#mu qing during the xianle era

[raddestrose]

today is mothers day, so happy mothers day to all of the unsuspecting men in anime and other media who end up becoming single mothers

[vychees]

Second Best

[totallynotsloughjykk]

tgcf fandom can we please start holding feng xin accountable for being an ass to mu qing for 800 years. like. he started most fights and was constantly on servant mu qing's ass who was just trying to survive but people always skip over it

[illuminatedferret]

The Mortal/Political Backdrop of TGCF

Another part of TGCF I've been quietly fascinated with is just how many of the major gods in the heavenly court are around 800 years old. Obviously we've got Xie Lian, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing(plus Hua Cheng), but Rain Master? Already ascended by the time Xianle's civil war began. Ling Wen was a junior official during Xie Lian's first ascension. We know Yushi Kingdom fell a few years after Rain Master ascended, and Pei Ming ascended himself not long after that. That's 5 of the highest ranked officials in the Heavenly Court(re: lantern count) and Yushi Huang, who as we all know, is the real boss in town.

Why does this matter? Here's one reason.

This backdrop paints a picture of the mortal realm that otherwise goes unaddressed. Principally, that 800 years before canon was a time of significant political instability. Not only was Xianle in a civil war, but the kingdom of Yushi was facing aggressive overtures from the kingdom of Xuli and would fall in short order(although it's unclear if it fell before or after Xie Lian's ascension), and Xuli was also facing persistent, growing civil unrest and dissatisfaction, and would eventually fall after Ling Wen made the Brocade Immortal. While we are given a minimal timeframe for these events, it feels like it isn't a stretch to say that the kingdoms of Xianle, Yushi, and Xuli probably fell within, at most, 50 years of each other. Which is kind of nuts. But it does help explain the existence of "the Royal Capital" in present-day canon, which initially confused me. Over the 800 years before canon, we know of the fall of 5 separate kingdoms. Rather than new kingdoms replacing them as they fell(ignoring Yong'an, I mean), their territory was probably absorbed by nearby kingdoms in an era of consolidation until we reach present-day, where characters refer to a "Royal Capital" without saying what kingdom it belongs to, because by the time of book 1 there is only 1 kingdom ruling over the entirety of what is allegedly ancient China. (probably an empire at that point...)

[absolutesilly]

I headcanon during xianle era mq found fx hot but as soon as he opened his mouth, it quickly dissipated ☠️

hahaha i also share this headcanon! i loooove the idea of mu qing being smitten with xie lian’s “handsome and noble” bodyguard… until he actually talks to him! and feng xin is suspicious and dismissive of him….

(though i will say—i love that crush stubbornly not going away… as soon as mu qing thinks it’s gone for good, feng xin defends him from some bullies! or does something especially kind to xie lian! and mq is right back where he started. in general i looooove imagining mq having a crush on him that he just can’t get rid of)

[sophia-sol]

Time for monthly recs again!!! a delicious selection for you from the month of April. This post is my tgcf recs:

flew like a moth to you, by Euphorion

- space au featuring ling wen/yushi huang, HELLO

- yushi huang's deliberate mysteriousness, and the way she uses it to flirt and get the upper hand with ling wen!

- ling wen enjoying having something to research that's for FUN instead of for work!

- the interesting development of the setting, and ways the characters and backstories have been tweaked to fit!

- LOVED IT.

- 4k words in length

these are the streets of favour, by bloodletter

- a fanfic about ling wen and pei ming, written for mxtx remix as a remix of my ling wen fic

- SHRIEKING. FLAILING. CLAWING AT MY FACE IN DELIGHT. I am so honoured that my fic could inspire this piece of absolute perfection

- the dynamics between Ling Wen and Pei Ming throughout are soooooo good. the affection and the insults combined, the way selfishness is manifested differently in each of them and the way it does and doesn't affect their connection

- ling wen nonsexually domming pei ming!

- the vibes of three tumours are so perfectly rancid!

- and the unofficial junior official chats!

- the way heaven in general thinks about ling wen's takeover!

- I'm just. blown away. this fic is EVERYTHING to me.

- 2k words in length

joy thief this human heart, by tshirt

- hello impeccable gothic vibes beefleaf

- also, doing great things with gender. also, contains MUFFING. (thank u Fucking Trans Women for teaching me about muffing)

- this is so beefleaf. I love them both so much <3

- 2k words in length

A Lose-Lose Situation, by eggfish

- omggg this is exactly the kind of dynamics I love to see between Feng Xin and Mu Qing during the Xianle era

- fx and xl are so SWEET together and fx and mq are so....united in their mutual disdain for each other and how they're connected with each other

- and how sex with each other doesn't actually change any part of that for fengqing; they have a good time having hatesex, they still hate each other, they're connected forever via their hatred for each other and their mutual love of xl, and their mutual inability to understand /how/ the other approaches their love for xl

- it's just so good!!!!

- 3k words in length

Only The Sword Remaining, by biasto_bias

- a compellingly painful fic about xie lian testing the limits of wu ming's devotion, leading to a sexual encounter that neither of them feel great about

- it's so very them for that period in their history: xie lian trying to push wu ming away because he thinks wu ming is better off elsewhere but doing it by being horrible to him, and wu ming feeling an awful mix of self-loathing and heady excitement for getting to be touched this way by dianxia

- 1k words in length

- thanks to roland for the rec that brought this fic to my attention!

talking to strangers, by bloodletter

- beefleaf prior to the black water arc

- sqx and her bff ming-xiong go to a party together! sqx explains to the hostess why ming-xiong is such a good friend, and it's definitely not about sex!

- they absolutely do have really good sex sometimes though. including at this party.

- the dynamics between sqx and hx are soooo good

- and ditto sqx having a great time being a beautiful woman at multiple after-parties, after the mid-autumn banquet

- what a delightful little gem of a fic

- 2k words in length

[hualianisms]

Pairing: Feng Xin/Mu Qing

Rating: T

Word Count: 6,479

Summary:

“If - “ he began, then stopped. Without looking at Xie Lian, he said, “If anything happens to that idiot, if - if he - if he actually, really dies - “ He couldn't continue any further. Underneath his sleeves, he gripped his own arm, digging his nails into the flesh of his elbow. “Ah…” Xie Lian was watching him carefully, voice softening, something knowing about the tilt of his brows and the look in his eyes as he took in Mu Qing's pallid, desperate expression. “...You really care about him, don't you?”

In which Feng Xin falls ill during the peak of the Human Face Disease and Mu Qing is worried sick.

(Written for Fengqing Gotcha for Gaza @fengqingaction)

Tags: Sickfic, Xianle Era, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluffy Ending, Pining Mu Qing, POV Mu Qing, Getting Together, Mu Qing is Bad at Feelings, Mu Qing Character Study, MQ taking care of FX, Feng Xin and Mu Qing Bickering, Supportive Xie Lian, Miscommunication, Love Confessions, Prompt Fill, fengqingaction Twitter's Fengqing Gotcha for Gaza Event, no beta we die like HC, this was supposed to be 3k words but they couldn't stop bickering, FX does NOT actually get the HFD

[fortune-maiden]

Finished reading the tgcf extras now and... yeah I'm sorry but they're pretty boring ^^"

Lantern Festival - the overall extra is cute, especially the bit with He Xuan's family (furthering my headcanon that Xie Lian has met every major character at least once during his travels), but aside from reinforcing 'Hualian love each other very much' it doesn't really add anything

Amnesia Extra - the longest one of the bunch and aside from reinforcing 'Hualian love each other very much' it doesn't really add anything. My least favorite for wasted potential.

Bedtime Story - I like this one for the theme of stories and how they're told and warped over time, and would love to see more of this kind of stuff. The Hualian framing device bits were nothing special (and very much an excuse plot). Main theme here is 'Hualian love each other very much'.

Statue Sex - Ok I lied, there is one extra people sometimes talk about and it's this one. I feel like this extra gets treated as the tgcf equivalent of Incense Burner, but it's actually pretty funny! Mainly for FX & MQ's reactions to the nonsense. Main theme here is 'Hualian love each other very much, 10000x over'

Birthday Extra - This is possibly the best one. Numerous side characters appear including FX, MQ, SQX, & LQQ and we get a little more backstory from the Fangxin Guoshi era. Main theme here is 'Hualian love each other very much'.

And that's really my main issue with these extras: they're all just saccharine Hualian moments, which is great if you love Hualian but tiring if you enjoy lore and side characters. Or just want extras that give you more story. SVSSS revealed several backstories through its extras. MDZS gave us Incense Burner but also gave us other character povs, and several looks at the world post-canon and how its other characters are doing. Extras from other danmei novels I read have also included perspective flips, outsider pov, flashbacks

The best TGCF gives us is post-canon Xianle Trio, and especially post-canon Mu Qing. He is easily the best part of these extras with how much more openly honest he is towards Xie Lian, really feeling like a friend on equal footing now. The best part of TGCF has always been the Xianle Trio for me, while Hualian worked best when it was sweet moments bookending action packed story arcs, bouncing off other characters, and the two of them building each other back up after centuries of hardships and loneliness. When you take away those parts, it just becomes very boring.

The only other interesting part the extras revealed is that the heavenly capital has been rebuilt and Hua Cheng paid for most of it xD

(Another positive: Xie Lian's internal snark is always a delight)

[bifrosted-flakes]

MXTX MAINS RANKED BY HOW LIKELY THEY ARE TO KISS THE HOMIES

Wei Wuxian: definitely made out with Wen Ning once or twice. It doesn’t count as gay if he’s a reanimated corpse.

Xie Lian: Shi Qingxuan WISHES. Probably kissed Mu Qing or Feng Xin during the xianle era and it was so lame that he had to do 800 years of no nut November about it

Shen Qingqiu: all of his homies are deeply in love with him, definitely would if it didn’t make binghe cry

Lan Wangji: he doesn’t have friends

Hua Cheng: he doesn’t have friends

Luo Binghe: he doesn’t have friends

In conclusion: these guys need more friends

[feietouhuo]

what do they consider their worst habit?

character development questions

i have answered it here, but how about i give another worst habit from mu qing ( cause we all know the list goes on ). i don't think he'd actually consider it a bad habit, but it ticks him off more often than not. it's his habit of not letting the small things go.

mu qing prides himself on his ability to remain levelheaded & think through situations with extreme care & logicalness. there are many instances of this (ex: during the plague in xianle before xie lian made a decision, the banishment era and proposing ways to survive, his involvement in the banyue scandal).

but throughout the book, there are also several instances where this is not the case. where he lets his anger & bitterness get the better of him. & in others, he also lets his worry get the better of him. this is notable in the sinner's pit where he comments that xie lian should "know his place" & that he was believing hua cheng wasn't the culprit purely out of his idealism (the same problem he remembered xie lian having 800 years ago). another notable instance would be when his first reaction to his friends in danger was to sacrifice / hurt himself in some way. none of these are what i'd really call "logical".

to me, most of this stems from the grudges he hasn't yet let go of, even after 800 years. those tiny sprouts of anger over not being treated empathetically, of bitterness that the crown prince annoyed & pissed off everyone just to save some people, & even of joy that he got to know them.

he can't let the minuscule details go. & it's because of that that he sometimes feels he can't find the most logical solution to make everything right again. & it's the reason he can't always treat people nicely, constantly giving them problems.

[lanchang]

The thought we will get XianLe trio during Xian Le at some point in the donghua is driving me insane lol

i think about xian le era in general all the tiiiiiiime i need it i need it i need it honestly its the thing i will care the most about in any and all adaptations. i need it please please please if it gets cut from anything ill cry and be convinced that im cursed. i want to see character designs for the trio as actual teenagers i want to see xie lian looking like $$$ we saw that brief moment during the parade in the god pleasing warrior costume and i need to see that again and i need to see mu qing in the ghost mask i think about it every day *____* also what are they going to dress like thr rest of the time? is mu qing going to stand out visually as a servant? is feng xin going to stand out visually as bodyguard to the crown prince? i just wanna know 😭😭😭 will there be sneaky little callback jokes to season 1? when the foreshadowing hits ill explode. ALSO!!!!!!! when will we see the queen??? (ps if anyone knows of any fanart of her please send it my way ;_;) and also yes the king as well i hope we get to see the tension between him and xie lian and i hope feng xin comments on it ALSO if we get to see mu qing's mother ill cry and sob and wail also the street kids calling mu qing gege...

[mousehole5000]

tgcf again chapters 174-191. im now midway through book 4. pain and suffering. and yet also.... this is really good.... but also.... pain...

okay cave of ten thousand gods everythings coming out into the light.... xie lian pretending not to hear fengqing drop their act im emotional..... fengqing silently working together to separate xie lian and hua cheng im emotional..... every word that comes out of mu qing’s mouth im emotional....

honestly reading the xianle trio discussing hua cheng.. its very hard for me NOT to project all the times ive been in a friendship trio and someone got a boyfriend the other two didnt like (which was every time. theres never been a bf everyone liked. sometimes i was the one who had the bf. there were no winners then and tbh i predict there will be no real winners here as far as this friendship goes but such is life)

mu qing is so smart he’s clever he’s tricksy i love it i love him ugh

“A pair of arms had circled around him from behind, and hugged him with force all of a sudden. Xie Lian had buried his face in his back, and also didn’t speak. Though nothing was said, it was enough.” okay i cant get into every different way im feeling about whats going down bc it would get Too Personal but this..... im emo. also xie lian saying “something like this has to be said clearly“ and then proceeding to not say a word just going in for a hug is a mood

“He heard Hua Cheng’s staggering voice coming from above. “...Your Highness. You really…will be the death of me.” - ok well DONT SAY THAT!! now im worried!!!

“Hua Cheng, however, only snorted, appearing as if his eyes could see through the thick rocky walls. He said darkly, “Don’t worry. If he kills one, I’ll make ten more. Fast and furious like the storms, I will never back down. Let’s see who’s the one left standing in the end.” Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat for some reason, and he mumbled inwardly, “... Oh no, this is bad.” Even though Hua Cheng’s expression was subconsciously displayed, Xie Lian really was quite weak to this aggressive and rebellious confidence of his.” - fjadskfajsl its okay xie lian honey you never know whats going to do it for you

okay so are the murals and statues are only from the xianle era? im hoping hua cheng didnt secretly follow xie lian during his time as a mortal during the entire 800 years and then pretend to a total stranger that would be too much imo lets see. i still really do get why feng xin and mu qing are like “...dude wtf lets get out of here stay away from that guy” (also tbh probably if theyd all managed to stay close... this probably wouldnt be happening which isnt a judgement im just saying bc thats definitely how ive felt about friendships) although this whole thing IS indeed tinged with homophobia which i still dont think makes sense in this setting but whatever i guess.

BOOK 4!!!! im scared

“A few days ago he nearly fainted, and it was only after that did he realize it was because he hadn’t had anything to eat for several days.” - unfortunately relatable but :(

“Ever since Xie Lian was young, he had never had to consider these kinds of affairs, and this was truly the first time in decades that this problem gripped him. However, if gods didn’t even know what starvation felt like, how could they possibly understand the feelings of a starving worshipper? How could they possibly empathize? At this point, he could only take this experience as a form of training.” - TRUE THO!!!!!!!! i like seeing this even tho the circumstances are sad

wait does xie lian get his bad cooking skills from him mom? im gonna cry...

“After returning to the city, Mu Qing’s stomach was still turning. He said as he stumbled, “I thought…that porridge, it smelled like bran water, but I hadn’t thought it’d taste like it too!” Feng Xin gritted his teeth. “Shut up! Don’t force people to remember that pot of stuff! The queen is…body of ten thousand gold after all…never cooked…this is already…UGH!…” Mu Qing humphed. “Did I say something wrong? If you didn’t think it was like bran water, why don’t you…go ask the queen to grant you another bowl! UGH!…” The two were heaving back and forth, and Xie Lian grabbed hold of the both of them, patting their backs.” - xianle trio.... including simply because it made me do the pleading emoji in real life..... also the way the queen wanted to feed all of them... weeping

i didnt realize that mu qing would still be around during this time.... god the fact that i know theyre all going to split......

“It’s precisely because it’s a time like this that money has to be brought up!” Mu Qing countered. “A time like this? What time is it? Time when we’re starving! It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to admit it, but nothing can be done without money! Can you both not just suck it up a little bit?” - mu qing i love you. god.... for real the fact that he comes from a completely different background than the other two is so important to his character and i think it shows so much in the way he continues to be in the present. he gives me the vibe of someone who is smart and hardworking but is bitter about it and tbh!!!! i get why he is!!! he’s very aware of these kinds of concerns bc he’s had to be, while the other two kind of think theyre above it and its a big difference between them. he’s still separated by the circumstances of his birth despite how much harder he’s worked to get to where he is.... ugh painful and delicious

i really am enjoying the xianle story tbh. xie lian going from his highness, favored by heaven, well-intentioned but lacking in experience and understanding to living in poverty and fighting with mortals who disrespect him. fucking delicious i mean this sincerely and respectfully im sad but i really like his character arc. and then to how he is in the present....

“Mu Qing looked at him, speaking not a word. Then he bowed deeply and really turned around to walk away.” - OH NO ITS HAPPENING AHHHHH ;_; honestly all of this hurts but it feels real like i think mu qing has every right to want to leave honestly and he DOES have other family and other ambitions outside of the trio... and i get why feng xin is mad about him wanting to leave when theyre suffering!! and i get why xie lian lets him go.... friendships are hard man and the pain of them splitting is rough!!!!

“Mu Qing’s departure had really shocked him to the core. First, he had never thought that someone so close would just up and leave. Second, Xie Lian had always believed in “forever”. For example, friends would always be friends forever; no betrayal, no deception, no breaking up. Perhaps there’d be times when they’d part, but it for sure wouldn’t be over reasons like “life is too horrible” - pain. just pain. same as above i get it but it hurts

“Xie Lian didn’t know too well just how much money would be considered normal when buying over ten lanterns, and he never looked at the price tag when he purchased things in the past.” - i feel bad kicking him while he’s down and he’s still trying to be kind even when it costs him but this is the first thing that came into my mind

but also oh?? spirits of soldiers from the battlefield you say?? hmmm i wonder... who.... could possibly be among them....

“If you remain forcibly, you won’t be able to rest in peace,” Xie Lian said. The nameless ghost didn’t seem to care. “I pray to never rest in peace.” -  i cant lie this legit gave me goosebumps lol

“Xie Lian himself was alright in suffering through it, since there were far too many other things to worry about. But his mother, who had lived a comfortable, luxurious life, when had she ever done such crude labour? But if the queen didn’t do this work herself, who else could take over?” - hmmmm!!! housekeeping!!!! it matters!!!! rich people dont appreciate how much until they have to do it themselves!!! but this still makes me sad

oh god THATS when they pawned hongjing?? with the king sick and mu qing leaving?? :(((( even more emotional about its appearances in the present day

“That passerby chuckled. “You don’t know? This is too exciting! The servant is beating the master!” - oh god the dramatic and ironic timing of it all

god..... this is just... a sad time....

“MU QING ISN’T LIKE YOU ALL. HE’S MY FRIEND, HE WOULD NEVER HELP YOU!!!” [cut to] “Those were the only words echoing in Xie Lian’s mind, but he couldn’t utter a single sound, and could only crazily grab at anything at his disposal to throw. He didn’t care who he was hurling at, either. Finally, Mu Qing couldn’t take this anymore, and he steeled his face as he swept his sleeves and left. Xie Lian panted harshly for a bit and fell back down, spacing out again.”- IM SAD!!!!!! tbh i wonder if on some level xie lian kind of felt like mu qing owed him? i know he said to forget about that stuff to both of them but its one thinig to say it and think you mean it and another to have to deal with it

white no-face what is your DEAL!! also all the little fire ghost bits im...

“After having exchanged so many words, Feng Xin finally got the gist of what had transpired. He widened his eyes and pointed at Mu Qing, unable to speak. A moment later, he bent down and grabbed a sack and flung it over, roaring. “SCRAM! SCRAM SCRAM SCRAM!” Mu Qing was hit in the face by the sacks of rice he brought and backed two steps away. All three of them in the house were panting harshly.” - this is it this is the part where i closed my laptop and said “noOOooOOOoooo” out loud to my room im so upset... and mu qing still tried to leave the rice even after the broom thing im ;_;

“Feng Xin was completely convinced that he would never do such a thing, but that was precisely why this had become the worst-case scenario!” - pain, suffering, dismay, etc

“Feng Xin continued, “If Your Highness thinks your life might be in danger, I can finish this for you, I won’t tell Her Majesty, haha.” - bless your heart for trying feng xin

“But it shouldn’t be like this. The Feng Xin of the past would have absolute faith in him no matter what! Even if there was only twenty percent doubt, it was still unbearable!” - AHHHHHHH okay idk if i really have much to say about their relationship other than im sad but IM SAD!!!!

the differences between feng xin and mu qing’s relationship with xie lian are so interesting. feng xin has clearly always idolized xie lian a lot while mu qing hasnt at least not in the same way and he seems like he has some resentment towards xie lian (thats how i read it anyway thats what i said about it at the beginning of book 2 and i think its understandable and can be a very real part of friendships) that feng xin doesnt and i just think thats neat!!

“He was firmly tied down upon the altar, that broken base of the statue under his body. There were many people squeezed below the altar, and pair after pair of round, unblinking eyes were watching him.” - hmmm dont think i like where this is going

“Yet, before he could finish, he realized that the white silk that he used to cover his face had been undone. In this moment, the thing that had him completely tied down was that exact white silk.” oh my god wait is this ruoye?? is ruoye that same ribbon???? ill cry

“The hand stained with blood, the one that ended a life, was immune to the Face Disease.” - ohhh shit okay. okay okay. okay. shit okay. i See now.... so if youre an innocent civilian the only way to escape this fate (and the faces are actually the souls of other innocent civilians) is to get rid of your innocence... and doesnt this disease not actually hurt its just horrific? god.............

“White No-Face pitied, “You think they don’t want to do it? Wrong, it’s not that they don’t want to, it’s solely because no one wants to be the first, that’s all.” - shut up!!! youre the one who created this situation dont fucking preach about the way you think the world is

“He forced down the mouthful of blood and hissed, “What are you laughing at? You think that you got what you wanted? This was all forced by you!” The ghost fire within the ghost’s hand flickered even more fiercely.” - yes exactly!!! you put people in extreme circumstances sometimes they do extreme things!! youve proved nothing!! god i do love when characters say exactly what im thinking. plus the first ones who caved were trying to save their child

“He felt that, if he was to let them do what they wanted, there was something in his heart that would never return to its original state.” - :( also i kind of feel that in my life sometimes and i just hope xie lian’s heart ends up in a state he’s happy with

“He didn’t dare to look at what had become of the person lying on the altar, because what laid there didn’t look human anymore.” AHHHHHH!!! :(((( i mean i get why this event is what made hc... level up??? thats not a good way to describe it fjasldkfjaslk but you know what i mean... that line about being powerless to help your beloved OOOOOOF

okay well finished that chapter im. pain. hmmm. pain. i dont know if i actually have any words rn lol but im gonna stop here for now

[totallynotsloughjykk]

okay rant because I need to hhhhh I'm so tired of people misinterpreting mu qing. no he is not a heartless monster nor is he a tsundere baby. he's a complex character and people need to stop dumbing him down to either good/bad mu qing values logic before anything. he thinks everything through too much and only considers feelings after, which makes him come off as unempathetic and uncaring. that's his main flaw. he cannot deal with any emotions and hides behind an indifferent/arrogant mask despite it being far from his actual self. his avoidance with vulnerability is understandable considering just how much he had to watch himself during his teenhood and probably even childhood he's hypervigilant and gets defensive the second he feels any form of attack coming towards him. for example, him freaking out over the red coral pearl going missing during the xianle era - which, again, is understandable since that would've ruined his reputation completely. he's also terrible with showing affection and care and that's another reason why he always come off as so mean and rude mu qing is also deeply insecure; he suddenly turned his attention to hong'er after xie lian praised his skill with a saber and he found reasons to kick him out fast (I'll get onto this later). he jumps any time he's handed a broom and he's also pretty easily envious. he doesn't usually go far beyond petty words and punches - like xie lian said, he's spiteful enough to spit in someone's cup, not poison it his flaws are well thought-out and make a lot of sense for his character. you can trace his behavior patterns back to his past; for example, his hypervigilance and arrogant mask comes the fact that everyone always expected the worst of him. the second he was even suspected to be in the wrong everyone turned on him without a doubt, so he grew wary of what he did and what he said. and for the arrogant mask, he couldn't prove otherwise at all - who would listen? no one. so he just gave up and got used to it mu qing has his flaws but he also has his qualities; he's a kind person beneath everything, shockingly enough. he handed poor children cherries after he was beaten up for picking them, he brought feng xin and xie lian rice and medicine after he left, he helped jian lan give birth, he disguised himself to help xie lian and he took a whole cursed shackle for refusing to hurt him. he can only show affection through actions and it's still uncomfortable for his deeds to be recognized since he's already so used to the selfish, cold and indifferent tag everyone slapped on him so he never expects any gratitude or anything in return at all also controversial take but hua cheng was wrong to hold a grudge against mu qing and feng xin. first of all, the feng xin grudge was entirely unnecessary (for mu qing it's a lot more understandable) but that's for another rant. second of all, while it is, again, understandable from hua cheng's POV, from an outside perspective it's just.. wrong. hua cheng will go towards extreme lengths to anyone who even mildly hurts off xie lian, and that's one of his flaws as a character. I love hua cheng deeply and that's part of what makes him beautifully complex. he's overprotective after seeing his beloved hurt so many times by so many people while he couldn't do much about it. he views xie lian through rose-colored lenses and I doubt he'll let go of the way he sees mu qing any time soon considering just how heavy of a grudge he held and how complicated their friendship/relationship in general is. they don't get along and until they formally talk things out, give them 200 years to warm up to each other they'd still probably stab each other if left unattended