added. "And why should we trust you?" one of them questioned, skeptical of your proposal. "Because you have no other choice." your expression conveyed the seriousness of your words.

Upon hearing your plan, the Mercenaries swiftly diverted the attention of the Inferno Rider, granting you the chance to charge up your skill. You allowed yourself to be engulfed by your own flames, the intense heat causing the concrete beneath your feet to slowly melt. You moved with lightning speed, disappearing and reappearing in front of the Inferno Rider, delivering a powerful punch infused with flames on your knuckles. However, the TD quickly recovered and launched its attack, which you swiftly countered. Your movements resembled a graceful dance, exuding elegance and precision.

While you may not possess the same strength as Jiyan, but you can stand your ground like a true soldier. You shielded the Mercenaries from the Rider's deadly blade by blocking its attack. The force was so strong that you could feel your strength waning. You persevered, knowing Jiyan would have done the same. You exerted more force on your blade, pushing until the Rider's blade pierced its own skin.

As it screamed in agony and stopped its movements, one of them cautiously asked, "Is it over?" But before you could respond, the Rider erupted in flames, prompting you to swiftly move out of the way. The intense heat emanating from the TD made the Mercenaries feel as though their skin was being scorched. You glanced at the them with concern, but in an instant, as you shifted your gaze, the Rider stood before you, face to face, ready to strike you with its blade.

Your eyes widened in shock, knowing you had little time to react.

Just as the blade was about to reach you, a sudden bolt of lightning struck from out of nowhere, intercepting the attack. And the next thing you knew, the Leader of the Ghost Hounds, Calcharo, appeared in front of you, his blade blocking the the Inferno Rider.

With a few clashing of swords and a single activation of his Liberation Skill, the Tacet Discord dissipated as if it had never existed.

"C-Calcharo!" the Mercenaries muttered, their voices tinged with fear.

Calcharo scanned the faces of the Mercenaries as they let out mutters of his name, their fear was a bitter addition to his satisfaction. He didn't expect these FAKES to be a threat, it was more of an insult to his pride as the Leader of the Ghost Hounds.

"Hold your tongue."

Calcharo aimed his blade at one of the fake Mercenaries but fixed his gaze at you, who remained calm and composed. If there was one person who intrigued him in this dingy place, it was you. You could have been anybody, a soldier, a bystander, a Mercenary, or an innocent. Yet, the sight of you standing in the midst of this chaos held his attention.

He stepped closer, his sword now pressed against your throat, leaving you in a position where you could either step back or yield to him.

"I'd like to know why a high ranking officer from Jinzhou is here, surrounded by rats."

His voice carried a serious tone. He wasn't one to judge, but this situation called for an explanation. The fake mercenaries around him shuffled on their feet, eyes cast downward, some showed signs of fear, others defiance.  

"Care to share your story, officer?"

Calcharo remained vigilant, ready to strike in an instant, but for now, he wanted answers from the officer in front of him.

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

End Of Chapter 2 🌹...

[innerpalaces]

THE PRINCESS WEI YANG - 188 PART 2

CHAPTER 188: Already Engaged

When Madam Guo saw that Li Wei Yang was lost in thought, she said softly: "Actually, your father also had the same suspicion as you, but there is no evidence. So I think maybe you are overly worried."

Li Wei Yang was startled when she heard those words. Such a big plot... Empress Pei's meticulous work was so successful that she didn't leave any clues at all. This shows Empress Pei's careful design, cautious actions, and vicious intentions. One couldn't help but admire her.

"Mother, Empress Pei's methods are naturally extraordinary. If the evidence was found so easily, how could she have been sitting on the throne of Empress for so many years? If you don't believe it, think about it carefully, who benefitted the most after the war?"

Madam Guo was stunned and seemed to hesitate a little: "This... Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed Empress Pei. After the war, many aristocratic families were damaged, but before the war, the Pei family had been faintly cornered by all the major families. But then the situation changed..." She thought of this and slowly stopped talking, going through Li Wei Yang's words in her mind. She suddenly realized the key point and her face darkened. "Jia'er, you are right. Empress Pei must have done this! Because she and her father Pei Xiu are the biggest beneficiaries!"

Li Wei Yang smiled softly and said: "Yes, she strikes quickly and accurately. This is Empress Pei."

Madam Guo looked at Li Wei Yang and said: "After Pei Ming's death, people who had close contacts with him were very scared, fearing that Empress Pei would pursue further investigations and endanger their future, and even their wealth and life. But what surprised them was that no one else was implicated. What's even more amazing is that Empress Pei issued a grace decree and ordered Pei Ming and others to be buried with dignity, and all their letters and account books to be burned. In this way, there would be no further investigation of others. I didn't think about it carefully in the past, but now it seems that this move not only won her a good reputation as a benevolent person, but also truly reflected her good political tactics."

Li Wei Yang nodded and said: "I guess my father and brothers must have investigated these things, but they have been hiding it from you, mother, for fear that you will take revenge on Empress Pei because of my disappearance. If so, you will framed as making false accusations if you don't have evidence."

The veins on Madam Guo's forehead beat rapidly, and she tried her best to suppress her anger. "Am I the kind of woman who doesn't know what's important? They underestimate me too much!"

Li Wei Yang just held Madam Guo's hand and said softly: "Mother, both father and brothers are protecting you!"

After hearing this, Madam Guo still couldn't bear to blame her husband and sons for hiding this from her for so many years. She just sighed and said: "The hatred between the Guo and Pei families is too deep, and it cannot be removed no matter what, so when you enter the palace, you must be even more careful."

Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "Don't worry, mother."

Early the next morning, Madam Guo and Li Wei Yang got on the carriage, and Zhao Yue said to the carriage driver: "Let's go." The carriage began to turn its wheels, and sixteen Guo family guards on both sides followed the carriage through the street. They turned left through the Tongde Gate and passed through a bridge. South Palace City was just in front of them. According to the rules, their carriage can enter the Nangong City Gate, and then must stop when entering the second Dong'an Gate. All of the Guo Family's guards were blocked, and the court lady sent by Consort Guo took over. Of course, two rows of eunuchs carried the eight exquisite food boxes from the Guo family's entourage, containing snacks made by the Guo family. It was naturally known that there are all kinds of good things in the palace, so the most suitable gift was giving the Consort the food she likes, which will also shows deep affection.

The four eunuchs each lifted the corner of a palanquin and carried Madam Guo and Li Wei Yang to the entrance of Changchun Palace where Gracious Consort Guo lived. Along the way, Li Wei Yang only saw palace maids and eunuchs hanging their heads and holding their breaths, and not even the sound of people talking could be heart. It can be seen that the palace rules in Yuexi are much more stringent than those in Dali. When they arrived at the gate of Changchun Palace, even the palanquin had to stop.

"...Jia'er, if you meet someone later, just follow the rules taught by the matron. Do you remember all the taboos in the palace?" Madam Guo still asked worriedly.

Li Wei Yang looked at her sideways, smiled and said she remembered.

Just as she was about to enter Changchun Palace, she heard the sound of footsteps, and a young man in brocade clothes walked out. He was tall and handsome, but his eyes shone with an  unfathomable light. When he saw Madam Guo, a sincere and enthusiastic smile appeared on his face, and he quickly greeted her: "Aunt."

Before Madam Guo could speak, he had already made a half-bow, obviously respecting her very much. Madam Guo quickly said: "Your Highness, there is no need to be polite. Oh, by the way, this is Jia'er, Your Highness has not seen her yet."

Yuan Ying turned his gaze to Li Wei Yang, and with a polite and distant smile on his lips, said: "Cousin."

Li Wei Yang smiled cooperatively, and even managed to show a shy expression on her face.

"My mother asked me to come to the palace gate to greet you," Yuan Ying said with a faint smile, "Aunt, please come in..."

Inside the red-carved gate of Changchun Palace was a spacious small garden. Green plantains, thousand-year-old pine trees, and many flowers of all varieties were scattered neatly throughout the yard.

Following Madam Guo, they walked into a solemn parlour and saw Gracious Consort Guo sitting on the beauty's couch. Li Wei Yang had no time to take a closer look at her appearance and immediately knelt down with Madam Guo.

"Get up." Consort Guo actually took the initiative to help Madam Guo up. Then, Li Wei Yang saw the gorgeous palace dress move in front of her, and a soft female voice said, "Today I am meeting my sister-in-law and niece. Jia'er, just raise your head. You don't have to be so formal."

Li Wei Yang still saluted naturally, raised her eyes, smiled, all in one go. Yuan Ying glanced at her in surprise, obviously not expecting that Li Wei Yang learned palace etiquette so well in just a few days.

Li Wei Yang's eyes fell on Gracious Consort Guo's face. She was obviously close to forty, but her skin was flawless, and her features were beautiful and dignified.

"Jia'er." Consort Guo came up and took her hand, slowly looking over her face. Li Wei Yang was wearing the dress chosen by Madam Guo. The color was bright but not frivolous. She looked dignified and gentle and her face was flushed red, making her look even more beautiful and adorable than before. Consort Guo nodded and said, "She is indeed very lovely."

In other words, after Yuan Ying came back, he had mentioned her to Consort Guo. Li Wei Yang just smiled.

Gracious Consort Guo took Madam Guo and Li Wei Yang to sit down and began to ask about the current situation of the Guo family. In fact, she had already heard these things from Yuan Ying, but at this moment, she wanted to hear them from her sister-in-law, especially regarding Guo Jia's return. She listened very carefully, but there was no trace of doubt in her face, and she was full of emotion. Li Wei Yang saw this and sighed in her heart. The problem with Guo family women is they're very emotional, even Gracious Consort Guo is no exception. She'd heard that Li Wei Yang suffered a lot when she was missing, so she sent countless gifts to compensate her.

Soon, Li Wei Yang suddenly discovered that Yuan Ying's eyes had been falling on her face, still looking thoughtful. At this time, she suddenly heard Consort Guo say: "When I was a child, I brought Ying'er to the Guo family to visit his relatives. When he saw Jia'er, he refused to let go ..."

When Li Wei Yang heard this, a bad feeling suddenly passed through her heart.

Sure enough, the next thing Consort Guo said was: "Sister-in-law, the matter we talked about in the past should be settled as soon as possible..."

Li Wei Yang felt a little scared when she saw Consort Guo's enthusiastic eyes. However, when Yuan Ying heard these words, he still had a smile on his face, without any emotion, as if he didn't understand Consort Guo's hint at all...

Li Wei Yang and the others entered the palace very early. At this moment in Prince Xu's Mansion, the master had not yet gotten up. The attendant waiting outside was the former prince's old companion, a eunuch known as Elder Wang. At this moment, he walked to the desk, gently picked up a cloak and covered him, for fear of disturbing Yuan Lie, who was still sleeping.

"Elder Wang, it's almost noon, should we wake up the prince?" the maid Lan Zhi asked quietly.

The prince was tired from reading and didn't even go to bed to rest. Elder Wang sighed. He originally thought that the former Prince Xu would live a long life, but he didn't expect that the new master would inherit the title so quickly. Moreover, the new prince has an extraordinary handsome appearance, deep scheming, and one-of-a-kind personality and bearing, but he didn't have much in common with the gentle and elegant character of the Old Prince. Not only that, in the past six months he had inherited the title of a noble and had made Elder Wang worried about one thing –

Eunuch Wang looked at the servant girl and sighed. His mood seemed to have hit rock bottom, and he deliberately lowered his voice: "You are all really useless. I asked you to serve the grand prince in bed. Why didn't anyone do anything?"

Those beautiful little maids all lowered their heads. The prince was not interested in any of them, and his temperament was unpredictable. It was not that no one had tried, but those who tried could not see the sun the next day. God knows which ice cave that daring maid was thrown into by the master's secret guard... They couldn't understand, he was obviously a handsome prince, how could he not be tempted by beauty at all? Could it be that the prince doesn't like women? Didn't the old princess curse behind his back, saying that the old prince found a bitch from nowhere and was a womanizer...

"What's going on? He refuses to marry a consort and he refuses to keep a bed warmer by his side. Doesn't this mean that the bloodline of Grand Prince Xu will be cut off? When the old prince was this age, he had already married a wife and had children... Ah!" The eunuch muttered a few words quietly. When he raised his eyes, he saw Yuan Lie yawning and looking at him.

Elder Wang was startled and said quickly: "My lord...are you awake?" He didn't expect Yuan Lie to wake up so soon. 

Yuan Lie smiled slightly, though the smile didn't quite reach his amber eyes. "I just lay down for a while when I was tired from reading, and you started nagging here..."

"I don't dare!" Elder Wang's back broke out in a cold sweat. He couldn't explain why, but he was still a little afraid of this new prince. But because of his affection for the old prince, he was still looking forward to the young prince getting married, have children, and expanding the branches of the family. "Your Highness, the old princess came back yesterday. She mentioned the candidate for the new Princess Xu and wanted to marry her niece to you. Furthermore, the servant secretly found out that she was planning to speak to His Majesty through Consort Hu in the palace... You see, it's not that this servant wants to talk too much. If someone from the Hu family is allowed to marry in and become the princess, I am afraid that she will have the same intentions as the old princess..."

In fact, the old princess also stuffed him with a huge amount of money and gave him a farm in the suburbs... These are all gifts used to win people's hearts. If it were other people, they would probably be tempted, but he has always been loyal to the old prince. Before the old prince passed away, he told him to be loyal to this new master. How could he betray Yuan Lie? But just because he doesn't, doesn't mean others won't do it. He knew the temperament of the old princess very well. She would never give up until she achieved her goal. She would do anything to put her own son on the throne. Although Yuan Lie refused to pursue the matter for the sake of the old prince, this struggle will not be easily resolved after all!

"Oh." Yuan Lie's tone was not very warm, and he stood to wash up.

Seeing that he didn't pay attention at all, Elder Wang couldn't help but worry. The old princess always hated Yuan Lie. If she was allowed to interfere with the prince, would he be able to live like this in the future? The prince didn't make a plan earlier, but he still looked like he was taking care of himself. Is he crazy? "My lord, you'd better think carefully about it. You must get ahead of the old princess..."

Although Elder Wang was inexplicably afraid of Yuan Lie, he still spoke out after weighing the risks.

"Even if you don't marry a wife, you can still take a concubine. In the past six months, the prince has never let anyone sleep with him. The old princess seized this opportunity and created a lot of rumors..." It's not that he wants to worry, it's just the prince has always refused to take concubines, and he really feels that there is something wrong with him.

Yuan Lie lazily raised his eyebrows and said, "Where are the people outside?"

Elder Wang was stunned when he saw a guard pushing open the door and entering, respectfully delivering a secret letter. Yuan Lie opened the letter and read it at a glance. He couldn't help but frown. Wei Yang actually entered the palace——

Elder Wang was still saying: "Even if the prince blames me, I have to say that if the old prince was still here, he will definitely arrange a well-matched marriage for you. But now, there is no one who cares seriously about you —" Halfway through, he saw Yuan Lie walking out like a brisk wind. Elder Wang was startled and froze in place. Then he turned back to look at the crowd and said, "Where is his highness going?"

At this moment, Yuan Lie's figure had disappeared in the yard. Elder Wang was anxious, and he slapped his thigh and said: "Why is this prince so disobedient? Do you want to watch the old princess take away the title?!"

Get up to 30 advanced chapter parts on Patreon

[utterlyhooked]

For those looking for the “MARITAL BLISS” part of the story, here is a machine translated part of the epilogue.

▪️ Huo Buyi/Huo Budo/Huo ZhouMu is now a governor or head of state (vassal state) that he opened up during his exile* on the NorthWestern region, uniting the local tribes. Ah Xiu is a 14 year old grandson (heir) of one of the tribal leaders (who is leading other tribes) - this is how I understand it.

*he also conquered the Kingdom of Shu

----

Ah Xiu is becoming more and more free in the state pastoral (HB & SS residence/palace) which shows Huo ZhouMu trusted him more and more, but it also brought a little trouble to Ah Xiu - because he would always bump into the intimate behaviour of ZhouMu and his wife from time to time.

In fact, the local customs are open and young men and women have been accustomed to seeing Ah Xiu in a place to kiss or touch something, but somehow, he will still blush when he sees the ZhouMu couple affectionate. The same move, Brother Ah Yong and his good deeds are like cattle roaring, Ah Xiu is too lazy to see, but the ZhouMu couple can't say the tenderness and sweetness when they do it.

One day, Hou ZhouMu wanted to take Ah Xiu to the military camp outside the city, when it was not yet dawn, Mrs. ZhouMu came out with her hair scattered and confused to send him, her eyebrows were soft, and she was naked with a pair of snow-white lotus feet, and when ZhouMu saw her, he hugged her into his arms, and the two kissed passionately. Mrs. ZhouMu followed her husbands chin, to the long neck, nibbled his adam's apple, and finally kissed into the chest of ZhouMu's loose clothes, Huo ZhouMu was tall and strong, and as soon as his arms were raised, he lifted the lady in her entirety, kissed her earlobes and hollow of her neck, and then went down...

----------

Another time, the lady personally shaved the face of the state pastor, Ah Xiu sat cross-legged under the porch to endorse the book, from time to time to look back, saw the lady tenderly like water touching the face and neck of the state pastor, the state pastor put one hand on the waist of the lady and another on her hand, the two looked at each other and said endless affection. Ah Xiu finished memorizing the book and went back, and when he left, he suddenly thought that ZhouMu had one hand on his wife's waist, and another hand, where was it? Ah Xiu tried to recall that Madame's summer shirt was very wide, and the sleeves were particulary wide, and oh, ZhouMu's other hand seemed to reach into Madame's sleeve...

- What the idiot told him that Han Chinese people are very reserved and reserved! It's all a lie!

-----------

When Ah Xiu was able to write a complete family letter in Chinese characters, Mrs. ZhouMu was diagnosed as pregnant, and Huo ZhouMu froze on the spot, and his handsome and majestic face inexplicaply shed tears.

“Shao Shang, I, I...” Huo ZhouMu, who was cast in steel and iron, put his arm around his wife and choked up unspeakably.

Mrs. ZhouMu gently took her husband's head into her arms: “I know, I know... In the future, you will have many flesh and blood relatives, and you will not be the only one again.”

Huo ZhouMu raised his head, his eyes clear, and smiled with tears: “ No, since I saw you, I have not been alone.”

Although he did not know why, Ah Xiu's heart was also sour, so he cried. He felt that this marriage between the ZhouMu couple must have come bitterly and very difficult. It's great that they can finally become dependents (married).

Ah Xiu studied around Huo ZhouMu for many years, he personally watched Lady ZhouMu get pregnant, give birth, raise children, the great emperor in the distance sent things and doctors in a long convoy one after another and the ZhouMu couple returned to the capital from time to time to report, to visit their relatives, conferring titles, many rewards... Cycle.

Just as Mrs. ZhouMu said, Huo ZhouMu really had several flesh and blood relatives, although one was more naughty than the other, and the other was more angry than the other, but it was really good to be lively all day.

▪️ So, they weren’t shy! And they were very prolicfic with their baby making! I was thinking that their household staff and his subordinates were giving them a wide berth whenever Zisheng and Shaoshang were in close proximity to each other. They probably have this policy amongst themselves of announcing, discreetly perhaps, of “They are a metre apart... Rruuunnnn!!!!” hahahahha

[taisuiartgallery]

Guidepost

General Tags:

Art

Digital Art

Traditional Art

Fic

Video

Animatic

Memes

Comics

Crossover

Spoilers

Full list of more specific tags under the cut:

Character Tags:

Because there are So Many Characters, I've taken a page from E. Danglar's book and sorted them by region.

Southern Wan (Jinping)

Xi Ping

Zhou Ying

Wei Chengxiang

Bai Ling

Xi Yue

Pang Jian

Old Madam Xi

Xi Zhengde

Cui Jinjin

Zhao Yu

The Karma Beast

Chen Baishao (Jiangli)

Southern Wan (Xuanyin)

Zhi Xiu

Lin Chi

Wen Fei

Luo Qingshi

Zhang Jue

Lin Zongyi

Yao Qi

Chang Jun

Princess Duanrui

Su Zhun

Zhao Yin

Li Fengshan

Southern Wan (The Southern Mines)

Lü Chengyi

Liang Chen

Southern Wan (Other)

Zhao Qindan

Xu Rucheng

The Heart Demon

Western Chu

Qiu Sha

Hui Xiangjun

Yu Chang

Xuanwu

Zhuoming

Xiang Rong

Tao-er-nainai

Southern Shu

Wangge Luobao

Northern Li

Xie Chu

Kunlun's Third Elder

Wu Lingxiao

Accompanying Plant Tags:

Reincarnation Wood

Snow Shuffler

Late Autumn Red

Eternal Spring Brocade

Heartless Lotus

Item/Weapon Tags:

Tai Sui Qin

Zhaoting

The Law Breaker

The Unbound Furnace

Discard the False and Keep the True

Ship Tags:

Xi Ping/Zhi Xiu

Xi Ping/Zhou Ying

Zhi Xiu/Xi Ping/Zhou Ying

Wei Chengxiang/Zhao Qindan

Xi Ping/Yu Chang

Lin Chi/Hui Xiangjun

Qiu Sha/Hui Xiangjun

Qiu Sha/Hui Xiangjun/Lin Chi

Lin Chi/Wen Fei

Miscellaneous Tags:

Zhou Ying's Cat

The Sea of Stars

The Dragon Vein

Scenery

Fic Tags:

Gen Fic

Story Arc Tags:

(Any drawing/comic of a specific scene will have the relevant arc tagged. Tags for early arcs aren't necessarily spoiler-free.)

Midnight Song

The Dragon Bites Its Tail

Fragrant Jade Miasma

Demon Country

The Mountain Falls

Indignant Cicadas

Traveler Abroad

Unbound Knife

Eternal Flame

The Storm Begins

Flower in the Mirror

Tomb of the Sage

A Life of Regret

Conclusion

The Extras (Overall)

Antiquity Extra

New Capital Extra

Western Chu Extra

Frost and Snow Extra

Jinping Extra

Bonus Secret Info

For those of y'all that scroll all the way to the bottom of this tag list, here's an extra fun fact: this blog is run by ya girl Andromeda Grassbreads. You can find me TaiSuiposting over on my meta blog @morethanwonderful.

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) Vol. 3 Author: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu Genre/s: danmei, xianxia, historical, fantasy, mystery, queer romance, romance Content/Trigger Warnings: death, violence, body horror, emotional abuse, death of parents, forced marriage, arranged marriage Summary (from publisher website): The bloody war against the Wen Clan once led Wei Wuxian to seek power in demonic cultivation, and the dark acts he committed drove a wedge between him and Lan Wangji. Now, those old sins come back to haunt him as his reincarnated identity is revealed to the cultivation world. But even as the other clans call for Wei Wuxian’s death, Lan Wangji stands by him, making Wei Wuxian realize what he took for disapproval in the past might have been a much deeper emotion. Buy Here: https://sevenseasentertainment.com/books/grandmaster-of-demonic-cultivation-mo-dao-zu-shi-novel-vol-3/ Spoiler-Free Review: BOY WAS THIS A READ! So the previous volumes have had a tendency to jump between the past and present quite easily and casually (which, kudos to the translators, they were able to handle quite deftly, and kudos too to the author for managing to make things coherent despite the frequent jumps between timelines) but this volume DEFINITELY focuses more on the past than the last two volumes, with huge swathes of the volume being devoted to moments pre-, during, and post-Sunshot Campaign. The emphasis is mostly on Wei Wuxian’s relationship with his adopted siblings Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli, which is complicated by the relationship between his adopted father Jiang Fengmian and his wife Madam Yu. It’s a very sad, tragic story that I won’t elaborate on due to spoilers, but I’ve been informed that if I feel the need to bawl my eyes out, I should watch how the drama adaptation of this series portrays certain specific events in this volume. Given how I feel about those events WITHOUT having seen the drama version yet, I can only imagine just how heartwrenching they’d be when acted out. Speaking of drama (of a different sort), this volume also REALLY expands on the romantic connection between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji - mostly by playing up the fact that Lan Wangji is a VERY poor communicator (his own brother admits to this!) and Wei Wuxian is SO VERY BAD at reading the room. I joked with my friend that the real heroes here are the people around them who have to watch their romance (such as it is) unfold - mostly Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng, who have front-row seats to the two-person circus that their siblings are in. But that being said, my friend and I also got to discussing a crucial theme that runs throughout the course of the series, but which really gets highlighted here: the idea of a “right” path versus a “wrong” or “deviant” path. This is often associated with cultivation in the series (with most people saying Wei Wuxian’s cultivation is “demonic” and therefore “wrong”), but also applies to how one lives one’s life in general. Said friend remarked that this was associated with Confucian ideals and values, with the “right” path aligning with those values and ideals, and “wrong” paths being anything that didn’t align with those ideals and values. I don’t think I can speak to how true or accurate this is, given how I have minimal cultural connection to the Filipino-Chinese community and Chinese culture as a whole, but given a quick (and likely woefully insufficient) google research spree, I think this aligns quite well with what I’ve read so far. This aligns very well with another thing she pointed out: how we, as westernized readers, tend to view Wei Wuxian in a positive light, thinking his tendency to innovate is something laudable. This runs contrary with the Lans’ point of view, and the point of view of many of the cultivators in this series: innovation is questionable at best, and dangerous at worst. While someone with a more westernized perspective would view Wei Wuxian as a positive figure, others with less western views might see him as heroic, but tragic: an example of what happens when someone takes power by any means possible, no matter the cost. With this in mind it’s becoming easy to see why Wei Wuxian’s trajectory around the time of the Sunshot Campaign and beyond is one of meteoric heights, followed by a sharp and catastrophic fall: a fall which is considered entirely justified, if one chooses to see it from a certain perspective. Still, despite this framing, the author does not always frame adherence to tradition as a positive thing, especially in interpersonal relationships. Adherence to tradition, after all, is what led to the unhappy marriages portrayed in this volume (including one I didn’t expect). Given that the romance between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji doesn’t quite adhere to tradition, does that mean they stand a better chance at happiness? Gonna have to read the rest of this series to find out I guess - and I am honestly looking forward to that. Rating: five lotus blossoms (for Reasons) Thoughts (spoilers under the cut):

- While I was messaging my friend she commented how the Jiangs had such a tragic marriage, and how it did an awful number on Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. I later remarked how the Lans probably had a better marriage, given how Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji turned out - and my friend, bless her, DID NOT tell me the awful awful truth until I got to it. Not gonna explain any  further because it is GENUINELY WTF, but that whole thing has convinced me that there are NO happy marriages in this series. AT ALL.