#bai wuchang

[movielosophy]

长乐曲 | The White Ghost

[mtkay13]

Qi Ye ensemble cast poster, second edition

Yet another one of those LOL Qi Ye just has that power over me. You know the drill; more info below!

I'll go straight to the point: my main reason to draw this was because I wanted to draw the most somber, dark-looking Helian Qi possible with some dark cross-hatching effect. And because I don't want to draw a Helian Qi solo image because who the HELL does that, I had to turn it into an ensemble cast thing again. I just REALLY like to do that for Qi Ye, for some reasons!!! For a general note, first: shading was a PAIN but making a nice composition and thinking about how to make a hierarchy that both works in terms of storytelling and visual composition was fun. I also liked finding out the "color scheme" to use and I do like lineart. So, now, little notes about each character, and the obligatory name poster just so I'm sure we all know whom I'm talking about:

Jing Beiyuan: I've mentioned it before but drawing Beiyuan is like. The easiest for me, I think, out of ALL Qi Ye/TYK characters combined. He happens to have my general goto "pretty face" (which conveniently has peach blossom eyes). I'm happy with how he turned out here! And got to put the sable around his neck which makes for a nice additional touch. Helian Yi: He's easy to draw as well and I'm glad with how the guan turned out. He initally looked sideways, but I liked it better having him wistfully stare into the distance. Helian Zhao: has the exact same face as in the other, coloured poster, and that cracks me up bc that wasn't even intentional. Helian Pei: GDI I find him so hilarious. He looks so done and out of it. Shout out to all his bird as well, which, I find, really complete the look. Helian Qi: I can't possibly say that I love him as an antagonist because there's nothing to love about this literal trash, but I'm still grateful that we got some of the most rancid stuff going on in Qi Ye just because of him and I'm always here for that. He deserves the villain visual treatment, at least. He was VERY fun to draw and I tried to push that nasty grin and shading as much as possible. He turned out exactly how I wanted him to! (the shading on his face and the balance of light and shadow was a bit of a challenge, actually)

Wuxi: Again, a rather easy one, always pleasant to draw! I loved working on his hair (but complained a lot while doing so)--which I think turned out nicely. Bai Wuchang: Finally! Finally I draw him!! He had to be there, since he's like. The base of the whole Qi Ye plot. Lining him was....... a pain, but at least it looks nice.

Su Qingluan: nothing much to say--I think it's always important to have her there in Qi Ye stuff, and I put her next to Helian Zhao because of how he tried using her--but it did make me feel bad for her when I realised that. Song Ping'an: The real star of the show, lowkey, but always alert and present. Feng Xiaoshu: FINALLY. PRINCESS JING'AN. I'm sorry I took so long to draw her. I want to work on a proper design, I swear. To make up for having completely forgotten to include her in the other spread. I'm so sorry. I like how her face turned out! Liang Jiuxiao: I never, ever, EVER get enough of drawing him. Have I mentioned how much I like him? How much of a great surprise he was reading Qi Ye? How many times I've wanted to high five because finally someone is as confused as I am? I love drawing this very specific smile on him, SO satisfying. Also Bichen said he was "THE Qi Ye antagonist" and I live for that LOL Zhou Zishu: do I really need to say anything atp Jiang Xue: I'm so sorry I put Xiao Xue next to ZZS. The cruelty. But she came out really cute didn't she T_T Anyway that's it. I'm still obsessed with Qi Ye and given my current (totally secret) retranslation project I'm nowhere near done going crazy about this book.

[yeliuxi]

In Bloom

In which Jing Beiyuan, Helian Yi, and Bai Wuchang all deal with their unrequited feelings, and the flower-spitting sickness that comes with them, throughout the seven lifetimes. For @eghfeithrean! Thank you for your prompt for @danmei-action <3 There are many free prompts gifted for other fans to request their ideas. Check them out here!

Words: 1.4k Rating: Gen Additional Tags: Implied Canon Major Character Death, Set During Jing Beiyuan's First Lifetime (partly), Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hanahaki Disease

Read on Ao3 (also under the cut)

In the first lifetime, Jing Beiyuan stares down at the white silk in his hands, unable to find it within himself to be surprised.

The rope of silk is strangely luminescent in the hour's low light, soft and mournful. It's almost soothing. The strangely melancholic peace is only disturbed by the sudden, violent cough that wracks his body. Petals fall from his mouth and into his half-open palm, fall against the three zhang of silk that he holds, red stark against white.

Yes. He suspected something like this would happen.

He had to assume something had changed, after all, in the weeks leading up to this evening.

Jing Beiyuan has been suffering from the flower-spitting sickness for some years, almost as soon as his hair started to prematurely turn white. He had known he loved Helian Yi quite a bit before that, always admiring him as children and teens. He had some assurance, then, that his feelings were returned, however privately; or, at least, that they would be.

Jing Beiyuan would be lying to himself to claim to not know the reasons for the sickness's development. The flower-spitting sickness first started as a few small petals, an unexpected surprise when trying to clear his throat after being sent away from the eastern palace, the servant claiming Helian Yi was resting, and had requested not to be disturbed. It was no coincidence Helian Yi started to create space—but not too much, never too much—between them after Jing Beiyuan and Zhou Zishu first proposed their scheme to oust the Second Prince.

It only grew worse from there. Their major falling out had only exacerbated the sickness. From a few petals, easily hidden, to long fits and bouts, a constant ache beneath his ribs and a scratching in his throat. But everything—everything—was all for him. Only for him. 

Jing Beiyuan still can't seem to make himself regret it.

"Master!" a voice calls, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looks up to the doorway, unsurprised to find the one member of his staff who might be up at such an hour already rushing over to him. "Master," Ping'an says again, hurriedly grabbing onto his arm to steady him. "Master, your medicine—"

Jing Beiyuan cuts him off, shaking his head. He draws in a firm breath, choking back the rest of his coughing fit.

"Master..." Ping'an trails off, his face growing as white as a ghost's.

Jing Beiyuan follows his gaze down to the white silk in his hands. He shakes Ping'an off with a huff, even as some guilt pangs in his heart. I'm sorry. I haven't been a very good master, and I'm unable to continue being yours. "Leave me," he says, voice rasping.

Ping'an hesitates, staring back at him with a tightly knit brow, his mouth hanging open in shock. "Master..."

"Leave,"  Jing Beiyuan says, sharper this time.

Though he hadn't raised his voice, Ping'an flinches away as if slapped. 

Ping'an ducks his head, tears already gathering at the corners of his eyes, and steps out without another word. He does not miss that Ping'an has taken the bowl of medicine with him.

And like that, it's just Jing Beiyuan. Jing Beiyuan and the dark emptiness of his own residence.

His chest aches, his ribs tender from coughing. He moves toward the low table, but is wracked with another fit halfway over, and drops the white silk onto the ground.

Beiyuan, why even bother being this way?

He pounds his chest with his fist, letting out a painful wheeze as he shakily lowers himself to the floor.

In the dimly lit Prince Estate, Jing Beiyuan sits on the floor amongst a small pile of red petals, and already knows what he will do. What he must do.

Zhou Zishu will arrive later, and Jing Beiyuan will tell him as much, too.

(What he doesn't know, in fact, is that deep within the palace, the emperor, too, is spitting up flowers.)

---

It happens sometime after the first lifetime, the year Bai Wuchang is punished to stand in the corner. His form is stiff and stifling, and does not allow him to become more than mildly agitated when reflecting on his mistake.This is why it comes as a surprise when, after months of ruminating on that person's fated love that he had ruined, he first feels the itch in the back of his throat.

Such a thing has never happened in the many years he's served as Soulhook Envoy in the underworld. He has not gotten sick, in large part because his current form won’t allow himself to stress enough. Standing still in place, he coughs, trying to clear whatever was stuck in his throat. Two small white petals flutter to the ground, right out of his lips.

He blinks, staring mutely at the two petals beside his feet.

It only happens twice more during the ten years that he stands in that corner.

When the human whose life he ruined returns to the underworld, over and over, Bai Wuchang occasionally feels the stirrings in his chest, one of the only things he's able to feel in this form. As always, the human sits beside the Three Life Rock, and waits.

Every day, Bai Wuchang crosses the Naihe Bridge, and watches the person at the rock. And almost every time, seeing that person never once turn their head toward him, that feeling in his chest returns. It crawls up his throat when he's talking with Hu Jia while watching that person, persistent and almost painful. He coughs into his sleeve, and watches the small flowers fall. He clears his throat as Hu Jia stands by, concerned, spitting out the last of the petals.

"Soulhook Envoy, are you alright?" Hu Jia asks, staring down at the petals in alarm and disbelief.

Bai Wuchang knows what humans call this: the flower-spitting sickness. "This is..." he trails off. An infection, formed by unrequited feelings. There really is no explanation that he can come up with. And yet, as Soulhook Envoy...

Bai Wuchang shakes his head. The Netherjudge, standing some distance away from the Naihe Bridge, is watching them. He looks over at Bai Wuchang, but does not approach. He simply watches, then sighs, and turns away.

Somehow, Bai Wuchang is left feeling like a child who does not know what they've done wrong.

---

In the seventh lifetime, Helian Yi already knows his case is helpless the minute he hears of this Ming Hua from brothel grounds. The shards of his teacup remain sharp and stinging in his hands, which drip with red.

He's already alarmed the servants enough with his outburst, draining the color out of the maids' faces. What seems to alarm them more is the sudden cough that follows, the sudden rain of small pink blossoms.

The jealousy that grips his heart is indeed a new thing, but he swallows this, along with the rest of the iron-tasting petals, down just enough to contain himself. His hands are still shaking with the effort.

He takes a carriage straight to the Prince Estate, after yelling at the maids and refusing to see the imperial physician. It can wait, this all can wait, until he can confront the person in part responsible for--for everything. All of this. All of the bitterness and flowers that well up in his throat until he's choking on them.

Helian Yi is let immediately inside, and storms the entire way to Jing Beiyuan. The worst part about it is that he seems unconcerned, unbothered by it all. He's lazing around, as usual, books haphazardly left about the room. Jing Beiyuan just tells him to sit, as simply as that, and has the audacity to scold him.

Jing Beiyuan's hands are warm when he bandages the wounds. He doesn't know why that surprises him. Jing Beiyuan is warm.

(Something in the back of his mind tells him that seems wrong.)

His touch is gentle, light, almost like he doesn't dare to linger long on Helian Yi. Of course not. It sends a pain through his chest, in his gut, and that iron-like taste rises in the back of his throat again. It surges violently through him, his body shaking with his contained coughs. He feels the flowers, the petals already in his mouth. He presses his lips shut, refusing to let anything out. He swallows it back. (He thinks about chocking that neck of Jing Beiyuan's.)

When he looks up again, Jing Beiyuan's hand is still raised to him. He stares at Helian Yi, some unnamable, dark expression crossing his face.

(In the future, Helian Yi will become even more familiar with this unnamed expression. And each time, he will not like it any more than he does now.)

"Your Highness," Jing Beiyuan says, seeming to snap himself out of it. "You need to take care of yourself..."

Neither of them dare to mention the cough that will plague him for a lifetime.

[heebiebeebies]

Bai Wuchang’s sacrifice, but he transfers his cultivation via a kiss 💋

I had this idea a few months ago, but didn’t make anything of it until now. I keep getting thoughts about the paper boy and all the time he only wanted Jing Beiyuan to spare him a glance.

[characterswithcolorsnamesfight]

Best character with a color name

Round 1 Poll 58

From the submitters :

*Wu Xi (乌溪) can be translated as "black creek"... but it doesn't stop there. In the novel, Wu Xi is the reincarnation of Bai Wuchang (White Impermanence)

[feng-huli]

Because I'm currently thinking about how Changing Ghost reacted to White Grim Reaper being killed, do you have any headcanons about the relationship between the two?

Thanks for the ask! It’s been a while since I’ve thought about this scene, but I remember being incredibly intrigued by Wuchang Gui’s reaction to the situation. He takes a massive risk by trying to defend Bai Wuchang and appears to genuinely care about him. Given how his response to Hei Wuchang getting poisoned by Du Pusa was more along the lines of anger rather than distress or concern, it seems like Wuchang Gui carries a sense of favoritism towards Bai Wuchang.

I headcanon both Wuchang Gui and Bai Wuchang as eunuchs, which they may find a degree of solidarity in (though they likely don’t have a shared past, given the age difference).

I do think Bai Wuchang is closer with his brother than Wuchang Gui, but that it’s thanks to both of their protection that he survived as long as he did. Bai Wuchang is likely much weaker than his ranking suggests, and he’s probably terrified of the other ghosts. He looks to Wuchang Gui and his brother for safety, but even they can’t protect him from the Valley Chief.

[hug-kiss-marry-kill]

[trappedfanzine]

🌸ARTIST SPOTLIGHT🌸

Next up, we have @atlacoya5! Coya illustrated an amazing 20-page comic for TYK - download the Trapped zine to see it!

[ghostly-valley]

Brochure of Ghosts Entry 1 - Bai Wuchang

Get to know the ghosts in no particular order.

Bai Wuchang - White Grim Reaper

Sweet little Bai was never meant for Ghost Valley. His round cheeks and delicate voice is out of place among the Ghosts. He seems more like someone who belongs in a market, hidden behind their mother than someone fit for the cruelty of Mount Qingya.

In his childhood, he and his brother lived with their uncaring parents near a somewhat powerful sect. Bai was small for his age for much of his life. That combined with his shy nature and his tendency to freeze up meant the sect leader's three sons found him an easy target.

Bai doesn't remember his parents. But he remembers his brother standing up for him.

One day, when Bai was in his early teens, the boys went too far. He was badly beaten, only able to get away by pretending to have been knocked out. Fearing punishment, the boys fled. Bai limped home, straight to his older brother.

The boys were close to Bai in age. Hei was much older.

Enraged by what the boys did to his brother, Hei snapped. All three boys, several servants, and the sect leader's brother were all killed in Hei's rampage before he was finally subdued.

The sect leader put both Hei and Bai to death. Bai was to die first, burned to death before his brother as punishment. Hei would be burned after.

But his brother escaped with him, taking him directly to Ghost Valley.

Bai adjusted quickly to the mundane violence of the valley. Ghosts tearing each other apart because they had nothing better to do. Ghosts murdering each other for anything remotely of value. Ghosts shredding each other because it was kill or be killed. The next thing he knew, he was himself a proficient killer.

He didn't like it. Even more, he hated how normal it felt to take another life. To force someone to bow during the Funeral Games. To watch people beat each other to death.

He doesn't want to hurt anyone, but he wants to disobey Lunatic Wen even less. He's far too loyal to the Chief. Too afraid.

Bai Wuchang has the tendency to blurt the worst possible thing at the worst possible moment in a muddled panic. This frequently gets him into trouble. When he isn't blurting something unbelievably stupid, he's overthinking everything he says and takes far too long to respond.

He rarely looks anyone in the eye and often clutches his weapon- a staff with a hidden point- like his life depends on it.

That being said, he's not to be underestimated. There's a reason he's a Top Ten Devil even at his young age. He is strong, quick, and a talented soldier.

He would just rather be doing literally anything else.

If you encounter Bai Wuchang, remain calm and vigilant. What your mother told you about spiders- they're more afraid of you than you are of them- is true for Bai Wuchang. Simply smile at him and politely excuse yourself. He's far too frightened to pursue you.

But beware. He never travels alone.

[by13x]

西遊記-

91- HeiWuchang 黑無常

[angstandhappiness]

NEAT

Heibai Wuchang

Bai Wuchang / Hei Wuchang 白无常 黑无常

Since lmk4 was left with the underworld guys, I decided to draw these two from among the 10 Shady Commanders of the underworld.

Twitter

[yeliuxi]

I haven't screamed about Qi Ye yet on Tumblr today... but I did scream excessively in someone's DMs about Wuxi saying that, in his previous life, he must have always loved Jing Qi, even if he never said it to him, he must have been thinking it while watching his back. Okay Wuxi, tell me more about Bai Wuchang's forgotten or not-so-forgotten feelings for whoever this predestined one of his is....

[heebiebeebies]

White boy (Bai Wuchang) Wednesday

[romanceyourdemons]

one of the funniest things word of honor did was it had two guys who call themselves hei wuchang and bai wuchang and they’re besties, and they always wear this beautiful super detailed cosplay as the black and white guards of impermanence, they fight with scythes, everything. complete commitment to the bit. and then their boss calls himself wuchang gui and his outfit and weapons are 1. not even a little bit on theme and 2. fucking stupid. which means that either the other two were already a themed package deal when they became meng hui’s subordinates and he did the annoying corporate manager thing where he was like well i want to get in on this too, and does it poorly. or he was already calling himself wuchang gui and told his two new employees to maybe go along with the concept so it’s clear they belong to him, and the two of them were like alright sure. and proceeded to commit to the bit like no bit has ever been committed to before

[characterswithcolorsnamesfight]

Prelim Poll 25

Propaganda here

[barananduen-blog]

Ding Yuxi as "Bai Wuchang" Shen Du in "Melody of Golden Age"