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[chungkong-nl]

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Wo hu cang long: Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically skilled, adolescent nobleman’s daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Director: Ang Lee Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang

[pr0cyon-lotor]

Au where Shen Yuan is a dragon with a giant cavern full of books and plays. It's enchanted and stuff so the cavern moves and shifts so it brings you to a section of the library with what you need/want. He occasionally lets people enter to read his books, but you aren't allowed to take them out no matter what. You are sometimes allowed to copy the information on your own scroll or book, but you need permission first.

He gets visited by Wu Yanzi and a young Shen Jiu. Wu Yanzi is looking for demonic cultivation manuals because Shen Yuan has almost one of each manual, encyclopedia, etc ever written.

He pays no mind since he doesn't really care if malicious people come in or not. He does passively keep an ear out just in case.

Wu Yanzi finds a cultivation manual that has everything he needed and could be sold for a lot of money since it was extremely rare and in pristine condition. He tries to sneak it into his bag, and the dragon just eats him. No warning. No heads up. No trumpets or fanfare. No foreboding messages to return the book. Just chomp.

Shen Jiu is taken aback because did his teacher just get eaten? JUST LIKE THAT?!

The dragon nudges the stolen book back into the shelf and looks at Shen Jiu. Shen Jiu is convinced he's going to die there. Except he doesn't get eaten or harmed. He gets gingerly picked up by the back of his robes and taken to the spiritual cultivation section of the library.

Shen Jiu gets plopped onto the floor and the dragon nudges a few beginner and cleansing cultivation manual to fall from the shelf for him and then promptly crawls back to its den.

Shen Jiu, who is instilled with the undescribable urge to scream "what the FUCK?!", instead sits down and starts reading and practicing because honest to god are you going to disobey a dragon that absolutely towers over you?

So when he's satisfied with his cultivation progress, he finally gets ready to leave. The dragon comes back only to put the books away from the shelves that were too far up for Shen Jiu to reach.

Shen Jiu thanks the dragon, which only gets him a huff in response, and because he hates to be in someone's debt (even if that someone is a dragon hundred of years his senior) he says he'll return with books to fill more shelves. He leaves soon after.

He manages to get the Qing Jing Peak Lord's attention during the Immortal Alliance Conference, which was his intention. He gets in a little late but his cultivation is practically caught up. He easily ranks up to head disciple.

During his time in Cang Qiong Shen Jiu jots down everything he learns. He writes down music he composes, discoveries he makes, talisman and array designs he creates, even poems he has written. His Shizun insists that he adds them to the Qing Jing library, and he does but he leaves polished copies of his work and excludes the very important parts.

Eventually when he's peak lord, he goes on an expedition by himself with the scrolls and books he's filled through the years. He finds the dragon's cavern and finally meets it after so long. He presents his life's work to the dragon, practically bearing his heart to it.

The dragon looks at him curiously and transforms into a human form. Shen Jiu watches as the dragon takes the bag from his hands and pulls out the first book, which had all the songs he made for the jiejies in the Warm Red Pavilion to preform.

The dragon say down and invited Shen Jiu to join him. He does and the dragon continues to go through everything while asking him questions about something he wrote or created. Sometimes they get off task and start talking about something else and both appreciate being able to talk to someone that understands classics or is good at debating.

By the time Shen Yuan finally finishes with everything Shen Jiu gave him, they have surprisingly clicked very well. Shen Yuan tells him he's going to make a section in his library for all his works, so he can bring more if he wished because Shen Yuan thought he was a genius that was just starting to shine.

Shen Jiu agrees to continue giving Shen Yuan his work if only to have an excuse to return. And that's how it became tradition that every once in a while the Qing Jing Peak Lord will go off the mountain with a stack of books for days on end and return to none of them.

Sometimes he would even have a strange man come to his peak. If the man visited, that meant Shen Qingqiu was going to be in a good mood, so obviously the kids always told him to stay or come back soon.

And also just as obviously, this is incredibly suspicious to the other peak lords. Cue Liu Qingge and Qi Qingqi pestering Shen Qingqiu and demanding to know what is the meaning of this. Also cue Shen Yuan misunderstanding and getting jealous and then realizing he has feelings for Shen Jiu (after a solid month(s) of denial).

So the next course of action is to keep Shen Jiu from Liu Qingge and Qi Qingqi because they're threats to Shen Yuan's time alone with Shen Jiu. Also he doesn't trust how Shen Jiu covers his face with his fan when they talk to him. Shen Jiu also covers his face when they both talk, so obviously that must mean something and he doesn't like it.

Isn't dragon jealousy great?

Eventually the peak lords find out about Shen Yuan and it was definitely a whole ordeal. Shen Yuan maybe threatened to burn Cang Qiong to the ground at some point, but the threat didn't go through so did it really happen?

Shen Jiu definitely knows about Shen Yuan's feelings for him and is absolutely fucking smug about it. Like who wouldn't want a highly intelligent dragon with a library that is any scholar's wet dream that INSTANTLY becomes a begging puppy when he wants your attention.

As far as Shen Jiu is concerned, he's winning at life.

[sunderwight]

Liushen AU where SY transmigrates into SJ's older brother, and subsequently nopes them right out of the slavery backstory by using his general knowledge of the story and actually being an adult in a kid's body to just leave (basically) with SJ and YQ.

SY carts them both up to Cang Qiong for the next sect trials. It's actually not all that hard, the trickiest part is getting enough to eat and finding safe places to sleep between leaving the slavers and taking the trials (SY manages just barely, with considerable help from his new little brothers.) Nobody bothers to go after them because it's before Qiu Jianluo and this style of human traffickers mostly operate by virtue of their merchandise having nowhere else to go. Chasing down runaways is an expense not worth indulging, given that most of them either come straight back or die of exposure.

Anyway, they take the trials, and as expected YQY gets chosen to become a personal disciple for the sect leader, and SJ gets chosen by the Qing Jing Peak Lord, but also as (kind of) expected (by SY alone) nobody wants SY. He's older the Yue Qi, so too old, and unlike YQ and SJ his cultivation potential isn't striking enough to make any exceptions for him.

SY, however, can't leave it at that. He's spent more than five minutes with the street kid codependency gang, so he's gotten attached to both of them. And he knows what will happen if they're left to their own devices and The Plot proceeds accordingly. (Also, they keep threatening to not stay at the sect if SY doesn't stay too, for some reason.) So with a heavy heart and internal candle lit for himself, SY heads to Bai Zhan Peak. Which is the only peak that accepts disciples by way of them turning up and refusing to leave.

SY's not much of a fighter. He actually really hates the atmosphere on BZP, he's not bad at physical cultivation (his health's pretty good in this life, ironic considering how much worse his situation was) but the random ambushes and survival-of-the-fittest stuff is just not his brand. But that's okay, because it turns out that BZP actually DESPERATELY needs disciples on the actual peak who are interested in things other than fighting and cultivating their own strength. Stuff like, filling out requisition requests for An Ding every time things break, apologizing to An Ding every time things break again, organizing schedules, browbeating senior disciples into actually teaching, educating disciples on virtually any artistic or social skill, hosting lectures on how to beat vicious beasts without just overpowering them, and etc.

Okay so some of this stuff isn't and has never actually been on Bai Zhan's curriculum but Shen Yuan is going to make this place tolerable. And stop these children from needlessly getting acid burns or lyme disease or scurvy or whatever. He keeps internally chewing out Airplane for designing a sect system that means there are a lot of largely unsupervised 12-year-olds running around the wilderness on a mountain picking fights all the time. (When he actually meets Shang Qinghua and figures him out he switches to doing it in person, of course, in twice-monthly bitching sessions that look a lot like budding friendship.)

Of course one of the worst offenders is the Liu kid, who SY would suspect was actually raised by wolves if he didn't know for a fact that Liu Qingge has a younger sister, and also the kinds of nice clothing and letters from home that strongly imply not only does he have a family, but that the family is pretty well-off. Liu Qingge is at first deeply offended by SY being a BZP disciple. He rarely fights anyone, and uses tricks and evasion tactics whenever a fight can't be avoided. And he does other annoying stuff, like pestering him about meals and baths and lecturing him on identifying dangerous plants and the early signs of qi deviation. This is not what their peak is about! He should get with the program already! Just fight stuff until you're too tired to keep fighting stuff!

Also SY's younger brother, SJ, is pure evil (at least according to baby Liu Qingge) even though his other younger brother (?) is cool and nice.

Anyway, Liu Qingge stops complaining about SY after their first mission together, where Liu Qingge doesn't lose a fight but does get into a kind of pyrrhic victory situation where he's really badly hurt, and it's SY who helps him win (correctly identifying the monster and then pointing out its weakness) and takes care of him afterwards and gets him safely back to Cang Qiong. SY expresses surprise at LQG actually being polite to him, and LQG realizes that he's been a colossal ass if people think he wouldn't be grateful to someone who saved his life, so the usual Liushen dynamic proceeds from there. Liu Qingge starts bringing SY fans he leaves behind and hunts down animals that are supposed to be useful for bolstering weak cultivation, SY invites LQG to tea and keeps the critters as pets, etc etc.

SY doesn't get the Head Disciple position, because that's only acquired via beating the current peak lord in combat and lol no. Also he's not interested in stealing it from Liu Qingge, to whom it rightfully belongs (in his mind). But that's fine, because Liu Qingge takes the position when the next generation ascends and then he lets SY exclusively handle all the peak duties SY actually likes (mainly teaching). It's perfect -- Liu Qingge gets to focus on his War God antics and occasional administration/meetings without having to deal with students his has no patience for, but the disciples of BZP don't get neglected because SY is actually teaching and organizing classes and student care. BZP hasn't enjoyed a golden age like this since it was founded!

Things are pretty good overall, but Shen Yuan knows that it's only a matter of time before The Plot shows up, and so he can't rest completely easily.

Meanwhile, the will-they-or-won't-they bets on Liushen have been going strong for a while now. The thing is, most of their martial siblings are convinced that these two are already "together", and just being circumspect about it. Those who know SY well (like SJ, YQY, and SQH) know better but think that SY's romantic obtuseness is to blame, whereas those who know LQG well (LMY, WQW, and MQF) are pretty sure that it's actually LQG's obtuseness that's the problem. Of course it's actually both of them, so efforts to "fix" matters by getting through one of their thick skulls inevitably run afoul of the other's.

An additional complication is of course: SJ doesn't like LQG (mutual), and now that he's the leader of his own peak, he wants to poach SY to come and live there. Not only so he can have one of the 2 people he trusts actually close at hand, but also because SJ also hates actually teaching the atrocious little brats on his peak, and would like to have SY come and do it for him. YQY is still a total pushover for him too, and is also now the sect leader, so YQY agrees that SY can change peaks if SY and LQG both agree to it.

Liu Qingge, of course, is a no, but he's a variable "no". He's not going to hold Shen Yuan against his will or anything.

As for Shen Yuan, it's... complicated. He doesn't really like BZP, but it's gotten a lot better than it was at the start. These days he's actually pretty proud of his accomplishments, and it's more comfortable, but it's still a rough and rowdy place with fewer creature comforts, libraries, or other appealing points than QJP. Also, if he goes to Qing Jing to teach, he can personally ensure that SJ doesn't go around persecuting any of his students!

But... SJ never lived with the Qiu family in this AU, and even though SY's not totally clear on what the PIDW backstory for SJ was, he knows he's a better guy now than the scum villain in the book was. He has a reputation for making cutting remarks, not for being an abusive snake or a lecher. SY's honestly less worried about him doing anything bad at all, and there are other people on QJP who can teach. It might even be good for SJ to promote more people to fill out a social circle he can rely on! That guy needs more friends, seriously.

And QJP really doesn't need more layabout literary intellectual types who get into pointless arguments, which is all SY would be if he went there. Just yet another nerdy scholar for the rich kids with middling cultivation that the peak favors to ignore. At least on BZP he's filling a gap.

SY is clearly torn, and the fact that SY's considering it has LQG upset, and LQG doesn't handle being upset very well, so of course they have an argument about it. SY storms off to cool his head and LQG is like, this is it, he's gone to Qing Jing Peak, I've drive him off by being too aggressive and he's probably remembering all those times I told him he didn't belong here and oh no what have I done maybe if I build him a heated bath and get him books he will come back???

Turns out that SY just went to An Ding to vent at SQH while SQH was like "I think you would have fewer problems if you and Liu Qingge just got married and my disciples could call you Shigu to your face instead of behind your back" and SY threw melon seeds at him and sulked on his fainting couch (which is always cold for some reason...)

Thus begins the Liushen Divorce Arc where SY tries to be anywhere but BZP or QJP, Liu Qingge tries to figure out what thing he can punch to fix this not-punchable problem, SJ is like "I don't see what the big deal is they should break up Liu Qingge is awful and I want my brother to teach my classes for me" like the spoiled youngest sibling he's finally allowed to be, YQY is trying to moderate this Hades vs Demeter situation and is all "well maybe SY could spend half the year on QJP and half on BZP?", and Liu Mingyan is going "I know my brother if this doesn't work out he is going to die single and pining like an idiot" and so keeps conscripting other disciples to y'know, lock SY and LQG into storage closets together (ineffective: LQG can punch through walls) or at least get them in the same room (underestimating SY's willingness to yeet himself out of windows to avoid awkward social interactions.)

By the time Luo Binghe joins the sect (as a Qiong Ding disciple), the drama is in full swing and is the main topic of gossip across most of the peaks.

[joyburble]

This one is a wild party of different patterns - shirt in a red and green brocade woven with gold and cut and pieced to increase the contrast, gold-painted gown, wrapped belt of what is possibly the same fabric but a denser part of the pattern, ornate gold over-belt, densely pleated skirt, self-patterned robe with the magnificent waterfall of gold at the edges and enormous gold explosions on the sleeves. I'm still on my first watch, but at some point I'll go back and check if we ever get a clear view of the boots that go with this glorious but somewhat eye-watering ensemble. It also changes colour markedly under lighting and colour balancing; in some scenes the outer robe looks black, in others a rich green.

Yes, it befits the character extremely well. So far, he's worn it in a lot of scenes where he needs to intimidate but is actually feeling uncertain, threatened, in pain, guilty, self-destructive, or otherwise unsafe. Which makes me feel better about the way the patterns don't fit together very well at the neck.

Super loved Dongfang Qingcang's costumes, especially this. Look at how intricate the details are. Surely, this was very well thought of - befitting of the character! Not to mention the well-portrayed character and the play of emotions. Even this simple eyes closed shot speaks a lot.

Source: Pinterest

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Exposing SVSSS Fanon: 3/∞

CANG QIONG MOUNTAIN'S TWELVE PEAKS HAVE COLOR-CODED UNIFORMS

Rating: CANON

Fanworks will often depict the disciples of Cang Qiong Mountain's twelve peaks in matching, color-coded uniforms to each of their peak. This is not something that is often mentioned in the novel itself, but it is canonically accurate.

However, we do not know many of the peaks' signature colors. The fact that they do have specific uniforms in specific colors is canon, but many of the colors used in fanworks are, in fact, fanon.

In the text, only two peaks have canonically-designated uniform colors.

It is stated that there are set uniforms for all of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect's disciples:

Though the disciples on the peaks had to wear uniforms, there were also many acclaimed cultivators who weren’t subject to these restrictions...

and

Thankfully, on An Ding Peak, trivial matters like assigning rooms and uniforms to newly accepted disciples didn’t require the peak lord’s involvement.

and also a passage here:

 Several hundred disciples in uniformly colored robes and furious expressions surrounded the invaders

In the original, the phrase "uniformly colored robes (服色统一)" could be read as all of Cang Qiong Mountain's disciples wearing the same-color uniform, but it could also be read that they were all dressed in uniform, as 服色 denotes both color and style of clothes (notable that "color" in Chinese is a more abstract concept than in English).

This passage isn't clear on its own, but there are other places where it is confirmed that the colors worn by the disciples of various peaks are different, and can be used to tell which peak a disciple belongs to:

[Shen Qingqiu] held his breath, attention rapt, and watched a youth in black rush out... ...The color of his robes confirmed that he really was from Bai Zhan Peak...

Aside from this, Qing Jing Peak's uniforms are the only others that are given a description:

Enveloped in Qing Jing Peak’s many-layered teal uniform, [SQQ] was immaculate and slender, with a great deal of graceful beauty.

While this passage describes the Peak Lord's attire and might not necessarily extend to the disciples, another passage shortly after this says:

A group of teal-robed boys and girls ran down Qing Jing Peak in a trailing conga line, one after another.

This confirms a uniform color used by the peak's disciples.

These passages, however, are the only ones which definitively state a uniform color for any of the twelve peaks-- meaning that we only know that Qing Jing Peak's uniforms are teal (青色）and Bai Zhan Peak's uniforms are black (黑色). Anything other than this is fanon and headcanon.

One more side note-- Luo Binghe is described as wearing white:

A seventeen-year-old youth, slim and tall and graceful, dressed in white robes

But this description only begins after the timeskip at the beginning of Chapter 4 (7S TL). Luo Binghe is, as of now, still a disciple of the sect, and thus would be required to wear a uniform. However, one important change had occured during this time-- Luo Binghe, at the time of the Immortal Alliance Conference, is Qing Jing Peak's head disciple.

The only time another head disciple's appearance is described is regarding Shen Qingqiu:

Shang Qinghua suddenly heard the tinkling of sword tassel pendants, and a youth wearing Qing Jing Peak’s uniform slowly approached him... ... His black hair was neatly tied behind his head with a light-green ribbon...

The color of his uniform is not stated, other than it being Qing Jing Peak's, and the "light-green" color of the hair ribbon is 青色，which is the same color translated as "teal" when describing QJP's uniforms above.

Therefore, one interpretation could be that head disciples of Cang Qiong Mountain's twelve peaks wear white uniforms with accessories in their peaks' designated color.

This, of course, is not explicitly canon and should still be taken as headcanon (I would categorize it as supported or neutral fanon on this blog).

However, the idea that the twelve peaks have each their own uniform colors, and that QJP's is teal and BZP's is black, are canonical facts.

[saintone]

i've been thinking that one of the most tragical things about pidw is that it was going to end the way it ended no matter what

like, let's pretend shen jiu didn't exist for a moment.

luo binghe was a poor kid in a peak filled with nobles. even if he got into qing jing, or was smart enough to fight his way into bai zhan, he wouldn't have been satisfied.

luo binghe was said to be a white lotus, that is a white, innocent flower from the outside but his roots are filled with dirt. he was a demon, and even in svsss, being bingmei, he is obsessive, authoritarian and selfish sometimes.

even without shen jiu, luo binghe would have been bullied in speak for being a commoner, and the youngest shidi so his older martian sibling had the right to make his work harder. and even if he wasn't, his obssesive, ruthless side would have him left wanting for more, to be recognized, to be respected, to be powerful.

an important thing about pidw is that lbh was a demon, and demons take revenge tenfold bc they hold grundges.

i think that even if sj wasn't his shizun, lbg would have razed cang qiong for not giving him the recognition he thought he deserved, or for being thrown at the abyss bc he would have been murdered (or attempted to) either way once it was discovered he was a demon.

like in many ways, other cultivators weren't much better than when qingqiu (exhibit a: picking old palace master), and his values and traditions weren't that much righteous and better either. the laws were designed to defend themselves and that's it.

and this doesn't eliminate the fact that shen qingqiu truly went out of his was to make luo binghe's life a living hell. like yeah lbg would have been bullied, but sqq quite literally tortured him.

but it's kinda sad that luo binghe was going to be mistreated either way, bc as he himself says it life was unfair to someone like him, poor, orphan and half demon, abandoned by his own mother.

just like life was unfair to shen jiu.

and so the two characters that had the worst chances overall ended up destroying each other with all their might, and kinda destroying the world in that process.

like they could've been their saviours but they chose to be their doom.

[dancingaura925]

As an experiencedTM danmei reader, I've come across many genres, and I feel like that the one genre that the SVSSS fandom needs to exploit is the interstellar genre. Why? Because it'd be fucking hilarious. Hear me out:

In the original work, Luo Binghe is - instead of part demon part human - is part zerg part human. Zerg, if you aren't familiar, is basically the interstellar genre's version of reallyyyyyy strong aliens, and depending on the author, can range from actual literal beasts to human-like creatures with insect features to just straight up humans with nice-ass wings, which can then have different degrees of autonomy due to this hivemind they've got with the Zerg Queen. Basically, nobody has any clue on what a proper Zerg should be, but nobody cares :D

In addition, these stories often have a human empire dedicated to fighting against these Zerg. This may include a main planet where the emperor lives and other planets with different nobles, territories, military bases, etc. It almost always has a research lab on the main planet that usually have some sort of dastardly scheme related to the main plot. On top of that, these empires are very militaristic, with mechas and combat and mental power and all sorts of interstellar travel

...

Do you see where this is going?

Once upon a time, Tianlang-Jun (perhaps the descendant from the Zerg Queen) and Su Xiyan (a researcher) fell in love with each other in the research facility. SXY was assigned to TLJ because the research facility wanted to know how to harness the Zerg Queen's power to once-and-for-all wipe out the Zerg race. However, once the two got together, they started to plot how to get out and along the way, LBH was conceived. OPM, the ex-head researcher got FURIOUS and badabing badaboom, you've got SXY on the run before sending LBH to another place to survive.

Fast forward a lot, LBH shows up at the Cang Qiong Military Academy, which is split up in different divisions under different commanders. For LBH, he goes to the Qing Jing division where he is led under General Shen Qingqiu, someone who often boasts of his own mental power and lies and takes other people's credit to get to the lofty position he is today.

When LBH is training, he starts standing out in unusual ways. His physical prowess is through the roof, but his mental power is abysmal, which is bad because that's kinda how you use mechas, and often, physical strength can be enhanced with mental power (kinda like cultivation). So LBH is bullied, harassed, etc, and all the while, SQQ is like "this dude is a beast/derogatory".

Insert a long few years, including a Zerg invasion with none other than Sha Hualing. You go, girl.

When the Empire's Military Academy Tournament (could not think up a name rn) shows up, he's sent to go and instead of being sent into the Abyss, he's sent through a wormhole to a Zerg-infested place, where he learns more and stuff. Wowee!

He comes back with revenge on humans and stuff and integrates both the humans and Zergs under his iron fist. The fight against the emperor takes up like a hundred chapters or whatever.

So that's the OG version. Now, let's insert a millenial mess that is SY as SQQ and see how he handles being in the military. He better put to use that military training Chinese kids are put through.

On the other hand, if you wanted to take a completely DIFFERENT direction, have LBH be a test subject in the lab and have SY transmigrate into a researcher. LBH was supposed to be a human weapon, designed from intentional breeding. SY, knowing LBH will break out and cutely demolish the human race, tries to befriend him, teaches him everything. LBH, despite being a weapon designed to destroy the Zerg race, falls in love. And then he breaks out. Cue drama and kidnapping.

[rarepears]

When Shen Qingqiu opened the door to find a package stacked on top of each other outside his bamboo house door, he was surprised and annoyed.

'An Ding disciples are lacking in discipline now,' he scowled. Whichever An Ding disciple assigned the task of delivering the mail to Qing Jing peak couldn't even do their duties properly. The package hadn't been delivered to the wrong place either; it was loudly and boldly labeled with "Recipient: Shen Qingqiu, The bamboo cottage, Qing Jing Peak, Cang Qiong Mountain Province, China".

When he bent down and picked them up - thankfully a sight not seen by anyone else as his bamboo house was situated far from the main areas of Qing Jing peak for privacy and quiet - he was a little shocked by the material of the packages. The package was not a wooden box as expected but made of paper - for it was still paper, despite feeling thicker and sturdier than normal paper. The paper was glossy and in a shade of muted pink that Shen Qingqiu had first assumed to be something derived from flower petals, but now he wasn't sure.

The outside was labeled in a unique design comprising of circles and lines in a font that he could not recognize. The weights of the letters showed the writer's fine motor control as they were all strictly equal in thickness and the flourishes equally sized. It was evidently a master's work that look a life time to master. For it to be wasted on on something as simple as a package as opposed to a manuscript or a poem...

When he brought it in and placed it on his desk, he wasn't sure what to expect when he opened the package. He had naturally already examined the package for poison or hidden talisman; there was no telling if An Ding had slacked off on their other duties such as scanning all incoming items for potential danger. Deeming it safe, he sliced through the package with a sharp blade, only to find more paper packaging. Many more little paper box shaped packages. By the time he finished unraveling each little rectangular container, he had 22 rectangular containers of lip lacquer finish on his desk.

Shen Qingqiu frowned.

He opened each container and tested them again for poison. After leaving the results to develop over night in case these were slow acting poisons, he still found them to be nothing more than harmless cosmetics.

The bright reds, pinks, mauves, and berry blots on the rice paper stood out sharply from the sea of black ink dotting the other manuscripts on his table. The colors were vivid in a way that none of his ink paintings could replicate.

And when he applied it first on his arm and then on his lips... they were just as bright.

Why?

Why would someone go out their way to send him cosmetics of all things? And these were not just cosmetics but what was clearly luxuriously expensive material that would make him the envy of all the imperial consorts and empresses in the courts. The formula was smoother and more pigmented than the ones currently sold on the markets as he knew from his visits to the Red Pavilion Brothel. The color range was more exotic and interesting than Qi Qingqi's who was vainly proud of her own collection of cosmetics made from pigments derived from the scale of the celestial Four Tail Fire Wyvern and Pink-Winged Singing Beatle.

From the bright reds that were fitting for weddings to sandstone beige shades and pink quartz shades, Shen Qingqiu knew he was holding something that was worth more than a noble's summer mansion in the imperial city.

Shen Qingqiu smacked his lips together and then rubbed them against the back of his hand. Hmm, more resistant and long lasting too. He didn't see himself needing to reapply against after drinking tea. His own finely milled white face powders that he used to hide the faded scars on his faces were already worth a couple bars of golds for a small pot, couldn't compare in quality to this gift.

Who sent it and why?

---

When Shen Qingqiu discovered yet another package—crafted from the same glossy, thick paper and adorned with the same enigmatic script as the first—his paranoia spiked sharply. Who was behind this? What was their intention? The unsettling repetition of these mysterious deliveries, yet again confirmed to be imperial grade cosmetics - gnawed at his nerves and heightened his suspicion.

Was this a threat from the Southern Imperial Court where a concubine, suspected of poisoning the last Empress, had just been named the emperor’s next official empress? Or was this from the Qin Country Crown Prince who had professed his admiration of the Qing Jing peak lord in unspeakably lewd terms two months ago at a wine party set up by his rival and brother, the 7th Prince? Perhaps it was a ploy from the notorious Black Lotus Sect, known for their underhanded methods and recent interest in infiltrating the Cang Qiong Sect as Shen Qingqiu's spies reported recently. There was also the possibility that it was a subtle maneuver by the Eastern Trade Guild, which had been seeking to monopolize some of the rare medicinal herbs that Qian Cao like to harvest, using bribery and intimidation to achieve their goals.

But instead of bringing it up at the next peak lord's meeting next week, Shen Qingqiu needed to investigate some more on his own first. 

After all, it could even be a scheme from within his own sect, driven by jealous peak lords or an unhappy former Qing Jing disciples expelled from the sect aiming to discredit him. Perhaps he should expect suddenly accusations of theft to arise. With such godly cosmetics lip creams and face powders, the punishment for such large crimes would be heinous.

Shen Qingqiu's mind raced with these treacherous possibilities, each one more disturbing than the last.

Now posted on AO3 with some minor revisions.

Somehow the address of "Shen Qingqiu, The bamboo cottage, Qing Jing Peak, Cang Qiong Mountain Province, China" ends up on the PR list of a bunch of companies. The brand workers automatically package up the PR boxes, tape the shipping labels on, and don't check to see who it's actually going to...

The system - the one that added said address to the PR mailing list - ensures that Shen Jiu delivers the influencer kit.

Shen Jiu is very confused by the sudden onset of all these packages of cosmetics and what appears to be... skincare?

[shandian-go]

[PRE-ORDER] TGCF x Qing Cang - Moonlight Proposal Figure

Deadline: Mar 17, 2023 at 9:00 PM EST

How to order

If you have never joined one of my group orders before, please read the Guide + FAQ and register before signing up!

To order, please go to the Order Site, select the ‘Pre-Orders’ category and browse for the item you’d like to order.

[luyepiaofeng]

mxtx taobao merch masterlist

xingyunshi: jewellery and other stuffs

kaze: mdzs stationery

1/3 delusion: cosplays

bilibili (renamed chaodian)

cql official

minidoll: mainly plushie dolls but also a few other stuff

omodoki: similar to minidoll with a few merch

goodsmile: i think you already know this big company

qing cang: mdzs and hualian mini figures

tencent official: sells a variety of merch from different stores

nanmanshe: sells a variety of merch

youbingxiong: a small store sells scumbag system/svsss merch (yes it's not verified but it's official) but is currently taking a break (update about what happened to them recently)

peacebird: a fashion brand that collab and sells mdzs attires (recently also collab with wang yibo)

handou: similar to peacebird

ringdoll: a bjd store that sold wangxian and xie lian bjd (they're only for pre-orders and have no plans to restock them)

miaowu: mdzs and tgcf cosplays and attires

aimon: sells a variety of mdzs merch

miniso: famous variety store chain that had collab with mdzs and tgcf with household products

montage: used to be a company that frequently releases merch for mdzs but is currently no longer releasing new merch temporarily

huangmao: ...a random snack store because they sell mdzs cornetto ice cream lmao

uwowo: sells cql cosplays (looks like very poor quality compare to others imo)

liuyanxiling: used to sell very very pretty and amazing cql cosplays with its unique design but i don't think they're selling them anymore, worth checking it out tho, their hanfu are gorgeous!

this list was originally on its rightful masterlist but has been moved due to exceeding 100 links per post.

it has come to my attention that the links to all the tb stores have expired, i was unaware that there is a limited duration in which the links would be active. i will try to update the links soon but it may take a while to do on mobile so please be patient! if the updated links have expired too, please comment/dm me on my twitter to let me know! thank you for your cooperation!

[last updated - 22.06.30]

[mediumsizedpidegon]

ok ok ok I am SOOO excited to talk about this!!

First I need to talk about what I think Airplane's first draft was like, and where the story was originally going to go, because that shapes how I see the Mobei Clan Mess.

In my opinion, Airplane's first draft's thing was it being a story about cycles of abuse. And if he had been able to go through with it I think it wouldn't only be the cycle of Qiu Jianluo –> Shen Jiu –> Luo Bingge –> Luo Bingge's Many Wives that like in PIDW. That would be the main cycle of abuse but outside of it, I think he had plans for pretty much every cultivation sect, demon clan, and prominent family to have their own cycles of abuse.

In that first draft, Luo Bingge was doomed to die alone, to fade into nothingness– and I think what it would take for the man came out of the Abyss for vengeance to lay down and die in the end would need to be... pretty bleak. So in that first draft, Luo Bingge is born to a mother who broke one cage (the Water Prison) and found herself claimed by another (posion). He is raised by a different mother in the cage of poverty: she tries to break it for her son and not for herself. She tries to be attentive and kind and raise him right, but she has to work to put food on the table, and Luo Bingge cannot come with her.

After his second mother dies, Luo Bingge then breaks the cage of poverty in gaining admittance into Cang Qiong– what good fortune! How glad both mothers would be if they could see him now! And then he walks right into Qing Jing, where he is locked in the woodshed.

Years later he is thrown into the Abyss, thrown into another cage by his tormenter. And he breaks the cage! He gets out the Abyss– escapes an endless thing– and he breaks his tormentor, breaks Qing Jing, breaks Cang Qiong. The cage is gone! The cycle of abuse is broken!

And yet.

Whatever Luo Bingge goes, he finds more cycles and more cages. He breaks them, and more appear right around the corner. The people he "rescues" go from grateful and satisfied like Liu Mingyan, Ning Yingying and Qiu Haitang to.... fearful. Bitter. He does his work, and when he revisits those he "helped," he finds them in the position of tormentors. His hands are slippery with blood, his own and others. He's less merciful. He can't quite tell the difference between malice, ignorance and error. He starts killing preemptively.

Is he losing his mind, or is he finally seeing things as they truly are? He can't tell. And so he goes to a mountain, lays down, and dies.

Since Mobei-Jun is Luo Binghe's right hand man in both SVSSS and PIDW, his family being such a fucking mess has to be by design. Him having his own cycle of abuse shit going on right next to Luo Bingge would only highlight the themes going on in the main story. And who's to say that Mobei-Jun's family being so spectacularly shitty wouldn't create an arc for Luo Bingge where he gets rid of all of Mobei-Jun's horrible relatives?

Except. As I have mentioned above. Mobei-Jun's Mother did her best and her best was shitty: she was never winning Mother Of The Year Awards. And Luo Bingge is having a difficult time seeing the difference between wrongdoing-due-to-the-circumstances and wrongdoing-because-i-wanted-to.

So I say that in PIDW she dies by Luo Bingge's hands, along with a shit ton of other Mo Clan members. And while Mobei-Jun is speedrunning having every single emotion possible in the background, Luo Bingge's like "I am doing such a great favor for my right hand man. I am winning all the co-worker awards for this."

To actually take it from the top when it comes to her: I think she's from a very distant part of the Mo Clan, living in a pretty remote part of the North. She is an only child, and becomes a prodigal hunter and leatherworker at a young age. Linguang-Jun is the youngest of his many siblings and he wanders all around, looking for whatever catches his eye and his attention. They meet while she's taking down some sort of horrible demon moose and he is instantly smitten. Teenager-puppy-crush smitten. She is not, but if he's going to be following her around then he can pick up a knife and help with the work like the rest of her people. But Linguang-Jun turns out to be rather sweet and pleasingly competent, and Mo Minyao [敏瑶], for all her no nonsense attitude, is perfectly willing to give him her attention and joke around– as long as there is nothing dangerous to be done. They get married young, with Linguang-Jun planning to live with her afterwards instead of the both of them living in the Mo Palace.

Mobei-Jun Senior crashes the afterparty/wedding reception. He is several decades older than both of them, monstrously strong, and not invited, but for whatever reason, he decides he wants Mo Minyao's strength for his own.

This is not a situation Mo Minyao can get out of. She manages to negotiate concessions out of Mobei-Jun Senior– mostly because he thinks her fierceness is funny– including an oath from Mobei-Jun Senior to not kill his youngest brother when he tries to take her back. Mo Minyao walks "willingly" into her marriage with Mobei-Jun Senior and spares Linguang-Jun's life by doing so. And Linguang-Jun hates her for the rest of both of their lives for doing so. When she has a son that resembles her in both body and mind, he hates that child too, for being both his mother's son and his father's child.

Eventually Linguang-Jun's love for Mo Minyao grows bitter and twisted, and he becomes convinced that he is owed her back like she is a thing. Mo Minyao's love for him withers in her chest and then freezes over, after that. Neither her or her husband can kill him as they are under oaths, but her son will have to do. And that's the plan!– until Mobei-Jun is a little boy whose father has him make a promise to be lenient to his uncle.

the cycle of abuse here goes Mobei-Jun Senior –> Linguang-Jun –> Mo Minyao –> Mobei-Jun. It's also Mobei-Jun Senior –> Mo Minyao –> Linguang-Jun –> Mobei-Jun. It's a clusterfuck!

With all her options taken from her, after the incident where Linguang-Jun tries to kill Mobei-Jun the first time, she tells Mobei-Jun to get the hell out of the Palace and travel the North without stopping until he's strong enough that his uncle won't be a problem anymore. He leaves, and she doesn't see him more than twice a year until several decades later. He was the demon equivalent of six years old when he first left. YEAHHHHH. It's not great!

It is important to note that Mobei-Jun– the Original Mobei-Jun, the frozen-over man trying desperately to be a mountain instead of a person– is very much like his mother, the woman ripped from her home and vocation and put into a position and marriage she did not want.

SVSSS Mobei-Jun is more like the woman his mother once was, free and happier. Linguang-Jun hates him even more for it.

Nothing explicitly says that Mobei-Jun's Mother is dead in either PIDW or SVSSS. And I think her being alive for the full contents of both series is a special kind of horrible.

[touchmycoat]

Cnovel!anon: For 備份, there's an example with 季玨 in Airplane extra #4. He's LQG's shidi, and he calls SQH 尚師兄. So the people who are the Qing generation's martial siblings still keep their 備份 when the Qing generation became peak lords. I think someone like 季玨 would still be shishu or shibo to any lower gen disciple (on BZ peak ref by relation to LQG), and would be shizun to any personal disciple (or he might just be a teacher on the peak, and be called xiansheng like LQR is called).

cont'd: The candidate selection chapter (74) only showed how LBH was selected by SQQ, but I headcanon that a peak lord's martial sibling could select personal disciples as well, though with the peak lord's agreement (and for BZ, the disciple has to seek out the peak first). So for the peak disciples, if they are inner disciples selected by a shidi or shixiong of LQG as a personal disciple, they would call LQG shibo/shishu. Outer disciples without a specific shizun would call him Peak Lord.

cont'd 3/3: no real basis for this in SVSS, mainly extrapolating from other wuxia and from MDZS.

Cnovel!anon: oh and I think the really young disciples who want to be polite in referring to a lower peak but older disciple can always use 前輩。Even if the allowed term is shidi. I expect since they stop aging once they have cultivated enough, it's less obvious who is older or younger. I expect the higher generation dress differently than the lower generation, so they know if the person is a shidi or shishu. The generation above peak lords that are still around are likely 長老 or 師祖。

--

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WORKSHOPPING THIS WITH ME it's foolish but this is what i'm getting tripped up on again and again with this fic i'm writing lmfao This is the chart I've got so far. Black is people, Green is relational designation.

(pardon my SHIT handwriting)

This is all within Baizhan. All Baizhan disciples are either immediate/inner disciples or non-immediate/outer disciples of either LQG or one of his martial siblings. YYX is the only one who calls LQG Shizun. All other immediate/inner disciples call LQG either Shishu or Shibo depending on their Shizuns' relationship to LQG. All the non-immediate/outer disciples call LQG Peak Lord.

My question is, what do the non-immediate/outer disciples call LQG's martial siblings? 先生 is gender neutral and makes sense for active teachers, but what about non-teachers? 長老 would work (峰主/長老, but in that case, what about for those one generation above? I didn't draw a question mark on my diagram but I'm sorta questioning now, are outer disciples allowed to call them 師祖? Or would it be something like 太上長老?? It feels like only immediate/inner-disciples (of any cultivator within the Cang Qiong lineage) can refer to seniors with 師/Shi, right? Or am I trippin'

So:

YYX calls LQG Shizun and would call LQG's Shizun Grandmaster—Taishizun or Shizu

He would call any of LQG's martial siblings Shibo or Shishu

The immediate/inner disciples of LQG's martial siblings would call LQG Shibo or Shishu (I know you said this bit is your headcanon but 1000% agreed lmfao)

All immediate/inner disciples of Peaks higher ranked than Baizhan would call all Baizhan cultivators from LQG's generation (including LQG) Shishu

All non-immediate/outer disciples in Cang Qiong call LQG Peak Lord and LQG's martial siblings Elder/Zhanglao in general, Xiansheng if they're teachers (what did MDZS translate Xiansheng to?)

All current-gen Baizhan disciples call YYX shixiong or shidi based on their order of entry, regardless of inner/outer disciple status.

All current-gen non-Baizhan disciples from Peaks higher ranked than Baizhan can call YYX shidi, even if they're younger or came in later. However, it's probably actually more socially appropriate for those younger or newer to Cang Qiong to call him Senior/Qianbei. This is also regardless of inner/outer disciple status.

I'm just guessing the last two would be regardless of inner/outer status just because...都是後輩那麼講究幹啥呢？But there would still be something of a selection process. No non-immediate/outer disciples become Elders because if they weren't good enough by a certain point to get taken in as an immediate/inner disciple, they should have to leave the mountain. At most they become a 執事 (deacon??), but their purpose on Cang Qiong is no longer cultivation. This means that everyone still on Cang Qiong from the Qing Generation of Peak Lords (everyone who gets referred to as an Elder) is an immediate/inner disciple of a cultivator from the generation above. This would preserve the sanctity of the Elder designation, kind of—for instance, outer disciples who studied at Cang Qiong can't claim to be Cang Qiong Elders. Anybody who claims to be a Cang Qiong Elder is claiming martial relation to somebody's Shizun/Shibo/Shishu, etc.

And you totally resolved a whole designation moment for me LMFAO 前輩 as a term used among same-gen disciples makes a lot of sense!!! Thank you for that. And I totally agree that there would be different dress codes for the generations, or at least emblems, jades, markers, etc. as visual cues, since visible age doesn't actually tell you much past a certain point.

linking vaguely related articles mostly for my own reference:

修真、玄幻、仙俠小説當中的宗門組織架構與職能

仙俠小說裡門派中職位的稱呼

請大家告知師門中的輩分稱呼

[phoenixtakaramono]

SUMMARY: Let it not be said that Shen Yuan didn’t know how to be an accomplished—arguably better—writer than Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky! A middle-aged author in his hubris, he’d unknowingly triggered his fate and had his consciousness whisked away into an unfathomable mystical world that he would later learn to be based on Proud Immortal Demon Way and his very own work-in-progress. When given the opportunity to customize his character’s stats and to design his one remaining Customizable Skill Slot, as a veteran reader of transmigration stories and their tropes, Shen Yuan demanded, “Grant me the protagonist’s halo of course!”

The SYSTEM was silent all but for a minute.【Understood. Unique Skill "PROTAGONIST'S HALO" activated. Esteemed Host, you share the Unique Skill "PROTAGONIST'S HALO" with one other.】

“Who?”

【This world’s Luo Binghe. From the original novel series.】

“...Hold on, I need some time to process this.”

(Little did Shen Yuan know that this world’s Luo Binghe is the same sadistic “Bing gē” from the released Extra short story. It was also too bad that Shen Yuan, in his mortal form, resembled Shen Qingqiu by a good thirty-to-forty percent.)

This was the second time they’d held hands. Fingers threaded together, palms touching. A significant amount of information could be communicated in the simple act of taking someone’s hand—the shape and texture of it, the roughness or softness of the life they’d led, and the strength or fragility of their grip. Luo Binghe would remember the feeling of that pale hand gripping his tightly for the rest of his life.

The mist billowed under Luo Binghe the moment he was allowed entry into the dream realm of the divine. Instantly, he was besieged with the feeling of falling into a frozen lake. The cold was a shock through his body, forcing his hand to convulsively clamp down as he stumbled.

Foolish, Luo Binghe berated himself. To have been finally welcomed inside the dream realm of a celestial being meant this version of his shizun had thought highly of Luo Binghe and his constitution. Yet instead of a composed and dignified air, Luo Binghe had just shown his weak side.

Shen Yuan halted midstride. Concern was written upon those white brows upon seeing his reaction.

It was, nonetheless, an opportunity. Luo Binghe forced an amiable smile as he pretended to be oblivious, masking any sign of his discomfort as he leaned against Shen Yuan’s weight. The sensation of pins-and-needles assailing him wasn’t something he couldn’t tolerate, but it was unpleasant. Except for their one point of contact, no part had been spared. His gaze lingered on the long scholarly fingers wrapped trustingly around his, before sweeping a glance over their new surroundings.

He felt like he’d stepped into a world composed of silk screens. Ahead, the fine mist passing through the painted scenery shrouded the outline of the tall mountain range and forest. Even the walls of the buildings were composed of firm brushstrokes and soft ink wash.

Since Luo Binghe had difficulty walking, Shen Yuan had to support him. Both men, mutually depending on each other, took slow steps forward.

Droplets of water splashed quietly from their strides as Shen Yuan guided him in the direction of whatever he’d wanted Luo Binghe to see. Like black ink that had been dipped into clear water, the transparent surface was beginning to darken with each tread that Luo Binghe took.

He stared down at his feet. The sight of the ink and water swirling into one another as though they were made to be together gave rise to the tide of emotions which had been circulating within his mind.

In the newly fallen darkness, he could sense his companion had fallen into another state of deep contemplation. As the two men disembarked in companionable silence, Luo Binghe took a long, measuring look at the landscape—at the secrets hiding within the fog, behind the translucent silks.

The atmosphere was incomparably resplendent and harmonious, yet it painted an undeniable fact about his companion. Knowledge could be gleaned of how this revered existence perceived the outside world. Life was a flow of changes—transient and ephemeral. Being in this realm didn’t feel real, with the indifference of an observer who was transcendent and so far removed from the mortal scale.

They were truly opposites—not only in their physical appearance and status, but also in how their dream realms manifested.  

“…You’ve always had an unruly habit to roam and draw unnecessary attention to yourself!” An insidious and vicious whisper brushed against Luo Binghe’s mind like a wisp of smoke. “ It’s impressive you can even move so well inside this barrier. To think you’d chase him here on impulse!”

Hearing the litany of grievances, Luo Binghe hid the blade that was his smile. Unlike himself, he had no doubt that his senior might have been exorcised had he not taken refuge in Luo Binghe.

Because however convincingly Meng Mo conveyed his displeasure, his voice was nonetheless weakened by the barrier. He was merely being crotchety to maintain appearances.

Shen Yuan had made it clear that his invitation into his dream was extended to Luo Binghe only. With that one remark addressing the senior dream demon, and by performing the gesture of taking his hand, it couldn’t have been even more obvious what he’d wanted.

Earlier, Luo Binghe had gambled that on this fateful evening that the celestial fortuneteller would have no choice but to attend to his growing fatigue. His guard would be lowered and that was when the opportunity would present itself.

The practice of invading and manipulating a person’s dreams was nothing new. With his secret tutelage cultivating on the demonic path, beginning when he’d been a mere Cang Qiong Mountain sect disciple, he had learned to infiltrate many minds. Several had been his lovers—the first being his shījiě, accidental as it had been pulling his martial sister along with him—although the treatment his women received was far more considerate than the cruel methods he inflicted upon all those who opposed him.

He had seen the duplicity of people’s hearts and reproduced illusions of varying natures. He’d learned how to lure others when they were at their most defenseless and be able to find their worst fears and memories to inflict the maximum psychological torment. With his enemies who were impervious to physical torture, few could claim immunity upon being confronted with their own inner demons. And with his lovers, he could skim their memory fragments and indulge any spring dreams either of them had fantasized about, causing romantic feelings to overflow.

Because unlike the waking world, the dream realm was honest.

The capability to doubt was stripped away. Memories could be spied on. Falsehoods were exposed. And no secrets could be kept from him. Oftentimes one’s impulses could not be held back within the dream realm.

It was a glimpse into one’s truest state.

Meng Mo’s withered voice interrupted his thoughts.

“The ways of those of the Heavenly Realm are mysterious—but they are proud and have always held contempt for our kind. I know you are captivated by him, but be more prudent in choosing your words around him. Don’t be muddled in the head just because you believe he can replace the late Qing Jing Peak Lord….” Ridicule had crept into Meng Mo’s tone. “His looks aren’t bad but to have aspirations of eating the tofu of someone who bears the farseeing, discerning eyes of the Heavens…. Your ambition is bold, as is your guts. This elder doesn’t know whether to be impressed or scold you for your shamelessness.”

Although his lips had thinned into a white line, Luo Binghe remained silent.

Water shaped its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flowed. Tonight, many of his initial plans had been waylaid. Although he couldn’t have predicted its trajectory, he wasn’t discontent with the final outcome. He’d gained information that would be invaluable to him—and he’d finally found his shizun.

There had been a quiescent anticipation in the night as Luo Binghe waited like a spider spinning its web, searching and reaching for the only mind of this residence who was of interest to him, until he’d finally sensed the faintest reverberation of the otherworldly and ephemeral—a presence that could only belong to him.  

And he’d pulled.

As someone who used to humbly occupy the Mortal Realm, never in his imagination did Luo Binghe expect he could claim success to the achievement of accessing the dream realm of divinity.

The rush of triumph had been dampened once, upon seeking Shen Yuan, Luo Binghe encountered a Qi-condensed barrier—a mental defense meant to repel demonic influences. Impenetrable even against the combined efforts of himself and his senior who had centuries worth of infiltration experience, no matter how much he’d concentrated—redirecting the violent and rough flow of his Qi into something more finessed—he was unable to cross the boundary.

Luo Binghe had been stuck at an impasse. Breaching the barrier would require a much greater display of force, inflicting irreparable mental harm onto the dreamer.

He’d realized the barrier had to stay.

The passage of time was immeasurable in the world of dreams, but with every moment that had passed without the precious person inside revealing himself, the fear had mounted. Perhaps Shen Yuan had predicted such an incident would occur and had taken precautionary measures.

In hindsight, his action had indeed been too rash.

It was inevitable that they would be going their separate ways in the coming morning. Moreover, the last deep impression he’d leave behind would cast Luo Binghe in an extremely bad light, with Shen Yuan withdrawing back into seclusion and harboring a grudge for being taken advantage of. The opportunity would have slipped through Luo Binghe’s fingers like granules of sand.

All would be lost. Faced with the possibility of being abandoned, Luo Binghe had been inconsolable. The tension in the air around him had been so thick, it’d presented an oppressive miasma in his own dream realm.

The giant boulder which weighed down his heart vanished when, with the keen senses of a cultivator, his five senses had detected a ripple in the fog.

From faraway, he’d been spellbound. He’d seen a silhouette resembling that from legend, with the unattainable white moon that was Shen Yuan descending down from the stars which glistened like shards in the night.

Despite the offense, he had chosen to come to Luo Binghe from his own volition.

Another realization had struck Luo Binghe. Seeing the regal figure out of his immaculate finery—dressed down to his inner clothing and with his moonlit hair undone, without a headpiece in sight—was a rare sight beyond measure. Aside from the servants who tended to their master, no one else must have seen him in such a compromising state.

It’d also been fascinating observing how someone of the Nine Heavens would interact within his world; Shen Yuan had assimilated quickly. Wandering aimlessly in an unfamiliar environment, his appearance reminded Luo Binghe of the purest white snow, high above and unreachable, the likes of which remained untarnished. Such bearing was similar to what Luo Binghe expected for somebody of high status. Like a fairy unaffected by mortal matters, Shen Yuan’s manner had been aloof and vague. The only difference was that his attitude toward Luo Binghe had not been uncaring. Courtesy had been given, even knowing who he was—and what he’d done, and would be capable of doing.

There was no one who could deny Shen Yuan’s appearance was picturesque. When he was smiling, it was as moving as spring flowers and the autumn moon. When he was lost in thought, he projected an air of melancholy—solemn and ambiguous, like the subject of a painting one could only admire from a distance.

“…Xiōng dì.” A cultured and steady voice trickled into Luo Binghe’s awareness, pulling him from his deep reflection.

An invigorating energy suddenly blanketed him. All discomfort fled, replaced with the refreshing feeling of a spring brook engulfing him. Shen Yuan had fallen a step back so that they were now shoulder to shoulder.

Shen Yuan’s gaze was appraising as his breaths feathered the fur. “I had not expected you being here would be strenuous on you. Please take care of your body.” A hand went up to clasp him on the shoulder. “Endure the skinship. I think, for now, it’s better to stay close to me until you can stand on your own. You’ll be safer by my side.”

Luo Binghe inhaled sharply.

“Hoh. How considerate!” Meng Mo’s dryness filtered into his thoughts. “He treats you very well. Such goodwill. He certainly has a good heart.”

Stay out of this, Luo Binghe rebuked. You are not invited to take part in this conversation. Scram!

Replying in the affirmative though, he ducked his head. The hidden meaning of Shen Yuan’s words had not been lost on him. He simply hadn’t expected how protective Shen Yuan was of him.

In this lifetime, Luo Binghe would like to think he could recognize his shizun even if he turned into ashes—or took on a different appearance. Even the slow-witted were able to see that Shen Yuan was of different temperament, reminding Luo Binghe of the other “Shen Qingqiu” of the mirror world. This fortuneteller had a sincere and utterly honest personality, thoughtful and broadminded. Even when blood was shed, he didn’t condemn Luo Binghe.

This night was the first time they’d met, but it was undeniable that there was a flow to their conversations—as though they were not strangers but were, instead, dear friends reuniting. It was as if someone had seen the unfulfilled desires of his heart and had crafted him a companion to be compatible. Being with Shen Yuan felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Embracing him had felt natural.

Although he was a man, Shen Yuan had fit so perfectly in his arms. The firmness and strength of his body. Warm and solid. Alive and real. It hadn’t been the same as hugging a soft feminine figure but even now, Luo Binghe could recall how it’d felt folding him into his arms, at the simple pleasure of sharing body heat. Of inhaling his clean scent.

Being that close to him, the intimacy of such an act, had been so strangely powerful the connection between them had felt tangible.

Here was somebody meant to be unattainable and unreachable, whom mere mortals never would’ve had the fortune to meet unless they’d managed to ascend to the highest realm. Knowing that he was supposed to keep all divinity at a respectable distance made his awareness of what he was doing seem all the more enchanting.

There was no such thing as a string of coincidences. Luo Binghe held no illusion of what this really was; a second chance was being offered to him. Since they have finally encountered, it must have meant they were fated. Since fated, one must live up to the fate that the Heavens have bestowed.

(Cont.)

The rest can be read on AO3!

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Just on "is Ming Fan the Head Disciple", I don't have access to the revised originals but does SQQ no longer call LBH his 关门弟子 while he's mentally roasting LQG for telling him he can always get a new disciple? Because CQM has that strong tradition that all Succeeding Disciples/Future Peak Lords get cute matching courtesy names I was assuming that none of the Peaks had one yet but if LBH is still Official Final Disciple that would still give him a strong position by the power of Xianxia Tropes.

I just checked, and yes, SQQ still does refer to LBH as 关门弟子 in that scene! Of course, this is the only time the term is used in the novel, so it doesn't seem to hold any kind of official meaning, but instead is simply referring to the trope itself (for those who do not know, 关门弟子 literally means "closed door disciple/final disciple" and refers to the last disciple taken in by a given teacher, who is often highly favored and given special attention, ultimately becoming the teacher's successor; a lot of xianxia protagonists can fit into this role. In the EN TL, the term is translated as "favorite disciple" but it does have a more specific meaning in the genre).

Because LQG says just before that SQQ can still take other disciples, I don't think that Qing Jing Peak's gates are officially closed-- but that SQQ is just refferencing the trope because that is how he sees LBH.

In terms of the courtesy names, that is a bit of an oddity-- Luo Binghe is referred to as 首徒， which is the same term for head disciple used by those succeeding disciples of the Qing generation in the Qijiu extra, however, he is not referred to as 首席弟子 anywhere, which seems to be the more official title for a succeeding disciple. Perhaps here, 首徒 is a disciple given authority, where 首席弟子 is one who has been designated as successor, though both terms are translated as "head disciple," and they are used somewhat interchangeably.

So basically, LBH still had an official position-- it just seems more like he was given the authority role, rather than being designated as official successor-- it's likely that there's quite a long time before the ascension of the Qing generation and so they are not yet choosing successors. Generational names are only given to the successors, so LBH wouldn't have gotten one of those.

Of course, it's hard to say whether or not this is a common practice-- since there isn't anyone who mentions it being odd for SQQ to make LBH head disciple, my guess is that it is an accepted practice, but he is also the only Cang Qiong Mountain disciple we see to be referred to as 首徒 that is not also the named successor who has received a generational name.

This is the best explanation for it I can think of-- but anyone who has other thoughts feel free to add on!

(The post anon is referring to regarding Ming Fan's status is this one)

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love - Episode 1

So I have already seen Eternal Love before, but watching Eternal Love of dream made me want to watch it again since I loved it so much and even though I already know the story and plot I thougt why not make reviews of this one too? So here I am, waiting fore the last episodes of Eternal Love of Dream, getting some Yang Mi feels. I love her as Bai Qian and can’t wait for Mark Chao too as both Ye Hua and Mo Yuan. Plus another good point is that the OST for this one too is just so good! So yep. There are so many shows on my list (and I am still not done with I want to hear you song) but oh well!

The series starts in Kunlunxu, Moyuan’s residence. His disciple are chasing a really powerful magic weapon that their master just got. It’s a fan, but none of them manages to catch it. When Mo Yuan himself puts his hands on it, it still wants to go around and he wonders if he’s not about to get new disciples.

Zhe Yan sends Bai Qian to the Kunlun mountains so she can become Mo Yuan’s disciple. Since he only guys as his disciples, Zhe Yan gives her the appearance of a man. I didn’t remember that at the beginning she had such a weird way of dressing up, I only remember how elegant she is after that. Anyways, it’s probably to make her look younger (even though Yang Mi already looks so young, she’s so gorgeous). Another guy is also there to become Mo Yuan’s student and seems a little snobbish. Then the fan comes in flying and stops right in front of Bai Qian, now Si Yin, as it chose her as its master. Mo Yuan is a little surprised and notices almost right away that she’s a girl. The war lord can’t be fooled that easily. Since the fan is a very powerful weapon, Mo Yuan decides it’s better if it doesn’t go outside of Kunlunxu and accepts her as his disciple, pretending that he didn’t notice that she’s not a man : it seems it was fated to happen.

Oh wait! Guys! That other dude! It’s the same actor as Yan Chiwu! How come? Well on wiki it says Chiwu is Zilan’s twin brother? How come would Mo Yuan accept as his disciple someone from the Mo clan? It’s supposed to be only celestials on that mountain? And it doesn’t say anything about it in the book, which I just finished reading. Oh well. Zilan is really different from Chiwu, it’s weird. It shows Liu Ruilin’s acting ability though which is nice! I like to see actors in different kinds of characters!

Then having two new disciples at the same time, Mo Yuan asks Zhe Yan’s opinion on who should be shixiong (that would designate an older training student) and who should be shidi (so the younger training student) Zhe Yan suggests that Si Yin should be the shidi and Bai Qian doesn’t really like it that way and she says that then she’s not becoming her disciple, she’s tired of always being the little one. However Mo Yuan bribes into being the shidi, to even things out he’s going to give her the fan. She thinks it’s fair then and sits back down, ready to bow to him.

Now that I have seen the Pillow Book, I think they had less money for Eternal Love. The Nine Heaven’s court is... it looks like it’s out of a 1990′s drama. Even Donghua... I like his hairstyle better in the Pillow Book. The man bun is not for him. Anyways, I was going to say that it seems that the Celestial Emperor isn’t that happy that Mo Yuan gave the Yuqi Kunlun fan to a little spiritual fox that we know nothing about.

It’s been 20 000 years (oh god I just hate so much to translate numbers from Chinese to English or French... just ugh, so complicated when I already hate maths) since Bai Qian became Mo Yuan’s student. She oftens goes to the mortal realm with another disciple to tell people’s fortune. The scene shows them hurrying back to Kunlunxu after men start fighting over a beautiful woman. If they wait for too long and come back too late, they might get scolded by their master. Well they still get scolded anyways, even though Dashixiong (eldest of the disciple, not in terms of age, but of the time he came in as Mo Yuan’s student, so he has been there the longest) covers up for them. Then Mo Yuan dismisses everyone except for Si Yin, who’s known to be his favorite disciple. He brought him back some peach liquor from Zhe  Yan since it’s her birthday. Okay, just to mention that it’s confusing, but I am switching between masculine and feminine to talk about Bai Qian/Si Yin and I really don’t do it on purpose. So the look on Mo Yuan’s face though. When I first watched the drama, I never realized that Mo Yuan had feeling for Bai Qian, but it actually shows very much. He looks at her so lovingly. I love Mark Chao so much <3

But Si Yin doesn’t get to enjoy his liquor as he gets kednapped by Yaoguang, an immortal in love with Mo Yuan. They took her in to become Yaoguang’s disciple, but Si Yin won’t agree since he’s already Mo Yuan’s disciple. Because he won’t agree, Yao Guang orders to take Si Yin to the water dungeon and let him rot there three days or until he agrees.

The disciples look for Si Yin everywhere, but can’t find him. Well, because he’s not there.Some of them think it could be the Yi’s doing, but Dashixiongsays that unless for Qingcang none of them is powerful enough to climb Kunlunshan to Kunlunxu. Also it had to be someone very familiar with Kunlunxu to be able to leave as quickly. So they guess it would be Yao Guang. Dashixiong and Lingyu go tell Mo Yuan while the others keep on looking.

So basically, Yao Guang wants Si Yin to get away from Mo Yuan because Mo Yuan likes him too much. One of the maids asks wether it is because Si Yin is that handsome which gets her a killing look from Yao Guang, probably out of jealously, but also because that would imply that Mo Yuan is gay. As she gets out of the water dungeon, Mo Yuan arrives asking if his disciple is in there. She says of course not, but Mo Yuan has no time to fool around, he doesn’t like speaking for nothing. He tells her to make way, but she won’t and points her sword at him, but Mo Yuan is too powerful for her and gets in taking Si Yin out. He’s really unhappy and doesn’t want to hear what Yao Guang has to say. She says she did it so he wouldn’t be criticized just because of a disciple. He convokes her for a duel on February 17, so they settle accounts. She’s really shooked.

Si Yin is in a really bad state, in his sleep he cals out for Mo Yuan and only calms down. When he takes her hand. Then he says that Yao Guang doesn’t deserve Mo Yuan. He looks so happy hearing that.

Shenye, the celestial emperor’s son comes to convince Mo Yuan not to fight with Yao Guang. The situation with the Yi isn’t stable and Qing Cang might look for any reason to start a war so the relationship between Mo Yuan and Yao Guang should remain good. Now isn’t the time to be divided. But Mo Yuan says that for the sake of Kunlunxu that battle has to be fought. But he promises that both Kunlunxu and Yao Guang fu would help the celestials in the war with the Yi. The celestial emperor wants to see Si Yin and understand why Mo Yuan cares so much about that disciple.

Yat! Fighting scene hehe! They are so bad ass! You wouldn’t see that in an American series. Mo Yuan wins rather easily. He asks her to move out of Kunlunxu and rejects her.

Si Yin finally wakes up and wants to go and see Mo Yuan. Then Yuling tells him that he has to copy some text 3000 times and that a girl came to see him. Si Yin can’t seem to think of who that could be. It’s Xuannü. Ergh. I so dislike her. I didn’t remember she came in the story so early.

When she sees Si Yin, Xuannü doesn’t recognize him as Bai Qian, but thinks that oh wow, there’s even somebody who looks like Bai Qian even more than that. Xuannü is Bai Xuan, Bai Qian’s big brother’s wife’s sister. She was sent by Bai Zhen. He didn’t come himself because Bai Yi,s daughter was just about to be born, so everyone went there to celebrate. Anyways, he sent Xuannü to Kunlunxu because her mom wants to force her into marriage and it felt improper for a girl to live with only two men which is why he and Zhe Yan don’t hide her in the Peach Blossom Forest, at least Bai Qian is a girl and they knew each other in childhood. Xuannü starts crying when Si Yin says that keeping her is a little... but seeing she’s crying, he runs to ask permission to Mo Yuan so Xuannü could stay at Kunlunxu. Mo Yuan agrees and says she should stay at Siyin’s place. Si Yin complains that he’s also a guy, it would be improper but the way Mo Yuan looks at him so means: did I hear something now? No? I thought so.

Si Yin goes to see a golden lotus flower to tell it he won’t be able to come and take care of it while he’s punished to copy, but he will come back as soon as he’s done. Just wait for him. The lotus flower glows at Si Yin touch. Seems it likes him.

In my memory, special effects weren’t as bad but oh well. I love this drama so much and Yang Mi + Mark Chao have so much chemistry together. I am glad to watch it again and... Liang Liang <3 That song is my everything!