#feng yuwen

[kirin-central]

all OCs from my yuuniverse twst timeline

note: links to the picrews/artists’ profiles are hyperlinked below each set of pictures

••

— Yujin Han & Romi Klee

cr: hunbloom / poika

— Hyde Faelan & Hotaru Hasegawa

cr: Siga / poika

— Klara Finley & Rina Liang

cr: Elequinoa / Sangled

— Misaki Hasegawa & Miri Lovell

cr: おいちぃ牛乳 / Naylissah

— Yulia Biru & Feng Yuwen

cr: Sangled / おいちぃ牛乳

[feng-huli]

Yan Su & Jiang Kai as Zhuo Qing & Xiao Zhongjing in Dashing Youth 少年白马醉春风 (2024) and as Yang Su & Yuwen Hu in Queen Dugu 独孤皇后 (2019)

[mxtxfanatic]

Now for our Peerless Character Breakdown and Review! As always, beware of spoilers ahead!

Qiao Xian: *Puddin voice* but why? Why did you hafta do it? 🥺

Pei Jingzhe: oh my sweet summer child, it is truly a miracle you survived to the end

Qin Miaoyu: from a prop to a properly-paid employee, WE MADE IT!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

Ming Yue: go back to your paperwork, man, you've earned it

Zhangsun Bohdi: has martial prowess and can do paperwork, the best of both worlds for an underling! Wish you got the girl tho 😔

Yuan Sansi: aha, that's what you get, asshole 🤭

Fan Yu: terrible shizun, you do not deserve the title

Yuwen Yihuan: girl you existed for all of five seconds and honestly? you didn't even deserve those, either

Kuhezhen: you, too, existed for all of five seconds, and I wanted you dead for all of them. B+ villainy, points detracted for self-destructing like an idiot

Tuan Qinghe: you can go straight to hell Mr. “all I wanted was a fair martial duel 🥺” while wandering around POISONING PEOPLE cause your white moonlight asks you to. Fuck off

Xiao Lu: I haven't wanted an antagonist dead this badly since Xue Xiuzhuo from QJJ, A+ villainy!

Feng Xiao: a narcissistic bastard but just beneath the label of rat bastard

Cui Buqu: a bastard only kept in line by the limits of his sickly body (and even then...)

Feng Xiao x Cui Buqu: I love when assholes get together, like yes! keep your toxicity contained within your relationship! Love that for y'all 💖

Honorable mentions:

Emperor and Empress: for once no one made any stupid moves, so you and your kids and your grandkids got to live. Praise 🙌

Princess Leping: it is only be the grace and wits of your parents that you survived. The most unintelligent character of the novel, but she lived I guess 😒

Probably one of my top reads of the year. Idk if Meng Xi Shi has written any other works, but this one far outshines Thousand Autumns, and I loved that novel. This one is less about the martial world side of things and religious/philosophical discourse, but if what you want is a romance (with a nice side of political intrigue), then this is the novel you should start with. Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu are also so perfect for each other as they are simultaneously probably thr worst people they each know and also the most devoted to the other while refusing to openly admit it. Their characters were a delight separately and as a pair. The range of villains as well as their different, sometimes conflicting motivations also kept the story engaging and suspenseful as you never knew what wrench was gonna come out of the dark to wack you upside the head. Really, there was not a dull moment to be had in this novel!

The fan translation is fine but riddled with a bunch of minor grammar mistakes and word mixups ("he greeted his teeth" instead of "he gritted his teeth," as one example). I'm looking forward to how the official will clear up these mistakes. As of now, the fan translations are still up, but the novel has been licensed by 7seas and is currently releasing:

[liberty-or-death]

Thousand Autumns Chapter 1 Explanation of Names, Historical Context and Possible Influences

THE WORLD BUILDING!! I could scream. I was so so so impressed with Thousand Autumns.

Aside from literary poetry devices, MXS also uses a lot of historical characters and places in her novels, which was probably why they changed a lot of names in the donghua lol. Personally, I find it really interesting and this was what drew me to this book.

Here’s a round up of Chapter 1! I apologise that it's lengthy and it's a a short history class. But you'll need to know or else you're going to get really confused later on lol. Anyway, it gets a lot better! I came across a few videos that were very helpful for my understanding so I've linked them below.

There are 3 demonic sects, and at least 5 righteous ones in the whole show. And that’s excluding the royalty members 😂 and the Tujue folks. I was so confused when I first started reading and I had to do a lot of historical research myself before I fully understood what was going on.

Locations

玄都 Xuandu - This is where immortals were rumoured to reside in. It was also the name of a Taoist temple (Xuandu Guan 玄都观). This temple is located on Mount Heng and was built in the Southern Qi Dynasty. I’m not sure if this temple was the inspiration behind Xuandu mountain, but it is pretty interesting! Also, incidentally, there is a pavilion named Half Mountain Pavilion that's situated on the same premises. Doesn't it sound a lot like Half Step Peak?

Political Climate/Characters - Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Chen Dynasty

Thousand Autumns takes place in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a period where China was split politically during the 420-589AD. During this period, there was the spread of Buddhism and Taoism. This period came to and end with unification by the Sui Dynasty. So lol, if you know your history, you’d know that Thousand Autumns would logically end with the establishment of the Sui Dynasty if the novels continues to the end of the Northern Southern Dynasties period. 😂

The video below explains the role of Yuwen Hu 宇文护 and Yuwen Yong 宇文邕 (Emperor Wu) and their impact on the Zhou Dynasty. MXS puts her own spin on it but it's good to read about it or else it'll get really confusing later on. (I personally feel that her world building is underrated and MXS should get more credit for this!) You can skip to 8:39 of the video if you just want to learn about Yuwen Hu and Yuwen Yong. I'd suggest to bookmark this video whenever you're confused with the timeline of events! The Zhou Empire storyline follows this!

Gao Wei 高纬 of Qi Dynasty - Yet another historical character. The same video talks about the decline of the Qi Dynasty around 32:10

Tujue - Here's a video explaining how the Tujue were a part of all of these.

Hulugu 狐鹿估 is a fictional character but his name is very similar to another Hulugu 狐鹿姑 (note that the pronunciation is exactly the same but the last character is different) who was the Chanyu (Supreme Ruler) of the Xiongnu Empire in 96BC.

Kunye 昆邪 is also a fictional character, but there was a King Kunye 昆邪王 (? - 116BC) in history. According to the historical records 史记, he was defeated by Hua Qubing's army and subsequently became a vassal under the Han Dynasty. After his surrender, he was granted the title of the Marquis of Luoyin (located in modern day Shandong Province). Interestingly, his descendant was called Hun Su 浑苏. (If you've read on, you'll probably know the significance of this haha.)

Other Notable Characters

凤阁 (Qi) Feng Ge - this either means a beautiful tower, or a government official position in the Tang Dynasty. It’s also the name of a star in Zi Wei Dou Shu, a form of Chinese astrology. People who were born under this star were cultured and talented.

青城山纯阳观易辟尘 Yi Bichen of Chunyang temple on Mount Qingchen - Mount Qingchen’s a sacred Taoist Mountain in Sichuan China. It’s greatly regarded as one of the birth places in Taoism. Chunyang Temple’s a real temple in Guangzhou that was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. (MXS is clearly mix and matching temples with locations 😂) Yi Bichen’s name can be broken down to 易 = Easy, 辟尘 = avoid the mortal world.

雪庭禅师 Zen Master Xue Ting - Xue Ting’s name likely comes from the renowned monk, Xue Ting Fu Yu in the Yuan Dynasty. Xue Ting was his monastic title. He was an abott in the Shaolin Monastery and was famous for inviting martial artists to gather in Shaolin Temple.

临川学宫的宫主汝鄢克惠 Ruyan Kehui, Gongzhu of the Linchuan Academy - Linchuan, located in Jiangxi, has always been known as the “Home of Talents 才子之乡” as many talented people came from Linchuan since the ancient times. The Xuegong/Academy 学宫 is a place of learning. This term has appeared since the Western Zhou Dynasty and was commonly associated with Confucianism. The 宫主 Gongzhu was the title that’s given to the one who was in charge of a Taoist temple. (Okay MXS might not be historically accurate here 😂😂)

Previously discussed topics

Half Step Peak

Regret Peak

Yu Shengyan

[craftercat]

What were the inherent flaws in the nine-rank system?

The nine-rank system relied on wealthy sponsors and connections for advancement within it. This meant that by the time of the Jin dynasty, politics was dominated by the old aristocracy. The chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms allowed aristocrats to build fortifications and shelter ordinary people, which reinforced their dominance.

At first, the many regimes of the Sixteen Kingdoms had no choice but to compromise with the aristocrats, because the aristocrats had their own power base and their state was not powerful and centralised enough to challenge it. We can see this with Tuoba Gui formulating a system where only those with noble ranks can have top official positions, to appease the powerful aristocrats.

By the time of Empress Dowager Feng, there was a state powerful enough to challenge the aristocrats. So she introduced the equal-field system and Three Elders system to break up their power. These systems were effective, but when Northern Wei was engulfed in civil war, aristocrats once again took advantage of the chaos to become powerful.

When Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai settled down in their respective regions, they continued to use the equal-field and Three Elders system. However, they created aristocratic groups to compromise with the once again powerful nobility and to establish their own support bases as de facto emperors. These aristocrats remained powerful throughout Northern Zhou and Northern Qi.

However, the frequent regime changes of the Southern dynasties and the change from Northern Zhou to Sui made the Sui dynasty emperors believe that these aristocratic groups were too powerful. The imperial examination system was introduced to break up the power of these aristocrats.

[bookofjin]

Biography of Feng Jing (ZS22)

[He was from Hejian and served as an official on the staff of Xiao Baoyin (the exiled Qi prince) and later Heba Yue and Yuwen Tai.]

Feng Jing, courtesy name Changming, as young had the same aspirations and was friends with [Zhou] Huida. Middle of Yanchang [512 – 515], people of Liang robbed and plundered Xu and Yang. Jing spoke to Xiao Baoyin, saying:

Now the Liang bandits rely on infringing, and the imperial court is pondering on a general to stabilize the border. Suppose you my King was able to be first to race ahead and conform with the instructions, not only would it wipe away the shame of your house and state, but this also would sustain a person's long term strategies.

Baoyin deeply considered it so. When Baoyin became Great Chief Controller, he used Jing as Army Advisor of the Board of Merit. Later when he became Archer-Servant of the Right, he pulled in Jing to enter the department and act as Chief Head Clerk to the Masters of Writing.

Middle of Zhengguang [520 – 525], when Baoyin became Great Acting Tribunal of Guanxi, he again made use of Jing as General of Hills and Rivers, acting as Chief Head Clerk to the Acting Tribunal. He accompanied Baoyin on his campaigns and chastisements. When Baoyin was about to raise troops in rebellion, Jing firmly admonished and did not follow.

After Baoyin was defeated, Jing turned back to Luo. The imperial court had previously heard Jing had talked admonishingly, and for that reason pardoned him. He was appointed Chief Commandant of Serving Chariots. When the King of Ruyang, Yuan Shuzhao, became Great Acting Tribunal of Longyou, he nominated Jing to be Gentleman-at-Centre to the Acting Tribunal.

When Heba Yue became Great Chief Controller, he again used Jing as Central Gentleman Engaged in Affairs. When Taizu pacified Houmochen Yue¤, he appointed Jing Grand Warden of Luoyang, and soon after Combined Left Assistant to the Acting Tribunal, and kept him behind to defend Yuan province. When Xiaowu of Wei moved west, he was ennobled Earl of Gaoyang county, with an estate of 300 households. He moved to Cavalier in Regular Attendance and Master of Writing to the Acting Tribunal, and additionally Inspector of Ying瀛 province. Beginning of Datong [535 – 551], he Acted on the Affairs of Jing涇 province. Later he passed on due to illness.

[devonebriewie10050212]

Kenny Lín Gēngxīn 林更新 Featurette In The Great Wall Movie (2016)

=======================

~ THROWBACK ~

Before The Fourth Master Yuwen Yue in Princess Agents, long before The High Ancient God Xing Zhi in The Legend Of Shen Li, there was Commander Chen (Chen Jiangjun). The head of Eagle Troops faction (archers, red cloaks and armours), one of the five elite forces called Nameless Order in The Great Wall movie. He caught my attention because of Matt Damon and Legolas. Why? First, it's Matt Damon. One of the few Hollywood actors that I really respect their projects and personality. He's so normal. And Legolas? Yeah, I really have something with archery, so...

Some people may have already known it, but the others haven't. Yet. Because most of them, their main focus is on television series, not the big screen. In fact, if you are looking at Gengxin's portfolio, all the movies that he starred in - although it's less than the other actors done (Gengxin is known for his carefulness in choosing a role, and never plays the same typical character twice) - are no less exceptional than the others. And still made him one of the highest paid actors in China. In 2014, he became the main lead in The Taking Of Tiger Mountain along with Zhang Hanyu and Tony Leung. Two years later in 2016, he played a major role as Hsieh Shao Feng/Ah-Chi, The Third Master, collaborated with Peter Ho, in Sword Master film. And in this particular film, he acted together in one frame and one table with Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal also Andy Lau.

So, when some time ago, a lot of people said that he was riding on his partner's (and his very best) name Zhao Liying for fame, perhaps they only knew him after The Legend Of Shen Li. Or... Maybe as usual, haters that apparently will always be haters.

=======================

Production: Legendary Pictures, China Film Group, Dentsu Inc., Fuji Television Network

Country Origin: China, USA, Japan

Released Date: 6 December 2016 (Beijing)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Matt Damon, Jian Ting, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Lu Han, Kenny Lin, Eddie Peng, Zhang Hanyu

Language: English, Mandarin

Music Director: Ramin Djawadi

Video Intro: Nameless Order (The Great Wall: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Ramin Djawadi

© 2016 Universal Pictures

=======================

PS: Only on the big screen, that you will really hear his actual voice. Because most of his television series is done by voice over actors (which is a common in the Chinese film industry).

One thing that I remember, back then these elite forces, people on the internet called them Power Rangers 😅

[mistypurplespark]

Chapter 16: Ambush

Chapter 16.1: Ambush Translator(s): Zryuu

When Chen Xing was thinking about how to politely decline, Wang Ziye continued, “The Chen family should not have encountered the calamity it did. War had broken out in Jinyang then, plunging the people into misery and suffering, and too many people died in that disaster.”

Fu Jian sighed and said to Chen Xing, “It was Zhen’s fault.”

Chen Xing understood now. Fu Jian’s intention was to apologise to him, but his parents and family were all gone now, so of what use was an apology?

“The dead can’t come back to life,” Chen Xing thought about it, then said, “I’ve been studying in seclusion over the years and have long since gotten over it.”

Fu Jian nodded, and for a moment the study was silent. Finally, Wang Ziye got up to take his leave and said, “I’ll go take a look at the list of names for spring. 48 names of Confucian scholars have been sent over to be recommended for a xiaolian examination.”

So Fu Jian got up and said, “Zhen won’t send you out then; it just so happens that I can take the time to reminisce about old times with this little friend here.”

Obtaining the favour of an emperor was the ultimate wish of all civil and martial officials, but Chen Xing didn’t feel that flattered. It was just that he didn’t come to Chang’an to seek a place for himself, and he was even less afraid of offending Fu Jian. Furthermore, there was a distinction between Hus and Hans, so they could never really get close to each other.

When Wang Ziye turned away, he cast a meaningful glance at Chen Xing.

“Why is His Majesty looking for me?” Chen Xing took the initiative to ask.

Affairs from the previous night were still stifling him, and Chen Xing needed some time to sort them out from scratch. Leads for the General Administration of the Exorcism Department were cut off just like that, and he had parted on bad terms with the Feng brothers as well. Who was the assassin who had hunted him afterwards? Did the Feng family send it to kill him? Or was it the secret masterminds who were manipulating the “drought fiends”?

Fu Jian said earnestly, “First of all, I wanted to thank you for saving our Great Chanyu.”

Chen Xing quickly declined modestly, saying that he didn’t deserve the praise and that he had just done it in passing. Fu Jian asked Chen Xing why he ran all the way to Xiangyang City. After last night’s incident, Chen Xing had a vague sense that he was out in the open while his enemies were in the dark, so it was a little dangerous for him. In addition, Yuwen Xin had already publicised his identity to people both within and beyond the palace, so he was a bit more cautious now and said that he was just passing by Xiangyang when he was trapped and couldn’t leave.

Fu Jian wasn’t someone who would insist on getting to the root of the matter. Chen Xing observed his expression; evidently, Fu Jian just readily believed whatever he said. Fu Jian asked Chen Xing what kind of books he read and whether he could write essays. Chen Xing answered honestly, “Studied medicine for a few years. I’m ashamed, I can only treat people and did not study much about writing essays or governance.”

Fu Jian smiled and said with deep meaning, “A few days ago, I couldn’t resist the itch to spar with Great Chanyu, but I’m old after all, and my shoulders feel stiff now. Just perform some acupuncture on me now then.”

Chen Xing, “……”

Without waiting for Fu Jian’s orders, a palace attendant had already delivered some needles and stones. Chen Xing thought about it, then cheerfully said, “Okay then.”

Fu Jian took off his imperial robe that covered half his body, revealing his muscular, bare back. He lay face down on the couch in front of the table,

and Chen Xing came and sat over. He fetched a silver needle and after burning it over a fire, he started an acupuncture treatment for Fu Jian.

Aside from his titles as “Emperor Qin”, “Divine King”, “Lord of the North”, Fu Jian had another resounding title — “the number one martial artist of the Great Qin Dynasty”. Rumours has it that to the north of Huaihe River, Fu Jian was the leader of all martial artists, and most who fought him were dead. However, Chen Xing had no doubt at all that Xiang Shu had the strength to defeat Fu Jian.

Because he discovered a small bruise near Fu Jian’s heart — it was obviously a wound left behind after getting hit by a scabbard. If it had been a sword, then this move would have taken Fu Jian’s life. Fu Jian might not be able to beat Xiang Shu—— Chen Xing thought that Xiang Shu wins in his monstrous speed; amongst all martial arts in the world, only speed could not be beaten. No matter how brave and fierce Fu Jian is, he may not be able to ward off Xiang Shu’s moves that were as quick as lightning strikes.

“When I met you for the first time that night,” Fu Jian lay sprawled as he casually said, “I knew that it was impossible for you to be Shulü Kong‘s servant. You’re a scholar, and just like them, you have the temperament of a scholar.”

Chen Xing smiled, “I’m really not like them, His Majesty has misjudged me.”

Chen Xing was speaking the truth, he wasn’t trying to be modest. Although it was part of his family’s tradition, after escaping from Jinyang, Chen Xing was unlike an ordinary Confucian scholar who would painstakingly study the Four Books and Five Classics, or study the way of governance written by Dong Zhongshu and other former sages. What he usually read were supernatural stories of the world, folklore and local customs, astronomy, geography,  and  other  such  subjects.  Most  of  these  belonged  to  the “miscellaneous studies” category, and were areas of study looked down upon by Confucian scholars. The Hundred Schools of Thought was only useful for assisting rulers, so he didn’t learn much about it.

On the contrary, teachings of Confucius and Mencius were the natural enemies of exorcists. As the saying goes, Confucius does not talk about

strange phenomena, courage, rebellions, and supernatural beings. Confucius has even said before that, “If one can not even deal with problems of the human world, then how could one discuss the affairs of spirits and gods?” It could be seen that Confucian scholars were strongly opposed to the “fantasy world” familiar to exorcists and instead advocated a focus on the “present world”.

“You remind me of someone.”

Fu Jian’s eyes were closed as he said slowly, “A Han.”

Chen Xing inserted a needle in the lower third region of his nape. At this moment, as long as he stabbed the Fengfu acupoint on the back of Fu Jian’s head with a needle and push it three inches in, Fu Jian would die on the spot.

He didn’t know why a supreme ruler would dare leave his life in the hands of others. With this one stab of his needle, he would certainly be able to accomplish the great revenge that Feng Qianyi constantly had on his mind.

But Chen Xing didn’t do that. Even though he was under the protection of Iupitter, the other party had the guardianship of the Emperor Star too. If he really did stab Fu Jian, and his Iupitter and the Emperor Star started fighting, no one could know for certain who would win or lose.

“Have you met my father before?” Chen Xing asked.

“No,” Fu Jian answered, still keeping his eyes closed, “I’ve only heard of him a lot. But the one Zhen’s thinking about is called Wang Meng. He died a year ago.”

A few years ago, Wang Meng was the top brain of Fu Jian’s government. He assisted Fu Jian in defeating his number one enemy, Heng Wen, then established a setup where the Qin and Jin dynasties governed separate areas, and helped him come up with a scheme to overthrow the ruthless and bloodthirsty  Fu  Sheng,  the  previous  emperor.  Many  decrees  were promulgated in the Qin Dynasty to promote the status of the Han people, and he often reminded Fu Jian that the strength of the Hans was required in order to lay a strong foundation for future generations as well. If he relied

solely on the Di tribe and the Hus beyond the pass, they would just be digging their own graves and perish within a hundred years.

When Wang Meng was alive, Great Qin was like a swift carriage that swept away the degeneration and shabby image of the Jin Dynasty. The more wars they fought, the braver they got, and they were never routed for at least ten years, and Fu Jian became a rarely seen God of War. The Qin Dynasty then became the most vibrant country in the world.

Fu Jian often compared Wang Meng to Zhuge Liang and regarded him as his closest confidante. However, Wang Meng only lived until he was fifty before passing away, and when he died, Fu Jian suffered a great blow. His temples turned frosty white, and it took him more than a year before he could gradually get over it.

“Un.” But Chen Xing was thinking about something else.

“Wang Ziye, who you saw just now,” Fu Jian said, “Is one of his distant younger cousins.”

“Oh?” Chen Xing inserted another needle and had inserted more than ten needles into Fu Jian’s back.

Fu Jian continued muttering to himself, “You don’t look like Jinglüe at all, but for some reason, Zhen started thinking about him as soon as I saw you……”

“Perhaps,” Chen Xing finished his acupuncture treatment and smiled at Fu Jian, “It is because Wang Meng is my Shixiong. We studied under the same Shifu.”

A realisation dawned upon Fu Jian, then burst into a hearty laughter. He didn’t doubt Chen Xing’s words at all and said repeatedly, “So that’s why, so that’s why!”

Chen Xing explained, “Ever since I started studying under my Shifu, I’ve only seen Shixiong twice, and we didn’t speak much to each other either. The first time was in the fifth year after the state was founded……”

Fu Jian said, “Yes. That year, before Jinglüe helped me defeat Heng Wen, he went back to Mt. Hua once.”

Chen Xing uttered an, “un”, then continued, “And the other was in the sixth year after the state was founded.”

Fu Jian said, “Jinglüe and I bid farewell at Bashang, attacked the Xianbei Murong clan and defeated the enemy.”

These were the only two occasions where Chen Xing had the chance to meet his eldest Shixiong, Wang Meng, because when Wang Meng was confronted with the arrival of the Divine Land’s Mandate of Heaven, he found it difficult to come up with a strategy, so he returned to Mt. Hua to seek enlightenment from his Shifu. In Chen Xing’s memories, his eldest Shixiong was a sanguine and carefree person, and he treated him very kindly as well. But he was too young then, so he couldn’t remember much and only remembered fragments of the conversations between his Shixiong and Shifu.

“Your Majesty, don’t move,” Chen Xing pressed down on Fu Jian’s back as he said, “There are still a few needles.”

“Fellow disciples na.” After Fu Jian listened to Chen Xing’s explanation, he seemed pensive as he said, “Your Shifu has already passed away, what a pity. Then, do you already have an engagement with Zhen’s Great Chanyu? The two of you are appropriately matched after all.”

Chen Xing, “……”

Fu Jian, “G……gentler.”

“Your Majesty,” Chen Xing said in a threatening voice and came a little closer, “I am not, familiar, with, him. We aren’t even friends!”

Why does every single person think that he has some kind of unspeakable relationship with Xiang Shu??!! Chen Xing has thoroughly lost his temper now, don’t tell him it’s because Xiang Shu took him into the palace? But after considering it carefully, he is Xiang Shu’s benefactor, and Xiang Shu

did bring him all the way to Chang’an from a thousand miles away, so it’s no wonder that Fu Jian would misunderstand their relationship at the start.

Fu Jian said, “Wu. If you’re not, then you’re not, don’t be rash.”

Chen Xing finished with the last two needles and said, “It’s done. Your Majesty, don’t move.”

Fu Jian continued, “Since you’re Jinglüe’s junior brother, you must have left your Master and come to Chang’an to settle down, right? What do you think of the Great Qin?”

Chen Xing packed up his things simply, sat down at one side and answered, “I’m just passing by, I’ll have to leave soon.”

Fu Jian was suddenly a little surprised and asked, “Where do you want to go?”

Chen Xing shrugged and smiled, “I don’t know.”

Fu Jian lay sprawled as he turned his head slightly sideways. He asked again, “Do you have an arrangement with Shulü Kong?”

Chen Xing, “I have nothing to do with him, Your Majesty.”

Fu Jian was afraid of Chen Xing messing with him again, so he quickly said, “Okay okay, we won’t talk about that first.” After pondering for a moment, he asked, “Chen Tianchi, what do you think of Princess Qinghe’s cousin, my Mounted Regular Attendant, the kid called Tuoba Yan?”

Outside the study, Tuoba Yan coughed awkwardly. Chen Xing, “……”

“Your Majesty,” Chen Xing said sincerely, “As the emperor, you have a lot of matters to deal with every day. Why would you be so idle as to act as a matchmaker for me? And you’re even trying to matchmake me with a guy?”

Fu Jian said, “Great Chanyu and the Tuoba kid are both Zhen’s good brothers. Is there a problem for me to discuss my brothers’ marriage affairs on their behalf?”

“No.” Chen Xing immediately changed his tune, “But even if you do want to act as a matchmaker you should find a girl ba!”

Fu Jian laughed again and explained, “When autumn comes this year, Zhen will issue a new decree: all men in the world can get married to one another, so they need not be bound by propriety any longer.”

“I’ve heard of it.” Chen Xing was bored stiff as he said, “But I……”

Fu Jian made a gesture and interrupted him, “Ignore how that Tuoba kid seems so low profile on a normal day; a man of great wisdom often appears slow-witted, he is in fact very intelligent. As a youngster, he occasionally makes mistakes when it comes to minor affairs, that can’t be helped, but he has never been careless with what’s important. If you’re willing to marry him, it would be a good and wonderful match, and why don’t you stay in the court from then on to serve me? Together with Yan’er, one of you proficient in literary arts while the other in martial arts, and your marriage will be approved personally by Zhen……”

Chen Xing, “I……”

Chen Xing kind of wanted to take advantage of the fact that Fu Jian couldn’t move with the needles in him to slap him, but he suddenly thought, that’s not right. If commoners get the chance to have a marriage partner picked out by the emperor and get married to the most favoured commander of the entire army who’s a rank 4 military officer, young, talented, and handsome, what kind of great fortune would that be?! No matter how prestigious his family background was, he was merely a commoner right now. Besides, it wasn’t just about being a commoner or not; even if one was the child of an official, one should naturally shed tears of gratitude as soon as Fu Jian gives his word. What reason could one have to refuse him?

Chen Xing took a deep breath and smiled, “We’re both men……”

Fu Jian, “That’s right then, so why act so bashful? What we want is a straightforward answer. In our Di people’s homeland……”

“What I meant was, we’re both men, so even if we do want to get married, we shouldn’t use the word ‘marry’ ba!” Chen Xing was on the verge of flipping a table, “Why can’t he be the one marrying me?!”

Though Fu Jian was interrupted by Chen Xing, he wasn’t the least bit angry and just said, “If you’re willing to enter my court as an official, assist Zhen in unifying the world and ruling over it and let Zhen see just how capable you are, as well as assume an official post of at least a rank 3 and above, Zhen will marry Tuoba Yan to you. Where’s the harm in that?”

Chen Xing, “No no no, that’s not what I meant……”

Fu Jian, “Why don’t you ask Yan’er, if he’s willing to……” Chen Xing, “No! Wait! Your Majesty!”

Chen Xing heard Tuoba Yan, who was guarding the study outside, cough again and immediately cut off Fu Jian desperately. If Tuoba Yan actually said, “okay”, then a king’s words have to be taken seriously, what’s done cannot be undone, and he wouldn’t be able to go back on his words anymore.

“To tell you the truth,” Chen Xing could only answer Fu Jian seriously, “It’s not  a  question  of  who  should  marry  who.  Your  Majesty,  there’s something……”

“The Great Chanyu has arrived.” Tuoba Yan, who was outside, suddenly said aloud.

Chapter 16.2: Ambush Translator(s): Zryuu

Chen Xing thought that he might as well tell Fu Jian, “Trying to just blindly arrange marriages for people and forcibly making me and Tuoba Yan tie the knot is useless, I can’t live beyond twenty anyway, and I’m really busy too……” But after hearing that Xiang Shu had arrived, their conversation stopped abruptly.

Xiang Shu didn’t wait for Fu Jian’s permission before he stepped straight into the imperial study. He was frowning slightly as he looked for a place to sit by himself.

Chen Xing glanced at Xiang Shu, and saw that Xiang Shu had changed into a set of black martial robes and a pair of black boots today. There wasn’t a single stitch of embroidery or ornate decoration on him from head to toe, except for the black iron brass knuckle on his right hand. His attire was simple, which further contrasted with the fairness of his skin. He looked just like a vigorous and upright poplar tree that stood ramrod straight, his radiance illuminating everyone else.

Lots of people want to marry the Great Chanyu, Chen Xing thought, if you’re bored, you should help them arrange their marriages. Marry all sixteen of those young men in the hall this morning to Xiang Shu, I’d like to see what he would do then.

“Shulü Kong?” Fu Jian said, “I heard you offered 16 marriage proposals to the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Qiang families in Chang’an?”

Chen Xing, “……”

Xiang Shu didn’t answer and just sat down at one side. Fu Jian quipped, “You’re of marriageable age now too, but if you marry 16 at one go, would you be able to endure it? Don’t try to indulge too much in your youth and vitality. If you go round after round each night and contract some disease,

or……” As he spoke, he studied Xiang Shu with a skeptical look, “Do you have some other kind of preference?”

Chen Xing almost laughed aloud, but he reined himself in, yet Xiang Shu said calmly, “Cut the crap. Jian Tou, you’re probably the one who isn’t capable anymore, which was why you dispatched that Murong something so far out, right?”

Fu Jian said angrily, “I’ll show you what Zhen is capable of right now!”

Fu Jian casually draped an arm around Chen Xing’s shoulder. Chen Xing looked baffled and hadn’t yet understood the underlying meaning behind their conversation, but he did sense a dangerous air emanating from Xiang Shu.

Fu Jian laughed carelessly and released Chen Xing. He said to Xiang Shu, “Or do you intend to personally try yourself?”

Xiang Shu withdrew his murderous intent, “Get lost!”

Silence suddenly fell in the study. Chen Xing pondered for a bit, then disrupted the quiet atmosphere, “It’s time to take the needles out, Your Majesty.”

Fu Jian motioned to him that it was okay to just take them out, then said to Xiang Shu, “I heard that a Han man died on Tongren street last night in the northwest side of the city, a coachman who was driving a carriage.”

Chen Xing’s heart jolted; he didn’t expect Fu Jian to pay attention to such a trivial affair. Oh right, if an ordinary person died violently on the streets, the government should have already intervened. But this person was related to the Great Chanyu, so the government wouldn’t dare to investigate it and could only report it to the palace.

His mind was in a perturbed state right now, and he wanted to know how Xiang Shu would explain it.

Yet he didn’t expect Xiang Shu to just lightly say, “I killed him, so?”

Fu Jian casually said, “What would you kill an unarmed Han man for? That’s unlike you.”

Chen Xing felt rather complicated, but Xiang Shu said, “Because I’m a rabid dog who kills anyone I see.”

Chen Xing, “……”

Fu Jian naturally knew that that wasn’t the truth, and Xiang Shu had only said that to shut him up.

“This is Chang’an, not the lands beyond the Great Wall.” Fu Jian’s tone turned stern as he explained, “After crossing the pass, we must abide by the laws and regulations here. It took me a lot of effort to bring the five tribes beyond the Great Wall under control and get them not to kill the Hans. What you did ruined the laws and discipline of my imperial court and slighted my imperial decree. Shulü Kong, don’t do that again, you’ll make me lose face.”

“That……that wasn’t the case.” Chen Xing wanted to explain, but once he glanced at Xiang Shu, he swallowed his words.

Xiang Shu shook his head gently, to mean that he shouldn’t say anything.

Fu Jian said lightly, “Chen Tianchi, what do you think of the Chang’an that’s governed by Zhen?”

Chen Xing kept silent for a moment before speaking the truth, “It’s governed very well. Prosperity and peace abound, it really deserves to be the capital.”

Before  entering  Chang’an,  Chen  Xing  had  envisioned  a  completely different scene. He didn’t expect the capital to be so prosperous, and that the Hus and Hans would not inflict the slightest harm on one another and instead live together in peace and harmony.

“When they used to live beyond the Great Wall, they had no laws and regulations,” Fu Jian said calmly, “Even if laws were established, most would not abide by them. It’s truly too difficult to let them understand the

price they would have to pay for taking another’s life. Zhen wants everyone in the world be able to eat their fill and dress warmly. When the Great Tao prevails, everyone will be a part of society, and society will belong to everyone; for the old to be cared for until death, for adults to be gainfully employed, for children to be nurtured. To rule with benevolence, emphasise courtesy, and what is shown to the people should be the convention…… Shulü Kong.”

Chen Xing finished taking the needles out and putting them away. Fu Jian moved his shoulders around, having already returned to normal, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Think carefully,” Fu Jian said, “This isn’t like the times from when we were beyond the Great Wall.”

Xiang Shu was a little impatient from listening to him and just got up, then glanced at Chen Xing.

Chen Xing knew that Xiang Shu had something to say, so he got up and bid farewell to Fu Jian.

Yet Fu Jian said, “You haven’t given Zhen an answer regarding the matter we brought up before, Chen Tianchi. There truly aren’t many people in the world who would dare use delaying tactics to deal with Zhen.”

Chen Xing didn’t expect Fu Jian to actually remember. He looked at Xiang Shu, then at Fu Jian.

Yet Xiang Shu left first. He didn’t want to listen to their conversation. Chen Xing hesitated for a moment before saying, “Your Majesty, even if I did want to get married, there should be feelings first ba? For people who have no feelings for each other, even if you were to matchmake them, they would most likely not be happy in the end. I……you have so many things to deal with, so don’t worry about this anymore.”

Fu Jian didn’t expect Chen Xing to reply in such a way at all, so he burst out laughing and said, “Feelings can be nurtured even if there aren’t any to begin with. Your answer was pretty interesting. Never mind, go ba.”

Chen Xing felt like he had just obtained an amnesty and quickly retreated. He suddenly thought of Tuoba Yan and began feeling awkward. After glancing to both sides, he realised that Tuoba Yan was no longer at the door, and only Xiang Shu was waiting for him.

Chen Xing felt heavy-hearted as he followed Xiang Shu out. Xiang Shu suddenly turned around; Chen Xing was now on guard after getting hit and thought that Xiang Shu was going to beat him up again, so he quickly took a step back. He watched Xiang Shu vigilantly and was ready to flee at any time.

When Xiang Shu saw Chen Xing like this, it wouldn’t be good for him to approach any closer, so he said, “I’ve thought it through. You didn’t lie to me, you are indeed an exorcist. At Mt. Longzhong that day, you used magic.”

Chen Xing thought, you’ve both hit and scolded me, and now that you snapped out of your stupor, you’re here to apologise? Do you think an apology would make it like nothing had happened?

“Oh.” Chen Xing said, “So what?”

Xiang Shu said coldly, “But you shouldn’t have gone to the Songbai residence last night. Jian Tou already knew of their secret plot a long time ago; it’s just that he hasn’t obtained enough evidence yet, so he doesn’t want to casually start a massacre.”

Only then did Chen Xing know that Fu Jian had long since caught wind of news that the Feng family was plotting a rebellion and the assassination of Fu Jian right under his nose in Chang’an City. He was just biding his time right now. On the one hand, Fu Jian has always had a lot of confidence in his own strength; this group of people who were planning to rebel against him were merely clowns to him.

On the other hand, the other party hadn’t made a move yet. Fu Jian doesn’t want to be known as a tyrant who liked slaughtering Hans, so he at least needed to hold a criminal charge against them before executing their entire family.

“How would I have known that?” Chen Xing said, “I just wanted to look for the ruins of the Exorcist Headquarters. How could I have expected that they would be hiding in the Songbai residence to discuss something like that?”

Xiang Shu surveyed the surroundings. There was no one, so he just sat down in the corridor and hugged one knee to his chest as he fell into deep thought.

Chen Xing really hated him to the core, but looking at Xiang Shu like this, he just couldn’t get angry at him. The sunshine of early spring shone down and landed upon Xiang Shu. This beautiful man was truly a treat to the eyes. Xiang Shu was dressed like an assassin today, and a handsome yet dangerous air was emanating from his entire body.

Chen Xing could only vent his frustrations on a tree in the garden. He snapped off a branch and whipped the bushes a few times to treat it like he was whipping Xiang Shu, “In the end, they asked me to help them kill Fu……kill that person, and I didn’t agree to it. If I wanted to do something I would have done it today. Why would I have to wait until you came to find me?”

Chen Xing guessed that after Xiang Shu waited for a long time and didn’t see him return, he was afraid that something would happen so he rushed over to take a look. Speaking of which, Xiang Shu did treat him rather peculiarly. While he beat him up on one side, he worried about his life on the other. It was the same last night; if he wasn’t afraid that Chen Xing would encounter danger, he definitely wouldn’t have gone to the Songbai residence so recklessly.

Chen Xing narrated what happened the previous day and observed Xiang Shu’s expression. He thought that Xiang Shu should be a tight-lipped person; he wasn’t someone who spoke much in the first place after all. For some reason, he has always felt that he could be at ease telling Xiang Shu about what he knows.

“There’s a lead on the person who tried to kill you?” After Xiang Shu listened to Chen Xing’s narration, he suddenly asked this.

“No,” Chen Xing answered, “Could it have been dispatched by the Feng family?”

“Impossible.” Xiang Shu rejected without even thinking about it.

“Why?” Chen Xing said, “After seeing that they couldn’t convince me, they could have decided to kill me in order to silence me……”

Xiang Shu answered, “Because the Feng family knows that you were taken away by me, so they wouldn’t take action that night. Otherwise, they would just be inviting trouble for themselves.”

Chen Xing pondered, “Then who would it be?”

But after thinking about it carefully, it shouldn’t be Feng Qianyi, because the shadow assassin was obviously some kind of yao. Since Feng Qianyi couldn’t activate his family heirloom knife, he naturally wouldn’t have the ability to enslave that kind of yao.

Chen Xing and Xiang Shu looked at each other; it was as if the Heart Lamp’s power let them know each other’s thoughts.

The only possibility is……

That mysterious group who had already targeted them. “‘They’ are in Chang’an City?” Chen Xing murmured.

“Isn’t that clear to you yet?” Xiang Shu answered, “You were acting too rashly!”

Chen Xing shrugged, “Firstly, before I came down the mountain, I had no idea that there would be a group of guys like that who would be conspiring to do this and that in the human world, and that they wanted to overturn the Divine Land. Secondly, when I said I was an exorcist, you didn’t stop me either, Lord Protector……”

Xiang Shu said coldly, “I’m not a Protector, I just want to find out the truth.”

Chen Xing, “Okay. Let’s take a step back. What’s the use of acting like a Zhuge Liang after everything happened? You……” As he spoke, he studied Xiang Shu, and asked curiously for the first time, “Why are you so persistent about understanding the inside story of the drought fiends?”

Xiang Shu answered his question with silence.

[obsessedwithfandoms]

I feel like Chinese dramas (or at least the ones I’ve been watching) have steadily moved up in terms of how much emotion the male lead displays. On a scale of Bai Zi Hua to Ning Yi, these have been my observations from least to most emotive male leads:

Bai Zi Hua (The Journey of Flower): the ultimate cold shifu who couldn’t actually admit he loved the girl until she died trying to prove that he loved her.

Yuwen Yue (Princess Agents): not much better at expressing emotion than Bai Zi Hua but at least he tried

Li Cheng Yin (Goodbye My Princess): he was terrible at expressing his love but at least he could admit that he loved her despite all the horrible things he was doing “for her”

Ye Hua (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms): a precious bean. Sincere and loving though he wasn’t always that way (re: Su Su) but at least he got there in the end

Xu Feng (Ashes of Love): adorable, honest and knew what he wanted and admitted as much up front. Too bad he was trying to love an emotionally cursed girl but they got there eventually

Ning Yi (The Rise of Phoenixes): a consummate flirt but damn, he’s good at expressing himself. He may not be overly forthcoming with his affections but his microexpressions and actions speak louder than words!

And there we have it - my personal ranking of emotion kings and no surprise that my current favourite Ning Yi is reigning supreme. I’m liking this change to more emotional characters rather than the standard cold lead. Makes things much more interesting!

[soyeahso]

Ashes of Love Characters as Troubled Birds--Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2

Buy me a coffee?

[xuanlw]

tag drop: characters ! ( pt four )

[kirin-central]

my main TWST AUs

notes: i have 2 main “AUs”/universes consisting of different TWST OCs, and different original plots! this post aims to summarize them both.

FOXIAN LORE: the Foxian Story follows the Xuan royal family, monarchs to the empire in the Land of the Red Dragons. the story follows Zhen Lei, an individual who once believed they were human from Earth, but soon discovered that they’re, in fact, the long lost heir to the throne; not only that, but they were ultimately the reason for a huge civil war which took place in the land. Now they must prove themselves worthy of the throne.

CHARACTERS: Zhen Lei/Xuan, Mi-Sun Lei, Else Lei, Ha-neul Kim, Harley Fayed, Izumi & Toru Shikahara, Juno, Dayita Shaan, Aria Lykaos, Célestine & Solène Lucien, Basil Arledge, Linh Quyen, Iona Kagero, Chrys Belov, Yoru Hoshino, Lupesina Tilo, Saoirse Brennan, Xenia, Mariya Belyaev, Qianjin, Atticus Baquiran, Sparrow, Virgil, Dante, Yiran Xuan, Lixin, Ailun, Tobias Aetós, Ishir Chahal, Kanan Ravi

YUUNIVERSE: the Yuuniverse storyline follows the regular TWST story. Yujin Han is a regular 21-year-old from Earth who suddenly got brought to Twisted Wonderland. with nothing to her name, she lives tirelessly as a high school student (again) at NRC. suddenly, everything changes when Yuuki, who claims to be the “true Yuu” appears, and mysterious events begin to occur one after another.

CHARACTERS: Yujin Han, Romi Klee, Hotaru & Misaki Hasegawa, Hyde Faelan, Klara Finley, Rina Liang, Miri Lovell, Yulia Biru, Élyna Lebrun, Feng Yuwen, Yuze, Yuuki Inoue

notes 2.0: there are some characters who appear in both universes! mostly because their role in the stories are more flexible. here’s the cast!

CHARACTERS: Scarlett Droll, Arsène & Athalie Honoré, Axel Alinac, Kieran Gilles

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

So I’m also rewatching Minglan (because it’s such a comfort watch) and postpartum hormones are something. I’ve always appreciated Minglan/Gu Tingye from an intellectual standpoint because TBH, I was always ehh on Feng Shao Feng’s looks.

But now? Apparently holy smokes that scene of Gu Tingye talking to Changbai with his daughter on his lap? The most attractive thing ever. Like yes, give me all the tall, broad shouldered dudes in their 30s that are not idol pretty.

(And yes, that was my previous reason for not really watching Princess of the Lan Ling King because pre!baby me did find the guy who played Lan Ling Wang to be more attractive than Yuwen Yong and I knew they weren’t the endgame. But Umm that’s not the case now.)

[shijiujun]

Bear with me I have... I think 3 more recs to go before the year ends! Hahaha in the meantime yes I know I’ve done some passing recs (残次品 Imperfection, 一级律师 The Lawyer & 鲜满宫堂 Palace Full of Delicacies) but I’ll leave those to maybe end of Jan hahahaha lest y’all get sick and tired of my posts! If you don’t wanna see these anymore feel free to block the ‘min’s why you should read’ tag!

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary:

16 year old Chen Xing is the last exorcist in the world with any sort of powers after a time when exorcists were at their peaks came to pass, all exorcists turning back into regular mortals. Guided by his now-deceased shifu, the novel starts with him trying to find his Protector, a partner that all exorcists are fated to have, and is led to the prison of this army camp where his supposed Protector is held captive, about to die. 

He saves an unkempt and weak Xiang Shu, who then turns on him the moment he’s free, unwilling to be this ‘Protector’ that Chen Xing is talking about, and leaves. Chen Xing thinks this is the last of it, but he meets Xiang Shu again by chance in another town, and Xiang Shu saves him from zombie corpses. 

They head into Chang An together as they are on the way as Chen Xing tries to convince Xiang Shu to be his ‘Protector’ in his mission to restore magic and keep demons/evil from people, but Chen Xing only has four years left to complete his mission before he’s fated to die at the age of 20, as prophesized by his shifu. They are also supposed to look for the Dinghai Pearl, which is supposed to bring the bearer great powers and help them in their task.

Xiang Shu turns out to be the Great Chanyu and leader of the Tiele tribe, and after a misunderstanding with the current emperor, he heads back to his tribe with his loyal soldiers/followers and also Chen Xing, where they have to solve the mystery of the dead moving zombie corpses, people being revived from the dead by an unknown mysterious force, and also political strife as Chen Xing and Xiang Shu figure out their feelings for each other as well. 

Set in historical China where the Hans (Chinese) and the Hus are at war and constantly fighting for territory from each other. Chen Xing would be considered a Han, while Xiang Shu is a Hu.

*Also features time-travel and second chances in the latter half of the book! There’s a tad bit of spoilers below as well, so do skip if you wanna avoid them!

Read:

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) | Novel Translations | Upcoming Donghua | Manhua | Audio Drama

Characters:

1. 陈星 Chen Xing - A young, wide-eyed 16 year old teen who has the powers of a Heart Lamp, which is a light emitted from his palm that can purify evil spirits/energy. When he was younger, his family was slaughtered due to sabotage from the Yuwen family, not that he knows about it until much later.

Look on the printed novels:

He’s the last exorcist with powers when the novel starts, and he fails to get Xiang Shu to become his Protector, but while he carries hope that his mission will be completed, he does not force Xiang Shu to become his Protector after the man rejects him twice, even though he knows he only has four years left to live. Because of his Heart Lamp, Chen Xing also has great luck and no matter what danger he falls into, there’s always a path of escape to safety laid out for him.

Younger look in the manhua:

He heads into Chang An city with Xiang Shu and Feng Qian Jun, and then split because he thinks he can find his old friend who’s from the Yuwen family, a boy who was his childhood friend and moved away shortly before the Chen family was massacred. He does not know that this boy, now a man, was complicit in the deaths of his family members and is thus not eager to see Chen Xing. Instead, when Chen Xing is escorted to the Yuwen manor by Xiang Shu, he’s crestfallen to see that the man is not at all happy to see him. Later he finds out that Xiang Shu is the Great Chanyu and has considerable status in the palace, and is also single. Once news of Xiang Shu’s return spreads, Chen Xing’s supposed childhood friend becomes one of the potential suitors looking to marry Xiang Shu.

Chen Xing is brought to the Tiele tribe shortly after hell breaks loose, and there he’s met with hostility also by the tribe, of which members are wary at seeing a Han, and also Xiang Shu’s sworn brother, who also has the hots for Xiang Shu. At that moment, Chen Xing realizes that he does not belong anywhere, has no real friends, no family, and is fated to die alone in four years time.

Of course he has feelings for Xiang Shu as the days pass, even though Xiang Shu displays his concern for him in brash ways. He tries to flee and fulfil his mission on his own, but Xiang Shu chases after him every single time, pissed off that Chen Xing keeps leaving him behind. Chen Xing, however, cannot reciprocate his feelings knowing that he’s about to die eventually.

2. 项述 Xiang Shu - Leader of the Tiele tribe and the Great Chanyu, wields considerable military might and commands respect amongst several neighbouring tribes as well. He’s reluctant to be Chen Xing’s Protector despite seeing his powers, because he has a duty first and foremost to his people in these chaotic, uncertain times, especially when war is imminent anytime. He’s also pissed off that Chen Xing keeps trying to impose this role of ‘Protector’ on him without asking him if he wants to be in the first place, and when Chen Xing realizes this, he stops asking Xiang Shu, and is determined to finish his mission without a Protector. 

Him as a Chanyu/Leader of Tiele tribe look from the printed novel art:

A great warrior who is looked up to by his tribe members, his past is also shrouded in mystery as he begins to find out just who his mother was, and how he himself contributes to Chen Xing’s mission. He’s unable to leave Chen Xing alone, always following after him. He always seems to be angry and annoyed at Chen Xing, and in the beginning Chen Xing thinks that Xiang Shu hates him because of the way Xiang Shu interacts with him. 

Him in Han-style outfit in the manhua:

Xiang Shu finds out early on that Chen Xing doesn’t have much longer to live, and is conflicted about it. When they finally find the Dinghai Pearl, he sacrifices himself so Chen Xing can obtain it, confessing to Chen Xing at the very last moment. This is before realizing that the Dinghai Pearl can help Chen Xing to time travel, and after the calamitous current timeline leading to Xiang Shu’s sacrifice, Chen Xing then goes back in time and this time, befriends Xiang Shu properly as he’s given a chance for a do-over to complete his mission.

3. 冯千均 Feng Qian Jun - A swordsman claiming to be an assassin that Chen Xing meets by chance after he’s duped by Xiang Shu in the beginning, and they travel together as they’re headed in the same direction towards Chang An city. Ends up being a good older bro to Chen Xing and also a helpful ally for Xiang Shu later.

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Chen Xing picks up a dog after Xiang Shu betrays him in the beginning, after he saves him from deathrow in prison, and in a fit of anger, names the dog Xiang Shu as well, and when he meets human Xiang Shu again, the man keeps glaring at him whenever Chen Xing calls for dog Xiang Shu

Xiang Shu treats Chen Xing very differently, and even though he wasn’t sure that he liked Chen Xing, he trusted him, much to the displeasure of other Hus, and some of the other tribes’ members - He’s not so good at being nice on the surface to Chen Xing given their first impression (and he’s still unhappy about how Chen Xing decided to force the role of the Protector on him, also doesn’t have the energy or time to care about Chen Xing’s mission fully considering the trouble his tribe is in), but he does care about Chen Xing and his safety, always finding ways to choose to follow Chen Xing rather than stay to further defend his tribe in times of crisis

The novel also depicts Chen Xing’s loneliness and optimism very well - He keeps the secret of his soon-to-come death to himself, not wanting to make anyone sad when the time comes, and he’s quite open-minded about his death, but at times when he sees the warmth and communal ties of the Tiele tribe, it hurts him to realize that he doesn’t have anyone and doesn’t belong anywhere

I also like Xiang Shu’s ‘Hu’ look a lot! With the braids and furs and everything!

Chen Xing finds other exorcists (legendary ones that are supposed to be dead apparently) and also exorcist wannabes, who do not have the power but are eager to learn, having heard of the legend of exorcists from before, and they manage to set up an exorcists’ headquarters of sorts to train more exorcists, which also fulfils Chen Xing’s mission partially

Everyone wants to get into Xiang Shu’s pants. Everyone, I swear

[spockandawe]

Anyways, I'm still going to do a more full writeup of these days, but broadly appealing, I am BEGGING people to read Peerless/Wushuang. It's a semi-sequel to Thousand Autumns/Qian Qiu (different cast, short chronological jump), which makes it... slightly a hard sell, because there isn't a complete translation yet for Quan Qiu, but still!!!!

The politics are a bit hard to understand if you haven't read Qian Qiu, or independently know the succession mess and dynasty overturn that followed Yuwen Yong's reign (the new emperor's father-in-law seized the throne and the new empress was demoted to princess). And one of the villains of peerless shows up in the Qian Qiu extras, where you get a little context for his life, things like that. But! Still! Even if i had read Peerless first, i would have been able to follow, and I would have still LOVED. IT.

Yan Wushi.... is a clown who can't manage to stop with the self-sabotaging pratfalls as he tries to romance a Nice Young Gentleman. Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao are a pair of clowns. This is a clown/clown romance. I'm not going to go into more detail and waste that metaphor here, but. They're stupid, your honor. They're so fucking stupid. I could write more, but i am extremely sleepy, and i just want to beg people to give these two hopeless clowns a chance ;u;

[craftercat]

How would you rank the Northern wei dynasty emperors for their talents and capabilities?

Tuoba Gui: 8/10. He founded Northern Wei and greatly expanded its territory and defeated the Rouran. He consolidated his power by abolishing independent tribal chiefs and encouraged agricultural development. However, he became cruel and paranoid at the end of his reign, executing officials for minor reasons, and this led to corruption and rampant crime.

Tuoba Si: 8/10. He was a good administrator, less cruel than his father or his son, and started the idea of Northern Wei emperors actually listening to their advisors. He frequently inquired about the people's hardships and also encouraged agriculture, and fixed the problems of Tuoba Gui's late reign. He was able to fend off Rouran attacks and took lands to the south when Liu Yu died, however he did have a few military failures which bring his rating down.

Tuoba Tao: 8.5/10. He actually reunified the north for a period of time that wasn't 5 minutes. He was also a good administrator and did his best to deal with corruption. However, like his grandfather, he became cruel at the end of his reign. This led to factionalism and political intrigue that caused the death of his crown prince and trusted minister, and was eventually assassinated.

Tuoba Yu: ?/10. I'm not even sure if he counts as an emperor or not, as he was only honoured as a prince. He was a puppet of Zong Ai and killed by Zong Ai when he wanted power for himself.#

Tuoba Jun: 7/10. He allowed the people to rest after the military campaigns of Tuoba Tao, and was more lenient than his grandfather, taking more after his great-grandfather Tuoba Si. He had some success with Rouran, but mixed results with Liu Song, and there was a lot of political intrigue during his early reign over his regency.

Tuoba Hong: 8/10. During his actual reign, he encouraged honesty in officials and was more involved in criminal cases. He did manipulate these cases a few times, however the overall effect was fairer application of laws. He abdicated to his son at 17 to pursue his philosophical interests.

Yuan Hong: 8/10. His sinicisation reforms shaped the culture of the Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui and Tang dynasties. However, it did face a lot of backlash that led to division and conflict during his actual reign. He likely had a role along with Empress Feng in the creation of the successful equal-field system and Three Elders system, which took power away from powerful magistrates and ensured more land was worked.

Yuan Ke: 3.5/10. During his reign, there was a lot of conflict between the powerful and corrupt Gao Zhao and the imperial clan. This fighting further weakened the Northern Wei, especially as his successor was five when he died. He abolished the "子贵母死" system, however this led to the regency of Consort Hu.

Yuan Xu: ?/10. He was a puppet of his mother Empress Hu and the regent Yuan Cha due to being a child. Neither regent was any good and their corruption led to revolts throughout Northern Wei. Empress Hu eventually poisoned him.

Yuan Ziyou: 5/10. He seemed to have talent himself, but ended up a puppet of Erzhu Rong. He killed Erzhu Rong in a coup, however he was killed by Erzhu Rong's relatives.

Yuan Gong: 5/10. Like Yuan Ziyou, he tried to exert influence himself, but the Erzhus were still very powerful. Their corruption led to Gao Huan rebelling and got poisoned.

After this it's just puppets of Gao Huan or Yuwen Tai.