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mostlikelytofangirl · 2 years

Note

Scenario: A-Yao loses the ability to lie convincingly for 48 hours. Any 48 hours of your choice. How screwed is he?

Oh man.

You know, I took this long in replying bc the potential of this premise is HUGE! My boi can get grossly screwed up in many ways :')

But since I love him, how about it plays in his favor in the end. Kinda sorta xD

---

Whatever dumb experiment Chengmei had been conducting on his own was obviously guaranteed to backfire. Jin Guangyao should have known that leaving the delinquent unsupervised was a terrible idea.

And now here he was, having to deal with the aftermath of a talisman that very much exploded in his face earlier that day, and in front of the one person who didn’t need more reasons to distrust him.

At least the mysterious effects of the talisman had made themselves clear enough.

“Of course there is nothing wrong, da-ge,” he said, feeling the unnatural pull of his muscles as he forced a smile like he never had to before. He couldn’t even control the inflection of his voice!

Nie Mingjue was staring at him with his brows deeply furrowed. On a normal day, Jin Guangyao would internally roll his eyes at the unnecessary mistrust but, that day, he would admit that he, too, would be suspicious if he was da-ge.

Which was unfortunate, to say the least, since he had just altered the accursed song!

“Then why have you been so silent all day?” da-ge asked.

Because I can’t trust my own body.

“Because there’s nothing to say,” Jin Guangyao replied as a nervous chuckle escaped him despite himself. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to disturb you from focusing on Clarity.”

“You have been tugging at the same cord since I asked.”

Jin Guangyao had no control of his facial expressions as he surprised himself fidgeting with the guqin.

“T-this? Hmm, I just… have been very busy,” he blurted out, unable to force his gaze to meet Nie Mingjue’s. “I said I was going to make sure that Xue Yang got punished, didn’t I?”

And he might just seriously consider killing that pest for real after the mess he had gotten Jin Guangyao into!

“You have always been busy, yet I have never seen you twitch. This isn’t like you.”

“Aha, I-I think these recent days have been particularly challenging.”

The smile —if he could even call it that— was starting to ache in his face, and he couldn’t look Nie Mingjue straight in the eye for more than a quick glance as the man merely kept on staring.

“Then leave already, you would be of no help in this condition,” Nie Mingjue eventually declared, and for once, Jin Guangyao was grateful for his da-ge absolute lack of tact.

“Yes, might be for the best,” he agreed, standing up. “I will come back tomorrow.”

Hopefully, Chengmei would have found a solution, or the effect would have worn off by then.

It didn’t.

And da-ge was not alone when Jin Guangyao reappeared the next day.

“Hello, A-Yao,” er-ge greeted him with that gentle smile of his, yet with obvious reservations as he gestured to Jin Guangyao to approach and take a seat with them. “Da-ge said that you have been displaying some odd behaviors, is everything alright?”

Oh, gods, not this again.

“Yes! Yes, er-ge, everything is perfectly fine,” the exaggerated enthusiasm of his voice was honestly insulting even to himself, and he could swear that he felt a tic in his eye.

As expected, his two sworn brothers shared a look.

“See? He’s been acting like this since yesterday,” da-ge said.

“Hmm. A-Yao, you know that you can trust us if something is in your mind.”

What was in his mind was that he needed to get Nie Mingjue to qi deviate before the deadline for Chengmei’s execution arrived, and he couldn’t do that if he didn’t keep on playing Turmoil, which was impossible if Lan Xichen was right there!

“I told da-ge already that I have been terribly busy uhm… assisting father in various endeavors of personal interest, yes.”

“Didn’t you say it was because of Xue Yang?”

Damnit!

“Uhh, he is… one of those endeavors— is it getting warmer here?”

Why on Earth did he say that?!

Er-ge and da-ge looked at each other again, now with open puzzlement and preoccupation. That was it, Chengmei had managed to not only get himself killed, but Jin Guangyao, as well, for the mistake of trying to save him.

“I told you that kicking him had been out of line, da-ge.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

… wait, what?

“Listen, this is my fault,” Nie Mingjue told him and, for a moment, Jin Guangyao thought hallucinations were another effect of that stupid talisman by the way da-ge seemed truly remorseful. “You exasperated me that day, and while I stand by my arguments… my final remark and actions were completely unwarranted. It has been hard to control my worst impulses, but now your head is all messed up by the contusion. I’m sorry.”

Wait, what!

As it turned out, the talisman not only affected his mannerisms when he tried to… choose his word strategically, but also when he wanted to conceal his emotions. Try as he may, he couldn’t school his expression to something other than the bewilderment he felt and how touched he was to hear Nie Mingjue, of all people, apologize to him!

When was the last time someone did that?!

“I…” his lip trembled too much to properly elaborate, and his voice came out as a weak whine, prompting his two sworn brothers to stand up and relocate by his side.

“Don’t force yourself,” er-ge told him. “The damage to your head must be taking a toll on your body.”

“Yes, something is clearly wrong with you.”

“Y-you don’t think this is another of my wicked tricks, da-ge?”

“What reason would you have to act like you are spasming whenever you speak? If anything, you always took pride in your shallow pretty words.”

Nie Mingjue frowned, but there was also a hint of a smirk on his lips.

“A-Yao, if you allow me, I could use some Lan medicine on you.”

“B-but… Xue Yang…”

Da-ge sighed.

“We can see that matter on a later date, it is obvious that you are not well.”

Er-ge placed his hand on Jin Guangyao’s arm in an encouraging gesture, and he could have broken down in tears right there and then. Lan Xichen could end whatever that talisman had done to him, he could buy time with Nie Mingjue until he thought of a better solution to the Chengmei predicament.

“Thank you,” he said and, finally, his smile didn’t feel like a grimace. “Maybe er-ge could also take over and play for da-ge instead. This A-Yao would hate to mess up Clarity in this state.”

#replies #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #jin guangyao #lan xichen #nie mingjue #I guess this counts as another tumblr prompt :'D #fix-it #I suppose #idk man it's fun to explore random aus #guess this also qualifies as #me is writing

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pumpkinspicemochaa · 5 years

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Shen Jiu: *gets a scrape* ow

Yue Qingyuan: TAKE QI-GE’S SKIN

Yue Qingyuan later, stabbing the ground: Leave him alone, hasn’t he been through enough?!

#yqy on a daily basis: (╥﹏╥)#incorrect svsss #qi-ge is so dumb i love him #qijiu #svsss #the scum villain’s self saving system #scum villain #sv #yue qingyuan #shen jiu #shen qingqiu

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vodkassassin · 3 years

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Shen Qingqiu decides enough is enough! As is his right

If you see any typos in this, no you don’t 😌

—

The door flies open right on the midday hour mark, when the candle that he lit this morning is exactly half gone, and Shang Qinghua immediately dives underneath his desk and throws his arms over his hand.

“I’m almost done!” He calls out desperately. “Just give me a few more hours, I promise I’m almost done!”

Following this, a silence in his office, long and inspecting, takes place. Shang Qinghua, despite all his instincts screaming otherwise, peeks his head up over the edge of his desk and gulps. The person standing in his door, who is surveying his admittedly very messy office (it’s not his fault! Paperwork breeds like multiplying cells! Why doesn’t anyone understand that?!), and looking very, very unamused.

“Ha, um,” he scrambles back to sit on the chair again, trying to get his thundering heart under control. “H-Hello, Shen-shixiong! This — I — I wasn’t expecting….”

Shen Qingqiu finishes his examination of his workspace and locks his gaze upon Shang Qinghua. He steps smoothly into the office, and shuts the door behind him with sure but quiet movements. A cold sweat breaks out down Shang Qinghua’s spine.

He swallows. He reaches forward and grabs up the paperwork he’d been pouring over before this interruption and holds it feebly before himself like a shield.

“A-Acruelly, shixiong…. If shixiong has something he wants from this shidi, I-I’m afraid it will have to wait. Wei-shixiong demanded these requisition forms be looked over and approved before tomorrow a-and there… there are a lot of them to go through…. I think he waited until the last minute — Oh! And Liu-shidi, he — um, he sent in his audit reports late again, so I have to go through those too and I’m really really sorry but whatever you have for me I can’t —!”

“Stop your babbling.” Shen Qingqiu snaps. Shang Qinghua’s jaw clicks shut so fast his teeth hurt a little. Ow.

He watches with wide eyes as his shixiong — who is now scowling heavily, nooo — begins to flip through the various stacks of parchment and scrolls that sit heavy upon Shang Qinghua’s desk. Too terrified to tell him that, actually, only the sect leader should be looking through those ones, Shang Qinghua remains quiet.

Really, nobody tells Shen Qingqiu what he can or can’t do. Those who have tried before are —

Well. They’ve all seen their sect leader.

“These.” Shen Qingqiu slips a smaller stack of documents out from the middle of one of the piles and holds it up. “The supply logs from the previous joint peak night hunting expedition. They have yet to be filed?”

“Shixiong,” Shang Qinghua’s eyes water in frustration, and he holds up his sleeve to cover them. “I meant to, I did! But — but when I was going to get to them, Qi-shimei came in with a cart full of delegated peak maintenance reports! She said if they weren’t done before noon she’d — Ah.” He shudders, peeks over his arm, and goes pale at the way Shen Qingqiu’s eyes have narrowed viciously. He hurries on, voice growing smaller. “I’d just finished them when Wei-shixiong brought me his backlog requisitions….”

He trails off, because the expression on his shixiong face has gone colder and colder the longer he spoke.

“Why haven’t you chosen to delegate?” The man demands from between his locked teeth. “All these disciples that you have, and you’re telling me you can’t delegate a single task to them?”

“Shixiong,” Shang Qinghua’s eyes water again and he shiffles pathetically into his sleeve. “Shixiong, I do delegate. This stuff in my office here, this is all the work only peak lords have the security clearance for. Everything else I delegate to my disciples, because I can’t… I can’t….”

Shen Qingqiu stares down his nose at him, and Shang Qinghua stops talking. He drops his gaze and listens as the man silently turns on his heel and stalks out of his office, closing the door with a solid thump.

He wipes his eyes with his sleeve and drops his arm defeatedly into his lap, frowning down at the water stains his stupid tears have left in the fabric. Silk is so fucking dumb, you can’t walk through without it picking up dirt somehow. It’s why he changed his peak robes to darker colors, because at least black doesn’t show where you’ve been all day.

And seriously, it’s just so much easier to scrub blood out of clothes that aren’t white or beige or pastel.

He shoves his paperwork to the side and folds his arms before him, letting his head thunk down on them with an exhausted sigh. The door opens slightly again and a head peaks in.

“Shizun?”

“A-Kao,” he mumbles into his arms. “I’m gonna die.”

His head disciple gives a polite sound of acknowledgement. “I’ll have someone prepare some of the spiced tea imported from that Eastern desert oasis, then.”

“I love you,” Shang Qinghua says fervently, and listens as his favorite disciple huffs a quiet laugh.

“Will return shortly.”

The door closes again, and with it, Shang Qinghua closes his eyes.

Jin Kao is true to his word, as always, and in fact brings a light snack of fruit and a pastry along with the tea. Shang Qinghua plows through it at record pace and is energized! He’s halfway through the requisition forms for Wei Qingwei when his door is slammed open once again.

He flinches. Taking a fortifying breath, Shang Qinghua glances up and immediately loses all color.

“Shen-shixiong is back!” He shakes, voice wobbling. “With — with Z-Zhangmen-shixiong, ah…!”

Shen Qingqiu stalks into the room, side stepping Jin Kao whose arms are laden with the empty tea set. The head disciple wisely flees into the corner, watching with a narrow gaze as the Qing Jing peak lord all but drags their venerated Sect Leader across the office to stand before Shang Qinghua’s desk.

Shang Qinghua trembles as they both loom over him. What did he do?! Shixiong, what he’s said before was completely reasonable! There was no need to go and fetch your overbearing ge!

Shen Qingqiu points a finger at Shang Qingh— oh wait, not him. At his desk. At the mountains of papers littering his desk.

“If you have time to relax and drink tea in your spotless office,” the second in command sneers at his superior, “then you have time to pick up the slack so that our shidi can do the same!”

Shang Qinghua gapes. He stares up at them with round, round eyes, uncertain as to what’s going on.

Yue Qingyuan, for his part, quails under Shen Qingqiu’s steely and unrelenting gaze. His shoulders are tense, and the way in which he looks around Shang Qinghua’s office with a startled look, only to then turn it upon Shang Qinghua himself, just screams ‘bro, you live like this?’

Not by choice! Shang Qinghua never asked for this, Yue-shixiong! The paperwork just never stops!

Shen Qingqiu pivots sharply, glaring down at him instead. Ah!

“What are you doing?” The man says. “Get up.”

“Ah?” Completely bewildered, Shang Qinghua only stares up at the man in confusion.

“Honestly.” Shen Qingqiu sighs under his breath — a sharp and stilted sound of frustration.

He rounds the desk himself and grabs Shang Qinghua by the upper arm, hauling him up from his chair and dragging him away from the desk.

“Th-This—?!”

“Sect Leader,” Shen Qingqiu nods at the desk. Yue Qingyuan only stares blankly at him, and so he sneers. “These forms must be finished. And the next stack. All by a peak lord — I’m taking Shang-shidi for a well deserved break, so I can’t do it, and Wei-shidi was the one to submit them in the first place. Of the four foremost peak lords of the sect, only you have time and clearance to do it.”

Shang Qinghua sways, shocked. If Shen Qingqiu didn’t still have such a bone-crushing grip on him, he might have even fallen. The other man steadies him immediately, and the sour look on his face sours even further.

Yue Qingyuan’s face is pale. “Qingqiu-shidi….”

“It isn’t as if you were busy with anything else.” Shen Qingqiu plows on past whatever refuting the sect leader was trying to pull. He shakes Shang Qinghua roughly by the arm, and Shang Qinghua rapidly blinks away the spots from his vision. “Look at our shidi, he’s nearly dead on his feet. Are you telling me that you would make him work more, when it’s already clear that he’s overworked?”

Yue Qingyuan pauses. He glances around the office another time, shoulders lowering in slow increments. His resolve is crumbling visibly to everyone in the office.

Shang Qinghua silently mouths ‘overworked’ to himself, stunned.

Finally, the sect leader sighs. “No, Qingqiu-shidi is right.”

Shen Qingqiu snorts. As if to say ‘of course I am.’

Yue Qingyuan steps around the desk and slowly takes the seat that Shang Qinghua had just been forcably vacated from. He eyes the stack of paperwork that are piled high, not just on the desk but on the floor and the shelves surrounding the desk, and an expression of regret eclipses his face.

“This shixiong had not realized Shang-shidi’s workload was quite so…” he trails off, trying to fish for the right word, and finally lands on, “heavy.”

“It’s the Sect Leader’s duty to ascertain that all those under his sect’s banner are taken care of. Those directly under his command even more so.” Shen Qingqiu sniffs disdainfully. “You have no excuse.”

Yue Shixiong bows his head. “No, this one does not.”

“I’m taking Shang Qinghua to Qing Jing to recuperate.”

“Yes.”

Shang Qinghua pales even further. He ducks his head down and glances over to the corner into which his head disciple had squirreled himself away for help.

Jin Kao stares back, an expression of smug victory on his face, and doesn’t say a single word.

This traitor! Unfilial disciple! Shang Qinghua takes back what he said about Jin Kao being his favorite. He’s replacing that brat as soon as he’s able to escape Shen Qingqiu’s clutches.

Shen Qingqiu yanks on his arms, dragging him out of the office. He cranes his neck around, and the last scene he sees before the door slams shut is Jin Kao setting down the empty tea set, picking up a large stack of papers from one of the various spots on the floor, which he then ferries over to the desk at which Yue Qingyuan has picked up the half-finished requisition, looking it over with a frown.

Huh. He’s never seen his head disciple look quite so intimidating before. The boy is practically looming over their sect leader with a dark expression.

That’s a little strange.

He doesn’t see beyond that, though, because Shen Qingqiu slams the doors shut again and drags him off his own damn peak.

—

Support this story on Ao3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32312410

#Jiuplane #yes I ship it #scumplane #svsss #scum villain's self saving system #Shen Jiu #Shang Qinghua #Vodkassassin fanfiction #svsss prompts

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bewareof12metersfrogs · 3 years

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Warning: long rant. Probably messed up grammar. Not LXC-friendly.

So Pinterest gave me this:

And I was like

Ah yes, Lan Xichen.

I mean, I love that guy, but oh gosh that man is BLIND. Like, man's so blind Xue Yang could use him to slaughter people.

(I'm so sorry for that joke)

I really loved him when I first read the book, esp pre-Nightless City, but then I read it for the second (and third) time and that love turned into "uhh, I guess I kinda like him?"

I mean, in Sunshot Campaign arc, NMJ just got freaking tortured. He just got beaten, made to watch his men die, and his former deputy "betrayed" him -- and then LXC was just like, "oh da-ge CALM down, this is all part of OUR plan, A-Yao's our spy lol put Baxia away don't shout at him smh"

Why didn't LXC say to NMJ that the whole thing had been orchestrated? Okay, I get it, maybe he couldn't risk JGY getting caught, but couldn't he just tell NMJ, "hey, this is the plan. You're gonna get caught at Yangquan by WRH and our spy will take care of the rest of it" ? I'm pretty sure NMJ was angrier about his men getting slaughtered than himself getting beaten. NMJ is kinda like WWX; they were both idiots, but they cared about their people. Pretty sure he cared more about his men than himself. If he knew about the "plan", he'd most likely bring the disciples who were ready to die.

THEN LXC just went to NMJ like, "Hey let's be sworn brothers!". Xichen, dude, his wounds aren't even healed. I mean, it's a bit insensitive right?? I think it is. The whole sworn-brotherhood-right-after-shunshot-campaign thing still bothers me. To me, it seems like no one cared about NMJ. I mean, he was the leader of SC, people used his skills, his men, his everything, and then he was just, like, casted aside?? Pretty sure man's got PTSD. Also, qi deviation. Oh gosh I forgot about qi deviation.

Anyway, yeah, LXC was blind throughout the novel. I won't talk about the scene where Wangxian tried to tell him that A-Yao = bad, but I will talk about the scene where NHS decided to "use" his er-ge to kill his san-ge. Was it intentional? Perhaps. Was NHS lying? Maybe. Was it bad? Absolutely. Was it expected? Of course.

Let's put ourselves in NHS' shoes for a second. Your big bro, who is also the one who raised you and the only family you have left, died. People are quacking "oh it's the Nie curse, and isn't it such a tragedy?" BUT NO! One day you be minding your own business and then BAM you found out that da-ge'd been murdered and mutilated AND betrayed. So you started scheming for like a decade. Everything was going great, as great as a 10 years revenge plan could ever be. You just gotta wait for a few more hours, you just gotta listen to your nemesis' retelling his sad background story, you just gotta endure the pain of seeing your dead big bro wrecking havoc, and you'd have your revenge.

Then of course your er-ge, your big bro's best friend, gotta help your big bro's killer. He just gotta treat his wounds, huh? Pretty sure NHS was unstable. He was desperate and maybe even full of wrath. I understand that, at least, the same way I understand that maybe LXC tried to treat JGY's wounds because he still saw him as his brother -- he didn't want to lose another brother. But how about NHS? He was watching the man whom he thought was his brother treating the man who betrayed and murdered his actual brother. NHS was being a dick, yeah, but it was expected.

Think about this for a second. NMJ's corpse was still right there (and gosh, NHS had to sew his big bro's corpse by himself). NHS was RIGHT there, and LXC had the audacity to tend to JGY's wounds after the man himself admitted to his crimes. I think it's understandable if NHS felt at least insulted.

Also, he was perhaps sick of people not thinking that his big brother was as important as other people, that he was also a human being instead of just a war machine or even a mere tool that can be casted aside whenever they want to. Why did his brother have to die because of other people's greed and selfish decisions? Why did he have to lose the only family he had left forever and why did he have to just sit back and accept it?

Most importantly, LXC had been too blind for more than a decade too long.

Also, the bit about "You're Wangji's only mistake":

Bruh.

If WWX is LWJ's only mistake, then (trusting) LXC is NMJ's only mistake. I mean, sure, WWX is as dumb and oblivious as a rock, but can you really blame him?? HE WAS TRYING TO KEEP HIMSELF, HIS FAMILY, AND THE WEN REMNANTS ALIVE, DUDE'S GOT NO TIME TO THINK ABOUT FKING ROMANCE.

Sorry, I got carried away.

Anyway, are we just gonna ignore the fact that LWJ had been acting like he hated WWX since, like, the first time they met?? I mean, I really love LWJ, but his only mistake is his communication skills (or lack thereof).

But LWJ never gave up on WWX. He learned to express himself way better. Man's got dedication and he's not afraid to learn. I really love that about him.

Also, I understand that LXC was angry because LWJ took beatings to protect WWX, but I don't think he had the right to blame WWX for that. Yes, I know WWX did plenty of things wrong; he was extremely reckless and untrusting, but he never asked LWJ to protect him. LWJ did everything voluntarily. Ffs Xichen WWX didn't even know that LWJ did that. You know why? CAUSE HE WAS FKING DYING THAT'S WHY.

TLDR: LWJ was a grown ass man.

Okay. So, do I hate LXC? No. But do I find him flawed? Yes. But that's why I like MXTX's characters, including WRH, JGY, and LXC (the only exception are perhaps JGS and MXY's fam, and I think we all know why). They all have flaws. For me, LXC is too naive and blind, JGY is too power-hungry and selfish, and NMJ is too stubborn and unyielding. NHS? Well, he's a lot of things. He's manipulative, unsympathetic, and IMO he's got a problem with obsession too. He and JGY are alike, in my opinion. The main difference is their goals: JGY seeks power, NHS seeks revenge.

Everyone has flaws. LWJ and WWX have flaws too; they're EXTREMELY flawed. Heck, even our lord and saviour Shijie also has flaws, as much as it hurts me to type that.

Then why do I get so worked up about LXC's flaws? Honestly I don't really know. Maybe it's because I'm tired of (almost) the entirety of fandom treating him like a god, maybe because I'm tired of people who treat NHS like the devil himself, or maybe because I'm disappointed in him. I mean, JGY's our main villain, but I still love him so much. Heck, I love him even more than I love LXC. Bruh, nowadays I even like WRH more. At least that guy is downright evil and he looks cool while doing whatever evil things WRH does (I'm talking about the novel and donghua mmkay).

Anyway, this is the end of my rant. I apologise if I'm offending you, this is just something that's been bothering me since the first time I re-read MDZS. This whole thing is like a plot bunny but instead of a "plot", the bunny is shaped like a "rant". This is a rant bunny. I need to get this outta my head. I've edited this thing like four times already because I keep finding errors and stuffs. I also added like two new paragraphs.

I'm sad now.

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basket-of-loquats · 4 years

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(Slightly shippy and also dumb but I'm typing it out anyway) nhs kisses jc on the cheek one night at the fire, and lwj asks dryly if he should find an inn to sleep at tonight. Without missing a beat nhs turns to him and snaps that he's just jealous because he's in love with wwx. To the background of jc screaming "WTF" lwj tackles nhs to the ground

ok ok WAIT i had like. this thought (of nhs saying something about wangxian) but a bit different (and so much angstier) lying in bed this morning-- one day lwj and jc are having this fight, and they’re both super pissed (as usual) and this is like, their thousandth fight this week and nhs is so fucking done with them but he’s still trying his very best to make them stop fighting and keeps trying to get in the way. and jc turns on him and spits some half-assed insult, but it doesn’t really hurt too bad because nhs is used this jc by now. but then nhs says something like “would you guys just QUIT IT, we have to find da-ge--” and lwj turns to him and very coldly says “your da-ge is dead.”

and jc freezes and nhs just stares at lwj. because when lwj gets pissed he’s not gonna yell or shout like jc, he’s just gonna very carefully poke nhs’ wound. “we all know it. he qi deviated, just like all your ancestors. and he disappeared. no one can survive that.”

and there’s just this awful long silence where jc stares frantically between them and lwj KNOWS he fucked up but can’t bring himself to take it back, and he turns his back to nhs and ALMOST says he’s sorry when nhs flatly says “Wei Wuxian doesn’t love you back.”

And lwj just. goes very still. clenches his fist. and walks away.

and nhs just stares blankly at his back with that dark expression on his face, you know the one, the “that’s right i can and will murder someone” face

#loquat asks #didis au

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myheartismadeofstars · 4 years

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Nie Family headcanons:

The Nie bros are half-brothers and cousins (their mothers were sisters) when A-Sang got mad at his big brother as a child he’d call him Biaoxiong (older male maternal cousin) instead of Da-ge. He stopped doing this when he was 9

Nie-Die which I am officially using as a nickname for their father now was arranged to marry NMJ’s mother, but married NHS’s mother out of love.

NHS’s mother disappeared when she was a child, and her whole sect thought she was dead. She returned as a teenager, and her sister was overjoyed to be reunited with her, and she spent so much time in the Unclean Realm that her and Nie-Die fell in love

Her sister was COMPLETELY okay with her husband taking her sister as a second wife. She just wanted her sister where she could keep an eye on her.

NMJ’s mother was demure and gentle, completely opposite to her son’s personality. NMJ cannot remember hearing his mother angry in his life.

NHS’s mother was the matriarch of her own style of cultivation, one of the abilities of it was to be able to hide her cultivation level (mostly by suppressing it, making herself seem weaker. However there is also an ability to “burst” your Qi to make your cultivation level seem higher for a short time (both of these are accomplished by a longer Qi Condensation stage, by Qi being more condensed than normal. it takes longer to form a golden core). However it was dangerous and relatively untested. Only for emergencies.) she taught it to Huaisang in secret since she couldn’t exactly form her own sect. He is continuing her research and adjusting it to his own needs.

This is why NHS never practiced his father’s cultivation style, because it would DOUBLE his risk of Qi deviation (risky cultivation + two different styles) but yet somehow still looks young as high level cultivators like Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji. He is a high level cultivator, he just hides it.

NMJ’s mother died when he was 12 (NHS was six)

NHS’s mother followed their father into death less than a year after him. Skilled cultivator or not, she wasted away in her grief and died of a broken heart (NMJ loved his stepmom/aunt but he always felt like she abandoned them both. That she loved their father more than them)

NHS’s specialized cultivation tools are fans with hidden blades, that can direct spiritual energy 成虎 ( Chenghu ”make a tiger” from the idiom “three men make a tiger” or to repeat rumours until they become fact.) and 易近 (Yijin “easy to approach”), both referring to the different sides of his personality, the sweet and approachable Huaisang, and the manipulative chessmaster) they look pretty but he can use them quite well. He can stab/slash with the blades, he can hit you with them like small clubs (and the wood is HARD, plus you know, hidden knives inside acting as reinforcement)..he hasn’t figured out how to fly on them yet though (lol) poor dumb boy still needs to walk

#nie huaisang #NHS #nmj #nie mingjue #nie brothers #nie bros #all we love is sunlight #might add more later

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tanoraqui · 4 years

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[Part 1] [Part 2]

[now all on AO3!]

As Nie Huaisang pulls his horse to a halt, as he clumsily dismounts and begs his san-ge to speak with him in private and they walk off to the side of the road together, Nie Huaisang’s eyes down and his fan covering most his face in embarrassment, he thinks very quickly, and decides faster. He’d promised himself he would do that, next time something like this happened

Here is some of what he thinks:

if the lifeblood of Qishan was power and the heart of Qinghe is strength, then the vital spark of Lanling is appearance. Nie Huaisang has always admired this, even yearned for it - imagine being born to a sect in which it was okay to just sit around and look pretty! Sure, they go a bit overboard with gilt, but who wouldn’t, if they had the money? QingheNie has a fortress in the mountains; LanlingJin has a golden tower overlooking one of the biggest ports in the empire, trade and art and culture all within reach

Conversely, they also thrive on secrets - the dark side of golden, glittering appearance. They’re not so different from QishanWen like that, because information is power. That’s why gossip is a thing

Nie Huaisang has no particular reason to distrust Jin Guangyao, personally. He’s always been very kind to Nie Huaisang, bringing him lovely new fans and paints and a beautiful finch one time. Da-ge doesn’t trust him, for reason of some things JGY did in the war, but da-ge has such high standards for conduct that it’s a miracle he trusts anyone after the Sunshot Campaign. (And it’d help if he told NHS anything about those alleged untrustworthy “things”...) Wen Qing doesn’t trust him, but in fairness, it was her side that he betrayed. That could sour anyone. Even putting aside the possibility that she’s deliberately sowing discord for some devilish Wen reason.

Admittedly, anything that Nie Huaisang says to him will almost certainly get back to Jin Guangshan, unless it’s of a truly personal nature - and perhaps even then. Secrets and gossip and power, after all, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that Jin Guangyao is desperate to please his father

even if the old bastard doesn’t deserve it an inch

So the question is, what is Nie Huaisang comfortable having known, and to whom? What does he want to appear as, to whom? And what is he willing to risk coming to light?

He thinks very fast, and soon as they’re well-out of earshot of his disciple-assistants and newly acquired Wen grandmother, he flings himself into Jin Guangyao’s arms, wailing.

(it’s a little difficult, because Jin Guangyao is one of the few men Nie Huaisang knows who’s shorter than he is.)

“San-ge, it’s not my fault! It’s all gone wrong! I just wanted to get out of saber practice, but then Wen Qing told da-ge something completely different, and then she made be get a baby, and - ”

The whole story comes out, in stops and starts mixed with helpless, hapless sobs. Nie Huaisang downplays Wen Qing’s successes with his brother, or at least mostly ignores them. He mentions A-Yuan’s nightmares only so far as they inconvenience himself, doesn’t comment on the Wens’ state of life at all, and generally exaggerates every terrible and bewildering situation he’s found himself in since he first happened to glance at Jiang Yanli at Phoenix Mountain

He figures Jin Guangyao probably sees through at least 20% of it, but that’s okay - that’s only deep enough to pierce the outer layer of overdramatics, which are mostly embellishments of the truth anyway, and maybe judge that Nie Huaisang has a soft heart for a cute kid

it’s a very cute kid, okay. NHS saw Nie Mingjue sneaking A-Yuan a piece of candy once. No one is safe

he doesn’t tell Jin Guangyao that

Nearly an hour later, Jin Guangyao peels Nie Huaisang gently off of his (now quite tear-damp) shoulder and smiles at him. It’s gentle, sympathetic, and the only thing it seems to be hiding is a laugh

Nie Huaisang is 99% sure of this assessment. Fortunately, he’s free to let his relief show, along with some healthy trepidation

“I won’t tell da-ge,” Jin Guangyao says, and there’s barely any humor to be seen dancing in his eyes. It’s really impressive, now that Nie Huaisang is learning what to look for.

“Really?” Nie Huaisang sniffles. “I just- He tries so hard, you know. I don’t want to disappoint him, not really.”

it really is all about using the truth. if it wasn’t so stressful, it’d be an incredible high

“Of course not.” Jin Guangyao squeezes him gently by the shoulders. “What is a san-ge for, if not to look out for his littlest brother?”

Nie Huaisang could definitely make a crack about his height smiles shakily and flings his arms around JGY’s shoulders again. “Oh, thank you! Thank you for your help!”

Jin Guangyao hugs him back gently and efficiently, then starts to tug him back to the waiting horses and by-now-dismounted companions. “Go on, get your A-Yuan’s granny back to Nie Sect and get yourself a good night’s sleep. I’ll make sure they’re both marked correctly as requisitioned for labor in Qinghe”

Nie Huaisang thanks him several more times, wiping away his tears like someone who just remembered that he’s not supposed to appear so weak in public. Jin Guangyao waves goodbye as he mounts his sword and flies away, and Nie Huaisang waves back, and then he and his assistants and his newly acquired A-Yuan’s Granny ride home

[they’re never going to be relevant again but I want you all to know that in my mind, these two dumb bastards are brothers with rhyming names, like, Xi Ping and Xi Ying or something. RIP Xi Ping and Xi Ying and their eardrums after NMJ reams them out for helping NHS do something stupid again]

And then...

they actually have peace for several months.

Oh, the cold war between Jing and Jiang - or more accurately, between Jin and Wei Wuxian - is still brewing like fine tea, and Nie Huaisang finds himself paying more attention than usual to the gossip about it, because Wens come up as often as not. They're the prime example of the destructive power of the Stygian Tiger Seal, after all. And NHS has four of them living in his house, now

the gossip spikes deliciously when Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan get engaged, though it somehow neither eases nor increases the tension in either side

{the timeline is rubbish anyway, so it’s whatever’s convenient for this fic, thank you very much}

Nie Sect’s physicians are too proud to let Wen Qing take over their infirmary wholesale, but they don’t hesitate to consult with her on pretty much everything. Wen Ning turns out to be pretty fun to play checkers with, whether he lets Nie Huaisang win or gets invested enough to actually put up a good fight. Despite Granny’s addition to the orphan-caring staff, A-Yuan still slips away most days and follows Nie Huaisang around like a particularly persistent curse-construct. On the plus side, he’s learning how to be patient enough that the bolder birds will sit on him as readily as on Nie Huaisang himself, and he painted an entirely acceptable butterfly the other day.

Oh, and the veins in Nie Mingjue’s neck are only visible when he shouts, now, and enough time has passed that he’s forgotten about Nie Huaisang’s earlier, rash promise to practice saber for an extra half hour each day. Or maybe he’s just resigned to the fact that such promises never last. This is truly the best timeline!

And then the worst happens, out of the blue yet in retrospect inevitable: Nie Mingjue has a severe qi deviation

He’s coming back from a meeting in Lanling, which wasn’t so much a discussion conference as Jin Guangshan calling a handful of sect leaders together to bitch about the Wei Wuxian and the Tiger Seal again. Wen Qing is in the infirmary, setting a young disciple’s broken leg. Nie Huaisang is in his bedroom, trying to write an ode to snowflakes that, read aloud, is a single tone off from a recitation of curse words for the entire poem. They both hear the shouting from the main courtyard

Wen Qing has a doctor’s reflexes; she leaves the leg to an assistant and arrives in the courtyard in time to watch Nie Mingjue collapse out of the air. The disciples who accompanied him to Lanling are there to catch him, ease him down gently, but Baxia clatters to the ground

Nie Huaisang sees it from his window. By the time he gets there, his brother is laid out flat and Wen Qing and the Chief Physician are snapping clipped phrases at each other as they assess his status, in the mode of emergency responders everywhere

the Chief Physician doesn’t like Wen Qing, doesn’t like Wens, but he can respect her medical talents. Both sentiments are mutual - Wen Qing has a much more comprehensive skillset, but if there’s anything Nie healers know, it’s how to handle qi deviation

qi deviations are difficult and dangerous to treat - the spiritual energy starts cascading through a cultivator’s body, untamed and harmful, and adding soothing energy may help but it may make it worse, or even cause the chaos to spread to the would-be healer

{I actually have no idea how any of this works, and will henceforth be making up my own worldbuilding}

Nie Mingjue’s eyes have rolled back in his head, bleeding, and he shakes like a leaf in the wind, incongruous to the warrior who led attacks on the Nightless City itself. Who held his brother like a guarding stone wall at their father’s funeral. Nie Huaisang cannot breathe

they get him stabilized enough to move up to the infirmary. Someone eases up their grip on Nie Huaisang’s body so he could follow (he won’t remember until later that he was being held back)

It takes four hours to stabilize him fully (unlucky). His golden core tries to collapse three times, his heart stops twice, and his fucking saber tries to attack them once, seemingly of its own initiative. Several other healers join in as needed, even Wen Ning - he’s always been good at getting seizing patients to still. Wen Qing rates it below the 39-hour golden core transfer with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, in terms of worst surgeries of her life, but above nearly everything else, including the emergency liver transfer where the girl turned out to have all her organs on the opposite side and a side order of demon-induced pneumonia

Nie Huaisang has been sitting in the corridor outside, on the floor. Someone's put a cloak on him. He looks up when they exit, forgetting how to breath again.

“He’s unconscious,” says the Chief Physician, who is probably some sort of distant uncle/cousin. “But he should wake. He will wake,” he corrects.

Wen Qing takes a deep breath. “We need to talk somewhere private.”

By the time Nie Huaisang has at least gotten to see his brother, get proof that he’s still breathing, the First Disciple has joined them as well (I mean, that position is sure as hell not held by NHS). Her name is Han Xiaoshi and she’s built in the same mold as the sect leader: tall, broad, wields her saber like a third hand. She leans against the closed door of the Chief Physician’s office while the Chief Physician - let’s say Nie Fengji - gives a slightly less brief explanation of the sect leader’s current state.

(it’s not good. he’s in a semi-medically induced coma. he is bleeding neither blood nor spiritual energy. he...should wake, in his own time, if they continue to carefully feed his healing energy)

(if he wakes within three days, he will be fine. for now)

Nie Huaisang’s blood pounds hot and panicked in his ears; an unthinking fan covers his face.

they all turn to Wen Qing, who wanted privacy.

Wen Qing soothes hands over her skirt, still blood-flecked, and lifts her chin calmly. Addresses the First Disciple more than anyone. “Before I begin, would you please put a guard each on my bedroom and the apothecary, and my brother’s room as well?”

“What? Why?” asks Nie Huaisang, bewildered. Han Xiaoshi echoes more sternly

She smiles thinly. “I’d rather not be accused of trying to assassinate Chifeng-zun.”

Nie Huaisang’s blood turns cold

“Keep talking,” says Han Xiaoshi

Here’s what Wen Qing explains: there’s an herb grown on the same volcanic slopes into which the Nightless City is set, a grass that absorbs so much yin energy from the volcano that it carries it over into anyone who consumes the stalks, offsetting the natural balance of their spiritual energy. A closely guarded inner clan secret. It can allow for rare, advanced cultivation techniques (including demonic ones)...or it can spark a fatal qi deviation the next time the user tries to do anything spiritually strenuous. Like flying from Carp Tower to the Unclean Realm

“It’s almost impossible to detect in the blood,” she finishes. “But I recognize the pattern of its effects.” Her hands are clasped loosely in front of her. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find some planted in a place that draws suspicion to A-Ning or myself.”

“Who else would know about it?” Nie Huaisang demands, trembling even as the ice is settles into his veins

“Someone who was close to Wen Ruohan,” she says calmly

they all know who she means

(oh, how she wants to tremble, too, too aware of every sword in the room that could be turned against her. Aware of A-Yuan and Granny and Wen Ning, her brother in the corridor just outside, and how it still hasn’t been a year since Wen blood ran in the flagstones of this castle. But Wen Qing has never been one to shake)

“There’s something else I should say,” she admits, to Nie Huaisang more than anyone. “I don’t actually know much about qi deviation - I’ve had a crash course, obviously, and I’m not a fool, but I’m mostly been treating it as a blood pressure problem - ”

“Obviously,” the Chief Physician scoffs

“ - but my Uncle Six is a true expert. Wen Zhichen - he was friends with your aunt, Huaisang-gongzi; your older sister, Fengji-shifu [the previous Chief Physician, killed in battle in the fifth month of the Sunshot Campaign]. If anyone can wake Nie-zongzhi, it’s him - ”

she could have said this earlier, could have said it weeks ago, or even from the start - but she had Wen Ning to think of before anyone else, and then A-Yuan who was too young to have accumulated crimes even as a Wen...

Wen Qing had once noted that the second son of Nie had likely never felt fear, true fear, in his life. That’s not true anymore. His brother is unconscious in the next room over and it’s not sure if he’ll ever wake. And it’s consequences catching up with him again, for real this time, this maybe-first time - was it the Wens, villainous duplicitous Wens that he brought into their home himself? Was it someone else, equally traitorous, suspicion roused to a killing intent by something Huaisang did himself?

People do a lot things when they’re feel fear deep down to their souls. They scrape and bow; they make bargains they shouldn’t, accept costs they can’t. They bend or they break

Nie Huaisang is a fop by preference, but it turns out that he breaks like a Nie

He shoves Wen Qing against the wall, hand on her throat. “Tell me this isn’t a trick. Tell me this isn’t some fucking ploy to get more Wen-dogs into my home, so you can finish killing my brother.” He shakes her, drops the fan to put his hand on the saber he's terrible with (it still hums eagerly for blood.) “Tell me.”

“I am,” she gasps

There is a tableau. Then Nie Huaisang drops her and strides for the door. “Shijie, put guards on her rooms, her brother’s, and Granny’s,” he snaps to Han Xiaoshi. “Don’t let anyone enter. Gather the Wens all in the third guest bedroom and keep them there - make sure A-Yuan has some paints to keep him quiet. And I’ll need your two fastest - no, those with the best strength and endurance in flight - ”

“Nephew - ” says the Chief Physician, and “Young Master,” says the First Disciple, a little impressed and a medium dubious

the closest Nie Huaisang has ever gotten to this commanding before was the early days of the Sunshot Campaign when there were no battle lines to hide behind yet, when he sometimes followed Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji as they tore across the country and directed the clean-up of their wake

“The best strength and endurance,” he repeats over them. The fan stays on the floor. “We’re flying to Qishan - we’ll be back with an extra expert for you in a couple days, Uncle. In the meantime, you can have Wen Qing if you need her, but otherwise they all stay in the third guest room.”

It takes a full day to fly to the Wen settlement in Qishan, at Nie Huaisang’s best pace. Starting already late in the afternoon, full of anger and terrified panic in equal measure, it’s beyond late by the time they near - and all but the anger has simmered away. Nie Huaisang lets them settle near the nearest halfway decent city instead, forces himself to lay on the ground and try to sleep, and sends one of his disciples out to buy the nicest fan they can find. He left so fast, he forgot to pick one up again

When they land in the filthy little town just after dawn, he stumbles off his sword more than lands (he is genuinely tired, at least) and runs to hammer on the door of the supervisory office, all terror and panic. “Jin-guniang! Jin-guniang! Help, help! It’s me, Nie Huaisang! I need - ”

“What?!” The captain yanks the door open (she sleeps above the office) and he very much does fall into her arms

“Ah, you have to help me!” He’s disheveled with flight and weepy with tears. “Wen Qing poisoned my brother and now he won’t wake up, so I have to find her sixth uncle - ”

“What - Nie Huaisang, what? Is she threatening - that Wen-bitch - ”

“No, no, we beat up her brother until she said - please! He’s the best at qi deviation, even Uncle Physician admitted it - ”

make sure to have Wen Ning beaten up just enough to look good, he notes in a small, back corner of his mind. in case there are spies in the castle. I’d have spies, if I could

“Okay, okay!” Jin Qixian ushers him into the office, half-holding him up. “Let me check the list of residences - sit down, Huaisang-gongxi, someone will brew tea...”

[five minutes later...]

“A different camp?” Nie Huaisang cries, fluttering his new fan in dismay

“They needed a healer...” Jin Qixian says apologetically. “But you just wait here, I’ll send someone - ”

“No, no,” Nie Huaisang gets to his feet, shaking his head. Happy to let the exhaustion of a 10-hour flight and 4 hours fitful sleep in the woods show, and the desperate helplessness that’s really not hard to fake. “I have to- Da-ge is counting on me - ”

He waves off all her attempted reassurances, bullheaded with anxiety, and accepts an officially sealed note of authority with babbling gratitude, and...

[about an hour and a half later...]

the other town the remnants of the Wen sect and soldiers have been relegated to is more of a city, really - cramped and filthy, where the other one was merely destitute and filthy. Families living all in one room or worse, and it’s okay because they’re only home to sleep; the fields are already filled with everyone old enough to work. They probably do need healers, because there’s not enough attention being paid to waste management. But -

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” Nie Huaisang demands more sharply than he’d intended

Focus, A-Sang. It’s Nie Mingjue’s voice in his head, always, as though this was just another hated saber practice

“I’m sorry, Young Master Nie,” says the disciple in charge of this place - Jin Guangchao, another stray cousin. does everyone in that family spread seed like a watering can? “There was an incident a few days ago - ”

“He’s dead?” Nie Huaisang wails, sinking to ground

“No!” Jin Guangchao looks a little disgusted at his helplessness, but bends down to pull him up anyway. “Jin Zixun came around on an inspection and that one you wanted, he was impudent. Jin Zixun ordered him sent to the work camp at Qiongqi Pass.”

mother of fucking fucker [meaning Jin Zixun; meaning the whole situation]. the man probably made eye contact and that overbearing asshole -

“That’s so far away!” Nie Huaisang whined, staying limp, crying into his fan

“Nie-shixiong, it is on the way - ” one of his disciples offers uncertainly (poor bastards - he’s really yanking them around. They’re not sure if they’re helping a con or offering real support)

“We’ll get him back to Chifeng-zun, and get Chifeng-zun back on his feet,” says the other, slipping her arm under his and pulling him to his own feet. “Come on, you’ll see”

(whether it’s for the con or not, Nie Huaisang appreciates it. They’ve never been this genuinely nice to him before)

there’s a conversation in the air halfway to Qiongqi Pass. It goes like this:

“Nie-shixiong, we have to rest. You have to rest.”

[gritted teeth] “I’m fine.”

“You’re going to fall off your sword.” (Liu Lifang, the older woman)

“Then you’ll carry me, won’t you? We’ll already have Wen Zhichen - we’ll double up.”

“Your, uh, dramatics - ” (Zhao Huandi, younger, male - there aren’t a lot of Nies, in Nie. There’s a lot of guest cultivators. There’s a lot of turnover.)

“Will be just as good, if not better, when I’m fainting from spiritual exhaustion.” [slightly bitter, mostly factual] “Don’t worry, I won’t deviate - I don’t use my saber enough for that.” [definitely exhausted] “We don’t stop.”

The work camp at Qiongqi Pass has all the bully-filled charm of Jin Qixian’s town and all the overworked labor je-ne-sais-quoi of the other one, and it’s started raining so there’s a really nice note of despair. If Nie Huaisang had any room left in his brain, he would mourn the beauty of the frescos being destroyed, grand and glorious works of art even if their glory was that of the Wens

he slides off Liu Lifang’s sword in the middle of the densest group of workers, cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Hey! Wen Qing’s Sixth Uncle, Wen Zhichen of DafanWen! Nie Sect requisitions you!”

the prisoner-workers all shrink away; an inspector hurries over. “Hey, who are you - ”

“You will respect Second Master Nie Huaisang,” snaps Zhao Huandi, hand on his saber while Nie Huaisang starts to cry on cue for the third time that day, and god, either they’re really getting it or he’s just blessed with a sect full of perfect straight men.

“Please,” Nie Huaisang begs, leaning on his disciple and waving the letter from Jin Qixian. “I need a healer - that healer, it’s my brother, he’s been poisoned - ”

they’re real tears of exhaustion. maybe he should have let them talk him into a rest

(Da-ge will be fine, he knows, he insists to himself and the world. He was stable 24 hours ago and Nie Huaisang left him with the most competent people he knows)

the inspector has no idea what to do with him and neither does the Chief Inspector, really, when he rides up. That’s perfect - it means their half-hearted objections are easy to push past

they’re still shit at actually helping, because they don’t know a single person in this goddamned work-prison, and all the Wens just shy away, or pick up a pickaxe and try to keep working if anyone comes too near. The inspectors seem to regard this as ideal

Nie Huaisang honestly doesn’t care right now, but he does notice

Finally Nie Huaisang has wailed loudly enough up and down the valley that one prisoner hesitantly steps forward and admits to being the Dafan Wens’ Sixth Uncle. He has Wen Ning’s ears and Granny’s eyes and the same needle callouses as Wen Qing, so Nie Huaisang calls it a day

except they still have to fly back to the Unclean Realm, a flight of six hours unburdened

Nie Huaisang’s groan is entirely genuine

Wen Qing has taken to pacing by the time the Chief Physician comes to fetch her, personally, from the third guest bedroom. Night has come and gone and come again; A-Yuan and Granny are both asleep in the bed and Wen Ning is lying beside them, though she can tell he’s only pretending to sleep to make her feel better. What a good boy.

Sixth Uncle is sitting by Nie Mingjue’s bed in the infirmary, eating soup. There’s a couple Nie disciples in the room as well, one sending a slight stream of energy into Nie Mingjue and one simply watching the Wen, a hand on his saber hilt

(no one’s told her if they’ve searched her or anyone else’s rooms, yet; if they found anything)

“Keep sitting and eating!” snaps Nie Fengji, the Chief Physician, before Sixth Uncle can leap up at the sight of Wen Qing. “I need you talking qi balance, not falling over again.” He mutters under his breath, “People can’t even work if you let them get so weak - can’t trust a Jin to do anything with care.”

She sinks to her knees to hug her uncle instead - and notices a cot that’s been brought in to sit beside Nie Mingjue’s, its occupant also as still and wan as the grave.

“Huaisang!” She springs to her feet. “He didn’t - ”

“Exhaustion. The boy overworked his golden core and passed out.” Nie Fengji pushes her back with a roll of his eyes. “Bullheaded as their father, the both of them.”

He rolls up his sleeves and nudges the attending physician out of the way, to take over easing calming energy into Nie Mingjue without a single quiver in the stream. “Now, you two prove to me why I should trust any sort of Wen.”

To be continued...but Part 4 really will be the last, so, that’s p good actually. By my standards of mis-estimation of how long a piece of writing will be. And it’ll definitely be a short one! Unlike this Part 3, which is...*checks* 4.5k WTF.

#mdzs #the untamed #nie huaisang #wen qing #jin guangyao #a bunch of OCs who i named by mashing together random syllables and i'm not checking if any of them are real names bc it's 3am #ALSO wildly made up as i went: how to address anyone with any sort of title #just went with my gut #so like...apologies if i wildly messed up

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delicioussshame · 5 years

Text

Here is the Luo Binghe route for the prostitution AU.

I don’t know how obvious that was, but Shen Jiu stumbling on Yue Qingyuan and Shen Yuan was an accident. Let’s say he was visiting his own favourite brothel. The thing is, that’s not what he told his disciples, and Luo Binghe and a few others came to the city with him. Luo Binghe might have been curious about his Shizun’s whereabouts, so he was following him from afar, and while he didn’t get the details, he got enough to guess that the man both Shizun and Yue Qingyuan followed into that brothel had to be a prostitute.

For everyone’s peace of mind, let’s agree Binghe is at least in his late teens. Also for the sake of my peace of mind, Shen Jiu is a bit nicer in this, because I’m not getting him killed after I got him laid. So Luo Binghe is supposed to be a stallion protagonist, so hormones are raging, and even if Shen Jiu isn’t Shen Yuan I guess Luo Binghe would still think he’s Fine. So when he sees a Shizun lookalike good enough for Yue Qingyuan, one that he could just… pay and get over with his attraction to Shizun, he’s very, very tempted. So he puts some money aside, gathers his courage and visits Shen Yuan’s brothel.

The moment he sets foot in the place everything that can fuck is after him, because hello, Luo Binghe here. But Binghe knows what he wants and asks for Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan doesn’t get why a man as overwhelmingly attractive as Luo Binghe has to pay a prostitute to have sex when he could ask out any married woman and no one would blame them for cheating, but Luo Binghe knows what he wants, and any attempt at sending him off toward someone more age-appropriate, because Shen Yuan feels like a cradle robber (despite not being that old) are firmly rejected, so he figures he might as well enjoy it. Cue giving Luo Binghe the time of his life. That doesn’t stop him from being Shen Yuan, so weak to Binghe and giving him advice and worrying about everything being fine. Luo Binghe is kind of charmed and has had a very good night, and figures he’ll come again when he can. Which he does. Often.

Shen Yuan gets a bit worried that Luo Binghe is wasting his money and not eating right and not serious enough about his cultivation since he’s so young and pure. Anyone could take advantage of him! He sees Binghe as his cute horny puppy.

Obviously Luo Binghe falls for Shen Yuan, because duh, he’s Luo Binghe.

And that continues until Luo Binghe falls into the Abyss.

Shen Yuan gets worried enough after not having seen Binghe around that he gets around to writing a Very Formal Letter to Yue Qingyuan, whom he hasn’t seen since the man had very gently let him known he wouldn’t return to his brothel because Xiao Jiu disapproved (while looking overjoyed), asking about the wellbeing of one of his disciples. He gets a Very Formal Letter back telling him that Binghe died.

Shen Yuan mourns for real. He also gets very, very sick of being a prostitute, but hey, he has a contract so he’s stuck there.

The first thing Binghe does when he returns to the human realm is show up at the brothel with an obscene amount of gold, looking to buy off Shen Yuan’s contract. The Madam tries to argue. Luo Binghe puts even more gold on the front desk and tells him he’ll pay as much as necessary, but he’s not leaving without Shen Yuan. This point is accompanied by demonic qi so strong everyone in the brothel can feel it and Xin Mo oozing malevolence, so the Madam shuts the fuck up, takes the gold and has someone fetch Shen Yuan. Who is very into slightly older and much richer/stronger Binghe spiriting him away, thanks. He has no issues at all with Luo Binghe setting him up in his palace and keeping him buried under luxury and love, none at all.

At some point in the future, Luo Binghe has to visit the sect for some reason or another and decides to bring Shen Yuan just because. Yue Qingyuan chokes when he sees who Luo Binghe’s spouse is. Shen Jiu isn’t a fan either.

Shen Yuan might possibly still be a little bitter about how the whole thing turned out, so he waits for the right moment and calls Yue Qingyuan Qi-ge right in front of Shen Jiu. Who breaks his fan in rage while Yue Qingyuan sweats all the water off his body, because Shen Jiu knew Shen Yuan looked like him, but he didn’t know how much Yue Qingyuan shared about him or that he basically had him roleplay him.

Shen Yuan is having the time of his life creating chaos.

Shen Jiu is pissed as hell and turns his hostility toward Shen Yuan for half a second before Binghe, who has no idea what happened, radiates demonic qi strongly enough that disciples run away in fright, and tell Shen Jiu that even if he is his Shizun, if he touches one hair of Shen Yuan’s head he’s dead. And he means it. Shen Jiu sneers but he retreats because he knows he has no chance of beating him, and Yue Qingyuan is way too mortified to do anything.

Shen Yuan is very happy because out of all of them, he’s the one who got the better deal.

The End.

And now, a fic about Luo Binghe’s return.

“Shen Yuan! Shen Yuan! Go downstairs now! The madam needs you.”

Shen Yuan blinks at the shaken serving girl. “I would rather not.” Whatever is causing the waves of unease that are disturbing everyone, he wants nothing to do with.

The girl seems close to tears. “You have to! He looks nice, but I bet he’ll kill her if you don’t.”

Shen Yuan definitely doesn’t want to go down now. Why would he go meet a murderer. He will regret the madam dying a lot less than losing his own life. “Who is “he”?”

She starts crying. “I don’t know! But he wants to buy your contract! Why did you get involved with someone so dangerous!”

Someone who wants to buy his contract? A few names come to mind, but none stick. The only person with both the means and the will to do so hasn’t stopped by in years. Not to mention Yue Qingyuan isn’t the kind of man that would kill for him. “I have no idea who it could be. Are you sure he asked for me? It must be some mistake.” He isn’t dumb. While some of the courtesans here court disaster by entertaining thieves and killers, Shen Yuan always favored scholars and public servants, much less prone to turning against him.

“There’s no mistake! He asked for you by name!” The serving girl pulls at his sleeve with force.

This tiny slip of a girl could never hope to bring him anywhere he doesn’t want to go, but he has to admit to himself that if the man is that insistent, he will come to get him himself if Shen Yuan doesn’t come down, and that would make deescalating this situation that much harder. “Fine. Stop pulling, you’ll rip the fabric. I’ll come along.” Shen Yuan puts on his most placid mask and follows the girl to the front desk.

Where a very, very attractive man is waiting. For a moment, Shen Yuan is too blinded by the man’s sheer physical perfection to realise who he is. The next moment, he’s convinced he has gone insane. Dead men do not return from the grave.

And yet, there’s no mistaking that flawless visage. “…Binghe?”

His voice wavers against his will.

Luo Binghe turns toward him, polite smile fading into true happiness. “Shen Yuan!”

For a moment, Shen Yuan thinks Luo Binghe will jump on him and take him here and now, for anyone to see, considering how hungry for him he looks.

But Luo Binghe controls himself. “I came here to buy off your contract. Is that something you’re amenable to?”

…What? Why? What is happening? A mere disciple could never hope to buy off his contract. Then again, from the luxury of the robes he’s wearing, he probably isn’t just a disciple anymore. “Your sect master told me you were dead.” Important matters must be addressed first. Shen Yuan won’t be bought by a ghost, thank you.

“He was wrong. I had… family obligations to deal with, but now that they are dealt with, I returned to free you. Afterward, Shen Yuan can do whatever he wants.” His voice lowers and trembles a little. “He doesn’t have to come with me, if he would prefer not to. All I ask is that he doesn’t remain here. Shen Yuan is so talented, there are many things he could do if he chose to. Whatever path he wants to walk, this Luo Binghe will happily support, if Shen Yuan would let him.”

Shen Yuan stands frozen where he is. Not only Luo Binghe is back, he’s offering to free him? Why? Shen Yuan doesn’t understand anything.

This is unbecoming. “If you would follow me to my room? There are many things I would like to ask.”

“Yes!” Luo Binghe follows him almost too eagerly.

The moment the door closes behind them, Luo Binghe traps him into an embrace too strong to be escaped from. “Shen Yuan! Shen Yuan! It really is you! I missed you so much.”

All anxiety he might have held melts into nothing. Ah, this is still his cute Binghe, too innocent for this place and yet refusing to let it corrupt him.

He goes to return the embrace, but before he can, Luo Binghe pushes him away gently, leaving him destabilised.

“I pray Shen Yuan forgive my presumptuousness. It had been years. He might not even remember me.”

Shen Yuan rolls his eyes. “Did I not call your name as soon as I saw you? Of course I remember you. I would like to know what happened to you, though.” From up close, Luo Binghe looks like the son of a rich nobleman, or maybe even a prince. Everything he wears screams wealth. He is startlingly out of place in Shen Yuan’s small and proper room. “Is Luo Binghe the scion of some rich family? Or did he marry a princess?”

“I would never! The only want I would share my life with is you!”

Shen Yuan blinks at this declaration as Luo Binghe blushes. “Shen Yuan must forgive me again. I didn’t intend to be so blunt, but since it has been said, Shen Yuan must know only his memory keep me sane during those years. I would love nothing more than repay him for what he has done for me. All the wealth and power I control are his to command, if he wants to. But, as I said before, if he would rather try his fortune by himself, I will wish him well and let him go. I just don’t want Shen Yuan to have to share his bed with people he doesn’t desire. Even if it is how we met, he deserves better.”

Shen Yuan notices Luo Binghe’s eyes are full of tears. He mindlessly uses his sleeve to wipe them off, a gesture familiar to them both. Luo Binghe has always been easily overwhelmed.

The proposition is very appealing. Shen Yuan wants nothing more than be freed of this place. And since it is obvious that buying him wouldn’t even set him back… “Luo Binghe really wants to use his money to free this old man? Doesn’t he have better things to use it for?”

But Luo Binghe isn’t looking at him anymore. Through the open door to his bedroom, his eyes have caught the little altar with incense still smoking. “Shen Yuan, is this, can I dare ask if…”

Shen Yuan blushes. How ridiculous this seems now. Luo Binghe isn’t dead. He needs no offering. “Yes. I thought you were dead, and you told me you had no family, so I got into the habit of preparing offerings for you in case no one else would and just… never stopped. You can laugh at this sentimental fool, if you want.”

Luo Binghe kisses him, wet and hot and messy, hands tangling into his hair and keeping him there. “Let me take you to my home. Let me treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You will never lack for anything, I promise. If you don’t want to share my bed, that’s fine, but please, let me keep you by my side.”

His little Binghe is no liar. Shen Yuan could always read the truth of him on his face, on his body, in his every gesture. He knows too much of Luo Binghe to be scared of him, or to doubt him.

Also, Shen Yuan has eyes. Who but the blinds would not want to share this man’s bed? It’s a good thing Luo Binghe put an end to the kiss, because if he hadn’t, they might not have left today. “If, for some reason, Binghe has taken a fancy to this old whore, I would love nothing more than accompany him away from here and into his bed, if he wants me to.”

“Shen Yuan!” Luo Binghe kisses him so more, and this time, Shen Yuan kisses back, allowing himself for the first time to accept just how much he missed this dear little client of his.

“Is there anything Shen Yuan wants to bring along?”

Shen Yuan looks at the garish robes, the maquillage and the fans he held on to for whatever reasons. “No. But I should bring some clothes. I have little money to buy new robes.”

“Shen Yuan doesn’t have to worry. From now on, only the finest silk will adorn his body. If he doesn’t like his current robes, he can leave them here.” His own eyes travel over the room, before they falter. “I just, if Shen Yuan agrees, I would like to take the altar back? He won’t have to look at it if it brings back bad memories. I will keep it in my room, as proof of his affection.”

The blush returns to Shen Yuan’s face. He will never stop feeling stupid for tending to an altar for a living man.

Still. If it made Luo Binghe happy, it was less useless than it seems. “Luo Binghe can have it, of course.”

Luo Binghe seems ecstatic. “Thank you!” He extends his hand to Shen Yuan. “Well then, if Shen Yuan would come with me?”

Resolved, Shen Yuan takes his hand.

It’s so big now, strong and firm. Luo Binghe can easily hold all of Shen Yuan’s hand in his.

It only brings him reassurance.

His fingers curl around Luo Binghe’s, and his heart warms when they curl back.

He knows they won’t let go.

#The Scum Villain Self Serving System #Scum Villain #BingQiu

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girllovescomic · 4 years

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Winter Begonia recap episode 29

Of course, the evil stepmother agrees to compete if he gets a chance to go up against his rival. He tries to dash out of there, but Jiang papa is like, Si Xi’er I am not done explaining what I want from you. The evil stepmother is like, nah, I don’t want to hear it, I got some shopping to do. Gotta look good when I face my rival. LOL, ok. Dengbao questions his father for using Si Xi’er in his plan against SXR. He’s like dad, we are not related to that evil stepmother, why are you wasting your time with that tired old queen to get at SXR! Besides, Ning Jiulang has many followers and patrons willing to pay for me, so there is not even a guarantee SXR will be selected, so what’s the deal? Jiang papa is like, son, I am not really supporting Si Xi’er, I just want that tired old queen to disgust SXR. WHAT? HOW? Like, how is that going to work? Despite the animosity, Si Xi’er is not even on the same level as SXR in the nandan department! He claims that by having both of the names mentioned during the competition, it will make it a laughingstock. WHAT? I am trying to follow the logic, but I can’t. No, Dengbao, your dad is not wise at all, he is as much of a dumbass as you.

Meanwhile, my other favorite side couple are discussing the nominees for the Liyuan Competition. The names are Si Xi’er (really, they nominate that bish), Chen Renxiang, Jiang Rongshou (what?), SXR, Ning Jiulang, Hou Yukui... I don’t even know why Xue Qianshan bothers to ask Du Qi who he thinks will win, seriously, you should already know what your boyfriend is going to say. Don’t be jealous and choke on your pipe smoke tho (yall simmer down, I am not talking about that pipe). Indeed, Xue Qianshan, you clearly did not use your brain when you asked that question. He asks Du Qi for his prediction based on that list of those who will move on to the final round. Du Qi declares that Ning Jiulang will go through. Xue Qianshan is unimpressed, saying the fairy godmother hasn’t been around for a long time, how can he still be popular? Oh honey, bro, reputation alone can do wonders for a great performer. Mr. Xue predicts Chen Renxiang would advance. Du Qi smirks while Mr. Xue reads an article hyping Chen Renxiang. Du Qi is unimpressed, repeating the words successful and brings up the competition against SXR. Yo, Du Qi, to be fair Chen Renxiang rocked his performance, is just that our boy SXR was spectacular. He states that CRX was so beat by SXR he had to run away. Well, he couldn’t perform for a year and wanted to be with his girlfriend. LOL, Du Qi asks if Mr. Xue hired someone to write this fake article. Damn, these two need to just get it on. Mr. Xue reads one of Du Qi’s own article flattering SXR for leading the trend with new opera, winning even the younger people’s heart. Mr. Xue is like, damn that is a fine article, who wrote it. Bish, you know your boyfriend did, why you fronting? Du Qi recommends another name and I almost choked. Jiang Dengbao!? Bish, what? Because of his name. GTFO. Ewww, just no. Hmm. Qian Qian seems to agree. Oh well.

Meanwhile, GAHHH, the annoying maid! Er Nainai is doing some accounting and asks if the annoying maid got any news from Lao Han about CFT mother. Sigh, I really do not like that she is the one looking for his mother. Well apparently, he hasn’t reported back from Fengtian, where Chun Xuan apparently lives. Er Nainai complains that her brother no longer comes to the house. LOL, why would he come to a house full of nagging women. Geezus xrist, he is useless, but he is not dumb. Ugh, why doesn’t Fan Xiang’er just marry that annoying maid. They make a better couple.

Meanwhile, we now know where Fan Lian is spending his time. LOL, just like his BIL, he prefers to hang with the performers. I don’t blame him, they are far more livelier, especially our penguin, who is explaining to Zhouzi how to smize with his eyes. Fan Lian runs inside the courtyard to tell Rui Rui that he has made it in the final round of the competition. Our confident penguin is like, of course, what else is new. He asks who made it as well. Fan Lian informs him that Ning Jiulang, Jiang Dengbao, and...what? Si Xi’er. THE FUCK. How much did Jiang Rongshou pay to have that old queen move on? Anyhoo, our penguin does not seem to care about that piece of news, LOL, in your face Rongshou. Fan Lian is the one who seems more rankled by that news along with some of the members, but not our penguin. Nah, he is too excited to hear that his fairy godmother has made the cut and he would be competing against him. LOL, he goes into a diatribe, wondering how he is going to win against his fairy godmother when even his dad couldn’t. LOL, he has already ceded the title. Oh my baby. Dasheng is not too happy to hear his boss already conceding; Fan Lian tells him he must fight for this, having pulled a lot of strings. Shit starter Shi Jiu is like, I saw you perform with your idol and you were as good as he was. Zhouzi seems to agree. Ran Long is like, Ning Jiulang only performed once a year, while you are more popular throughout Beiping, so he should be the one to win. Oh, Rui Rui does not seem to keen on it, even Dasheng notices. Seriously, Dasheng, has such a big crush on his boss, lol.

Next day, the streets are buzzing as the troupe is passing flyers urging passerby to vote for SXR. I love the music. It was the same use when Du Qi was writing Hidden Tale and when the battle of the beautiful queens was under way. LOL, is this Lao Ge getting involved?! Even the rickshaw driver is doing his part. LOL, Qian Qian, why do you bother asking your boyfriend about him writing articles only on SXR. You should know better. I really think he is jealous. We see a large banner for SXR with hubby contemplating the picture. He does some type of noise......yeah, I will leave it to your imagination. We see our penguin jumping up and down, wanting to take down the banner. Both Fan Lian and hubby are confused; Er Ye says this is not cheating, it is simply a banner for the campaign. Penguin says, no, I don’t need it. Fan Lian misinterpret this to mean he is too confident in his chance of winning, but penguin is like, nah, I just don’t want to compete anymore. Oh, Er Ye is puzzled by this, since the competition happens every five years and that is a golden opportunity, so why? Our penguin replies he doesn’t want to compete against his fairy godmother, who in his mind is the best performer. If he loses, it means he wasn’t good enough, and that would make him feel bad, but if he wins, how will he face his fairy godmother in the future. OHHHH, honey, stop it! I am sure your fairy godmother would be fine if you win. He loves you that much! Hubby asks if he wouldn’t disappoint his father if he forfeits, but penguin states he is worried, since it almost his father’s death anniversary and he will go back to Pingyang to bow at his grave and admit his wrongdoing. LOL, Dasheng blows the cover on the white lie, replying the anniversary is in two months. BWAWAWA, the penguin stomps out defeated, declaring he can compete against anyone, but Ning Jiulang, while hubby smiles at his cute penguin wife leaving. Fan Lian, do not get involve, bro!

My old gays are back. Qi Wangye calls out to his wifey, informing him that as soon as he returns to the stage, he is already nominated for Best Performer. Fairy Godmother replies that in the opera circle, people love to fool around for fun, meaning his nomination is just people playing around for shits and giggles. He tell his hubby to not pay any mind to the circus. Qi Wangye reminds that every competition, it was either him or Hou Yukui who won, with Shang Juzhen as runner-up. He mentions Jiang Rongshou winning once, after he became the chairman. HMMMMM, did he buy his win? Qi Wangye comments that this year may not be easy with Rui Ge. Fairy Godmother changes the subject, bringing up growing watermelons in the South Garden. LOL, smoooothhh. Qi Wangye gets the hint that Jiulang is scolding him for having some free time. Qi Wangye is like, fine, I am going to be a socialite and go buy a newspaper to vote. Fairy godmother, say, fine, go ahead. Qi Wangye is like, you are not going to stop me and fairy godmother replies, no, just give your vote to my little penguin, that will be fine. Qi Wangye is like, what? and then they laugh. I love my old gays.

At a voting station, a crowd is there to place their votes for SXR when a strangely looking man, with sunglasses, a hat and scarf wrapped around half of his face comes in to buy up 10 votes for Ning Jiulang. Why does he sounds like our penguin? One of the voters outbid him with 20 votes for SXR. He doesn’t have any money to up the ante. One of the voters tells him that Ning Jiulang is too old to be competing he should be spending time hugging his grandchildren instead, adding how many years can he last if he becomes the Best Performer this year. The one who outbid him says Ning Jiulang shouldn’t be competing against a fresh face youngster like SXR, it is embarrassing. The strangely disguised man is like, yo, I am here to buy votes why are you dragging Ning Jiulang through the mud. The voter replies that fans are the reflection of the performer, chasing our disguised man claiming he is as eccentric as his idol. LOL, if they only knew who that was!

Best girl Xiao Lai catches our penguin rifling through the drawers and sees him holding the bank book stamp. She asks if he is going to pay tribute to the money god. Oh, is that we call doting on your hubby these days! Can I have a money god to pay tribute to as well? She tells him that he’s been splurging too much on the spendthrift Er Ye, buy imported cigarettes, alcohol, paying up his gambling debt (bro!), milk formula, expensive dishes at the restaurant. LOL, penguin is not listening, except to correct her when she says it amounts to 100K, claiming it is really only 80K. BWAHAHA, oh honey! She’s like, boss, you are going to go bankrupt doting on your hubby, if he stays longer. He replies that for all the things he’s done, why not, but she replies that Shuiyin Troupe is not Cheng Er Ye’s piggybank. Penguin is like, yo, this is not for Er Ye and I think I have an idea what it is for. Penguin wants to buy the votes for Jiulang. She tries to stop him, but he twirls his way out. LOL, poor Xiao Lai. Novel Xiao Lai emerges again as she screams he will regret spending so much on Er Ye.

It’s the day of the result and the Liyuan Opera Hall is filled the brim. Boss Niu is on the stage waiting for the Jiang Rongshou to show up so he can start the count. LOL, Du Qi and Fan Lian are both there. I ship these two. LOL. Finally, the douchebag father and son duo finally arrives. Boss Niu announces the start of the competition. We see Si Xi’er and Xue Qianshan in the crowd. Why are you sitting from your boyfriend? The first vote is for Ning Jiulang, the next is for SXR. Meanwhile, our fairy godmother is singing to his bird, trying once again to teach him that song from the first time we met him. Qi Wangye comes in and compliments him, which makes Ning Jiulang stop singing. LOL. Qi Wangye comments how hard it is to hear his wifey sing, if he had known he would have eavesdropped outside. He asks if his wifey is really not going to go to the Liyuan Association Hall to watch the count. Jiulang informs him he sent someone in his stead. Qi Wangye is like, don’t you want to receive the award yourself. Jiulang smirks and asks if Wangye really believes he will win the award. Instead he believes that penguin will win. Wangye is like you really think that foggy Jiang papa is going to let him win. Jiulang seems to think about it for a brief moment, but then snickers, inviting Qi Wangye to take a look at their watermelon seedlings. Yo, anyone who claims they are only friends, please stop right now. They are planting freaking watermelons in their garden together. Alright!

The count continues. Wait, someone actually voted for Dengbao! Evil stepmother asks about Ning Jiulang, to which Jiang papa ignores the question. Meanwhile, our couple is walking together overlooking the city. Seriously, what a romantic setting. Anyhoo, Er Ye is like, why aren’t you at the Association Hall instead of having a romantic walk with me. Rui Rui recalls the last time he came to this area, it was snowing; he was careless and took a fall, forcing him not to perform for days. Wait, how is a penguin fall in the snow? Er Ye responds the troupe members must be looking anxiously for him since he left without letting them know. He shows Er Ye a tree which has a large cut, apparently made by Qi Wangye out of anger. Er Ye replies why is he telling him that when he was not the one chopped. He brings the conversation back to Rui Rui not going to the Association Hall. Rui Rui answers no; hubby asks if he is afraid. Rui Rui answers yes, he is, especially of winning. He does that face that captures hubby’s attention (to be honest, it doesn’t take much, lol). He tells how he used to think his father was formidable, chasing him all over the street to beat him, which he couldn’t never outrun, until one day, he ran so fast, he saw his father leaning on the stick, panting while looking at him, realizing he had grown taller and stronger. He wasn’t happy at the realization that his father’s age had slowed him down. Er Ye asks who can outrun aging and Rui Rui answers who can stop time. Er Ye replies that God gives everything an expiration date, when that date comes, it naturally degenerates, how can his fairy godmother be an exception? Rui Rui complains that time has come too fast, Jiulang is still high up in his heart. Oh boo boo, honey bun, you are the fresh faced, the one the crowd clamor for. It doesn’t mean Jiulang has sang his swansong, but since he doesn’t perform as much, it is normal for him to be upstage by some of equal talent like you! He claims he is not ready to replace him. Boss Niu still counts and the last two votes are for our penguin. Meanwhile, the evil stepmother only has one vote. BWAHAHAHAHA. He storms out, followed by his pretty boys army. They ask if they should leave like this and evil stepmother replies he doesn’t want to stay for fear of being mocked. One of them asks didn’t one fan vote for you, but it turns out it was him. LOLOLOL. Best girl catches up to the couple and Rui Rui asks how she knew he was there. Bro, what is wrong with you? Of course she would know, she’s been with you for decades now! She’s your best girl! Oh wait, Er Ye reveals he sent Lao Ge to get her after dropping them off. Ok, I take that back Rui Rui. She tells him to hurry up and go to the Association Hall, informing that even Qi Wangye’s people are there, it would not be a good look for him not to appear. Rui Rui asks if Jiulang is there, which stomps best girl, unsure how to answer, but does tell him that Jiulang assistant is there. Hubby tells him that maybe he didn’t win after all, but since Jiulang is there, he needs to go. Rui Rui is like, right, I should go, but he needs to change clothes. Best girl grabs his wrist, telling him she already arranged with Shi Jiu to get the clothes.

Boss Niu thanks the crowd for the support and declare the competition has concluded. It is time to announce the results. Du Qi gets up on the table to see the results. LOL, such a fanboy. Ning Jiulang of Qinyang Troupe has 3586 votes, Du Qi looks over at Jiang Rongshou to see his reaction, while one of the reporter tells Xue Qianshan that Ning Jiulang has been popular for two decades. CEO Xue replies that Boss Ning has quite the pedigree, having worked for the Bureau of Imperial Operas before and was appointed by the Empress Dowager as Minister of Opera Circle, becoming a top guest at Qi Wangye manor. Hmmm... you mean married to Qi Wangye. His connections and experience cannot be underestimated. The reporter is like, oh so it seems like he is going to win. CEO Xue following in his boyfriend footsteps respond not to jump to conclusion. Boss Niu announces the tally for Rui Rui and it is a tie with fairy godmother. The crowd is excited while Xue is like, see, I told you so. They announce that weasel Dengbao received 1257 votes. LOL, what?! Who the fuck voted for him? He gets up to greet everyone. Whatever. Then it is Si Xi’er turn. Why even announce it, it is so goddamn embarrassing. Boss Niu is about to announce the results, seeing this is God’s will or something like that, but someone in the crowd claims the vote must have been rigged in favor of Rui Rui. Someone asks for a recount. Yooo, really Jiang senior! You would sink that low? Du Qi throws a tea kettle on the floor, breaking it. He tells the one asking for a recount he will rip his mouth if he continue to spew nonsense. The guy is like try me, but Fan Lian stops him from making a fool out of himself. Ohhh, judging from weasel Dengbao smirks, he was the one who caused this ruckus. Geezus xrist! A man enters the room and shuts up the crowd declaring he has one more vote to deliver. It’s Ning Jiulang’s assistant, Mr. Tong. He exchanges pleasantries with Jiang senior, claiming he got lost on his way to the Association since he doesn’t get to come out as much due him not going out as much. Jiang papa smiles profusely, thinking Mr. Tong is here to cast away Rui Rui chances in favor of his boss. Boss Niu invites him to bring his vote to the stage. Meanwhile, Er Ye brings Rui Rui to front steps of the Association Hall, helping him dress. AWWWWWW, like a good wifey taking care of his spouse! When did the roles reverse? I guess since Rui Rui is taking care of him, he has become the wifey, not that I am complaining. Rui Rui says he wished there would be some fast beating drum rolls to announce the winner. LOL, Er Ye is like, my baby is so weird, but I love him. Inside Boss Niu looks at the vote and ask Mr. Tong if he is sure. He replies that is Boss Ning’s order and go ahead in announcing the result. Boss Niu announces the winner of the Liyuan Best Performer Competition is.......our RUI RUI. Outside, Er Ye is still dressing up his husband when they hear the results, while Du Qi and Fan Lian are embracing each other. I SQUEAALLL. Mr. Ton announces he has brought a gift for Rui Rui for this occasion. It is a plaque with Golden Stage Best Performer written on it. LOL, Jiang Rongshou is pissed off and storms out of the Hall. Go join the evil stepmom. CEO Xue tells his reporter that Boss Ning had planned this for a long time. The dense reporter asks what he means by that and CEO Xue replies the Opera World has a new ruler. Our penguin stomps inside the Hall with hubby in tow, seeing the gift from fairy godmother. Rui Rui states that Jiulang is not old after all and runs out, followed by his hubby.

Rui Rui is facing the ancestor’s altar while Er Ye and Fengyi are outside, not wanting to disturb his bae. Dasheng sees him and asks why he is not asleep. The other members join in and Er Ye complains that Rui Rui could have done some reflections elsewhere besides his room. I was about to suggest that he simply sleeps and stares at his bae, but apparently Rui Rui scares him by not moving nor blinking, just kneeling and mutter in front of the Ancestor Tablet. Dasheng suggest he sleeps in Rui Rui’s room and he replies that it looks like a doghouse. Sigh, these are moments I wished book Fengtai came out to play more. Book Fengtai was far more willing to eat the same food as Rui Rui and sleep in the same room. Ewww, delusional shit starter Shi Jiu, with Ran Long help (girl, what are you doing?!) offers her room to sleep in. LOL, Er Ye is like, Nah, I will go to the doghouse. Yeah, glad Er Ye prefers to sleep with Rui Rui smells surrounding him than encourage the deluded Shi Jiu. LOL, Dasheng is like, well, can I go to your room. Shi Jiu is like hell no.

Fairy Godmother brings the plaque with him and accosts Dasheng, asking the little brother where to find Rui Rui. Dasheng tells him that Rui Rui slept in the Ancestor Teacher’s room. Dasheng is so excited to meet the fairy godmother, telling him to watch his steps. Such eleganza in one figure! He enters the room where Rui Rui is sleeping on the floor and approaches the sleeping figure. OMG HE IS SO CUTE, I CANNOT. Our fairy godmother being the equessential fairy stands above the sleeping penguin and then stares at the plaques, back to the penguin, trying to wake him up. The cutie pie opens his eyes and stares at the figure above him, telling his fairy godmother he was talking about him to the Ancestor Teacher and he suddenly shows up. He grabs the fairy godmother’s leg like a little toddler and say it was a great dream, feeling so real. Awww, is he still dreaming? Ning Jiulang reproaches him gently, saying this kid is so immersed in opera that dreaming or not, he can’t differentiate what is dream to reality. Continues saying how naturally gifted a singer Rui Rui is and tells the penguin to take what he is about to say as a dream, while the baby is holding tightly his leg with his eyes closed. AWWWWWWWW. Fairy Godmother wonders if the penguin will remember any of the things he is about to say, but still goes on. He tells Rui Rui that whether he wants to admit it, he is already old, which limits some of the things he can do as an actor like bending or sing a high pitch. When he was younger, he grew up in the palace raised by the eunuchs, thus learning by imitating their behaviors as an actor, making neither a master or a slave, which limits his potentiality. Unlike Rui Rui, who can learn all the different techniques, gestures and behaviors onstage, he doesn’t have the capacity to comprehend them. All he could do is follow his teacher and copy whatever he could, which made him fearful of making a mistake and upsetting the Empress Dowager. He adds he couldn’t innovate like Rui Rui, adding his own ideas into the opera. While he is saying that, Rui Rui again wins the award for the most adorable penguin of the year. Just on that alone, Yin Zheng must win best actor award, I will riot China! Because of his need to be perfect in the stifling environment of the palace, he could only perform the classical operas from hundred years ago, despite being tired of performing them, but that is all he could do. Cutie pie penguin tells him he performed them well, which fairy godmother agrees, but he has reached his peak. If he cannot soar past the palace wall, then he cannot elevate to a higher level. He thank God for letting him meet Rui Rui, who holds the leg tighter. Fairy Godmother admonishes him gently for not obeying discipline while growing up, always asking questions when learning operas, doing as he wish and not being afraid of making mistake or getting a beating. Since coming to Beiping, he became more unrestrained, changing plays as he wish, which reminds Jiulang of the revolutionaries who barged into the palace. He admired their spirits, but he was afraid of following them since they destroyed the sheltered world he lived in, pushing him into the unfamiliar world of the civilians. Fortunately for him, he had Qi Wangye to stay by his side which made the transition between the two worlds easier, allowing him to survive. AWWWW. He was aware they were the future he could not avoid. For him Rui Rui is like the sky above, that no matter how thick the brick wall was, if there was a crack, the sky will peer through eventually to let the light shine. He needed a person like him, just like Beijing Operas need someone like him. Rui Rui ask fairy godmother what he is talking about, bringing up revolutionaries, spirits, which confuses him. Fairy Godmother tells him not to worry, simply remember what he said, he will understand in the future. Rui RUi said he talks too much about the future, it makes him sleepy. LOL. He tells him it is just a dream, so he wants to only hug him and fall asleep. When he wakes up, he will talk to him. Fairy godmother says fine, I will go ahead and make your bed. He calls out his men to bring the plaque. Fairy Godmother brings Rui Rui to the bed where Er Ye has been sleeping and where the plaque is, and lays him down. Baby penguin wakes up and sees the white hair ion fairy godmother’s head, comments about it and pulls it out. LOL. Then falls back to sleep. Fairy Godmother watches him sleep for a bit, then steps out, as the crowd of actors pool in front of the house. They comment about his grace and pose, yess, this queen is the ultimate MOTHER.

Baby penguin finally awakes and sees the plaque. Shocked, he gets off the bed and screams out the plaque has turned into a demon with legs and came over the house. LOL, this penguin! Best girl enters the room in a hurry asking what is wrong. He asks how the plaque came here and she tells him that Boss Ning delivered to him. He is surprised to hear that Jiulang was actually here in the flesh and not in his dream and best girl is like, OMG, are your dazed and confused! Bro, you were talking with your fairy godmother for a while! It dawns on the penguin that his fairy godmother was really there and finds the white hair strand. LOL. He runs to the courtyard where hubby is sitting with Fengyi, surrounded by the other actors. He take the baby and gives it to shit starter Shi Jiu, so he can pull hubby back into the room for some naughty times (sigh, I wish). He tells Er Ye to lay on the bed where the plaque is still on. Er Ye finds it uncomfortable to do so, but still does it. Rui Rui snickers and asks how it feels. Er Ye replies he would rather lay on the floor because it is very uncomfortable. He sat up while Rui Rui tells him that he does not know what is good. He informs him it is the plaque gifted by his fairy godmother, which is the highest of all favors, such high-level treatment. OK GUYS, I need to warn you for the next sentence our Rui Rui is going to blurt. You might melt, jump with joy, weep like a little bish, die a few deaths. I know I did. Alright, drum rolls... Our Rui Rui blurts out the most valuable things in ShuiyinLou are in this room:The Ancestor Teacher, his father, Jiulang’s plaque and HIM. OMG, OMG, OMG, our Rui Rui just confessed his love for Er Ye!!!!!! I have died, I am dead, I need a moment to reincarnate. Er Ye looks at him like he is the most beautiful thing in the world, and we all know he is. He is moved, his heart pitter patter, his bae just declared his love for him. He smiles upon the realization, although our Rui Rui is dense as fuck, not realizing the emotional wave coursing through his hubby’s mind and body. OMG, Er Ye’s smile!!!!!!! I am dead again. He tells him how touched he is to hear his bae declare his love. Dense penguin says don’t be, just lecture me less. PENGUIN, your bae is far too happy right now to even do this. At the urging of the penguin, Er Ye lays down and looks far too happy, not uncomfortable at all. Seriously, the man is so happy, the bed could be wrapped with 100% Egyptian cotton. OMG, Er Ye smiling profusely.

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