#Heavenly Dao

[manhuareadofficial]

The Heavenly Path Is Not Stupid

The Heavenly Path Is Not Stupid follows a protagonist who challenges the established order of the world, dismissing the widely accepted notion that “Heaven and Earth are kind to everything.” The former Heavenly Dao is portrayed as a villain, responsible for endless death and suffering. The protagonist, determined to reshape the world, embarks on a journey to realign yin and yang, reform the cycle of reincarnation, and create a perfect world. His mission is to fight the rebellion and shape a new cosmic order, though he often meets more resistance than anticipated​.

[yudidoodles]

Based on this post that has been stuck in my head for ages- the three straightest guys lmao

And also their husbands having a similar conversation

Guys I'm so normal about all of these books don't @ me lol

[guangshi-091305]

Is it me or there's way too many parallels between Shi Siblings (TGCF) and Nie Siblings (MDZS). Like the overprotective big brothers, the huffing but adoring younger brothers, older brothers who work way too much and hard and younger brothers who tend to make friends and have more fun than anything. Both pair of siblings was, in their own way, madly obsessed with keeping their siblings safe and when that safety was threatened, everyone around them suffered.

But there's one thing thats kinda baffling to me, with everything mentioned, there were parallels between Shi Wudu and Nie Mingjue and Shi Qingxuan and Nie Huaisang... but the part about doing the most unhinged, wrong, unbelievable, downright evil vengeful and almost impossible things for your brother part?? Thats a parallel SWD and NHS share. The only differences I see are that SWD took a proactive approach... meddling with fate before SQX was truly harmed while NHS chose the reactive approach, manipulating everyone like chess pieces after NMJ was murdered.

I am prolly rambling and making nonsense connections but... hear me out guys tell me you see it too!!

[twistedappletree]

The funniest “Jin Ling damsel in distress moment” is actually in the donghua on dafan mountain when Lan Jingyi kicks Jin Ling into the cave with so much force (infamous Lan Clan hamstrings?) that he just disappears??? I mean logically, he probably just fell on his face then got up and was like “screw this loser” and started exploring the cave for the heck of it but it’s so much funnier to imagine LJY kicking him so hard that he just rolled through the entire cave system for like 5 minutes straight until he crashed into the dancing goddess statue

[bambamboozlesart]

some genderbent MDZS and TGCF

(Read below for context.)

Im running a JJK tabletop game where my players are teachers at jujutsu high. i wanted to make a lot of npc student characters that I wouldnt have to think too hard to roleplay and I took some inspiration from MDZS and TGCF. I took a lot more characters but these are the main couples. All my picks for students were male characters so some of them got genderbent. i also took some liberties making them more distinct from one another

cuz u know. its anime.

[chirpycloudyrobin]

Fu Liang Jiangjun, Jin Zixuan

Bathed in gold from birth, life, death, and ascension, it is no wonder that Jin Zixuan received the title of Fù Liàng Jiāngjūn upon his ascension into the Upper Court. In life, he was ranked among the best of his generation in cultivation so it was no surprise that upon his death, he received his Heavenly Calamity.

In the present time, the mortal and cultivation world have not yet realised that Fu Liang Jiangjun is the late Young Master Jin.

Under the cut are more details about his reputation and abilities as a Heavenly Official

REPUTATION

Jin Zixuan is known in the Heavenly Courts first and foremost for his obvious love for his wife Lady Water Master Yanli, and then for his Treasure-Seeking Arrows.

It's a well-known tale amongst the Heavenly Courts that Jin Zixuan had held back his Heavenly Calamity out of the desire to ascend with his wife and the god is often found within reach of the Water Master at all times. Whenever Water Master Yanli needed to be in the mortal world for whatever reason, Jin Zixuan would almost always accompany her to act as assistant, companion, and bodyguard. It is said that prayers to Jin Zixuan would be received better if one were to include sincere praise to Water Master Yanli.

Aside from being the Martial God of Lanling and eventually Shandong, Jin Zixuan has also been titled as a god of of wealth, fortune, and justice. His primary weapon is Suihua, his sword from his mortal life. Upon his ascendance, Jin Zixuan received a spiritual bow named Wànnián, eternity, which produces the Treasure-Seeking Arrows he is also known for.

As the god of wealth, fortune, and justice, worshippers primarily approach him for finance-related opportunities. Sometimes, he is approached to enact justice on crimes related to wrongful murders. Contrary to popular belief, Jin Zixuan himself isn't the one handing out wealth. Instead, he aims his Treasure-Seeking Arrows and it is up to fate if it wants to grant the worshipper what they have prayed for. Him and Jiang Yanli are worshipped together for success and happiness in relationships that started off rocky.

He is worshipped primarily in Lanling. Although some of his worshippers could somewhat tell that he was the late Young Master Jin, they are convinced that it is only a coincidence and say nothing about it to the Jin cultivators of their area.

Jin Zixuan's palace in the Heavenly Capital, the Palace of Fu Liang, is about as grand as one would expect from a god of wealth. It is no Koi Tower, but its brilliance truly impresses. A notable feature of the palace are its gardens of peonies and its lotus ponds. It is known that Water Master Yanli has her own private area in the Palace of Fu Liang, the same way that Jin Zixuan has his own private area in Water Master Yanli's Palace of Zhongxia.

When it comes to friendships among his fellow gods, Jin Zixuan is closest to his fellow Martial Gods. He looks up to them as his seniors and is able to communicate well with them within the context of the battlefield and the training grounds. Outside of that, Jin Zixuan is still learning how to have genuine friendships after a lifetime of living in a viper's pit like Koi Tower.

ABILITIES (as a god)

Heavenly Official: Jin Zixuan possesses the standard abilities of a Heavenly Official, which includes the ability to forgo basic necessities like food and sleep as well as the inability to age. He is also immune to the elements.

Wannian and Its Treasure-Seeking Arrows: Jin Zixuan's spiritual weapon as a god of wealth. Wannian is an exquisite, high-quality bow that glitters in the Sun like gold, but is as strong and flexible as high quality wood. Jin Zixuan doesn't need to load Wannian with physical arrows as the bow produces its own arrows made of divine light. The arrows are primarily used to point to sources of wealth, but they can also be used to point to figurative things like moral bankruptcy or innocence. On rare occasions, the Treasure-Seeking Arrows can also be used in actual combat, although Jin Zixuan rather prefers using Suihua in that context.

[pippin-pippout]

I'm selling my copies of the Seven Seas publications of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's books. I started collecting them as they came out but it's honestly too expensive for me to keep up with given the number of volumes they're breaking the stories into.

I have:

the first 3 volumes of Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (SVSSS)

the first 2 volumes of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS)

the first 3 volumes of Heavenly Official's Blessing (TGCF)

They're all in pristine condition. Prices negotiable but I'd be looking for around $20 for the sets of the 3 and $15 for the set of 2.

I'm in Los Angeles - I would prefer local pickup/delivery but if you're willing to pay for shipping that's fine too.

[sylviesoothsayer22]

Us Outcasts Oughta Stick Together, No? (Teaser)

Wei Ying x Xie Lian

Premise: What if child!XL caught a glimpse of Heaven's Only Death God? WWX dies like in canon, then became a ghost, performed an outstanding feat, resulting in him promptly ascending. He later befriends XL post-first ascension and becomes his staunchest ally and more....

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a planned multi-chapter crack!fic that has already been outlined. Here's a little sample of what to expect.

There was an odd, cool sensation forming in his fingertips, crawling upwards to his wrists, elbows, shoulders, reaching all the way up to his neck. Draping over him like a blanket. 

The little prince’s eyes fluttered open, confused. 

Strange. He was covered beneath layers of soft fur, all the windows were tightly shut to keep the winter chill at bay, the flames within the fireplace still crackling away. 

The ten year-old boy sat up on his bed, groggily rubbing away the sleep from his eyes.

It didn’t…. it didn’t feel oppressive or scary, so not a nightmare.

Then…?

A low, melodious tune drifted into his chambers. Xie Lian felt goosebumps erupting all over his body. The sound had a soft and ominous feel to it. 

Climbing out of bed, Xie Lian cracked one of his windows open and peeked outside.

The music was coming from the palace’s courtyard. 

Beneath the moon’s glow reflecting on the snow covered ground, the little prince could make out the figure of a man, playing an eerie lullaby with his dizi, swaying to the music, dark robes fluttering with the night breeze in a soothing rhythm. Numerous ghost-fires swirled around him in a slow-moving whirlwind of emerald flames. 

Xie Lian watched, entranced as one-by-one the ghost-fires crumbled away, like ashes in the wind….not dispersed, but gone . 

To Xie Lian, it appeared as if they were no longer a part of this plane of existence. 

The little prince had heard so many sinister tales about Heavens’ Only Death God. How he can only be seen by young children and the dying, how he always brought revenge for those whose lives ended unjustly, how he possesses strange powers that can break the strongest of minds and drive them to insanity. 

But to Xie Lian, he resembled a night siren. Meant to soothe troubled minds and lull them to sweet dreams. 

Pretty…. The child thought, eyelids becoming heavy from the melody, ready to sleep while standing as the god’s song reached its end, movements slowing to a stop. 

The figure suddenly turned around, facing the boy that had been staring at him throughout the whole ritual. 

A handsome face, glowing with the widest of smiles looked back at Xie Lian, moonstone eyes crinkling. The god titled his head to the side, curious.

Xie Lian could only smile back and wave! 

The god paused. Slightly startled at the action. 

Normally whenever a child saw him and recognised Wei Ying for what he was, they would start crying and screaming for their mothers. 

The Death God hesitantly waved back before dissipating into a murder of crows. The whole flock flying away to one direction, never once breaking formation.

What a weird kid…. Wei Ying mused. 

800 years later…

It started as weak, barely noticeable tremors, growing into violent quakes, impossible for the average mortal to remain standing, ultimately escalating to the skies of the very Heavens shattering with lightning.

Many gods, old and young, watched. Most in anticipation, some in irritation at all the ruckus.

But they all couldn’t deny their inquisitiveness, it had been a while and they were curious about the new addition. 

“What a fuss! Just hurry up and ascend already!”

“Any idea on who it might be?”

“No, but whoever they are, they must be strong!”

The blinding light finally died down. Allowing the impromptu crowd to get a good look at the new god.

“Is this some kind of joke?!”

“Why is he here?!”

“This must be a mistake!”

Xie Lian didn’t pay any mind to the sneering crowd of displeased gods. Golden-brown eyes rapidly scanning everyone gathered there, desperately searching for that one familiar face. 

Suddenly, a horse barrels through the mass! Its rider shouting at everyone to move out of the way, dammit!  

The horse looked off and completely out of place beneath Heavens’ brightness. The creature was a deep midnight black with a greyish-green mane, glowing emerald eyes, mist puffing out its nostrils with every breath, the white bones of its ribcage completely exposed through the gaping holes in its sides, as if a great beast had taken a few bites out of it and left it like that. 

An Undead! How could such a foul thing even set foot here?!

The thrice-ascended god let out a cry of relief once he locked eyes with the unholy creature’s rider. 

“Ying’er!”

“Husband!”

“.....”

What?!

Since when did Heavens' Only Death God marry the laughing stock?!

..........

[mariaashby64]

I started noticing some trends in my fave characters here.

(Also honourable mention to Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui who I couldn't quite line up with anyone else)

Alright SVSSS fans I want you to place your bets on who's gonna be my next blorbos.

Without giving away any detail I want you to drop the character's name in the comments or tags. Don't give me any description or tell me what character type they fall under, I want to go into this blind.

[starry-stan-blog]

Who’s that MXTX Character? part 2

in which i poorly describe a mxtx character and YOU have to guess who it is !! reblog and tag ur guesses, answer will be revealed after a day or so...

that one line about serpents and flowers from macbeth. animal killer. a truant. mulberries. BTS & papapa fanatic. stylish. 1Q3(A)’. got the “mom took away my DS as punishment” treatment.

[frankencanon]

The more times that I watch a show/movie, the more Blorbos I gain...

Every single re-watch I find yet another character that I hadn't noticed before catching my eye...

[quitealotofsodapop]

The mixed version would be chaotic but also I can just see Thunder attaching himself to Wukong to finish his development, but not as an egg. Living shadow, he's not strong enough yet to leave Mama's side and so he lives in Wukong's shadow until he can form

Prev.

Omg YES!!!

Wukong finds the "shadows collapsed into newborns" twins first, but hears an odd, distressed cheeping when he tries digging around the Stone Palace for baby things.

He had thought Macaque left behind Two Shadows - one for his theatre supplies, and one for his weapons.

But it seems there was actually a Third - one he had posted outside of his and Wukong's shared nest. And Wukong had been accidentally neglecting this poor third shadow while feeding his dao/life energy to preserve it's siblings.

Wukong, without question, gathers the fading shadow clone into his arms - watching in stunned awe as the darkness bleeds into his own.

The chirping is louder now, coming from behind him.

When Wukong turns, he sees a silhouette of a baby monkey sitting in his shadow. The same shape as the two fully formed cubs on his back and chest.

It seems that where the older pair had "collapsed" into newborn monkeys, the third one needed more time and life energy to finish the job. So now Wukong has a miniature shadow clinging to him for most of S1 and maybe S2.

"Thunder" aka Pili, can't leave Wukong like Rumble (Zaoyin) and Savage (Baolie) can. They literally can't do much besides hug their Mama and absorb life energy until they finish growing. And even then it will be a great feat to convince Wukong's youngest triplet to leave his side!

Wukong likens the sensation to being hugged by a gust of air or piece of silk. The "feeding" process (probably looks like boob-feeding) is pretty draining though, so his magic is pretty depleted at the end of the day.

I'm also now imagining Thunder's big moment where they finally "breaks off" of their Mama's shadow - and everyone reacts like it's baby's first steps. Bonus if its during a big fight scene or capture.

Like when Wukong was webbed up to the Spider Mech with DBK.

Wukong & DBK: (*arguing*) Thunder: (*pops! out of shadow!*) Wukong & DBK: ( 0_0!) Wukong, gasps: "Oh!! My little thunderbolt! You managed to separate from my shadow!! I'm so proud!!" DBK, puzzled: "Wait, since when did you have a child hiding in your shadow?" Wukong: "EHhhh a couple of months, maybe a few years at least." DBK: "But the only person I recall to have such powers is the Macaque-" (*shocked pause*) "..did you and him have cubs!?" Wukong, blushing: "N-no! I just- I poured my dao into his shadow clones, and they sort of... turned into babies!" DBK: (*makes extreme "are you serious?" face*) Wukong: "...OK! That doesn't sound much better. But I couldn't just let his shadows fade away - they're like, the last scraps of him I had of him before..." DBK, sympathetic: "I understand, xiandi. But clearly you realised that by pouring your heavenly life energy into a vessel of dark created by your mate would combine into a whole creature?" Wukong, thinking: "Ohhhhh so that explains why it happened!" DBK: "YOU DIDN'T KNOW!?" Wukong: "I HAD MY HANDS FULL WITH TRIPLETS!" DBK: "IT HAPPENED THRICE!?!" Thunder, confused and scared: (*sad geckering noises*) Wukong, lowers voice: "Oh no, sweetie! I'm not mad at you! Mama is just really stuck right now and he's cranky. i just need to find a way to-" DBK: (*breaks through his and Wukong's bindings to comfort the scared baby*) Wukong, completely stunned as he hugs Thunder: "Thanks!?" DBK, pleased hum: "I'm a father too, you know."

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese immortal Hanfu <西王母/Queen Mother of the West> Based On Yuan Dynasty Taoist Temple Mural<永乐宫/Yongle Palace>

【Historical Artifacts Reference 】:

▶ China Yuan Dynasty Taoist Temple 永乐宫/Yongle Palace Mural

<西王母/Queen Mother of the West>

The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times.

The first mentions of the Queen Mother date back to the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang dynasty (1766 – 1122 BCE). One inscription reads:

Crack-making on day IX (9th day), we divined. If we make offering to the eastern mother and the western mother, there will be approval.

Western Mother refers to an archaic divinity residing in the west. The exact nature of the Mother divinities in the Shang dynasty is unclear, but they were seen as powerful forces deserving of ritual by the people of the Shang dynasty. Originally, from the earliest known depictions of her in accounts like the Classic of Mountains and Seas during the Zhou dynasty, she was a ferocious goddess of death with the teeth of a tiger, who rules over wild beasts and sends down heavenly punishments such as pestilences. She was also mentioned as an authority ruling over other divinities such as Jiutian Xuannü, a goddess of war and sex. Other stories hold that she is a mountain goddess or a divine tigress. She is also popularly thought to have blessed the Eight Immortals with their supernatural abilities.

After her integration into the Taoist pantheon, she gradually took on associations with other aspects, such as immortality, as well.

The Queen Mother of the West is most often depicted holding court within her palace on the mythological Mount Kunlun, usually supposed to be in western China (a modern Mount Kunlun is named after this). Her palace is believed to be a perfect and complete paradise, where it was used as a meeting place for the deities and a cosmic pillar where communications between deities and humans were possible.At her palace she was surrounded by a female retinue of prominent goddesses and spiritual attendants. One of her symbols is the Big Dipper.

Although not definite there are many beliefs that her garden had a special orchard of longevity peaches which would ripen once every three thousand years,others believe though that her court on Mount Kunlun was nearby to the orchard of the Peaches of Immortality. No matter where the peaches were located, the Queen Mother of the West is widely known for serving peaches to her guests, which would then make them immortal. She normally wears a distinctive headdress with the Peaches of Immortality suspended from it.

Flourishing parasols, we reach the chronograms' extremity; Riding on the mist, I wander to Lofty Whirlwind Peak. The Lady of the Supreme Primordial descends through jade interior doors; The Queen Mother opens her Blue-gem Palace. Celestial people—What a Crowd! A lofty meeting inside the Cyan Audience Hall. Arrayed Attendants perform Cloud Songs; Realized intonations fill the Grand Empty Space. Every thousand years, her purple crabapple ripens; Every four kalpas, her numinous melon produces abundantly. This music differs from that at the feast in the wilderness— So convivial, and certainly infinite.— Wu Yun (Complete Tang Poems 1967, line 4942)

One of the earliest written references to the Queen Mother comes from the writings of the Taoist writer Zhuangzi (c. 4th century BCE):

The Queen Mother of the West obtained it [the Dao]... ...and took up her seat at Shao kuang. No one knows her beginning; no one knows her end.

Zhuangzi describes the Queen Mother as one of the highest of the deities, meaning she had gained immortality and celestial powers. Zhuangzi also states that Xiwangmu is seated upon a spiritual western mountain range, suggesting she is connected to not only the heavens, but also to the west.

Legendary encounters

In Tu Kuang-ting's text, he includes narrative accounts of the Queen Mother's encounters with legendary Chinese heroes. One such account narrates an encounter between the Queen Mother and Laozi (Lord Lao):

"In the 25th year of King Chao of the Chou dynasty (1028 BCE) …" "…Lord Lao and the realized person Yin Hsi went traveling…" "…on their behalf, the Queen Mother of the West explicated the Scripture of Constant Purity and Quiet."

In this account, the Queen Mother plays the role of Laozi's superior and is credited with the ultimate authorship of the Dao De Jing. This dichotomy of the Queen Mother as the superior is a characteristic of Shangqing Taoism, a goddess worshiping sect of Taoism of which Tu Kuang-ting was a master. There is also an account of a meeting between the Queen Mother and Laozi in Tang poetry.[18] This account however, being of traditional Taoist thought, has the Queen Mother taking an inferior role to Laozi, calling him "Primordial Lord" (the title of his highest manifestation) and pays homage to the sage.

<China Han Dynasty stone-relief showing 西王母/Queen Mother of the West from Sichuan,China>

<China Wei and Jin Dynasties Mural showing 西王母/Queen Mother of the West>

————————

📸Photography post-production :@小何力

👗Hanfu & 👑Crown：@雁鸿Aimee

💄 Makeup：百丽 （临溪摄影）

👭Model：@清音音音音

🔗 Weibo:https://weibo.com/1648616372/O2R5bpBud

————————

[kuroonyang]

彡🍶⋆｡˚ what fragrance i think the haikyuu boys use.

note: i've been getting into the fragrance world recently, so this is the result of that. keep in mind this is all just my nose's opinion ;3

characters included: daichi, kuroo, oikawa, ushijima, bokuto, kita.

daichi!

daichi smells clean and comforting like freshFRESH laundry. even after a long day of practice or a match, he definitely still has a hint of that laundry scent in the background. everyone loves it, it's very addictive, and would have u stuffing ur face into his neck just to get a whiff ₍ᐢ.ˬ.⑅ᐢ₎

'blanche — byredo' would be daichi's go-to and signature scent. i can also see him going for 'lazy sunday morning — maison margiela' since it does have that clean vibe, but people would definitely associate him with blanche a lot more.

kuroo!

kuroo smells almost complete opposite from daichi, but he smells divine ԅ(º﹃ºԅ). he's more on the woody, powdery side, but not so intense that it overwhelms you. just strong enough that it lingers behind as he's walking by.

'tam dao — diptyque' would be kuroo's signature scent. the fragrance has no florals, but still has the perfect balance of subtle sweet and spicy that suits his personality and appearance perfectly. tam dao isn't something i would class as a date night scent though, so he would change it up on those special occasions.

oikawa!

oikawa definitely prefers his florals over fruity, and a powdery scent would match his pretty and tidy exterior very well, but nothing too strong and sickening. so i also think a nice musky fragrance would be perfect to balance out the florals as well.

'fleur de peau — diptyque' would be oikawa's signature scent. the scent overall really works well with tooru's flirty and smug character. This particular fragrance is one that gets complimented heavily by literally anyone close enough to get a whiff, although it isn't one that typically turns heads, but tooru's face card alone will manage that just fine.

ushijima!

toshi would have a very masculine signature scent. something that just smells like man. he would smell very woody, maybe musky too. i can't imagine him rocking a very sweet or floral scent, which makes me think even more that it would be leaning towards woody and slightly spicy.

'oud wood — tom ford' seems like the perfect signature scent for toshi. the oud present in it isn't overwhelming (more woody), and even though there is some vanilla, it's not very in the foreground. he smells like a smart, sophisticated man. that's rich. with good taste. and one hell of a face card.

bokuto!

i can see bokuto leaning more towards just using a good reliable scented deodorant since he's always on the court, but he would still have an actual cologne that he'd use as his signature scent and for special occasions. along with ushijima, i think bokuto would have one of the more masculine scents on this list.

'tobacco vanille — tom ford' would be bokuto's signature scent. the tobacco and woody scents in the fragrance would suit his hunky, big boy build very well. it still has a sweet vanilla kick to it, which just fits him pretty perfectly in my eyes. if bokuto doesn't have some combination of woody (or musky) and sweet smell as his signature scent, he's wearing the wrong thing ☝️

kita!

SHINSUKE KITAAA 😫😫 this man likes to clean as part of his strict ritual, i KNOW he smells out of this world. even if the others smell a lil musty from practice, you will not catch kita slacking in that department. he wouldn't be overwhelmingly sprayed down with perfume, but regardless he smells heavenly.

'wood sage and sea salt — jo malone' would be kita's signature scent. If anyone on this list has just one signature scent that they live by, it's gotta be kita. i picked wood sage and sea salt because it's a clean scent and not too strong (I have a good feeling kita would gravitate more towards fragrances that aren't sickeningly strong). it's a nice marine, slightly musky and salty, scent. in three words: refreshing and clean. also, just something i think is worth mentioning, but kita's one of the few who would use a fragrance-free, clinically proven (!!) antiperspirant, so he really only smells of his signature scent.

end note: pls do go sniff any of these scents if you haven't already. they smell gorgeous ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ

[weirdocat83]

I find this hilarious and probably accurate. But I think it’d be even funnier if this took place post canon of Tgcf so we just have Hualian in the background wondering if they should step in before being like “no, no he has a point” and letting LWJ do his thing. Meanwhile some martial gods are getting a little miffed at this CHILD coming up to heaven and rearranging how things have been for THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Some people probably challenge him and his ideals and either he beats them mercilessly or Xie Lian fights them for him because they’re too strong for LWJ but not the #1 martial god. And also Xie Lian knows more than a thing or two about fighting for your demonic husband that should be respected. Meanwhile Wwx is probably off being a little shit to Hua Cheng by annoying the daylights out of Hua cheng to the point where he’s struggling not to beat the shit out of WWX while simultaneously Wwx is saying some of the most thought provoking theories Hua Cheng has ever heard so Hua cheng can’t hurt him or else he won’t get to hear any of WWX’s theories (and/or possibly ideas to prank/annoy Mu Qing and Feng Xin).

if lwj were to ascend as a heavenly official he'd reform the entire system by sheer force of will bc everyone hiding their war crimes reminded him of the jins hiding their war crimes and wwx paying for it. he'll drag nhs up there for his silly little ability to play the long game and fuck up those who needed to be fucked up, reform the entire place and make sure ppl like wwx wld get their justice even after death, and have the place ready to accept wwx shld wwx want to ascend. because he's lwj and he can do anything with the power of love

[ryin-silverfish]

Ping Jinchuan: A 19th century Sci-fi Shenmo Novel

Like all popular novels, when something sets a trend, many imitators follow suit, until the formula becomes its own genre of sorts.

FSYY is one such genre setter. Specifically, the "Battle of Arts" (斗法) formula, where immortals and deities are added into a historical event——usually a war, but it can also be something like Admiral Zheng He's voyage——and proceed to use said setting as an excuse to battle it out using spells, magical treasures, and formations.

It's such an enduring formula, late Qing novels were still following it. And because it's the 19th century, western technology and ideas were entering China and making their way into popular culture.

My first exposure to the results comes from Legends of the Eight Immortal Attaining the Dao (八仙得道传), where the narrator occasionally interrupts the story and goes: "Electricity-based technology is totally the work of Mother Lightning, guys!"

Why am I telling you all these random facts? Because Ping Jinchuan ("Quelling the Golden Stream") is that, but turned up to eleven.

Technically, FSYY is set in Shang dynasty China. Technically, Ping Jinchuan is an obscure 1899 novel about the quelling of rebellions in Qinghai and Tibet during the 18th century by the historical general Nian Gengyao.

However, considering that FSYY has 11th century BCE gunpowder weapons, and...the entirety of Ping Jinchuan, I really doubt the claim of the latter novel's author that the story is based on the eye witness accounts of his ancestor, who worked as an advisor under Nian Gengyao.

But if you insist, here's a rough summary of the historical background: the first war Nian fought in Tibet happened during the reign of Kangxi, because the Dzungar Khanate invaded Tibet.

The second rebellion Nian quelled in Qinghai, during the reign of Yongzheng, was started by  Lobzang Tendzin. He fought against the Dzungar Khanate with the help of Qing army, but rebelled together with local chiefdoms and Mongol leaders when he was not granted the rulership of Tibet afterwards.

(Confusingly enough, during the reign of Qianlong, there were also 2 other rebellions by the chieftains of "Greater and Lesser Jinchuan" in northwestern Sichuan, which might be where the novel's name came from.)

Naturally, the novel proceeds to tell a "Battle of Arts" story, about Tibetan Buddhist monks, Muslims, Daoist sages, and the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church duking it out with typical Shenmo novel treasures...and 19th century magitek.

There is potential for some serious analysis about Qing military expansion, violence on the frontiers, how foreign religions and people are perceived through the framework of popular fiction, etc. But honestly, after seeing the above summary, are you really here for *that*? 

I'm not, because I don't know nearly enough about the historical context, and the entire premise is ridiculous enough to defy any attempt at taking it seriously——unless the attempts are ironic.

Case In Point

The novel starts off pretty tame: Lobzang Tendzin, "King of Jinchuan", wanted to send his own Dalai Lama candidate to Tibet after the previous Dalai's death, as part of a power ploy to make himself the de facto ruler of Tibet.

He allied himself with Galdan, the Dzungar ruler, to force the Tibetans to accept his candidate at gunpoint——literally.

Their firearms and cannons got stopped by a Lama named Ding Chan, who used his meditation power to summon divine warriors and fend off the first wave of attack.

However, his meditation was broken by the plight of Jinchuan soldiers disguised as female refugees, and later, Galdan assassinated him in his sleep with a firing squad during a treaty talk organized by the Qing.

Emperor Yongzheng was not happy and sent Nian Gengyao and Yue Zhongqi to quell the rebellion. Also, Nian is actually the Heavenly Dog Star incarnate, who learned martial arts, classics, war strategy, and all sorts of neat stuff in his youth from a poor Buddhist monk.

Later, said monk and Yue's master sent a bunch of their disciples to Nian and Yue as reinforcement, before the battle began. 

Then, in Chapter 4, Nan Guotai was introduced as the fictional son of the historical Belgian missionary, Ferdinand Verbiest. Nicknamed "Little Lu Ban", he was well-versed in the arts of western machinery and firearms, and the first sign of the story going completely off the rails.

The first "Battle of the Arts" round was pretty standard——Five Phase Formation, magical breaths, treasures. But Nan was ordered to make 15 "mechanical carts" that could produce flames, in conjunction with a field of landmines, to assist in the breaking of the Five Phase Formation. 

Despite the similarity, they aren't tanks, but more like...trapped cargo trailers/RVs. Basically, they had "doors and windows" with built-in mechanisms that only allowed entry into the carts and could not be opened from the inside, and once the enemies were trapped, the carts became giant incinerators.

After losing the first round, the King of Jinchuan put up a recruitment poster for "talented followers of the Three Religions"...except the Three Religions weren't Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, but Islam, Buddhism, and Daoism, since the story is set in Qinghai, where there was a notable population of Hui people (Chinese Muslims).

After seeing the poster, Galdan's wife decided to seek help from her own master, the Patriarch of the Snowy Mountains. He is a Muslim sage with 12 powerful disciples...who all wielded typical Daoist treasures.

They all got overshadowed by the next round of Steampunk Shenmo Battle, though, when an unrelated Daoist showed up with his trump card: "Strong Water", a.k.a. magical hydrochloric acid.

The magical HCI was then put into giant glass syringes and fired at Nian's troops, resulting in significant casualties. To bypass the HCI syringe cannons, Nan unrevealed his latest invention: the Skysoar Orb, a.k.a. hot air balloon.

The Qing troops then mounted firearms and cannons onto the air balloon, flew it above Galdan's camp to a height where the HCI syringes couldn't reach, and started shooting. However, they were all mortals, and got decimated when the enemy immortals flew up to take control of the balloons, forcing an emergency landing via needles.

After that, the hot air balloon was manned entirely by immortals, until Galdan covered his camp in a mesh of barbed wires, blocking the aerial fire but also making it impossible for him to use his own HCI syringes.

Then a little 13 years old immortal, Gengsheng the Acolyte, joined the Qing army, who's the reincarnation of the Lama executed by Galdan's firing squad. Abandoned at birth and adopted by a Daoist master, he was able to fly on clouds since he was 8-9 years old, which he used to travel to Europe. 

While he was there, a Swedish sage gifted him a powerful treasure——the Electricity Whip, which can be used to electrocute people to death...but also magically heal injuries with its currents.

I have trouble visualizing the thing. Is it a literal whip of lightning arcs (since it's described as being able to turn into a white beam), a taser, an electric cattle prod, a plasma whip, or the unholy lovechild of all the above plus a tesla coil?

Hilariously, the Electricity Whip treasure of the Nikola Tesla Sect (/sarcasm) stopped working when exposed to "dirty stuff" such as a woman's magical handkerchief. Classic folk magic style. 

After a bunch of boring fighting sequences, 6 of the 12 disciples of the Patriarch decided to get the big formations out, which were broken by buckets of pig blood. 

…Yeah, that's pretty much the extent of the author's understanding of Hui customs and Islam. (sigh) The surviving disciples went to get the Patriarch for help, who casted an AOE spell of poisonous smoke, water and fire to block the Qing troops' path...

Annnnnd Nan to the rescue again! With the help of Nian Gengyao's monk master, he built the Earth Travel Cart: a magitek subway train shaped like a pangolin, able to carry a hundred people and move a hundred Li per hour. It didn't need rails, you just dug a hole in the ground, put the train in, and it started tunneling through the earth on its own.

The entire army used 500 of these magical subway trains to bypass the Patriarch's AOE spell coverage, forcing them to retreat to their home base, Tianshan (Heavenly Mountain). Which is a real mountain range in central Asia and Xinjiang province, and going there from Qinghai is plausible. Kinda.

I'm still skeptical about the novel's claim that the path through Tianshan is the only path leading into Jinchuan proper, but whatever.

The Patriarch put his most powerful formation on said mountain pass——the Ice Freeze Formation, which will insta-freeze immortals, mortals, and flying birds alike when they step in range.

Then comes the craziest part of the entire novel. Honestly, everything after this chapter is pretty boring and formulaic, which makes it the perfect note for this article to end on.

Nan suddenly revealed that the current Roman Pope is the grandson of Matteo Ricci, who's the mentor of Nan's dad, and took his hot air balloon to Rome to get reinforcement. To no one's surprise, the Pope's treasure is a cross.

The Pope agreed and took his 12 disciples——supposedly because it's the same as the number of apostles——to the snowy mountain.

He gave a cross and a white candle to each of his disciples; they walked straight into the Ice Formation and broke it by holding the two holy objects up in the air, while loudly chanting (a highly localized translation of) "Hail Mary!"

After making his grand entrance, the Pope neutralized the Patriarch's spell attacks and turned his last disciples' army of soldiers back into their true forms——a bunch of farm animals.

He then told the disciples that as the Roman Pope, he had authority over "Russia, England, France, Netherlands" and all the European nations, and he'd leave the Patriarch to mind his own business if he surrendered and stopped interfering in the war.

Three of the four examples he gave aren't even Catholic, but maybe the Protestant Reformation just never happened in this novel's 18th century world because Pope Magic.

The Patriarch accepted the cease-fire treaty, went back to teach his religion to the population of northwestern China, and that's pretty much it. His last female disciple (Galdan's wife) got her troops' firearms neutralized by the Pope's cross, taken prisoner, and executed by Nian. 

After revealing that the Qing immortals' power also came from the Grace of Our Lord and Savior, and that was why westerners couldn't use spells (but could make electricity-based treasures?), the Pope flew back to Rome on Nan's air balloon, exiting the novel once and for all.

Which is a pity, because in the second half of the novel, one of the defeated foes escaped to (Ottoman?) Turkey to beg their king for reinforcement, and the Russian Tsar agreed to help the Jinchuan troops to make his French wife happy. I want my Papal 13 vs. Russian Orthodox Bishops Shenmo battle, dammit!

Food for thought: if the Pope was Matteo Ricci's grandson, and Matteo Ricci was also a mentor of Ferdinand Verbiest, Nan's dad (historically, Ricci died 13 years before Verbiest was even born)...

...Is this a timeline where the Jesuits won the Rites Controversy, Ricci cultivated himself into the first Catholic immortal, and ushered in the age of Syncretic Daoist-Catholic Steampunk?