#long feng asks for his opinion on them

[discordiansamba]

sokka's POV in the bad reality AU is actually so funny because like... he's not actually trying to kill them. long feng's orders are just to capture them but they're always acting so dramatic about it. like excuse me. I know the firebender girl is trying to kill you but I have standards, okay?

(why does the firebender girl look so familiar also. he's never seen her before in his life.)

then his targets briefly fuck off to the north pole for awhile where they apparently successfully

a.) fight against the avatar

b.) free the north pole from the fire nation's grip

c.) somehow summon the ocean spirit to go on a rampage?

and you're just like. okay. he's going to have to get a little more creative if these two people can do all of that. only when he runs into them again, there's three of them now. the little blind water tribe girl seems incredibly offended he's an earthbender. they get away because they're really good at doing that.

they go on to free omashu from the fire nation. they don't summon any crazy spirits this time though. long feng is getting even more and more interested in capturing them. then he runs into them again, and... he actually succeeds? in capturing them? hang on. that was way too easy. what are you three planning.

they all just give him eerie grins. you're going to take us to long feng, buddy, and we're going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

(also. unrelated. but the brown haired girl is really cute.)

[iinariah]

If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

HI OMG IM SO SORRY FOR THE VERY LATE REPLY, IVE BEEN VERY BUSY BUT SURE! And since I'm a multishipper, I'll just list my top 5 ships out of fandoms I've been in

FengCui: Feng Xiao x Cui Buqu (Wushuang/Peerless) - The reason I love this ship so much and is my top 1 out of all the shows and books ive read and watched is because I'm so in love with their dynamic, development, and interactions with each other. They first start of as rivals then gradually start to fall for each other with each case they work and time they spent togther. I also loved the fact that the author didn't use stereotypical tropes with the main cp. While its enemies to lovers, to me, it's enemies AND lovers because when they do get together, their dynamic didn't change and they still remained the same. And that's one of the reasons why I love this pair so much.

2. Cezhou: Shen Zechuan x Xiao Chiye (Qiang Jin Jiu/Ballad of Sword and Wine) - I honestly debated if this should be my top 1 but I ultimately decided this would be my top 2 mainly bc I prefer fengcui's dynamic more, But of course, that doesn't make this ship any less great and amazing! In my opinion, this is enemies to lovers with sexual tension done right. I used to hate the trope enemies to lovers because of experience and personal things... But this ship changed my perspective on it a lot. Even though they got together early in the novel, they're still the ship that has the most amazing development and growth I've seen in such as a long time.

3. Hualian: Xie Lian x Hua Cheng (Heaven Official's Blessing) - Ah yes... the classic. I had to put them at my top 3 because TGCF and hualian is what mainly got me into danmei and to this day, I still adore them with all my heart and I'll never ever forget how they made such a huge impact on me... They're like romeo and juliet but done right. They're also the couple that made my standards so unrealistic to the point that I think I'll never ever be able to find someone to love as much as how much they love each other... As much as they're unrealistic, they also made an impact on how I view love in general. I also relate to hua cheng when it comes to appearances because dawg... I am also so insecure of that as well... and when Hua Cheng is insecure about it and Xie Lian is just telling him that he's gorgeous and not ugly like he thinks he is just makes me want to cry because that validation and comforting words is what all of us insecure people need. Just having the reassurance that we're perfect just the way we are...

4. Lucathy: Lucas x Athanasia De Alger Obelia/Athy (Who Made Me a Princess) - I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Athy is so precious to me and I will protect her at all cost! And I love how their relationship just naturally progresses on the time the spent together and isn't just immediate love at first sight. And I also love how lucas went from "I'm going to watch this bc this is entertaining" to "If you ever hurt her, I'll destroy all of obelia" and bro... LUCAS IS SO WHIPPED FOR ATHY ITS SO FUNNY AHAHAH (Also reminds me on how Xiao Chiye is so whipped for Shen Zechuan but that's another time). And not only that, but I love how Lucas got back from his quest, heard about how Athy got humiliated, bro was like: "Should I kill him?" like bro did not care if it was her father, if someone did shit to her, he would deal with them.

5. LoidYor: Loid Forger x Yor Forger (Spy x Family) - BRO I IMMEDIATELY FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS SHIP!! Assassin x Spy? OH HELL YEA! I've honestly been waiting for this kind of trope for such a long time lol. Not only that, but I low how yor is such a girlboss and protects her family even if it isn't real. I honestly really like their progression so far and I hope that they honestly become a family in the end... I have nothing really much to say about this ship because I haven't been keeping up with SXF but I really love them and they're trope because I haven't seen Assassin x Spy trope in fandoms I've been in.

So here are my ships! There are a lot more than these but I just decided to pick which ones that I really love the most and rank them by that. Anyways, thanks for reading this blog!

[littleeyesofpallas]

They're long buried in the asks I never touch but I've had a few people ask me about if i ship anyone in bleach and for the most part I never answer because i don't, or the ones I do I do only very tepidly, and theyre all canon anyway so thats boring. But also the reason I don't is that I have a sort of broad distain for shipping as a practice --not as like some deranged antishipper horseshit(fuck those people) but just because I don't feel the impulse, and the impulse I do see in others always tends to seem predicated on grievous misreadings of the characters-- but that's a snooty beef to have with people so I don't voice my disagreements with specific/individual ships. That'd be rude.

But all that aside Bleach in particular does have one added layer to things... I think Bleach's narrative is kind of antithetical to shipping.

All of Bleach's canon relationships have this tragic and/or one-sided component that gives this really consistent tone that to love to to lose and to hurt. And honestly, given my personal opinion of Kubo's writing talent, I do think that's mostly incidental BUT I don't think there isn't some really interesting theming to take away from all that.

I've prattled on before about the Sun imagery in Bleach and how it seems to align with a lot of classically archetypal sun and light symbolism, as well as a few of its own unique symbolic uses: the sun gives light and warmth, its an icon of enlightenment, its the center of the galaxy around which other celestial bodies orbit, it's thus a power of attraction and order, and it's the brightest star in the sky. All of these aspects are either embodied or directly contrasted with major villains like Aizen and YHWCH as well as in Ichigo himself, and to much lesser degrees his mother, Masaki, and Shiba Kaien.

Masaki's death motivates Ichigo.

Rukia and Ichigo have a specifically platonic relationship built on mutually changing each other's lives

All throughout the body of the actual story, Orihime's feelings for Ichigo are one sided.

Uryuu's obvious unspoken feelings toward Orihime are likewise.

Renji likewise and even more explicit.

Rukia's with Kaien doubly so, with the added drama of him already having a wife AND her having to put him down herself.

Tousen's unspoken one sided love for his unnamed dead friend.

In a way Komamura's kind of sadly underdeveloped feelings about the whole Tousen betrayal.

Hinamori's tragically misguided adoration of Aizen.

Hitsugaya's one-sided puppy love crush on Hinamori.

Rangiku and Gin's fascinating, somehow mutually one-sided(?) romance.

Sui-Feng's beautiful "why didn't you take me with you?" tragedy with Yoruichi.

Ulquiorra's fixation on Orihime.

Riruka's extremely straight forward weaponized toxic love.

Even Ginjo and Tsukishima's lightly touched upon history together suggests a mix of overzealous devotion and deliberate grooming.

Aizen's forced obedience and abuse of his power over the Arrancar as a false Sun icon, generally more abstract but most literally manifested in Loly's jealous fangirl shtick.

And YHWCH's sinister manipulative exploitation of his followers devotion as an extension of the Sun symbol being its own kind of love, in the rather on the nose christofaciat/cultist sense.

Heck even Bazz-B and Juugram's melodramatic but kind of inconsequential relationship fits this.

Kanae and Ryuuken too I guess, but that's such a nothing romance b-plot inside of a nothing flashback, inside of nothing training arc anyway...

Like, the primary defining feature of all those relationships is the ways they don't work. The moment you make any of them reciprocal they lose the only point of interest they have. And consequently the whole of Bleach is fueled by the attractive force of one sided, unresolved, and otherwise doomed relationships.

And like I said, I don't actually give Kubo credit for that, but I think it creates a very apparent trajectory of a boy(Ichigo) forever changed by the loss of a loved one, his mother, the center of his universe trying to find a power that will allow him to hold onto those closest to him so he won't ever feel that loss again. And the power he's given is Rukia's, a power not just to fight and protect, but a power to influence and inspire. It's the power that bleeds out into Orihime and Chad, and even Tatsuki and Keigo, and Karin. It's the power that attracts them to him, and holds them in orbit as he unknowingly becomes that missing Sun, the center of a new universe all his own. And that creation of a new system of the divine around his solar self is the ascension toward godhood, both in that pseudo spiritual symbolism sense as well as literally in the story(at least until it abruptly and without explanation/clarification just isn't).

Point being, Bleach's only sensible reciprocal ship that I see is that of Ichigo as an ascended god shining a universal light of love and protection on all living things and their returning love for their God experienced/achieved in the flickering moment of my own headcanon climax of the series right before his friends all yank him back off the god throne and some deus ex machina(Urahara) solves the cosmic puzzle for them. That and Ikkaku×Yumichika.

[all-bi-myself-lol]

Not that anybody asked, I just wanted to do this.

A couple of things:

-Katara’s sarcasm and sense of humor are very underrated, and her bending growth is the best in the series. I would marry this woman.

-I hate Ozai because he is abusive to his children and an all around psychopath. However, I do believe that he is a very well written villain.

-Into the Inferno (Sozin’s Comet pt 3) is my fav because I think it has the best fights in the finale and I love me good fights.

-The Great Divide is boring as hell.

-I have many problems with Aang. That deserves another post.

-Ty Lee is super badass and I think she isn’t talked about enough.

-Azula’s plans were brilliant and I think if she didn’t go off the rails, she would’ve been the best firebender of all time.

-In my opinion, Zhou is not a bad villain, I just like him less than others like Azula, Ozai, and Long Feng.

-Zutara has a lot of chemistry in my opinion. I think about them daily. I read fanfics. I write fanfics. I will forever ship them.

-Obviously there are worse ships out there than Maiko (Insest, pedophillia, etc.), but of the cannon ships they are my least favorite, followed by Kataang. I may elaborate on this later.

-Water is my favorite element because I just love how much waterbending looks and if I could be a bender I would definitely choose water.

-Obviously the Fire Nation does terrible things, but before and after the war, they are the most inclusive and functional nation by far. I also just think it has the best natural beauty.

[hurshibal]

“What do you mean old in human terms? I'm literally just 28!”

“Isn't that old in your lifespan?”

“Uhm, No?!”

“Then why is your hair white? According to Master Jingliu, short lived species have white hair when they're old! I'm different because I'm a long-lived species!”

“Well, I'm also different. I'm not a normal person at all- if that is your standard of old, then why is my lashes white instead of the usual black?”

“...Huh?”

Yingxing laughed at Young Jing Yuan's face. The look on is face is clearly amusing, “Normal humans don't have eyes like me as well. Say, Jing Yuan, what color are my eyes?”

Jing Yuan huffed, “Pink, obviously!”

“Wrong.”

Jing Yuan is clearly offended. “What!? But that's pink!”

“What is this noise?” A grumpy, and cute Dan Feng joined their little bickering and they finally remembered they were walking towards the Imbibitor Lunae's own library. “Might I remind you two to keep quiet when in this part of the luofu?”

“Sorry, High Elder!”

“Sorry, Dan Feng.”

Yingxing's voice is obviously much softer now, and it is evident in the way Jing Yuan is looking at him with the stinky eye as if to say to his face that he has 'favoritism', even though Dan Feng already said that they have to keep quiet.

“What is it that made you so frustrated?”

“Yingxing is who,”

Dan Feng raised an eyebrow, Yingxing knew he heard every word they've said due to his draconic nature and is obviously just looking at him to confirm that his words were true. Damn, Yingxing smiled at him brightly, he certainly knew I never lie to him, huh?

“I have a natural white hair and not-pink eyes-” he gave him a look, “that I know you've heard, which is also not natural for my species.”

“What's your eye color if you don't see it as pink!?”

“Really, where did the pink even came from!?”

“Silence.”

Yingxing felt his knees weaken a little bit by that voice, and Dan Feng obviously knew the effect, if his little smirk and eyes weren't telling enough.

“Ehem, Uh, It's not pink. My eyes actually have no color-”

“What?”

“Let me finish, Jing Yuan!” He says, exasperated. Really, children has no qualms about throwing tantrums and questions in the middle of a cenversation. Menaces, all of them! “And since it is transparent, You can see through my iris, or retina, or whatever it is that makes eyes have colors, I forgot. Point is, you don't see the color of my eyes, you're seeing the color of the blood in my eyes, through my eyes. Hence 'pink'.”

“What?” Jing Yuan looks a little disturbed and fascinated. Dan Feng looked surprise, which is adorable in Yingxing's opinion. Non-Fatal Diseases and Conditions that humans have are unknown to the people of the luofu, that's why even The Imbibitor Lunae is surprised.

“And that, my friends, is why I am not old despite my hair color. This thing is called Albinism.”

“Does it have any effect anywhere on your body, or just your eyes?” Jing Yuan asked.

“Hell, yeah. Can't you see?” Yingxing spread out his arms (fatui harbinger style haha). “My skin is paler than a sick person, and this is my normal skin. I have white hair, lashes and these eyes.”

“What is albinism?”

Dan Feng asked. His curious face is so adorable. Yingxing might have fallen even more at that moment.

“It is the absence of pigment, or color, in the biology of a species. So, not only humans have this but also our animals. It is genetic, which means somewhere from my bloodline, someone looks exactly like me. My mother certainly does.”

Dan Feng hid his satisfied curiousity in a hum, and proceed to just linger his gaze at Yingxing, as if there was a newfound fascination to Yingxing's appearance that made him want to appreciate him all over again. Like reading a book you loved in a new, or different perspective.

Jing Yuan, however, is not subtle at his excitement. “I am going to tell this to Master.” He said, then ran off to wherever Jing Liu was at the moment.

Of course, once he's gone, Yingxing is all over his Yinyue Jun. “Is your fascinating appearance a condition as well? I've heard no normal human is capable of bearing such beauty.”

“You flatter me.”

••••

Just a thought, like what if Yingxing always had White Hair, and Red Eyes? Like imagine the misunderstanding! Long-lived species don't normally see any white hairs from a human/short lived species until they're old! So, like, what if Yingxing is still 25-30 something yrs old, but he has natural pure, white hair? ofc with #xingyue . just because.

[accio-victuuri]

yibo’s co star in the drama chang feng po lang was asked in an interview about his feelings cooperating with bobo:

The third work is "Golden Journey" ("Long Wind and Waves"). In my opinion, the most valuable thing about these young actors is that they are all dedicated and at their age, at least when I was at their age, At that time, my professional level was not up to their level. So I felt a lot of pressure when I acted with them. If I didn’t work harder, it would seem that I had not been acting for many more years than them. If I didn’t work hard, it would not be easy for me to act. They compare me to others, so I have to work very hard when acting with them so that we can achieve each other's success and present a good work.

[rose-tinted-vision]

for the fic ask game!

☹ EVIL TWIN for "爱与恨模糊界限 | love and hate blur the lines"

✰ NEW SHAPES for "I can't help but love you, even though I try not to" and "爱随风起 | love rises with the wind"

- also j

:DD Hello @fenglianist !!! thank you for all your asks (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧ (alright buckle up)

✰ NEW SHAPES: send me a fic and I’ll give you an alternate direction the fic could have gone!

☹ EVIL TWIN: send me a fic or scene and I’ll give you the unhappy ending version of it!

fic ask game

—

爱与恨模糊界限 | love and hate blur the lines (Oh you want the QuanYin angst…🤧🤧 this is going to be cliche, but…)

Quan Yizhen, in his quest to become “stronger” in order to protect Yin Yu, probably provokes someone he shouldn't or bites off more than he can chew and dies (probably from grievous injury??)

Yin Yu only finds out when an extremely shaken up Xie Lian informs him a week later

The house is still there– it had been completed a while back, the only thing left unfinished was the plants in the front yard(?)/lawn(?), which Xie Lian mournfully shows him to, silently saying that His Highness Qi Ying had consulted him on a great number of topics regarding Yin Yu, tells him of Quan Yizhen's plans to live with him in this house in the future.

Yin Yu doesn't know how to react, feeling as if he'd died once again, his hollow chest somehow emptier than it'd been before, unable to fully process Xie Lian's words as he woodenly approaches the carefully crafted house– it's rough around the edges, with how his shidi is unable to focus on one thing for too long a period of time, but the care and love poured into it is apparent.

Xie Lian hovers awkwardly, not knowing how to approach him, obviously engulfed in grief and guilt but still putting others before himself, and Yin Yu asks dully, “where's his body?”

(He does end up moving into the house, with his shidi’s ashes carefully kept in an urn that had been placed in the west facing part of his home, by his daybed. Yin Yu stays in the house, since it was the last gift he had received from his shidi, but that was the extent of it– It is a house, but not a home. Not without Quan Yizhen).

—

I can't help but love you, even though I try not to (Alternate direction):

Fun fact: I wrote this fic before and during my flight to China (I wanted to finish it before, but alas) so I was kind of sleep deprived and didn’t really have a concrete plan for it?

So I don’t really have an alternate version for this fic…if I were to change something, though, it would probably be what we discussed before about switching out the high sorcerer at the start for something silly, probably. Like an aggrieved family member or someone who has a crush on LLH who wanted his attention, maybe? Though it wouldn’t affect the rest of the plot much.

—

爱随风起 | love rises with the wind (Alternate direction):

Feng Xin is more guarded against Mu Qing, and extremely suspicious about the show of courtesy he has been given, the freedom he has been allowed around the castle

He probably finds the rose sometime during his first week there, and Mu Qing finds out, and they have an awful argument over it, which all the furniture overhears. That shapes their opinion of Feng Xin, gives them a negative impression of him.

(Feng Xin gets a taste of the dungeon, and comes to appreciate the room he had been given).

It also takes Nan Feng and Fu Yao much longer to warm up to him after that spat with Mu Qing– Shi Qingxuan remains largely unbothered, though they do tease him mercilessly about it– Feng Xin had felt bad about it afterwards, and tried to extend an olive branch to Mu Qing, which backfired.

And uh, slowburn from here on out I suppose? Unless we directly open with the armoury scene (which was the main point of the prompt), but there wouldn’t be much build up to that…

[omgpurplefattie]

WIP Wednesday

I have two WIPs I am writing at the moment, the Mysterious Lotus Casebook Star Trek AU and the last instalment of my modern AU; so have a bit of both:

from Tomb Raiding for Beginners, chapter 5:

Fang Duobing dragged his eyes back up to the Klingon’s face, his almost translucent eyes of a color like warm amber, and his very insolent smirk. “You’re A-Fei,” he said, lamely. “Li Lianhua made oven gloves from parts of your uniform, and your AI runs our ship. He’s a very excellent AI and does a great job. Well done, A-Fei.” Fang Duobing stood, and stretched. Li Lianhua was picking up books from around the room, but only very few of them ended up in his bag. Apparently, his boasts about knowing ancient Nanyin had not been exaggerated. “Why don’t you take those?” Fang Duobing asked when Li Lianhua put several slim green volumes back down. “This was the command center of a science station,” Li Lianhua said. “What books do you think they would have had on hand? Manuals of emergency protocols, references for programming languages or communication codes. Very interesting for researchers, I am sure, but not really useful for me. I am already taking everything on stellar cartography as well as references to non-Nanyin languages.” “Programming languages please,” A-Fei said, holding out his hand. Li Lianhua handed him a hefty stack of dog-eared books which the Klingon took without flinching. “I am going to re-integrate my AI using Nanyin machinery,” he explained to Fang Duobing, “so all references are useful. I don’t want to harm your friend Wuyan. My own copy hasn’t gained sentience.” So that was the copy Li Lianhua had mentioned earlier. “Your copy was in the cat? The cat is an electronic device, not a person?” “Congratulations,” Li Lianhua said, “the contestant gets 99 points. For a hundred points, he might win a sonic toothbrush.” A-Fei threw a small book at him; Fang Duobing followed with half a broken Nanyin pen from a nearby console. “Good to see you have a similar opinion about his sense of humor,” A-Fei nodded. “We’ll be able to get on, aboard your so-called ship.”

from Detoxify, chapter 31:

Lan Hui had a secret passion for old cartoons where animal people did ridiculously dangerous things to each other and still weren’t hurt at the end; but he could see why the grown-ups didn’t think them valuable for building, well, their kids’ values, so green-haired wood sprites it was. He had a little TV on the computer in his own room now, and there he could watch silly old animal cartoons about greedy cats and clever mice with A-Liu as much as they both liked. “If you feel that A-Liu is uneasy about something you are watching, stop the show,” A-Fei had explained, “otherwise, just go ahead and watch fun things instead of educational ones.” A-Fei knew best how to take care of a kid that had been unhappy in their life before, because he had been unhappy in a very similar way when he was a kid, which was a long time ago and in China. “And look what a great guy you have become!” Lan Hui had said, and A-Liu had giggled and hugged A-Fei. A-Fei, whom he ought to call Di-gege because he was a grown-up, but he’d first heard of him as A-Fei, back on Halloween in the coffee shop near where Teddy’s dad lived. A-Fei who didn’t really like kids because when he had been a kid, all the kids around him had been little monsters, and so had he been (he said). But on both points, exceptions were made for Lan Hui, and now also for Feng Yangliu, who was called A-Liu for short.

[pinkprimrose05]

DAN HENG.FOR THE CHARACTER ASK GAME!!

Cold Dragon Young!

General opinion/How much I care about them: Man, Dan Heng is such a fun guy. You see this quiet dude and you think he's probably all plain and straight-laced, but then he, in no particular order: gets into a an underground fight club tournament (and wins??), breaks a military fleet's banishment sentence to save his pals, and gets a whole cutscene wherethe idiot almost kisses the mc (there's no way that was a proper CPR attempt. He was 100% bullshitting his way there).

[Spoiler warning for the Luofu main quest incoming!!]

The way they handled his background and character arc makes me very sad tho. I wish the writers took their time with playing out his backstory; it could've been so much better if they waited long enough to let us get to know him and everyone else involved a little better, to see his struggle with the very interesting ship of theseus theme he has going on in light of Dan Feng's history, and deliver on all that in a way that's actually impactful in emotion and story relevance, instead of rushing it in favor of getting to the bossfight of the quest. Alas, it is what it is.

At least he got out of it with something! I mean, who can say no to 1 more little sister :D

A ship I love: *rummaging noises* huh, I wonder where I dropped that. Oh well. No ships for you, boy. Rip.

A non-romantic relationship that I love: THE ASTRAL EXPRESS. Sometimes a family is a retired Herrscher, the creator of The Dreaded Coffee™, a lonely dragon with autism, a calendar day in an ice cube, a funky ticking time bomb, and the bunny carrying the whole train on their back.

They are everything to me. Their groupchat is literally called The Astral Express Family. I love them your honor I hope they all live happy and peaceful and prosperous lives and hopefully don't get their 3rd stabbed member in a row when we head to the next planet. The Astral Express checks offs all the right boxes of wholesome and sweet for the found family enjoyer that is yours truly, which is just- mwah. I love them so so so much.

(Bonus shoutout to Bailu AKA the new little sister I mentioned a bit above. I NEED to see more of her and Dan Heng together, they're just adorable.)

The NOTP: Danmarch, Danstelle and Dancae. I just. don't see it. They're so sibling-coded to me, it feels off to see them in a romantic context.

My biggest headcanon about them: I think all Vidyadhara are cold-blooded by virtue of being dragons, so Dan Heng prefers to sleep on the floor of the archives because, given the amount of devices running in such a small space, it's always the warmest place on the Express. Or so he thinks until March drags him and Stelle for a sleepover in her room and builds a pillow fort. Turns out their newest member is actually a portable heater, and the pillows and blankets are also very warm and comfy too and- wait, what's that sweet feeling?

...Oh no.

Now he wants to try this again.

An idea for a fanfiction I would like to write/read about them: 5 times people smile at Dan Heng + the one time he smiles at them. Featuring me-typical express fam appearances, a sprinkle of Bailu and a dash of Jing Yuan, and maaaybe a hint of that one ghost from the past.

Now if only I can find something along those lines or figure out how to write it myself... hmm...

Something that makes me think of them: withered leaves, lotus blooms, small water ponds, zither music (idk), and, uh, Kaedehara Kazuha. Maple leaf windboy solidarity lmao

[noctether]

"This mixture is drier than your sex life" / Baiheng to Dan Feng

Much to Dan Feng’s chagrin, the rumors that the High Elder of the Vidyadhara in the Luofu was wrapped around a foxian’s finger wasn’t unfunded. Baiheng’s charismatic and honest way of… existing, so to say, draws him in. She’s the most living being he has ever seen, cheerful and extremely friendly, with very dubious ideas in her mind and even little consciousness of her welfare. At first, Dan Feng got to spend time with her in the healer’s pavilion in the Alchemy Commission of all things, which both frustrated and rewarded him immensely.

And since Baiheng rarely minds her mouth, Dan Feng is often dragged into very specific but very unnecessary (in his opinion) situations. Such as baking a cake for Jingliu, of all things. They could easily just buy one in a store that would please Jingliu, both Dan Feng and Baiheng knows her taste like the back of their hands, and ‘that’s exactly the point, Dan Feng, who better to make a cake for her if not us?’ was the argument Baiheng used to convince him (alongside pleading puppy eyes that he’ll never admit being absolutely weak to), and despite stating that the backery on the corner certainly was a better option, here he is, apron covering his front but doing little to salvage his outfit behind it.

The long hair of the High Elder is tied up in a high, messy bun, horns displaying all their glory as the hair usually framing his face is tied up with a purple hair tie from Baiheng. Dan Feng knows he must look ridiculous, yet no one else is going to see him anyways, so why care? At least no stray hair will be found in Jingliu’s cake.

Well. If there will be any cake at all, that is.

This is the third time they are getting the mixture wrong. At first was too little this, then too much of that, and now it seems like they added too much of something again. As teal eyes peek into the mixture, a frown on his elegant features, Baiheng brings out the most unnecessary comment of the evening and Dan Feng shoots her a glare before raising both hands (dirt with flour) to her cheeks, gripping each and squeezing them. “Haven’t anyone taught you how rude it is to talk about someone else’s intimate life?”

The point may as well be that Dan Feng doesn’t deny it. Because well, Baiheng might be… just a little… correct. “The Vidyadhara is a species that left reproduction behind in our process of evolution. So to say, there is no need for mating in our books.” This doesn’t mean that they don’t feel attraction and aren’t able to have emotional connections with others— it’s just the excuse Dan Feng gives to himself others when asked about any love interest. Once he regains his composure (and allows Baiheng’s cheeks to be freed off his clutches), Dan Feng sighs, reaching out for the knot tying the apron together on his back, decided on throwing the mix in the bin and just go buy a pre-made cake instead. “Besides, you should be more worried about yourself. Aren’t you old enough to get yourself married? The starskiffs will be their happiest when they learn about your retirement.”

[hermitduck]

For the unpopular opinion ask game 💕 💚 💛 for ATLA and/or LOK??

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like?

Majority of what I ship (particularly old men/middle aged ships) are considerably unpopular so it’s honestly hard to chose at the moment. Hmmm…

I’d say maybe Zhao/Long Feng since it’s my most current one right now. Poly Lotus ofc remains.

💛 : What is a popular ship you can’t get behind, and why?

Mmmm Z.ukka and Z.utara 100%. Very occasionally I can see why people would ship either of these and honestly there are times when they are cute. But in general, I can’t necessarily get behind them with how oversaturated the fandom feels with either or (though if I’m being honest Z.ukka is probably the worst in my experience with the fandom as I’ve seen too many of the same takes over and over again. Not to mention the laced racism and fetishization in a in many cases…).

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

I mean, to be frank with y’all, there’s not necessarily too much people had gotten wrong about Pakku’s character — but I do feel goes wrong is how extremely sexist/homophobic people tend to portray him as. And while I understand that since being sexist/misogynistic often comes hand in hand with homophobia and racism (which I have also seen a lot of ppl do to his character), it gets too old for me. Such lacking of complexity in character and mainly painting him as a terrible and bad person primarily due to how they written him in the show — only sometimes worse than canon.

If anything, I lowkey feel like canon got him all wrong too. Such potential to explore an elderly person learning to change for the better but due to his lack of screen time and mere implications, Pakku will often be intensely hated TvT.

[tk-duveraun]

Lian and the Capitalist Fuckboy AU 5/?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5 (here) 6.

…because it certainly couldn’t be that… 

 By the time Lian actually woke up, only the wound on her left cheek required the green paste. There was a great deal of crying and even more working, trying to catch up on everything they’d both missed during her illness. Of course, Lian wasn’t allowed to work. She lounged on a padded chair in the inner courtyard while Mingyun, Minghong and her assistant worked, occasionally fielding her questions.

Minghua and Mingzhu rearranged and redecorated the manor with the help of the family’s servants from the main house. Mingtao had taken over the kitchen, since all of the servants that worked in the Kugane house had been given a nice vacation as a reward for tending Lian during her illness. Mingyu escorted his parents back and forth between the main house and Kugane.

Hancock promised his own assistant a vacation once he’d caught up on everything. Catching up involves several long meetings with Lolorito discussing strategy to recover from the perceived weakness of the slow down.

Their business partners seemed more understanding than their Uldan counterparts would have been, but the world hadn’t stopped, despite how much it had felt as if it was going to.

It’s only after a month that most of the Feng family returns to the main house. Mingyun and Minghong stay to keep Lian from working, but the others leave one by one. The manor shows signs of them long after they’re gone. Hancock wouldn’t have classified it as undecorated or unlived in before, but he internally conceded that was his own cultural ignorance now that he could see the difference.

Mingyu and Minghong had aether crystals scattered around for their magics, as well as thick mulberry paper, carefully sculpted plants, an array of staves and cases of chalks, tinctures and elixirs. 

Minghua and Mingzhu left behind paintings-in-progress, to be finished on future visits, fans both as wall-decoration and weapons and mounted calligraphy that Hancock suspected had some kind of secondary function. Though Lian’s regular cook had returned from vacation, the recipes were definitely ones 

Mingtao left instructions to be made and featured a startling array of deep-sea fish and plants Hancock had never heard of before, let alone seen or eaten.

Mingyun had small writing desks and brush sets conveniently situated around the manor.

Lian’s parents had erected a shrine for their ancestors and mounted their wedding robes and jewelry for display in one of the sitting rooms.

It’s during their first dinner alone again, her brothers eating at the holstelry with clients, that Hancock asks, “Should we start moving back into your room?”

Lian ducks her head down with a blush. “Ah, that is our room, now. My parents were upset I was still in my old room. They said I should have moved into the master suite when they gave me control of the business topside. ‘Filial piety is all well and good, but there’s an image to maintain.’“

“Can’t argue with that,” Hancock says, sure that Lian had, in fact, argued with her parents about it. He takes a sip of tea. “Lolorito got in touch. Apparently, there are people from the Far East, and I quote, ‘sniffing around asking questions’ about me. Do you know about that, or should I be worried?”

Lian covers her eyes, “Ahhh! I didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“So you do know about it.”

“Yes.” Lian takes her time answering, eating as an excuse. “You, of course, agree with me that it was most likely the Blessing of the Moon that saved my life.”

Hancock nods.

“The elders and my grandparents are not of that opinion. They believe it was a sign from the Heavens. And further that in order to fulfill Heaven’s will, we should be married.”

Hancock freezes, cup halfway to his mouth. From what Mingyun said, clearly Lian’s brother had thought, but for Lian to confirm it! And for such a reason! But then his thoughts hesitate and he lowers his cup to the table. “Why are they investigating me? I assure you, I am not secretly an Uldan prince. My mother may not have married my father, but I do know who he is.”

“No, no, it’s not that. Whether or not they find you suitable has been overridden by what they perceive to be Heaven’s will. They aren’t trying to legitimize you, they’re trying to find your eight characters.”

“My what?”

“The time of your birth, down to the hour. Families exchange this when arranging a marriage and give the information to fortune tellers, who determine auspices dates for the couple to be married. It’s one of the early stages of negotiation.”

At the activation phrase ‘negotiation’ Hancock’s bashful reticence disappeared like it had never been. “Negotiation. Yes, you mentioned it was very much like a business contract. When will I be brought to the table for these?”

“Traditionally, never.” Lian pauses, then waves her hand. “That’s not strictly true, but it’s complicated. The point is, your family is supposed to negotiate on your behalf, but since your mother and her family has passed and you officially disavowed your father upon making your fortune, my nainai has been drafting the contract herself.”

“That won’t do at all,” Hancock says. “Especially not if I’m marrying in. I was paying attention when you discussed Mingyun’s prospects over the last month. I love you dearly, but I won’t agree to a contract that was never advocated on my behalf.”

Lian bursts into pleased giggles and grabs his wrist. “I was going to bring it up. I didn’t realize nainai was this impatient. You can swear someone in as foster family and they can negotiate. Or if you were ever formally apprenticed to someone you trust to handle it.”

“Well then,” Hancock says, pleased. “Well then, indeed. I do think Lolorito would love the opportunity to negotiate with your family.”

Lian’s smile is sharp and predatory. “Don’t think he’ll be able to get one over on nainai just because he’s a member of the Syndicate.”

“Oh he wouldn’t enjoy it if it weren’t a challenge. In fact, I think giving him this may make us even.”

[powwidge]

You reblogged stuff from both my wc blog AND my danmei/tgcf blog which is how i got here buut im now here to a ask an extremely specific NICHE question

if hualian, beefleaf and fengqing were warrior cats what would their individual wc names be in your personal opinion :3c (Cause ive thought about this in my spare time myself)

I'm dying. Drop the blogs. Don't be shy. Psppspss. I'm very into both tgcf and waca. Omfg.

Since I'm mainly a beefleafer let's start wirh them, but.

Shi Qingxuan: let's not fool ourselves, she'd 100% be a kittypet, then fall in love with hx, decide to join the clans, and cause havoc. I'd imagine her kittypett name could be sth sorta compatible though (...unlike. bellaleaf .), like Puff maybe? Cuz I feel lkke Puffleaf would be very cute and fitting

He Xuan: I think we oughta opt for the obvious "Blackpool" here n call it a day. Anyways I can actually imagine him being a medicine cat cuz he DID use to be a scholar n all and also romance between a medicine cat and kittypet? Let's go

Xie Lian: I'd opt for some kind of flower name + the -heart suffix def. Some kind of white flower, but my brain is a little empty rn so make of that what u will- also he should be deputy under Jun Wu so he can receive his trauma accordingly

Hua Cheng: torn between using crimson and rain here ngl. Crimsonrain mifht actyally work bur that sounds kind of stupid. I feel like maybe Crimsonclaw would work becayse it'd scare everyone like "IS HE VIOLENT???" and Hua cheng is like "in theory no because I'm a softie in practice if u hurt gege, yes :D" or maybe sth like Rainfire? I'm indecisive, so

Feng Xin: is like to opt for sth that's brown because in my head he's just brown???? If that makes sense??? I might go for Woodpelt with him since most "pelt" cats seem to be a bit aggressive, so it'd fit- also he's the kost annoying warrior ever I bet he's like. Overachiever, hunts from morning to night, gets injured 24/7 becayse of it, probably voluntarily does mouse bile tick elder duty. (I love him really)

Mu Qing: can I say Crowfeather? Can I? Becayse they both jusg rlly wanna be loved bur fail at expressing that unless driven into a corner? No? No??? Goddamnit. I'd actually like to go for something incredibly soft wirh Mu qing just so that some cats at gatherings would go "oh my god xxx is such a pretty name whY DID YOU JUST CLAW MY EARS OFF DUDE ITS A GATHERING" as for the name. Uh. I'm elly mad rhat any berries just have such stupidly long names rlly. Maybe Current since they don't have the berry suffix? (Is it Currant? God I don't remmeber. Those rply small sour berries that r either red or black. Currant I think. English isn't my first language Im sorry HAJSKSKS) sth like Currantflower maybe; stuff that makes people expect a she-cat who's a forever queen whos super kind n then they meet mu qing (and rlly their assumption is right, he's just tsundere)

Ok im sordy I sont think u wanted THAT extensive of an answer !!!!!!!!! All I can say in my defense is I've got autism 🙏🏻 all insults to the charactwrs r said with tons of love btw I love all of these idiots very dearly. Jun wu included. Sadly. I think that one mifht be a bir invalid. Hmm.

[twstrhythm]

Another long anon under the cut.

Aside from the fact that you seem to be trying to educate me about my own culture, you really are a fool, aren't you?

Yes, respect is important. And yes, it is not good manners to pick a fight with someone. However, there is that small bit you decided to highlight. Shall I say it louder for those in the back?

"Respecting the feelings of whoever is being spoken to."

That goes to say the same should be expected from this hypothetical female character too. If she was not respecting their feelings, why should she expect them to respect her back?

And for the Chinese OCs in question, here is how they would react.

Haoyu would not like it if she disrespects his feelings and would definitely talk back to her about it. If she won't show him respect, then he is not showing her any respect too. He does not see why she thinks this is okay to do.

Hui Jin is upset by this. He does not think the girl had the right to disrespect him for a joke. It is not funny to him, so he will react accordingly. He would tell her that she is being disrespectful and that he will not tolerate that.

Jian-Yu would be put off by the disrespect he is receiving and start judging this girl for it. He does not see why he should have to put up with his feelings being disrespected like this. If she has the audacity to tell him that he needs to respect her feelings, he will laugh at her and say "that's a funny joke. Funny, because you didn't do that for me. Why should I respect you?"

Jiao-Long is upset with it. He does not think he did anything to deserve to have his feelings just disrespected like this. He would likely start avoiding her. If he has to spend time around her, he makes sure someone else is with him. He refuses to deal with her alone.

Kunming does not like that she disrespected his feelings like this. He is more than willing to just throw hands with her. Whenever he sees her again in the future, he just turns the other way and ignores her. He makes sure to drop hints for other people to know that this girl was not so nice.

Li Feng shrinks into himself. He first questions if it is his fault. Then he will ask other people for their opinion on it. Finally, he concludes that this girl was being disrespectful towards him, and that he does not have to accept that. He would judge her from a distance whenever he sees her from that point on.

Longwei is baffled that someone would be mean to him for no reason. Oh? It was a joke? Haha. He does not find that funny. As someone who had been bullied before, Longwei will not just let her get away with it. He would confront her about it and make sure she understands exactly how he feels about her now, and he is not going to be nice about it.

Shen is upset and kind of wants to cry, but he doesn't. He tells the girl that she should try being nicer. If she won't change her attitude, then he will not talk to her anymore. He will ignore her if she tries to talk to him.

Shi Yin is annoyed by this, and he tells her that she was being disrespectful flat out. He also tells her that he will not be speaking to her again from that point on. If she refuses to respect him, he will not respect her.

Xiaoshi is not going to go easy on her. He starts out by telling her that he thinks she is a terrible person for not respecting his feelings. Why should he respect her if she is just going to treat him like trash? That is not something he will just accept.

Xinyi just begins avoiding her like she is the plague. He does not want to speak to someone who disrespected his feelings. He has no obligation to. If he has to see her again, he avoids looking at her directly and only speaks to her when someone else does.

Xue Long is not pleased with this. He has had plenty of experience with people disrespecting his feelings, and he has become more guarded as a result. This girl had said/done something that hurt him, so he is more cautious around her. He remembers what he has been taught, but this person did not respect him. He gives her judgmental looks any time she tries to speak to him.

YunLong would just sigh and tell her that she is not a good person for being so disrespectful. He would say he would like to be nice, but it does not seem like she deserves it. Whenever he sees her after this point, he makes sure to remind her of her actions and that she needs to change that if she wants his respect.

Zixuan looks at her differently from that point on. His feelings were just disrespected after all. "Treat people the way you want to be treated", he has heard people say. Since this girl was treating him disrespectfully, then he will not be nice to her. He ignores her as much as possible.

[citronverveine]

I don't think I agree with this. Firstly:

Jun Wu's belief that everyone has the capacity for evil, if you just push them hard enough, torment them long enough, is directly contradicted by the entire story of tgcf, which posits that, actually everyone has the capacity for good.

I'm not sure if this is what you actually meant to say but with the way this is phrased, I understand it to mean that having the capacity for good means you don't have the capacity for evil, as in you either have one or the other. This isn't really true, nor is what TGCF says. Everyone has the capacity for both evil good, but chooses to use it for one or the other. It's about choice. They have the capacity for both, and that's what makes their choice meaningful.

Also, I'm guessing the "depraved cannibal" is Qi Rong, but I'm... honestly not sure what the "right thing" he did is. Genuinely asking😅

But most importantly:

In a way, doing good is a surrender, it's giving up, it's as easy as falling asleep. And it's so much easier than letting the evils of your past dog your heels for hundreds of years.

Well... No, doing good is not easier, otherwise Jun Wu would probably have done that. And even if not, in my opinion, TGCF shows extensively how doing good is not easier. Xie Lian suffers so much because he is dead set on doing good. He is thrown out of heaven because he wants to help his kingdom. He is cursed by his people because he wanted to help and failed. He is tortured by a ghost because he refuses to join him in his evil. He tries so hard and so hard to keep believing doing good is the right thing, even as he lays half-dead in the middle of a busy road while no one tries to help him. He gets trampled because he saves Banyue from the battlefield. He gets nailed in a coffin for a hundred years because he took the blame for something he didn't do. He hurts himself so many times for what he thinks is the right thing to do.

Even for other characters - Yushi Huang does the right thing by sacrificing herself for her country and dying. Hua Cheng almost died tearing his eye out instead of killing the humans in Mount Tonglu - he genuinely could have dispersed because he was so weak, and the humans would have given him energy, but no, he did the right thing, which was very hard. Mu Qing did the right thing by refusing to help Jun Wu in book 5 and ended up with a shackle. Feng Xin did the right thing by staying with Xie Lian and his parents during their exile and he struggled with them when he could have left like Mu Qing and work on his own ascension.

TGCF shows us characters that keep suffering extensively for doing the right thing. Doing good is a struggle, it's a constant fight, it's painful, it requires sacrifice and discipline. It's not falling asleep.

I need to write about how Jun Wu's belief that everyone has the capacity for evil, if you just push them hard enough, torment them long enough, is directly contradicted by the entire story of tgcf, which posits that, actually everyone has the capacity for good. The misogynistic womanizer, the depraved cannibal, the man dead set on revenge, the one filled with envious resentment, are all able to do the right thing when it comes down to it. In a way, doing good is a surrender, it's giving up, it's as easy as falling asleep. And it's so much easier than letting the evils of your past dog your heels for hundreds of years. Isn't it such a release to change? To not be stuck in your old ways?

[mistypurplespark]

Chapter 21: Blood Debt

Chapter 21: Blood Debt

“Foryoutobeinsuchahurrytoactasmymatchmaker,youwereindeed harbouring ill intentions……”

Translator(s): Zryuu

Editor(s): juurensha

The surface shook; Xiang Shu wielded the heavy iron sword with both hands and had already rushed out of the hall first, so Feng Qianjun had to follow him out. Thousands of troops had trampled all over the hall entrance in an instant and were currently charging straight towards the main hall!

Feng Qianjun, "……"

“Hold them off!” Xiang Shu shouted, then turned around and grabbed the massive, red lacquer door of the main hall that weighed close to a thousand jin with one hand and forcibly pulled it down.

“Wah! Seizing the door to get out!” Chen Xing cried.

Xiang Shu carried it on his shoulder and pushed the wooden door towards the drill ground in front of the hall!

Even though Feng Qianjun shouted loudly, his voice had been drowned out by the charging troops in an instant. What followed was that the two got completely dispersed by the shadow warriors and could only start fighting their respective battles alone.

Chen Xing, who remained in the palace, had already floated up in the midst of the resentment flames that revolved around him. His left hand pressed against the feeble Heart Lamp in his chest and protected his heart meridians, while his right finger pointed at the top of his head. The Yin Yang Mirror began rotating faster and faster, then spread out. Runes in the air that were bursting with purplish-black light began returning to the mirror

one by one.

At the same time, in present Chang’an, within the imperial Study, Fu Jian was discussing matters in detail with Wang Ziye, who had visited him late at night.

“How do I get Shulü Kong to willingly hand over the Purple Scroll?” Fu Jian asked Wang Ziye.

Wang Ziye answered, “Why doesn’t Your Majesty order him to directly? Why beat around the bush? As an official, presenting the Purple Scroll is part of his duty.”

Fu Jian fell silent for a moment before saying, “Zhen has to admit that you’re right. It’s just that……”

Wang Ziye said, “Would he dare, not, hand, it, over?”

Fu Jian smiled, “If Zhen were to do it through forceful means, honestly, he really could be that bold.”

Wang Ziye said, “I remember that not too long ago, Your Majesty would never be lenient on anyone who dares disobey an imperial order, no matter if they were a Hu or Han.”

Fu Jian said, “The Great Chanyu definitely can’t be touched.” Wang Ziye said, “Can’t be touched? He’s merely an official.” Fu Jian said, “He’s not an official, he’s the Great Chanyu.”

Wang Ziye, “There cannot be two suns in the sky, just as how there cannot be two kings in one country. All the land under the heavens belongs to the king, and all the people are the king’s servants. If the Great Chanyu is not a subject, then what is he?”

Fu Jian stopped talking, and Wang Ziye smiled, “The Ancient Chi Le Covenant belongs to the past. In my humble opinion, no matter if it’s the ancient covenant, the Great Chanyu, or the Golden Conferment of Purple Scroll, none of these really need to exist anymore. If Your Majesty is bold enough, you can make them go where they should.”

Fu Jian shook his head, “It’s not time yet, at least not now.”

If Wang Meng was still alive, he wouldn’t advise Fu Jian like this. Forget it, Wang Ziye was not Wang Meng after all. Fu Jian just thought all of this seemed dull and wanted to talk a bit more before making Wang Ziye leave.

Within the sleeping chambers, in front of Princess Qinghe, the Yin Yang Mirror on the table started shaking crazily and released bursts of black fog.

In the mirror world, Xiang Shu and Feng Qianjun had already been pushed back until they were outside the hall’s entrance.

“It’s not done yet?!” Xiang Shu shouted, “Hurry up!”

Chen Xing turned a deaf ear to him. His eyes were shut tight as he controlled the Yin Yang Mirror to rotate constantly, and it was spinning faster and faster now. Feng Qianjun roared, “We can’t hold them back any longer!”

Xiang Shu and Feng Qianjun kept guard in front of the hall’s entrance, and they could no longer keep count of how many shadow warriors they had beheaded. However, even after their heads were chopped off, the warriors would just scramble around the ground to find their head and reconnect it, then be as good as new before rushing over to kill them again. Feng Qianjun was already struggling a lot to deal with them, and he finally made up his mind to shout, “Great Chanyu! Enter the hall! Don’t mind me! Both of you should go! As many of us should try to escape as possible!”

The shadow general assembled its troops once again to prepare for the next wave of the assault.

Feng Qianjun gritted his teeth, brandished the Sen Luo sabre, and black flames instantly burst out all over his body.

Xiang Shu uttered in disbelief, “What are you doing?”

Within a split second, Feng Qianjun had already lured the resentment of heaven and earth towards him. The air around him fluctuated, and a bloody glint flashed through his eyes.

“Go back and stop my older brother.” Feng Qianjun slowly said, then his eyes were completely covered with a scarlet colour; black flames that obscured the sky gushed into the Sen Luo sabre!

A gust of Yin wind suddenly stirred and rose from the ground, a black light burst out from the tip of his blade.

Sen Luo Wan Xiang, the stars are shifting!

The sacred sabre that disappeared from the Divine Land and went into hiding for nearly 300 years reappeared right at this very moment, yet it was engulfed in a raging flame of resentment that blazed brightly. The bitingly cold glare that reflected off the blade had been altered; its tip was like a vast and deep water body as cold as ice, and it turned into a darkness that seemed even more profound than that of a long, dark night. The sacred sabre had taken on a completely different form and was now a demonic blade. When Feng Qianjun slashed out with his sabre, its power soaked in death brutally struck a shadow warrior that had charged forth!

The encirclement was broken through in an instant, following which, Feng Qianjun released an angry roar. While wielding the Sen Luo sabre with both hands, he stabbed it into the ground.

A black ring of light emerged from the ground and spread madly in all directions; plants and trees instantly withered wherever the light swept by and turned into a pitch-black patch. Then, the earth swelled up, bricks fell apart, advancing layer by layer as they sent the entire living corpse troop army that had rushed into the drill ground flying!

It was as if a sleeping giant had arched its back upwards; many trees had interlaced roots, and roots as massive as Panlong burst out of the ground, all of them crisscrossing with one another. They rose, danced, and covered the entire drill ground. Meanwhile, in Weiyang Palace, and even in Chang’an City, millions of dead trees were pulled out along with their roots and they launched a large-scale attack on the living corpse army!

Xiang Shu, “Stop! Feng Qianjun!”

Pitch black vines weaved in and out around one another as they began sealing the entrance to the hall. Xiang Shu immediately drew his sword and swung it towards the Sen Luo sabre in Feng Qianjun’s hands. Right at that moment, Chen Xing completed the spell, and the Heart Lamp flashed!

The Yin Yang Mirror stirred up a whirlwind, and a tremendous suction force suddenly erupted from within. Chen Xing regained consciousness. He quickly glimpsed Xiang Shu, and before he could think it through, he pushed both his hands out. Nine of the inscribed runes on Xiang Shu’s heavy sword lit up in an instant, shining with a radiant white light that struck the Sen Luo sabre in Feng Qianjun’s hands with a loud thump that sent it flying!

The bloody glint in Feng Qianjun’s eyes died down, then within a split second, the three of them flew up at the same time and sped backwards into the mirror. Xiang Shu turned around in mid-air, wrapped his arms around Chen Xing, and the two of them rushed in. Feng Qianjun roared and was also swept into the mirror, followed by the Sen Luo sabre that shot into the mirror with a whoosh!

The vines that sealed the entrance lost the resentment that drove them and exploded in mid-air before vanishing without a trace. Only a mess of vines that were strewn all over the ground remained. The black flames of the Yin Yang Mirror were withdrawn, then it fell to the ground with a clang and rolled out of the hall, landing below the steps.

The black armoured general dismounted, walked over slowly, and picked up the Yin Yang Mirror.

Chen Xing buried himself into the front of Xiang Shu and yelled, but Xiang Shu was prepared. This time, when they were ejected from the Yin Yang Mirror, he strode out in mid-air, turned around, bent his left leg, stepped with his right, and set foot on a wall; he crouched down to rid himself of his momentum and somersaulted in the air again, then landed!

“Aaahhhh!” But Chen Xing still shouted.

Immediately afterwards, Feng Qianjun was ejected from the Yin Yang Mirror and crashed harshly onto a pillar, which made a loud noise. He

collapsed limply to the ground. The Sen Luo sabre whirled out afterwards and lodged itself into a beam in the hall!

In the imperial study, Fu Jian and Wang Ziye heard this noise at the same time. Fu Jian immediately got up and dashed to the sleeping chambers, while Wang Ziye followed closely behind.

Princess Qinghe held the Yin Yang Mirror and stared at the three of them, her eyes wide.

As soon as Xiang Shu rushed out, he pulled his sword back in a defensive stance, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he realised that it was Princess Qinghe.

Chen Xing’s head was spinning as he said, “Where is this, yi? Why are we here? Princess? You……why do you have the mirror?”

Princess Qinghe answered, “The two of you have been missing for nearly a whole day and night! His Majesty was so anxious that he dispatched people to search everywhere for you two, but they couldn’t find anyone and instead got this mirror from somewhere.”

Princess Qinghe frowned deeply as she looked at the Yin Yang Mirror in her hands, then looked at Chen Xing and Xiang Shu. Xiang Shu sheathed his sword, while Chen Xing gasped for breath and walked towards Princess Qinghe.

Princess Qinghe, “You guys……you guys……”

“Give me the mirror,” Chen Xing said, “I’ll slowly explain it to you later.” Princess Qinghe approached Chen Xing and handed the mirror to him. “How did……you guys escape from the mirror?” Princess Qinghe asked.

Chen Xing suddenly sensed that something was amiss. Xiang Shu shouted, “Duck!’

Chen Xing ducked subconsciously, yet Princess Qinghe was faster than him. Her left hand that was holding onto the mirror propped him from

under the ribs and encircled him, her arm hooking around his neck. Chen Xing, "…………………………"

Xiang Shu rushed forward in one step, but he saw that Princess Qinghe’s body wasn’t moving. Black vapour manifested around her body that flew out to strike Xiang Shu’s chest harshly, which hit him so hard that he was sent flying and he fell to the ground.

Feng Qianjun lost consciousness after getting ejected from the mirror. He lay on the ground, while his Sen Luo sabre was firmly lodged into the pillar. The only person who could restrain Princess Qinghe now was Xiang Shu.

Chen Xing could have never expected that Princess Qinghe would do such a thing, and even Xiang Shu wasn’t the least bit prepared. She had struck the old wound on his ribs. He forcibly endured the sharp pain, grabbed his sword, and staggered to stand firm on his feet.

A dagger appeared in Princess Qinghe’s right hand that she pressed against Chen Xing’s neck.

Chen Xing instantly shouted like he had gone mad, “IT’S COLD!! AAAAHHH! This dagger’s so cold!!!”

Princess Qinghe, “……” Xiang Shu, “……”

Chen Xing, “Couldn’t you have heated it up before placing it against my neck?!”

Princess Qinghe said in a stern voice, “Great Chanyu, keep at least five steps away from me and don’t move, I know you’re strong.” As she spoke, her dagger slightly pierced into Chen Xing’s neck. The dagger had been injected with mana, and its entire blade appeared pitch black. If she exerted just a little effort, Chen Xing would be pierced straight through and blood would gush out of his neck, then he would no longer be able to survive.

“Aiya! AiyaI!” Chen Xing immediately cried out, “It hurts!! Jiejie! Don’t be so rough, we’re all decent people here……”

Princess Qinghe tightened her grip and said coldly, “Shut up!”

Xiang Shu said in a low voice, “You’re the one who reared the living corpses? What are you up to? What’s your relationship with the Feng family?”

Princess Qinghe took a deep breath and said slowly, “Great Chanyu, you’re too much of a busybody. The two of you were the ones who bumped into this yourselves, you can’t blame me. If you hadn’t cared about this kid, you wouldn’t have encountered so much trouble.”

“So you were the one who sent the assassin that night,” Xiang Shu said in a dangerous tone, “And I even spent such a long time wondering in vain why Jian Tou would want to kill an exorcist who he had nothing against.”

Chen Xing was being strangled by Princess Qinghe, and he just thought that her strength was strangely extraordinary. Although it was far inferior to that of Xiang Shu’s, her martial prowess was not to be taken lightly.

“You……I just knew……” Chen Xing could barely breathe anymore, “For you to be in such a hurry to act as my matchmaker, you were indeed harbouring ill intentions……”

Princess Qinghe tightened her grip around his neck and sneered, “You’re already on your deathbed!”

Within an instant, a black vapour erupted from Princess Qinghe’s body that revolved around her and Chen Xing. While she was within the mass of black vapour, she started floating up slowly into the air. Chen Xing’s neck was on the verge of snapping from being strangled, so he couldn’t speak anymore.

“State your conditions.” Xiang Shu said in a deep voice.

Princess Qinghe said, “Put down your sword, raise both your hands and back up until you’re outside the door.”

Xiang Shu turned around. He went to the front of the hall’s entrance, put down his heavy sword, raised both hands, then slowly retreated.

Princess Qinghe’s grip loosened slightly. Chen Xing held onto her arm and said while he was being held hostage, “Protector, be careful not to trip over the threshold behind you.”

Xiang Shu, "......"

When Xiang Shu retreated until he was in front of the door, Princess Qinghe  immediately  shouted,  “Guards!  There’s  an  assassin——! GUARDS!”

Fu Jian has never liked having people guard the door while he slept, so all the guards were patrolling the imperial garden and corridor. At this moment, after hearing her voice, they started gathering outside the sleeping chambers. However, all these unforeseen events had occurred too quickly

— only the time taken to say a few sentences had passed since Xiang Shu and Chen Xing flew out of the mirror and Princess Qinghe had suddenly turned hostile.

Chen Xing continued, “Hurry and run, you can come back to save me later……”

Within a very brief moment, multiple thoughts had already flashed through Xiang Shu’s mind: if he left just like this, Princess Qinghe would stab Chen Xing to death immediately. It was already quite clear now; Princess Qinghe, Feng Qianyi, and the ones who secretly planned a conspiracy with the living corpses were all part of the same group, and it was even more likely that the two of them were the masterminds.

Chen Xing immediately used his gaze to signal to Xiang Shu to leave, but right at that moment, the dog that had been sleeping behind the screen rushed out silently, then bit Princess Qinghe’s ankle.

Princess Qinghe shouted at once. Chen Xing immediately struggled to break free, then Xiang Shu lunged to the ground, grabbed his heavy sword and flipped over. Princess Qinghe flung the dog away and stabbed it to death with her dagger, but Xiang Shu’s heavy sword was already right in front of her.

“Break!” Chen Xing saw that Princess Qinghe was holding the Yin Yang Mirror, which meant that she must be able to activate it, so he lit up his Heart Lamp to help Xiang Shu break through the resentment. Within a split second, the heavy sword in Xiang Shu’s hands flashed with a glaring light, and with a “whoosh”, drove the black fog back like it was a scorching flame melting the snow. When the white light flashed in front of Princess Qinghe, dread immediately appeared in her eyes!

Xiang Shu had been caught unprepared before and suffered because of it, so he knew that she couldn’t be slighted. With this attack, either Princess Qinghe died, or Xiang Shu would die, so he exerted all his might in swinging his sword out. Right after the black vapour was broken through, the sword struck Princess Qinghe’s chest first, then another strike landed at a slanted angle. Blood was already gushing from Princess Qinghe’s mouth, who was hovering in the air. All her ribs broke, blood streamed out of her orifices, and she slammed into a wall! The Yin Yang Mirror flew out of her hand and fell to the ground.

At that moment, Fu Jian had rushed to the scene and just so happened to personally witness the scene of Xiang Shu killing Princess Qinghe with his sword.

Everyone was stunned, and even Xiang Shu was shocked too. He already sensed that something was wrong when he unleashed his second strike. Once the black vapour withdrew, the other party had lost all strength to resist, but the third strike was interlinked with the first two and had already blocked off the enemy’s way out, so it was still too late to stop.

“She……she……” Chen Xing rushed forward immediately and shouted, “Wait!”

Princess Qinghe lay on the ground, her lips slightly parted, and her mouth was filled with blood.

“I just wanted……to take revenge……for the Murong clan……”

Chen Xing raised his head with a blank expression and looked at Xiang Shu. Xiang Shu turned around at once, shielding Chen Xing in front of him

as he faced Fu Jian, who was standing outside the hall, as well as Tuoba

Yan, who had come with a torch and a group of guards.

The dog whimpered and crawled towards Chen Xing, leaving a trail of bloodstains behind it. It struggled to lick his hand. Chen Xing picked the dog up; a chill ran down his spine, and he felt like he had fallen into an ice cave for a moment.

“Xiang Shu?” Chen Xing said and thought that they were in great trouble now. When Fu Jian rushed over, he didn’t know if Fu Jian had seen the scene of Princess Qinghe being enveloped in a mass of black vapour. But even if he had, the lighting within the hall was dim, so it was unlikely for him to have seen it clearly.

After falling into a trance over Qinghe’s death, Xiang Shu immediately snapped out of his trance. He looked at Fu Jian with his guard up.

“Do you want to listen to an explanation, or just get straight to taking revenge?” Xiang Shu said to Fu Jian in a deep voice, “Guwang will take you on till the end.”

It was as if Fu Jian had heard nothing. Torn with grief, he immediately let out a heartrending wail and just rushed straight in barehanded!

Outside the sleeping chambers, Xiang Shu was carrying Chen Xing while Chen Xing carried the dog. They smashed through a wooden window together and fell harshly into the imperial garden along with thousands of pieces of debris.

Arrows were flying everywhere. Fu Jian rushed out of the hole they made and only saw the receding figure of Xiang Shu, who was carrying Chen Xing as they flipped over the palace walls amidst the marble white colour of the dawn sky.

“Shulü Kong——!” Fu Jian was struck with grief and had lost all rationality as he roared madly, “Zhen swears with my life! I will definitely

make you pay with your blood——!”