#dying shijie

[tiredbitchposts]

Speaking of a lesbian Shen Yuan, let's just get it out of the way this woman would NOT know how to act after transmitgation. Like, all it took for a male Shen Yuan to start acting like the world's biggest babygirl was dying and being reborn into a villain's body, what do you think would happen if he was a closeted lesbian who religiously consumed either porn or male centric media? She'd commit war crimes on the poor women who had the luck of interacting with her. This woman would squeeze Liu Qingge's biceps and playfully say she can always depend on her strong shimei to protect her, she'd U-haul a marriageble age Luo Binghe into her side room and treat her as one would a wife, she'd host her sect leader to talk about her peak's budget wearing exactly two layers because it's just so hot and we're all women here shijie, she'd invite Gongyi Xiao to her peak with a smile and too much subtext for it to sound like a simple discipline invite to anyone hearing it, she'd call Zhuzi-lang fascinating to her face with no type of irony or mockery. This woman would would do all that AND still think think someone means lebanese when they say they're a lesbian, again, the system doesn't know what type of evil they unleashed upon the PIDW world

[mxtxfanatic]

Heyyy !! Hope you are having a nice day. I've been scrolling through your blog for a while and I absolutely love your takes and analysis of MDZS as they pretty much match up to my interpretation of MDZS novel. I just wanted to ask you what do you think about wwx's death at the first siege?? As there was no confirmation how he died but a lot of rumors ??? Do you think he qi deviated and his corpses turn on him? Or do you think he intentionally killed himself as was implied (heck it was shown) in cql?

I'm personally of the opinion that he chose to die because all the people he was in charge of protecting died in front of him. Plus his former (sect) brother jc was leading the siege to kill the said people. Not to mention the whole cultivation world for baying for his blood. He was traumatized, exhausted (both mentally and physically) due to destroying stygian seal, grieving due to death of the wen siblings and his shijie (probably blamed himself for it all and people dying).

So what is your take?

Wei Wuxian was killed from the backlash created from trying to destroy the second half of the stygian tiger seal. I'm using the exr translation for my quotes. In the prologue, we are told this:

“The YiLing Patriarch has died? Who could have killed him?” “Who other than his shidi, Jiang Cheng, putting an end to his own relative for the greater good. Jiang Cheng led the Four Clans of YunmengJiang, LanlingJin, GusuLan, and QingheNie to destroy his “den”—LuanZang Hill.”

A couple paragraphs later, someone refutes this, saying:

“That’s merely hearsay. Although Jiang Cheng was one of the main forces, he did not give Wei WuXian the final blow. Because he cultivates the Demon Path, Wei WuXian’s powers had backfired and he was ripped to pieces.”

—and we also get this, which while spoken by the narrator is given a speculative rather than conclusive tone:

Nobody could summon Wei WuXian’s soul, which meant that his soul had disappeared. It might have been torn apart by the millions of ghosts that devoured him.

Later on, Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning have a conversation about the cause of Wei Wuxian's death:

After a moment of silence, Wei WuXian asked again, “What else have you heard?” Wen Ning whispered, “Sect Leader Jiang, Jiang Cheng, brought a siege upon the Burial Mounds. And he killed you.” Wei WuXian, “I’ll have to clarify this one. He didn’t kill me. I died from a backfire.” Wen Ning finally looked up at him, “But, Sect Leader Jiang clearly...” Wei WuXian, “Nobody can walk safely on a single-plank bridge for their whole life. It couldn’t be helped.”

—Chapt. 43: Allure

Wen Ning hears that Wei Wuxian was personally killed by Jiang Cheng, and Wei Wuxian immediately refutes this and says he died from backlash. Wen Ning wants to argue this point, but I think, more than anything, that he is arguing that Wei Wuxian's death is Jiang Cheng's fault (the siege could not have happened without him being able to get past the corpses guarding the base of the Burial Mounds) rather than Jiang Cheng personally landing the killing blow. This is especially true since Jiang Cheng claims credit and glory for both leading the siege and "personally killing" Wei Wuxian, even though we know the latter is a falsehood.

Either way, Wei Wuxian, himself, says he died from backlash, and we know the backlash came from attempting to destroy the second half of the stygian tiger seal because that was what he was working on—having successfully destroyed the first half—when the first siege took place. Wei Wuxian did not kill himself; he knew he was on borrowed time and used it to destroy the weapon he knew the clans were really after.

[touchlikethesun]

INSANE series of images i'm

"i can't understand why shijie would chose to like that guy-" *remembers who exactly it is he has an embarrassing crush on and promptly stfu*

and just in case we had any doubt who wei wuxian was thinking of just then *bam* it's the cloud recesses i'm literally dying

[robsterskellington]

Okay, so I've read all of Mo Dao Zu Shi, the novels and manhua, and watched the donghua three times. Safe to say the brainrot is real. So, I wrote a little something. My brain always comes up with the same scenario for every fandom I'm interested in: what if one character woke up back in a specific point in time, but with all the memories of what will happen? Would or could they prevent certain things, or make the same mistakes?

Anyway, here's a piece I wrote earlier:

Wei Wuxian slowly opened his eyes, feeling dreadful and very confused- he had been in bed with Lan Wangji, hadn't he? They'd celebrated their wedding anniversary in Yunmeng, then went to bed. It was a fun celebration, even Lan Xichen had come out of seclusion to join. Wei Wuxian ate good food and partied with the people he loved; he'd finally patched things up with Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling had called him *Uncle Wei* for the first time, and Lan Sizhui tried to make him happy by trying the spicy foods. Lan Wangji also seemed happy, he'd started smiling more so it was easy to tell. Once the party was over, they had their intimate moments and fell asleep curled in each other's arms, happy and in love.

So... why was Wei Wuxian lying on his stomach, surrounded by resentful energy, in what looked like the bottom of the Burial Mounds? His body hurt, like it had done when he was thrown down by Wen Chao. He scowled at that memory before managing to get his arms to move, forcing himself to sit up, wincing. "Ow..."

He looked at himself and froze- he was back in his old body, but back to when he was about 17 or 18? He opened his robes a little and felt his blood run cold. The Wen brand on his chest was still fresh, as was the stitching on his abdomen from when he had his Golden Core extracted. It was a miracle that the stitching didn't split when he fell. His robes were the same, though his Clarity Bell was missing, obviously.

Wei Wuxian felt dizzy, hearing the whispering of the dead, their souls unable to rest, the resentment being the strongest here. This was the perfect place for someone to become a wielder of the dark arts, though only if they truly had no other choice. Wei Wuxian's options were to absorb it, or die... and after what happened to Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan and the rest of the Jiang Clan, how could he choose death for himself? No, he'd take all the resentment, and use it to carve his own path- after all, to secure Jiang Cheng's future, Wei Wuxian sacrificed his own. Once he absorbed it, he could walk around with no pain, only power. That was when he'd find a cave filled with scrolls- people who fell here had tried to do what he did, but with no success, dying and joining the resentment.

That was when Wei Wuxian became the Yiling Patriarch, the Founder of Diabolism, the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. Someone who's strength couldn't be beaten or tamed, and someone who was feared by all.

Why was he going through all this again? It couldn't have been a result of the incense burner, they'd left that behind in Guzu. He had all the memories of everything that happened after this, and frowned. If this was a second chance... how much could he change? How much *should* he change? What if he made everything so much worse?

This thoughts immediately went to his Shijie, her husband, and how her son grew up, with no parents to guide him. Wen Ning's death, and Wei Wuxian being unable to let him go since he'd died with his eyes open. Hell, the Wen Clan remnants truly didn't deserve what they got, it was a miracle that Wen Yuan was given a second chance as Lan Sizhui. Nie Mingjue absolutely didn't deserve what fate gave to him, and while Jin Guangyao was a piece of shit, it was only because of his unfaithful father. That just brought up the whole mess with Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan, as well as Xue Yang.

Wei Wuxian didn't know what to do. Interfere? Would that just make things worse again? Besides, *how* could he interfere with some things? Could certain things even be prevented or caused? He can't exactly claim he knew what was going to happen without sounding like a madman, and he couldn't even blame that on Mo Xuanyu this time! A depressing part of him then wondered: how much could be prevented if Wei Wuxian simply chose the second option? If he died here, would that be better? Without his talisman, his inventions, his knowledge... all of which were a double edged sword.

Resentful energy continued to pour into him, not caring about what choices he made, and no longer giving him time to think. Wei Wuxian had forgotten how bad the pain was, and couldn't help but scream in utter agony, as he was stabbed, had resentment shoved down his throat, and had his memories replay every bad moment in his life, stirring up his rage and sorrows. For a brief moment, he remembered the images of the past, and what would be this version's future. Tears streamed down his face, as he went limp, just allowing what happened to happen. If he lived, fine. If he died, fine.

*****

"..."

*...where are you?*

"...huh..?" Wei Wuxian's soul was in some kind of white space, and he could hear soft music playing. His mind was fuzzy, so he couldn't quite recognise the tune. There was no voice, yet he swore he heard a question. He focused a little more, taking advantage of the fact that be wasn't in as much pain.

*...Wei Ying..? Where are you..?*

Wei Wuxian's mind kicked into high gear- that was Inquiry!! Lan Wangji was trying to find him!! He grinned from ear to ear. Knowing what he did now, he understood that Lan Wangji never hated him, never wanted him to come to harm, that right from the beginning, all Lan Wangji wanted was to have Wei Wuxian as his partner. To marry him, bed him, have a future with him. To make sure that every day meant every day.

This was good, but also terrible. Wei Wuxian wasn't able to go down a normal cultivation path now, and with this new power, he would always scare Lan Wangji, who would always worry about his health and sanity. What the fuck could he do? He couldn't risk Lan Wangji coming after him, what if he got hurt or worse?! But he also couldn't just ignore him...

*Wei Ying... please... are you still alive..? Please... any sign... give me a sign...*

He wanted to call out, but didn't know what to say. All words died in his throat. Closing his eyes and calming down, Wei Wuxian did as he was asked and gave a sign that he was alive: he knew that Lan Wangji would be able to hear the response, and only Lan Wangji would understand as he started to sing that same beautiful song that Lan Wangji wrote for him and performed in that disgusting cave. Wei Wuxian knew that hearing wangxian would be enough to tell Lan Wangji that he was still alive. But because he didn't answer any questions directly, he knew Lan Wangji wouldn't ask. However, he still responded...

*I hear you... Wherever you are, please be safe... I want to see you again... I swear to try to look after Clan Leader Jiang and Lady Jiang in the meantime...*

Wei Wuxian's breath hitched as tears streamed down his face. Lan Wangji clearly didn't go through what he just did. Obviously he couldn't change that, but he wanted to have his husband as soon as possible. So he decided to stop resisting, and allowed the beginning of this darkened path to stay the same. The next time he saw Lan Wangji, he'd be the Wei Wuxian everyone would fear, though if he could change that, he decided that he absolutely would.

He woke up once more, and stood up. He knew what to do, his glowing crimson eyes filled with a new sense of purpose.

****

In the previous life, he'd hunted down Wen Chao and broke him little by little. He wanted the prick to suffer, but maybe he would look less evil by not reducing him to a burnt and broken skeleton this time. Besides, he was Jiang Cheng's to kill. Some things, he kept the same. He slowly attacked Wen bases and slaughtered their soldiers, but this time, he was far more careful. When he sensed some of the people wanting to escape, or switch sides, he'd test them:

It was a very simple test. He would leave for them plain grey robes baring no official Clan colours. An easy to understand message of 'If you want to abandon the Wens, discard their colours and insignia, and run while you can'. Most people did exactly that, and the test was far more effective than Wei Wuxian could ever dream; he wanted to protect the same people he once had, and they had turned out to be more than willing to turn their backs on their own Clan.

The one person he was most surprised about was Wen Qing, who had encouraged Wen Ning to do the same. The Supervisory Office in Yiling had quickly grown into a safe haven for any Wens who decided that their morals and lives weren't worth participating in this war. Wen Ruohan had been furious and sent Wen Chao to deal with it personally, but unfortunately, the coward couldn't get close- something about the traitor's camp being surrounded by feral zombies who refused to let them pass? In the end, they were left alone.

News spread, and at first, none of the main participants of the Sunshot Campaign knew what to make of this development. The Jin Clan thought it was better to annihilate the Yiling Camp, in case the Wens changed their minds and decided to attack. The Nie Clan also thought it best to kill them, since all of them were dogs needing to be put down, in their eyes. However, the Lan Clan disagreed, as these people had proven that they wanted to live and weren't willing to fight or kill people they considered innocent in all of this, just wanting peace- Lan Xichen also argued that most of the people were elderly, crippled, children or doctors who refused to bloody their hands unless healing.

It was that comment that made Jiang Cheng confess that Wen Qing and Wen Ning had saved the lives of himself and Wei Wuxian, so refused to have them killed. He came up with a solution, then: "Why don't we take in those Wens who have proven to be better than the ones we fight? They've discarded the name of Wen, really- so how about they bare our own names?"

The Hall was in uproar, everyone shouting their disagreements. But ultimately, a choice was made. Once the Sunshot Campaign was completed, and those Wens had been monitored for long enough to prove that they wouldn't turn and attack, restarting the war, then they would be integrated into the four main Clans instead. Nie Mingjue wasn't happy at first, but he also knew that in actuality, his anger came from Wen Ruohan's actions. Plus, he couldn't blame those Wens for their inaction, they'd already been threatened and some killed before they could escape. Unwilling to kill, but willing to die to escape.

After listening in, Wei Wuxian was ecstatic! He had no idea that his plan would work, and yet it did. He prayed to the Gods that the Jiang Clan would take in Wen Ning and his sister, and that the Lan Clan would take in Wen Yuan and his dear granny. He just wanted his friend and his little radish to be safe.

Things seemed to proceed similarly to how it did before, but now the Wens that abandoned the main Clan were now helping in different ways. Some were soldiers and blacksmiths who swore their loyalty to the Nie Clan, and managed to help with their fighting and weaponry. Wen Ning was recognised for being a talented archer, and in exchange for not having to fight in the war, he helped Jiang Cheng train the new members of the Jiang Clan in archery. Wen Qing was a talented doctor, so unfortunately she was very overworked, but she admitted that it was far better than standing aside.

Wei Wuxian stayed in the shadows, using his tricks and dark arts to kill off any loyal Wen Clan soldiers he could. Originally, he'd scared Wen Chao and his bitch so much that she killed herself, while he was a broken, unrecognisable husk. Now that Wei Wuxian had prioritised other's safety first, he didn't have time to torture them... scaring them, however?

It was almost embarrassing how confident Wen Chao was that he could prevent anything from happening to Wang Lingjiao, setting up spirit warding talisman all over their safe house. But the fool didn't notice that Wei Wuxian had added four extra strokes to each one with his own blood. The spirit lure talismans were what ultimately lead to her death, though Wei Wuxian being in the area and playing his flute didn't help matters. He couldn't deny himself a smile when her screaming finally silenced.

But then, he felt guilt. Not for killing her, she got what she deserved for trying to hurt Luo Qingyang and branding him. Killing for pleasure, that was what made him a monster. He never did, or so he thought, but this single moment proved him wrong. Wei Wuxian sighed, then frowned and looked up in the sky- a firework baring the Wen insignia...

"Wait. That's where Jiang Cheng-! Hold on, I'm coming!"

****

"Where is Wei Ying?!" Lan Wangji had never shouted with such anger before in his life. He knew that when he used Inquiry a while ago, Wei Wuxian was still alive. Only he knew the song he wrote for him, after all. But it had been so long, over three months at this point, and he had been too busy with rebuilding the Cloud Recesses, fighting in the war, while also helping that sweet old lady with that adorable toddler who called him 'daddy'. He knew he was making up excuses at this point, he should have tried harder.

But his thoughts shut off and his heart shattered to pieces when Wen Chao scoffed, "I threw him into the Burial Mounds months ago. I doubt even his bones will be left now. So you can stop looking for him, and join him in Hell!"

Jiang Cheng sank where he was forced to kneel, shaking. Wei Wuxian was gone? He'd been gone this entire time? What would his sister say? Even Wen Ning was excited about possibly seeing him again. They couldn't even lay him to rest.

Lan Wangji had a very different reaction. His fingers were bleeding, his spiritual energy was all but depleted, but the thought of Wei Wuxian being all alone and suffering filled him with unbridled rage. Was this why Wei Wuxian didn't tell Lan Wangji where he was? If he was trapped in the Burial Mounds and already weakened from being attacked by Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu, then maybe he was dying and didn't want Lan Wangji to come and find him. Wanted him to remember him as he was. Lan Wangji screamed his pain and grief, lashing out one last attack that obliterated the strings of his zither, but to no avail.

In the end, both Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji were forced to kneel, swords at their necks, with none of the soldiers daring to attack in fear of the two strongest men losing their lives. Neither of them had much will to fight after that, anyway.

Just as Wen Chao was about to give the execution order, a strange sound caught everyone's attention. Crows had begun flying overhead, their sharp caws loud enough for everyone to hear. It was strange, but whatever. However, that was just the beginning. The flames that burned throughout had changed from their bright yellow hues to a sickly green, the lighting significantly dimming. The Wen soldiers shuffled on their feet before looking up at the main watch tower at the sound of a piercing flute.

Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng watched the newcomer standing confidently on the tower, playing a strong melody. They couldn't make out his face, but the glowing red eyes were impossible to miss, along with the long, free flowing hair. Wen Chao quickly called back his guards, just as the bodies of the fallen slowly rose to their feet as feral zombies, attacking the Wen Clan and giving the Jiang Clan time to regain their senses and join the fight.

Jiang Cheng grinned, but Lan Wangji looked uneasy. Jiang Cheng looked at him and scoffed, "Whatever you're afraid of, put it aside for now. His methods are unorthodox, but he's very obviously on our side. So let's not waste his efforts!" That was when Lan Wangji finally nodded and unsheathed Bichen, while Jiang Cheng brandished Zidian.

When the Wen army was severely crippled and downsized, the figure on the tower floated down using what looked like a cloud of resentful energy. Wen Chao immediately ordered Wen Zhuliu to attack, but the figure was a lot faster. Nobody could see what happened; from their perspective, the figure simply ran past Wen Zhuliu, and the barer of the Core Melting Hand was suddenly on his knees, coughing up blood.

Wen Chao stared in horror as the figure then held up what he had taken: Wen Zhuliu's Golden Core. The figure looked at it, as if contemplating something, before putting it in his sleeve, as if he was saving it for something. The mist around the figure faded, revealing a wicked grin that made Wen Chao choke on his own gasp, "W... Wei Ying?! You're supposed to be dead!! G-ghost!!"

"It's been some time, Wen Chao. Didn't I tell you I'd come back?" Wei Wuxian smirked, but then decided he had better things to do. He whistled, then turned his back to Wen Chao, "I need to talk to the people I care about. I trust the lady you left to die can keep you entertained?" Wen Chao went pale as the feral zombie who looked exactly like Wang Lingjiao slowly approached him. Wei Wuxian then snapped his fingers, and some of the soldiers that Wen Chao lead to their deaths attacked Wen Zhuliu, to stop him from rescuing his master.

Jiang Cheng smiled brightly at seeing Wei Wuxian, and when he watched Wei Wuxian smile and open his arms, he ran in for a hug, "You bastard, you scared the shit out of me!" He felt Wei Wuxian hold him, and felt the slightest of trembles. Jiang Cheng teared up and completely lost his composure, "...I thought you were dead, *big brother*."

Wei Wuxian tensed- how long had it been since he was called that? It made him tear up and hug him tighter, "I'm sorry, *little brother*. I wanted to come and find you and Shijie as soon as I got out, but... I was scared. I'm not the same as before."

"You really think that matters? It's still you. And I'm so damn happy to see you." They held each other a little longer, calming down a little before eventually pulling away to see each other smile again.

"...Wei Ying."

"Huh?" Wei Wuxian turned to see Lan Wangji's stoney expression, and tilted his head, "Lan Zhan?"

"Was it you who killed the Wens along the way?" A nod in response. "Did you also create those talisman?" Another nod. "Wei Ying... this path you're on, it destroys the mind and body. That's saying nothing of what it does to your temperament. There's never been any exceptions. It's a heretic path for a reason."

"...Lan Zhan, I didn't have a choice." Lan Wangji froze at those words, and noticed just how exhausted Wei Wuxian truly was, "Believe me, I don't actually *want* to be on this path. But at the time, my options were become like this, or die." Wei Wuxian took a calming breath and faced him properly, "I know what I'm risking. And I'll do whatever I can to go back to normal, if I can. As for my temperament, I've been trying to keep it under control by not allowing revenge to blind me. Lan Zhan, *I* was the one saving the Wens who just wanted out of this shitty situation. I'm not going around slaughtering mindlessly." He looked ashamed and pointed to Wang Lingjiao, "She was an exception to that, I admit that, and I'm not proud of it. I understand if you don't want to believe me. But I promise that I never asked for this, and I don't want this."

As if to prove that he was truly in control, Wei Wuxian ordered the feral zombies to step down, and freed what was left of their souls. Aside from using resentful energy, how he brought the spirits to rest was exactly how he was taught in the Cloud Recesses. Lan Wangji stared at him, his eyes full of despair, "...return to Guzu with me." Wei Wuxian looked at him; last time, he didn't hear him out, and it lead to a horrible argument. This time, he indicated for Lan Wangji to elaborate, which he did: "If you're truly trapped on this path and we can't help you, then we'll find a way for you to have some semblance of normality. I swear, I will never let anyone harm you, nor will I let you be forced into seclusion. I just... believe me when I tell you that I just want you to be safe. Let me help you, Wei Ying!"

Wei Wuxian watched as Lan Wangji was fighting back his tears, and simply turned to Jiang Cheng, "Clan Leader Jiang. I ask that once I've played my part in the Sunshot Campaign as a Demonic Cultivator, once this war is over, I request to go to the Cloud Recesses with Lan Wangji. If I'm wrong, and I can go back to a normal cultivation path, I'd very much like to. I believe that the Guzu Lan Clan can help me with that, just as I believe Lan Wangji's words are sincere."

Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian in disbelief, but could slowly feel his heart repairing itself. He was being given a chance to help, and Wei Wuxian trusted him. While he was impatient, he wanted to take Wei Wuxian back now, and maybe try to hide him away if he could be talked into it, he also didn't want Wei Wuxian to feel trapped or obligated to stay. Plus, he could no longer deny the effectiveness of the dark arts, and couldn't doubt that Wei Wuxian was in full control.

Jiang Cheng hesitated before nodding, "Very well. But I'm adding to this compromise: on every Night Hunt, you join me and represent the Jiang Clan as my right hand. Besides, I don't think sis would be happy with you if you didn't come home from time to time." With Wei Wuxian's new power, the Lotus Pier would be theirs again, so there was no issues in stating that it was their home once more.

"I agree with the compromise," Lan Wangji stated, "especially when you're still part of the Jiang Clan. I just want to..." he trailed off, unable to confess what he was thinking, but it didn't matter.

"Then it's settled. I'll come back with you, Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian gave him a warm smile, looking like the man he'd grown to love. It made Lan Wangji's ears tint red. Wei Wuxian looked over to see that Wen Zhuliu had stopped moving, but Wen Chao was surprisingly still writhing in pain, bits and pieces bitten off of him. He turned to Jiang Cheng, "He's all yours."

Jiang Cheng unsheathed Sandu, but then looked towards Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian shook his head, he already got his revenge. But Lan Wangji held Bichen once more. Wen Xu had lead the attack that killed his father, and since Nie Mingjue had already decapitated him, Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen couldn't get revenge. At first, he didn't mind, revenge was a disgusting thing, but now he had the opportunity, he couldn't deny wanting to just make sure Wen Chao couldn't come back. He still hesitated, so Wei Wuxian chuckled and held up his flute. He'd had his fun, but if this helped Lan Wangji, so be it.

In the end, all three of them took the life of Wen Ruohan's youngest son that night.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Where is our little girl? (in the plot of land where you buried her)

I have too many wips so I'm trying to get them out into the world in hopes that it'll motivate me to finish them one day

Summary: Jiang Yanli goes missing 3 months after her core manifests on her fifth birthday. A year and a half later she is found.

Decades later, Wei Wuxian invents demonic cultivation.

---

Wei Wuxian knows what he saw. Perhaps everybody else was too busy to notice, but his senses are sharp - need to be sharp, considering where he's just come back from and how hard he's been fighting for survival since - and he saw it.

He saw the faraway look in his Shijie's eyes as Lan Wangji's fingers plucked the strings of the guqin, playing Inquiry for a dead Wen general's soul. He saw the way her expression glazed over, the way her body stiffened, the way her mouth opened and mouthed a response before she slapped a hand over it and left the room in a hurry.

He saw it, and he doesn't understand what he saw. Jiang Yanli should not have been able to respond or react in any way to Inquiry - it's not a song for the living.

And Jiang Yanli is alive. She's always been alive, she's never been anything but alive.

"Jiang Cheng, did something to happen Shijie while I was gone?"

"Something like what?"

"I don't know, a fight, an injury, illness..."

"Of course not! I've been protecting her personally. What are you even trying to say?!"

Wei Wuxian decides to play it off, not up to dealing with Jiang Cheng's attitude right now. "Nothing, nothing... I've just been worried about her..."

Wei Wuxian knows what he saw. And he's intent to find out just what it was.

---

The shrill notes of Chenqing fill the air as Wei Wuxian plays a resting tune for the bodies he's just risen in battle. The Wens have been especially cruel today, and the camp is filled with injured, dying soldiers that dozens of doctors and nurses are fighting to keep alive.

Jiang Yanli has been helping as well, with all that she could - which lent her near the place where Wei Wuxian played a calming song on his flute. It was still away enough not to disturb the patients - so it was much to Wei Wuxian's surprise to suddenly find Jiang Yanli, that same distant look in her eyes, walk up to him.

"Shijie...?"

She stares, unseeing, at him, as if awaiting command.

Wei Wuxian looks her over, sees nothing amiss, knows she hasn't been exposed to any danger.

"Shijie."

She doesn't respond, again, unmoving, unconscious.

Wei Wuxian breaks into cold sweat as he rises Chenqing to his lips and plays a few notes. Jiang Yanli stiffly walks up to him, much like any corpse he controls on the battlefield.

She stops as the song ends, and resumes her previous empty-eyed, stone-like stance.

Wei Wuxian shakily takes the two steps between them and places a gentle fingertip on her forehead. He shoots the slightest amount of resentful energy through her, a gesture that would lend some kind of reaction of pain.

There is nothing.

And Wei Wuxian suddenly notices she isn't even breathing.

[rourouxiaobao]

SVSSS Brainworms Be Plottin'

Because Stilton asked for lesbingqiu ideas on Discord last weekend. My brainworms got progressively more unhinged. In my defense, t was late, I'd had a couple of drinks in me, and I was gonna have MDZS Dragonji x Foxxian cosplay photoshoot the next day. XD

Feel free to gank any of these fic ideas for your own use! All I ask is that you credit my unhinged brainworms if anything results from them. XDDDD (And thanks to Stilton for instigating my brainnworms to percolate these ideas, LOL!!!)

#1) Ikebana Peak lord Shen teaching her (deliberately) dense disciple who Really Does Not Know An Iris From A Rose.

#2) The Bimboification Of Empress Luo (And How She Met Her Consort Who Doesn’t Know She’s A Consort) I assume Bingmeimei is full-fledged empress by then. Perhaps cooking up a storm with all manner of rare (sometimes abyssal) ingredients (bc if anyone can make that stuff not only edible but delicious, it’s the protagonist and her cooking halo). And SY is all “ah, bingbing is such a lovely chef, her husband will be such a lucky man, able to eat her cooking all the time, this old woman is not worthy 🥹❤️❤️” levels of oblivious. And it reaches a point where Bingmeimei, at an utter loss, wonders if she can get away with orchestrating an entire wedding, and cooking for it, and shizun shows up presumably to see her beloved disciple off and be served tea, only to realise as they are being instructed to bow that she IS NOT THE ‘MOTHER’ OF THE IMPERIAL BRIDE, SHE IS THE WIFE TO BE OF SAID IMPERIAL BRIDE and Bingmeimei is just smiling happily all the while. Or something. Tags would be “crack”, “but not really”, “but still kinda”, “SY redefines oblivious”, “so yeah just canon level oblivious”, “SY will put up with all of Binghe’s nonsense”, “because simp”, “Binghe resorting to Yakety Sax levels of shenanigans”, “because when the going gets tough the tough use sledgehammers”. Alternatively, if less cracktastic, then perhaps Wife Plot #684, involving a temporary time-reversal curse of some kind meant to invoke Introspection and Mild But Ultimately Temporary Angst Whose Resolution Will Show Shizun The Light. Hack-author-created flora may or may not be involved.

#3) Bingmeimei accidentally gets transformed into The Tiniest Terror and only SY can get her to settle down (Bc I have de-ageing/kidfics on the brain recently.) MBJ (who perhaps remains male in this, bc of the hilarious juxtaposition of enormous demon king and teeny tiny little heavenly demonlette) is at his wits’ end until his hamstery little wife (bc, again, hilarious juxtaposition of tiny little petite human wife whose long, loose sleeves disguise SQH’s ARMmunition bc An Ding Peak cultivates The Swole Path have you seen those fucking carts of lumber) decides Shen-shijie is Best Suited For The Job and gets MBJ to teleport a mid-tantrum Bingmeimei into the bamboo house. Bingmeimei with her fluffy hair in loopy braids, following SY around SY absolutely dying from how cute Bingmeimei is. SY unable to stop thinking if this is what Bingbing’s daughter might look like. Idk how Bingbing Grows Up Again but when she does, SY wants to wife her up and have her babies, or something. Cue magical baby-growing flora or something? Momotaro/Kaguyahime foliage? Bc it’s not stealing ideas if it’s done by a hack author who desperately needs to pay the overpriced rent for her shitty apartment.

#4) Body-swap! By way of pollen from the Magnolia of Mirrored Minds (bc Airplane-juju was Feeling The Alliteration that chapter)! Or tea accidentally brewed using the Joined-Hearts Jasmine instead of regular-ass jasmine instead (or Chrysanthemum of Clarity)? And SY has to learn to look past The Accidental Friendzone? While Bingbing has A Talk with A Very Terrified System (bc Systems are not programmed to deal with threats from users that have the benefit of a Protagonist Halo)? And after the bodyswap, SY returns to her body and to a Much Improved And Very User-Compliant System, while Bingbing goes back to her body very satisfied with having put in its place the being that causes her precious Shizun much anxiety. A wedding is planned, and System002 very grumpily issues a [ Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! ] notification.

#5) Liu Mingyan Is The Best Wingwoman In The Three Realms Bingbing commissions her (via SQH, via MBJ) to write ‘Winter Peach Blossoms Upon The Tranquil Mountain’, a ballad/novel about an orphaned kitchen maid yearning after her secretly kind but publicly aloof Young Mistress Of The House, and how their forbidden love blooms when The Young Mistress is kidnapped one snowy winter and held in a cabin (with only one bed) upon The Tranquil Mountain and our earnest young ingenue maiden sets off to rescue her shizun young mistress from an extraordinarily beautiful bandit with a mole beneath one eye, and upon their return, the master of the house (the young mistress’ elder brother Qi-dage) has died and left everything to his beloved Jiu-meimei and she and the kitchen maid get married and live sapphically ever after.

The ballad/novel is a great hit and especially popular with Xian Shu peak disciples, spinsters and their dedicated handmaids, and brothel ladies.

Eventually, a sequel ‘Wine From The Twin-Pitted Plum Is Sweetest In Autumn’ is published following the wedding of Empress Luo and Peak Lord Shen. It isn’t a commissioned work but the empress receives an advance copy as a wedding gift.

[little-meowyao]

LJGY did not murder JRS.

Firstly, we must look at the list of people he takes blame for the deaths of— “[I murdered] my father, my brother, my wife, my son, my teacher, my friend”

Father, wife, and son are pretty straightfoward— JGS, QS, JRS. (QS, who commited suicide in public.)

But what about brother, teacher, and friend?

Brother can either refer to NMJ or JZX. Teacher can refer to WRH or to NMJ, and friend can refer to NMJ, SMS, or XY.

Either of the combinations, there is always someone he didn't kill directly or at all— JZX, I'm fairly certain he miscalculated, and really did not mean to kill him. It would be a weird possibility that WWX would kill JZX, his shijie's husband, or that WN would kill him out of WWX's orders. Furthermore, JGY's position was precarious asf and he would not inherit.

SMS died protecting him, but was certainly not killed directly. As for Xue Yang, it's the greatest stretch.

The thing is, unlike JGS, JGY feels bad about the things he does to some degree. He blames himself—

For SMS, for him being there and dying protecting him. For XY, for ordering his execution, and/or for him dying under his payroll after he survived it and they reconnected. For JZX, for sending him there with the intent of causing trouble.

This was, mind you, after LXC stabbed him— He was no longer trying to look like the victim, but shouldering every accusation thrown his way. He hadn't had time to process SMS's death, nor to process LXC stabbing him, nor to process NHS tricking him into doing it. So he just... Takes the blame, which I'm fairly certain he does because he blames himself in the first place.

The confession should not be taken at face value, because of the amount of stress he is in, because of everything I said above, and also because he had been under the influence of the Yin Tiger Tally just some minutes ago.

Now, onto JRS— It is said that "One of the opposing sect leaders lost the arguments [about the watchtowers], and went into a murderous rage, killing Jin Guangyao and Qin Su’s only son. The boy had always been a good child and the couple had loved him dearly. Under resentment, Jin Guangyao tore down the entire sect in revenge."

By the way it's worded, and by the fact no one blamed JGY for the massacre, (if I recall correctly, his position was still a little precarious by then) it's safe to assume that it happened in public, likely during a conference, not the corpse found later. As for the He sect, we get no real evidence that it was the sect he tore down for murdering JRS.

Furthermore, if I recall correctly, most of the accusations were coming for sect leader Yao, which, well. When he tells QS that the boy had to die, it can be interpreted as not being an admission, but rather an attemp at damage control. It the boy had to die even if he wasn't murdered, not I murdered him.

I'm not saying he didn't have complicated feelings about JRS, I'm not even saying he didn't think about killing him, but like. The evidence he did kill him comes from rumors from sect leader Yao and from QS's grief and anger riddled expeculations

[imperfectpompom]

Lan Wangji finds Wei Wuxian's top secret and incredibly well hidden (open on his desk) diary one afternoon, reads a couple sentences and runs out of the Jiang household with burning ears.

Wei Wuxian calls out to Lan Wangji as he runs past him in the kitchen, but Lan Wangji doesn't reply, flings the door open and runs through it. Wei Wuxian shrugs and takes the snacks he was getting for him and Lan Wangji up to his room anyways, as he kicks the door to his room closed his eyes fall on his open diary on the desk.

'I want to kiss Lan Zhan so baddd~~. Why does he have to have such pretty lips?!?! And eyes, and hair, and nose, and ears, and shoulders, and his hands!!!!!! Notice me Lan Zhannn... I'm dying here...'

Haunted by his previous mistakes, Wei Wuxian gapes at the open diary before he drops everything and sprints out into an empty street. Oh, fuck.

Lan Wangji is gone already?!? So fast??? He sure is perfect.

Even when he's running away from Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian stares out into the empty street with a sinking stomach. As his Shijie reaches out a hand for his shoulder, he startles.

"Are you okay, A-Xian?"

Wei Wuxian bursts into tears. He knew Lan Zhan didn't feel the same way as him, but he didn't expect him to run away from him!!! Is Lan Zhan going to avoid him forever now? Is this how it will be from now on? Wei Wuxian doesn't want that!!! He'd be happy even if they could only remain friends.

Wei Wuxian wallows away the evening sobbing into the nook of his Shijie's shoulder, eating all of Jiang Cheng's ice cream from the freezer and being adamantly miserable.

Wei Wuxian opens the door the next morning to Lan Wangji with his arms full of flowers and chocolate. It feels like a dream. He pinches himself - it hurts.

"Lan Zhan?" His voice is croaky after a night of tears. "Why are you here?"

"Wei Ying... I panicked. I am sorry."

"Are these... For me?"

"Mn."

"Lan Zhan!!"

[spriteofmushrooms]

I am obsessed with how much obsessed wwx is with both lwj and jc, but while even at his lowest (sunshot campaign) wwx thinks still good things about lwj (ohhh, he wants to imprison me! Ohhhh, what a noble and rightful man is lwj!), wwx thinks the worst of jc, in every given situation (shidi is killing people he thinks are me!!!! shidi can't get over shijie death, loser!!!! shidi is hitting and whipping every day shijie's son!!! Lotus pier is shit now, under jc's leadership). It's fascinating. I want to slap him and then hug him and ask him what's wrong with him

LWJ: Don't talk about him.

WWX: Okay.

[moments later]

WWX: Okay but what you need to understand about Jiang Cheng is--

Honestly, I don't think you can truly love Wei Wuxian and hate Jiang Cheng, or vice versa. They formed each other too much. They're each perfectly suited to nestle in each other's negative space.

But yeah, Wei Wuxian resents Jiang Cheng for leaving first. How could you leave me behind to get your parents' bodies? Don't you know it was their dying wish that I keep you safe? Why would you make me see that I could never have protected you forever, when that's all I'm here for?

He doesn't want to look at Jiang Cheng and remember.

As long as he can convince himself that shidi hates him, that Lotus Pier is awful now, that Jiang Cheng could never forgive him, then being away is fine. After all, Jiang Cheng has already shown where his priorities lie when he chose to die for filial piety instead of living with Wei Wuxian. What else can he believe but that Jiang Cheng will hold onto his grudge against Wei Wuxian no matter what?

But who doesn't want to return to Lotus Pier, even if only in their dreams?

[onyx232323]

An Adeptus' Last Wish- Zhongchi fic

(23/30)

More chapters here! <33

Summary-

After the Gnosis incident, Childe decides to take a much-needed break away from Zhongli.

However, how was he supposed to react, when all of a sudden Lumine showed up outside his apartment sounding terribly mortified, "Childe......Zhongli.......Zhongli....is in grave danger."

Of course, he was going to do anything to help the dying man.

Sure, he still felt a lot of contempt for him, after what he did, but his heart still loved him.....

But, what he hadn't expected was the sudden wisp of golden light that somehow transported him during the times of the Archon War?!

What the FUCK?!

______________________

Chapter 23: Passionate Confessions, Hurtful Truths and a Bitter War Pt. 3

“My Lord!” 

Sky Bracer breathed harshly, “My Lord…Lord Osial has gone mad ….He has consumed too much miasma!!”

Ajax felt his pulse quicken, thrumming harshly into his ears as he stared wide-eyed at a distressed Sky Bracer. 

He wanted to talk, to say something. 

But.

No matter how hard he tried, no words could escape past his quivering lips.

He felt his head get light as everything around him swirled into a messy watercolor painting; a cruel dream. 

He turned to Cloud Retainer, whose eyebrows furrowed, face hardening in order to prevent it from crumbling apart. 

She couldn’t believe it either, it seemed. 

How could she, when that stubborn boy she has seen grow up before her eyes has now taken it upon himself to face death itself. 

The only one who responded was Morax, who after the news, straightened out his expression and said. 

“Go on.” 

Sky Bracer nodded, and in between panicked breaths, he uttered out, “My Lord, we were fighting a horde of rift wolves. Before we were struck by a second wave, a stronger wave….We had not foreseen their arrival; we got ambushed.We did our best to clean the miasma and get rid of the rift wolves, but….Lord Osial had already ingested too much of it….He went mad and nearly killed Lady Beisht… Now, Lady Guizhong and Lady Beisht are working to restrain him, but he will break loose from the ties any second now. We must go there now!” 

At the mention of Guizhong’s name, Ajax’s heart rate quickened even faster, his palms beginning to sweat as panic consumed him. 

Shit . 

Shijie. 

His shijie. 

Guizhong could have died today at the hands of her corrupted companion. 

She could have died early on. 

He would have lost another one, his beloved Shijie.  

He needed to go there. 

Now.  

He did not register the cries from the others as bolted from the direction where the miasma called to him, where it was the strongest. 

He saw as the trees around him flitted by him, blurry and hazy, as if he was caught in a neverending dream. 

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, pulsating and guiding him through the thick dense forest, towards where the ugly energy surrounded. 

Nothing else mattered for now, but Guizhong. 

He had to make sure she was okay, that she was safe, that she was alive.  

____________________________

He arrived in a matter of seconds; he had never run that fast in his life. 

Ajax doubted it was even humanly possible to run that fast, and he knew that without the extra stamina that his abyssal energy and adeptal energy granted him, he would not have been able to get there so fast. 

It was near the sea that surrounded modern day Dihua Marsh, which was now covered with thick marshy bushes, and sprouting with wildflowers, obviously not yet inhabited by people.

But, aside from the thick leaves sprouting upwards from the water in the marsh, and the surprisingly empty area. 

 What stood right before him, shook him to his core. 

Right where the marshy area lessened out and gave way to shallow waters, he saw it. 

All three of them. 

Two against one now, as they all stubbornly stood their ground. 

But something caught his eye. 

Lady Beisht was wounded. 

Blood glistening gold as it dripped down her, in a sickening display of celestial godliness. The top half of her torso nearly sliced in half, held together by messy bandages, as they attempted to soak up the golden blood that fell from her wounds in cascading waves. 

Ajax knew that, given enough time, she would be able to regenerate herself. 

All the Gods of this world had such abilities, as granted by Celestia. 

If, and only if , they were in good health. 

She was in critical condition, nearly chopped in half by her own husband, and in no way, shape, or form able to regenerate her lost flesh and blood. 

And besides that, she had something more urgent at the moment. 

He saw it in her watery eyes and steely gaze. 

Beisht breathed in harshly, as she attempted to restrain her husband with all the power she possessed. Blood covered the bandages, and stained them, molding them into golden silk with the immense strain she put her body through, nearly cutting herself in half in the process. 

All for the sake of saving her husband. 

Who was now a tall sea serpent, clear like the water he governed, thrashing all around, while Beisht attempted to restrain him using thick ropes seemingly made out of water. 

Sweat dripped down her cheeks and forehead in mounds, and her breathing became labored, as if she was clinging onto life itself with all she could. 

But she wasn’t alone in her struggle. 

Guizhong was at her side, pressing a soothing hand to her torso, attempting to heal her, as Beisht continuously used her own powers to subdue her husband. 

Ajax felt relief wash over him for the first time that day when he spotted her. 

Even if the situation was risky, he was glad to see her still holding up. 

He stopped for a moment, a few meters away from them and let out a long sigh before a soft word left his raspy throat, “ Shijie.”  

She was unharmed. 

Except for a small scratch on her face, that was already healing into a light scar across her cheek. 

Ajax was glad that nothing else had happened to her, and wanted nothing more than to go and embrace her, and feel her gentle pulse beneath his fingertips. 

But, he had a duty. 

And he could not distract her now, especially now. 

Her stance was firm, as she stared Osial down, chiding him to submit. 

Her eyes glowed a bright red, pupils turned into slits as vibrant goldish red feather-like appendages appeared near each side of her head. Her nails were sharper than before as they turned black like a bird's talons; vibrant wings spouted at either side of her, blindingly beautiful like a powerful sunset, covering Beisht in a protective manner. 

Her torso and veins glowed softly as she called her energy forth to heal Beisht. 

Ajax was split with what to do, unsure if he should go and attempt to help Guizhong or if he should attempt to restrain Osial as well. 

Thoughts raced through his mind, covering his brain in a thick mush of idea; weighing his odds. 

In the midst of it all, a single feather fell from Guizhong’s long wings, glowing gently and vibrantly, as if it were on fire, and yet not being able to light anything around it on fire. 

Ajax stared at it, mesmerized, caught in a moment of adrenaline amidst the miasma around them. 

In fact, now that he thought about it. 

It was everywhere . 

Around them, all across the air, surrounding them in a dense fog, the same strange greenish color that Ajax had seen before. 

And it was very obviously impacting both Beisht and Guizhong, as Guizhong attempted to divert the nauseous energy away from them. 

However, because most of her energy was being directed towards Beisht, she could not effectively pull the energy away from them, which caused her to begin to falter in her steady posture, as she struggled to keep it together.

Beisht was not doing any better, her teeth clenched in agony, as she attempted to will away the effects that the energy was having on her through sheer determination and will-power alone. 

Ajax felt his senses honing together, in a strange moment of clarity. 

He grounded his feet steadily on the ground below him, as he drew in a deep breath. 

Then, swiftly he began. 

He called for the miasma, and it heard his odd melody. 

It dove straight at him, with intent to overwhelm his senses, to take him over until he was nothing. 

But instead of fighting against it, he accepted it, and gently held it in his hands, gathering it up. 

Before he began to feed on it. 

In a display of sheer brutality, he gulped it down, ingesting large amounts of it, tasting its unique flavor on his taste buds. 

Of course, the taste of miasma lured out his other companion, and it fought against the chains it was held by, excited to be against something energy and fed on it, eagerly. 

Abyssal energy was far more potent and thicker than miasma. 

But that was to be expected of course; after all, it was the source of those creations which Celestia discarded after they had failed to meet her expectations in her ideal world. 

And so, miasma , which was really just a weaker version of abyssal energy, was quickly overpowered by the dense energy that crackled like purple lightning. 

He quickly consumed it, his previously lost energy quickly replenished with just a few mouthfuls of the green-miasma. 

The energy that Osial was exuding was in large quantities, and impossible to ingest all at once, but this would surely help him at least settle him down enough for him to be able to be subdued. 

But of course as all things did, Beisht was bound to slip up.

She had taken too much damage, even if Guizhong did her best to heal her, and even if Ajax cleared up most of the miasma that was flowing through the air from Osial, she was bound to slip her deathly grip on the ropes she held.

And she did. 

Before she knew it, Beisht faltered in her step. 

Her eyes widening, as she loosened her grip on the rope momentarily. 

But that was all it took for Osial to strike; a golden opportunity. 

He roared and pushed forth, heads gnashing about and snapping forward, attempting to devour them whole. 

The ground shook from the grand power of each movement caused by Osial, from the sheer size of him. 

Larger than any beast Ajax had encountered down in the Abyss. 

But even then, no form could ever compare to the things he has seen before down in the Abyss. 

But even so, it was still an odd sight to see. 

This version of Osial was unlike the pompous, well-dressed man who had playfully flirted with him. 

Unlike the man who danced clumsily alongside his wife’s melodic playing. 

Unlike the man who winked at Ajax, before getting hit on the side of his head by an exasperated Beisht. 

Unlike who he was. 

This Osial was no longer the man he knew. 

He was devoid of all sanity; a hydra, a monster sat in his place instead of the handsome man who had fanned his face, to hide coy smiles and grins. 

Instead, he was a serpent with many heads, towering over them. 

Like a predator to prey.  

Ajax had heard of the many stories of Osial prior to his contract with Morax. 

According to the many history books Zhongli had around his house, in the early days of Teyvat’s existence, Osial was a cruel tyrant. 

Whenever we went, giant tsunamis were left in his wake, destroying many of Morax’s mountains and terrain, and mercilessly executing all of those who crossed his path as a young god. 

But that all came to an end, the moment Morax was victorious in battle. 

However, instead of killing the young god, Morax offered him a contract: Morax would grant him permission to rule the seas he pleased and in exchange he would leave the land above the seas in peace. 

He agreed to this compromise, and left the earth alone. 

And over time, as the years passed by, he would mellow out and was no longer the terrible tyrant he used to be. 

This swift change was something that many people debated on the origin of his change in attitude, but many people speculated it was because of a young God whose story had been primarily lost to history. 

His name was Muyang.  

There were many conclusions drawn as to the role that Muyang had as a minor god, but he was believed to have ruled over the forests of early Liyue; described as one of the golden beauties in all of Liyue history, sought after whoever laid their eyes on him. 

He had spared Osial’s life during a vicious altercation between the two of them, which resulted in bloodshed shared between the both of them. 

The reason such an altercation happened was all because Muyang was believed to have been upset that his forests were destroyed and his people were gravely injured by the various tsunamis Osial had caused.

Muyang held a grudge against Osial, and swore to kill him. 

But after a long grueling battle, Muyang had undoubtedly come out victorious , proudly flaunting his victory and towering over Osial, who had been mortally wounded. 

And yet, when Osial expected the final blow to be done, Muyang had lifted his spear, and swung it to his side, sparing the other god. 

Muyang then scoffed at Osial, and promptly left him there, bleeding golden ribbons, as he sauntered off to his home in the forest. 

There was discussion amongst historians as to why Muyang had granted Osial mercy. 

Many believed it was because he had seen how pathetic and weak Osial really was, and so, killing him was against his moral codes, especially since he was such a miserable creature. 

But, there were many other rumors that said that the reason Osial was granted mercy was because  Muyang had seen his soul, and had seen the kindness hidden deep within it. 

But regardless of the reason, the god had spared Osial, the god had started to change, albeit slowly. 

Many said that his change was due to the new perspective he found in the mercy that Muyang had granted him. 

While other historians argued that Osial’s change was due to the romantic relationship he found himself in afterwards with Muyang himself. 

And well, the latter would be no surprise if it was true, as it was widely known that Osial had been romantically involved with many, from humans to other gods, regardless of gender. 

He was known for his tendency to hop from one beauty to another, and so on and so forth. 

Which definitely served to explain why the God was so keen in his interest for Ajax’s hand amongst other things, even though he already had himself a wife. 

Ajax guessed that polyamory was more widespread during this time, which served to explain how his wife was similarly transfixed on staring at Cloud Retainer all throughout dinner, with longing eyes. And it also served to explain why Beisht had caused his possessive dragon to tighten his hold on Ajax, curling his serpent tail around one of his legs for the rest of the night. 

And he guessed that they must have practiced it, since it wasn’t unusual for adepti and their spouses to have their own concubines and such. 

It was also widely known that Osial had taken himself a variety of different lovers throughout his life, and was known to have many recorded trysts with other gods and even humans. 

To the point where many started to regard him a ‘The Patron of Intimacy’, and would regularly pray to him for good luck in their bedroom endeavors. 

But regardless, after Muyang died, Osial grieved the man deeply.  

So deeply in fact, that it was speculated that Muyang had been Osial’s first love. 

Even if the god had taken many lovers for himself before getting married to Beisht, he was rarely in love with any of the people of his many trysts. As he mostly focused on having a more physical relationship with the many beauties he found before moving onto a more captivating flower. 

But, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a romantic either. 

As he sought out love in everyone that managed to capture his attention; however, unfortunately for the pitiful god, his many trysts did not manage to capture his heart’s attention either. 

In fact, there are only two people whom he has been said to have loved in his entire lifetime: Beisht and Muyang.  

Beisht for obvious reasons, since he married her even after he had been offered many other political marriages, and wrote many melodies and songs for her, as well as shared-shrines spread throughout the ocean. 

But, he was said to have loved Muyang . 

These suspicions came about after some historians had discovered a small temple, whose remains were found long before Liyue Harbor was constructed, along the ocean floor. 

The temple itself was made out of the finest materials available; fine white marble decorated with the finest gems and treasures alike. 

And inside it were vast paintings that depicted Muyang in all of his beauty. 

The largest one was of Muyang, perched on a small stone, a small cup of wine in his other hand, hair long and dark as it contrasted sharply to his tan skin, wearing robes of various colors, all intermingling with each other. 

These paintings were said to have been painted by Osial himself, grief stricken, attempting to immortalize his lover inside a painting. 

Osial had never built any other temples for his other lovers aside from his wife. 

Muyang was the exception , someone whom Osial had truly loved. 

And so, the beast who stood before him, was unrecognizable. 

Animalistic and unrestrained . 

Ajax let out a sharp breath at the sight. 

But it was a mistake. 

A grave one. 

Because, then, all at once, one of Osial’s serpent heads whipped around to look at him. 

His eyes, piercing and predatory. 

And before Ajax knew it, Osial had charged straight at him. 

Guizhong’s eyes widened, as she felt a large pit in her stomach fall, realizing for the first time that her shidi was there beside her and in danger. 

Grave danger.  

“AJAX!”  

She attempted to run towards him, arms extended to drag him back, but she was far too slow. 

Too much energy had been yanked out of her body, and it could not replenish itself fast enough for her to gain her strength back. 

Osial roared, as he inched closer and closer to Ajax, and in a swift motion, extended strange water-like appendages that looked an awful lot like the ones that Beisht had used to attempt to subdue him sprang forward. 

Nothing he could do could stop them from wrapping around him and dragging him down slowly alongside the god who caused the ground underneath them to tremble. 

Ajax looked frantically towards Guizhong and Beisht, whose eyes were equally filled with terror, as they attempted to run towards him, all whilst attempting to avoid falling from the shaky ground beneath them. 

But, they were far too late. 

Ajax’s vision started to droop, as Osial began to hum a piercing melody, attempting to draw him to sleep, like a siren luring in its prey. 

He saw the blurry figures of Guizhong and Beisht covering their ears, clenching their teeth in an attempt to not fall prey to the haunting melody. 

A melody that evoked the pain of a thousand years. 

A pain known and felt by Ajax, who felt himself give in to it. 

But even so, he attempted to fight against it, but it wasn’t enough. 

He felt his eyes close and his vision blackened as he was dragged into the murky pits of the deep waters beneath.

____________________________

Guizhong felt her heart dropped, as she ran towards the whirlpool that had formed when Osial had dragged her shidi alongside him. 

But right as she was at the edge of the marsh, she was harshly pulled back. 

She whipped her head around, and met Beisht’s stare. 

Her eyes were glowing a vibrant gold, oppressing and absolute in her words, “No.”  

Guizhong wasn’t listening to her, not when her shidi was trapped alongside Osial. 

She didn’t know what Osial had in store for him, and she didn’t intend on finding out. 

Guizhong threw her arm to the side, as she dove into the marsh, feeling the odd texture of the wet grass touch her sandals, as she wafted through the marsh to get to the murky waters below. 

But once again, Beisht caught up to her and this time, grabbed her by the waist as she pulled her down, and wrestled her to the ground. 

Guizhong kicked around, like a human child throwing a tantrum, as she desperately attempted to get out of Beisht’s hold. 

But, even though Beisht had lost most of her strength, and was wounded. 

She was always the stronger one of the both of them, at least in physical strength. 

Beisht’s breathing grew ragged, as her grip tightened around the other woman, “ Lady Guizhong! Please . Control yourself! You cannot go there now. He’ll kill both, do not risk yourself!” 

Guizhong shook her head, this was not part of the plan, her shidi was never supposed to get hurt, much less dragged down, “ NO! I don’t care! My shidi is there! I didn’t see him! I didn’t…….He is… I… ” 

She slumped forward, her mind buzzing and her ears started to fill up with foam, as they rang sharply.  

Memories bombarding her senses. 

Flashes of A-Qiu’s face as he said goodbye to her, a reassuring smile plastered on his face as he accepted his fate. 

Flashes of Havria hugging her a little too tightly, for a little too long, eyes gentle and yet haunting as she uttered a soft goodbye; knowing she was going to die. 

Flashes of all those she had failed to save before, flashes of all of those lives she had to watch as they took their last breath in her arms. 

Beisht held onto her, as she collapsed, and sighed, “There is nothing we can do now…We are not in any state to try and save him…try to save them… Please….calm down, my lady.” 

Guizhong felt her breaths begin to become strained as her chest tightened and her stomach clenched uncomfortably. 

She couldn’t breathe. 

She couldn’t breathe. 

Thoughts swirled in her mind as panic took a hold of her, and then a cascading veil of emotions danced alongside the edge of the cliff, as if about to tumble and fall. 

She took in deep breaths, as her nerves shook and her hands tightened around Beisht, as she held onto her hands as if they were her saving grace. 

She felt nauseous with fear. 

Her shidi was down there with Osial.

Osial was a feared beast back in the early days of her existence, a fearsome thing that stopped at nothing to get what he wanted. 

Whether that was through force or through words. 

Nothing could stop him. 

And she knew the look in his eyes, even when he was unrestrained. 

She knew what they meant, she knew what he would do to Ajax, if they didn’t get there soon. 

She pushed Beisht away, as she wretched and heaved, as her throat constricted and her body’s temperature increased. 

She hunched over, attempting to relax herself, to calm her beating heart down. 

But as she did so, her balance was thrown overboard, and her vision turned black. 

____________________________

Morax felt a strange feeling claw at his chest the moment Ajax rushed ahead, an anxious look in his eyes, as he ran past all of them. 

He was unable to reach out and pull him back, and an uneasy feeling filled him up, as he saw his precious treasure bolt ahead, already miles ahead in a matter of seconds. 

The others didn’t have to think, as Morax ran after him, after both of his precious people. 

____________________________

When they arrived at the humid marsh, Ajax was nowhere in sight. 

And neither were Guizhong and Beisht there either. 

In fact, the entire marsh was destroyed, the grass smashed into the ground as if someone had run something or someone through it, golden blood in massive piles on the ground a few ways away from the entrance of the marsh, the ground cracked and destroyed. 

Morax faintly heard the distant sounds of Cloud Retainer and Sky Bracer coming up ahead, breathing labored. 

They didn’t say anything either, exhaling shakily as they too took in the unsavory sight. 

Alarm bells chimed in his head as he looked around for any sign of his mat- treasure and his precious girl. 

His dear boy, his little priest, his faithful treasure, a priceless being that could never be replaced.

Was entirely gone. 

And so was she.  

His family was gone . 

He felt the ground shake beneath them, as his anger took flight, causing Sky Bracer and Cloud Retainer to exchange worried glances. 

Their Lord was on the brink of insanity. 

They needed to act quick, lest they wanted the entire ground to crackle and dissipate beneath them as their grief-wracked Lord mourned his lost lover and friend. 

Cloud Retainer surveyed the area, for any sign of life. 

Jumping to conclusions was never great, not when nothing was confirmed… yet.  

Her eyes widened, when she found a small trace of energy a few ways away from them. 

“My Lord! There is someone over there!” 

Morax’s eyes glowed a dim golden as his hair flashed a molten gold, before he bolted to the direction Cloud Retainer was pointing to. 

The place in his chest where a mortal heart would be, clenched and his senses went to overdrive as he felt his mortal disguise slip more and more. 

____________________________

Up ahead, perched against a small tree, was Beisht, cradling an unresponsive Guizhong, looking alarmed. 

When she noticed someone up ahead, her eyes glowed, sharp and piercing, as she bared her teeth at them. 

It seemed as if the fight had shaken her up, at least, enough for her to still think that whoever was there was a threat to her and Guizhong. 

Morax felt his own instincts go into overdrive at the sight of an unconscious Guizhong, perched against an ambiguous ally. 

He felt his chest rumble with a sharp growl, as he met Beisht’s eyes, his own fangs bared; a threat. 

If she moved, he would cut her in half. 

Her eyes widened and the glow dispersed when she realized who it was, head bowed down low as she croaked out, “My Lord…I’m s-” 

Morax felt his nails grow into claws, as his hybrid body started to break and remold itself. 

His anger had boiled over. 

He charged forward, pointing a spear before her throat, “ Explain . Useless apologies mean nothing to me.” 

She blinked, before she bowed her head lower, carefully bringing Guizhong before his feet, kowtowing and bringing her head onto the ground, a clear display of submission and defeat. 

A plea for mercy. 

He snarled, itching to pierce her until her eyes grew dead and her blood drained from her body. 

But, when he looked at Guizhong, he stopped. 

And instead, he allowed Cloud Retainer to rush forward, pressing her fingers against her pulse. 

A few seconds passed as she sighed deeply; relieved, “My Lord…my lady is alive…She has merely exerted herself, but she will recover within a few hours.” 

“Good.” 

He turned towards a quivering Beisht, who was still in a deep kowtow, begging for forgiveness. 

She had failed to protect them both. 

Failed to stop her husband. 

She had failed. 

“Now you .” 

He lifted his spear, right at her head, his fury preventing him from rationalizing the situation. 

She shook with fear but remained silent. 

“Where is he.”  

 “...Osial has taken him…” 

____________________________

Cloud Retainer clenched her teeth, feeling the ground shake underneath her, getting rougher by the second. 

Her own stomach growing uneasy about the abrupt revelation. 

Her lady, Guizhong on her back, breathed shallow and golden tears streaming down her face as she cried; a gentle despair washing over her in waves. 

It seemed she was always bound to worry about Ajax, even in her unconscious state. 

But well. 

She wasn’t the only one who was worried to death about that brat.  

Cloud Retainer felt her own eyes sting with anger at the thought of what had happened. 

Her junior had become mad, she had lost her ally, her lady had been worn down, her other ally was too weak to form words, and that brat had been taken by Osial. 

Cloud Retainer huffed, blinking back her tears as she hastily wiped her lady’s tears with her fingertips, accidentally staining Guizhong’s face with her blood stained hands, smearing the blood over her cheeks. 

She was helpless to clean up the blood smeared all over her lady’s cheeks, and so instead, she merely left it like that. 

If she would attempt to clean the blood even more, she would merely cause it to smear further. 

Instead, she glanced towards her Lord, nervous about what she would find. 

Morax stood menacingly over a shaking Beisht, beaten down badly from the previous fight she had gotten herself in, barely managing to keep herself together as she bowed down to her Lord. 

His teeth sank roughly into his lips, as the golden blood dripped down his chin, onto the wet grass below, his human form shaking and convulsing as if about to burst at the seams. 

His pupils vibrating, dilating and retracting as though he could not keep it together, sharp black claws digging into his palms as he cut through his own flesh, fists clenched. 

If she did not act now, her Lord would no doubt break his composure. 

If she did not act soon, the violent beast she knew cultivated a few mountains away, would snap.  

“My Lord!”  

His head snapped towards her, eyes sharp and fangs bared. 

She bowed her head low, “... Please… we are wasting our time here….The whirlpool Lord Osial conjured is still open…..Let us go find him, before time runs out.” 

Her words seemed to bring the man back, somewhat. 

With a sharp kick, he threw Beisht towards the tree she was resting against a few moments prior. 

She let out a sharp grunt, as her body hit the tree, managing to lift herself up, albeit rather shakily. 

He stalked towards her, standing above her with clear intent to harm, “If he is hurt, you will pay the price.” 

Beisht’s eyes widened before she closed them and gave a somber nod, “ ..Yes, my lord.”  

He grunted before he walked forward, shaking the ground with each step, before he reached the bank of the large swirling whirlpool of water. 

His eyes glowed sharply, and before they knew it. 

A large dragon was before them, nostrils flaring smoky breath, as he dove straight for the whirlpool. 

Before they knew it, their Lord was gone, and behind him, the large whirlpool closed hastily behind him. 

____________________________

Their Lord had closed it.  

Cloud Retainer cursed under her breath as she glanced towards Sky Bracer, who similarly looked distressed. 

None of them had expected their Lord to so recklessly dive straight into danger. 

But then again. 

Anyone would if their family was being threatened. 

If their lover was being threatened. 

But even so, it was not wise to do so. 

Cloud Retainer let out a sharp sigh, as she looked towards Sky Bracer, who merely gestured towards Guizhong, “Give her to me. I will head back towards the mountain.” 

Cloud Retainer shook her head, “ No. ” 

His eyes widened a bit as his eyebrows furrowed. 

She continued, “...This is between our Lord and Lord Osial. This is not something anyone should intervene in…If we do, one can not guarantee our survival…Let us go back to the mountains, warn the others, and prepare for attacks.” 

She turned on her heel, going towards a battered Beisht, before she gestured at her, “If you do not want to be killed the moment our Lord or your husband, one would advise you to stand and steady yourself.” 

Even if Cloud Retainer felt frustrated that those two brats put themselves in harm's way, she could not allow her ally to die in front of her. 

This was not Beisht’s fault, as much as her heart wanted to convince her otherwise.  

And unstable emotions got in the way of a clear mind. 

And without a clear mind, one would not be able to make sense of things. 

Beisht blinked up at them, regret heavy in her eyes, “I….” 

Cloud Retainer turned towards her, “Not another word from you…One knows what you have failed to do…Do not apologize…it was not your fault.” 

Beisht bowed her head down, shakily standing up before she limped towards them, blood covering the messy bandages.

Cloud Retainer felt her heart clench at the sight of the poor girl barely managing to keep herself together. 

…Cloud Retainer does not like to admit it, but…

Before Beisht had gotten married to that nuisance she called a husband, they had crossed paths. 

Back then, Beisht was but a measly god, governing the other side of the ocean with an iron-clad fist, ready to strike at any opponent who dared cross her. 

Cloud Retainer had admired her, although, rather secretly , behind short greetings and polite smiles.

She was captivating, strong-willed, gentle, vile, and talented. 

Being able to talk her way out of most things, negotiating things with her sharp tongue, being able to put others in their place without so much as a blink, brutal in her methods to achieve what she wanted. 

And yet, she was gentle to the many jellyfish that liked to follow her around, bringing them food and gently patting them. 

A well-rounded goddess, with a talent for music, just like Ping. 

Cloud Retainer admired her more than she liked it, and was swayed by her sharp eyes, where her pupils did not touch the bottom of her eyes, and instead revealed the white parts of her eyes. 

A lot of people were scared of eyes like these, spreading rumors that people with such eyes were bad luck, that they were unstable. 

But in truth, it was really them who were unstable. 

At that point, she had moved on from A-Ling and that other dreaded girl who had managed to ensnare her. 

She had laid whatever could have been with A-Ling to rest, even if she knew her heart would always belong to her dearest girl. 

However, even so, she allowed her gaze to wander, on particularly lonely and unbearable days, on the muscular waist of her ally.

Beisht was a lot more well-built than A-Ling and Li Mei, but her waist was wider and muscular, curves sharp, arms bulkier and long hair held up in a tight ponytail. 

She was a sight to behold during training, and although she needed a bit more guidance in terms of her defense, she was a formidable opponent who was able to figure out the weak points of her opponents rather quickly. 

But, it was the way she treated others that stuck out to Cloud Retainer. 

She had absolute faith in her followers, doing everything she could to protect them, taking care of them from afar. 

And yet, in person, when she came across her followers, she acted rather distant and estranged; as if disinterested in whatever they had to say. 

And was known to withdraw on her own and spend her days in solitude, preferring the peace of absolute silence than a rowdy outing with friends. 

Aloof, but brimming with kindness. 

A silent kindness, the true and earnest kind, that sprouted out from the heart itself. 

She was beautiful; a gorgeous goddess, strong and kind. 

And well, Cloud Retainer was not blind to the longing stares directed her way, sharply across the meeting table, burning a dozen holes into Cloud Retainer’s armor. 

Their hidden ploy was bound to unravel. 

____________________________

They crossed paths a few weeks before she was set to marry Osial. 

She saw her standing by the shore of the lake down by the mountain, looking wistful as she gazed towards the waters beneath her. 

She was not going to utter a single word to Beisht, merely moving on to patrol the outskirts of the village by herself, but Beisht had spoken up. 

“...Are we just going to keep fooling ourselves, or are we going to do something about it?” 

Her words were drawn out of her lips, filled with frustration and desire. 

Cloud Retainer paused, staring back at her eyes, filled with raw emotion, feeling her own come up to the surface. 

“..Lady Beisht, you know that one can not and will not do what you are asking one to do.” 

Beisht frowned, “...Is that so?...Not even for the night, Cloud Retainer?”  

The usage of her name caused something inside of Cloud Retainer to come to a sudden pause. 

If she were to fool around with her junior’s soon-to-be wife, she would never be able to live with the guilt. 

The guilt that she took his wife, before he ever did. 

That she got to lay her hands on her skin, feeling every inch of her beneath her fingertips. 

She took a shaky breath, “ No ...One should have made it clear the day this started that it would never be anything. You are getting married off to my junior in a few days time. It is wrong.” 

Beisht’s eyes filled up with a deep longing as she looked towards the lake, “...I…I understand…My judgment has been clouded by the stress of my upcoming union to Lord Osial. I am not thinking straight..…My sincerest apologies, Shigu ....” 

She crumpled into herself, deep in thought. 

She was getting married to Osial, a good friend that was soon going to be her husband. 

It was unwise to think that it was not weighing down on her mind. 

Especially since….the poor woman had managed to harbor feelings for her. 

Something that Cloud Retainer could not feel for her. 

And, if she had known that things would be this way, she would have never stayed longer at her residence and shared many cups of wine with her on dazy days, nor let her hands run astray when correcting her stance, nor should she have entertained the ideas of evenings of private shows as she played her lovely instrument. 

But even so, even if she could not feel the same. 

She was not heartless. 

Cloud Retainer sighed, as she walked up to her, “.....Even if one prohibits this to go on any longer, one will grant you what you desire…if only for a moment…Consider it a parting gift..” 

Beisht looked up, her eyes wallowing in pain as she gave a curt nod, bowing her head down, “...Please.” 

Cloud Retainer remembers feeling her muscles shift underneath her, as she pressed gentle kisses on her shoulders, neck, and lips, hands not staying further and keeping to her upper half, as she pretended not to see the way tears welled up and fell from Beisht’s eyes. 

They did not go further than simple touches and caresses, delicate presses of lips, and heated kisses on shoulder blades. 

But it was enough for Beisht, who closed her eyes and enjoyed the momentary pleasure. 

After a few minutes, Cloud Retainer departed, pressing a long kiss to her forehead, as she whispered a soft blessing, “...A parting gift worthy of a God’s audience.” 

Beisht’s eyes welled up with tears as she sobbed into Cloud Retainer’s shoulders, disheveled, and mourning a love that could never be. 

Cloud Retainer let her cry into her shoulder, holding her tightly before gently dropping her off at her own domain, letting her own body drape over Beisht’s as she relished the comfort of her warm body. 

After that night, they had parted ways, and Beist had merely become a distant memory. 

When she attended their wedding, and bore witness to their union, she merely turned her head away from the sight and begged for forgiveness to the skies above. 

The guilt that covered her senses was overwhelming. 

Now, that night had become a secret shared between the two of them, until one of them had passed on. 

Just like all the other trysts she had encountered before. 

And just like them on, Beisht too, would wither away before her very eyes. 

____________________________

And now, as she stood before the woman who yearned for her love, standing before her, weakened gravely and half-way to death. 

She could not hold her pity back. 

A pitiful person, down on their luck, beaten down by fate, by destiny. 

She sighed, and before she knew it, she spoke, “….Now , come along, before one changes one's mind.” 

She turned towards her, before she wrapped her hands underneath her armpits and gripped her shoulder, allowing Beisht to rest her weight against her body, supporting her up while being mindful of her wounds. 

Beisht blinked, surprised. 

She had not expected a modicum of kindness, especially after what she had done. 

Her eyes glittered with golden tears, as they trembled, her voice small, “..Thank you..” 

Cloud Retainer huffed, frustrated at such a pathetic reaction, “One is not doing it for you… One is doing it for Lady Guizhong, she is fond of you. You should be thanking her for my Lord’s mercy, for my mercy.” 

Beisht bowed her head down, nodding, slightly stumbling and looking rather dismayed. 

Cloud Retainer sighed once again, feeling hopeless, “...One will make sure you have recovered completely before you go face my Lord… Even if our Lady is fond of you, he , on the other hand, is rather not fond of you…But, one will grant you a fair chance…”

And with that, they made their way to the mountains where the rest of the adepti guarded the frontlines of Qingce Village. 

____________________________ 

Madam Ping felt her heart get stuck in her throat when her eyes landed on her lady. 

Her precious lady, soft eyes closed, hair cascading messily down her sides as her body lay limp across Sky Bracer’s back. 

They were stumbling down the path when she saw them, clear as day, four of them. Her shidi and Shizun, nowhere in sight. 

Their absence left a bad feeling in her stomach, as her mind raced to think the worst of what may have happened. 

And yet, all thoughts about her shidi and her shizun were halted monetarily, by the horrific sight that greeted her eyes. 

Before her, she saw Beisht badly beaten, half-way to death’s door. 

Cloud Retainer, next to her, face scratched up as her eyebrows furrowed, marring her handsome face, as she exerted herself and held Beisht up. 

Sky Bracer a short ways behind them, pale and disorientated as he looked around in a daze, holding tightly onto Guizhong. 

Her fingers loosened the tight grip she had on her spear as she bolted towards the group, frightened at the sight that presented itself in front of her eyes. 

Sky Bracer did not flinch when she dashed towards him, practically yanking Guizhong out of his arms, holding her tightly against her chest, as she frantically checked for signs of life. 

Cloud Retainer spoke, “There is no need to check her pulse….She is stable, she merely over-exerted herself…Do not fret.” 

Ping blinked, nodding absentmindedly, as she still pressed her fingers against her Shijie’s wrist. 

Only when she felt the weak thrums of her beloved’s heart, did she allow herself to let out the breath she had not realized she was holding. 

Every single tense bone in her body released, as she slumped her shoulders and pressed her face against her shijie’s shoulder, burying herself in the familiar scent. 

“Thank Celestia…” she sighed as she felt a flood of relief course through her.

A moment passed before she felt a small tap on her shoulder, “... Shimei, I know you are worried, but she has still drained much of her energy…She has to go rest…and we have a lot to tell you..” 

It was Sky Bracer, looking up at her with gentle eyes, understanding and yet slightly worried. 

She drew in a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds, before she nodded, “...I understand…I will drop her off at my domain..” 

Cloud Retainer nodded, “Good…Meanwhile, one will reach one’s own chambers to properly take care of this insolent girl’s wounds.” 

She turned to glare at Beisht, who remained silent….

It seemed as if…there was certainly a lot to say…

____________________________

Cloud Retainer hoisted Beisht inside of her domain, reeling at the sight of the blood that covered the messy bandages that covered her torso. 

She carefully led the woman to a small bed, where she carefully laid her down, frowning when she saw Beisht bite her lip in an attempt to bear the pain. 

She hurried to her drawers, as she retrieved a variety of items: bandages, scissors, and some liquid medicine. 

She dropped them to the side of Beisht, as she went over to her sink and thoroughly washed her hands, before she went towards the bed and retrieved the scissors. 

Then, she thoroughly inspected the wounds. 

The bandages that were wrapped around her, were hastily done and on top of her clothes, which restricted them from being too effective. 

She sighed, “...Take off your clothes.” 

Beisht stilled underneath her, as she hurried to take them off…struggling and wincing. 

Cloud Retainer grabbed her hands, “... Stop …one will do it.” 

Beisht’s face turned pink as she nodded, and Cloud Retainer continued on. 

However, as much as she pulled at the fabric of her armor, it would not budge. 

She retrieved her scissors and began cutting her clothes, taking off bloody layer after layer until her top half was naked. 

She then began to undo the multitude of bandages, and winced when she saw that her body was nearly cut in half, a mere piece of flesh holding her together. 

However, that wasn’t the only wound she had received. 

Although, it did seem that it was by far the most severe one. 

Her shoulders were cut with multiple gashes, and her chest was sliced with a long knife, nearly cutting one of her breasts open. 

Golden blood covering her entire body, almost as if Morax had come and spilled his treasures all over her body. 

She felt her eyes water as she blinked them back, “..Just what did you do to suffer these severe wounds, insolent brat?’ 

Beisht remained silent, as Cloud Retainer let out a sigh, “No matter, one will heal you.” 

With a shaky breath, Cloud Retainer waited no longer and pressed the small vial of medicine into her mouth, “Drink up.” 

Beisht did what she was told, and Cloud Retainer watched as her throat bobbed up and down as she drank it, her pale neck on display. 

The medicine was potent, and made out of the strongest herbs known to mankind. 

It was reserved for severe injuries, and could only be consumed by adepti in large amounts in order to completely wash the pain away. 

It was otherwise deadly for human beings even to try a lick of the substance. 

And, its effects set in almost immediately after being consumed. 

Cloud Retainer watched as Beisht slumped onto the bed, completely relaxed and numb to the pain, eyes slightly watery at the earlier pain she felt. 

She began, drawing up her palm towards her torso as she began to send her energy forth, slowly starting to mend the broken tissues and fix them back up together, restabilizing her organs back into place and mending the broken parts of it. 

Cloud Retainer watched as her palms healed and put the multiple layers of fat, blood, tissue, and flesh back together again, before it healed up into a large gash across her torso. 

The scar would surely fade over time, as soon as her body got its energy back. 

She then turned her attention to her chest. 

The gash there was not as deep as the one across her torso, and would heal up sooner. 

She watched as it too, closed up. 

Beisht spoke up, “....My…ankle...is sprained.” 

Her voice was groggy, and yet clear as water to Cloud Retainer, who turned her attention to the lower side of Beisht. 

Indeed, she could see the odd way her leg was positioned. 

She sighed. 

Just another thing she had to heal. 

She turned her attention to it, and slowly started to crack it back into place, hearing as the bone cracked and positioned itself in the right place. 

Feeling as her energy was dying out. 

Cloud Retainer did not like to heal others through this method, as it meant that her own would get sucked out of her, and it would leave her feeling fatigued and overly tired. 

And so, she only used such a method in severe cases.

Such as this one. 

And so, with her energy nearly depleted, she slowly went towards her drawer to retrieve a loose nightgown she had laying around. 

It…belonged to Li Mei.  

After she had left it behind in her domain, right before she had been killed. 

Cloud Retainer never wore it, as it did not fit her and such garish colors and style were not to her tastes, so she had decided to store it. 

Just in case she needed to give them to someone, like right now. 

She turned towards Beisht and handed it to her, “...Get dressed and sleep…You will need to rest plenty before you even consider getting out of this bed..” 

Beisht nodded, as she began to get up and change. 

She slipped on the night gown , as it draped over her figure, outlining every curve and dip of her body. 

Cloud Retainer silently cursed Celestia as she felt her heartbeat quicken and turned her attention on clearing the tattered clothes, bloody bandages, and equipment back in her drawer. 

Such temptations were truly her downfall. 

She sighed as she moved to the small basket where she stored such bloody bandages, until she could get rid of them later on. 

But before she could, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, “....Senior, thank you, for everything .. ” 

She whisked around, to see a pair of thankful eyes staring up at her, glittering with stars. 

They no longer looked in pain, and were playful instead. 

Not yearning, but instead, friendly . 

It seemed as if the lesser god had finally pushed past her feelings for Cloud Retainer. 

Good.  

Cloud Retainer huffed, patting her back before pushing her off and flicking her forehead, “...Hmph…One is not doing this for you, after this is done, we will depart once again…” 

And she marched off, hearing the small chuckles coming from Beisht. 

Ignoring the large grin that settled across her face as she left her own domain. 

____________________________

Madam Ping on the other hand gingerly carried her shijie, alongside Sky Bracer who walked beside her in case of any other sudden attacks. 

He looked tenser than she had seen him, but otherwise well. 

Guizhong’s breathing had settled down long since, breathing out gently as her eyes remained closed. 

But, as much as Ping wanted to press a gentle kiss to her eyelids, there were important matters pressing. 

Such reunions would only be sweet if everyone was fine.

Which, unfortunately, did not seem to be the case. 

Madam Ping did not need to be told, to understand that Morax and Ajax were both in grave danger. 

It was evident in the way Sky Bracer’s pupils remained constricted even though he appeared calm, and in the way Cloud Retainer’s eyebrows were drawn together in a tight line. 

And so, she hastily made her way towards her domain, down by the lower mountain region, near the lake. 

It was much more secluded than the rest of the other adepti domains, but it wasn’t as if she ever felt lonely. 

She liked her space, and treasured her solitude, and the quiet moments she would spend lounging by the waters of the nearest forest, admiring nature and strumming her guzheng.  

But, it wasn’t as if she was a hermit either. 

She too, liked company, and Guizhong made great company in her domain. 

Making sure to not talk her ear off during the moments where Ping required some peace and quiet, and yet, she never left her side, preferring to read a book or simply spend it by her lover’s side. 

Ping loved her greatly. 

They entered her domain in no time, as she made her way up the stairs, towards their bedroom. 

Every Havria passed on, Guizhong had been staying over at her place, and well…

Her bed was made for only one person, so they slept rather uncomfortably the first couple of nights, until Ping went out and built another bed frame and bought a new mattress that was big enough to fit them both. 

Unlike her, Guizhong preferred a soft bed just like Ajax did. 

However, unlike Ajax, she liked being covered in multiple layers of thick blankets, as she liked the sensation of constant reassuring pressure over her. 

Ping had to resort to digging through her closet to find the blankets she was saving for wintertime as well as borrowing some from Guizhong’s own domain in order to satisfy her. 

And so, she had to get one made by the local merchant, who complied and had it made with stuffed sheep’s wool. 

It was softer than she had preferred it to be, but Guizhong liked it, as she sunk into the soft bedding and slept more soundly than she had in the previous days. 

And so…Ping shut her mouth. 

But well…now it seemed that it was a good choice to get such a soft mattress. 

Her lady needed to rest her body and replenish her energy for a while, it seemed. 

After pressing a swift kiss on Guizhong’s forehead, and covering her up in multiple heavy blankets, she made her way outside of their bedroom, where Sky Bracer waited patiently (he waited outside so as to not invade the couple’s chambers). 

A nod from Ping was enough for him to get up from the wall he leaned against and head towards the door. 

They had a lot to discuss. 

____________________________

Morax raged through the waters, attempting to trace any sign of his precious treasure. 

That vile serpent had taken what was rightfully his.  

His lover. 

His mate.   

His treasure.  

His. 

He felt the waters shake as his anger slipped through and caused the ocean floor to tremble with fear. 

His senses on fire as his eyes darted through the murky waters beneath, attempting to trace Ajax’s energy, as he scoured through it. 

A sense of overwhelming distress clutching at his heart as he could not see his lover no matter where he looked, as it was nothing but darkness. 

Nothing but darkness, and no trace of his dearest. 

He felt his distress cause the ocean floor to shake rapidly as huge tides of water were washing over his body, his body shaking at the apparent loss of his mate. 

He could not see Ajax anywhere. 

His dearest boy was nowhere to be seen. 

He was lost. 

That serpent had taken him. 

The ocean floor shook with even more intensity, as the dragon looked everywhere, opening his eyes wider as he attempted to look for any traces of his lover's energy. 

But it was worthless.. 

Ajax was nowhere. 

The ocean floor shook violently, as even stronger waves started to form on top of the waters, causing massive waves to begin to form as a result of the earthquakes he was causing with his distress. 

Nowhere.  

And then. 

He felt a slimy appendage wrap around swiftly around his form, curling around it with no resistance. 

Morax clawed at the appendage, destroying it with his sharp claws as he moved to get away from the direction it came from. 

It was helpless. 

As soon as he did so, more appendages popped from the darkness and wrapped around him at once. 

But it wasn’t just his body this time, it was around his tail, his feet and arms, his horns, his mouth, his long whiskers. 

He clawed at them desperately, but they were far too strong, slimy and more stealthy than he was. 

Faster than he was. 

They overwhelmed him. 

And before he knew it, they were dragging him towards something. 

He screamed.

But there was no sound. 

____________________________

Ajax jolted up. 

He desperately looked around….to see nothing. 

But despite attempting to move, he could not. 

He blinked towards his hands and feet, to see a multitude of appendages, wrapping tightly around him. 

Osial. 

Where was he? 

He looked around, attempting to discern where the man had gone.

And met multiple pairs of eyes staring down at him. 

Ah.  

A shiver ran down his spine at the sight. 

He hastily closed his eyes, attempting to fool the hydra into thinking that he was still unconscious. 

Ajax didn’t know what Osial wanted with him, and certainly did not want to find out either. 

But, regardless of his futile effort to fool the god, it was fruitless, “ Human…”  

Before he knew it, the lights were on. 

And Ajax was met with the glowing eyes of Osial. 

He was in his human form now, that terrible miasma covering every inch of his being, withering his very form away the further he continued on. 

He stalked towards him, towering over him before he tilted his chin up with an arrogant smile across his face, “.. How pitiful you look, writhing around, looking at me with such pleading eyes…Do not worry, one will make sure you will suffer a quick death…”  

Ajax blinked up at him, glaring at his captor, causing Osial to laugh, “ ...Hah…it has been centuries since such a defiant human has walked into my domain…how refreshing…”  

Ajax frowned, but remained silent. 

Osial’s eyes glowed magenta as the corruption spread around him in a sickening greenish-black, “ You have trespassed my domain, silly human boy…and you have interfered with my prey….surely your death will clear your sin against me, hm?”  

He grinned, as the miasma spread further across him, smothering the dark underground palace in darkness. 

Ajax felt irritated as he struggled to get out of the binds, attempting to call out to his vision…but for some reason…it was not working underwater. 

Osial laughed, “ Do not attempt to get away now, poor thing. You will not be able to. Now-”  

He stopped talking, as he stopped, “ Oh…another visitor? Wait for me here…Do not attempt to escape, it is useless, you are in my domain now.”  

He disappeared in a flash, leaving Ajax in the dimly-lit room. 

Whoever had been detected in his domain had caused Osial to go after them…however, that still was not good news. 

…It was surely one of them.  

They were most likely worried sick about Ajax, and were looking all over for him…

But it was not safe here.

Inside of the jaws of a hydra’s domain was not the ideal place to be, and certainly not if you wanted to gain the upper hand on the beast. 

Ajax hoped and prayed that whoever it was would scurry away before Osial caught up to them. 

He…would figure out how to deal with this. 

He had to. 

He shook his head as he thought of ways to get out of here first. 

Even if he was not excited at the fact that someone else was down here with them, they would buy him some time. 

He focused on attempting to call out to his vision, and felt his hopes go up when he saw it stir from its position on the floor a few ways away from him. 

It glowed softly as it attempted to get to him. 

His brows furrowed as he concentrated on getting to it harder, attempting to call it towards him with all he had. 

Of course, even if he attempted to do so, it only moved a bit and…in the opposite direction he was in. 

Celestia above!

Why was his luck so shit?!

He sighed as he opted for a second method. 

If a vision would not help him, then he would have to simply rely on his other powers granted to him by a celestial being. 

He felt the pure energy course through his veins, warm and comforting, as he focused on concentrating it on his hands, which were tied to his back. 

He felt the appendages tighten the more he brought adeptal energy towards it, curling onto his body tighter as he struggled against their hold. 

Fuck.  

It seemed as if using powers granted by Celestia were useless. 

…He sighed. 

Left with no choice, he felt the dull pain of the abyssal taint call out to him, as he let it consume him. 

As expected. 

It easily cut through the appendages, and completely fried them off, Ajax falling to the ground as they scattered. 

But even if that pest was gone, something told Ajax that they would be back. 

Getting on his feet, he scurried over to the vision on the floor, before he pinned it on his belt. 

After that, he hurried over to find an exit to this damned palace. 

He hurried to find an exit as he darted from the countless rooms inside of the palace, attempting to find an exit. 

But there just didn’t seem to be one. 

Cursing, he decided to burst a hole and get out from there. 

However, before he could, he heard a long screech coming from the place he had been in before, that oddly resembled a prison cell. 

____________________________

He sneaked up from where the yelling was coming from, and halted in his steps. 

It was Morax. 

In his hybrid form, clawing desperately at the appendages as Osial snarled at him, “Morax, attempting to break free from my restraints is futile…you are finally in my possession now…” 

Morax growled, as he fought against the restraints as he glared up at Osial, breaking out momentarily from the restraints and charging towards Osial, who swerved and sent his tentacles forward and caught him before restraining him again, “Ah, ah, ah. ”

He then started to sing that awful melody again, causing Ajax to cover his ears on instinct, knowing what that power was capable of, as Morax fought against it. 

However, he was unable to cover his own ears, and soon started to sway…before he fell to the ground. 

Osial grinned, before he looked around the prison cell, “...Hm…”  

Ajax hastily bolted behind the entrance to the prison as Osial’s eyes glossed past him. 

He had to sneak up on Osial and constrain him before things got out of hand…

Osial frowned, as the miasma started to spread further around him. 

He needed a distraction. 

He darted his eyes around for something to throw, before he landed on his vision…..

Ah…he had just retrieved it…

And now he had to throw it again…

If the Hydro Archon was not already mad at him, she would have surely thrown a fit by now. 

The precious vision that she had granted him, a most valued treasure that some trained years to obtain was….being thrown recklessly and by some abyssal creature..

The thought was so ridiculous that Ajax didn’t know whether he should have cried or laughed at the absurdity of it all. 

But either way, it was the only choice he had. 

And so, he unpinned his vision and threw it….as it bounced off of Morax’s head before going towards the farthest corner of the room. 

…he always did have awful aim…

But regardless of the questionable aim, it caused Osial to go towards the vision, his eyebrows furrowed as he scrutinized the item. 

Ajax bolted from his place behind the entrance and immediately felt as his body transformed, his every limb tearing from its place on his body as it rebuilt itself into a taller version of his normal body. 

The Foul Legacy form was a pain in the ass to recover from, but it was better than nothing. 

He retrieved his spear before he hit Osial on the back of the head, causing him to blink before he turned around with a growl. 

However, before he could try anything, Ajax struck him again.

And watched as Osial’s body flopped onto the ground, unconscious. 

However, that pesky miasma was still raging around him, in large quantities. 

Ajax sighed, as he inhaled the miasma greedily, feeling as his body filtrated it and fed on the strength it provided. 

After eating all of it, he hastily went to pick up his vision, tying it on his belt, before he went to bind Osial. 

And after ensuring that he was secured enough with a water ribbon, he hoisted Osial across his right shoulder. 

Before he went towards Morax, and hoisted him up on his other shoulder. 

It seemed that with Osial being rendered unconscious, the power he had over his domain was wavering, causing Ajax to see a slight crack in his enchantment. 

Thankfully he was in his Foul Legacy form, otherwise carrying the both of them would have put further strain on his body. 

Once he made sure the two knuckleheads were secured, he bolted towards the crack, smashing through it and ending up face to face with a giant whirlpool. 

It looked like a portal of sorts; the same ones he had seen in the forest near his house in Morepesok back when he was fourteen. 

Sucking everything around it and glowing a vibrant blue color. 

On instinct, he reached towards it, and it roughly pulled him. 

____________________________

He heard a voice call out to him, rough and commanding, causing his heart to quicken. 

"Wake up, if you want to live, boy."

Hm?  

"Boy."

Who was that? 

"Wake up."

What?

"Wake up, brat!"

Master? 

"Come on."

Is that...you? 

“Wake up!”

He jolted his eyes open.

Met with the sight of his master standing above him him, her long grayish-purple hair flowing down her shoulders, as she looked straight through him. 

The room was similar to the many caves he would hide out with his master, and yet, no traces of the abyss was inside of the room. 

Could this be…an inbetween dimension? 

He had heard his master talk about them in the past, but he never thought he would end up in such a situation. 

“Master….Skirk?”  

“Hmph,” she kicked him to the side, as she brought her hand up to his back before she slapped it, causing him to throw up large amounts of water as he coughed violently, feeling his chest burn at the awful sensation, “So you have not forgotten the name of your master after all.” 

Afterwards, she crouched down and leaned him forward, grabbing his face and staring into his eyes, “Hm…you have grown up rather nicely, haven’t you brat?” 

He blinked up at her, confused, but not afraid. 

He never felt afraid with his master, even back when she would beat him and pierce her spear through his chest, even when she cursed at him, even when she broke every bone in his body. 

He tilted his face to the side and grinned, teasing, “Why? Do you like my pretty face, master?” 

Skirk make a disgruntled face as she threw his face to the side, “...It seems as if you lack discipline….I remember back when you were but a whimpering brat, running after me like a dog to its master…Now you have become unbearable it seems.” 

Ajax burst into laughter as he hunched over, “Really now?” 

Skirk had a ghost of a smile on her face, as she sighed, “Yes…now then, would you care to explain how it is you ended up here again? Did I not tell you to never look for me again, brat.”

Ajax felt his laughter die down, “Ah…well…about that…” 

____________________________

“What!”  

Skirk’s eye started to twitch as she leaned closer to her disciple as she glared at him, looking as if she wanted to kill him and then fry him up for breakfast, “You did what?!” 

He chuckled as he backed away from her. 

“Yeah…” 

Skirk grabbed him by the collar and stared intensely at his clothes, before she turned him around in a freakish display of strength…it seemed after all these years, his master would always be stronger than him…

He pulled down his collar and stared, horrified at the glowing mark on his neck, pulsating and nearly scalding her when she attempted to touch it. 

“You allowed a God to mark you! And on top of that, you turned into one of those disgusting celestial beings?! And you are on a mission to do what?” 

He sighed as he limped against her hold, “I…wasn’t really granted a choice in that last one…Besides, not all of Celestia’s creations are bad….” 

Skirk frowned, as she threw him down and sat down beside him, “...Even so, you willingly allowed yourself to be marked by a god! And not just any god, but the oldest and strongest of the damned Seven in charge of my homeland’s demise!”

She trembled and scowled at Ajax, as he stiffened. 

He didn’t even think about that. 

Right, even if Zhongli was a gentle being…didn’t always mean he always made the right calls. 

He was called the Warrior God for a reason, after all. 

But even so, he wanted to argue with his own master about Morax’s involvement in Khaenri’ah’s demise. 

Even though he knew deep down, that Morax had everything to do with it. 

Of course, Skirk, his master who was of Khaenri’ah origin, would be absolutely furious at the sudden confession. 

Her own pupil had become entangled with one of the seven, and had even become an adeptus…even though he belonged to the Abyss. 

He bowed his head down, “...Master….I’m-” 

She covered his mouth, her eyes shut and trembling, “Not another word. You do not mean it…” 

He yanked her hand away, “No. I’m sorry about what happened to Khaenri’ah….I would have loved to bear witness to its glory…but…I am not sorry for loving Morax…he…is good to me…And I love him…....."

He paused, looking away, "....I am not meant to be called your disciple..” 

Skirk remained quiet for a few moments, before she smacked him on his back…in a manner meant to convey camaraderie more than violence, “....Shut up brat…I’ll send you back to your world…just......do not speak anymore.” 

He nodded, as she picked him up, before she walked to a side of the room before drawing up a large portal, written using runes lost to time. 

She pressed her palm to it harshly, causing it to shake violently before a familiar portal was present in front of him once again. 

She turned towards him, no malice in her eyes as she stared at him, “...Save Khaenri’ah for me, brat.” 

Her eyes were filled with conviction as she gazed at him, and he felt weak to it. 

Her wish was useless. 

It was too ambitious and unrealistic. 

Even if he had all the power of the seven combined, it would never be enough to save Khaenri’ah’s demise. 

Celestia’s wrath was too strong. 

He shook his head, somber, “I… can’t…Master, I-. ” 

“I know you can’t.” 

He looked up at her, his master’s eyes filled with unshed tears, “I know you can’t, but at least…fight until your last breath, for Khaenri'ah, for me…otherwise, you will be known as a traitor and if that happens,” she turned around, “Do not refer to me your Master, again.”

He felt himself shake, as he stared at the floor, “..I will.” 

He always would. 

Even if he was part of the adepti now, his soul would always belong to the Abyss, to Khaenri’ah.  

A child born in Celestia’s playground, belonging to a nation that no longer existed. 

“Good…save them for me.” 

She grabbed him and then threw him into the portal. 

____________________________

When he awoke, he was aware of a throbbing pain in the side of his head, alongside the feeling of something sticking uncomfortably to his skin. 

He looked around, he felt his clothes weighing him down and came to the realization that he was wet. 

Wet and covered with sand. 

Grainy uncomfortable sand. 

A beach?  

He glanced around, and saw that it was not just him laying down on the white sandy beaches of what appeared to be Liyue. 

Morax and Osial were there too, and by the looks of it…still unconscious. 

Ajax sighed when he realized he was back in his normal form, his Foul Legacy nowhere to be found. 

The Abyss. 

Skirk.  

He felt his heart clench at his master’s face, vulnerable and pleading. 

He would fight for Khaenri’ah with all he had, even if that cost him his heart in the process. 

Even if that meant having to fight against Morax and the rest of the adepti. 

He would fight for Khaenri’ah. 

He sighed. 

Until then, he would not think about something that was yet to come. 

For now, he would focus on the two unconscious gods a few feet away from him. 

He felt his limbs repositioning themselves as he once again transformed, feeling the dull pain spread all over his body. 

He had to worry about this now. 

He threw them over his shoulders and carried on to the direction of the mountains. 

____________________________

Ping let out a long sigh at the long-awaited news. 

Sky Bracer there to pat her back and comfort her, as Cloud Retainer explained, looking rather harrowed and tired. 

“I see..” 

Sky Bracer nodded, “...We have no idea where they have gone…but the whirlpool closed before he were able to get inside…” 

Ping nodded, feeling guilt swallow her up at the things they told her about. 

She should have been there. 

Should have been there alongside Guizhong. 

If she was there, would the three of them have been able to restrain Osial enough for him to be fully cleansed? 

The thoughts ate away at her, as she thought of her shijie’s face. 

She felt a gentle pat to her shoulder, “Do not feel guilty, shimei. There was no way you could have known..” 

She let out a sound that sounded like a choked sob as she nodded, “..Yeah..” 

All they could do now was pray that everything would sort itself out. 

Ping closed her eyes, and hoped that everything would be alright. 

Hearing the light footsteps of someone darting away from behind one of the trees. 

____________________________

Xiao felt his heart clench, as he bolted away from the scene. 

…He never thought he would grow as attached as he did to someone. 

Back when he was at the mercy of his prior Lord, everyday seems miserable, dragging on longer than it needed too as he heard the voice of his Lord scream at him even in his dreams.

So, when he was dragged out of the darkness he had found himself trapped in, he felt like he could breathe again. 

His new Lord had saved him, and granted him a new life. 

Freedom . 

And…that man….with the obnoxious voice and even more obnoxious red hair had smiled at him, had shown him gentility and kindness as he carried him in order to not force him to walk on the sharp terrain. 

The man who had proclaimed himself as his Ge, chattering loudly with the others as he attempted to get Xiao to warm up to him. 

Xiao had been cautious at first, drawing a clear line between him and the man, wishing to get away from him as soon as he could. 

And yet, he always managed to coax Xiao out, with that damned smile of his. 

Too wide for his face, and too bright. 

Xiao found himself content to be beside the man’s side, and relished the warmth he provided, the feeling of safety he exuded. 

And soon, he found himself sticking to him like a pesky mosquito. 

And yet, the man did not seem to mind, as he welcomed the clinginess, even when Xiao’s night terrors started to dissipate. 

And, his new Lord started to hang around the both of them, he felt as if he was walking on clouds. 

He finally had what the other demons often talked about, quietly to others who felt just as lonely as them. 

He remembered how fondly they talked about their family, longing to be back at their side. 

Xiao did not have a family, as he was born alone from a mountain before he was taken in by his old Lord. 

And so, he had nothing to compare their descriptions of how their life used to be like. 

Xiao did not know how a mother’s love felt, nor did he now how a father’s love felt. 

He was born without parents. 

And longed for someone to cradle him and pamper him just like he heard the new demons forcibly taken by his Lord talk about. 

And so, when he finally obtained what they had talked about. 

He felt close to tears. 

A family. 

People that were all around him, ready to die for him, ready to protect him, ready to guide and love him. 

He felt over the moon. 

So, when he heard of what had happened to his Lord and his ge-ge… he felt something within him shatter. 

A strange distress filled him up as he clawed desperately at his chest. 

He didn’t want to go back to how it used to be. 

He didn’t want to be alone again. 

“ A-Xiao… is that you?”

He whisked around, towards the direction of the voice. 

It was a strange looking creature, with familiar red hair peeking through a large mask. 

____________________________

Ajax felt relieved when he saw Xiao up ahead, the brat noticeably smaller than him.

…Was this how Skirk felt when he saw him for the first time?

Hm..

No wonder she took him under her wing, when she saw such a small and defenseless kid. 

He saw Xiao grow tense as he readied his spear ahead of him, looking scared as ever. 

Ah..right. 

The kids have never seen this form before. 

Xiao had never seen him like this. 

It would make sense for him to be wary of a strange looking beast who towered over him that also knew his name. 

He sighed, placing the two gods he had onto the floor before he felt his muscles and bones start to re-adjust themselves back to his normal form. 

He blinked up when he went back to his normal form  “A-Xiao.” 

Xiao’s eyes widened, as he dropped his spear onto the floor. 

“….it’s me, your Ge-” 

He felt a pair of small arms wrap around his waist, as Xiao pressed his face against his chest, “-ge..” 

Ajax felt himself chuckle as he patted the boy’s back, “Missed me?” 

Xiao didn’t say anything and instead gripped onto him tighter and buried his face deeper into his chest.

“There, there, A-Xiao….Don’t you know that your ge’s indestructible…nothing could ever get rid of me,” he laughed as he patted the boy’s head. 

Xiao still remained silent, causing Ajax to sigh. 

He had really worried the kid, hadn’t he. 

“...We have to get these two back to the others, A-Xiao… we can’t be here for long..” 

Xiao still didn’t move. 

Ajax laughed, as he patted Xiao’s head, playing with his hair, it was surprisingly soft, “.. A-Xiao~ If you stay here longer, then I will pinch your cheeks thrice a day!” 

Xiao didn’t move. 

What the fuck? 

Since when did this brat become so clingy enough to endure the pinch attacks from Ajax? 

“A-Xiao. You have to bring the other’s back, then you can hug me all you want, hm? Don’t you want Shizun to be well too?” 

Xiao begrudgingly started to move after a while, pulling away hesitantly. 

“Okay..” he said, voice small. 

Ajax smiled at him, pinching his chubby cheeks, causing Xiao to pout, “What? I did tell you that I was going to pinch you if you didn’t let go, didn’t I?” 

Xiao’s pout became deeper as he crossed his arms and looked away, upset. 

Ajax burst into laughter, as he took both of the unconscious men in each arm, and slightly winced at how heavy they were. 

Even if he was strong, he didn’t know if he would be able to pick anything up without shaking for the next few days. 

Well…it was at least better than the way his legs trembled and his hips ached the next day after Morax’s…insatiable nature caught up to his poor body. 

In fact, he was sure that he would be dead if it wasn’t for the extra stamina that his abyssal and adeptal powers granted him.

And he prayed that Morax would never do this with a mortal, if he did not want to kill the poor person. 

He shook off those thoughts and began to walk, as Xiao walked besides him, on the way to see the others. 

____________________________ 

But before they did that, they were caught by a sudden voice. 

“Shidi!”  

It was Guizhong, running at both of them, her hair loosely at her sides, looking worried. 

Ajax felt a strong feeling well up in his throat, at the sight of his shijie.  

He dropped the gods on the ground, and let out a wet laugh, as he came closer to her, “Shijie! You’re okay!” 

“Of course I would be okay!! But shidi! What were you thinking putting yourself in danger like that?! You could have died!” 

She shouted at him, as she came towards him and put her head on his shoulder as she squeezed him tightly, “I thought you were dead! I was worried sick! I even passed out because I was so worried! Celestia above! When will you stop worrying me half to death, shidi?!”  

He paused, “What? You passed out, are you okay?” 

Guizhong pulled away from him as she glared at him, frowning, “Do not worry about me! You were suddenly gone into that whirlpool…and I…was helpless to stop you..” 

Her gaze softened as she frowned deeper at him, “I..thought you were gone, shidi…I was so worried.” 

….He felt himself pull her close, wrapping his arms around her as he patted her back gently, drawing soothing circles all the while, “I’m here now, don’t worry about me…” 

She nodded in his shoulder. 

A few minutes passed before she withdrew herself from his shoulder, “...So…will you explain why there are two unconscious gods tied up at either side of you, shidi?”  

He paused, “Oh yeah! I…we need to take them to the others…Morax was knocked unconscious by Osial…but he is otherwise fine…However, Osial on the other hand….I’m…I’m not so sure if he is completely cured of the miasma that was affecting his body….I managed to clear some of it, but I’m not sure if all of it has been taken care of.” 

She nodded, before she went towards Osial and hoisted him up across her shoulder…

Celestia above, his shijie had gotten strong!

Pretty soon, he was certain she was going to beat him in arm-wrestling…just like Captain Beidou had (he still wasn’t going to live that bitter defeat down). 

“Let’s go.” 

He nodded. 

____________________________

Cloud Retainer’s jaw nearly fell off when she saw the sight of her two juniors carrying unconscious gods all whilst little Xiao was right beside them. 

“Care to explain?” 

They had barged into her domain, asking for her to check the unconscious gods for injuries. 

She said, looking rather unimpressed at the sight, though in reality she felt as if 100 years of her immortal lifetime had been taken off at the ridiculous sight. 

Ajax sighed, “Ah…Da-yi…so uhh…as you can see-”

“Do not continue…one thinks that a migraine is right at one’s doorstep……hand the other two fools over and be done with it..” 

Ajax cackled as he and Guizhong did exactly that. 

Of course, before they could talk about anything else. 

They were met with another voice. 

“Shijie! Shidi!”  

They turned to see Madam Ping walking towards them, looking shocked, albeit relieved. 

“Shimei-”  

Ping wrapped her arms around her as she leaned in to kiss Guizhong. 

It was chaste, but it was still a private moment between lovers….and so…it felt awkward to stare at it. 

Out of respect, he turned around and frantically covered Xiao’s eyes, hearing as Cloud Retainer screeched behind him. 

“Have you no self-respect! You two are becoming just as bad as those other two insufferable dragons!” 

Guizhong chuckled as she withdrew from the kiss, a mischievous look in her eyes as she turned towards Cloud Retainer, “Hm…really, Shigu? Are you really one to say that, or have you forgotten about your many trysts with poor maidens? Or should I remi-” 

She was cut off by Madam Ping who covered her mouth and smiled placatingly at Cloud Retainer who looked as if she was about to peck Guizhong to death. 

“Shigu, my sincerest apologies…I do not know what came over my lady…If you would please excuse us, we will be parting now.” 

Ajax turned to see Cloud Retainer’s face bright red, nearly the color as her glasses, which were perched on top of her head at the moment, “Hmph, as you wish!”

Ajax felt himself stifling back laughter as Cloud Retainer sent a glare his way, looking as Guizhong sent him a wink before departing, holding hands with Madam Ping. 

Those two…were really something weren’t they. 

But, soon enough the light-hearted atmosphere vanished, as he was back in the present. 

He turned towards Morax’s unconscious face, on top of one of Cloud Retainer’s beds that she used for patients. 

They were not comfortable, not in the slightest. 

But, it would be enough. 

Cloud Retainer grumbled a bit, before she turned towards them, “Lord Lapis has no injuries, you may take him back to your domain. Though he has not been injured, he needs to rest his body, he has exerted much of his energy. And…one does believe that you have exerted yourself as well.” 

Ajax nodded, as he carefully picked up Morax from the bed, undoing the restraints before turning towards a concerned looking Xiao, who merely squeezed his hand. 

It would be alright. 

____________________________ 

Ajax jolted awake by a loud scream. 

He quickly made his way towards the source of the scream, any sleepiness washed away by the loud screech. 

Xiao was at his side, and yet, he was sleeping rather soundly. 

He wasn’t the source of the scream. 

So what was it? 

He felt his heartbeat quicken, as he opened the door to his spare bedroom. 

Coming face-to-face with the source of such a haunting scream. 

Morax.  

He was clawing at his arms, nails sharp as his arms bled and golden blood dripped down his skin, his breathing labored and eyes slit as he looked around the room in a panic. 

Was he…tainted by the miasma?

Ajax felt his stomach drop and his blood grow cold, as his eyes darted over to the air around Morax.

There was no miasma. 

So what the hell was the cause of such a scream? 

Ajax felt his heart clench as he approached Morax carefully. 

The old wooden floorboards caused a loud creak to echo across the room.

Morax’s eyes darted towards him, filled with tears. 

Before Ajax knew it, he was pulled into Morax’s arms. 

His grip was bruising, and Ajax was certain that if he was a mere mortal, his bones would have shattered under his grip. 

He embraced his lover, as he yelled, “Morax! Are you alright?”

Morax whined as if in pain, as he buried himself deeper into Ajax’s chest, breathing him in deeply as his grip became painful. 

“Hey! What are you-” 

Ajax paused, when he felt something wet stain his clothes. 

Morax was crying. 

Ajax stopped wriggling and let himself be held tightly as the man cried into his arms, trembling violently as he sobbed into his chest. 

And in between sobs, he let out a startling confession. 

“I thought…I lost you.” 

Ajax felt his heart ache as he felt his own eyes well up with tears, as he closed them and held Morax tighter to himself. 

“You didn’t…I’m here…” 

[lizzymayi]

The Double episode 8-15

Damn, Princess Wanning is a PSYCHO. I feel even more sorry for ex-hubby for having to be violated by this psycho every night. When they reveal the reason why, it better be worth what that entire family is suffering rather than just dying.

I still love it. It's fun. Paper thin plots don't matter. One- or two-dimensional characterization? I'm cool. It's still FUN.

Wu Jinyan, you're doing great, girl. Duke Su and Ye Shijie, you are both very handsome. I like watching you.

Villains are doing great. Demonic. Unrepentant. Zeroes in on our heroine the first chance they get.

There are so many named celebrity cameos. Wu Jiayi! Zhang Yao! Yang Chao Yue! Hai Ling! So on and on.

A bit more nuance (or depth) would make me happier but I'll take it because I watched Fox Spirit Matchmaker for 3 eps and it made me very sad. So tragic, that final product.

Loved the musical battle between the "sisters." I enjoyed the music. Instead of random (and in Jiang Li's case, inappropriate) cgi visuals, I wish they had shown dancing as an accompaniment. But still, decent effort.

Please stop having the actors speak directly into the camera unless there is an actual reason for it. Stop.

[minsarasarahair]

OMG! Its him!! I'm dying to know him! Oh so his shijie is Yuxiu's mother, Muzhen? He's Shuyun?

He used to have black hair? He seems like a good person and very close to Muzhen. I wonder what happened?

I almost skip the ending song and miss this LOL

[aitchnkay]

Jiang Gunian Made A Change Part 19

Wei WuXian was shocked, almost to the point of paralysis, when he heard of the potential future. It wasn't that he was scared of dying.... The thought of his shijie dying? Of his home being destroyed? Of his friends dying?

He wouldn't allow such a future to pass.

Xia KeXin was the first person in his quest to make that future never occur. "I need to know what leads to my death, so I can prevent everyone else's," he demanded.

"Have you gone to the Qishan archery contest yet? Have you met a boy named Wen Ning, courtesy QiongLin?"

"Yes."

"Good." She sighed. "They helped you a great deal."

***

Wei WuXian peeked at his friend as they packed. Were you really my husband? Are you really in love with me? It was weird... made his stomach feel funny. He knew he'd loved his parents and he knew he loved ShiJie. But what was this feeling he had for Lan Zhan? Was it love? It was a need... almost a compulsion... to look, to touch, to want Lan Zhan to look back, to touch back. His fingers itched to pull one of the ends of Lan Zhan's ribbon, just to see what he would do this time. It had been an accident back in Qishan.... Lan Zhan had been so angry.... Angry because he didn't understand what the ribbons represented. He did now. In that other future, he'd been granted the right to touch whenever he felt like it. He'd belonged to Lan Zhan: body and soul. He wasn't exactly sure what marriage between two men looked like.... If it was Lan Zhan? He was willing to find out. Aching to find out. "Lan Zhan… you really will have to change into normal clothing before we leave. If you go out like that, everyone will know you're a Lan disciple."

"Mmm."

"And that means removing your forehead ribbon, too. Do you want me to carry it for you?" He was gratified to see Lan Zhan's ears turning pink with embarrassment. He was startled to hear the monosyllabic non-response sound like a 'yes'.

"Mmm."

Did Lan Zhan want it, too?

Jiang YanLi called out, "Lan Er Gongzi? May I have a moment of your time?" She was talking to the second jade quietly; Wei Ying had excellent hearing, as did all cultivators.

Marrriage? ShiJie would allow us to marry? It didn't occur to him that he should be embarrassed about his martial sister speaking so matter-of-factly about his future. Lan Zhan looked embarrassed to be found out, not embarrassed to feel like that.

There was no time to talk about ribbons and what they meant. Between finishing up packing and getting the communication box from Meng Yao, they were very busy. Once they were on the road, it didn't seem like the right time or place to talk.

The third day out from the camp, it started drizzling. And then the drizzle became rain. Which became a downpour. Drenched and shivering, the two boys happily spied a cottage. Empty of all but vermin and with holes in the roof in one corner, the boys decided it was as good as a castle. Talismans evicted the mice and dried wood. While Lan Zhan started a fire, Wei Ying gathered the rotting remnants of the bedding and threw them outside. "The bed looks sturdy enough," he mused, pressing on it looking for soft spots. "Big enough for the whole family, too, probably. Do you see a broom? I'll sweep a bit or do you think the roof is stable enough for me to get up and see if I can fix some of the holes?"

"There's what used to be a broom over there," Lan Zhan pointed to the rainy corner. "It looks like the mice used most of the straw for their nests."

The broom remnants were sufficient to sweep most of the dirt off the bed frame and remove cobwebs. "What do you think happened to the family?" Wei WuXian asked to pass the time. "I think the husband and wife moved here as newlyweds. They lived happily with their daughters."

"Why daughters?"

"Because a son would expect to inherit the place? Daughters would marry and move out. Maybe there was a son who died before he had a son of his own? Anyways, the couple lived here for decades and died peacefully in their sleep, holding each other's hands."

"That's morbid. If they died here, where are the remains?"

"Of course, the daughters checked up on their parents. And gave them a proper burial." Wei WuXian smiled at his fantasy. It was awfully close to his own dreams. "Lan Zhan? When you get too old to night hunt, are you going to just retire to Cloud Recesses and teach? I think I want something like this. A house and a farm and a river or lake so I can catch fish. Go on night hunts when I want. Come home to my family...."

"You don't want to live at Lotus Pier?"

"I mean after. Jiang Cheng's son will want his own people in charge, won't he?" Wei WuXian looked at his friend, still dripping wet. "We should change into dry clothing. Just because we can't get sick doesn't mean it's healthy to stay in wet clothing." He began fighting with his belt, the leather swollen and unresponsive.

"What are you doing?" Lan Zhan sounded scandalized.

"I'm changing. I'm cold and wet and I want to be warm and dry. Turn your back if you're going to faint like a girl."

Lan Zhan whirled, ears exposed by his wet hair clinging to his scalp brilliantly scarlet. "It's not proper."

"We're both men." The belt finally released and clanged to the floor. "Haven't you changed in front of other disciples before?" The ties holding his robes closed were knotted tightly. "I can't get this!" he whined. "Everything is stuck tight." He huffed sadly at limp bangs. "I'm going to have to try to dry up a bit before the ties will loosen. You can turn around. I'm still dressed."

"No, I don't change in front of other disciples," Lan Zhan retorted. "It's not appropriate."

Wei Ying collapsed in front of the fire fluffing his soggy robes as best as possible. "Lan Zhan? Back at camp, you said you'd give me your ribbon to carry, but you didn't 'cause ShiJie said you can't? What's the deal with the ribbons anyways?" He knew, of course. Xia KeXin had been very insistent that he understand exactly what touching those ribbons meant.

"You should know what they mean," Lan Zhan sounded irritated as he sank gracefully to the floor next to Wei Ying in front of the fire. "You copied the Rules so many times."

"As if I paid attention," Wei Ying laughed. This close, the firelight almost danced, reflected in his friend's eyes. So cute. They were close enough that a small sideways rock would make their shoulders brush together.

"That's what Jiang YanLi said. They represent restraint."

Wei Ying looked at his friend. "Does that mean you're not restrained right now? You can do whatever you want? We can do anything we want?"

Lan Zhan looked back. "Wei Ying," he chastised. "Don't tease." He swallowed once, twice, Adam's apple bobbing.

I want to kiss it. Feel it moving beneath my lips when he does that. The thought was enticing. "What if I'm not teasing?" He swallowed, too, and saw his friend's gaze drop to follow his throat's motion. "What if I remember exactly who can touch your ribbon?" He hadn't meant to make that admission.... Now that it was out, though....

"Don't tease," sounded like a plea for something else.

For a kiss, perhaps. "I'm not teasing, Lan Zhan...." He shifted to his knees and kept his eyes firmly on his friend's as he leaned forward.

Lan Zhan's lips tasted like rain water and smoke. They were soft and damp and thrilling. He could feel the kiss all the way to his toes. "I like you so much, Lan Zhan," he sighed as his eyes fluttered shut.

[nero-vanderwolf]

Ken was tired.

He had been tired for a few days now, unable to sleep due to a series of night terrors. Before he joined S.E.E.S, they were usually just about his mom.

But now, they were about everyone. About all the terrible ways they could die. Makoto-senpai was there a lot. He saw their leader laying there in Tartarus, unresponsive and unmoving. Ken dreamt of hugging him, of feeling cold instead of warm and seeing no comforting smile and hearing no heartbeat and knowing it was his fault, he had healing skills why didn’t he heal him-

He sat up, kicking wildly at his bedsheets, skin covered in a cold sweat. This was the third night he had dreamt of that day. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, so he wandered downstairs to the lounge.

There, on the carpet, was stretched Koromaru. The dog seemed sound asleep, scarlet eyes closed and snores sounding from deep in his throat.

How Ken longed to live a life as simple as Koro-chan’s.

Ken laid down on the couch, stretching his hand out to pet Koromaru. The dog lifted his head, awakened from slumber. Koromaru then promptly licked Ken’s hand, eliciting a quiet giggle. He always liked being around animals. It was calming, in a way. Comforting.

Before long, Ken was drifting off again, this time dreaming of summer days and that time Shinjiro went with him to the Film Festival.

“That was so cool! I loved the way it was revealed that there was another mastermind behind everything, and the final battle when the hero’s teammates kept taking the finishing hit for him!? So freaking awesome!”

He realised how childish and immature he sounded, and cleared his throat. “I mean... It’s all fake, so... Thank you for coming with me, Shinjiro-senpai.”

Shinjiro-senpai raised an eyebrow before speaking.

“...My favourite scene was when the detective was telling the heroes about how he got away with everything by blaming the kidnappings on the delivery man. The actor really sold the part, didn’t he?”

Ken looked at him for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that scene was awesome, too. But I think my favourite-ever part was when the hero awakened to his truest self and used his new power to beat the villain once and for all! Bam!”

Ken punched his palm, and looked up at Shinjiro-senpai, who was... smiling. He was smiling and nodding.

“Bam,” he agreed, and Ken couldn’t help the glowing warmth that shone in his chest.

When Ken woke up that morning, sprawled on the couch with Koromaru curled up beside him, he realised that Shinjiro-senpai’s coat had been laid over him like a blanket.

I LOVE KEN AND SHIJI'S RELATIONSHIP HES KEN'S DEPRESSED ADOPTED FATHER WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT HIM

ken would absolutely be scared of the people he cares about dying. after his mom death is all he can think about. also wanting to act mature but still having a childish side is so real. hurts so much especially when everyone expects you to be mature/you think they do. just. if you want to be childess regardless of your age because you got your childhood taken away from you or you just want more childhood? just fucking act childish. ken deserves to act like a child too.

[pctaldrunk]

Palm presses ABRUPTLY over vibrating strings, the sound stopping immediately after - and she looks up from her instrument like a startled deer, little face dyed RED. "...Sorry, sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was...around...” The red deepens, and she chews her lip. Of course, it’s the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT - who’d be around? Except then, she’s also playing guqin in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night - equally infuriating, since she could be waking everyone up. Or perhaps she might be suspected of more nefarious actions - like charming everyone again in their sleep, or something to that effect. “...I just - I don’t really know what to do, anymore, with...everything,” Explains, voice small. She’d calmed and put the littler ones who call her shijie to bed quickly, and left the adults to their quiet crying and discussions of where to go next - if their sect is even still a sect, how to go on after everything’s happened, what the rest of the cultivation world will do about them. She’s been - well-shielded, from the politics between sects. All she’s known her whole life is only the music. “So I came out here to clear my head. Um, musical exercises help me think, so. I promise I’m not doing anything bad.”

@achromaticstars​ liked for a starter !   feat.   idk one of the  m.dzs muses <3

[deathbyoctopi]

A few words of wisdom from Cangse Sanren to Song Lan:

“He’s never going to love you unless you tell him how you feel, d'you hear? Leave it to him to miss on all the cues! My baby shidi is such a dumbass for certain things...“

~from a fic I'm working on.

Ok, so there's one thing I felt was missing from Xiao Xingchen as a character, and I finally found it <3

He needs a Wei Wuxian in his life!!!

But not the Wei Wuxian, bc there's the "martial uncle" respect thing between them. And no, Xue Yang doesn't count either, despite them having fairly similar personalities, bc (even if you take away the romance aspect, which I'd NEVER) XY can be mischievous and playful all you want, but that is not exactly it.

No. What I want is someone who can openly tease him, who respects and doesn't respect him at the same time. Someone who genuinely loves him, but doesn't fall for the "bright moon and gentle breeze" aura of untouchability that the whole cultivation world has fallen under.

He needs a shijie! Someone who watches Xiao Xingchen, that peerless paragon of elegance, and only sees the baby boy who pissed his pants at age 4, who screamed like a dying possum when she put a bug in his robes, and who fell a hundred times training his sword moves until he became the flawless hero the whole world admires.

And that person is none other than Cangse Sanren. THE Wei Wuxian before little a-Xian wasn't even a sperm, the terror of the Cloud Recesses, and an absolute awesome cultivator who could probably drink her own son under the table.

Cangse Sanren and Xiao Xingchen would have such a wholesome shijie-shidi relationship, honestly. Imagine her teasing him about Song Lan. Hell, imagine her teasing him about Xue Yang!!

((yesyes I know the timelines don't match and all, but that's what canon-divergent fics and AUs are for!))