#he xuan is traumatized

[yaoigoddess9158]

HELP AHRJDJAHDHJAJDJUAH I CANT IM DYING

I don’t even know what to say…. 😭

(https://archiveofourown.org/works/41436189/chapters/103912542)

[backpackingspace]

Sometimes I revisit the tgcf source material and have to realize all over again that hua cheng is the sane ghost king. And it's not that he's a better person then the others, or like not insane. He just watched the other ghost kings and took notes on what not to do.

[kotsuri]

« ming-xiong I'm sorry ming-xiong »

might as well repost my old art. I still love these two dearly

[broken-heart-raven-queen]

Today we were blessed with the ghost rut scene and He Xuan's voice in the audiodrama and I'm on the floor.

The Beefleaf scene is at the same time so devastating and hot. Like how do you spect me to not fall for "You called for the wrong person."?

[fluffypurpleglitterdemon]

Well. There goes Shi Wudu. Now only to see what happens with Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan from here.

[cintiri]

More big brother ghost AU because I'm insufferable and this is actually what I wanted to post last night when I ended up writing baby Yue Qi angst instead.

Shen Yuan, being the adult who awkwardly tried to raise Yue Qi and Shen Jiu, absolutely gave them some horrendous modern lingo and habits. Also, SVSSS came out in 2015, so we can presume that Shen Yuan also died in 2015, and so they know horrible outdated memes now.

Consider, if you will, you are Shang Qinghua. You transmigrated into your shitty porn novel 25 years ago, and the pre-plot stuff is beginning. You're already set up as head disciple, and oh look! Baby Qi-Ge is here! You somehow managed to not notice until he was already head disciple and bonded with Xuan Su, but oh well, you've been busy.

You're in a peak lord meeting, and your shizun is talking about yet another Bai Zhan disciple who somehow managed to break his arm in three places by falling into the An Ding waste disposal pit. You're barely paying attention, until you hear your little traumatized future sect leader mutters under his breath, "Rip. Press F to pay respects."

After the meeting, Shang Qinghua pulls little not-Yue Qingyuan aside and breathlessly shouts, "PROUD IMMORTAL DEMON WAY!"

To which he responds by blinking in confusion. "How do you know about that bedtime story? Do you know Yuan-ge?" Definitely-actually-Yue-Qingyuan-somehow says with a desperate tone to his voice.

Oh this is so fucked.

[bengiyo]

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days: BL is So Good When The Characterization Holds

I've been enamored with this show as each week builds on the actions and information we previously received. I am white knuckling through the end of this show, because we have caught up with the prologue just past the midpoint (@benkaben). I've been thinking a lot about this show, so I want to get some of my thoughts down before any unwelcome turns happen.

Qi Lu Feels Recognizably Gay

I've been thinking a lot about Qi Lu since we had the attempted first kiss with East Palace, West Palace (1996) playing in the background (@twig-tea). The fact that he has this film implies that he's known about himself for a while and has been looking for resources online to feed this part of himself. He pushed for that moment, and he recognized the attraction in Qin Xiao.

Later, he doesn't allow Qin Xiao to play coy about what's going on with them. He also doesn't fold in on himself and collapse because he faced a rejection. He's one of the rare characters who Knows himself that has the response that feels more real to me when they get rejected by a boy they know likes them: they get mad.

I loved that Qi Lu got defiant and demanding about Qin Xiao. He's totally wrong (@lurkingshan), but it was so correct for the position he's in. He's stifled by his dad, and beaten for showing any defiance. He's clearly lacking in other friendships. I completely get Qi Lu becoming possessive of Qin Xiao, and getting frustrated that Qin Xiao wouldn't return his feelings.

I'm also enamored with the way he seems to see past Qin Xiao's threats of violence. There's something so specific about a gay man who regularly suffers beatings from his father recognizing the false bravado behind Qin Xiao's own threats, and choosing to respond with gentleness to it every time. I'm still thinking about him kissing that man's fist in episode 8.

Like any young person caught up in their first romance, they're enjoying the honeymoon phase and promising things that will surely cause us immense pain. Still, Qi Lu is one of my favorite gay boys of the year, because he didn't get smaller when he faced rejection. He got bigger and stubborn. I love him.

Qin Xiao is a Great Romantic Lead

Zhang Xuan Yu is killing it as Qin Xiao. He is perfectly calibrated to be the kind of man any young gay would fall for.

He's a talented artist that has a strong moral center. He is willing to learn new ways to communicate to take care of the people that matter to him. He is caring for a sick grandparent. He's also so beautiful.

Even his rejection of Qi Lu is attractive. He's obviously drawn to Qi Lu, but this was not what he had in mind for his life. He's also leery of the big economic and social lines between them. He's got gangsters showing up at his place of work to threaten him.

But how can he stay away? As soon as he got a little bit jealous, he broke at the persistent kindness of Qi Lu. They let themselves feel what's happening between them and it looks so comfortable. I'm so ready for all of the drama to come, and I am crossing my fingers that we don't get a traumatizing ending to justify this getting past the censors.

Teacher Liu is a Mess and I Love Him

This man needs to get his shit together, but goddamn am I invested. He started helping a guy who reminded him of the brother whose death he feels responsible for, only to fall for that young man. Now his sensibilities as a teacher are clouding the issue for him, and he's lying to that boy. What a disaster of a man. I love him.

I was a teacher, and I have been in the position this man was in when he faced down Qi Lu's father. I've had to say the correct things to a parent to diffuse a situation where I was worried for my student's safety. I've also been in the position of having to tell gay kids between the lines to focus on their responsibilities over their relationship issues without saying anything that could be seen as me not meeting the responsibility of a teacher to report behavior. You have to maintain a level of plausible deniability that I find myself connecting to with Teacher Liu.

That being said, he's doing wrong by Tan Yin, and I'm glad Tan Yin is assertive about what's happening with them. I don't think this would work as a drama if the show didn't show us constantly that it knows Liu is a fuck up here.

We're Really In it Now

As we enter the final two weeks of this show, I remain cautious about how we'll finish. However, regardless of how this show ends, we've had eight incredibly strong episodes that show us that the people behind this know what story they're telling. If their ending feels contrived and doesn't make sense, I hope that it feels like something that was forced on them. In either case, I wanted to write about how strongly I've responded to the first eight episodes, because this is one of the most satisyfing experiences I've had as a viewer this year. I am amazed that we got this, Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo, and Love in the Big City all at the same time.

I clearly just need to hold out for fall every year.

[blooming-periwxnkle]

I know I'm delusional as hell, but it's so funny that Hua Cheng has a fair idea about what He Xuan does when he's in a vulnerable state. He also knows such sensitive details about his past and the torture he suffered from.

I don't remember where it was mentioned, but I am fairly sure that ghosts keep their background secret. Especially Supremes, i don't think they go around telling their sufferings to other supremes, as it can be a potential weakness..

And yet, Hua Cheng knows such things about He Xuan, and neither of them are foolish enough to reveal their past and weaknesses to their rival and potential enemies..

Which just... makes me wonder if their relationship is more than what meets the eye..

I mean, we wouldn't tell things that have traumatized us to just any person, right? There has to be a certain level of trust and understanding between these two..

[naehja]

Beefleaf AU where, after the Black Water Arc, Pei Ming and Ling Wen decide to take revenge toward Black Water (rather than helping the poor Qingxuan, who was alone in the street, probably already be starving, while being still traumatized)

So they manage to contact Shi Qingxuan's followers. And they say that "the Lady Wind Master has been taken away by the cruel supreme ghost black water who has also killed the Water Master. And that's the reason why she isn't answering to your prayers. It's not her fault."

The followers are pissed. Poor Lady Wind Master, her husband (they forgot that it's her brother, not her husband) has been killed and she was kidnapped. Who know what this cruel ghost must do to her!

The rumors become more and more important. The prayers to the gods are all about to save the Lady Wind Master from the great calamity. Especially that, without Qingxuan, there are no wind. And people need wind to naviguate, fishing, etc….

There are more and more prayers. The gods knows that Shi Qingxuan isn't captive of Black Water (but still NOT help him when he just go terribly hurt and that his leg and arm are wounded) but they regularly attack Black Water island.

Some people start to pray Crimson Rain to save the poor Lady Wind Master from the monster who has kidnapped her. Before her honor could be soiled.

Hua Cheng: What?

Hua Cheng goes to Black Water's island and is like "do you know that i receive prayers to save Shi Qingxuan from you, the cruel calamity who kidnapped her to marry her after have killed her first husband?"

He Xuan:

He Xuan: …I DID WHAT?

Hua Cheng: not only that but nobody has managed to force the winds to obey since this day, it's like if the winds refuse to obey if it's not Shi Qingxuan.

He Xuan:….Fuck!

Hua Cheng: so you better find a way to resolve that because i receive 2000 prayers by day about it!

Hua Cheng: Give her back his fucking divinity so winds will be here again and i'll stop receive those prayers!

So He Xuan is forced to find Shi Qingxuan, win his trust again, reconcile and manage to convince him to become a god again. They got together, in the way of resolving everything.

Of course people will never realize that Lady Wind Master was really in love with Black Water Sinking Ships.

Prompt that i'll not write so if anyone is interested, you can take it.

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

Some TGCF characters' Roman Empires:

Someone's Roman Empire = something someone thinks about very often

Major spoilers ahead!

Xie Lian: the "wanna get married?" panic prank San Lang pulled on him + when he got drunk off his ass sitting on a grave with little ghost fire Hua Cheng as companion + the 3000 lanterns

Hua Cheng: the "wanna get married?" panic prank + when he was Wu Ming and he said he would follow Xie Lian to death and Xie Lian said "you're already dead" + when he underwater kissed Xie Lian and Xie Lian panicked so hard he pretended to look for his hat

He Xuan: when Shi Qingxuan called him Ming-xiong that last time and he said "you called the wrong person" before decapitating Shi Wudu + eating Xie Lian's food that one time

Shi Qingxuan: when they used the windmaster fan as a mortal and didnt ascend + "dream on" + when Heaven's Eye said Xie Lian had demonic energy inside him at the feast after the final battle

Pei Ming: litteraly every time Yushi Huang looks at him + when Pei Xiu chose to be banished rather than lie to save himself

Feng Xin: the fact that he's been a deadbeat dad for over 800 yrs and didnt know + when Xie Lian sent him away

Mu Qing: that scene on the mountain + that moment with the missing coral earring

Mei Nianqing: when he told Xie Lian he saw his future as black and Xie Lian said he only wears white so thats not his future + when he realized Jun Wu's plans

Jun Wu: when the bridge to the heavens collapsed + when he became patient 0 of Human Face Disease + when he told Xie Lian not to touch E'Ming and get close to Hua Cheng and he came back home reeking of evil energy from kissing Hua Cheng and touching E'Ming

Ling Wen: the brocade immortal situation + being taken out of prison cause the heavens are in chaos without her

Lang Qianqiu: his traumatic 17th birthday + becoming a sword with the other gods for the mecha version of Xie Lian to defeat Jun Wu + when he asked Xie Lian for a duel and Xie Lian said no cause he would kill Lang Qianqiu immediately

Yin Yu: when he got his cursed shackles + when Xie Lian thought he was He Xuan cause he was so plain looking

Quan Yizhen: when he was in that haunted mountain and he could recognize Yin Yu by footsteps alone + seeing HuaLian "exchange spiritual energy"

Qi Rong: when Xie Lian slapped him + when he witnessed HuaLian makeout as he was tied to a tree

[tk-duveraun]

AU where touch empathy is very common among cultivators to the point that even could slave SJ can feel the emotions of others. Thankfully QJL usually wore gloves or used tools for his abuses.

Anyway, pre-YQ leaving SJ was always touching him, always needing constant reassurance and always getting it.

WYZ teaches SJ how to use the empathy as a weapon, how to read through people's facades and how to traumatize them with concentrated bursts of your own emotions.

SJ successfully made people go mad with mental anguish before he was even 19.

In the cultivation world, people are guarded against accidental touches, but it's currently seen as a huge weakness to wear gloves and otherwise avoid all contact. Less a "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear" and more "ah, you're too weak and too bogged down with mortal affairs and heart demons to control your emotions properly"

SQQ can perfectly control exactly how much emotion he sends and receives.

YQY cannot. Part of it is his heart demons and trans but part is Xuan Su not letting him suppress himself with. As time passes since the sealing of TLJ people in the cultivation world start to question if cqsm's leader is actually that strong of he must wear gloves all of the time

Meanwhile sqq is also severely touch-starved and broken over YQY hiding from him even though he knows all of his worst secrets already

[autumnistic-danmei]

(Spoilers for TGCF Book 4)

I'm rereading the Black Water arc again and I'm cryingggggg.

Like- I love He Xuan and all, and what he did to that son of a nice lady was ABSOLUTELY JUSTIFIED, but why did he have to drag Shi Qingxuan into it???? Why couldn't he have just spared the scrimblo and let him not be traumatized and let Beefleaf go on and-

I WANT MY BEEFLEAF BACK. PLEASE.

[endless-nightshift]

I started writing a follow up for my Shen yuan Airplane soulmates post, (which is currently spiralling out of my control) and I had to start digging around for a post I wanted to cite about about Shen Jiu (don't ask how we ended up there it's a long story) and I ran across a QinggeJiu post, only to immediately be struck by the thought that, maybe Shen Jiu didn't kill Liu Qingge,

A world where he loved Liu Qingge, want to love him, but was too traumatized to be anything but cruel and hostile towards people that make him feel vulnerable make the wounds he's so desperately tried to bandage shut start weeping a new, and so he keeps Liu Qingge at Swords length, giving him nothing but biting words and cruel action. And then he goes into seclusion in LingXi Cave, and on that final day of his seclusion he comes across Liu Qingge Qi Deviating. She Jiu wants to save him, but he's he can't.

Maybe he ties only to fail, maybe he tries but attempting to touch another person to give Qi, a part of himself, to someone else, a man no less. Is to much. It send him spiraling, he can't do it. By the time he comes back to himself enough to understand what's happening Liu Qingge is already dead.

And it's his fault. And he hates himself for it. For being weak.

He leaves the caves. He knows the rumors, hes never been a kind man least of all to Liu Qingge, he knows what kind of man the world believe him to be (what kind of man he is)

All crimes must be uncovered, and all wrongs must be righted. He clings to his mask through the accusations, through the trials, through the torture. Even at the lowest he cannot bring himself to let go of his pride, the only thing that has kept him alive this long. Cracking only when Luo Bingge brings him the Shattered remnants of Xuan Su.

And maybe, just maybe he lets himself wonder if he'll have the chance to see Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan again after his own inevitable death. And if he hopes for a second chance? Well that's for him to know and no one else.

[tossawary]

This is going to come up in "Some Unknown Corner", but I don't know how explicitly it'll come up, like, terminology-wise, so... saying it more explicitly here if you want to try and look out for this detail in coming chapters. Minor spoilers for a character issue that will become a later plot point.

I'm going to try to explore Yue Qingyuan having claustrophobia, specifically a fear of being shut in underground spaces in particular. This man has wild amounts of willpower and will generally refuse to be vulnerable, so he does NOT let on to this fact in obvious ways, even when forced to be underground temporarily, but he HATES the experience. On the edge of a panic attack, feeling like he's dying, still smiling pleasantly somehow.

Yue Qi goes back into the Ling Xi Caves with Shen Jiu as disciples in one of the Qijiu extras. In this case, I think he was a little fearful (not irrationally, honestly) of something bad happening to Shen Jiu, so he forced himself to be there despite the fact that he hated being there the entire time. (My general headcanon is that Yue Qi genuinely doesn't remember huge chunks of his confinement due to the trauma of it all.) By the time he's the sect leader, over ten years later, he's calmed down enough to let Shen Yuan go in there alone to cultivate. (Maybe Shen Qingqiu threw him out another time later down the line as disciples.)

In SVSSS, Yue Qingyuan goes into the Ling Xi Caves again, I believe, in order to get stronger and potentially get Shen Qingqiu's body back from Luo Binghe. When Luo Binghe invades Cang Qiong, Yue Qingyuan has apparently hastily had to exit seclusion at a delicate time. Was he trying to heal the Xuan Su sword issue as much as possible? Are visits to the Ling Xi Caves a regular medical treatment for him? Why didn't he go into the Ling Xi Caves to get stronger / potentially heal his broken relationship with his sword any earlier? I'm imagining Yue Qingyuan honestly having to force himself to go cultivate alone through a fairly serious phobia, and Mu Qingfang being generally against it, because it seems more like Yue Qingyuan might accidentally work himself up into a terrified, traumatized episode of some kind and die due to another qi deviation.

Being at Mai Gu Ridge sucked for many reasons. It sucked for everyone, really.

Yes, Yue Qi having claustrophobia does make his being blinded in "Some Unknown Corner" worse. (He's holding steady (barely) based on being able hear other people around him + smells + Shen Jiu's touch.) He's really not having a fun time! He's a practical guy and he really doesn't like panicking, so he is SHOVING IT OUT OF MIND, which is not great. I already view Yue Qi as disabled in SVSSS canon due to the Xuan Su sword issue, and the story keeps putting him in positions (sect leader) where he cannot "afford" to be disabled (he has to try to save everyone else), and it is continuously fucking him up. He needs some real rest so, SO badly.

[morrirylet]

What are your beefleaf hc‘s?

SUDHUEIWKWJJW first of all i wanna say that i love these headcanons but I'm a bit nervous about sharing them 🥲 ALSO I LOVED YOUR HC!!!!

1) when shi qingxuan confesses his feelings (he's the first one to say it), he xuan is so stunned that he doesn't say anything for a while before saying "say it again.". when shi qingxuan repeats his confession, he xuan pauses again before saying "say it again" AGAIN. i mostly dream about he xuan who's so-so traumatized, he can't believe that shi qingxuan loves him the way he is, but he likes to hear it over and over again, they both never get bored of it. he xuan rarely says it out loud, he shows his love through actions and eye rolling. shi qingxuan says "i love you" a lot, being clingy af. he xuan is also clingy in private 😭 he bites, he kisses, he leans, he holds sqx as close as possible, he's also the horny one and likes to tease

2) hcs about he xuan mostly. i see him VERY tall and almost skinny, he's broad and boxy. his skin is pale, his cheekbones are sharp, his fingers are sharp and slender. he xuan rarely wears underwear, he feels like a kind of ghost who likes his freedom under the robe 👰🏻 also, about sqx, he's my favourite kind of opposite. shi qingxuan is tan, small and curvy. shi qingxuan is fascinated by life, for me he represents one, his colourful eyes, his cheerful smile, also a colour of his eyes is a colour of the sea under the sun! he xuan represents death. he's stuck in it, it sucked him dry. he's grey and black, his eyes are always tired, he is full of rage and sorrow… they complete each other 🥹 can't stop thinking about the fact that he xuan's revenge took shi qingxuan's family… meaning shi wudu AND HE XUAN! family for family, but who won? agh choke me

3) kinky warning... please just stay with me. i DO think they have a very kinky sex life. shi qingxuan loves it when he xuan is all gentle when no one sees, but when it comes to their sex life, sqx has a humiliation kink 😔✊🏻 he likes it when he xuan calls him dirty names, degrades him in ways, but after that he tells him about his love and gives him kisses and all his softness. i do religiously believe that it's a canon please don't come for me. he xuan loves it rough, so they complete each other perfectly. he craves to be "the master" in bed because it makes him feel important and seen, he lets out his rage in a way that doesn't hurt (is that right to say? I don't know haha), and it's just healthy for both of them. he xuan feels seen, shi qingxuan doesn't feel like the fragile boy he always was (thanks to shi wudu). they're also all about aftercare, because sometimes he xuan can be too rough… sqx LOVES IT, but he xuan feels like he was too much. they spend hours just kissing and telling each other sweet things, which completes their bond

i don't know guys i think about these things twice a minute

is this anything?

[reulaux]

Xuan Su!Yue Qingyuan AU

Xiao Jiu, staggering out of the burnt manor, staring blankly, "Qi ge didn't come back to save me... Qi ge must be dead..."

Shen Qingqiu, scrutinising the blackened bloodstain in the Lingxi Cave, asking Yue Qingyuan behind him, "Then…does that mean someone died here?"

Shen Qingqiu, throwing the tea set at the person who gifted it to him, fed up with the apologies: "Don't you dare call me by that name! Qi ge is dead! You're not Qi ge! Real Qi ge would never abandon me. Get out! Get out!"

...

What if it's true?

What if the thing/person that walked out of the Lingxi Cave isn't Yue Qi, but Xuan Su possessing his body?

===

In response to the comment, I'm imagining Xuan Su!Yue Qingyuan saying sorry to Shen Jiu because he 'killed' Shen Jiu's Qi ge but doesn't know how to explain so he fumbles around like real Yue Qingyuan does, which, I think, in this case, is harder to explain than in original Yue Qingyuan's case because neither Yue Qingyuan nor Xuan Su has an idea how it happened, and whether Shen Jiu is going to believe them if he just tells, because it's unprecedented and simply outlandish.

The previous generation Sect Leader and Peak Lords believe Yue Qingyuan fused his life force to the sword because they detect Yue Qingyuan's life force in the sword and Xuan Su's energy in Yue Qingyuan's body. Well, that's because Yue Qingyuan is in the sword and Xuan Su is in Yue Qingyuan's body.

Xuan Su learning to control limbs is seen as Yue Qingyuan recovering from the torn tendons and broken bones. Xuan Su not knowing how to exactly deal with humans as a human himself is seen as Yue Qingyuan being withdrawn and quiet from the traumatic ordeal. But it is all good to Yue Qingyuan's shizun who says, "Good, you've learnt your lesson. You aren't reckless anymore."

...

Maybe, at one point, Yue Qingyuan and Xuan Su realise drawing the sword for long enough time may solve their problem, but the Sect Leader and Peak Lords keep thwarting and preventing their 'suicidal' future sect leader for 'his own safety.' Maybe that's why Yue Qingyuan/Xuan Su pleads Yue Qingyuan's shizun to take him to fight Tianlang jun as an excuse to unsheathe the sword... Unfortunately that's still not enough. As we see in canon, Yue Qingyuan is still alive, not visibly aged or dying. To completely pull Yue Qingyuan back into his own body should mean drawing the sword long enough to make canon Yue Qingyuan dies.

Maybe after the previous generation ascended, Yue Qingyuan/Xuan Su tries at every chance to draw the sword to fight, but too bad, they grow too strong. Most of the time, just unsheathing for 1 inch and the enemies are already all dead...

Maybe they try having Xuan Su cultivates the Way of Unity of Man and Sword again so they swap back. To no avail, their places are even firmer. Maybe because Yue Qingyuan has already formed a core so their cultivation and places are stuck with this core...

Yue Qingyuan communicates with Xuan Su like other cultivators communicate with their own spiritual weapons. Only certain cultivators who are very in tune with spiritual weapons or spiritual energy can hear others' spiritual weapons speaking, and thus the real Yue Qingyuan's voice.

Actually Wei Qingwei's shizun should also hear Yue Qingyuan's thoughts aloud, but brushed it off as Yue Qingyuan's being fused with the sword anyway, and Xuan Su's being grumpy because it's locked in the Cave with its owner for a year and forbidden to be used thereafter, so it's quiet.

Wei Qingwei and Shen Qingqiu once they have high enough skills and cultivation occasionally hear Yue Qingyuan's thoughts when they are nearby. They would think they hallucinate, or that either they or the Sect Leader got cursed. Imagine in meetings, the 2nd and 3rd ranked Peak Lords hear Yue Qingyuan thinking out loud, talking to... His sword? Before really physically speaking... Weird, but okay...? So they visit Mu Qingfang seperately. And Mu Qingfang notices 2 Peak Lords having the same symptoms. He calls Yue Qingyuan to get examined too. And some Peak Lords rule out it's not actually a curse but... They still don't know what to call it. Maybe eventually they set up very strong, multi layered arrays to have their Sect Leader goes into 'seclusion' and unsheathes the sword inside, and take turn repairing the arrays from overpowered qi and sword eneygy, for a ridiculously long time...

---

Or maybe we go down the route where Xuan Su is an arrogant ancient sword so it doesn't bother going to rescue some slave, and additionally hates Shen Jiu for being the reason his wielder gets in this mishap, so the dynamic between Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu would be different from in canon. It would be the opposite of favouritism. Shen Qingqiu is going to be hated by not only the Peak Lords but also the Sect Leader. Would he still stay in Cang Qiong if no one treats him well? Maybe. Because this position gives him a place to stay, protection, and resources. Maybe because of his loyalty. Maybe because he still has some lingering affection for Qi ge and wishes one day the Qi ge who loved him would come back...

And Qi ge did come back.

Every time the Sect Leader draws his sword, he becomes kinder and kinder towards Shen Qingqiu, because Yue Qingyuan seeps through and gains more and more control. Shen Qingqiu notices but doesn't dare to raise his hope.

Then one day, Yue Qingyuan calls Shen Qingqiu "Xiao Jiu" and Shen Qingqiu is stunned. He has thought Yue Qingyuan had forgotten all about the little slave number nine and doesn't care about him anymore. Then Yue Qingyuan, now mostly Yue Qi, tells Shen Qingqiu what he has always wanted to all these past years, that he's first stuck in the cave, then in the sword, but he finally eventually comes back to Xiao Jiu now albeit very late.

--

Or in a darker AU, Xuan Su has always been a soul trapping sword.

It's not that Yue Qingyuan rushed and messed up connecting with his sword. It's that Xuan Su intentionally tricked and falsely guided Yue Qingyuan into putting his soul inside the sword. No matter if the user cultivates the Way of Unity of Man and Sword, is rushing, or does everything right, Xuan Su will always possess the user's body. And every time Xuan Su draws the sword, the sword is powered by the human soul he's trapped. That's why Xuan Su is a legendary sword, for its power, for only choosing the wielder with strong cultivation and talents, for the power of the sword emits isn't from its sword energy but the whole life force of the trapped soul. And if no one knows better and retrieves Yue Qingyuan's soul from the sword soon, Yue Qingyuan will forever perish, not even leaving soul to enter the reincarnation cycle. And when that life is gone, Xuan Su will just continue trapping another soul.

In case Xuan Su can trap many souls at the same time; those souls, maybe Shen Jiu, Shen Yuan, some OC!knowledgeable ancient sages, etc; might consult one another into tricking Xuan Su into releasing them.