#The Crown Prince of Wuyong

[morethanwonderful]

Which MXTX Character Would Be Most Insufferable Online?

Full Bracket

(Bonus match theme: It is integral to my mental health that this one specific teenage boy be miserable)

[mooncakebun]

Very quick very self indulgent #junmei sketchy after work cuz lately I’ve been having a lot of feelings for them 🥲

I just wanted to see young Crown Prince of Wuyong getting comforted by MNQ after the fall of the Kingdom… I apologize it truly is self-indulgent but just had this picture in my mind and wanted to get it out… 🥲

[gug342]

!TGCF SPOILERS!

Stubborn,‌ ‌capricious,‌ ‌disobeying‌ ‌of‌ ‌my‌ ‌every‌ ‌word!‌ You‌ ‌won’t‌ ‌change,‌ ‌will‌ ‌you?‌

WILL‌ ‌YOU‌ ‌CHANGE?‌ ‌WILL‌ ‌YOU‌ ‌CHANGE?‌ ‌WILL‌ ‌YOU‌ ‌CHANGE??

EVEN‌ ‌IF‌ ‌IT’S‌ ‌PAINFUL‌ ‌I‌ ‌WON’T‌ ‌CHANGE,‌ ‌EVEN‌ ‌IF‌ ‌I‌ ‌DIE‌ ‌I‌ ‌WON’T‌ ‌CHANGE,‌ ‌I‌ ‌WILL‌ ‌NEVER‌ ‌CHANGE!!!

[yeonslayjun]

I knew that both the crown princes were the same but the resemblance the events that followed everything is too TOO UNCANNY it's like I'm re-reading book 2 with a few charcters twists

Idk how to feel about this I pity him BUT what he did was NOT OKAY

[fluffypurpleglitterdemon]

Xie Lian looking at the story of the Crown Prince of Wuyong and thinking it looks just a bit too familiar to be coincidence... Yeah dear I'm almost certain that's on purpose.

[c-noveladdict]

Jun Wu? Crown Prince of WuYong ? Bai Wuxiang? what the hell!

👆 that's what I was like after I was done reading the book. Didn't the crown Prince become a mortal? how did he become Jun Wu? Are bai Wuxiang and Jun Wu the same person - like one body? If one is god how the other is a supreme ghost? If Jun Wu and Bai Wuxiang are same how did JW kill BWX? After racking my poor brain this is what I understand.

Jun Wu

After the banishment, the crown Prince cultivate to be a god again. After becoming a god. He killed all the heavenly officials and went to hide in mortal realm. While in mortal realm he was still a god. He wasn't banished.

After some centuries, after new officials are appointed he changed his face, forged an identity and faked an ascension. Slowly he established himself as the leader. After his position was stable he killed all those officials who were even slightly suspicious of him or his abnormal ascension ( must be abnormal since he faked it. And there must be some officials who can tell a real from fake.). And if anyone seemed to be threatening his position he either killed faking an accident or did something to make them go in seclusion ( remember all those immortal who went into seclusion into a mountain or something and never come out.). Which is why not manny gods knew about him anything. Giving him a powerful mysterious persona and cementing his status as the solo master of heaven.

Bai Wuxiang

First thing I would like to explain why Bai Wuxiang was born. Even though Jun Wu established himself as a god, he couldn't let go of his hate, so he went to the Klin to vent. In early the days, due to his deep resentment and all those tormented souls that he sacrificed, the Klin gave birth to many twisted and terrible creatures.

[Guoshi‌ ‌continued,‌ ‌“The‌ ‌him‌ ‌now‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌number‌ ‌one‌ ‌martial‌ ‌god‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌heavenly‌ ‌realm,‌ ‌looking‌ ‌glorious‌ ‌and‌ ‌scintillating‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌surface.‌ ‌However,‌ ‌in‌ ‌his‌ ‌heart,‌ ‌an‌ ‌infinite‌ ‌darkness‌ ‌is‌ suppressed‌ ‌deep‌ ‌within.‌ ‌Resentment,‌ ‌pain,‌ ‌anger,‌ ‌hatred...‌ ‌those‌ ‌things‌ ‌needed‌ ‌release.‌ ‌Only‌ ‌then‌ ‌could‌ ‌he‌ ‌maintain‌ ‌balance‌ ‌within‌ ‌himself‌ ‌and‌ ‌continue‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌the‌ ‌number‌ ‌one‌ ‌martial‌ ‌god‌ ‌who‌ ‌ruled‌ ‌all‌ ‌three‌ ‌realms‌ ‌without‌ ‌murdering‌ ‌everything.”‌ ‌ ‌] ch219

[“The‌ ‌once‌ ‌Kingdom‌ ‌of‌ ‌WuYong‌ ‌had‌ ‌been‌ ‌turned‌ ‌into‌ ‌hell,‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌Kiln‌ ‌was‌ ‌fed‌ ‌countless‌ ‌number‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌living‌ ‌and‌ ‌three‌ ‌former‌ ‌heavenly‌ ‌officials,‌ ‌so‌ ‌it‌ ‌already‌ ‌recognized‌ ‌him‌ ‌as‌ ‌the‌ ‌master.‌ ‌Thus,‌ ‌he‌ ‌would‌ ‌regularly‌ ‌release‌ ‌those‌ ‌dark‌ ‌emotions‌ ‌within‌ ‌the‌ ‌Kiln,‌ ‌using‌ ‌the‌ ‌millions‌ ‌of‌ ‌deceased‌ ‌souls‌ ‌of‌ ‌WuYong‌ ‌as‌ ‌kindle‌ ‌to‌ ‌start‌ ‌the‌ ‌flames‌ ‌of‌ ‌karma,‌ ‌and‌ ‌forged‌ ‌many‌ ‌malicious‌ ‌things.”‌ ‌] ch219

Those creatures weren't a part of Jun Wu's soul. They were the spirits( or mash up of many spirits. eww!) stuck in the Klin, who get their own forms after being fed on Jun Wu's raw emotions and power. Thousand years of burning in The Klin probably robbed them of their own memory or personality. So even if some of those had their own consciousness they could only imitate Jun Wu's most raw emotions at the time of their creation process.

For example Reverend of Empty Word, who was probably born due to Jun Wu's envy and intolerance of other's happiness while he was miserable, could only spent eternity making others miserable - even though he has his own consciousness and already broke away from Jun Wu.

Another such example is the Ghost of Yi Nian Bridge. A mindless clone who appeared covered in blood and fire with hundreds of weapons stabbed in his body, ask only three questions "where is this?" "Who am I?" "What will you do now?". It was probably due to the crown Prince's confusion and despair when he was cursed and stabbed after the fall of heaven crossing bridge.

So Bai Wuxiang, who was created by JW's most violent rage, deepest desire to prove himself right and darkest obsession with Xie Lian, was also completely and totally obsessed with XL and hell bent on turning him into 2nd BWX to validate his own existence .

BWX was created using JW's most darkest and deepest emotions. Hence, without going through the same rituals as Hua Cheng or He Xuan he was born a supreme . He was Jun Wu 's most advanced clone. He was definitely the most powerful and has his own consciousness unlike other clones. He knew he was a part of Jun Wu which is why he always mocked Xie Lian's belief in Jun Wu. But unlike Reverend of Empty Words, Jun Wu has complete control over BWX. Basically Jun Wu in a different body, sort of like a possession without involving soul.

Later when Bai Wuxiang almost killed XL (book4) and Jun Wu defeated him because he really didn't want to kill XL. (Because in his own twisted way he loved Xl. ) it was ok for JW, since they weren't of same soul. But see? defeated , not killed. Jun Wu only destroyed his body. Probably didn't want to destroy such a good piece to control xl through fear. Later Bai Wuxiang tricked Lang Ying and gain another body, but only after xl's ascension. It's clear JW was still controlling BWX and using him to play mind game with XL

Edit:

[“It’s‌ ‌when‌ ‌a‌ ‌person’s‌ ‌soul‌ ‌is‌ ‌split‌ ‌into‌ ‌half,‌ ‌or‌ ‌broken‌ ‌into‌ ‌two‌ ‌sides.‌ ‌Each‌ ‌half‌ ‌has‌ ‌its‌ ‌own‌ ‌memories,‌ ‌and‌ ‌their‌ ‌personalities‌ ‌and‌ ‌skills‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌different‌ ‌too.‌ ‌Perhaps‌ ‌even‌ ‌the‌ ‌appearance‌ ‌could‌ ‌be‌ ‌different‌ ‌as‌ ‌well...”‌ ‌] ch208

I was rereading tgcf and discovered this passage in ch 208. I think it seems more plausible that JW and BWX are split souls. That way BWX controls the klin and mount tonglu, and inadvertently the ghost world, while jw controls the heaven and mortal world . So all the realms will be in his grasp.

[mxtxfanatic]

Hua Cheng and He Xuan: The Would-Be Gods

Jun Wu continued, “To become a ‘Supreme’, one must have experienced an unimaginable suffering and pain. One either ascends from such calamities or are doomed to the depths of hell, never to return. The two Supreme Demon Kings that emerged from Mount TongLu, Black Water and Hua Cheng, are both far more terrifying than you think.”

—Chapt. 56: In Search of the Past; Retracing Steps to Mount TaiCang (Part One)

This quote is interesting in how it links being a Supreme inseparably from being a god, but what I find most fascinating is what Jun Wu doesn’t/can’t mention: that Supremes are a direct result of the corruption of the heavens.

Both Hua Cheng and He Xuan had their path to godhood snatched by the corruption of the heavens, but their trajectory is almost completely oppositional. Both had earned godhood for their actions fighting evil in defense of the weak. Hua Cheng gave up an eye to forge his weapon in order to save a group of stray humans who had wandered into the kiln, whereas He Xuan fought his way into the homes of the corrupt gentry who had terrorized his hometown and died after killing every last evildoer. But instead of ascending, as was their right, He Xuan has his godhood stolen by Shi Wudu under the eyes of the Heavenly Emperor, and Hua Cheng summarily rejects his ascension due to having previously witnessed the mistreatment of Xie Lian by multiple heavenly officials. Because their paths to the heavens were tainted, the two Supremes were “doomed to the depths of hell,” instead, ironically creating domains that ran much more fairly than the heavens they rejected/were rejected from.

At the same time, the crown prince of Wuyong ascends as a powerful god before falling to the machinations of the other gods and descending into White No-Face. However, where the previous two Supremes ultimately rejected the heavens of their own wills and accepted themselves as demon kings, White No-Face still wanted the power and adoration of being a god. Thus, Jun Wu ends up corrupting the heavens into a place that harbors and encourages evil in direct contrast to the domains of the Supremes serving as refuges.

[jiheiendonka7]

the mischaracterization of jun wu by western tgcf fans, an epidemic

to illustrate with a metaphor, jun wu resembles the duality of a crying-smiling mask. while most western tgcf fans already seem to overlook the smiling half completely, i notice a trend of reducing even the crying half into nothing more than “unadulterated hatred toward xie lian".

this often results in takes -- such as jun wu doing xie lian favours so he can make xie lian feel indebted or bestowing symbols of xie lian’s country to provoke painful memories -- that can only be explained with an "evil for the sake of being evil" tag on jun wu, takes that don't make sense when scrutinized within the context of jun wu's purpose.

so what was this guy's grand objective, anyway? he wanted xie lian to come to his side. (and to limit the scope of this discussion, we're not even going to open the pandora's box of the smiling side -- a yearning for validation of the crown prince of wuyong's dreams. that will be a post for another time.) honing in on the crying side, jun wu wanted xie lian to become the second white-clothed calamity, to agree that the common people suck, that they aren't worth saving, and that he should just give up on his dream.

what exactly does making xie lian feel indebted to him achieve? it's not like he expects xie lian to come to his side as a form of debt repayment. if the argument is that jun wu's actions aim solely to degrade xie lian or cause him suffering, this view feels like a significant mischaracterisation. jun wu isn't the type of antagonist who torments xie lian at every opportunity simply for the sake of cruelty.

likewise, reducing jun wu’s replication of the xianle palace to a mere attempt to inflict pain oversimplifies the nuances at play. the glamorous xianle palace stands in juxtaposition to xie lian's humble puqi shrine. i argue that jun wu sought to present xie lian with a tangible vision of why his path -- the path of grandeur and power -- was superior.

curiously, mxtx's pen name means "the smell of copper coins and the fragrance of ink" because she wanted to major in literature while her mother wanted her to pick economics, for the latter secured a more prosperous career. ultimately, they agreed on the best of both worlds, "holding a pen in one hand and coins in the other", the third path.

but jun wu had suggested that xie lian become his right-hand man (when preparing to greet the rain master), and from the deal he was willing to cut yin yu, we can infer that if xie lian really came to jun wu's side, he would've helped cover all of his crimes. they would pretend as if nothing had happened, just as jun wu did all these years, hiding behind glitter and gold, masking away all the decadence beneath the surface.

the gilded palace is a reflection of such a path. it's a reminder of what could've been -- if only xie lian kept "pleasing the gods", wearing the mask, turned a blind eye to the suffering. if only xie lian had chosen jun wu's path, the one beaten by so many who came before.

but that's inauthentic. that's not who xie lian is. xie lian rejects the mask because he wants to be himself. he'd rather live in shambles than accept the riches of the heavens, than choose coins with no soul. even if there is a wall straight ahead, xie lian will walk straight into it if that's where the third path leads, because he refuses to veer left or right, to choose either one of two (that's actually where the proverb that inspired the head-smashing scene originates from, by the way).

jun wu doesn’t act out of a simple desire to witness xie lian’s suffering. seeing xie lian in pain brings him no joy. after all, bai wuxiang once hugged him. half of what jun wu does serves to draw xie lian to his side, to mould him into the perfect successor who will follow his path. that, at least, is the crying half of jun wu's intent.

[budd-ie]

(BOOK 7/8 SPOILERS AHEAD)

Back at the end of this post I said that Mu Qing's mindset reminded me a lot of Jun Wu but didn't have any insight for why at the time. I think I figured it out now though!

To establish some context, this post explains what Mu Qing and Xie Lian's answers to the riddle reveal about them as opposites, which I believe is relevant to understand for this explanation. In short though, we know this:

Mu Qing is someone who is willing to make realistic cost-benefit moral choices for what he believes is the greater good.

Xie Lian is Not willing to make cost-benefit choices and will always try to idealistically achieve the greatest good for everyone.

Jun Wu, the crown prince of Wuyong, once wanted to save everyone, make no sacrifices to the volcano, and find that third path to victory. Unfortunately, this path crumbled beneath his feet, and in the end he gave in to choosing one path—making the sacrifices. On the first side of this, he desperately tried to find that other cup of water, and when he found none, he inevitably chose who to give it to. From this perspective, he sees Xie Lian’s moral dilemma of choosing the greatest good over his own wellbeing and wants to find Xie Lian’s breaking point. Bitterly, he wants to know if his aspiration really is impossible and if all good in the world really must die eventually, as he’s observed. Clearly, it’s impossible to give up so much of yourself without losing yourself eventually.

On the other side of this he sees Mu Qing, who isn’t afraid of the cost-benefit decision and is not only willing but conditioned to chase the greater good like jun wu did. Mu Qing is a very important character because his position compared to Xie Lian makes him the perfect manipulation target for Jun Wu. He already understands cost-benefit and holds previous grudges, so all that’s left is to further incite that hatred inside him use him for all he’s worth.

But…

Mu Qing refuses.

He refuses to be incited, he refuses to hurt no matter what kind of negative emotions have been festering all these centuries, and suffers the extreme punishment of banishment for it. Why doesn’t this incitement work? While he may be petty and spiteful, he’s never actually been malicious. Mu Qing’s resolve is extremely significant, because this is the event that sets in stone that Jun Wu is wrong. Suddenly this quote from Yin Yu becomes less incidental and much more thematically significant:

“I only wanted to hate him. I never wanted to hurt him”

Mu Qing may have held a lot of ill regards, but he himself even said he never wanted to hurt Xie Lian all those years ago on the cultivation grounds. Was he still in the wrong? Sure, the outcome was still negative, but he learned a real lesson about the two of them that day and absolutely regretted what he did. Isn’t that what matters most? All these negative emotions don’t need permanent dire consequences, and it’s okay to learn and grow after adversity, not only admitting mistakes, but accepting realities, perspectives, and choosing to move forward too. On top of that, the emotions both Yin Yu and Mu Qing felt were never even true hatred, just years of pent up frustration mixed with misunderstanding. As easy as it would be if the world was so black and white, that really just isn’t the case.

And so, all these centuries later, despite it all, Feng Xin and Mu Qing still choose to support Xie Lian. Not his highness the crown prince of Xianle, not the flower crown martial god, not the prince who pleased the gods, but Xie Lian himself. He still believed in them, and they believe in him, too. Jun Wu believed that betrayal is inevitable, but he didn’t understand that this doesn’t eliminate reconciliation. That’s why Mei Nianqing chooses to stay this time. His spirits were crushed back then, but his affection never wavered, and regret formed in the cracks, so he wants to try again. You don't have to, but as long as you want to, you’re allowed to try again.

[liv548913]

Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Wuyong and Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Xianle

[morethanwonderful]

Which MXTX Character do You Most Want to Study Like a Little Bug?

Full Bracket

(Bonus match theme: Somebody put that guy under a mountain)

[mooncakebun]

Work in progress 🫠

Wuyong 5 💔

[bichenique]

TGCF SPOILERS

This is a major spoiler do not open it unless you're done w TGCF.

Jun Wu and Mei Niangqing's relationship somewhat mirrors Xie Lian and Hua Cheng's. A foil, maybe?

I saw a fanart recently of Hua Cheng painting Xie Lian but I had to readjust my eyes because at first glance I thought it was Mei Nianqing painting the Crown Prince of Wuyong.

🎀 Also yipee first long yap sesh post 🎀

pls take my yapping as a grain of salt; i also think other ppl posted abt this already and if that's true i didn't see it yet

Which he does at like, book 7 or 8, I don't remember, I was trying to study for government while reading the book. Mei Niangqing paints murals of Jun Wu and his four vassals around Mt Tonglu so Xie Lian and his gang can find out the truth.

Many readers did establish already that Xie Lian is Jun Wu's mirror/foil because like that was what leads Jun Wu to be obsessed with molding Xie Lian to be like him. They're too alike, it's almost eerie, but let's be honest, Jun Wu was rigging Xie Lian's fate so he will end up like him. Let's focus on HC and MNQ

That being said, here are some scenes I remember that kinda mirrors MNQ and HC:

Mei Nianqing makes art of Jun Wu, in reverence and remembrance of him. Hua Cheng does the same. However, their stances are different. MNQ is wistful about it, HC is more like manifesting his gege into reality and manifesting their marriage.

MNQ and HC both stayed with their princes. MNQ stayed even if the other three vassals left because they were friends and he didn't know JW murdered their other three buddies. However, he left JW the moment he found out abt that. HC stayed with XL and followed him everywhere, even willing to die for his prince, even if it meant dying multiple times.

They were both separated from their hubbies.

MNQ has known Jun Wu in all his eras, and HC has known XL in all his eras too, but maybe only from a distance.

Despite everything Jun Wu and Xie Lian did, MNQ and HC still wanted to stay by their side and remember their true selves. RIP Jun Wu and his mountain tho lmao. MNQ kinda confirmed it for me when he asks Jun Wu after his defeat (not a direct quote btw): Aren't you tired, Your Highness? I just miss how things were. HC tells XL that "what matters is you." The only difference was that MNQ made a choice and worked against Jun Wu while HC consistently made the effort to be there for XL.

I think my Ted Talk is done.

I will say tho, TGCF has this theme of breaking the cycle of abuse and recovering from trauma — Xie Lian choosing to go against Jun Wu, MNQ holding Jun Wu accountable for his crimes, Hua Cheng becoming someone strong so he will never feel unsafe just as he did in his childhood, Lang Qianqiu swearing that he will never be like Xie Lian and then having to revive Qi Rong so Guzi will never have to live the pain of losing one's dad, Mu Qing finding the courage to reunite with old friends, Qi Rong learning to be the person he wanted to be there for him— to name a few, I will probably have separate posts for this.

I guess in Heavenly Official's Blessing, they did shatter taboos.

[yeonslayjun]

I CALLED IT HAH

[rapha-reads]

1/3 of the way through TGCF volume 5, we're exploring Mount Tonglu, a few remarks.

There's something about Xie Lan's cooking. I don't know what, but it's definitely not that he's a bad cook. There's intent behind his dishes potions. In any case, he always knows more than he lets on, even being the narrative voice, he doesn't narrate exactly what he thinks or knows. So his cooking definitely serves a purpose.

E'ming. That scimitar. That's not just a sentient weapon, isn't it? Either it's an actual person. Or, my favourite theory, it's a part of Hua Cheng, some part of himself that he cut out and that's why he's so harsh with it, and that's why it likes Xie Lian so much.

... So odds on Hua Cheng being the lost Eminent Crown Prince of that very ancient Kingdom of Wuyong whose story was the inspiration for young Xie Lian, who in turn saved that same lost prince who in turn got inspired by his savior to become the best of the best...?

Listen, Hua Cheng knows a lot. He knows everything. He's an encyclopedia. That's weird. And these two are just so entangled in each other, who knows if it didn't start before it even started. I understand myself.

No, wait! The Eminent Crown Prince of Wuyong is White-something Calamity, the entity that destroyed Xianle, and that appeared to Xie Lian wearing his own face! That would make so much more narrative sense, given the second mural discovered depicting the Crown Prince dreaming of his kingdom engulfed in flames, the same way Xie Lian saw his own kingdom destroyed (metaphorically, and then literally when they burned his temples). Would explain why White-fella, after turning into a ghost, was so full of resentment and especially hated Xie Lian.

Don't tell if I'm wrong or right, I'll end up discovering what's up as I keep reading.

And I haven't figured out exactly what's up with Jun Wu, but he's weird too. Something fishy there.

Oh, and now there's those two ghosts in black and white who killed thousands of ghosts. This mountain is crowded as hell.

[huaenrose]

⚠️ TGCF SPOILERS, BOOK 5.

to >me<, the main reason jun wu never confronted yushi huang was not a strategy to keep his powers by his side, but fear of her story. just as the story of the prince of wuyong had similarities with the story of the crown prince who pleased the gods, so did the story of the princess who slit her throat, and she could, at any moment, remind xie lian of who he really was, or, worse, remind jun wu himself of who he was. thus, she was really terrifying to be recognize as an opponent, because it would also imply admitting that even if he was successful in projecting himself into xie lian, there would always be someone who would choose differently under his circumstances proving that not everyone is like him — another body in the abyss with heart in paradise.