#he does this just to annoy qi rong

[xielianlover2]

Xie Lian: Oh, fiddlesticks. That really ruffles my feathers

Qi Rong, *near tears*: Please. Please, just say fuck

[cn-alastair-lite]

"qi rong was just an annoying comedic relief and a useless, overdone villain with no deeper purpo-" NO. (points my finger at you)

qi rong is one of the few characters who witnessed the kingdom of xianle at its greatest and his perspective is very important because of how drastically different it is from the rest of the cast. not only that, he's an excellent foil to xie lian and it's no accident mxtx described him as looking fairly similar to xie lian. his feelings towards his cousin are VERY layered and if you think it's a straightforward matter, i don't know what to tell you. as a character, qi rong seems to fixate on the most fascinating things and i wish we had gotten more lore about him.

not to mention, making the one character whose abusive childhood at the hands of his father got described earn custody over a child is such a /choice/. his entire arc as guzi's father starts being played off as a joke but in the end, it does become the simple truth. tgcf would not be the same without the raw, unfiltered material that qi rong provided.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 4, Match 8: Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu vs. Xie Lian

Submitted kids:

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu: Zhang Chengling, Gu Xiang, Liang Jiuxiao, arguably also Cao Weining and Gao Xiaolian

Xie Lian: Ban Yue, Pei Xiu, Lang Ying, Lian Qianqiu, Gu Zi, Lang Ying

Propaganda under the cut!

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu:

1: “Wen Kexing- the man has his entire life planned around an evil revenge plot yet somehow while becoming the Ghost Valley Chief he manages to take Gu Xiang (who must of been a young girl at that point) under his wing. Sure the woman in the unfaithful manor probably helped him out with her, but still she manages to come out of the Ghost Valley probably the least messed up out of anyone. Also he goes total protective dad the second Cao Weining starts courting her, literally nitpicks everything the man does, yet in the end he gives them his support in the marriage and even holds it on his turf, opening up the Ghost Valley to normal (warrior/cultivating) people for their wedding. His positive interactions with Zhang Chengling are to a less extent, especially as the boy is so embroiled in his revenge scheme, but none the less he teaches him and treats him decently especially as the spend more time with each other.

ZZS- He gets tangled up in WKX’s whole revenge plot because he promises to protect and escort the boy, Zhang Chengling, to the safety of one of his martial uncles, and yet before we even hit the halfway point in episodes (at least I think it is) he’s taken the boy under his wing as what is essentially a disciple, even though he is the last member of his sect and was ready to let it die with him. Not to mention the fact that his whole plan was to waste away mostly unnoticed and yet he somehow gets dragged into the biggest drama of the decade and repeatedly puts himself in harms way to save the kid! And he planned on passing over the legacy of his sect to him! His relationship with Gu Xiang is less intense, but if I had to describe how they act it’s a constant back and forth, he annoys teases her and she gets all frustrated. She spends the first couple episodes literally thinking he’s a weird old man, cause their whole relationship is just like that. He’s also much more sympathetic to Cao Weining’s continuous courting struggle though that’s not to say he doesn’t pull a fast one or few on him.”

Link to the rest here!

Xie Lian:

1. “a several centuries old disgraced god who keeps somehow getting mixed up in things that have nothing to do with him and taking in random kids in the process. Got dragged into being a soldier in a war between kingdoms he's not even from? suddenly single dad to these two random kids caught up in between. dealing with a malicious ghost who has been killing brides? boom, now he has a ghost son whose previous guardian was killed by the malicious ghost. psychotic ghost cousin posses the body of a man with a young son and continues being a piece of shit? well i guess your taking care of that kid too now (i know guzi is technically qi rong's kid since he's the one possessing his actual dad but if it weren't for xie lian intervening when he did the kid would be dead so he kinda counts too)”

2. “Xie Lian saves a young LQQ from being kidnapped, returns him home and end up becoming the/his grand tutor(which was NOT his original plan at all). He literally teaches the boy everything for years, raising him to become the best ruler he could ever be. The XL ends up accused for killing his family (because of a lot of different things) what is important is that he was not the perpetrator but he did kill LQQ’s father in an act to save the boy from making a horrible decision/outcome and also dealt with the actual perpetrators but kept it a secret cause he knew it would break LQQ’s heart to learn his dear friend planned to kill him and his entire family. LQQ took this betrayal by XL so hard he buried him after staking him through the heart when he was still alive. 300 years later when XL returns/is revealed LQQ is still not over it to the point he wants a FAIR duel to settle the score. FAIR with the man he still thinks killed his entire family!

Banyue and Pei Su are connected. XL took BY under his wing while he was a soldier in the army. He did his best to protect her and get her fed as she had pretty much no one. He also talked with her about his younger selfs dreams for the future which was so inspiring to her that not only did she remember it over a century later when they meet again in very different circumstances but she also apologized for essentially not being able to live up to the ideals he had accidentally passed on to her. While he didn’t have as much direct contact with Pei Su, the boy was BY’s only friend and so while XL was around he did also interact with the boy. However this all came to an end when in an attempt to save BY (which succeeded) he through himself in between two armies and was trampled when they began to fight. When they meet again (as I previously mentioned) XL takes BY under his safety until he is not safe and then sends her off to a safe place where she reunites with PS, who for all XL doesn’t give the same amount of attention to, XL does actually approve of some of him (not all his actions) and seems to find it cute that PS is courting BY.

XL meets Lang Ying first when he helps the boy burry his proxy sister, LY ends up running off after XL reacted with shock to LY’s uncovered face, but XL keeps a constant search for him. XL next saves him from getting beat up by ghosts and ends up taking him to live with him in the shrine he lives in. He does his best to take care of both LY and Gu Zi at the shrine and keeps his good treatment up even knowing LY’s a ghost it only ends when (spoilers for non book people, feel free to look up if you want to know).

XL takes in GZ mostly as his ghost cousin (whom he arrested) has taken over the body of the boy’s father. While I’m not sure how much this one counts, especially since by the end his cousin ends up caring for GZ, but he still does the best he can to feed and care for the boy as his entire life changes.”

[habizuh-studios]

TGCF in Hua Cheng's POV?!

More likely than you think. Part 1, Book 1

---------------- “Crimson Rain,” Hua Cheng hears in his spiritual communication array. He’s been so bored lately. The only semi-interesting thing that had happened was him pummeling Qi Rong to the ground in his own city, so he’s excited to hear something.“I have good news for you,” he says. He more excited than usual. “So good that you have to contact me this way?” Hua Cheng says with a smirk. “To the point of having to use that stupid password, yes,” He Xuan probably rolls his eyes. “But I’ll get straight to the point. His Highness, the Crown Prince of Xianle, has ascended to Heaven once again.” Hua Cheng’s eyes go wide hearing that. His Royal Highness… Part of him wishes he found him earlier. The rest of him, however, is quietly celebrating. He brings his hand down from when it was resting on his temple and closes it into a fist. His head hangs down a little bit and he closes his eyes. He smiles- a true, genuine smile. It may be ugly, with too sharp teeth and crooked, but it’s genuine. It took so long… “Hua Cheng, what are you doing?” He Xuan’s annoying monotone voice breaks his euphoric stupor. Fuck He Xuan. “You don’t even know where he currently is.” “... Aren’t you going to tell me?” “Yes,” He Xuan says. How Hua Cheng can hear the joy in He Xuan’s voice. It’s uncharacteristic, but he doesn’t really care at the moment. “But not for free. He has caused quite the property damage from his ascension alone. Sent a clock flying towards General Xuan Zhen, destroyed General Nan Yang’s palace… He’s in a lot of debt. Now he’s doing a mission in the mortal realm to pay it off.” Hua Cheng thinks that this is very convenient. His good luck was actually worth something! “Hua Cheng, don’t you want to know where he-” “Free food, five months. I’ll feed your bonefish for two months. Anything else for them, one. Nothing to your debt.” “Ehem, pardon?” “You heard me. Do we have a deal, He Xuan?” “DEAL. He should be near the mountain of Yu Jun, at a tea shop… Small Shop of Chance Encounters. Fitting name, isn’t it? Anyway, he’s going to solving that Ghost Groom case some people were praying about. Maybe he’ll even ride in the bridal sedan…” “6 months of free food.” Hua Cheng can hear how much smile is in He Xuan’s voice. It’s disgusting, honestly, and he honestly pities him. That does not matter right now, however. What does matter is His Highness. He will not throw away this chance no matter how much it costs him. Just to see him once is all he asks for.

[bladesoap]

Does anyone else have a love-hate relationship when it comes to Qi rong? Like he's one of my favorites but at the same time I hate him lmao I love his character and how he's written but he's just an annoying gremlin😭 I'm a Qi rong lover but at the same time a Qi rong hater I think it's kinda hilarious

[wrens-versus-the-world]

Ripples in the water

(Crossposted on Ao3)

Fate is cruel. Or maybe not as cruel as He Xuan once thought.

Or… Heavenly officials never reincarnate, until two do.

He Xuan didnt know when it started. 

It began a few millennia ago, he thinks, when he started looking for his face in passersby. When he began to yearn of the feeling of the wind on his face, bringing him back to those days when he’d be around him.

Shi Qingxuan

He Xuan is a liar. And he knows it. He lied to himself many centuries ago when he killed Shi Wudu. He lied to himself when he turned himself away from Shi Qingxuan. And he lies to himself now, telling himself that he did the right thing. The noble thing. 

Sometimes He Xuan envies Crimson Rain Sought Flower, Hua Cheng. Because he got his happy ending. He was able to hold his love close to him, because he isn’t left alone with his thoughts at the bottom of the sea.  

Other times he hates him. He hates the look of pity he gives him when he comes to visit. He hates the way he got rid of his debt, telling him that he shouldn’t worry about it any longer. And he hates the way that he sees what he and Shi Qingxuan could’ve been in Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. 

Qi Rong the green ghost visits him too. Still the same untamed beast he used to be, but different. He Xuan thinks he’s imagined it. 

He Xuan stops going to his home years after the incident. He tells Hua Cheng that it’s because he has other things, more important things, to do. Not acknowledging the way Hua Cheng’s face contorts slightly at his lies, the way he looks at him sadly when he pulls out excuse after excuse of why he won’t go back to his manor. Stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that he wants someone to go back home to. A family. Although He Xuan would never admit it. 

Time is like the ripples in water. Or that's what He Xuan thinks at least. 

If you throw a stone into a lake, the water will part, ripples forming from the intrusion, reaching the very shores of the lake, albeit much smaller than at the center. But soon, the water will be still once more. Much like time He Xuan muses. Just as he threw a ‘stone’ into the heavenly realm those years ago, along with Crimson Rain Sought Flower and his majesty, the three realms are once again at peace. 

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He Xuan doesnt know when he started returning to the sea for comfort. Something he did when he first became a ghost. Back in those days he’d relish in the way the salt water stung the wounds from enemies, using it as a reminder of what he was fighting for, who. 

After he met Shi Qingxuan, however, he stopped visiting the sea. Telling himself that he didnt have time for it, although looking back he thinks it’s because he thought that if he returned to the sea he would allow his resolve to be washed away. Allowing himself to forgive himself for his guilty conscience. 

Now, long after the Shi Qingxuans passing, he returns to the salt ridden waters. He doesnt always go to swim, Sometimes he just watches the waves. Watches how they dance with the shore, leaving and returning, rhythmically almost. 

He Xuan likes it at night, when he doesn't have to worry about the noise of humans. When he can breathe out in peace. 

He Xuan does eventually return to the sea, beckoned by its rhythmic calls. Calls only he can hear, he thinks.

—---------------------------------

It isn't until many decades of this pattern, that he sees others hear the call. 

On that day he was annoyed. He was trying to swim, but was constantly interrupted by bits of plastic flowing towards his face or the marine life dragging him to help their kin (who were bothered by a similar problem). He left the sea angry that day, wondering why humans insisted on being so wasteful. 

As he left the ocean, he noticed that the sun was out, much to his dismay. He let out a small sigh, dragging the large pile of plastics he’d gathered. Wondering why the beach was so quiet (the beaches were typically bustling with people and fairly loud during the day). Good, he thought, enjoying the quiet as he made his way to the big trash can at the meeting of the beach and road. 

Or he was, until a gruff voice called out to him, “Hey,” the voice paused as He xuan turned his head, shooting a glare to whoever dared to bother him, “The Wind and Water master College marine biology class has reserved this beach, leave.” 

He Xuan froze, not hearing the words that the man said, only seeing his face. Shi Wudu. He was confused, heavenly officials could not reincarnate, so how was he here-

His thoughts were cut off as another figure appeared in front of him, “Brother, can’t you see that he was doing what we came here to do?” A voice he could only dream of said, “He’s no doubt been at this for many hours, and I don’t think he wants you to harangue him.” ‘Shi Wudu’ gave He Xuan a glare, turning away from the two of them and walking to the rest of the class. 

He Xuan’s knight in shining armor turns around, and He Xuan sucks back a gasp, it's really them. “Are you okay?” They ask, moving to take some of the plastic, “I’m sorry about my brother, he’s really pissy in the mornings.” they said, giving him a small smile, “Shall we take these to the trash?” They asked, causing He Xuan to shake out of his trance, nodding. 

Since that day, He Xuan went to the sea in the mornings, waiting for Shi Qingxuan. He was confused at the situation, but was happy to see them (not so much Shi wudu). Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan would stay in the shallow waters gathering bits of plastic and litter while engaging in small talk. 

In those talks He Xuan gathered that Shi Qingxuan was studying to become a marine biologist, and was very passionate about the environment. He also learned that this Shi Qingxuan had a slight disdain for their brother, which he’d later find out was because this Shi Wudu didn’t accept his gender identity and sexuality, something he’d only let slip out in a moment of anger, apologizing shortly after. 

He Xuan began to look forward to those mornings, enjoying their small talk, even yearning for more. 

A month or so later Shi Qingxuan stopped showing up, along with the entire class. It wasn't until a month later that He Xuan saw them again.

--------------------------------------------------------------

He Xuan continued to drag bits of plastic out of the sea, not caring when the beach became crowded once more. Irritation ate at him, why did Shi Qingxuan leave, he wondered. 

In the weeks that followed the Shi Qingxuan’s disappearance, He Xuan ruminated about the life that they once lived, many lifetimes ago as he laid on the beach. 

Many days of this cycle went on. Swim, find plastics, help the animals, look for Shi Qingxuan, rinse, repeat. The days dragged on and one day when he laid there ruminating he fell asleep. Seeing his Shi Qingxuan in his dreams, seeing the heavenly windmaster call the winds to his beck and call, smiling at him, calling him that stupid nickname that he now longed for, “Ming Xiong.” 

When he awoke from his slumber he saw the moon high in the sky, and he let out a small curse, how could he fall asleep at a time like this. When he’s supposed to be waiting for Shi Qingxuan, he wondered before scolding himself, this Shi Qingxuan is not his Shi Qingxuan. 

With that thought he sat up, biting back a sigh, as he watched the waves in their back and forth dance with the shore. 

After the moon sank in the sky he decided that he needed to clear his mind. He needed to get in the water. He stood up, walking towards the sea, stopping where the waves met the shore, allowing the waves to brush against him. He waited there until the sun came up. 

When the sun came up he let out a sigh for the nth time that morning, and turned around, abandoning his march to the sea. Only to stop in surprise, Shi Qingxuan stood before him, not his Shi Qingxuan, but a ripple in the waters of time. Fate is a cruel thing He Xuan thinks as he looks to Shi Qingxuan sadly. 

Shi Qingxuan held out their hand to He Xuan, their dress pants quickly becoming soaked through in sea water. 

He Xuan stood their for a moment, suddenly sent back to when the two were in the heavenly court, didn’t Shi Qingxuan do something like this back then too he wondered. Remembering how Shi Qingxuan pulled him up by his hand upon their first meeting when he’d ‘fallen.’ 

He Xuan shook his head for a moment, ridding himself of such thoughts, grabbing Shi Qingxuan’s hand while refusing to make eye contact. 

Shi Qingxuan sighed, “He Xiong,” he called out, as the two walked to a bench on the beach, “Why won’t you look at me?”

He Xuan, sat there wondering, why won’t he look at them? His Shi Qingxuan is long gone, yet he clings to their ghost, oh the irony he thinks. He Xuan turns his head, finally looking Shi Qingxuan in the eyes, raising a hand to his face. 

‘Soft’ he thinks as he looks into their clear bright eyes. 

If this were him centuries ago he would have killed himself than touched his ‘enemy’ like this, but this is not then he thinks. 

He can be selfish, he thinks to himself, leaning down, pressing their lips together. 

Yeah, He Xuan can be selfish, living the life he didnt know he longed for back then now, in the modern era, with this Shi Qingxuan. 

He Xuan spent many years cursing fate as he swam at the bottom of the sea, seeing fate as a cruel being who never corrected him in his misguided thoughts. He sees now that fate isn’t quite as cruel as he once thought. 

I love them so much

[truly-morgan]

[QR is trying his best to be a good dad]

Qi Rong + Guzi | Heaven Official’s Office Modern AU 01-09-2021

[#qirong #guzi, modern]

Says thanks to qiurong now I got interested back in dad qr and his son guzi.

But just imagine modern world, qi rong is not known to be kind and good to people. He's pretty harsh and vulgar. He's also not really known for being /that/ good at taking care of children either. He doesn't enter the top 10 of potential babysitters with people he knows. But then one day, out of absolutely nowhere he has a kid?!

He happened to be bothered at work by his cousin and xl annoying husband when he suddenly received a call from school saying guzi is sick and should be taken home. Of course, he curse, mumbling about knowing something was off about guzi this morning and he should just have called in sick at work to make sure guzi was alright.

And xl is just stunned "you have a son!?!".

"No I have a horse. Of course, it's a son" qi rong snaps back.

He doesn't have time to deal with xl disbelief of the news, he has to figure out if someone can replace him for the end of his shift, but he knows it won't be easy because everyone here probably hates him (he can probably play on it being for guzi).

"How long until the end of your shift?" Xl ask before qi rong can go annoy his colleague to cover for him.

"Don't fucking know, about four hours, why" he asked.

"Well, maybe we can go get him for you" xl suggests with a smile, "is it alright sang lan?"

"Anything gege wants to do is alright" hc smiles, although anyone could tell he didn't really want to help qi rong (but since he was xl cousin, someone xl was trying to get close to again...).

Qi rong look at him, seemingly thinking it over.

He seriously doubts anyone would cover for him after having had at least an argument with everyone at least once (and guzi might have been used as an excuse in the past). Plus he couldn't really afford losing this job either by just walking out.

"Okay sure, I'll just call them to say you are picking him up, I'll lead you to my key and DONT enter the kitchen!"

And with that xl and hc are gone to go get guzi while qi rong finishes work.

Qi rong does try not to be distracted, but it is a bit hard when he knows guzi is sick and the one taking care of it is /xl/. As much as he cannot feel hc, he hopes the man makes sure xl doesn't try feeding his son anything he makes himself.

the four hours pass too slowly in his opinion and on his way back he grabs a couple of things to make some chicken soup for guzi (he even grab the shell pasta he seems to like so much). he gets back to his apartment to hc softly trying to stop xl to try and make something for guzi.

He throws on the counter the thing he just bought, getting the attention of the couple, yet he doesn't leave time to ask questions.

he goes directly to guzi's room, his features suddenly more soft and somewhat calmer too, despite his worry. He sits on the bed next to him, passing a hand through his hair and touching his forehead to see if he has a fever.

"You should have told me you were not feeling good" he says, watching as guzi leans into the cool touch of his hands.

"I didn't want you to get in trouble for missing work again" guzi whispered, looking up at qi rong when his dad laughed.

"They can go fuuu" he starts before seeing the look his son was giving him "Eat a cactus, if my son is sick I'll take care of him".

At worst I'll find another job, is what he doesn't add to not worry guzi more.

He smiles at him, happy to see his son being reassured by his words. "Are you hungry? I can make you some chicken soup"

"With the shells?" guzi ask

"With the shells" he replies, passing his hand in guzi hair again. "rest a little bit more while I make it".

with this he got up, missing how some intruders were quickly shuffling back to the living room in silence.

He went back into the kitchen, ignoring the look xl was giving him, clearly wanting to ask questions.

He only put his attention back on him when he suggested helping him out. "Out of my kitchen! don't cross onto the tiles, you'll just make him more sick with your poisonous food" he says, "If you want to help, make your husband do something instead" As much as he didn't like hc, he knew the man was at least decent in cooking, better than whatever his cousin would ever make.

He ignore the glare hc was giving him for talking like this to xl, missing the look xl gave him instead so he could help.

this is how he ended up cooking around hc, an awkward silence falling on them as xl clearly wanted to ask questions but didn't (he figured qi rong wouldn't answer while he was so focused on making his fresh chicken soup for guzi, he was surprised it wasn't a canned one).

qi rong tried ignoring how xl was going back from the kitchen to the room to check on a sleeping guzi, unsure what to do when everyone was already doing something.

"Here, cut some fucking apple slice if you really wanna help" ended up snapping qi rong. He couldn't possibly fuck up cutting an apple right?

It was clearly enough since xl finally settled down to do his task, even making little bunny with the apple pieces.

when everything was ready qi rong found guzi favourite bowl to put his soup in, a glass of water and taking xl apple plate before going back to guzi.

the young boy was awake again, happy to eat something his dad made.

Qi rong talked about his day at work, knowing it would help guzi relax to hear him talk (a contrast to guzi usually being the one to talk about his day when they eat). He managed to keep most of his swearing and cursing under control, otherwise gaining a look from guzi.

it was mostly complaining about clients, but his son seemed rather amused at his tales so he continued until he was done eating everything.

He gave something to help guzi's headache before letting him go back to sleep, reminding him to come get him if something was wrong. when he finally went back to the kitchen he was tired. He had already not slept well the night before and had passed the last couple of hours worried about guzi.

He was greeted with a bowl a soup xl had prepared for him so he could eat too.

"Why are you still here?" he asked, just wanting to be left alone now.

"Wanted to make sure you were oka-"

"No need to fucking lie, I know you worry about guzi" qi rong rolled his eyes. He wouldn't be the first to believe he was not a good fit to take care of him. But he didn't really care, guzi seemed to believe he could and he also believe he was doing a rather good job here. He may not be filthy rich like hc or as kind and gentle as xl, but he was doing his best already.

"Since when do you have a son?" xl asked instead, which did not surprise him either. No one really knew (but why would they need to know anyway? It wasn't like anyone really bothered to ask about how he was doing normally).

"Technically a year and a half" qi rong replied without giving more detail.

"Technically?" Repeated xl, unsure what this was supposed to mean.

"His dad was a shit neighbour and guzi ended up at my place a couple of times before I fully took him in.

Qi rong didn't explain more about how guzi's birth father was an absolute drunk who would get aggressive easily and barely took good care of his wife and son. More than once guzi ended up at his place when no one was home, his dad was too drunk and aggressive or because No one had actually fed him.

His parents ended up dying in a car crash (because the man was drunk). Qi rong was still unsure how he actually managed to get guzi's custody, he worked hard to have so. He might not be perfect, but he already knew him and guzi would Get upset the moment it was insinuated the gege from the next floor wouldn't be the one caring for him.

Qi rong was still fighting to show he /was able/ to take care of guzi properly.

Seeing how qi rong was clearly not going to give more detail xl sighed, fidgeting with hc hands. It was probably too early to get to know more about his cousin. He already took as a victory being trusted to go get guzi, knowing qi rong he could as well just tell him to fuck off.

Plus guzi seemed to recognise him, so qi rong had /somewhat/ mentioned him before. It was a good start to build something that had never been really there.

They ended up leaving when xl was fully sure that qi rong would be alright too. Qi rong was more than happy to finally be left alone, finishing his soup before going back to check on guzi. The boy was awake again and requesting he stay with him for now so he went to lay on the bed next to him (he was a bit too big for it but whatever).

"The nice gege is gone?" Guzi ended up asking.

"Oh, so I am not the nice gege anymore, great" qi rong snorted, "they went home after bothering me".

"But you are not a nice gege anymore," guzi said while turning back to him, "you are my dad".

Qi rong made a show of rolling his eyes, ruffling the boy's hair. Yet inside something was warm at the idea of guzi really seeing him like this, not just as a name used because it was expected in a way after being taken in as his adoptive son.

"Go to sleep now, you won't get better by not resting".

He ended up staying under guzi demand, falling asleep oddly on the bed, thinking of calling in sick if guzi isn't doing better.

He fell asleep with the same nice feeling.

Whatever other thought, as long as Guzi thought he was enough everything would be fine.

Original

[fortune-maiden]

Stuck in traffic and bored so resurrected TGCF AU of the Day…

I’m not sure I ever detailed this one outside of some tags but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately especially now that my friend read the QuanYin backstory

So. Quan Yizhen. Martial God of the West who does not have any deputies appointed and beats up his followers sometimes but is still popular enough to be in the Top 10 and the West is probably doing fine

I’d like to think at least some of that is also Ling Wen delegating other gods on occasion, specifically Pei Xiu, who just feels like the designated grunt of the three tumors

Pei Ming allows it. Pei Xiu does his job and this allows him to some kind of foothold in the West. Not enough to dethrone QYZ and they’re not gunning for it, but if PX can get some credit for the work he’s doing, PM certainly isn’t complaining

Cue Qi Rong with the rumors.

No ones paying attention to him and no one know exactly how the whispers start. But suddenly it’s an open secret that PM wants to dethrone QYZ and set up PX in his place and the other juniors at Ming Guang Palace are pretty gung ho about it. People who don’t like QYZ are also pretty interested in watching this situation develop. People who don’t like PM are tutting but can’t really say much against him.

PM, PX, and QYZ are ignoring this as much as possible. It’s unknown if QYZ even heard the rumors.

But what starts as rumors eventually escalates and leads to several Ming Guang Temples getting trashed. The Palace of Ming Guang is furious - they believe QYZ instigated or trashed the temples himself and they’re not about to let this go.

Pity they choose a very nice garden party to confront him land start a brawl before PX is able to do anything about it.

Enter SQX, who is about to do something about it.

SQX drags all the culprits, PX and QYZ before the emperor. He has been watching this unfold and tutting and now things have reached a point where someone needs to do something - preferably PM gets censured but PX maintains that Ming Guang Palace is innocent.

The Emperor agrees - and puts SQX in charge of investigating

No one is happy about this situation. Not PM who is tearing his juniors a new one. Not SWD who does not want SQX getting mixed up in these things.

And definitely not PX and QYZ who are being dragged along with SQX to make up and help find the real culprits.

Or in which, SQX investigates the rumors QR started with a reluctant PX and QYZ in tow

Other plans in this AU:

- SQX meets a cheerful stranger who seems very interested in this incident. PX meanwhile senses a murderous intent from someone and finds himself constantly under attack. (This is Rong Guang watching the situation unfold and deciding what to do about it, aside from kill PX to make PM suffer)

- Yin Yu is also in the area looking into it for Hua Cheng. He is doing everything in his power to avoid QYZ and the rest… he is also probably the most competent detective here and is really torn about helping his former colleagues (or at least SQX) out

- Absolutely no one has faith in SQX as the investigator. PM pulls PX aside and effectively tells him to play babysitter/bodyguard and let SQX do whatever while he investigates separately

- the Three Tumors are making their own plans in the background. SWD is worried about his brother and Ling Wen feels partially responsible for all the odd jobs she dumped on Pei Xiu in the past. Pei Ming just wants the kids to come home in one piece.

- Everyone keeps underestimating QYZ who is actually paying very close attention to things and not saying anything because he’s annoyed and just wants to skip to the part where he can’t beat up the bad guys and go home

[bookswithsyd]

Ghost Baby, Temples, & Droughts | Heaven Official's Blessing

Book three starts with the end. The large nation of Xianle might be prosperous in the capital, but the area of Yong’an is suffering from a deadly drought. So, what is the martial god Xie Lian to do? Only to borrow the Rain Master’s hat and trekking back and forth to bring rain himself.

One man cannot keep a nation goin when they are on the brink of falling. Xie Lian’s efforts are for not, as he must watch the beginning of the end of his kingdom. A war breaks out after the class divide is put in the forefront. With the kingdom having banished the starving people of Yong’an, the people retaliate for the lack of compassion.

Everything seems to reach its peak when the ever annoying Qi Rong gets himself kidnapped, causing Xie Lian to chase after him (ever the good cousin, I would have left him to fend for himself). Thankfully, Xie Lian is not on his own, a skilled young swordsman refuses to leave his side.

After the scorn of the Earth Qi Rong, is sent off, Xie Lian’s cultivation is put to the test. When flower yao use all means of temptation, Xie Lian must resist giving in and destroying his purity, thus weakening his cultivation level. This scene demonstrates how dedicated he is to cultivation after he IMPALES HIMSELF ON HIS SWORD.

This first section focuses on the war that not only destroys the Kingdom of Xianle, but ends the good will Xie Lian has built up with his people. With the fate of the land changed by the actions of Xie Lian, a deadly disease sweeps through the kingdom, only effecting the people of the capital.

The burning of Xie Lian’s shrines are what wraps up this flashback.

Back to the present, Xie Lian is back in Puqi Shrine, with a tied up Qi Rong taking control of a father’s body. To take a break from the sorrow and destruction, we get a glimpse in an annual competition amongst the gods. Who will receive the most lanterns from their devotees? Obviously the God of Water and Wealth will be sent many, along with the other highly worshipped gods, but who would have thought that nobody god who has taken to scrap collecting would blow everyone else away with his donations.

Before Xie Lian can figure out what is going on, he is sent on a detour to deal with that pesky fetus spirit that he encountered back in book one. How else does one hunt down a vengeful spirit who is set out to attack others? By shoving a pillow under your shirt and pretending to be the pregnant concubine staying in the guest room of course!

Next challenge, how do you take on a quick moving spirit? Well, you first jump in the water to get away from it. Then you come up with the brilliant idea to swallow the spirt and then shove your sword down your throat. According to Xie Lian, this is by far the best and only way to deal with this situation.

Well Hua Cheng has better plans. Instead of risking his precious gege, just have his silver butterflies capture the spirit while he pulls Xie Lian out of the water. Hua Cheng’s protective tendencies jump out in this section, making sure that Xie Lian is okay and taking him back to Ghost City (because of course he would end up in Ghost City).

What better way to welcome Xie Lian back to Ghost City than to show him the Thousand Lights Temple (through no urge of Hua Cheng, he seems embarrassed of his infatuation). The shyness shown from Hua Cheng was so endearing, the big strong Ghost King didn’t want to upset the Crown Prince. My favorite part of this whole book was the adorable domestic section with Xie Lian (trying to) teach Hua Cheng how to write.

Of course, we couldn’t forget the main reason Xie Lian ended up in Ghost City. The fetus spirit.

The whole section with the fetus spirit seems like its there to progress the plot, so I worried that it would be forgotten. Have no fear, Paradise Manner catches fire and everyone remembers the whole reason Xie Lian ended up in Ghost City.

Some bickering happens, a little fighting, and a whole lot of suspense before the mother of the spirit is found and taken back to the upper courts of heaven. With the power the spirit holds, the father must be a powerful man, so the hunt in the upper courts to find the parent begins.

A lot of finger pointing happens here. You are the father! No wait, you are the father! Very quickly, her credibility freefalls as she picks man after man as her baby daddy.

Obviously, nothing can be done with this useless information. So, off to some holding cell while the gods find a mountain to shove her in. With all the business in the heavens taken care of, Xie Lian can peacefully return to Puqi Shrine.

The best way to wind down after a hectic workday is by having a nice meal. Puqi Shrine is filled with a god, a ghost king, and a pain in the ass ghost in a human’s body along with a child or two.

This section is a sweet domestic slice-of-life feeling with Xie Lian and Hua Cheng cooking a meal and even the spiritual weapons getting in on the fun. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. To wrap up book three, a nice meal is interrupted by the Wind and Earth Masters paying the shrine a visit.

The best subject to talk about over a meal is how you were cursed as a baby and have been running away from a deadly spirit that is hunting you down, and now, after years and years of being free, it has reared its ugly head once more. The Wind Master begs for help, he can’t go to his brother because of his upcoming challenges, so Xie Lian is his only hope.

Of course this book has to end on a cliff hanger. After just starting their journey, the group is thrown a curveball. The typical mode of transportation, teleportation, seems to have come across… an error and they now are standing in a run down temple of Water and Wind.

[tklpilled]

tgcf tk headcanons because i have to do EVERYTHING around here (spoilers)

xie lian is canonically SUPER ticklish and its SO cute i love him

feng xin and mu qing know about it but like. they never do anything about it

but HUA CHENG.

xie lian can NOT catch a break (not that he minds)

he's so dramatic about it he's like "please.. i cant take it anymore..." after two seconds

one time he tries to get hua cheng back and hes SO disappointed when it doesnt work

"you have to be ticklish!!" "i would never lie to gege <3"

but then xie lian gets to one of his like. two spots and they both just stare at each other

in hua cheng's defense. who would ever try to tickle THE crimson rain sought flower. how was he supposed to know

hua cheng lets xie lian tickle him as much as he wants but he will be just as if not more melodramatic

"i'm dying!!" "you are already dead"

qi rong is TIRED of them

speaking of qi rong. he tries boasting about how not ticklish he is and then xie lian squeezes his sides to make him shut up and he screams. turns out possessing someone else's body has consequences

(although his actual form is ticklish too. but he won't admit it)

xie lian gets into the habit of just reaching over and scribbling over qi rong's stomach when he's being too annoying

it kinda backfires though bc it just turns into qi rong shouting various curses and threats, and in most cases he's even louder than before

but xie lian finds it kinda funny so he keeps doing it

"COUSIN CROWN PRINCE YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL ME" "you are already dead!!!!"

he xuan is definitely not ticklish he's scary and intimidating and he doesn't giggle

there seems to be a theme involving ghost kings

disguised as ming yi, he is Actually not ticklish. shi qingxuan has tried. many times.

BUT in his true form he xuan is ticklish and shi qingxuan is very happy

not quite as ticklish as shi qingxuan but she doesn't care

he xuan doesn't tickle him back very often BUT

when he does she's always begging him to stop and then gets disappointed when he does actually stop

he doesn't love being tickled or anything but he does think it's fun!! esp when it's he xuan doing it

he xuan has sharp teeth + sometimes he bites shi qingxuan but she always giggles cause it always tickles rather than hurts

quan yizhen + yin yu <333 i love side ships

ANYWAY quan yizhen is super giggly when he's being tickled like he's just. a little puddle and its cute

yin yu always tries to hide his laugh but he breaks eventually

sometimes quan yizhen is all "shixiong :(((" whenever yin yu is trying to keep quiet so he just gives in right there

yin yu gets so flustered when it comes to like. most things in their relationship actually. bc quan yizhen is always so forward

"i want to tickle you" "???????"

and even in the reversed positions it's like

"can you tickle me" "?????????????"

quan yizhen just does not get flustered ever it's so unfair to yin yu

I FORGOT ABOUT FENGQING i am so sorry

mu qing is the more ticklish one. my reasoning is because he's my favourite of the two

they can't do ANYTHING without turning it into some sort of competition and tickling is no different

"tickle fight" no that shit's tickle Warfare. tickle Combat. tickle Armed Conflict

mu qing is like a cat his worst spots are his stomach + ears and feng xin gives me ticklish sides/ribs vibes

feng xin has more stamina than mu qing but mu qing will always try to last as long as he possibly can out of spite

xie lian has witnessed many. many of their tickle fights. he's tired

y'know what i take back what i said earlier. xianle trio tk fights

like it's just feng xin and mu qing but then some way or another xie lian will find a way to get involved

they never actually drag him into it (on purpose) because they want to be fair and they know he will Lose. he has Zero chance of winning.

but like. once he does get involved. they're not just going to kick him out

"feng xin!! help me!!!" "sorry your highness i have this really rare contagious disease called ligma"

xie lian has won a total of one (1) time against mu qing and that's only because he was teasing him to the point where he short-circuited long enough for xie lian to tickle him into a little heap on the ground

mu qing likes to pretend it never happened

[thefairfolk]

so... qi rong, huh. a very intriguing little goofball whose most hated actions i've decided to re-analyse for myself.

alright, to summarise this entire post, a character doesn't have to be nice to be interesting. there are a lot of words you can describe some of these guys with, but "nice" is most definitely not one of them.

and that's okay.

jun wu is not a nice or good person. jin guangyao is not a nice or good person. neither is qi rong or the old palace master or whoever "bad guy" made to face off with protags.

but it doesn't mean they're not good characters. it doesn't mean they aren't necessarily badly written or anything of the like. it doesn't mean you can't like them.

it also doesn't mean, that in the off chance that you do like them, you get to correlate them being a good character with them being a "good person" and use this as a reason to like them. you don't need that reason. hell, you don't even need a reason! because people are going to like what they're going to like, and that's okay. the only issue is when you start liking something for all the wrong reasons. (@ qi rong stans because while it's good that you like that blorbo, you also can't overlook everything.)

this isn't to say you mustn't like a character because they've "done bad things!!1!!!1"

no. this is to say that you just can't push their necessarily bad qualities aside when you do it.

this also doesn't mean that you can use a character's trauma as an excuse. while your trauma can shape you into who you are today, you are ultimately your own person and make your own decisions.

"this character needs a hug" and "this character needs to be fucking decked" are statements that can and should coexist!

other characters are allowed to hate your favourite character. you CANNOT say someone who was harmed by another person (no matter whether one of them is good or bad) is obligated to forgive them- even more so when they don't feel sorry. even if we, as the fans, like a character, we can't expect other characters in canon to do the same- especially when they have good reason to do so.

like... look, the point isn't that qi rong didn't want to kill hong-er and didn't do so anyway. the point is that he grievously harmed a child. does that mean you can't like qi rong? of course not. but it also means that hua cheng, a fictional character may i add, is perfectly justified in not liking him.

and, if i may guess, hua cheng dislikes him mainly due to the disrespect towards xie lian. as for that, though? that's not a crime. sure, it's rude, and we, as fans of a work who are seeing it through xie lian's point of view, will naturally dislike it. but it's still not worthy of like, torture. again, unless if you're hua cheng. in which case, sure, beat up whoever you want for being rude to your husband. that's fair. i'd do that too if i actually had a relationship.

however, as fans? we see things in a broader way since we can see everyone here. if we're not judgemental, we're the neutral third party and we should ultimately agree that just because someone is particularly annoying or offensive, doesn't mean you need to put them in a meat grinder or something. what the hell.

"but qi rong is repeatedly humiliated in the books-!" he's the comic relief character. it is his job.

our job? our job is to break him out of it the same way every fandom does with the comic relief character. bro, we live in an era where there are 100k word angst fics about, i don't know, cartoons or something. some screeching dude in a danmei being the source of some much-needed comic relief doesn't make him abused.

if anything, slow clap to qi rong for breaking the cycle of abuse that his father perpetuated with.

[birbfeeder2artisticboogaloo]

thousand autumns donghua, episode 11~

I READ THE TITLE Y'ALL!!! I ACTUALLY READ THE HANZI!! I AM WAY TOO PROUD OF MYSELF HAHAHA!!! ahem ANYWAY~ one of my fav things about donghua and cdrama is when there's lots of ppl in a scene and the background is full of them all going '走 走 走!' and '来 来 来!' like it's just….very comforting bg noise?? like ppl singing in the pub or ur parents chatting with each other when ur falling asleep as a kid. I MUST ROMANTICISE HUMANITY, IT IS MY FATE ;A; ooh gambling!! lmaooo everyone is betting on ruyuan kehui and yan wushi's fight!! that's hilarious omg 🤣 OH HI BAI RONG!! i was only teasing u before, i rly do like u girl!! just go easy on poor shen qiao ok??? he's been thru so much ;A; these dramatic motherfuckers i swear THERE'S EVEN A FUCKING HAWK SCREECHING BY, WTF IS HAPPENING annoying beard guy from before: FIGHT WITH ME, OLD MAN!!! >:( yan wushi: lol i don't fight with peasants OOOOHHHH they throw off their robes so dramatically!! do u undress that way for bed as well?? i pity whoever does their laundry tho 😔 WHOOOAAAA HOLY SHIT THIS FIGHT SCENE IS INCREDIBLE IT'S SO EPIC WHY ARE THEY EVEN TALKING??? JUST KEEP FIGHTING THIS IS AMAZING!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!!! DAMN!!! HE STOPPED THE SWORD WITH HIS FINGIES!!! RUYUAN KEHUI DID SHADOW CLONE NO JUTSU??? AND THEN THE OLD MAN DID THE PHOENIX DESCENDING THING??? AND HE THREW THE SWORD BACK TO RUYUAN KEHUI AND THEY'RE LIKE ZIPPING AND AROUND AND WHOOOOOSH AND KRSHSH AND BAM AND RRRRRRR AND WHOAAA 🤩��👀 bai rong: tee hee, i wanna seduce u~ shen qiao: no :( i won't hang with u if u continue this :( i tease, but good for him, setting boundaries for himself!! it's important and healthy!! never feel bad for setting boundaries with others! :D awwww shen qiaaaooo he's such a good guy ;A; WHOA WHAT YAN WUSHI WAS STANDING ON A……..VINE??? WTF?? THE OTHER DUDE WAS STANDING ON A SWORD??? oh crap the old man's heart is about to give out!! he's getting too decrepit and ancient for this!!! SOMEBODY HELP GRANDPA TO HIS CHAIR!! 😱 wait his…..his 'evil spirit' is broken??? forcibly use qi?? what does this mean??? wAIT DID HE DID HE TAKE A HIT FOR SHEN QIAO??? oh noooo ;A; lmao they've apparently been fighting for more than two hours, just enough time for a single lotr film 😂

WAIT RUYUAN KEHUI STOLE EVERYONE'S SWORDS lmao that's fucking hilarious!!! 🤣 oooooohhhhh yan wushi doing his phoenix descending ;A; he's SO fucking badass, like literally, he is SO FUCKING COOL. incredible!! i don't blame shen qiao, i'd sleep with him too! he's just awesome 😳😳😳 BEAK VS SWORD, WHO WILL WIN????? i'm glad they're fighting out here away from town, otherwise they would have destroyed all the buildings and killed everyone 👀 LMAO the guys in the audience all cheering and complimenting them, they're so cute ;A; bai rong: i can't believe it was a TIE, right, shen-langjun?? ……..shen-langjun??? shen qiao: *already left without saying anything* yan wushi has decided to put himself in cryostasis to avoid his problems!! 😔 (if only i could do the same….. 😒) duan wenyang: i will now kill u while u can't fight back, like a brave person would!! >:) shen qiao: GET SHILLELAGH'D!! 🍀 *irish folk music in the bg* awwww he's trying to help the old man with his poison ;A; he's so sweet ;A; bai rong: hey what if i kill ur friend for my own benefit?? >:3 shen qiao: ……no >:( OH NOES now THEY are fighting as well!! my mans bashing clones like my cats go after bugs lmao 😹 awww even tho he's hurt he's still trying to protect yan wushi with his life ;A; oh my godddd ;A; lol even bai rong can't believe he'd do this for the old man!! that's adorable ;A; yan wushi: trying to help me?? UNACCEPTABLE!! ILLEGAL!! I WILL THROW U OFF A CLIFF TO TEACH U A LESSON!!! aaaand shen qiao is being strangled for the……fourth time so far?? lol OH SHIT HE HE COUGHED BLOOD ON YAN WUSHI'S FACE!!! AND THAT WOKE HIM FROM HIS QI DEVIATION THING!! 😱😭 DFGHAJDSHGDS SHEN QIAO IS CARRYING HIM ON HIS BACK LMFAO like it's really sweet but IT'S ALSO HILARIOUS I'M SORRY 🤣🤣🤣 shen qiao: well i'll be heading out then :) try not to die :) yan wushi: yeah whatever bye 😒 yan wushi, thinking: i can't believe he's just going to leave me like that, after bleeding on my face i thought things would be different, he even carried me on his back??? 🥺 doesn't that mean anything to him?? 🥺 is it something i said??? 🥺 does a-qiao already have someone?? 🥺 i should kill them--- old man pls

[habizuh-supports]

hey. so sorry if it's like late or something but i need to make sure that i set it up right before devolving into pure hua cheng simping. so. please tell me if this is accurate or if you would rather it be something else or something-

“Crimson Rain,” Hua Cheng hears in his spiritual communication array. He’s been so bored lately. The only semi-interesting thing that had happened was him pummeling Qi Rong to the ground in his own city, so he’s excited to hear something.“I have good news for you,” he says. He more excited than usual. “So good that you have to contact me this way?” Hua Cheng says with a smirk. “To the point of having to use that stupid password, yes,” He Xuan probably rolls his eyes. “But I’ll get straight to the point. His Highness, the Crown Prince of Xianle, has ascended to Heaven once again.” Hua Cheng’s eyes go wide hearing that. His Royal Highness… Part of him wishes he found him earlier. The rest of him, however, is quietly celebrating. He brings his hand down from when it was resting on his temple and closes it into a fist. His head hangs down a little bit and he closes his eyes. He smiles- a true, genuine smile. It may be ugly, with too sharp teeth and crooked, but it’s genuine. It took so long… “Hua Cheng, what are you doing?” He Xuan’s annoying monotone voice breaks his euphoric stupor. Fuck He Xuan. “You don’t even know where he currently is.” “... Aren’t you going to tell me?” “Yes,” He Xuan says. How Hua Cheng can hear the joy in He Xuan’s voice. It’s uncharacteristic, but he doesn’t really care at the moment. “But not for free. He has caused quite the property damage from his ascension alone. Sent a clock flying towards General Xuan Zhen, destroyed General Nan Yang’s palace… He’s in a lot of debt. Now he’s doing a mission in the mortal realm to pay it off.” Hua Cheng thinks that this is very convenient. His good luck was actually worth something! “Hua Cheng, don’t you want to know where he-” “Free food, five months. I’ll feed your bonefish for two months. Anything else for them, one. Nothing to your debt.” “Ehem, pardon?” “You heard me. Do we have a deal, He Xuan?” “DEAL. He should be near the mountain of Yu Jun, at a tea shop… Small Shop of Chance Encounters. Fitting name, isn’t it? Anyway, he’s going to solving that Ghost Groom case some people were praying about. Maybe he’ll even ride in the bridal sedan…” “6 months of free food.” Hua Cheng can hear how much smile is in He Xuan’s voice. It’s disgusting, honestly, and he honestly pities him. That does not matter right now, however. What does matter is His Highness. He will not throw away this chance no matter how much it costs him. Just to see him once is all he asks for.

I need someone to make a spin off of tgcf where it's all in Hua Cheng's perspective and half of the time it's just him going bat shit insane, Having Visions And Seeing Things, ASCENDING TWICE REMOVED IN HIS MIND because Xie Lian held his hand or said his name or smiled at him

I love mysterious and cool Hua Cheng but I also need him to fall down a flight of stairs because he was staring at Xie Lian while walking. Xie Lian would breath in his direction and Hua Cheng thinks I NEED TO BE EXPLOADED THIS IS TOO MUCH

[qi-rong-enjoyer]

hello, it is officially spooky season, and you know what that means: an assortment of bullshit halloween headcanons.

• Ling Wen is the person who hands out floss and toothpaste to trick-or-treaters. Children abhor her, adults are mildly annoyed, because it's halloween, what the actual fuck Ling Wen. Nobody goes to her house for candy because of this and she can happily enjoy a night of peace. Unfortunately, her victory is short-lived.

• Shi Qingxuan is throwing the biggest fucking Halloween party, and everyone is invited. This predictably goes to shit when the house catches fire. Nobody's sure how it happened, or who did it. Shi Wudu is pissed. • He Xuan bought several bags of candy and put out exactly none of them for the trick-or-treaters. He bought that candy for himself, thank you very much, and he's going to gorge himself on it, because he deserves it, fuck you. Share? Him? Absolutely the fuck not.

• Mu Qing and Feng Xin are staying at home watching horror movies. Feng Xin gets scared easily, and the jumpscares spook him. Mu Qing, on the other hand, is having the time of his life, and he won't stop laughing, which does make Feng Xin feel less scared, since it's pretty hard to be scared when there's someone losing their shit right next you.

• Qi Rong and Lang Qianqiu go trick-or-treating with Guzi, who has somehow convinced them into getting matching costumes. Qi Rong would be proud of Guzi if what little dignity he had left wasn't at stake. Lang Qianqiu's brain is just filled with aol dialup noises. Guzi is the only person with the braincell right now.

• Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are staying in, but Xie Lian keeps getting up to give trick-or-treaters candy. Hua Cheng keeps whining and asking him to stay. He wants cuddles, dammit.

• Pei Ming managed to get Ling Wen and Shi Wudu to get out of their houses, and go with him. Yes, they are wearing matching costumes. Yes, they look ridiculous, but somehow, they've managed to make it look good.

• Yushi Huang always has the best candies in the neighborhood. Children crowd around her doorstep, hoping to get some actually good fucking treats from someone who won't try to scare them every time they come near (looking at you, Crimson Rain!)

[bookswithsyd]

Ghost Kings, Dice Rolls, & Lucky Crown Princes | Heaven Official's Blessing

After the full, intense story that started with book one, book two keeps up the high stakes. When the group returns to the Heavenly Realm to report what has occurred in Banyue Pass, Little Pei does his best to shift focus off of his wrong-doings of the past and put to light the fact that a Ghost King was lingering. Pulling the corpse to prove that the injuries could only be inflicted by Crimson Rain Sought Flowers, Little Pei does his best to attempt to put down Xie Lian for the closeness seen during the mission.

I might not be a Heavenly Official, but I would expect them to appreciate the fact that they can have a good tie to the most powerful Supreme in the land. But, I guess that is asking too much.

Not even getting a chance to breathe, Xie Lian is asked to hunt down a Heavenly Official who sent out a distress signal. With many odd things happening in the Upper Court, he is paired with the Wind Master and sent into Ghost City (which, of course, is overseen by Hua Cheng).

With Ghost City, comes the Gambler's Den, and my favorite scene in the whole book. The tension throughout the entire time in the den is just superb. Xie Lian has to stay quiet, trying to hide from Hua Cheng but also wants to see him in his true form. Crown Prince Tai Hua being... Crown Prince Tai Hua and running in solely on instinct. Wind Master suggests they gamble their way to winning back Tai Hua. The whole scene was hilarious to read and even better to watch.

Hua Cheng was the strawberry on top, with his teasing of Xie Lian during his dice-throwing lesson. I feel like that scene was such a window into their dynamic. Hua Cheng loves to joke around and tease Xie Lian, but will still be very protective of him. Xie Lian goes almost blindly with Hua Cheng (just wait, an upcoming event screams this).

After ending up in Paradise Manor, we see even more actions done by Hua Cheng to prove that he is head over heels for Xie Lian. Even went as far as giving Xie Lian a little bit of his amazing luck along with a pair of dice. After getting a moment by himself, Xie Lian snoops around the huge mansion with Wind Master, and bad roll after bad roll, they are finally able to find the Earth Master. Beaten and broken, they carry the Earth Master away only to run straight into Hua Cheng in his glorious armory (that he offered to just give to Xie Lian because he liked the weapons).

This scene was sad to read and watch because the tension in the room is thick. Tai Hua jumping end and starting a one-on-one fight with Hua Cheng leading to Xie Lian getting hurt made me want to pull out my hair. I know that he is impulsive, but to take on a Ghost King with such a dangerous weapon? And of course, the fire engulfs Paradise Manor while Hua Cheng just stands there! This series is excellent and gets you invested in the characters and boy oh boy does this scene prove that.

Now most would hope for a break after two back-to-back missions. But, this is Xie Lian, and like the God of Misfortune that he is, he is accused of murdering Tai Hua's whole family... And to add on top of that, Xie Lian confesses to it!

Now, here comes the thing that I mentioned earlier. After being put on house arrest, Xie Lian gets "kidnapped" by the cruel Ghost King and taken away from the Heavenly Realm. Where does Hua Cheng take him? Oh just to visit the Green Ghost Qi Rong, who just happens to be Xie Lian's annoying little cousin who became the looked down upon fourth calamity.

In the span of a night, it comes out that the murder of Yong'an's royal family was not done by Xie Lian. A back-and-forth between the cousins ensues as Qi Rong announces that the remaining royal family of Xianle were the real killers. With the shock of a lifetime to poor Tai Hua, this section sets up perfectly for the second arc where we see Xie Lian in his youth.

The Gambler's Den might have easily been my favorite scene, but the confrontation with Qi Rong has become my second favorite. The drop that Xie Lian is related to one of the Four Calamities and that Xie Lain WAS LYING about being the killer was such a great way to wrap up an arc.

Through the end of the book, we see little Xie Lain up til his point of ascension. We see the morals that he had prior to becoming a Martial God. The main premise that is touched on is how during the Lantern Festival, Xie Lian jumped off stage to save a falling child from certain death. The Crown Prince states that he did nothing wrong and that the life of a child is more important than staying on the stage. The main issue is that the child caused the float to turn in early, and cut the performance short. Xie Lian still says he did nothing wrong, and therefore should not repent for his actions.

This part did feel a bit slow, I didn't love this section nearly as much as I did the first half of the book. But, I do appreciate the lore that is given in this part, I feel like this will give us a better look at the choices that Xie Lian will make in the future and it also already gives us a better look at his relationship with Qi Rong.

[jayktoralldaylong]

I was expecting to hate Qi Rong, (Since everyone in the fandom does) so I guess I was expecting a disgusting, needlessly cruel, wicked creature that's wicked for no reason. This is exactly what Qi Rong is...but I don't hate him. MXTX sure has a talent for creating characters that I can't necessarily hate, or have I just grown old.

Qi Rong reminds me of The Master, from Doctor Who. Someone who used to be very obsessed with the Doctor, considering himself a close friend. After their separation, the Master's obsession turned into a sort of demonic possessive streak where he lived just to torment and torture the Doctor. Previous feelings of love turning into something sick and twisted. Qi Rong is clearly insane, the kind of insane that I don't think even therapy can fix. He's annoying and I wish they'd just get rid of him, but he reminds me of a crying child. A child screaming and shouting for attention. The kind of bratty child I hate the most but a child all the same. Kind of hard to hate a child.