#besides HuaLian of course

[mikaela-the-slut-expert]

rrriiight i was thinking of a hualian x reader thing. the reader is a bit cold and apathetic but caring of two certain people and had been all the way through with hualian like for example, had served xie lian when he was still a prince or helped hong er from time to time. but somehow they just vanished and never came back.

surprise surprise, whilst hualian and some other gods were on a mission, they got attacked let’s say (or were in danger) and guess who came to save them? reader! and thats when it clicks for hualian. that was you. you weren’t gone. so- they never let you get away ever again.

just an idea that came to mind :D

In the Back of Your Mind

Hua Cheng x gn!reader x Xie Lian

I'm so sorry it took so long! I try to put my life updates in my bio, but I've been very busy moving houses! So I'm rlly sorry and I hope this is good!

I didn't know if you wanted reader to be a ghost or a god but I made them a ghost

Because gods don't usually disappear for like ever? Idk uhm if you don't like that just tell me and I'll edit it!

Made up a scenario that puts Xie Lian and Hua Cheng at a disadvantage

Ignore grammar mistakes

Slight OOC!!!

Made up details about reader and their life

____________________________________

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are very happy with their relationship and their life

But something's missing

Someone's missing

They haven't seen you in a very, very long time

It's been centuries actually and you still haven't shown up

But they haven't forgotten you, even though you've been missing or maybe even dead they still think about you in the back of their head.

Xie Lian misses you dearly

You had served Xie Lian during XianLe and had always been by his side.

You took your job seriously and it was your first priority to keep Xie Lian happy

You served him well and fought for him too

Your loyalty to Xie Lian was deep and everyone could see it

Everyone knew you loved him besides Xie Lian of course.

Because it was obvious! You wouldn't utter a word to anyone else

Your presence was a cold force to anyone besides Xie Lian

You were always quick to create space with anyone who came near him too.

It seemed like you couldn't care less for anyone else's problems but Xie Lian's.

Not that it mattered to you, as long as you could stay by his side it didn't matter what you were

Whether you were his servant or guard, whether you were next to him or below him, whether he used you as a step or tool.

You never minded, you'd do anything for him even if he wouldn't do those things.

You stayed by his side when Mu Qing and Feng Xin disappeare

You stayed when his palace fell

When his parents died

When Xie Lian started on a bad path

When he turned meaner, rougher, and angrier so that he wouldn't be hurt by the world again

When he grieved because he had been done wrong

You stayed with Xie Lian for as long as you could, and you loved him deeply every second of it.

But then someone took you from Xie Lian.

You never came back

Hua Cheng misses you just as dearly.

You took care of Xie Lian so well and then you just disappeared

When Hong er as caught by Xie Lian obviously he couldn't take care of Hong er by himself

But when Xie Lian was busy, everyone else was too disgusted to touch him

And Hong er didn't want to be in anyone else's arms either

You were different though, even though you were a servant like Mu Qing and Feng Xin you reacted differently

You held Hong er gently, as if the mongrel child would fall to pieces in your arms

You wouldn't let anyone touch him or try to kick him out of the palace

Always quick, you would settle a cold glare on someone if they tried to pull Hong er from your arms

Taking care of Hong er was just as serious as taking care of Xie Lian to you

You spent a lot of time with His Cheng like that

So after Hua Cheng's first death he searched and searched and searched

He never found the two of you

When Hua Cheng had finally found Xie Lian he was so excited to finally see you both again!

Even though he doesn't want to reveal his secret just yet, he hopes the two of you won't find him disgusting for his actions

But. . . You weren't there.

Don't get him wrong Hua Cheng is very happy to see one of the loves of his life after searching so long but you have never left Xie Lian's side so where are you?

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng continued their relationship and their story without you

Which was unfortunate but what could they do?

They had both tried to search for you and found you no where

Things are always changing though

🦊🪷

It was just another mission, and it should've been quick and easy. Especially since Xie Lian and Hua Cheng tagged along. Hua Cheng was only here for Xie Lian though, no one else. The mission didn't go smoothly though.

Missions rarely go smoothly when you're in the dark woods, with lots of monsters, and a heavy fog covers the forest. Not smooth at all when lower gods are bickering with Hua Cheng and Xie Lian.

They all got lost and wherever they ended up in these dark woods, had a block on the arrays. Xie Lian can't call for help or reach the heavens and neither can the other gods. What's worse! Powers are blocked too! It's like they've all stumbled upon an area of complete silence as if they were muted.

So even Hua Cheng is struggling a little bit right? Can't break the blocking energy source if you can't find it! Of course the gods all split up, leaving Xie Lian and Hua Cheng alone. It doesn't matter to Hua Cheng if his powers have been weakened or not he'll still do everything he can to protect Xie Lian from the monsters in the woods.

The more time Xie Lian and Hua Cheng stand around in the fog the more things they see. The deeper they go, the thicker the fog gets. And the thick the fog gets the more people they start to see the more things they start to see. It's not a good thing though, it's all illusions and they figured that out quickly when Hua Cheng swipes at a humanoid figure that looks just like Xie Lian.

Xie Lian doesn't have the time to solve the problem because him and Hua Cheng have a big possibility of being hurt right now. E-ming and rouye refuse to move. Hua Cheng will happily use his body and hands to defend Xie Lian if he has to though. Xie Lian says that's silly and chooses to run, dragging Hua Cheng along with him. The foggy ghosts only chase, and it's hard to run in such thick fog.

In fact the fog is so thick that eventually after running so long the ghosts give up on running after them. Xie Lian thought they were safe now but when he looks back Hua Cheng is gone.

Xie Lian shouts for him and tries to look around but the more he looks around the fog the more humanoid figures he sees. they're just. . . Fog. If Xie Lian could see Hua Cheng right now and he still wouldn't know if it was the real one.

The fog is dangerous, creating illusions of people Xie Lian already knows or things from his past, trying to trick him. He's only more lost and he doesn't know how to get out of this mess. It's actually very stressful, how does the fog know all these things, how is it forming the people he used to know and love?

Hua Cheng is in the same predicament. He wanders around the fog and at one point he thought he found Xie Lian again but when his hand wrapped around Xie Lian's arm, the figure turned in vapor. They're both lost. They're both being surrounded by crowds of foggy figures.

Just before the foggy figures are able to touch them the fog disperses though. A loud screech Is heard in the air, a sudden cold breeze blowing past Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, then the fog settles down. It turns out they weren't that far from each other at all and Xie Lian has never run into Hua Cheng's arms faster.

When they both see a foggy figure again they get nervous. One, because the fog has dispersed so they thought they were safe now. Two, it looks like you. Xie Lian already hates the fog he's already seen awful things but he doesn't want to see you like this. Not the fake you.

He can't help but tear up when 'you' try to urge him to come forward, but with the fog gone so is the blocked energy. Xie Lian shoots rouye out, trying to make the awful sight go away by rouye wraps around a surprisingly very sturdy wrist. You grip on rouye and pull Xie Lian forward a little, uttering a small "Dianxia, Hong er"

They know it's you, even though it seems so unbelievable. Xie Lian is literally jumping on you and knocking you to the ground. Hua Cheng manages to act a little more suave but he'd be a liar to say he isn't astonished. It's just a big pile of tears, embraces, and "I love you's".

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng waste no time bringing you home, they cling on to you desperately. Even if you just want to explore Paradise Manor it doesn't matter, both of them are at your side. They absolutely refuse to let you go. As if they're scared, if they look away you'll vanish again. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng just won't let that happen! They love you very much and they've missed out many years of loving and caring for you. They plan to repay all the missed affections

____________________________________

Uhhhh here it is! I hope it's good 🤔 honestly I feel a little eh about this but let me know what y'all think 🖤I don't know if this is exactly what you were imagining anon but if it wasn't this make another submission in like deeper, exact details and I'll try again okay!

[ticklygiggles]

Teacher and student, god and devotee | HuaLian [n$fw]

Happy birthday @ppystkposts!

A/N: Feliz aniversário minha linda garota ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Desejo o melhor sempre para você, obrigada por ser quem você é. Eu te adoro muito! Enviando abraços e beijos MWAH 🥺🥺🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ E espero que você tenha um dia muito bom e que eles te mimem muito ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Summary: Xie Lian has a very, very naughty student.

Words: 2k+

“Huh?! S-San Lang, did- did you write this yourself?!” 

Hua Cheng chuckled. “Why, of course, gege. I think your teachings are finally working on this lowly one.” 

With a look of surprise, Xie Lian took the scroll and brought it closer to his face, discovering the perfect calligraphy that adorned the poem that Hua Cheng so hated to practice. It was even much better than Xie Lian's perfect handwriting. How was it possible that yesterday Hua Cheng's handwriting was a complete disgrace, but now it was probably a national treasure?! 

Xie Lian was such a good teacher?

“O-Oh.” Xie Lian lowered the scroll again and looked at Hua Cheng who was looking back at him, he smiled mischievously, his eye shining with a playful glint in the dim room, illuminated only by the soft light of a few candles. “I'm- I'm sorry, San Lang. I was just… surprised. You've been improving a lot lately, but this is…”

Way too much. Xie Lian narrowed his eyes, looking at the scroll and then at Hua Cheng. The scroll. Hua Cheng. The scroll. Hua Cheng- ah, there it was. 

Xie Lian's ever-watchful eyes quickly caught the way a corner of Hua Cheng's smile twitched, as if he was trying to hold back a laugh. Hua Cheng had almost fooled him, but there was no way Hua Cheng would learn to make such beautiful calligraphy overnight. This was definitely one of his tricks! Well, two could play this game. .

Xie Lian nodded, smiling sweetly. “Wow, San Lang. You've really learned quickly. I think you're a genius!” 

Hua Cheng let out a chuckle and lowered his head, hiding his eye. “It’s not like that, Your Highness. You are simply too good at teaching.” 

“No, no,” Xie Lian said, sitting beside Hua Cheng, looking excited as he picked up a paintbrush. “I think you're even better than me now, San Lang. Please show me how you did this, can you?" 

That surprised Hua Cheng and Xie Lian tried his best not to laugh at the horrified sight in his eyes. Hua Cheng blinked and then laughed awkwardly.

”How could I teach gege what he already knows?" 

“Oh come on, San Lang,” Xie Lian insisted, placing a brush in Hua Cheng’s hand. “Don’t be modest! One can never know too much!” 

It was really hard not to burst out laughing when seeing the panic in Hua Cheng's eye. If there was a heart inside his chest, it would surely be beating loud enough for Xie Lia to listen to it. It seemed like even his hand was shaking, but Xie Lian thought it was just an effect of the candle flames. 

“Well... I…”

“Yes? What's the first step, San Lang?” Xie Lian asked with a wide smile and Hua Cheng could only sigh, putting down the brush and looking at Xie Lian regretfully, with that face that he knew perfectly well Xie Lian could not resist. 

“Your highness, I… I lied… I actually used a little bit of magic, you see…,” he said, snapping his fingers and immediately filling another scroll with a poem written in beautiful calligraphy. 

Xie Lian gasped. Looking at the scroll with fake surprise on his expression. “I see… so you lied to me, San Lang.”

“G-Gege, don't take it so seriously, please. I was joking a little and- ah! Wait, I- ahahaha!” 

Hua Cheng's sudden laughter lit up the room, and Xie Lian felt enveloped in its warmth. 

“Took you long enough to admit your tricks, don't you think, San Lang?” 

Hua Cheng's laughter echoed through the room as Xie Lian launched at him, straddling his hips and tickling him under his arms. His elegant fingers wiggling and digging into the hidden spot, making Hua Cheng shriek with unrestrained and surprised laughter. Xie Lian couldn't help but giggle along with him, surprised that Hua Cheng still believed he couldn't see through his tricks… to be fair, he actually almost got him there, but he knew perfectly well that Hua Cheng’s calligraphy was a lost case, for sure. 

“Did- Dihihihid you k-know?!” Hua Cheng asked between laughs, squirming underneath Xie Lian and trying to push his hands away from his underarms. 

“Of course I did, and this gege is quite disappointed in you, San Lang. How could you lie to me? You'll have to suffer the consequences.” 

Hua Cheng shook his head. “A-Anything but thihihis, gege! S-Sahahan Lahahang will be good!” 

“Hmm… I'm not sure, I'm not sure. San Lang was very mean, wasn't he?”

Xie Lian giggled mischievously. His fingers kept tickling Hua Cheng's armpits, feeling the pressure of his arms trying to crush his hands, but achieving nothing. Xie Lian took the liberty of observing his husband as he laughed uncontrollably. It was rare to see him laugh like that, usually his lips were curved in mischievous and playful smiles, but now, his mouth widened into a beautiful open smile, showing his perfect teeth.

There was no beating heart in his chest, so there was no blood running up his face to make him blush, but Xie Lian thought he would have looked adorable. His eye was closed tightly and Xie Lian could almost see a tear glistening on his long, black eyelashes, but maybe it was a play of light again. 

A bubbling joy spread within Xie Lian, and as he laughed alongside Hua Cheng, he felt his cheeks redden and his heart swell with love. 

“Ahahah! Not there! Not there!” Hua Cheng begged as Xie Lian’s hands moved down to his hip bones. The Ghost King's hands desperately followed Xie Lian's, but he had no strength as he wrapped his fingers around Xie Lian's wrists, the contrast of temperatures feeling nice against Xie Lian's warm skin. 

His laughter was wonderful. Endless. Like an eternal whisper, a constant melody that seemed to have no end and Xie Lian loved it. He adored it; he could start a religion that worshiped Hua Cheng's laughter only. He just couldn't get enough of it, after all, Hua Cheng didn't need to breathe, so I could tickle him until the end of time and listen to his sweet laughter.

“This S-San Lang will behave!” He tried again, making Xie Lian laugh. “I prohohomise! I promise, Your Highness, plehehease!” 

“Is that so?” Xie Lian hummed in thought, his fingers stopping to let Hua Cheng rest a bit. His body collapsed and he took a deep breath as if he needed it. “How can I believe San Lang, hmm? He lied to me in my face,” he tried to sound stern, but his smile was too bright for that. 

“I- I'll work extra hahard, gege,” he said between giggles as Xie Lian's fingers tapped his hips. “This- This lowly one promises to never prank His Highness aga-a-hahahain! Plehehease! Please!”

“It's hard to believe you, San Lang,” Xie Lian said, his voice calm and collected as his fingers squeezed Hua Cheng's hips. “Especially when you're like this.” 

“Angh, gege!”

Hua Cheng's eye widened and Xie Lian smirked down at him, grinding against his arousal. He didn't know exactly when it happened, he actually thought not even Hua Cheng had noticed, but he was fully hard right now. 

“I think San Lang really likes it when I punish him, hmm?” 

“N-No, gege, I- ngh!” 

Xie Lian shuddered slightly when he felt Hua Cheng's big hands grasping his waist and squeezing him slightly to stop him from keep rubbing his ass against his cock. Xie Lian looked at him and he flushed at seeing Hua Cheng's face, his bow was furrowing and the playfulness of his eye was long gone, replaced by lust. 

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng looked into each other's eyes for a moment and the entire atmosphere in the room changed. The room was lit by soft candlelight, but it was darkening as the candles died down. The candles cast their dancing shadows and the laughter and little pleas faded into sounds of pleasure and ecstasy as Xie Lian moved more against Hua Cheng, making him grunt and gasp. 

“Y-Your Highness, I- 

“Shh,” Xie Lian covered Hua Cheng's mouth. “This teacher is about to teach this misbehaving student a lesson.” With a gentle flick of his wrist, Ruoye flew out from Xie Lian's wrists, straight to Hua Cheng's, pulling his arms up, high above his head. Hua Cheng let out a whine and his back arched slightly. 

“Gege, if we're going to do this, can we at least- ack!” 

Xie Lian slid further down Hua Cheng's legs, taking a seat on his thighs as he pulled down his pants and underwear in one go, freeing his erection. Xie Lian barely heard Hua Cheng calling him in a flustered gasp, he was too busy staring at the Ghost King's dick. Thick, hard, painfully red and even wet with precum at the tip. Xie Lian's cheeks felt on fire and his hand trembled as his heart raced within his chest.

He certainly had changed, in the past he would even be scared of seeing such a scene, but now… his mouth was watering and without thinking, he grabbed the base of Hua Cheng's cock and shoved it into his mouth. 

“F-Fuck, gege! Don't d-do that, I- ngh!” 

It seemed as if his throat was already molded to the shape of Hua Cheng's dick. At first, Xie Lian had trouble taking his huge cock, but now he could get it all the way into his throat with no problem. He didn't know whether to feel proud or terribly bewildered by this fact. But he could worry about that later, or the next day or in ten millennia, now he just focused on moving his head just the way Hua Cheng liked it, the tip of his cock touching his throat again and again.

“Y-Your Highness!” Hua Cheng's moans and small cries made Xie Lian's ears get hot. He looked up and Hua Cheng was staring back at him. Their eyes met and Xie Lian felt a delicious chill sneaking up his spine. “Y-Your Highness, ple- ah! Please!” 

The cock was pulsating in his throat. Hua Cheng was close, so Xie Lian took him out of his mouth. Hua Cheng arched his back with a loud whine, his hips thrusted, but he couldn't reach that peak that was slowly fading away. 

“Y-Your Highness! W-Why?” 

Xie Lian's lips curled in a mischievous smirk. “Oh? I did say I was going to teach my naughty student a lesson, didn't I? You weren't expecting a prize, right, San Lang?” 

Hua Cheng whimpered as Xie Lian lightly circled the tip of his dick, precum spurting out. 

“Pleah- please, gege. I swear I'll be good, I- ahahaha!” 

“Stay still,” Xie Lian told him as if his fingers weren't digging into Hua Cheng's hips, tickling him again. Hua Cheng laughed and moaned, arching his back and digging his heels into the carpet as he tried to do as he was told, Xie Lian chuckled and kissed Hua Cheng's glans. “If this student of mine can keep this hips still, I will let him cum.”

Hua Cheng shook his head, laughing nearly in hysterics. “N-No! I c-cahan’t, Your Highney! Please, s-stop tickling m-” 

“Will you disobey not only your teacher, but also your god?" 

The laughter didn't stop, but Hua Cheng's hips stayed as still as he could as he laughed wildly. Xie Lian felt something warm and fuzzy in his chest; he had never spoken to Hua Cheng like that before, but he couldn't lie, being in control felt... different... good. 

His light, elegant fingers kept tickling Hua Cheng as he took him into his mouth again. Hua Cheng moaned before falling into laughter one more time. 

“Ah! G-Gege! This l-lowly one is s-sohohorry! I've learned m-my lesson s-sohoho-” he made a small suction noise as he tried to push back the saliva that threatened to come out of his mouth. “S-Soho please- AHAHA!” 

Xie Lian chuckled softly with Hua Cheng's cock still in his mouth. He gave him a few squeezes to his hips and Hua Cheng couldn't help but jump at each one as he threw his head back in laughter; Xie Lian felt tears clinging to his lashes as he dug his fingers into the sensitive skin and pushed Hua Cheng's cock deeper into his throat.

“O-Oh! G-Gege, please, please don't stop! D-Dohohon’t stop, I'm g-gonna- agh!” 

Xie Lian almost choked on Hua Cheng's load, and he stopped the tickling. Some of his cum escaped from the corners of his mouth, but most of it was consumed. Xie Lian licked clean Hua Cheng's cock, feeling it tremble and twitch as he enjoyed the intensity of his climax. 

Xie Lian smiled and kissed the tip of Hua Cheng's dick before he moved back. He had barely cleaned the corner of his mouth when he felt Ruoye tightening back around his arms. In the blink of an eye, he had his back pressed against the carpeted floor and he was looking up at Hua Cheng; his red eye glinting.

“San Lang, what- ngh!” His words turned into a moan as Hua Cheng's huge hand cupped Xie Lian's erection. He covered his mouth and arched his back as tingles of pleasure rushed up his spine.

“This lowly student has learned his lesson, Your Highness,” he said, his voice was like a deep abyss, full of desire that seemed to caress Xie Lian's skin, making him shudder. “Please, let him correct his mistake and show his teacher that he will never disrespect him again.”.

While Hua Cheng's cold lips brushed a kiss against his warm neck, in that tender spot by his throat, Xie Lian felt his cold fingers under his clothes, like unruly butterflies that explored his sensitive skin. It tickled, but not enough to make him laugh, enough to make him let out sounds of pleasure.

Xie Lian smiled, his arms wrapping around his neck. “Hmm? I wonder what this student of mine has in mind.” 

Hua Cheng's lips curled up. “Leave everything to him, Your Highness~.”

To be in control felt amazing, but being worshiped by his best student and loyal devotee was even better. 

[ladydostoevsky]

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐲𝐬

Request from: @fandoom-strikes

I used he/him pronouns, but can be read also as gn or she/her

"A short thing from the POV of a newly ascended god or new ghost city resident third wheeling to hualian blatantly flirting on the job"

Y/n followed His Highness, The Crown Prince of Xianle, and the famous Crimson Ghost King, Hua Cheng, through a calm and colorful forest. It was a beautiful sunny autumn afternoon in the mortal realm: birds sang, trees swayed gently with the wind and sun shone through the red leaves. Y/n sighted when he heard Hua Cheng and Xie Lian clearly flirting, again. The Prince and the King, who sat a few meters away from him, beside each other, laughed and smiled like fools while complimenting each other.

Y/n cursed Ling Wen for sending him with His Highness. What happened you ask? A dangerous evil spirit escaped from Heaven again. His Highness and y/n were sent to catch it before it could do any harm to mortals. Unfortunately, of course Crimson Rain Sought Flower had to tag along. Where is His Highness, there is The Crimson Ghost. Almost everyone in the three realms knows about their close relationship, even the newcomers like himself who had ascended only 7 months ago catch up to this quickly. Now he felt like a third wheel behind them. Only watching the two love sicks shamlessily teasing and blushing.

"San Lang, please. You don't have to," smiled Xie Lian to Hua Cheng who is putting a little red maple leaf behind the Prince's ear. He had a handful of little leaves and one by one decorating His Highness's brown hair with them. Hua Cheng smiled at him warmly, "Gege, have I ever told you, that you look like a freshly grown tulip in red?" he put his fingers under his chin and gently turned his head to face him. "Red suits you." Xie Lian blushed and chuckled, "Not as much as you. San Lang looks the best in red." They both chuckled at that. Y/n just sat there few meters away, looking at them with bored expression and cringed a little at their little moment and sighted. Hua Cheng saw that and turned to him annoyed, "If you're so bored why don't you go back to Heaven? We can finish this mission with Gege alone." "San Lang," The Prince warned silently. "Y/n is a new martial god and needs mission experience. He has to tag along, he was originally assigned to help me, remember?" Xie Lian smirked, referring to Hua Chang coming along without invitation or warning. The King just gave a look to y/n to shut him up and continued putting maple leaves into Xie Lian's hair.

After traveling a few more hours it was already dark. They set up their sleeping place, of course Xie Lian and Hua Cheng shared a bed. Y/n was ready to fall asleep when a few meters away he could hear soft whispers of the two other companions.

"Gege, are you cold? Do you need anything?" Hua Cheng whispered. Xie Lian chuckled, "San Lang, I'm alright. Thank you for worrying." y/n sweat dropped at this. "You know Gege, ones we finish here we should go back to Paradise Manor, do some calligraphy lessons and maybe even sleep togather in my b-" "CAN YOU TWO SHUT THE FUCK UP, MY GOOD HEAVENS!"

[darlingpwease]

Yandere omega Hualian who keep get rejected by they alpha but still made they nest just for them to comfortable

But imagine this Yandere Omega Hualian but Alpha have puppy with someone else how will they fell about that and what will they do

my dear puppy,

♡ unhealthy behaviour, animalistic behaviour, parenthood (variation with & without consanguinity), poly relationship, modern au for variation with consanguinity; single parent!reader

In fact, neither HUA CHENG nor XIE LIAN will have a problem with the fact that you already have a puppy / puppies. The fact that you reject their nest or send mixed signals will bother a lot more.

XIE LIAN in general has a strong 'parental instinct' and would like to have puppies someday, even if he needs time to agree to — if the 'puppy' is not an addition to you; in that case, XIE LIAN very quickly and smoothly immediately reaches the stage of 'let's raise a puppy together', accepting with everything you have, including a small (or not so) lump in your hands. After all, it's your puppy — and now it's the puppy of your entire pack of you and your two omegas, so it's natural that they adopt them and raise together, even if there is no blood relationship. Your puppy will easily get attached to someone like XIE LIAN, who easily manages to hide steel in silk, and, in the end, he builds soft nests and smells so delicious, making them feel so comfortable that soon the very idea of leaving him seems wrong — especially when you see that your puppy genuinely loves his and it's mutual. XIE LIAN doesn't mind your puppy at all and considers them his own, so why should you leave? Haven't you already found the perfect omega parent for your little cub?

HUA CHENG is even more flexible and relaxed in this regard — he is generally indifferent to the aspect of the presence or absence of puppies. Although, of course, if there is a puppy or if the puppy considers him a parent, then you will not be able to easily leave HUA CHENG — but he is generally not that type of omega. He wants to keep you close, not because you have 'nowhere else to go' or 'no one is letting you go', but because you don't want to leave yourself — if you see that he is so perfect, then why would you want to leave? This is much more reliable and will be a stronger anchor for you, because in other cases you can try to escape, having an opportunity, but when no one is better than him, then who can you go to? It's the same with a puppy — he didn't have good parents or a nurturing community, so his experience is literally molded on the basis of the behavior of you and XIE LIAN, but he really tries, combining his 'omega instincts that feels the milky smell of a cute puppy whose parent is now' and taking an example from XIE LIAN, who grew up in a loving and prosperous family and knows how to handle puppies, even if this is also the first time for him.

(in my opinion, in the omegaverse world, especially in the ancient one, the collective upbringing of all puppies is generally widespread, including those who are not related by blood, so no aspect of 'jealousy' for someone else's puppy or for the fact that you had someone is the exception rather than the rule; besides, in the end you are with them and you will stay with them, and the fact that you had someone before does not matter to the two of them, as long as they know that this 'someone' does not matter to you now.)

puppy with a blood relationship / is your biological puppy

XIE LIAN and HUA CHENG have nothing against the fact that your puppy has no blood connection with them — after all, it is now a puppy of your pack that you will raise together; when you are look for your little one and your omegas in different nests or when you bend down to the nest for a puppy only to be playfully dragged inside by one or two pairs of hands, you try to be careful in the future — but you still get caught over and over again.

XIE LIAN and HUA CHENG are often scenting the puppy and likes to sleep with them, either with you by their sides and with the puppy on your chest if possible — and they have no problems even if the puppy is very small and often wakes up at night or is generally anxious and restless and often needs the presence of others. For XIE LIAN, this experience is a study of his own parenting and how much he himself is ready and would like to give birth to another puppy for you if you wanted, while HUA CHENG is experiencing a mixture between getting the experience of parenthood and re-childhood, which he did not have.

In the end, the three of you raise the child as a common one, where he has one alpha parent and two omega fathers (a semi-playful 'who's papa who's daddy' is attached, but your puppy probably uses names along with letters from their name like daddy / papa lian / cheng and other variations depending on their pronunciation), and your puppy grows up in a more than happy and loving family even if he inherits some of their intense traits and attitudes towards you, especially if they are omega.

If you don't want to talk about the origin of the puppy or if about their parents, then they are fine with it — it doesn't matter what happened before, it's important that this is their puppy and you are now their alpha, since your puppy considers them his omega dads, which is especially important if your puppy is also an omega.

If you continue to communicate with the puppy's parent, they will be much more wary and jealous, even if they know that they should trust you. They are both quite possessive and are looking for regular confirmation from you as an alpha that they are only your omegas and that you are only their alpha, and it gets even worse when they feel that the omega with whom you once conceived your puppy is still in touch with you. HUA CHENG is much more open to direct aggression or belligerence, especially if the omega parent also has a heavy temper — and although HUA CHENG will not show you this, he will be more than sarcastic and annoyed at the sight of them. XIE LIAN, on the other hand, behaves outwardly more peaceably, keeping the thought that, after all, thanks to them, their pack now has such a sweet and cute puppy, but he will not particularly try to calm HUA CHENG, especially if he sees that your former partner is behaving 'wrong' — and not that he is at all wants to stop HUA CHENG...

puppy without a blood relationship

Explain to them from the outside why you have a puppy who never gets older than a certain age and considers you to be his only parent, not remembering either the past before a certain age or his second parent. You yourself are not sure how it happened, and whether what you unintentionally did is some variation of ghostly forces or the like, — but they are closer to the spirit than to the ghost, they like to cling to you, they never grow up and call you their alpha parent, and you don't mind at all, even if you can explain little to others.

Neither HUA CHENG nor XIE LIAN ask anything, however. Your puppy is cute and charming, and whoever they are, both omegas instantly adopt them and make them their puppy as well, treating them as a single puppy within the pack and easily calling themselves their parent, even if you may initially feel embarrassed by how easily they accepted this whole situation and your 'strange 'puppy.

But, whoever they are, your omegas are absolutely fine with you and your puppy, creating nests and willingly basking in them, cuddling with them and with you, considering themselves a full-fledged family.

You and your puppy are suspicious?... Maybe, but you are their alpha — you have always been, are and will be — and as long as that's the case, nothing matters.

in my opinion, if you have a puppy with another and you are happy with another, then they won't do anything about it.

of course, you expect HUA CHENG to remain flirtatious, and in modern au he may be the type who will still try to attract your attention, but they are more than respectful and understanding, especially if you are straightforward with refusal.

they will instantly return to you if you find yourself free again, though, but they will not intentionally break the family, even if HUA CHENG is characterized by the position of 'if someone is better, then there is nothing wrong with leaving for the better' — but he does not consider himself good enough for you because of the unstable self-esteem, while XIE LIAN is more than patient, although no less open in his intentions.

[crystalsamethyst]

Ficlet Request for 100 followers! Post-canon Hualian domestic fluff! 😁

Hii! Here you go ❤️ I hope you enjoy!

A gentle, refreshing breeze flowed over a small shrine nestled on a hill. It picked up and softly tossed around the long fine strands of Xie Lian’s hair, making him sigh in peaceful bliss. That sensation mixed with the sunset was just such a wonderful end to the day, soon made completely perfect by the presence of his husband.

Hua Cheng sat next to him with a tray in his hands, offering up a cup of tea. With a small hum and nod of thanks, Xie Lian took it and sipped, savouring the delicate flavour and marveling at the talents of his husband.

“Today was really nice,” he whispered, looking out over the sights from the hill. “I love when we can do so much here.”

His husband took a moment to reply, and when he spoke, his voice was filled with warm laughter. “Gege, today has not been what I would call ‘nice’. It was one degree away from being classified as a disaster.”

“Getting stuck and falling into the mud of the rice fields is nothing,” he waved it off. He’d had far worse tumbles in the past 800 years.

“What about that ox going mad and chasing you?”

“I’m a fast runner.”

“And the farmhouse falling around you?”

“I don’t even notice anymore,” Xie Lian laughed, remembering the thousands of times the houses he built collapsed or burned down. “That farmhouse was destined to fall in the next wind storm anyways. It was better taken down by me; besides, it gives us a good upcoming project.”

Hua Cheng frowned at that and then sighed, shaking his head. “Your shackles have been gone for years, and yet your luck still seems to be against you.”

Xie Lian hummed again and leaned into his husband’s arm. “My luck has gotten a thousand times better ever since I met you. Even when I answer prayers on my own, I’m a lot better off than I used to be, and it’s all thanks to you, San Lang.”

“Gege…”

The way Hua Cheng was looking at him, Xie Lian knew he wanted to protest or to offer to transfer him all of his luck. It had been a conversation they’d brushed over several times, though the god definitely thought his husband was overreacting.

“Even if you weren’t able to pass it, your love is all the luck I need. With it, I can endure anything… Even when the things that go wrong really can’t be compared to how it used to be.”

After putting the tray down next to him in the grass, Hua Cheng delicately took the nearly-emptied cup out of his husband’s hands to put on it as well. Xie Lian laughed when the ghost king then lunged at him, sending them rolling from the impact.

Hua Cheng pulled his husband in to rest on top of his chest, and wrapped his arms around him in a tight, snug hold that both of them enjoyed immensely, enjoyed the moment until the sun went down.

When the evening chill finally started to settle, though neither of them were really affectedby it, they still moved inside to have a late meal of offerings and pull each other back into the tight hug once they made it to their bed.

“… Really though, San Lang, my luck has gotten better,” Xie Lian murmured into his husband’s chest. “Didn’t you notice? I didn’t get hurt even a little bit.”

“Of course I noticed. Had you gotten hurt, there would’ve been dire consequences.”

Xie Lian laughed. “Like what? There’s nothing you can do about gravity or the nature of animals.”

“There isn’t, but I would have had no choice but to swoop in and give you plenty of ‘care’ in plain sight,” he teased, making the god groan and bury his face in even more.

“San Laaaang…”

“Maybe some extra spiritual energy applied directly to the spots that might have been sore… Imagine if the villagers had to witness me literally kiss your-“

Xie Lian huffed and turned without prying himself from the hold on him. “I’m going to sleep.”

“Gege,” Hua Cheng whined, nuzzling into his hair. “Gege, I’m sorry.”

“Shh. I’m sleeping.”

[rose-tinted-vision]

↻ FLIP FLOP for the fic asks game! it would be interesting to know what lxy was thinking meeting fdb and llh, or what fdb was thinking about being courted by lxy :D (no need to write a whole new fic but just curious about your thoughts about it heh) (this is j, it won't let me send asks from sideblogs)

Hello @hualianisms !!! Thank you for your asks :D I’m assuming you mean “What matters is ‘you’ and not which state of you” for this one >_< (I'll get to your second ask soon!!)

Flip Flop for the fic asks game: send me a scene from one of my fics and I’ll describe or write it from another character’s POV!

---

For LXY’s pov: I think he’s mostly confused at the start, but very charmed by this pretty young master– and that much is obvious from the way FDB carries and addresses himself by “本公子 (ben gongzi)” – and his interest is further attracted by FDB’s swordsmanship, his unique duochou gongzi’s swordplay.

Obviously, it’s nothing more than a passing attraction since he still has QWM in his heart, but he had noticed the way LLH reacted to his flirtatious remarks directed to FDB– and well, he’s bored living in this tiny, cramped house that was smaller than his room back in the Sigu sect with nothing but bothersome chores to do all day, so he continues this game of his.

(He thinks Fang daxia has caught on– otherwise he didn’t seem much like the type who would entertain unwanted affection, much less unrequited ones– and the man was much more observant than he let on, so Li Xiangyi plays it up on some days, if only to watch LLH eat vinegar).

---

As for FDB: It’s startling for him to see LXY materialise out of nowhere one day, and he is momentarily overtaken by fear that something has happened to LLH, except that he had just woken up beside an untouched, healthy LLH. So to say that FDB is confused is an understatement, but he takes him in anyway, knowing that LLH wouldn’t leave him to die outside the Lotus Tower, no matter what he might say.

FDB doesn’t know how to feel, at first. How is someone to react, upon meeting the person who has left such an impact on their past, who has so drastically changed the course of their life without knowing it and subsequently vanished for the next decade?

(LLH stays on the upper level of the Lotus Tower all afternoon, and FDB does not try to bring up the topic with him. He knows of LLH’s complicated emotions regarding LXY, knows that the other needed his own time).

He himself thought he knew his own stance on the topic, but seeing LXY in the flesh, his striking resemblance to the man he shared a blanket with– shook up his resolve a little.

That is, until he opened his mouth.

His manner of speech, his (not entirely unfounded) confidence and arrogance, his clumsy attempts at flirting– they were all so unlike LLH that FDB wonders how he ever thought them similar. LXY was still a teenager, he realises. Still so young and untouched by the jianghu, still with that unbridled optimism and hope and drive to save the common people.

He was still so young.

Well– not that much younger than FDB himself, but young in that he was still less travelled and less jaded than him and LLH themselves, and he marvels at the sight.

Just how little self-preservation LXY had, FDB would soon witness, as the young sect leader makes a pass at him over dinner, something that had him choking on his food at.

He checks on LLH soon afterwards, who had woodenly passed him a cup of water without a word– sure enough, his glare would've killed a lesser man– FDB could only thank the gods that LXY had a seemingly impenetrably thick skin.

(It was the first of many more attempts to come, he would soon find out.

…which was not that bad, he would admit. LXY’s awkward attempts at courtship were amusing and came with the added benefit of watching LLH eat vinegar.

The tables were flipped for once, FDB smiles triumphantly).

[talk-danmei-to-me]

Licentious Acts Part 3 Sneak Peek: Prelude

It's been a while since I wrote a smutty Hualian one shot and with all of the angst of book 4 I decided to go with torturing Hua Cheng with impure thoughts whilst sharing the only bed with his gege the first night at Puqi Shrine. Enjoy!

***

In all his wildest dreams, he'd never considered being able to lay beside someone so perfect. Xie Lian murmured softly in his sleep, causing Hua Cheng to lose count of his breaths. Instead, Hua Cheng hoped he was having pleasant dreams. Then he sighed, and it reminded Hua Cheng of another time entirely. A time when the Crown Prince had been infected by Land of the Tender. The memory often visited Hua Cheng, at night, when he was alone. To think on it now was very inconvenient.

The cave His Highness retreated to had been pitch black, but his sounds remained crystal clear. His ragged breathing, the soft moans that grew in pitch as he became increasingly overwhelmed by the flower's power. Hua Cheng could recall it all. Thanks to one of the demons, he even had a visual of what he looked like, robes open, exposing his pale, perfect skin, face flush, his hair sticking to his forehead, droplets of sweat forming as his body burned with desire... But the part that really caused Hua Cheng's cock to stir and his own body to burn, was the memory of his own hands roaming Xie Lian's aroused form. Of course he'd been a child then. He wasn't a child anymore. Of course his memory had become a little... creative with time. Now when he imagined it, they were the same age, truly it had become a fantasy. Instead of it being a torture for the Crown Prince, Hua Cheng would ensure he felt every type of pleasure imaginable. Depending on his mood when he conjured up the scene in his mind, Hua Cheng would draw different sounds from his beloved based on what he chose to do. Sometimes, he would indulge himself in the taste of him, liking every inch of his body until he reached his throbbing cock. Other times, he would tease him mercilessly, exploring his body with his fingers. Whatever way he chose to sate him, one thing was always certain, the flowers would never have him, because Hua Cheng would satisfy him, always and forever.

***

Previous entries in the series can be found here:

[hualianff]

Hualian Clouds

Thinking about white cloud XL and rain cloud HC who, when overlapping together, form a beautiful rainbow. ❤️

Hualian would be able to materialize as human-like bodies, though still cloud-like in texture. HC would extend a thundercloud bridge over to XL, offering a hand so they can dance across the sky. 

XL who is regarded as the purest and most untouchable white cloud, joyfully crosses the bridge every time, as he becomes the happiest when he’s with his precious rain cloud. 

Fengqing somewhere do NOT approve. 

On one hand, rainbow spirit MQ absolutely hates feeling every rainbow Hualian forms. It’s the equivalent of constantly having Hualian in the back of the mind, canoodling their little hearts out while not giving MQ a moment’s peace. 

(Give it up for the lovers as they are the only other ones able to conjure up rainbows besides MQ himself - unfortunately for the tired rainbow spirit.)

On the other hand, FX is the thunder spirit, a loud ass mf whose voice echoes across the lands. He also has no choice but to come to HC’s aid whenever the rain cloud throws his fits. 

This usually happens when others talk shit about XL, claiming how the once darling of the skies has now been tainted by the likes of a stray, monstrous storm cloud. Even more so when XL’s safety is jeopardized, the transition from calm and collected HC to a furious Crimson Rain, The Thundercloud, is a violent force very few would wish to reckon with. 

Once the raging storms pass, the darkness disperses to reveal a dreary atmosphere. HC, feeling much lighter and very much satisfied with his destructive tantrum, floats back to XL - who has been eagerly waiting for his beloved’s return.  

A few moments later, a bright rainbow emerges from the intermingled clouds. 

Everything is how it should be, back to normal.

***

Bonus:

-SQX is the wind, of course, and helps XL travel great distances in a short amount of time!

-Once upon a time, there was a huge, fluffy cloud who noticed a smol black cloud had been trailing him for many days and many nights…

-HX is the sea, and HC feeds him when he storms. And thus, HX is indebted to HC’s bidding in the oceans, if needed. 

-Whoever is touched by HC’s rain becomes gay, I don’t make the rules

w/ @no-one-says-hi + art

[xueyuverse]

Now I Want You: A HuaLian fanfic, chapter six

Trigger warnings

This is an +18 fanfic, so it may and/or will contain themes such as suicide, physical and psychological abuse, violence and cruelty, explicit sex, complex or highly impactful sexual situations, and rape. Be careful when reading, do not force yourself and protect yourself.

Contains age gap, Xie Lian is 20 years older than Hua Cheng here.

────୨ৎ────

Xie Lian found Hua Cheng at the lake a few hours after work, his hair still damp from the shower tied into a simple braid, wearing a light and fresh white long-sleeved blouse, skinny jeans, and white sneakers.

Hua Cheng, sitting on a blanket, wearing a tight black tank top, zipped up to the neck, and jeans, laughed when he saw him. “You could easily pass for a teenager,” he said as Xie Lian sat down beside him. “When gege created the fake identity, did he think of using a fake age as well? I doubt people will so easily believe that you are 46 years old.”

“They really don’t believe it,” Xie Lian laughed, “I always have to show them my ID. I didn’t bother to change my birth year.”

“Day and month, yes?”

Xie Lian nodded. “Uh-huh.”

Hua Cheng looked at him melancholy. “Gege really didn’t want to be found, huh.”

Xie Lian shook his head. Seeing that there was a large bag beside Hua Cheng, he pointed at it and asked, “What do you have there?”

“Oh,” the young man placed the bag between him, “some presents.”

From the bag, he pulled three swords: a silver-hilted scimitar with a closed eye; a straight double-edged sword, with roots intricately carved into the red leather hilt and flowers growing from the golden blade, the characters 身在无间, 心在桃源 engraved between the designs — ‘body in the abyss; heart in paradise’; and a bronze longsword with beautiful patterns, decorated with pearl beads and jades, the blade was sharp and cold as ice and reflected a cold light, two characters were engraved on this sword: 赤霄, pronounced Chi Xiao[1]. 斩白蛇起义, ‘Uprising of the Slaying of the White Serpent’.

“Zhan baishe, ti san chi jian li bu shi zhi gong[2],” Xie Lian said in an awed whisper, raising the sword in front of his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. “The Snake-Slaying Sword[3] of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. Is it real? It looks real.”

If it wasn't real, then it was an incredible replica, Xie Lian thought in delight, testing the sword in his hand.

“Yes, it is,” Hua Cheng seemed very proud of himself.

Rightly so, he really should be.

“How did you manage that?” Xie Lian asked in disbelief, standing up to punch the air a few times. “It’s been missing for millennia.”

Hua Cheng shrugged. “I’ve been bored for many years, so I went around looking for things, treasures, places, something to do.”

Xie Lian turned to him, his eyes wide. “Are you telling me you found this sword by accident?”

“No. I wanted to go after it. It took me a few years to find it.”

“Everyone wants to find that sword.”

“Well, bad luck for them, I found it first.”

“And what do you intend to do with it?” Xie Lian tested it a little more. It was too light for him, but it flowed well with softer strokes, like a dance.

“It’s my gift to Ban Yue, I think it suits her.”

Xie Lian turned back to him, delighted. “It’s perfect for her. She’s been training with short swords lately, but this one… there’s no way it won’t fit her like a glove.”

He put the sword back into its sheath, picking up the other red-hilted one this time and testing his moves on it. Xie Lian recognized the phrase engraved on it, of course, and thought of it with longing.

But he didn’t think too much, Xie Lian preferred to think about the here and now, there was nothing for him in the past.

“This one, dare I ask, is it for me?” He cut the air a few times as he asked. It was a light sword, for fast and flexible swordsmen.

Hua Cheng looked at him with a contented smile. “Yes. I specially forged it for gege, I hope I didn’t disappoint you.”

Xie Lian gasped in astonishment, turning to face him and pointing the blade of his sword at the young man. “No way. Did you forge it?”

The young man nodded, his pride clearly rising by the second. “Yes.”

Xie Lian looked at him, fascinated, admiring, incredulous, with wide eyes.  “Every time I discover more about you, the more you surprise me.”

“So, did you like it, gege?”

Xie Lian twisted his body along with the sword, testing its lightness and flexibility and being pleased with the result. “Yes.”

“Really?”

“Very much so. And what’s the other one?”

Hua Cheng stood up and pulled his scimitar from its sheath. “Oh, this one? It's just E-Ming.”

E-Ming’s eye opened, a scarlet red iris swiveled towards Xie Lian, at first with the eyelid drooping and the pupil closed into a slit, indifferent, but as soon as he saw Xie Lian, that eye of his became a half-moon, the pupil opened and grew until it was round like a button and began to spin crazily. The entire scimitar trembled.

Xie Lian smiled and walked over. “Hello.”

Hua Cheng slapped the scimitar’s eye, causing it to shudder and lose heart.

Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng and blinked. “Why did you hit her?”

“She wants you to pet her. I didn’t let her.”

“Ah? Why not?” He reached out, stroking the scimitar’s hilt, causing that eye to spin wildly again.

Haha, I know I get along well with animals, but I never imagined a scimitar would like me, Xie Lian thought happily.

“Alright, alright, gege.” Hua Cheng was pouting, which made Xie Lian laugh. “Gege, stop spoiling her.”

Xie Lian looked at him with an amused smile. “Why? Do you want to be spoiled in her place?”

“Of course I do.”

Xie Lian lowered his hand, causing E-Ming to shudder unhappily, and he smiled. “How about that duel now, San Lang?”

Hua Cheng smiled. “Gege read my mind.”

He took a stance and Xie Lian soon followed. “Ready?”

Xie Lian's smile widened. “Always.”

It was exhausting. They both fell to the ground when they finished, sweating, panting, and laughing.

Yes, it was exhausting, but it was perfect. Hua Cheng’s strikes were strong and agile, truly powerful, while Xie Lian’s was more flexible and quick. One moment one would defend and the other would attack, when they couldn't use their blades, they would use their fists, legs, elbows or even their heads, and the latter in particular made them laugh many times.

“Gege, you killed me,” Hua Cheng declared after a while, laughing. “It’s really impossible to win against you. My gege is so powerful.”

Xie Lian laughed breathlessly. “Ah, San Lang, you’re wonderful too. I think we’d get along better as a team than as opponents.”

“Gege is right, and I really do prefer to stay in your good graces.”

“Hehe, now San Lang has seen what it’s like to fight the best prodigy of his generation,” Xie Lian said, allowing himself to be arrogant again, like he was all those years ago.

“Oh. That being the case, I feel honored to lose to gege.”

“It was a worthy defeat! You have an impressive and innate ability, a rare talent!”

“Gege flatters me.”

Xie Lian turned to him, found him already looking at him, and slapped his forehead. Hua Cheng blinked.

“Gege, what did this San Lang do this time?” He was pouting, melting Xie Lian’s heart.

“I’m not flattering, it’s just a fact. If San Lang wasn’t good, I wouldn’t say anything to save your face and keep our friendship on good terms.”

“Oh. Then this one thanks you.”

***

Ban Yue was speechless.

“Is this Chi Xiao?” she asked, her mouth agape, staring at the blade that was halfway out of its sheath. “The Snake-Slaying Sword, Chi Xiao?”

“Uh-huh,” Hua Cheng confirmed, smiling.

After a few more moments in the living room, everyone silent, Ban Yue let out a little scream.

“Dàge! Dàge, how did you manage that?!”

“A magician never reveals his tricks,” he signaled silence with a finger resting on his mouth.

Ban Yue put the sword back in its sheath, ran to Hua Cheng and jumped up to hug him around the neck. He, moreover, froze for a quick moment, as if he didn't know what to do, but soon returned the hug. “Mèimei really liked it?”

Ban Yue nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes!! Absolutely!! It was the best gift anyone has ever given me!!” She turned away from Hua Cheng and looked at Xie Lian, who was leaning against the wall in the corner, smiling sweetly at them. “Of course, any gift from you will always be number one in my heart, dad.”

Xie Lian laughed. “No problem. San Lang is truly unmatched here.”

“Gege, nothing like that. Anything from you is the greatest honor anyone could receive.”

Xie Lian laughed embarrassedly, lowering his head for a moment before looking at him again. “You flatter me.”

“Ah, now I’m the flatterer?”

“I know you guys like to isolate yourselves in your own little world,” Ban Yue interrupted, pulling the sword out of its sheath entirely this time, “but I’d really like to test this sword out now. Who’s up for a duel with me?” She made a few slashing motions, causing Xie Lian’s eyes to widen.

“Not in the living room!”

***

Shi Qing Xuan was in trouble.

Sending Xuan Ji to the city where Pei Ming resides was not a good idea. She found him easily, of course, this was expected, and with that Pei Ming was able to find out where she lived and where Shi Qing Xuan was. Shi Qing Xuan's fake identity was really bad, she knew that, but…

“AAARRRGGHHHH WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!!!!” She shouted after her twenty-fifth drink, unhappy and irritated, and slammed her forehead on the table again.

Xie Lian smiled sympathetically, stroking her messy hair, while Hua Cheng raised his eyebrows at him, as if asking if this was normal.

He wiggled his own eyebrows a little, as if saying ‘yeah, maybe’. Hua Cheng laughed out loud, causing Xie Lian to look worriedly at Shi Qing Xuan, who didn’t seem to have heard anything.

They were at a small kiosk on the lakeshore at the moment, Shi Qing Xuan had invited Xie Lian during his work hours, and Xie Lian had invited Hua Cheng. She didn't mind the unexpected guest, in fact she seemed quite excited to meet the man Xie Lian had been crying for this past month, but she had to hold back certain very personal information when it came to venting her latest problems.

That was until she started drinking.

Xie Lian wasn't too worried, Hua Cheng didn't seem all that interested in the chaos going on in her life and barely seemed to be paying attention to what she was saying, so he believed that it would be okay for this young man to know some of Shi Qing Xuan's secrets.

Other people around looked at their table strangely, and Xie Lian smiled to divert their attention, who shook their heads or shrugged and went back to whatever they were doing.

“Lao-Xie…” Shi Qing Xuan muttered into the table, “What should I do?”

Xie Lian sighed. “You don’t have anywhere else to go, do you?”

“…No.”

“Then I’ll help you deal with the consequences. I’m part of this mess, I owe you.” 

Shi Qing Xuan threw herself into his arms to hug him, which caught Xie Lian off guard and they almost fell to the ground.

“Lao-Xie! You’re the best, Lao-Xie! Thank you so much!” She laid sloppily on his shoulders, her eyes closed as if she was about to fall asleep. Xie Lian, smiling awkwardly, patted her head affectionately.

“If this Pei Ming is who I think he is,” Hua Cheng began, looking at the table and fiddling with his drink glass, “he’s a harmless, womanizing jerk who’s wealthy enough to afford a city. Why doesn’t Shi Qing Xuan accept his help? He and her brother were friends after all.”

Xie Lian shrugged. “I have no idea. I just know that she doesn’t like him at all.”

“I'm always surprised when someone shows up as his friend or wants to be his lover. She has good taste.”

“How do you know him?”

Hua Cheng laughed and looked at him, putting down the drink and folding his hands behind his head.

“He was Shi Wudu’s friend. Pei Ming is a professional boxer, a high-performance athlete, his fortune comes from both that and his birth. Again, harmless, unlike Shi Wudu.”

Shi Wudu. This name was familiar.

Shi Qing Xuan’s older brother, the Water Tyrant, was the owner of a shipbuilding company. Previously, his family were middle-class businessmen and merchants, they lived well but had no fortune, until Shi Wudu built his own business and became rich quickly.

It was at some point after this that the road took on a dark shape, even Shi Qing Xuan did not quite understand what had happened. What she knew was that from within her brother’s corporation, a tyrant as powerful as him had been born, unhurriedly destroying their empire from the inside out.

Whether it was out of revenge, envy, or greed, Shi Qing Xuan didn’t know, but somehow, she still had to hand over the remaining lands of the Shi family to repay a debt that she didn’t even know how it came about. The remnants of her family had also disappeared, only the gods knew where they were now, if there were any left at all.

Hei Shui was not a simple man, just like Shi Wudu was not a simple man either.

At some point, right after hearing this story from Shi Qing Xuan’s mouth, Xie Lian really found himself wondering if this was all caused by some grudge from a former lover. Thinking about it again, although one side of him wondered how he had thought of the possibility of Hei Shui being Shi Wudu's ex-lover seeking revenge, the other side could still see the meaning in this question.

Not that he would verbalize it.

Xie Lian knew a lot about Shi Qing Xuan's past and he knew it wasn't an easy past, but now someone from her past, who she already didn't like, was coming after her, and there was nowhere to run or hide. It was understandable why Shi Qing Xuan was so distressed.

“But wait, if Pei Ming is this harmless, then how could Xuan Ji betray his family for him?”

“Pei Ming comes from a bourgeois family. The Pei family was interested in a land that belonged to the Xuan clan because of its fertility and mineral wealth, and they pressured the clan to the point of entering into a cold war. When Pei Ming got involved with Xuan Ji, the Peis saw it as an opportunity to get what they wanted, and Xuan Ji actually helped them just to impress Pei Ming.”

Xie Lian raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Pei Ming is harmless?”

Hua Cheng shrugged. “He’s an incorrigible womanizer, and his family used that to their advantage. He dumped Xuan Ji right after his betrayal. Such a sucker.”

How could this be harmless??

Though for a man like Hua Cheng, his views on what was and wasn’t harmless must not have been really conventional.

────୨ৎ────

Footnotes:

[1] (赤霄剑), Emperor Liu Bang's sword, one of the ten famous swords of Ancient China, used by him to kill the white snake in Daze and begin his imperial life.

[2] (斩白蛇、提三尺剑立不世之功), “Behead the white snake and raise the one-meter sword to achieve incomparable achievements” is a phrase referring to this sword.

[3] (斩蛇剑), zǔ zhǎn shé jiàn.

The author has something to say:

You don't know how much I freaked out when I found this sword, I felt like a fanboy like Xie Lian. I read about it and thought, "It's for Ban Yue." In general, I don't know much about swords, so the descriptions may not be very accurate.

I intend to develop each one's stories in due time, always basing myself on the original work because I have fun using the canon to my advantage. And the non-canon too kakaak.

Chapter five — Chapter seven (coming soon)

Like what I write? Support me on ko-fi!

[supportershy]

I am a bad shipper. Usually, unless it's super obvious, I don't ship anything that is not "official". So, when I read tgcf for the first time, I didn't ship anyone besides, of course, hualian.

Now, after 3 years of that first experience I also ship fengqing, beefleaf, PeiHuang and even sometimes others "make sense" to me. Which is pretty common.

However, for exemple, while I can say exactly why and when I started to ship fengqing, I can't say the same for beefleaf.

I know which artists' fanarts caught me into fengqing's net, but I can't say what the f*ck happened with beefleaf.

Suddenly they were there, like the ghost that came with the house.

Sometimes I don't think too much about that but then I re-read the book or see art (like that one of the AD) and wonder what went wrong with me to make them basically my main ship.

And it's weird because I've thought about it before and can't say when I started shipping them and even I realized that it's exponential, I just like them more.

I don't have an answer for that and I love them all, I just wanted to express this.

[monroeknoxwrites]

20 questions writer meme.

Thanks @jaggededges123 for tagging me

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

currently 181 (I deleted bunch of fics this year)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

358, 578 at the moment (see above)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

mostly danmei and cdramas: svsss, mdzs, tgcf, nirvana in fire, qianqiu, the sleuth of the ming dynasty, devil venerable also wants to know, sk8, stranger things, erha, word of honor, guardian

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Worth More than Silver and Jade, moshang dragon au, 2.5k

One More For Dinner, hualian + baby wwx modern au, 700w

Late Night Discoveries, moshang modern au, 800w

Softness Stirring in the Heart Despite the Awful Clamor, bingjiu canon divergent au, 4.8k

Reward, bingqiu pwp, 1.3k

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

hmmm well... my social battery for fandom has dipped considerably in the past year or so, making it hard to think of what to say besides "thanks!". of course this means I have an enormous backlog of read and appreciated comments without a response😥

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The Journey Home, The Hollow Victory or Hold the Horrors Close with Both Hands

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

a much harder thing to pick than angst, A Chance to Have More I guess??

8. Do you get hate on fics?

yeah but far less than you'd expected for what I write. maybe 3 or 4?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes and all kinds: tender, noncon, horror, comedy, angsty

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

sometimes. I usually only do it with characters belonging to the same creator but from different media

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes, I was asked to translate my fics into russian a few times

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, I don't really think that would work for me?

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

inapplicable to me, I'm too much of a multishipper

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

my subs would hate to hear this but prob the mpreg moshang longfic. I originally wrote it for a big bang that I dropped and the current chapters were all pre-written. very dubious if I'll ever feel motivated to finish it

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm told my characterizations are spot on

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

dialogue and word variation

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

as long as you know the language, it should be fine. I try to avoid it for obvious reasons

19. First fandom you wrote for?

um slayers(anime)? sailor moon? all my old fics were deleted by one purge or another, I cannot remember them at all now

20. Favorite fic you've written?

the fic I deleted

I'll tag @tehri, @crimsonrainseekingflower, anyone else who feels like it

[crowning-art]

TGCF SPOILERS

____________________________________________

I AM OBSESSED! I LOVE LOVE LOVE HUA CHENG AND GOUSHI'S DYNAMIC! lmao of all the relationships I expected to love, this random, borderline in-law duo has got to be my fave!

Thus, Hua Cheng went forward, and held onto Guoshi's arm as if he was assisting an elderly senior. "Guoshi, sir, please. Watch your step."

Guoshi turned his head and saw the one assisting him wasn't Xie Lian, and knitted his brows.

"Huh? Why is it you?"

Xie Lian guessed that Hua Cheng was worried it might not be convenient for Xie Lian to take another person along. Also, Hua Cheng wanted, for the sake of some particular goal, to show himself off a little in front of the elder, to demonstrate some attentive diligence, which was why he offered to take over.

Seeing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but puff a laugh, hiding it with a light cough. "San Lang said very sincerely that he wanted to assist you, so I…"

As for Hua Cheng, he said, with a smile covering his face, "Does it matter if it's me or gege?

Besides, I respect you very much, sir, so of course I don't mind assisting, this is nothing."

Guoshi was speechless for a moment, then said, "If you really do respect me, then put away that fake smile on your face. That fakeness really is too much…"

Hua Cheng immediately put that smile away. "Oh."

I am so worried. The one time the snake eyes show up on the dice is probably gonna be the first and last time...and also the worst time

I KNEW MU QING WAS SUS!! I KNEW IT!! I CALLED IT! HE IS FAKE FOR SURE!

Hmmmm Feng Xin....I dunno....it seems kinda ✨️interesting✨️ how you can tell the body of your "enemy" from just his shadow 🤔 😏

Feng Xin enunciated, “It was precisely because the Heavenly Capital was ablaze, and there was firelight all over the ground. It reflected the shadow of that person behind me. Even though I didn’t get the chance to look back, when I fell, I saw the shape of that shadow and the attack move. It was your shadow!”

SO CUTE!! Rouye is #1 hualian stan and cutest cutie in the world

He steadied himself, and speechlessly picked up Ruoye, muttering at it, “You little traitor…”

Ruoye was wisely playing dead, laying unmoving. Xie Lian didn’t want to say any more to it either and threw it aside.

Lmao the way Fengqing had to constantly remind Xie Lian to not 'lose his marbles' every time he sees Hua Cheng and Xie Lian proceeds to do EXACTLY that lmaoooo

MU QING HAS A CURSED SHACKLE??? DUDE I AM SO SHOCKED THOOO FOR WHAT???? Also ugh so utterly disgusted with Jun Wu like excuse me??? What did u ask Mu Qing to do to Xie Lian that was so vile???? I am gonna slaughter Jun Wu myself rn

Equally sus of Mu Qing to go out of his way to save his "enemy" mmmmmm smt is up

who is real? Damn...imagine if they are all real and I'm just thinking they were fake and confused.

I get it, and especially because to cope with the trauma, Xie Lian either avoids it or jokes about it and ya...Hua Cheng baby boi has every right to be mad :(

Hua Cheng’s expression was terrifyingly dark, and he squeezed harder. “How did you plan on defending yourself? Put your sword down!”

This was the first time Hua Cheng had ever spoken to Xie Lian with this kind of expression and tone, and Xie Lian was completely taken aback.

Another one for the non-existent bingo I have made for tgcf, this time it's everyone surfing??? On corpses???

The three rode the mutants and flowed down with the current. As if they were rafting, the further down the stream they went, the steeper the hills became, and the faster the speed.

THIS HIT HARD OH MY GOD

“…BELIEVE ME! YOUR HIGHNESS, YOU KNOW I WASN’T LYING, DON’T YOU? YOU KNOW I WOULDN’T HAVE REALLY HARMED ANY OF YOU, RIGHT??”

“…”

The way he was begging Xie Lian, so full of hope, like he was hanging on to the last thread of his life, suddenly made Xie Lian remember another scene from another time. That time, when dusk was falling, many, many years ago, when he too begged Mu Qing with the same desperate hope—

“You know I wasn’t lying, right?”

How had Mu Qing answered him back then?

RELATIONSHIP GOALS FOR REAL THOO T-T GET U A MAN LIKE HUA CHENG AND NOTHING LESS

“But, only His Highness can decide on whatever he chooses. I will never oppose his decisions.”

I. AM. LOSING. MY. MIND.

Mu Qing had thought Xie Lian’s silence was him hesitating on whether or not to save him, but turns out Xie Lian was instead trying to think of how to save him. And thank goodness that Xie Lian could still think with such a clear head in such a dire situation.

The beads of sweat on his forehead were rolling thicker.

The moment he looked up, Xie Lian had extended a hand to him, smiling. “In any case, although a little late, this hand isn’t extended too late, right?”

YO DONT EVEN GET IT!! THIS IS BASICALLY EXACTLY LIKE THE BAMBOO HAT SITUATION AND I AM CRYING IN THE CLUB RN!! HE NEEDED ONE PERSON AND MU QING NEEDED ONE PERSON AND ALL IT EVER TAKES IS ONE PERSON! I LITERALLY CANNOT RN

Hua Cheng JUMPED AGAIN??? DJDJFJJFJF OH BOI WHERE IS THIS GOING NOW

[rivthewriter]

For the WIP ask game, I'm really intrigued by "The land of the tender incident" (sounds like TGFC and HuaLian?? Maybe smut?!) and "The Untold Story".

Please enlighten me as to what these are about 😍🙏🏼😊

Hi hi! I'm so glad you chose these two! And thank you for asking! I completely forgot The Land Of The Tender Incident was listed in there tbh, and no worries of getting the name mixed up (I saw your other ask <3) I do that too, especially with the titles of my own works. it is indeed tgcf but, instead of hualian, its Mu Qing and Feng Xin, because im a little goober who loves the 'angsty cat type guy falls for the dog type guy he keeps hissing at' tropes, its not written too far, in all honesty idk if it'll ever even see the light of day (and it def wont remain that title. its just titled that so i remember what fandom its from lmao) But its around post tgcf, where the two of them have to investigate claims of some form of unrest just within the boundaries of both of their domains, They're arguing the *whole time* and end up not paying attention to whats going on around them (cuz they're too busy butting heads), and MQ ends up accidentally disturbing the beginning blooms of the land of tender, and it sends this, pollen/scent into the air (as it does) and the rest goes on from there >:3 The event leads MQ to accidentally letting it slip that just maybe he liked FX for quite a long time but always had a hard time accepting it or showing it because their rivalry was.. *fun* for him. They both knew how to get under eachother's skin after all.. and hey, even though they fight all the time they did seem to get along besides it.. for the most part.. I'm unsure if i want the smut to be during that incident or shortly after because i want to milk the angst and frustration aspect of it >:3 If i had to give a sneak peek.. well I leave you with this short section (which one day may be slightly adjusted since i wrote this at like. 4 am):

"...His Highness dealt with this before and made it through it without doing anything too.. strange.. you can make it through this too" Feng Xin replied, glancing at the other martial god, the light was starting to go down, casting shadows into the run-down building, they were lucky to have found it... despite the circumstances.

"He stabbed himself in the stomach with a sword to keep himself from breaking his cultivation. I'm not about to do that. My cultivation matters but for fucks sake I'm not that insa-" Mu Qing got cut off by a sharp shudder running through him "Insane." he finished, gritting his teeth.

And onto A Tale Untold! <3 A Tale Untold is a wip for Fragile Dreams, which is an older wii game that not many people know about. It takes place after the story of the game, years down the road, when Seto, the protagonist, stumbles upon a man suspended in a preservation tank, he then manages to release the man, and discovered that this stranger has no memory of how he got in there, why, or even what his name was. So, he dubbed the stranger 'Starling' and promised to help him recover his past. Chapter one is up on my ao3 (thankfully i beat the writers block for that chapter) and chapter two is in the works, its a sorta fix-it future fic where i decided "yknow what. this character didnt need to die in canon. im bringing him back and no one can stop me" I will say, this one is one of my favorites to just, sit down and brainstorm for. though if you ask my friends on discord you will find that I've had like, thorough discussions about "is this ethical? what about this? does the science behind this make any sense?" as if this isn't just a silly goofy fanfic im writing for the hell of it lmao

And i will give you a small sneak peek at chapter two! (and of course, it is subject to change, im constantly rewriting my stuff) :

Starling’s behavior stressed Seto out beyond measure, he was constantly worried Starling would fall and injure himself, or come face to face with some rabid, stray animal. But stress wasn’t the only feeling that had been bubbling in Seto. An odd sense of familiarity was building, each time he would chance a glance at Starling he would see a familiar flash of a multi-color coat, a yellow scarf.. It would make Seto pause for a moment, chest tightening. He didn’t really know why Starling reminded him of the friend he had forgotten.. The one who gave him the ring he couldn't bear to part with for even a second. Perhaps it was their happy-go-lucky natures that seemed similar.. Or their thrill-seeking behavior..  Starling and Crow were just.. *so* similar.

[akatsuki-shin]

Thinking about this HuaLian drawings by STARember... 😳

Young sailor Hong-er had just joined a pirate crew. On his very first sail, there was a storm and he was thrown off the ship. His crewmates couldn't pick him up and everyone, including he himself, thought that he was about to drown to death.

As he was dragged down by the rapid current, Hong-er suddenly felt someone - or something - pulled him up. His consciousness was fading, but he could still see, before his sight went dark, that it was a beautiful mermaid with gentle dark eyes and long black hair, a contrast to his fair skin.

Once the storm passed, his crewmates found Hong-er stranded, but safe, on a nest of big coral reefs - to which they could finally send a small boat to pick him up. They were astonished and asked him how he survived. Hong-er wasn't sure if he should tell them about the mermaid who saved him, so he only said that he was lucky to have gotten a hold of some floating plank, which he used to stay afloat until he reached these rocky areas and climbed to safety.

During that time and age, superstitions were common, people often believed legends and myths as truths to be sought. Some years later, there were rumors saying that the mermaids hid an abundance of rare treasures that they had amassed from the sinking ships. If one could bring back this treasure trove, it would be equivalent to all the wealth the world could offer, and one would live blanketed in riches down to their seventh generations.

As mermaids were generally seen as the enemies of sailors who often seduced men on the sea to crash their ship and drown them to death, many people began to get on board with it and the rumors itself grew wilder and wilder by the day.

Some said that eating a mermaid's flesh could grant one with immense power and immortality, some also said when mermaids were taken out of the water, they would turn into extremely beautiful women - and really, which men wouldn't love to have beautiful women by their side?  

In any case, it did not take long for these hearsays to become obsession and thus, a widespread mermaid hunt began. People started to race one another, fighting and killing off each other to fulfill this baseless ambition.

The pirate crew that Hong-er was part of certainly wasn't an exception. He saw with his own eyes how his crew mates devised various traps to lure the unaware sea creatures, catching them heartlessly as if they were merely going on a fishing trip.

No matter how much he disagreed in his heart, Hong-er, who was still just a young man and a mere lackey, couldn't do anything to stop them. He could only swallow down his grief and disgust whenever he saw his crewmates killing off the pitiful half human, half fish creatures, blocking off his ears in frustration so that he would not hear their heartrending screams and cries when these barbaric pirates killed them off one by one when the mermaids refused to talk and lead them the said secret treasure trove.

That is, until one day, he saw a familiar face amongst the mermaids that his crewmates had captured.

Even if many years had passed, there was never a time when Hong-er did not remember that stormy night when he thought his life was about to be swallowed down by the raging sea, when that certain figure swam against the mighty current to pull his helpless body out of death's embrace.

It was that very same mermaid who saved him that day. The moment he saw this creature being caught and was about to be subjected to the same torture the previous mermaids had undergone, his eyes went dark and he attacked his own crewmates, attempting to release all of the captured mermaids back into the sea.

Nobody would've thought that this skinny little lackey, whom they had been ordering around the ship like some slave, could be so vicious. He injured a great number of the pirates, tore off the massive nets huddling all of these mermaids, and urged them all to jump back into the sea.

But of course, this action was not without consequence. Not only did he suffer major injuries from battling dozens of his crewmates all by himself, losing an eye in the process, Hong-er was then branded a traitor. They beat him up until he could no longer move or speak, then tied him up to a huge rock. Just like that, the bloodied Hong-er was thrown off the ship to his death, this time for sure.

Yet there was no hint of regret on his face. In fact, Hong-er felt very much at peace. Even if it was only for a brief moment, he could meet his beautiful savior once more and pay him back in full. Closing his eyes, a smile appeared on his lips. He prayed in his heart for the kind mermaid to be able to live freely and happily with his people in the vast ocean, unrestrained by the greed of humans.

He had no idea that from the distance, a familiar shadow was swimming towards his sinking body.

The merfolks treasure trove was a big issue and remained so for quite some time, but for the men of the sea, there would always be new legends, new myths for them to gossip about while drinking in the taverns, to fight each other off while sailing on the ships. Rumors came and went like the changing of seasons, but it was not until ten years later that an alarming story began to spread among the seamen.

On the high seas, whenever the mermaids started singing, a "Ghost Ship" would appear quietly through the fog and mist, approaching unsuspecting ships with all of its otherworldly magnificence. The crewmates weren't rough and dirty pirates, but men and women so beautiful they looked like fairies instead of humans, as if it was not a ship that was sailing, but a palace instead. The captain of the ship was a gallant young man dressed in red, a rare, peculiar scimitar hanging on his waist. It was said that he had only one eye, and he was known by the name Hua Cheng. Beside him, there would always be an extremely beautiful person donned in white, and the two were never seen to be apart.

But who could testify how accurate these descriptions were? Everything was a mere hearsay, for every single ship who came too close to the Ghost Ship, bewitched by its glory, would disappear without a trace. Were they sunken? Were they eaten? Were they spirited away to the ghost realm? Nobody knows. This Hua Cheng and his Ghost Ship were like a harbinger of death disguised as gold and flowers.

Hence a warning was soon spread amongst the seafarers, "If you hear the mermaids' singing, turn around and never look back, for it means the Ghost Ship is sailing nearby, and those who laid their eyes on Hua Cheng and his beautiful companion in white would never live to tell the tales."

As for whether the merfolks really did hide a treasure trove equivalent to all the wealth in the world, or whether their blood could grant power and immortality, or whether they could turn into the most beautiful people out of water, who knows? Maybe skinny little Hong-er had a clue, but unfortunately he was no longer a creature of this world.

[vrishchikawrites]

Hey op!💜

I was wondering if you have other ships beside wangxian, like in other fandoms?🙃

Yeah, of course. I like Hualian, Bingqui and Moshang (yeah, I gave in and am reading SVSSS. I finished the first volume - around 30 chapters - in one evening.) I am also reading Er-ha so maybe that pairing will join the list.

Outside of c-novels, I like BakuDeku and TodoDeku, I ship virtually anyone with Tony Stark, Stiles Stilinski, and Naruto. I love Byakuya/Ichigo and Ichigo/Orihime. I like to ship Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak from Arrow. McDanno is one of my favs too, from Hawaii 50.

Honestly, I have been reading and writing fanfics for more than two decades now so I probably have a lot of ships I love but have forgotten or no longer like.

[razberryyum]

TGCF donghua Special Episode Thoughts (SPOILERS for episode & novel!)

Favorite moment:

Of COURSE that amazing ending sequence, which is the mirror of Dianxia's backstory at the end of the first episode, except this time from Hua Cheng's point of view. Speaking of, holy mother of YUM, dear gods, Hua Cheng:

Look at this "hideous" man. I am DROOLING.

Funny thing is, I didn't even know his appearance was supposed to be a secret, that we technically hadn't seen his face yet all this time. I remember we had a super quick glimpse of him in the Banyue pit and I thought that was his reveal, that that'll be all we'll get for now and I was fine with that...that is, until this ending sequence happened and we actually see him in his entirety. My eyes will forever never be the same. What was I even thinking??? The flashes in the pit were absolutely inferior to the real thing. No comparison. He is so gorgeous; I can't WAIT for Xie Lian to meet him next season.

Second favorite moment:

What I love about this scene is first of all it features some of my favorite lines from the novel, "If you don't know what to live for, then just live for me. If you don't know the meaning of life, then take me as the meaning your life." Even though Dianxia was playing it up for dramatic effect, I loved how he crawled towards San Lang and then uttered the lines with such conviction. I LOVED the way the music reached a cresendo during his words--hell, I love the music in this entire episode, this entire show, period. I also love how bittersweet this scene is: here Dianxia is so embarrassed by his own words that he even laughs about them, dismisses them, not know just how much of an effect they had on the person he said them to, how they really did serve to motivate that person to live on, to exist, utterly for him. Not knowing at all that that person he said what he now thinks were silly words to is right in front of him. The irony!

I'm still making my way through the book so I haven't gotten to the part where all is revealed to Xie Lian yet, but I can only imagine how shocking and emotional this particular revelation would be. It'll probably be ten years before we get to see all that in the donghua, if we ever do, but I'm gonna keep on crossing my fingers and hoping.

"I swear, whether in Heaven or or on Earth, you cannot find someone more sincere than me". The subs left out the Heaven or Earth part but it's still such a good line. Love also how San Lang precedes that by trying to reach out to touch Dianxia but is like too afraid to. The donghua really captured his feelings of...I guess I'd call it timid inferiority...so well.

I have a strong suspicion what that ring is (irl, I've seen companies advertising turning ashes into diamonds as a keepsake of your loved ones...never tried it so I don't know if it's the real deal or some kind of scam) and I cannot wait to get to that revelation as well. Putting aside the potential significance of this momento, the fact that Hua Cheng left Dianxia a ring to wear around his neck is already a beautiful gesture on its own.

I already miss seeing how San Lang looks adoringly at Xie Lian. In fact, I think I'm going to miss San Lang for quite a while since next season I think we'll be mostly spending time with Hua Cheng. Not complaining at all since Hua Cheng will no doubt look at Dianxia just as adoringly, but I will miss this cute guy.

Also already missing the cuteness that is Dianxia. I love all his expressions...the way he said "San Lang" just made my heart explode. How can he be this adorable??? Really, bravo to Jiang Guangtao-laoshi, his voice actor, for such an endearing voice performance. I actually started listening to the Qiang Jin Jiu audio drama because I've become a fan. Imagine Xie Lian being super seductive all the time. That's the ear candy I'm enjoying now, even though I only understand like less than half of the plot due to my shoddy Chinese comprehension.

Proud of how San Lang didn't just lose it when Dianxia cradled his face like that. This man really has unbelievable self control.

I loved that they were chatting in bed like an old married couple. I'm sure this is a glimpse into their future married life. 😁

Besides SanLian, I know Banyue was in this episode as well, I still think she's adorable and love her voice, and I'm glad she gets to enjoy a torture-free life now (I am assuming she does).

I'm glad we got this special episode to really close out the season, but I'm still kinda confused as to why we didn't get it at the actual end of the season but rather as an odd stand alone episode like this. Obviously it picked up right where the 11th episode left off, so it would've slotted in perfectly well. I was hoping the reason they held on to it was because they were going to attach a teaser PV for the next season, but alas that wasn't the case. I wonder if they just needed more time to finish the episode. I still don't quite understand how the Chinese donghua industry works: for something seemingly as popular as TGCF, you would think they'd have good enough budget and resources to finish episodes in time and to make more than just 12 episodes. There are other donghua shows I've seen on Bilibili that have blown way past 12 episodes, so I don't understand why they have to stubbornly stick to a dozen only for something like TGCF. Or is it a danmei thing, I wonder. They just don't want to devote the time and resources to danmei shows beyond just 12 episodes? So weird. Again, VERY GRATEFUL we're getting a second season. SINCERELY praying that we get many more seasons after so that eventually they'll finish out the book. God I hope I finish reading before the donghua team finishes putting out the show.

And that brings me to: Current Reading Progress...chapter 160. Look, I'm gonna be honest, I'm just not a fan of the whole jinx demon concept or the Brocade Immortal. I know all mysteries of the week lead back to the gods and their backstory, but as CONCEPTS, I was just NOT into them so I constantly got distracted. I know MXTX-laoshi was under a LOT of pressure from both censorship and just ridiculous deadlines (I was told she had to produce a chapter a day, which is INSANE), so I feel like a douchebag for even thinking anything negative about the book...not to mention I'm only on Book 3 still so maybe all of this will be wrapped up nicely at the end. But for now, yeah, those two as ideas are a bit underwhelming and almost silly (especially the Brocade Immortal) and maybe I don't need the backstory of ALL the gods. Anyway, before anyone yells at me, there's always a chance I might change my mind about all this by the end...which I hope to get to soon. Didn't finish the book in time for this special episode which was my goal, so readjusting the goalpost back a little further...hopefully just a tad...like a few weeks, because I DO want to get to the unrelenting pain soon so that I can get through the suffering and finally to the HuaLian happily ever after ending.