#old palace master

[allpiesforourown]

Remember the old Palace Master was nice to binghe (literally gave him a place to live in Huan Hua Palace no questions asked, started the trial against Shen Qingqiu on Binghe's behalf, tried to marry him to his daughter, etc) as a means to groom him and Binghe was so disgusted he cut off the man's arms and legs.

It's actually insane that people who criticize bingqiu go "binghe was groomed! He's a victim!" Like.. yes he is! You're right! And Shen Yuan is the person who fought Binghe’s groomer while Binghe was helpless, and protected him! Shen Yuan is the person who gave him love and safety Binghe longed for!

[lurkinginnernarrator]

cumplane au where they decide instead of prepping for their deaths they decide to kill the old palace master.

cue shenanigans

think two-man leverage-esque heists all around the jianghu, bringing down minor bad guys to get dirt and such on OPM, breaking and entering, LOTS of grifting, etc etc

And imagine: Shen Qingqiu is in disguise at a party at Huan Hua, hanging off the arm of some rich idiot and. he meets eyes with. Luo Binghe.

VERY FUNNY

What do you do when you plan on working your way up and getting a stellar reputation before showing yourself to the Shizun that drop kicked you into an abyss but also was so kind to you

and then. You see him in disguise hanging off some rich fool's arm at a party at Huan Hua like some courtesan

[yappingcollege]

the Jin Lan city arc is going to haunt my nightmares because it is genuinely the embodiment of one of my biggest fears/pet peeves.

Shen Qingqiu is stronger than me because what do you mean all of these people are yelling over you, slandering you based on a misunderstanding, and are twisting your words but you dont just start screaming and crying?!

if it were me, the moment the Old Palace Master opened his mouth i wouldve started swinging.

[raindeathlily]

'The Old Palace Master is decked out in gold, just like everyone else in this place, although his robes are clearly the most expensive of all. Finely detailed embroidery curls around the edges, and glittering jewels are sown onto his hems. There are heavy golden rings on his knuckles, and the sheath for his sword is ornately decorated and gilded. He looks like he’s casually wearing a small fortune.

Everyone in the room turns and bows to him as he enters, murmuring respectful greetings. He takes it as a matter of course, gliding further into the room, his eyes searching - and then landing on Luo Binghe.'

Tarnished Gold Chapter 2

Playing more with color in this one!

Setting image

[jade-len]

"aaaa there's so little of tianlang-jun!"

"aww i wish there was more liu sibling stuff... sucks that i have to literally write a fic about their childhood!"

"i made up a whole expanded backstory for zhuzhi-lang's freaky mom!! she's practically like my oc now!"

OLD PALACE MASTER.

I'VE CREATED LORE FOR OLD PALACE MASTER. HE TOO TIES IN WITH THE WHOLE CYCLE OF ABUSE. AN EXPLANATION FOR HIS OBSESSION WITH SU XIYAN. HIS RISE TO POWER AND HIS DESCENT INTO CORRUPTION. HE IS HUMAN IN SOME OF THE WORST WAYS POSSIBLE. HE PARALLELS YUE QINGYUAN.

[whatwhywhowherewhen]

Been paying attention to c-dramas and finally understood the one-dimension villain trope. It awakened a brain cell I previously ignored. So Shen Qingqiu. He was a tropey scum villain because he had one actual trait (+scummy set dressing) which motivated him to attack the protag

Sorry. This gets a bit long:

We find out he actually had a complex inner world and a tragic backstory, making him no longer holder of a single negative trait. This is an important task Shen Qingqiu2.0 has to fulfill to flesh out the characters. Because one-dimensional scum villains are lazy writing and readers should look deeper

Which is why Old Palace Master, Linguang-jun, Qiu Jianluo, and Wu Yanzi are so fleshed out and complex. Obsessed with his student, scheming for power, siscon sadist, and greedy murderer are all very nuanced and unique traits... never seen before...

There is more thought behind them. "Everyone hates this guy but no one does anything about it" is very tropey. The other characters fit into their situation and the people's reactions to them are more realistic and thought out than PIDW's Shen Qingqiu, who is the kind of character that leaves you wondering how he even got the power he did without someone else doing him in

But that contrasts a lot of the analysis by fandom. The focus is not how fiction can examine institutionalized power structures and indulgent interpersonal relationships prop up cruelty and irresponsible behavior. Instead, the focus is "no one is 100% a bad guy" and are "can you condemn a person for what their trauma taught them?". While I enjoy those themes the text doesn't support it with 2 new scum villains revealed for each scum villain de-throned

The end result is something that feels more like passing blame up the chain rather than a clear message. It's not the Abuser's fault because we learned about him. So instead it was the Ones Who Abused Him.

[moonwaif]

The moral of the MXTX big 3 is that there will always be haters plotting to thwart your humanitarian schemes and actively making the situation worse. Just because they're haters. And you probably can't do anything about it unless you date somebody powerful and hot, because haters will synergize. Your haters will form a union

[allpiesforourown]

Who would you say is 'greater evil' in scum villain? In the other mxtx series there's always at least one person you can say is the big bad but I can't pinpoint one for scum villain. 🤔

Definitely the old Palace Master. Every character does things that they regret but we as readers can say their actions were understandable even if they're not forgivable. The old Palace Master is the only person who is wholly selfish + by poisoning Su Xiyan, he created Binghe's backstory and therefore set most of the plot in motion

[acim-ed-ortsac]

the Devil doesn’t bargain

Reader and Proud Immortal Demon Way

You were naive.

Died by the hands of a speeding car, you reincarnated into the world SVSSS…or PIDW you’re assuming since you found yourself becoming a slave with Shen Jiu and Yue  Qi, with your slave number being Ba for eight. The slavers found you when you were a toddler, bringing you to where the other slave children were. There, you were raised alongside Shen Jiu and Yue Qi. You were quite happy because Shen Jiu was your favorite character, despite not being there in the three books. 

He was human with many layers and sides. You didn’t see an evil scumbag or a bitter slave that became a Peak Lord, but rather a child that was molded by society’s cruelty. Having taken psychology, you knew the Nature vs Nurture theory and evidence of it. And it’s clear that Shen Jiu is the product of Nurture rather than Nature.

You three were inseparable, becoming the dusk of Qi-ge’s light and A-jiu’s night. You had no hesitation to steal if it meant that your friends would be fed. A-Jiu would scold you while Qi-he would fuss over you, checking for wounds. It was then you swore you would change their fates from the original plot.

Even when you three were sent to the Qiu Household and Qi-ge ran away with the promise of returning, you stayed with A-Jiu to share his suffering. You became a friend and kindred spirit. 

Even when you burned the Qiu’s house, except for Qiu Haitang, the women and the children. You held A-jiu’s hand all this time, smiling at him. Shen Jiu asked, “Will you not leave me?”

And you only graced him with a smile while saying, “I’ll be with you, A-Jiu. Whether fire, water, or air. Through light and darkness, I’ll be with you. And if you die, I’ll burn the world that has wronged you.”

You watched his eyes tear up as determination roared in your chest, prepared to change his fate.

30 years later…

A-jiu’s dead.

You stared emotionlessly at the corpse of Shen Jiu, now Shen Qingqiu, who’s now a bound corpse in the middle of the Huanhua palace room where his trial was. Cultivators, especially the ones from the great four sects were either celebrating his death and those angered that he got out too quickly before he could be replayed tenfold.

You walked towards the corpse, ignoring any voice that spoke your way, they were irrelevant. You took A-Jiu in your arms, his cold body against your warm and alive one as you embraced him. You nosed into the crook of his neck as anger began to bubble like a pot of water on a stove. Shaking, you hold him tightly as you grit your teeth.

“What are they doing!?”

“A friend?”

“As if that scum has any friends!”

The last line broke any restraint as you screamed into the ceiling with unbridled anger, letting out the demon that resided in you unleashed.

BENDY!

The ink demon was delighted to be out.

A shrilling screech followed by a guttural roar resounded throughout the room before black inky tentacles shot out of you and latched themselves onto everyone within the sect building. No one could escape, even as they resisted and struggled, it was fruitless as the tentacles latched onto their heads, rendering them still and vulnerable.

As you fed them the memories of Shen Jiu, letting them watch the nightmare you and he went through, you began singing. Call you mad in grief and sorrow, it’s the last piece of sanity you could entertain before actually going mad with anger, grief, and sorrow.

Before you destroyed Jianghu.

The lyrics left your lips before you even noticed, broken with incoming sobs.

 “ The moon will sing a song for me,

I loved you like the sun

Bore the shadows that you made

With no light of my own

I shine with only the light you gave me…

I shine with only the light you gave me…”

The voices from the puddles join in with your singing, comforting your loss. Tears fell like a waterfall from your eyes, only to be wiped by a grotesque and deformed hand. The hand itself was barely covered by a glove, which only protected the palm and not the three fingers it had. A deep and guttural voice spoke beside you, near your ear. “Angry, little human?”

You looked back at Bendy, whose human teeth were stretched into an inhumanely wide smile, his horns curved back, and his body disfigured and disproportionate. He looms over you, towers even, but you feel no fear.

“So much,” you replied as the tentacles slowly retreated back onto Bendy, you came out of your back. One by one, the cultivators in the room regain awareness of their surroundings, pale with horror and realization. You glanced at Luo Binghe, who at one point had sympathized with him and loved him, who looked at you with new realization, paleness, and something unreadable.

You moved on to the Cang Qiong sect, where the peak lords are white as a sheet as they realize what they had done to your misunderstood friend.

Qiu Haitang, whom you glared with disgust, trembled. “No…it can’t be..my brother—“

“Was a lecherous, greedy, scum bastard,” you spat out the words like acid. “Qiu Janlou,”’ you said the name like it was a bitter delicacy. “That’s what he was. And you were too blind to see it, stupid princess.”

“I thought you were lying!” She cried, so into her head at the revelation and revealed that she didn’t notice you walking towards her. It wasn’t only till you gripped her head with your fingers, squishing her cheeks painfully while digging your nails. “Do you also wanna know?” You said loudly for all of them to hear. “Your brother lusted after you! That man was not only a lecher but also an incestuous mutt! A pathetic human being so low to even live!”

Before the girl could say anything, you slapped her, nails scratching her cheek. “You spoiled,” another slap “coddled, “and another “weak mistress!” A final slap sent her to the ground, her pretty face marred with scars from your nails.

You flicked the blood of your nails, sneering in disgust. Her sobs didn’t deserve any sympathy from you.

You then looked at the Old Palace master, a smile so vile with anger that he would've melted on the spot. “And all you pathetic cultivators talk about scum, you  aren’t aware that a certain scum hides amongst you!”

They all turn to the Old Palace Master, who tries and fails to put up a kind facade. “What evidence do you have—“

“Oh, we’re really going that route?” You smiled with teeth, Bendy as the Ink Demon laughed behind you. “How about we ask Tianlang-Jun that!”

At your words, demonic qi filled the room as the said demon lord entered with casual swag, Zhuzhi-lang by his side. They gasped at his appearance, disbelief, and anger as they tried to make sense of this.

Tianlang-Jun, for his part, smiles casually yet his eyes hold malicious anger. “My, it has been quite a while since I’ve seen some familiar faces,” his eyes immediately went to the Old Palace Master. “Especially you.”

“How!?” The old man cried, speaking the question everyone had in mind.

With dramatic flair, you looked at Luo Binghe. “Luo Binghe, I would like to introduce to you Tianlang-Jun, your father. Who loved your mother, Su Xiyan, with all of his heart. Unfortunately, her Shizun was obsessed with her and out of jealousy, lied to the whole cultivation world to get rid of Tianlang-Jun. Who poisoned Su Xiyan to kill the baby who is now known as Luo Binghe.”

Meeting the said young man’s eyes, you then stated. “And the reason why you became an orphan.”

You ignored the hitched breath as you looked at the cultivators gathered, “Pathetic cultivators, young and old, I have come to announce the destruction of Jianghu!”

Expectedly, this outraged everyone excluding the two demons and you. Yue Qi looked at you pleadingly, trying to negotiate or settle this peacefully, but you snapped your head at him with fierce eyes. “Don’t talk to me so familiarly, Zhangmen-shixiong.” You said mockingly, outraging his shidis and disciples in his sect. “He was your brother, your friend! And yet you sided with the majority when it came to rumors and accusations! Didn’t I tell you to stay by his side, to give the benefit of the doubt to these rumors!? Are my visits a waste of time if this is the result!?” You groused, fingers elongating and scales fluttering on your cheek. “What a poor brother you have been to A-Jiu, you pathetic excuse of a brother!”

With a snap of your fingers, shards of glass hurriedly gathered into the air to form a single shard. The reflection then changed to the entirety of the Central Plains, whose faces were horrified and angry. You laughed, “People of the human realm, do you judge these cultivators as unworthy protectors of you all!?”

“Yes!” The people in the shard answer.

“What’s going on…” a cultivator asked, losing sense of reality.

“They know?!”

“The common people were watching the whole time!?”

“Stop them!” The Little Palace mistress shrieked, outraged that not only her father was slandered but soon their reputation would be destroyed.

“Silence!” You growled at her. “You have your answer from the people,”

Deciding enough was enough, you looked up at the sky with arms raised at your sides. “You celebrate his death, I’ll only celebrate…”

“When your ashes fall.”

From there, like a broken dam, demons poured into the building with glee.

Years later…

The story of the ruler of the Human realm spread for millennia. The story of how they overthrew the Emperor and his courts, how they exposed the truth of the cultivator world and brought it down to rebuild it back up. The story of how the Ruler of the Human realm soon merged and traded with the Demon Realm’s Emperor, Tianlang-Jun, who had been wronged by the cultivators.

In return for freeing him, Tianlang-Jun handed his only blood son to them as payment for their loss of a friend.

Some may pity the half-blood, but others would say that he got what he deserved for being blinded by hate and anger.

There were stories of the Qing Jing peak lord, Shen Qingqiu, who was abused at youth, and climbed to the top to have security, only to be gifted with accusations and a trial by the cultivators he adored. 

There were songs about the tragedy of the two friends, the death of Shen Jiu, and the loss of the Ruler.

Demons and humans soon assimilated into each other, and racism between them soon became little as they understood one another. Cultivators soon became not demon eradications but rather equal to demons when it comes to fighting. The ruler of the Human realm does not tolerate racism, nor do they tolerate slavery, leading to the abolishment of slavery and giving the homeless a place of food and shelter while giving children a chance to learn and adults a chance to earn.

Yet, despite the good they have achieved, the ruler of the human realm soon died afterward, leaving their head disciple as heir.

The son of Tianlang-Jun, Luo Binghe, soon returned to the Demon Realm and it was whispered that he had changed while under the human ruler. There are whispers from servants that he has mellowed down and soon became hard-working yet stoic, not taking any wives or husbands nor concubines.

There were whispers of the servants from his chambers that said that when he would think he was alone, he would clutch a fan and a stuffed toy in his hands, pulling them close to his chest.

No one knew of the Ink Demon that lurks in the Human Palace, following, and tailing the Ruler. No one knows of its inky abyss that had sent rats of pathetic beings down to become one of the monstrous creations or a Lost Soul. No one knows that once the Ruler has passed, it soon lingers in the shadows of their Head disciple who took on the mantle to rule.

———-

All was dark before voices invaded your ears, stirring you to the waking world. When you woke up to clear green eyes, you weren’t surprised to find yourself back in the past with Shen Jiu. And by the looks of it, the wretched Qiu shack they put the two of you in.

You snarled internally when you looked at A-Jiu’s broken legs, “No…”

You refused to repeat the past.

Manhandling Shen Jiu on your back, you broke down the wooden wall of the shack with your body before running with Shen Jiu.

You won’t let Shen Jiu die.

You won’t let him be wronged.

You will make sure he’s raised with love.

With knowledge.

You’ll make sure he’s living happily.

Away from Cang Qiong.

Away from other cultivators.

Away from Luo Binghe.

With your knowledge of the future and the teachings that you had learned before your death, you’re sure of things.

A year ago…

The sound of screams was music to your ears, watching in glee as everything was thrown into chaos. Bendy having his fun with tearing apart any foolish cultivator that tried to go up against you. You watched as those who had wronged your friend were thrown to the ground before being branded as property for the demons to claim.

That was your end of the deal, offering any cultivator in the designated place that catches the eyes of the demons helping you.

You clapped with manic joy as you watched the Little Palace Mistress wail at the hot brand being burned on her skin by a large demon, who looked at her with leering eyes. Was this wrong? Morally, yes. But then again, it was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Hammurabi's code historically. You did say to A-Jiu that you will burn the world that wronged him to the ground, and you’re about to do that.

You in your madness of rage, glee, and vindictiveness, spun in the middle of the chaos. “Kings have honor,” your right hand flung to the side open-handed in the air “Soldiers have bravery,” your other hand reached to the other side, making you go in a wide arm stance with two of your hands up in the air as if praising the gods up above. You then brought your hands together before clasping at your chest, “And poets have heart.” You smiled even when you felt a threat going behind your back. “But all I have…” Even when they raised a sword upon you before bringing it down…

Swish! Clang!

Luo Binghe looked absolutely dashing in his demonic heritage when you stopped Xin Mo with a scythe you procured from your sleeve. You kept your smile even then, eyes wide with fury, ink dripping down your face as if you were melting.

"̵̧̛̻̦̲̮̱̻̰̱̰̰͊̊Ḭ̶̧̺̜̮͙̗̙͓̿́͊̓̏̑͐̔̍͒̉͂̈́Ṡ̶̞̣̹͓̻̣̝͚̾̎ ̵̨̨͚̤̗̓͗̐̌̉R̵̢̡̩̦̘̗̪͇̬̺̓͆̓́̀͜͠Ą̷̮͎͎͒Ğ̸̫͎̗̠͓̖͇Ę̵̧̺̹̣̫͚̹͔̞͋̂̈́̐̍̈́͐̋̚!̵̡̧̼̠͓̥͓̬̗͕̜̙̄̈́͋̈͑̒̉͆"̷̟͎͉́̒̚ ———————

Throughout the years, you’ve managed to avoid Cang Qiong and the other sects, even people that hurt you and Shen Jiu such as Wu Yanzi. (Although you killed him when you had the chance.) You taught A-Jiu everything you knew about being a cultivator, such as opening your spiritual sense and forming a golden core, and even stole some manuals that’ll help you.

You both lived out your days in a cave, which you redecorated to both of your liking. A-Jiu learned to sew robes for the two of you, the quality immaculate, as expected as the soon-to-be - now the former peak lord.

You taught him how to read and write, which garnered his suspicions. You told him the truth, how you knew the future, and how you retained your memories. At first, A-Jiu was in disbelief but soon believed you since you had knowledge that was above a slave.

You two lived happily…

Until people from the past came looking for Shen Jiu.

Ao3

[danmeiconfession]

I hate how in SV universe SJ is the only one who "pays" the price for his wrong doings in both universe, there's so many characters who has done so much worse thing than abusing a child but where's their payment? Why should SJ be the one who has to pay 100-fold for it, when even OPM who has done much worse things got it easier in both universe? (Won't even start talking about 200+ years old Bingge)

Or why should he be the one who qi devitated died and no one even knows it and the worst thing is that we don't even know if he can reincarnate

.

[rarepears]

Shen Jiu thinks Shen Yuan is his ancestor (continuation)

Because the original post is waaaaaaay too long now.

#ok but we know airplane was getting chapters out like there was no tomorrow#and he definitely stole some Pokémon as demonic creatures to pad out the abyss#so sj is like a 10 year old mortal tamed every single creature in the abyss????#sy: … yeah sure why not#lbh any time tlj implies SY ever loved anyone but him: R.U.N#sj thinks ninjas are cultivator spies#do u think SY mentions missing his phone and he explains this lost artifact that has sj foaming at the mouth#also omg huan hua is gonna be trying soooo hard to find all these ‘ancient’ relics that sj keeps mentioning and bringing up#they can’t even find a TRACE#but sqq has a first hand account of these events from an immortal who was there for it!#how else could he describe so vividly everything???#tv the answer is tv (via @caranmerya)

Oh so you want to go down that route 👀. May I refer you to my #pokemon animals in svsss au

Also I just realized that we have established that Shen Yuan is "older" than even the fucking Old Palace Master... who looks like an old man. On one hand, the cultivation world is going to have a tough time remembering that Shen Yuan is "older" than the Old Palace Master because he looks like a young person. Then again, we have Shen Yuan spouting out all this amazing historical facts and whipping out "extinct" plants like it's something from Dollar Tree.

But anyways, the cultivation world is just going to be like, oh the Old Palace Master wasn't aware of such a legendary immortal that's been hanging around for centuries? He's not that old or cracked up as he likes to pretend to be. And suddenly everyone's favorite elder and wise sage is no long the Old Palace Master (who can't go around asserting his "seniority" and "experience" to strongarm people into agreeing) but Shen Yuan.

[more in the #the great ancestor AU]

[kharits]

This came to me in the middle of the night when I was lying in bed. It’s been stuck in my brain since and I had to draw it. Anyways, enjoy…

(WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD)

SVSSS and MDZS Character Comparisons:

*Note: When I refer to “protagonist”, I mean LBH while when I refer to “MC”, I mean SQQ.

/// SQQ+SQH and NHS

/// NYY and JYL

/// QQQ and JC

/// LQG and NMJ

/// YQY and LXC

/// OPM and JGY

/// ZZL and WN

/// Bonus Mini Doodle: GYX and LSZ

Im still not over Gongyi Xiao’s death (T⌓T)

[crazynekochan]

Send them to Jail - SVSSS

(I saw another version of this, but was dissatisfied with the amount of actual crimes that had been missing from the characters alongside some characters missing entirely. So with the help of a few people on a Discord server I made my own poll)

[reulaux]

Luo Binghe 'saved' from Endless Abyss by Old Palace Master AU

So, many fics say Shen Jiu pushes Luo Binghe into the Endless Abyss so Luo Binghe isn't killed on site by cultivators.

But don't we see how the Old Palace Master likes Luo Binghe so much for looking like Su Xiyan?

If Shen Qingqiu just stands there and tells the other cultivators to not kill him but capture for interrogations, and with the Old Palace Master being in the Immortal Alliance Conference, he surely is going to pull strings to bail Luo Binghe out from being killed?

Though it would seem the Old Palace Master is going to volunteer to seal Luo Binghe in Huan Hua like they did to his father, but actually imprison Luo Binghe to do his pervert things...

Well, that doesn't sound much better, but at least Luo Binghe won't blacken in the PIDW way?

And at least someone can be sent to free Luo Binghe later? Maybe together with Tianlang jun?

Maybe the world seeing Luo Binghe being a descendant of Tianlang jun, but resembles the previous Huan Hua head disciple does something to people's thoughts? Though maybe they just think Tianlang jun must have tricked the promising cultivator to be a progenitor to his heir, and this baby demon spawn killed his own mother in childbirth like an abomination he is?

[wipbigbang]

Round 3 of the Regular WIPBB art claims is live! You may claim as many fics as you want, just fill out a separate form for each and give each claim a different username.

Art claims for this round will be open until August 7th!

This is just one of the stories still available for claiming...

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (Mòxiāng Tóngxiù) #138 Title: winter shizun Pairing/Characters: Luo Binghe/Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu, Old Palace Master/Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu Rating: Mature | M Warnings/Tags: Non-con/Rape Summary: Shortly after escaping the Endless Abyss and joining Huan Hua Palace, Luo Binghe is dismayed to learn that all his plans may come to nothing—Shizun is gone. Disappeared into the ether, not even a year after Luo Binghe’s fall. Luo Binghe refuses to take that as an answer, though. He’ll find Shizun. In the meantime, he’ll keep building his reputation as a righteous cultivator at Huan Hua Palace. He’ll deal with the demons under his command, all flocking to him to complain about the assassinations carried out against them in the past months. And he’ll deal with the masked servant of the Old Palace Master that has been foisted upon him: Hua Xunshun.

And here are the links to the claims list and the form to claim fics: