#xue (composer)

[dailyenglishvoca]

Today's song is Winter Song by Xue featuring the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku

[bitter-bats-cult-of-the-moon]

Energy Explained in Other Systems

There is a lack of measurable evidence because any person that has worked with energies have had different experiences but were able to understand and manipulate energies according to their own will.

Energy has been used in many ways within culture and religion and have set beliefs depending on the system being practiced.

Next, are some given definitions defining energies within diverse philosophies.

Hindu = Prana

Chinese = Qi /Chi

Japanese =Ki

Greek = Pneuma

Hawaiian = Mana

Tibetan Buddhism = Lung

Hindu Philosophy

A Sanskrit word for "life force" or "vital principle" is often referred to as Prana. It is described as first coming down from the Sun and connecting all elements of the Universe. It has been invoked within the Hindu scriptures of the Vedas and Upanishads.

Prana is the belief of vitality surrounding all living beings. This energy is responsible for all bodily functions. There are five types of pranas, collectively known as the five vāyus.

1. Prāṇa:              Beating of the heart and breathing. Prana enters the body through the breath and is sent to every cell through the circulatory system.

2. Apāna:             Elimination of waste products from the body through the lungs and excretory systems.

3.Uḍāna:              Sound production through the vocal apparatus. It represents the conscious energy required to produce the vocal sounds corresponding to the intent.

4. Samāna:          Food digestions, repair or manufacture of new cells and growth, and heat regulations throughout the body.

5. Vyāna:             The energy that is needed for the body to have proper circulation, and the functions for the voluntary muscular system in which there is expansion and contraction processes throughout the body.

Chinese Philosophy

The earliest texts in which Qi or Chi is described was in 'Analects of Confucius' where it could mean "breath" and was combined with the Chinese word for blood.

Xue-qi, "blood and breath."

Living beings are born because of an accumulation of qi, and as the beings live out their lives the qi declines eventually resulting in death. This indicates that xue-qi referred to all living things, but it is believed that qi or chi exists within all things tangible.

For example, the wind is the qi or chi to the Earth, and the cosmic concepts of yin and yang are "the greatest of qi"

Yin and Yang which means "bright-dark," and "positive-negative" are the opposing forces needed in order to complement the concept of balance. There are thoughts that this duality symbolizes contradicting energy forces which manifest as light and dark, fire and water, expansion, and contraction. With this said, Chinese medicine states that the balance of negative and positive forms in the body are believed to be essential for overall satisfactory health.

Japanese Mythology

During the sixth and seventh centuries the Chinese word qi (or chi) was written using the same kanji script for their interpretation for energy being "Ki"

However, the meanings are a tad different.

While the Chinese use chi or qi to describe that energy exists in all things, animate and inanimate objects, the Japanese believe it is the creative flow and expressions used within our daily lives, martial arts, and symbolizes aspects of nature, and thusly the spirits. It is the transfer from living, animate beings in to inanimate which can change and manifest into various forms. It is the necessary intentions one wields.

Greek Mythology

Pneuma, "The breath of life" or "vital spirit" is composed of kinetic energies within the vessel, while Ignis is composed of thermal energies. All human beings need both kinetic and thermal energies in order to properly function.

In Greek medicine, pneuma is the form of circulation throughout the body's vital organs. Due to this the role, pneuma plays within the body to sustain consciousness. Some physiological theories suggest that the pneuma mediates between the heart, and the heart is regarded as the seat of the mind, and the brain.

In similar, Stoic philosophy, pneuma is the active and generative principles that are organized between the individual and the cosmos. The highest forms are the Gods, and the human soul. The human soul is believed to be fragments of the gods given life force in order to be born and given a vessel upon the physical plane. This exists within all animate and inanimate objects as energy transfers and changes.

Hawaiian Mythology

Mana, the spiritual energy of power and strength. This energy exists within places and people; however, it is said that mana is both external and internal concepts.

The Hawaiian people believe that individuals can gain mana or lose it depending on one's actions in everything that they do.

In mythology there were two ways to gain mana, and this was either done sexually or through violence.

To sexually gain mana one must invoke the god, Lono, deity of peace and fertility.

To gain mana through violence one must invoke the god Ku, deity of war and politics.

Tibetan Buddhism

Lung means the wind or breath. Exists as a key concept in Vajrayana traditions. Generally, it's concept relates to the understanding of the subtle body, and Three Vajras. Those three are the body, speech, and mind. Lung relates to the subtle flow of energy and the five elements. (Fire, Water, Earth, Space, and Air) Lung is mostly closely connected to the Air Element.

Lung has also been used to describe the winds or prana being used in conjunction with the subtle body during a time of exercise, but also more importantly everyday functions of the body and its own senses. There are five psychic winds which manifest into mahabhuta. These five relate to the lifeforce that animate the body-mind (namarupa) of all sentient beings.

The Five Root or Major Winds

The root winds support an element and is responsible for a function of the human body.

    The 'life-supporting wind' (Tib. སྲོག་འཛིན་རླུང་, sok dzin lung; Wyl. srog 'dzin rlung). Located in the brain, this lung regulates functions such as swallowing, inhalation, and concentration.

    The 'upward-moving wind' (Tib. གྱེན་རྒྱུ་རླུང་, gyengyu lung; Wyl. gyen rgyu rlung). Located in the chest and thorax, this lung regulates, among other things, speech, the body's energy and vitality, memory, mental endeavour and diligence.

    The 'all-pervading wind' (Tib. ཁྱབ་བྱེད་རླུང་, khyap ché lung; Wyl. khyab byed rlung). Residing in the heart, this lung controls all the motor activities of the body.

    The 'fire-accompanying wind' (Tib. མེ་མཉམ་གནས་རླུང་, me nyam né lung; Wyl. me mnyam gnas rlung). Found in the stomach and abdomen area, the fire-accompanying wind regulates digestion and metabolism.

    The 'downward-clearing wind' (Tib. ཐུར་སེལ་རླུང་, thursel lung; Wyl. thur sel rlung). Located in the rectum, bowels and perineal region, this lung's function is to expel faeces, urine, semen, and menstrual blood. It also regulates uterine contractions during labour.

The Five Branch Winds

The five branch winds enable the senses to operate.

    The naga wind (Tib.ཀླུའི་རླུང་, lu'i lung; Wyl. klu'i rlung). This lung connects with the eyes and sight.

    The tortoise wind (Tib. རུ་སྦལ་གྱི་་རླུང་, rubal gyi lung; Wyl. ru sbal gyi rlung). This wind connects with the heart and the sense of hearing.

    The lizard wind (Tib.རྩངས་པའི་རླུང་, tsangpé lung; Wyl. rtsangs pa'i rlung) associated with the nose and the sense of smell.

    The devadatta wind (Tib.ལྷས་བྱིན་གྱི་རླུང་, lhéjin gyi lung; Wyl. lhas byin gyi rlung) related to the sense of taste.

    The 'king of wealth deities' wind (Tib. ནོར་ལྷ་རྒྱལ་གྱི་རླུང་, nor lha gyal gyi lung; Wyl. nor lha rgyal gyi rlung). This wind connects with the body and the sense of touch.

[calitsnow]

Summary of all mentions of members of Hong Lu's family in the game + comparison with the original book

Summary:

Mention of his “family” in general in the game

Mention of the family elders in the game + comparison with the original work

Mention of his grandmother in the game + comparison with the original work

Mention of his grandfather in the game + comparison with the original work

Mention of his father in the game + comparison with the original work

Mention of his siblings in the game + comparison with the original work

Mention of his brother (Jia Huan) in the game

I wanted to recap all the times Hong Lu talks about his family or a particular member of his family while at the same time comparing them to their version of the original novel by giving some info on the latter (assuming that Hong Lu = Jia Baoyu ). I excluded from this list the uncles and aunts by marriage as well as Baoyu's cousins ​​ for various reasons (too long otherwise, not mentioned...) but I will perhaps do a part 2 to talk about them.

Was also excluded, the entire branch which stems from Jia Yan (the brother of Jia Yuan (the father of Jia Daishan, the husband of Grandmother Jia)), a branch which remains important since it is this one who leads to the actual Head of the Ningguo Mansion (Jia Zhen) when the story takes place. But since, they are distant relatives/cousins ​​of Jia Baoyu, that was taking me too far and so I had to remove them from this list. But I still wanted to mention it since it is an important branch of the family

The Jia family is mainly composed of 4 great families: the Jia Family, the Xue Family, the Wang Family and the Shi family in other words those who were born with the name Jia and those who joined the family by marriage / alliance / by being the brother / sister of one of the grooms… (born Xue or Wang or Shi).

There are also other families like the Xing or Lin family joining the Jia family but whose name appears (very) less often and which are also not considered as one of the great families of the novel.

This list of family members is made in relation to the place they occupy in relation to Jia Baoyu.

I/Mention of his “family” in general in the game

LCB sinner, chatter#3

Abn. logs, Pink shoes: lacking data

Abn. Logs, Sign of Roses: level 1

Abn. Logs, Sign of Roses: level 3

Liu Association South Section 5, story

Liu Association South Section 5, story

K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, post-uptie chat 2

W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, Idle

Main story, Canto II, episode: 3

Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, Miracle in district 20, episode: 13

Main story, Canto V, episode: 2

Hong Lu’s promo pre-limbus company release (Hong Lu also mentions the family’s chef’s side dishes but I didn’t include it because it was not about his family specifically)

II/Mention of the family elders in the game + comparison with the original work

W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, story

W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, story

Main story, Canto IV, episode: 27

To tell the truth, I don't really know what the term "elders" is supposed to encompass in this context in the sense that, I don't know whether or not parents and/or uncles/aunts should be included in addition to the grandparents.

In my opinion the term "elders" refers to all the generations who are above the one who uses this term (in this case Hong Lu / Jia Baoyu) so I would tend to want to count the parents and uncles / aunts but I cannot say this with certainty.

I will therefore base myself on my interpretation so that it will allow me to talk about more characters of the novel but do not hesitate to let me know what this term encompasses!

1st generation:

Grand parents:

Jia Daishan:

Son of Jia Yuan

first Duke of Rong

husband of Grandmother Jia

father of Jia She, Jia Min and Jia Zheng

grandfather of the three first Spring Ladies (Jia Yuanchun, Jia Tanchun and Jia Yingchun), Jia Zhu, Baoyu, Daiyu, Jia Huan, Jia Lian

died before the beginning of the novel, reason why we don’t know much about him

Grandma Jia (the Dowager):

Daughter of the Marquis Shi of Jinling

Wife of Jia Daishan

Grandmother Jia is a generation above the oldest member of the Rongguo Mansion (Jia Jing)

Thus, members of the Jia family all defer to her

For further information, refer to the paragraph dedicated to her below

Great uncle(s):

Dowager’s brother:

We don't know much about the Dowager's brother

He is Grandmother Jia’s brother

He is the father of Shi Ding and Shi Xiangyun's Father

He is Shi Xiangyun’s grandfather

died before the beginning of the novel, reason why we don’t know much about him

2nd generation:

Parents:

Jia Zheng:

Jia Zheng is the second and youngest son of Jia Daishan and Grandmother Jia.

He has a wife, Lady Wang, and two concubines: Zhao (with whom he had two children) and Zhou

For further information, refer to the paragraph dedicated to him below

Lady Wang:

Daughter of one of the four most prominent families of Jinling (Wang)

Primary wife of Jia Zheng

Mother of Baoyu and Yuanchun

Because of her purported ill-health, she hands over the running of the household to her niece, Wang Xifeng

In the eyes of her servants, she appears as a statue of a lifeless Buddha.

Although generous, she is described as without will or conviction.

Lady Wang seems kind and caring but can be cruel and ruthless when her authority is questioned.

She shows excessive concern about her son Baoyu's romantic relationships and closely monitors his maids.

Lady Wang plays a role in the death of Baoyu's maid, Qingwen, due to her suspicion and cruelty toward maids she perceives as threats to her son's virtue.

Uncles:

Jia She:

Elder son of the Dowager

Big brother of Jia Zheng and Jia Min

Husband of Xing furen

He has 2 concubines: Yingchun’s mother and Jia Cong's mother

Father of Jia Lian, Jia Yingchun and Jia Cong

He inherited the title of Marquis Rong

He is treacherous and greedy, as well as seductive/woomanizer.

He feels jealous towards his younger brother, favored by their mother.

He was later stripped of his title and banished by the government.

Father of Wang Ren and Wang Xifeng:

Lady Wang’s brother

Also brother of Wang Ziteng and Wang Zisheng

Father of Wang Ren and Wang Xifeng:

Wang Ziteng:

Lady Wang’s brother

Also brother of Wang Xifeng’s father and Wang Zisheng

Wang Zisheng:

Lady Wang’s brother

Also brother of Wang Xifeng’s father and Wang Ziteng

Aunts:

Jia Min:

Daughter of Jia Daishan and Grandmother Jia

Sister of Jia She and Jia Zheng

Wife of Lin Ruhai

Mother of Lin Daiyu

Xue Yima also known as Aunt Xue:

Sister of Lady Wang

Sister of Wang Ziteng, Wang Zisheng and Wang Xifeng’s father

Mother to Xue Pan and Xue Baochai

She is generally kind and affable.

However, she struggles to control her rambunctious son.

III/ Mention of his grandmother in the game + comparison with the original work

K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story

K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story

K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story

K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story

W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, chatter #1

K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, post-uptie chat 1

Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, S.E.A, episode: 4

If Hong Lu is indeed the equivalent of Jia Baoyu in the world of limbus company, Hong Lu's grandmother should be the one known as Grandmother Jia, née Shi:

Grandmother Jia:

Also called Dowager Shi or simply the Dowager

She is the daughter of the Marquis Shi of Jinling

Grandmother Jia is a generation above the oldest member of the Rongguo Mansion (Jia Jing)

Main elder of the great family, she is the oldest and most respected authority of the Jia Clan

Of an enjoyable temperament, she does not intervene in the private lives of her children provided that they do not disturb her, even if they have become debauched or high rollers.

It was she who arranged for Daiyu, her only "outside" (i.e., maternal) grandchild, to come to the Rongguo Mansion

She spoils her grandson Baoyu whom she carries in adoration

Despite this, she does not approve of his love for Daiyu

She is the one who supports the marriage arranged by Sister Pheonix (Wang Xifeng) between Baoyu and Baochai

She will die at the ripe old age of 83

Maybe it's just me, but she seems to be one of the people if not the person who pays the most attention to Jia Baoyu's jade, reminding him to take care of it, asking him if he knows where it is his jade when he is not wearing it, paying attention to the stone...

IV/ Mention of his grandfather in the game + comparison with the original work

Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, Yield my flesh to claim their bones, episode: 4

Abn. Logs, Pink shoes: lacking data

Hong Lu’s promo pre-limbus company release (yéyé" (爷爷) meaning "grandfather" or “grandpa”. It is an affectionate term used to refer to one's grandfather in Mandarin.)

So we don’t really know which of his two grandfathers Hong Lu is referring to but knowing that in the novel only his paternal grandfather is mentioned and died before the novel begins, I think the "grandfather" Hong is talking about is Jia Daishan (and that he probably died in the world of Limbus Company too)

Jia Daishan:

Son of Jia Yuan

first Duke of Rong

husband of Grandmother Jia

father of Jia She, Jia Min and Jia Zheng

grandfather of the three first Spring Ladies (Jia Yuanchun, Jia Tanchun and Jia Yingchun), Jia Zhu, Baoyu, Daiyu, Jia Huan, Jia Lian

died before the beginning of the novel, reason why we don't know much about him

V/ Mention of his father in the game + comparison with the original work

LCB sinner, chatter#1

If Hong Lu is indeed the equivalent of Jia Baoyu in the world of limbus company, Hong Lu's father should be Jia Zheng:

Jia Zheng:

He is the second and youngest son of Jia Daishan and Grandmother Jia.

He has a wife, Lady Wang, and two concubines: Zhao (with whom he had two children) and Zhou

Father of Jia Zhu (deceased), Jia Yuanchun, Jia Baoyu, Jia Tanchun and Jia Huan

Confucianism had a great influence on him: he is a Confucian scholar who tries to be an upright and decent person, he fulfills his duties of filial piety towards the Dowager, and wants to educate his children strictly

Afraid his one surviving heir will turn bad, he imposes strict rules on his son (Jia Baoyu), and uses occasional corporal punishment.

Jia Baoyu is afraid of him

He has the ambition to become a good civil servant

But he lacks experience and is easily deceived by others, which earns him a bad reputation.

VI/ Mention of his siblings in the game + comparison with the original work

Main story, Canto III, episode: 2

Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, episode: 13

Abn. Logs, Pink shoes: lacking data

If Hong Lu is indeed supposed to be the Jia Baoyu of the world of Limbus Company, then, if we refer to the novel The Dream of the Red Room, Hong Lu should, like Baoyu, have 4 siblings:

Jia Zhu:

First son of Jia Zheng and Lady Wang

Big brother of Jia Baoyu and Jia Yuanchun and half-brother of Jia Tanchun and Jia Huan since they share the same father.

In the original novel, Jia Zhu is already dead prior to the action of the novel, so we know very little about him.

He had a son (Jia Lan) with Li Wan

Jia Yuanchun:

First female family member of the quartet of "Springs", first daughter of Jia Zheng and Lady Wang

Big sister of Jia Baoyu and Jia Yuanchun and half-sister of Jia Tanchun and Jia Huan since they share the same father.

She is about 10 years older than Baoyu.

She was raised by her grandmother

As an older sister, she taught Baoyu to read and write when he was liitle like his mother would have done.

Originally one of the ladies-in-waiting in the imperial palace, Yuanchun is later promoted to the highest ranking of imperial concubine "Xiande”, having impressed the Emperor with her virtue and intellect.

Despite her prestigious position, Yuanchun feels imprisoned within the four walls of the imperial palace.

She died at the age of forty, following an illness, in total isolation.

Jia Tanchun:

Third female family member of the quartet of "Springs", second daughter of Jia Zheng and his concubine, concubine Zhao

Big sister of Jia Huan and younger half-sister of Jia Zhu, Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu since they share the same father.

The fact that she is the daughter of a concubine is still such a burden that she often claims Lady Wang, Baoyu's mother, as her own

Tanchun is a very clever and capable person, as much as Sister Phoenix for comparison

But, as the proverb says, "he who comes last will have fewer opportunities than the others", and this is what happened to her, because when her family declined she had not done much and she was sent to a distant region following an arranged marriage

Jia Huan:

Third son of Jia Zheng and his concubine, concubine Zhao

Little brother of Jia Tanchun and younger half-brother of Jia Zhu, Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu since they share the same father.

More info just below

VII/ Mention of his brother (Jia Huan) in the game

Main story, Canto I, episode: 30

Main story, Canto V, episode: 18 (there we don’t know if he is talking about Jia Huan or not but there are not many other options and from what we can deduce from Jia Huan’s behaviour (in game and in the book too) it’s not very out off character)

Jia Huan:

Third male family member of the generation of the Jia household, son of Jia Zheng and his concubine, concubine Zhao

Little brother of Jia Tanchun and half-brother of Jia Zhu, Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu since they share the same father.

He is described as ugly and clumsy

He and his mother are both reviled by the family, and he carries himself like a kicked dog.

He is very cunning but mediocre, he shows his malignant nature by spilling candle wax, intending to blind his half-brother Baoyu

That’s all! If I have forgotten any moments where Hong Lu talks about his family, don't hesitate to tell me and I will add it! Also, I tried to verify and proof-read all the info and everything should be correct but if I made a mistake feel free to point it out to me :)

[yamayuandadu]

"Nine-headed hermit": the early history of Zhong Kui (and his sister)

Gong Kai's painting Zhongshan Going on Excursion, showing Zhong Kui, his sister and various demons during a journey (wikimedia commons) Zhong Kui is probably one of the most recognizable figures from Chinese mythology today and continues to star in novels, movies and other works. However, his modern image largely depends on sources the Ming and Qing periods. In this article, I’ll attempt to instead shed some light on some lesser known aspects of his earlier history. You will be able to learn why he was called a “nine headed hermit” despite having only one head, what he had to do with foxes, when his sister was portrayed as an exorcist like him, and more. As a bonus, I’ve included a brief summary of Zhong Kui’s reception in medieval Japan.

The earliest history of Zhong Kui

Zhong Kui’s history goes all the way back to the Zhou period (most of the first millennium BCE). A homophone of his name (鍾馗), zhongkui (終葵; also zhongzui, 終椎) at the time referred to a type of ritual mallet used to expel demons. During the Six Dynasties period first cases of this term (now written as 鍾馗 ori 鍾葵) being used as a personal name start to pop up. The purpose was most likely to confer the protection granted by such objects to a child just through their name. Numerous cases are attested, and it doesn’t seem the bearers of the moniker Zhong Kui can be distinguished by a specific origin, social class or even gender. The earliest possible reference to a specific supernatural being named Zhong Kui comes from the Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing (太上洞淵神咒經; “Scripture of the Divine Incantations of the Abyssal Caverns of the Most High”), a Daoist work possibly composed as early as in the fourth century. The oldest surviving copy of the passage concerning Zhong Kui has been identified in a copy from Dunhuang dated to 664. He appears in it as an assistant of king Wu of Zhou and Confucius (sic) who helps them subjugate ghosts and disease demons. It is not impossible that to the compilers of Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing Zhong Kui was only a stand-in for an exorcist, though, not a single well defined figure. There’s an eyewitness account of such specialists dressing up in leopard skins, painting their faces red and announcing they are Zhong Kui in another, slightly newer Dunhuang text. It specifies that many Zhong Kui exist, and that they answer to the “General of Five Paths”, an originally apocryphal Buddhist figure eventually canonized as one of the kings of hell (you can find an excellent article about him here). In any case, regardless of the clear evidence for ambiguous use of the term in earlier times, it is agreed Zhong Kui became a well defined figure by the end of the Tang period. That’s also when legends about his origin started to circulate.

The legend of Zhong Kui

A typical depiction of Zhong Kui as a Tang period official by the Qing period artist Lü Xue (wikimedia commons)

According to the most popular version of Zhong Kui’s origin story, he was a scholar from the Zhongnan Mountains who lived during the reign of Gaozu of Tang (reigned 618-626). He took part either in the imperial examination or the imperial military examination (that’s an ahistorical detail - it was established by Wu Zetian in 702), but failed. This detail is not elaborated upon further in early accounts, but by the Ming period it was attributed not to lack of skill but rather to prejudice against Zhong Kui’s physical appearance (he is fairly consistently described as dark-skinned, unusually tall, with a bulbous head and excessive facial hair). It’s possible that this new backstory was based in part on experiences of real officials of foreign origin, whose appearance was sometimes mocked by their peers, as already documented in Tang sources. Another possibility is that the descriptions were meant to be exaggerated to the point of making him resemble a demon, though. Either way, out of despair caused by failure Zjong Kui committed suicide by smashing his head against the steps leading to the imperial palace. However, since in his final words he swore to protect the emperor and his realm, he didn’t return as a vengeful ghost, but rather as a queller of malevolent supernatural entities. Alternatively, he took this role out of gratitude for Gaozu, who was saddened by his death and organized the burial worthy of an honored official for him. Note that in later plays which often serve as the basis for modern adaptations, the burial is typically arranged by a certain Du Ping (杜平), a friend of Zhong Kui from back home. Apparently a version in which the kings of hell are so impressed by Zhong Kui that they decide to make him the king of the ghosts also exists, though I was unable to track down its original source. In any case, he is associated with Mount Fengdu - one of the terms referring to the realm of the dead - in a poem by Song Wu (宋无; 1260–1340) already. He, or at least generic clerk figures based on his iconography, also sometimes appear in Song period paintings of the Ten Kings.

Several Zhong Kui-like clerks from a depiction of hell in Sermon on Mani's Teaching of Salvation (wikimedia commons)

According to Shih-shan Huang a single example of such a figure has even been identified in a Manichaean context, specifically in the scroll Sermon on Mani’s Teaching on Salvation.

Manichaean curiosities aside, supposedly the first person to be aided by Zhong Kui was emperor Xuanzong of Tang. At some point he fell gravely ill. In a dream, he saw a demon who attempted to steal a flute which was one of his most prized possessions. However, the attempt was foiled by a fearsome giant, who dealt with the thief rather brutally, poking out one of his eyes and then devouring him. After completing this act of demon quelling, he explained that he is Zhong Kui, and how he came to fulfill his current role. After waking up, Xuanzong felt healthy again. He was so impressed he commissioned Wu Daozi, arguably the most famous artist in China at the time, to prepare a painting of Zhong Kui which could be used as a talisman against any further supernatural issues. Supposedly it left quite the impression on the general populace, and soon numerous images of Zhong Kui started to be distributed as talismans. There is definitely a kernel of truth to this part of the legend, as eyewitness accounts of Wu Daozi’s painting exist, but the work itself is lost. As a side note, it’s worth pointing out the flute thief demon, despite meeting a gruesome end here, enjoyed a literary afterlife of his own. A certain Li Mingfeng (李鳴鳳), the author of a colophon on one of the earliest surviving Zhong Kui paintings, suggests that the (in)famous rebel An Lushan might have been a reincarnation of this specific entity. While I am not aware of any other attempts at providing him with a backstory, in Ming period retellings of the legend, he received a name, Xu Hao (虛耗).

Zhong Kui’s later career

Zhong Kui’s popularity grew after the Tang period, and he arguably eclipsed figures such as the fangxiang (方相) or the baize (白沢) as the demon queller par excellence. Legends about his origin and his first notable act of demon quelling which I summarized above spread far and wide during the reign of the Song dynasty. After becoming a well defined figure, Zhong Kui came to be most commonly classified as a ghost (鬼; gui). In texts from the Song and Yuan periods he is often labeled more specifically as a “big ghost” (大鬼, dagui) or “ghost hero” (鬼雄, guixiong). However, his popularity effectively made him a god in popular imagination, and as a matter of fact he is referred to as such. His divinity is not exactly conventional, though. This topic is addressed in Fu Lu Shou Xianguan Qinghui 福祿壽仙官慶會 (The Immortal Officials of Happiness, Wealth and Longevity Gather in Celebration) by the Ming playwright Zhu Youdun (朱有燉; 1379-1435). Zhong Kui says himself that unlike his peers, he has no festival to call his own, and receives no regular offerings - and yet, he still vanquishes malicious entities on behalf of humans as long as talismans showing him continue to be distributed.

Interestingly, despite his long career in texts, no images of Zhong Kui older than the thirteenth century are known. This is mostly a matter of selective preservation, though - we know that depictions of him existed as early as in the ninth century, and that they were mass produced, presumably as woodblock prints, in the tenth. However, he didn’t necessarily look similar to his modern depictions. He actually only came to be depicted as a Tang scholar in the Song period. It seems earlier his costume might have varied. One thing which seemingly remained consistent when it comes to Zhong Kui’s appearance is his facial hair. This feature is even emphasized in many of his epithets, such as “Old Beard” (老髯, Lao Ran), “Bearded Elder” (髯翁, Ran Wong) or “Bearded Lord” (髯君, Ran Jun). It’s possible that this was initially a way to highlight his vitality and his opposition to disease-causing demons. Tang and Song sources indicate the state of facial hair could be viewed as an indicator of health. There’s even a handful of peculiar anecdotes about certain emperors, like Taizong of Tang or Renzong of Song, believing their facial hair has supernatural healing powers and offering ailing courtiers concoctions in which it was one of the ingredients. There’s no evidence Zhong Kui’s hair was ever believed to serve a similar purpose, though. Not all of Zhong Kui’s titles revolve around his beard, though. An interesting example is “Nine-Headed Hermit” (九首山人). The intent isn’t to imply he has nine heads, it’s a multilayered pun instead. The character 馗 in Zhong Kui’s name is a combination of 九, “nine”, and 首, “head”. Referring to him as a “hermit”, literally “man of the mountain”, is likely supposed to show that he traverses areas traditionally believed to be inhabited by demons.

The nine-headed snake Xiangliu (wikimedia commons)

Chun-Yi Tsai suggests that this title also highlights Zhong Kui’s physical prowess by implicitly evoking “a nine-headed serpent known for its tremendous strength in Guideways through Mountains and Seas” (presumably Xiangliu).

Zhong Kui’s strength lets him punish his enemies in various unexpectedly creative ways. The earliest sources already mention he could grind vanquished demons in a mill, for instance. References to eating them are particularly common. Depending on the source, Zhong Kui might simply devour them whole, hunt and prepare them like game animals, chop them up to pickle them, mince them to prepare meat snacks, squeeze them to make juice and wine, and so on. Such comedically gruesome descriptions are generally limited to textual sources, since violence was rarely depicted in other mediums, even in relation to military topics. Wu Daozi’s lost painting was apparently one of the exceptions, as according to a tenth century description it showed Zhong Kui gouging out the eyes of the captured demon.

Zhong Kui’s sister and other assistants

While Zhong Kui is often depicted in the company of nondescript demons, there are relatively few recurring figures associated with him. The main exception is his sister. The Song period painter Gong Kai (龔開) and his contemporary Li Mingfeng (李鳴鳳) simply refer to her as Amei (阿妹), literally “younger sister”, though here it’s apparently a personal name, following Chun-yi Tsai’s interpretation. Her origin is unknown, and she is not present in any of the early variants of the legend. 

Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister (wikimedia commons)

Today Zhong Kui’s sister is known chiefly from works of art in various mediums which can be broadly subsumed under the label “Zhong Kui marrying off his sister” (鍾馗嫁妹, Zhong Kui jiamei) which proliferated through the Ming and Qing periods. This label is sometimes applied to earlier paintings too, for example Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister (鍾馗嫁妹圖, Zhong Kui jiamei tu) is the conventional modern title of a scroll attributed to the poorly known painter Yan Geng (顏庚). A colophon from the Ming period describing this work calls the figure presumed to be Zhong Kui’s sister Ayi (阿姨; an informal way to refer a maternal aunt) as opposed to Amei. Chun-yi Tsai states it is not impossible that the woman is supposed to be Zhong Kui’s wife, rather than his sister, though. The painting can be dated to the Yuan period, and there is no evidence for the story of Zhong Kui marrying off his sister before the Ming plays - granted, it is not impossible that it was already in circulation earlier. Still, other paintings showing Zhong Kui marrying off his sister only date to the Qing period. Additionally, the procession might be a parody of paintings showing rural marriages or couples moving to a new house. 

While as far as I am aware this eventually went out of fashion, in early sources Zhong Kui’s sister could be portrayed as an exorcist herself. An example can be found in one of the sermons of the Chan monk Yuanwu (圓悟; 1063–1135), in which he states that celebrations on the “Double Fifth” (端午節, duanwu jie) - the fifth day of the fifth month - involved a dance of “Zhong Kui and his little sister”. A reference to performers dressed up as the pair (as well as kings of hell, gods of soil and stove, various warrior deities and more) has alsobeen identified in an account of celebrations in Kaifeng from the end of the reign of the Northern Song dynasty.

Similar evidence can be found in art too. For example, Zheng Yuanyou (鄭元祐; 1292-1364) in a poem inspired by a painting titled Zhong Kui’s Sister (馗妹圖; as far as I am aware, this work has not been identified) states that she travels alongside her brother, that she’s armed with a sword, and that demons fear her. A related portrayal of her is known from a critical review of the works of Si Yizhen (姒頤真), a Song dynasty painter. According to Gong Kai, in one of his paintings she is shown in tattered (or unbuttoned - the term used, 披襟, can mean both) clothes, and chases away a boar attacking her brother. He was evidently not fond of this innovation, and criticizes it as “vulgar” and inappropriate. It needs to be stressed that Gong Kai’s displeasure wasn’t necessarily tied to presenting Zhong Kui’s sister as a demon queller, though. In fact, he is actually the author of the most famous work portraying her in this role. 

Gong Kai's take on Zhong Kui's sister and her attendants (wikimedia commons; cropped for the ease of viewing)

Gong Kai depicted Amei in unusual black makeup, which is also worn by female demons accompanying her (note the one carrying a kitty!). This might be a parody of the sanbai (三白; “three whites”) face painting popular in the Song period. She and her attendants wear robes decorated with depictions of the “five poisons” (五毒), a term referring to animals perceived as particularly dangerous and inauspicious. The exact list varies, though centipedes, scorpions and snakes in particular are mainstays. The five poisons are directly associated with Zhong Kui, as he can be invoked to ward them off. Direct evidence first appears in the Qing period in accounts of the well known Dragon Boat Festival, but it’s not impossible this was an earlier development.

It is presumed that Gong Kai’s painting might depict Zhong Kui and Amei looking for a demonic version of Yang Guifei, as indicated by various hints in colophons. Her portrayals in art are quite diverse, but attributing demonic traits to her would be hardly unparalleled - she could even be described as a “palace demon” (宮妖, gong yao). The decline of the Tang dynasty was blamed on her, and metaphorically she might have been invoked to criticize other people believed to improperly use the power granted to them by the imperial court.

Gong Kai’s painting also depicts a less recurring member of Zhong Kui’s entourage. One of the demons carries a fox, specifically a nine-tailed specimen. The association between this animal and Zhong Kui goes all the way back to the early Tang period. In one of the Dunhuang manuscripts, the demon queller’s entourage includes a nine-tailed fox and a baize, who acted as bringers of good luck alongside him. It’s also worth pointing out that in another text from the same site, his mount during the hunt for a wangliang (魍魎; I will likely cover this entity a future article, stay tuned) is a “wild fox”. Chun-Yi Tsai attributes the inclusion of a nine-tailed fox among Zhong Kui’s servants as a “family pet” of sorts to the portrayals of this supernatural creature both as an apotropaic antidote to poison (including the five poisons) and as a demon in its own right. It would be a suitable member of Zhong Kui’s entourage both as a conquered malevolent being and as an amplifier for his exorcistic, protective power. A further possibility is that the association is the result of wordplay. A new year celebration involving a procession of people dressed up as members of Zhong Kui’s entourage, including his sister and various supernatural attendants, was known as dayehu (打夜胡). The homphony between 胡 and 狐, “fox”, might have resulted in the inclusion of the animal among the helpers.

Post scriptum: Zhong Kui in Japan

Zhong Kui, as depicted in Extermination of Evil (wikimedia commons)

Zhong Kui - or rather Shōki, following the Japanese reading of his name - probably reached Japan in the Insei period. Many other figures originating in China reached a considerable degree of popularity in Japan at roughly the same time - Taishan Fujun, Siming, Wudao Dashen, Pangu, Shennong, the examples keep piling up.

The oldest known Japanese depiction of Zhong Kui, which you can see above, is a painting from the twelfth century set known as Extermination of Evil. It might look a bit outlandish compared to most of the other depictions shown through this article, but I was able to locate a very close Chinese parallel:

A Yuan period depiction of Zhong Kui from the collection of the Beijing Library, via Richard von Glahn’s Sinister Way. Reproduced here for educational purposes only.

This is a Yuan period illustration said to be based on Wu Daozi’s painting. Zhong Kui doesn’t look like a Tang scholar yet, and the jacket and wide-brimmed hat are remarkably similar. It seems safe to assume that the Japanese painter was following a similar model - presumably one of the many now lost early depictions of Zhong Kui. Slightly antiquated iconography surviving far away from the core area associated with a specific figure would hardly be unparalleled - it has been recently suggested that the baize/hakutaku is a similar case, with Japanese depictions and descriptions matching Tang sources fairly closely, but missing the elements which developed in the Song period or later. For the most part, Zhong Kui fulfilled a similar role in Japan as in China: he was regarded as a fearsome demon queller, and images representing him were distributed for apotropaic purposes. However, it’s also important to note that there were certain innovations. He arrived in Japan at the brink of the middle ages - theologically speaking an era of unparalleled innovation, during which both native and imported figures were interpreted in unexpected ways, leading to the rise of a new “medieval mythology”. Zhong Kui was hardly an exception from this trend. A “medieval myth” involving Zhong Kui is known from Hoki Naiden (ほき内伝; “Inner Tradition of the Square and the Round Offering Vessels”), an onmyōdō treatise traditionally attributed to Abe no Seimei, but most likely written by one of his descendants in the fourteenth century. Curiously, Zhong Kui’s name is written in it as 商貴 instead of the expected 鍾馗.

Tenkeisei (wikimedia commons)

In the Hoki Naiden, Zhong Kui is still a queller of malevolent supernatural beings. However, instead of being a scorned scholar, he is a yaksha who became the ruler of Rājagṛha, a city in India. He is said to correspond to both the medieval Japanese deity Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王), and to his celestial “double” Tenkeisei (天刑星; from Chinese Tianxingxing), the “star of heavenly punishment” (I covered him here). They are said to be his manifestations respectively on earth and in heaven. This equation might seem random at first glance, but both of them actually had a lot in common with Zhong Kui: all three were believed to keep demons, especially those causing diseases, in check. Curiously, the reinterpretation of Zhong Kui as a yaksha turned king can also be found in the Genkō Shakusho (元亨釈書), a Kamakura period Buddhist history book. However, I am not aware of any studies examining it in more detail. I assume identifying him as a yaksha was a result of association with Gozu Tennō (I briefly discussed his yaksha credentials here), rather than the other way around, though.

While Hoki Naiden ultimately pertains more to medieval than modern religion, it’s worth noting that an unconventional take on Zhong Kui is still part of an extant tradition. Through history, Zhong Kui could be identified as a dōsojin (道祖神). This term denotes a class of deities meant to protect roads, crossroads and borders of villages. In parts of the Niigata prefecture this form of him is sometimes referred to as Shōki Daimyōjin (鍾馗大明神) today.

Bibliography

Joshua Capitanio, Epidemics and Plague in Premodern Chinese Buddhism

Bernard Faure, Rage and Ravage (Gods of Medieval Japan vol. 3)

Richard von Glahn, The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture

Shih-shan Susan Huang, Picturing the True Form. Daoist Visual Culture in Traditional China

Wilt Idema & Stephen H. West, Zhong Kui at Work: A Complete Translation of The Immortal Officials Of Happiness, Wealth, and Longevity Gather in Celebration , by Zhu Youdun (1379–1439)

Chun-Yi Joyce Tsai, Imagining the Supernatural Grotesque: Paintings of Zhong Kui and Demons in the Late Southern Song (1127-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasties

[dreamingsnowflake2013]

Jiang Xue Ning, the delusional and dense queen of Denial Land.

Oh, but he has a heart, with a wall greater than the Great Wall of China and more guarded than Alcatraz, it's a ice-cold wasteland, but it now only beats for her, because she has managed to sneak into it little by little, overcoming all of Xie Wei's defences.

Xie Wei basically served his heart on a silver platter to her, begged her, tried to get promises of never leaving, and this is the conclusion she arrives at?! Wasn't she supposed to be good at business, why can't she put one and one together and get two?! If he really were afraid of you jeopardizing his plans, you would have been long dead and buried; it would only take snapping his fingers, nothing would be easier for him. Doesn't she realise he has been jeopardizing his iineffable revenge plan for Xue Ning for quite some time now? He was even willing to pull of that insane princess abduction/swap plan.

Also, let's not forget the tiny detail he's been engaging in a silent cold war with her father and scaring off all her potential suitors, who he thinks are utterly unsuitable for her, keeping the spot of her future husband vacant.

Of course, he has loved her all along, twice to be exact. Taking aside their past in the previous life, with her experience with marriage and love, or lack thereof, it actually makes sense she would fail to recognize his feelings for her. Her (ex) husband was too meek and soft, while Zhang Zhe has been cold, compose and untouchable, so she has never been loved with this all-consuming intensity and urgency Xie Wei does.

Her complete rejection of him, as he takes even the smallest hope that she cares for him away! He would say and do anything to bind Xue Ning to himself, even accepting the pretense that he owes heras long as she wouldn't leave him, but everything fails.

OMG! Xue Ning has finally managed to break Xie Wei, even after all the suffering, trauma and loss he's been through, he's held it together all the time, but the moments she runs of his life, he begins literally falling apart at his seams, as if he lost his anchor - she kept him grounded. He doesn't even dare to look at her leaving like he usually does, otherwise he would have collapsed right then and there.

The man is single-handedly redefining the word "lovesick". I said it once and I will say it again, he should really become BBFs with Tantai Jin and get drunk over their fucked-up existence (without any fault of their own) and miserable love lives.

[gravitasmalfunction]

The Double, ep 29

So I guess that's a wrap on the vengeance for Jiang Li arc. Stepmum is busted for all her many and various crimes against the family, Daddy Jiang has been informed there is no hope for reconciliation with the daughter he failed, and Old Madam Jiang has now received a full dose of guilt and shame for her failure to notice, let alone stop any of these disasters. Tong'er is gone (RIP Tong'er, miss you forever), and Duke Su has retrieved Haitang, Xue Fangfei's maid from her previous life. Vengeance time for Xue Fangfei has arrived!

Duke Su is flirting with danger by trying to scale back A'Li's role in the greater game; this is the first episode he's ever appeared less than perfectly composed. He lies to the emperor's face about not having his emotions involved when it comes to A'Li and continuing to make use of her as a pawn in the service of the emperor's greater strategy. When he takes A'Li to reunite with Haitang, his expression is visibly anxious after he sends her up the stairs to meet her maid. But he cheers up when she runs a little ring around him and describes the next play she's about to act out for him and the rest of the audience.

[hyog-blog]

Melody Journey (Music TV Show, 2024)

Zhou Shen, Xue Zhiqian, Ayunga, Liu Yuning, Liu DuanDuan, and more

I blame Liu Yuning for my falling into the c-pop wormhole, which led to a whole new world filled with cheesy ballads, romantic love songs, old-school rock hits, and cdrama OSTs. Chinese music industry really knows how to celebrate its talents—and have fun while it's at it!

Melody Journey has a fairly original concept. They invited a bunch of upcoming and established composers to present their new (!) songs to equally established and upcoming singers. That creates a very powerful mix - the singers get exposure and can sing some pretty amazing new hits (or less amazing, but it's still all in good fun), and the composers get their songs being broadcasted nationwide for the first time.

The modern stage is visually striking, the filming of the whole show is top-notch high-quality, but what makes it so damn good and delicious on all levels is the cast. The show features a lot of familiar faces from Singing with Legends season 3, which was pure awesomeness (if you haven't watched it - just go and do it now, you'll fall in love with all the singers and probably the Chinese music industry as well).

This means we get to enjoy the frantic humor of Xue Zhiqian, as well as his passionate performances. Next, there's Zhou Shen with his incredibly high, androgynous voice and a diva-like presence on stage (that, and his humor barely passing the show's censorship XD). There's also the incredibly lovely Shan Yichun and some cool guests appearing all the time, so the cast is pretty fluid.

At some point, Ayunga joins the stage - and if you know him, you know that this Mongolian musical singer is a real gem both in terms of looks and his gorgeous voice. Then Liu Yuning joins the show, bringing his magical voice and powerful performances, which can't really be compared to anyone else. That, and his personality also shines bright.

I was also very surprised to find Liu DuanDuan (2nd Prince from Joy of Life) to be a pretty good singer. Like really good! I didn't connect to him much at first, but he has a quirky sense of humor and a very hard-working personality. He's very passionate about singing, and it shows!

The show is hilarious right from the first episodes, there's so much humor, you can watch it just for that alone. Xue Zhiqian is a walking stand-up comedian, but he treats music very seriously. He also shifts between the roles of a singer and composer, giving some of his songs to the performers.

Because all the songs are new, it's very exciting to see the whole process of reacting/choosing what to sing. Everyone has their own personalities and preferences, which makes for a very entertaining process. I haven't laughed so much in a long while. All the guys and girls know each other, so it's not really a competition, but rather a fun music camp they do altogether.

At the end of each episdoe, some cutting-edge AI decides what song has the best chance of becoming a hit. That's pretty much it! No rewards or fancy titles. The show itself with new music and interesting performances is the reward, so they're doing it just for the fun of it.

I enjoyed the concept just as much as I enjoyed everyone's performances - there were lots of really cool new songs! So I recommend watching it fully, but if you're interested in our boy Liu Yuning, he appears in episode 7.

I've watched 9 episodes out of 11, and it's been nothing but fun paired with excitement :3 The humor is literally never-ending. No one is safe from friendly pranks.

You can't have Liu Yuning on the show without some height jokes, okay? They're obligatory)))

All the boys are incredibly touchy-feely and they hug a lot, which made my heart all warm and fuzzy. They're so cute. Also, the support seniors have to younger stars is very heart-warming.

Apart from all the fun, the show is just very pleasing to the eye. The stages have cool visual effects and some performances are very artsy.

The beginning of the show is already striking and you know it's going to be pretty!

[drama--universe]

Don't kill each other

Requested by anonymous: Hey hey! How about a request for Untamed where the reader is the twin (or younger sister) of Meng Yao who is involved in planning the murder of Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangshan along with her brother and Xue Yang. Meng Yao is very protective of her sister, always takes care of her and always wants her to be happy (heh, I adore protective brothers even though I don't have one XD). But Meng Yao does not know that his sister is in a relationship with Xue Yang, he is afraid to tell his brother because he believes that he might be jealous of Xue Yang because it was always her brother who protected her and now he will be replaced by Xue Yang. And she wasn't wrong in a way, when Meng Yao found out (he saw them too close together, heard them talking amorously to each other, etc...) and so he decides to interrogate them both, he asks his sister why she kept it from him...

Pairing: Xue Yang x Meng!reader

Word Count: 1.0k words

Warnings: dismemberment, death, threathening

With a loud sigh, you leaned back against Xue Yang's chest. Your brother was god knows where, already an hour late to what was supposed to be your meeting time. Xue Yang threw his arm around you, pulling you closer to him as he placed a soft kiss on the crown of your head. His hand toyed with your hair, pulling at the strands ever so slightly to annoy you a bit. You just shoved him as you sat up, almost jumping from your seat as the door loudly opened. You moved to another seat instead of staying on Xue Yang's lap, sitting a bit more neater and lady-like than before. Your brother, Meng Yao, entered with a frown on his face, creating wrinkles in his forehead that you had grown so used to seeing.

"Who was it this time?" You asked as you spotted some blood on the bottom of his robes, but Meng Yao didn't answer. His frown did lessen a bit when he saw you, softly patting your hair. You smiled at him before embracing him, making the elder break out in a smile eventually. Xue Yang was fascinated with how easy you could change Men Yao's mood, but it made sense since you could easily do the same for him. It was a charm of yours, one easily used for manipulation if necessary and often used for it as well. Xue Yang knew this well enough, it is how you got his attention and how you got him to join Meng Yao's plans. Luckily, you were more true to yourself after getting to know him instead of pretending to be your fake self.

"So, who was it this time?" You asked again as you let go of him, looking at him while he sat down as well. Meng Yao shook his head before looking at Xue Yang.

"Why are you here?" His voice was laced with annoyance, you couldn't figure out why, and Xue Yang scoffed before turning and grabbing his back. It was quickly throw across the room, landing besides Meng Yao. He opened it before closing it again, closing his eyes as well.

"I needed him intact, not just his head..." "The ghouls got to him first, not my fault." Xue Yang said, shrugging as he leaned back in his seat. Both men seemed a bit too unbothered with the fact that there was a literal head in the bag. You, like any normal human being, didn't quite like to see severed limbs. So when Meng Yao dropped the bag and the head of whoever rolled out of the bag and to the floor, you immediatley turned away while trying to not gag. Cue both men looking at you with a worried look, Xue Yang being the first to check up on you.

Unfortunately for both of you, he forgot about your brother sitting an arms length away.

"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was laced with venom, clearly meant to scare Xue Yang in some way. It didn't work, but that didn't mean that Meng Yao would stop glaring. You slowly pushed Xue Yang's hand away from your arm, coughing softly as you tried to compose yourself. Xue Yang didn't stop his movement as he made you close your eyes before you heard shuffling, assuming that he was putting the head away from your sight. Meng Yao frowned as he watched how caring Xue Yang was being to you, unlike what he had seen previously. He picked Xue Yang because of the lack of empathy to humans, yet here he was as he treated you like you were the love of his life. At that thought, Meng Yao's eyes widened as he looked between the two of you. Somehow, everything clicked in seconds.

"You're courting?" He asked, voice even rougher than before as he awaited an answer from you. He didn't care for Xue Yang, only staring at you with a look of, what seemed to be, disappointment. And for you, that was the worst thing to receive from your brother. It pained your heart that your brother was disappointed in you, you fought every single day to not disappoint him in any way and yet here you were. You forced yourself to speak, telling him that was true with a stutter in your voice that you could not hide. Emotions flashed across your brother's face, something that not often happened as Meng Yao never wore his emotions on his face. It ended in an emotionless look, one that you could still read easily however. That was an expression that meant one thing, Xue Yang was going to die.

"Don't you dare." The second you said that, Meng Yao had already turned and pointed a sword to your boyfriend's neck. It pressed against his main artery, drawing a bit of blood that trickled down Xue Yang's neck. You rushed forwards, shoving yourself in between the pair while pushing the sword away safely.

"You can not kill my boyfriend-" Meng Yao twitched, wanting to lift the sword once again. "-Don't you dare." You pointed a finger at him and he sighed, dropping the sword rather dramatically.

"If she gets hurt-" "She won't. You know what I can do." Xue Yang answered, a bit too cocky for your liking as you elbowed him between his ribs.

"I can protect myself, so why don't you both shut up." You spoke as you stepped out of their reach, looking at the both of them before pointing a finger at each.

"Now get along." And with that, you walked out. They'd be fine, even if they fought.

As long as neither died, but you'd kill the other if that happened and you were sure that they knew that.

[web-novel-polls]

Web Novel Weapon Tournament Masterpost

Submissions (includes Character List) - CLOSED Feb. 29th, 2024

Tournament Tag: #web novel weapon tournament

Type: Single Elimination with one Wild Card/revival slot

Posting Time: 12 pm CST (UTC-6) 

Start - End: March 6th, 2024 -- April 20th, 2024

Matches with a 1% difference or less will move on together & 1-3% is at my discretion

Winner: A Rock from Lout of the Count's Family

Final Rankings

A Rock from Lout of the Count's Family

Ruoye & E-ming from Heaven Official's Blessing

Xin Mo from The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Schedule / Bracket

[Last Updated: April 21st, 2024]

[Photo ID - a completed color-coded bracket for a 5-round tournament. Round 1 is composed of 12 matches, and Round 2 has 6 matches. Round 3 has three matches. Round 4, the semifinals, has two matches where one of the matches includes a wild card opponent. The finals were between Ruoye & E-ming vs. A Rock. A Rock won, marked with a crown. /End ID]

Completed

Wild Card Polls

Rounds 1 and 2 consisted of the eliminated candidates from their respective rounds, and Round 3 was between the winners of Rounds 1 and 2.

Round 1: Winner: Xuan Su & Chenqing

Round 2: Winner: Windmaster Fan

Round 3: Winner: Chenqing

Round 1: Group A - Wednesday, March 6th-13th, 2024

Polls will begin posting at 12 pm with another poll every 5 minutes. The last poll will open 12:25 pm CST

Bichen vs. Xuan Su - Winner: Bichen

Cheng Luan vs. Longcheng - Winner: Cheng Luan

Xin Mo vs. Jiangui - Winner: Xin Mo

Jiangzai vs. Bu’gui/Guilai - Winner: Bu'gui/Gui'lai

Taerang vs. Xue Zhengyong’s fan - Winner: XZY's fan

Suibian vs. Zidian - Winner: Zidian

Round 1: Group B - Friday, March 8th-15th, 2024

Polls will begin posting at 12 pm with another poll every 5 minutes. The last poll will open 12:25 pm CST

Ruoye vs. E-ming - TIE

Little Palace Mistress’s Whip vs. Zheng Yang - Winner: Zheng Yang

Windmaster Fan vs. Shuoye - Winner: Windmaster Fan

Chenqing vs. Rock - Winner: Rock

Tianwen vs. Hongjing - Winner: Tianwen

Yan Zhen vs. TGCF Final Battle Sword - Winner: TGCF Final Battle Sword

Round 2: March 17th–24th, 2024

Bichen vs. Cheng Luan - Winner: Bichen

Xin Mo vs. Bu’gui/Gui’lai - Winner: Xin Mo

Xue Zhengyong’s Fan vs. Zidian - Winner: Zidian

Ruoye & E-ming vs. Zheng Yang - Winner: Ruoye & E-ming

Windmaster Fan vs. A Rock: Winner: A Rock

Tianwen vs. TGCF Final Battle Sword - Winner: Tianwen

Round 3: March 26th-April 2nd, 2024

Bichen vs. Xin Mo - Winner: Xin Mo

Zidian vs. Ruoye & E-ming - Winner Ruoye & E-ming

A Rock vs. Tianwen - Winner: A Rock

Semifinals: April 4th-11th, 2024

Xin Mo vs. Ruoye & E-ming - Winner: Ruoye & E-ming

A Rock vs. Chenqing [Wild Card]: Winner: A Rock

Finals: April 13th-20th, 2024

Ruoye & E-ming vs. A Rock - Winner: A Rock

Third Place: Xin Mo vs. Chenqing [WC] - Winner: Xin Mo

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

~*~

1. I remember that fic — lwg accidentally killed wwx and then raise Wen Yuan. JYL live in it. Sorry for mistakes — english is't my first language. Also it first time when I use tumblr too 😅 @derrenaissance​

FOUND? A Little Fall of Rain by Just_a_Girl_in_a_Crystal (T, 47k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Grief/Mourning, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, Golden Core Reveal, Protective LXC, Protective LQR)

~*~

2. A friend and I are hoping you can help find a fic for the next fic finder. It's a modern AU and LWJ is on the autism spectrum but wasn't tested until he was an adult because LQR either didn't want him tested or was in denial about it when LWJ was a child. There was possibly an aunt that was on the spectrum too. We can't remember anything else about it and have gone through the autistic lwj tag and our bookmarks on ao3 but none that we found sounded right. Thanks in advance!

FOUND! together, we’re just enough  by lulu_kitty (E, 134k, wangxian, past WWX/OFC, modern, younger LWJ,   bartender LWJ, older WWX, rich WWX, fluff, yearning, smut, bottom LWJ,   LWJ has scoliosis, slow burn)  

~*~

3. Good day to all! There is a twitter fic that I wanted to read again but I forgot to save it (or like it). Can you help me find it?

Its about foxxian who goes into heat and he spend his heat with dragonji. Foxxian got pregnant and the jiang keep asking who is the father. Apparently, foxxian doesn’t know who is it. Then, when he gave birth, 3 eggs came out. The jiangs are shock. And when the eggs were hatch, all of them are dragons. So the jiangs knew now that the one who impregnant foxxian is a dragon from Lan Clan.

Thank you so much!

FOUND! Foxxian/Dragonji thread by @/cerbykerby (wangxian, cw: dubcon, mpreg, memory loss)    

~*~

4. Hi! I wanted to know if anyone remembers that wangxian time travel fic where lan xicheng goes in this little sidequest where he adopts Xue Yang and Meng Yao??? I think??? And helped them have decent childhoods while wwx fixed everything else

FOUND? And Time Is But a Paper Moon  by sami (M, 138k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, Everyone  Lives/Nobody Dies, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JYL, Getting Together) Lan Xichen is shown the future by Wwx via empathy. He finds XY and MY when they are still kids and brings them to Cloud Recesses.

~*~

5. hi!! Thank you for all the hard work you are putting! I'm looking for fic where wwx is in the hospital after a car accident. When he wakes up he doesn't remember lwj because he has a six years memory loss and the two of them met five years prior to the accident. They were also about to get married. Lwj played the violin for a living and composed music for Disney if I'm not mistaken. Wwx was an engineer for prosthetic parts and he was working with wq. That's all I remember. If you have the time, I would love if you looked for it!

FOUND? High On Information by Latigra (M, 110k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, Hurt/Comfort, Amnesia, Established Relationship, Injury Recovery, Family Drama, Set in USA, Shitty US Healthcare System is Good for Fictional Drama, Modern AU, mild body horror, Traumatic Brain Injury, Warnings at End Notes, Past Drug Use, ADHD, Jealousy, Dom/sub Undertones)

~*~

6. Hello! im looking for this wangxian fic that ive been missing for awhile now. I dont remember much but it was modern and everyone was a hitman or assassin (?) all i remember is that people were involved in the killing business. the only scene i remember is that JGS or JGY dies in the bathtub by being shot by LWJ or LXC. Oh thats another thing im pretty sure the way LWJ killed was by clean shots to the head. I know there's smut in it. It frustrates me so much that i cant remember more this was one of the first wangxian fics i remember reading

FOUND! 🧡 modus operandi by synonemous (E, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, Serial killer WangXian, Eventual happy ending, WangXian's Canon Kinks, Smut) Not everything fits - they are serial killers and jgy dies in a bathtub, but he wasn't shot / I think #6 is modus operandi too! HGJ kills with headshots, but JGY gets taken out by ZWJ, who comes out of retirement just for that one personal hit.

~*~

7. i have been remembering a fic where at the start wwx is engaged to jzx and lwj is engaged to jyl and obviously in the end they switched partners 😂 but idk the title or author, does this ring a bell for anyone? thanks in advance!!!!

FOUND? Neatly Arranged by thunderwear (T, 45k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, lwj’s mother is here but only briefly, RIP, Shenanigans, Fix-It, of sorts, Canonical Character Death, but not all, did i forget to tag pining, because this fic is like 90 percent pining, Hurt/Comfort)

~*~

8. Hi i’m looking for a fic that I read a while ago but can’t find. Wei wuxian gets sent back in time after his death to the cloud recesses lectures. He ends up in the middle of a lecture and starts crying. He can’t handle it and attempts suicide by jumping off a cliff at cloud recesses but he is found and saved. I think he gets sanctuary or something but i’m not sure. Thank you your page is a life savor!! @st3wartladle​

FOUND? Without end by barisan (M, 70k, wangxian, major character death, time travel, suicide attempt, hurt/comfort, depressed WWX, protective LWJ, good uncle LQR, bad parents JFM & YZY, not YZY & JFM & Jiang friendly, implied/referenced child abuse & self harm, BAMF WWX, WIP) The scene you mention is right in the beginning of the fic.

~*~

9. Looking for a vampire WWX/Hunter LWJ fic, that started with LWJ kneeling for the marriage ceremony and being bit, then the rest after that involved LWJ trying to keep away from WWX for his own good before they both get together. LWJ stays human. I think I found it on AO3? @bcaugust

It's not the right one(though it is one of my favorites and really close to the same vibe.) I also remember that the vampire bite would scar to indicate a spouse, if that helps anyone.

Not FOUND I Think Sunshine Would Treat Me Kind by vassal101 (T, 24k, WangXian, Exorcist LWJ, Vampire WWX, Human/Vampire Relationship, Fantasy, Vampire Bites, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Protective LWJ, Pining LWJ, Jealous LWJ, Pining WWX, POV LWJ, First Kiss, First Love, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Assassination Plot(s), Undercover Missions, Breaking Up & Making Up, Blood Drinking, Consensual Blood Drinking, horny vampire drinks from equally horny human, Falling In Love, i would say this is more angst than fluff, but it's not too too sad dw, Happy Ending, POV Third Person) reminded me of this one? Doesn't start with a wedding though, lwj simply arrives as a peace offering

~*~

10. Hi!

So I'm looking for a fic that I can't find where I can't remember what exactly happened, but it goes something like this;

Lwj and Wwx are sleeping, Lwj gets a nightmare, and he doesn't tell Wwx about it, but he figures it out anyway and then Wwx waits to see whether Lwj will go back to sleep or have sex. They have rough sex in which Wwx specifically requests that he doesn't want to come. And then they talk (I think it was just outside on a porch or something?) And then Lwj fingers him and gets him off.

I'm sorry I don't remember more, I think it was one chapter and I'm really desperately trying to find this fic. If you could find it it would be much appreciated!!

Thank you!

~*~

11. Heya mods, I'd really appreciate it if you could find this fic. It was about God Lan Wanji and him trying to find fellow god Wei Wuxian after he went missing. LWJ found him with the Dafan Wens and was living happily as a mortal with them. He wondered why WWX wasn't leaving or even thinking about his position as a god, but then it's revealed that his robes (which all gods need) were torn apart by the bad Wens. WWX also gives the robe to a'Yuan iirc. Read it on ao3, might've been a oneshot. @yetusagi

FOUND? Three Worlds, One Life by limedumplr (T, 9k, WangXian, Angels & Demons, Heaven & Hell, fairytale AU, Eternal Love Spinoff, Pining, happy ending I promise, Arranged Marriage, Forced Marriage)

~*~

12. Hi! I’m looking for a fic where the jiang and wwx test their blood relation (not modern btw). I remember the rumor about sect leader jiang and wwx being father-son are just really just rumors because it shows that they are not related. However, when they test out madam yu and wwx blood, apparently they are related to each other. It turns out CSR’s parent is a sibling of Madam Yu’s parent (I dunno if they are really siblings but I know they a family) making it CSR related to Madam Yu (counsin ig)

Hi! I’m the #12 requester in the recent fic finder. Thank you but unfortunately it is not the one I’m looking for. I think the revelation of the blood related thing happened early chapter because as much as I can remember, madam yu treats wwx better after knowing they are related. She actually treats him as her nephew.

NOT FOUND! All Things Belong by kuroi_atropos (M, 64k, WIP, WRH & WWX, WangXian, WWX is a Wēn, Abuse, Whipping, Manipulations, Warning: WRH, Smart WWX, Possessive Behavior, Warning: JGS, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con) it turns out in the later chapter that wwx is somehow related tu mdm yu via his grandmother (who was cssr's mother). And said grandmother was a distant cousin or just from yu

Unstoppbble by Immortal WangXian (Mr_Pervert) (M, 47k, wangxian, JC/LXC, JYL/JZX, immortal WWX, immortal LWJ, good parent YZY, good parent JFM, good uncle LQR, good XY, evil JGY, yin & yang cultivation, time travel fix-it, WN lives, MXY lives, WQ lives, supportive NMJ, YLLZ WWX, possessive LWJ, protective LWJ, fluff & smut, crack, action/adventure, mpreg, WIP)

~*~

13. Hello, first I want to thank you for your service! I am looking for a fic where there's a scene where Lan Xichen sets up a dinner date to introduce Lan Wangji to his boyfriend Nie Mingjue. However, Nie Huaisang came to the restaurant because he lost his apartment keys and he was looking for his brother for help. NHS brought his bestie Wei Wuxian with him so LWJ mistook WWX as LXC's boyfriend. @ksoostrauma

FOUND? Man on My Mind by brooklinegirl (E, 50k, WangXian, Modern AU, Sex Cam Worker WWX, Identity Porn)

~*~

14. just wanted to find a specific fic. It is one where wangxian time travel, and everyone is suspicious of them in the sunshot campaign. Jin guangshan suggests using a magic ball to spy on them, but it turns out they just end up combing each other's hair of something intimate but not shameless?

FOUND? lan xichen is very concerned (and confused) by theninjacat (T, 3k, WangXian, POV Outsider, Time Travel, Canon Divergence, Sunshot Campaign) I just read it, and the hair brushing spying thing was fresh on my mind and in my AO3 history!

~*~

15. Hi! Please help. I lost some of the fics I was reading, and cannot remember where I first saw them (was using incognito at work, but there was an update and pcs got restarted). It's about the cultivation world punishing ppl, especially Wens, at the BM. During war, they see only Yiling is not attacked, and the guardian, who wears a mask and talks through WQ, accepts to help them if he gets married to a clan heir, as a warranty they won't turn on him. There's a scene where an assasain gets to the camp and is about to kill JYL, but Yllz saves her. Do you know it? @allthoselhb

FOUND? Tumblr post by ShanaStoryteller I think this is 15

15 sounds very familiar but I can't find the fic. If it helps, I think it's the one where YLLZ is walking around with a swirling mask of resentful energy all the time and never speaks, and Wen Qing is his voice. Everyone thinks WWX is dead

For 15, I don't THINK it's these, but have similar elements, so maybe, or at least interesting? I forget the name, but there's one fic where wwx and lz never met before the war, and wwx and the lans insist on an arranged marriage between him and a main clan member after the war (they live on burial mounds, not quite a sect kinda big household vibes) to kinda legitimize themselves to protect their people, thinking anyone sent by the clans to the "evil" yllz must be abused/not valued, so they'd actually be saving someone from a bad situation and into a married in name only respected guest situation. Only they get lz instead. Lxc is very worried for awhile thinking lz must be getting abused meanwhile yllz is a masked but perfect gentleman who proves to be a kind dedicated family leader/lord of the area and lz becomes sympathetic/supportive and ends up falling HARD for him and adores ayuan

there's also another one. Idk about a mask, but in it I think jgs? Tricks both wwx (backed by the bm wens) and the lans into thinking that each other are insisting on some sort of forced political marriage with each other, with the Jin being a "neutral party mediators" when actually the Jin are threatening and pressuring both sides into it/lying. Wwx lz and Co find out when they meet for first time on Jin grounds and unite against the jin.

there's also another fic featuring masks, where the yllz is more spooky unknown who always shows up wearing a full face? Silver mask, with the designs changing every now and then. You later find out that the identity of yllz is being shared between wwx, the wen siblings, and I think mxy? And this is during sunshot campaign after the sects asked for their help (tho they might of also offered it as a strategic move for themselves?)

~*~

16. ive been looking for a fic where for some reason wwx stays with the nie after the ssc. nmj threatens to cut off wwx's tongue if he does demonic cultivation but wwx just depresses his life away instead. jgy blocks letters from everyone so hes really isolated. eventually nhs brings him out of his shell and hes eventually allowed outside his rooms. Later, lxc comes to play clarity/rest, and in the training grounds wwx has a panic attack after being accused of cursing jyl and her second pregnancy whoch he hadnt even known about. Now that i think about it, it probably actually takes place after qiongqi pass.

follow up for the imprisoned in the nie fic, im fairly sure that in the summary, nhs is like "you used to be so confident and happy..."

FOUND! Always walked a very thin line by tucuxi (T, 22k, WangXian)

~*~

17. Hi, can you help me find these fics? I've been going crazy! They were on ao3; I hope they haven't been deleted!

A) I think wwx was a ghost, & found himself at the Cloud Recesses in the aftermath of lwj's punishment. Lwj was in bad condition and almost died (a couple of times?) Eventually there was some sort of ritual to bring wwx back into a physical body, & he was in the adjoining room bc he was also very weak. (NB: this is not the fic where wwx is actually astral projecting from Baoshan Sanren's mountain, it's a different one).

B) Lwj stayed at the Burial Mounds, & his health was very poor, he kept getting very sick quite often. At one point there was an epidemic in Yiling; some of the Wens died, and then they went to go help in the town bc of their medical knowledge. Lwj had to stay separate bc of his fragile health; he had to tend the fields alone and he couldn't attend the funerals.

Hi, I messaged recently for help finding 2 fics, so naturally I finally find one of them again not 24 hours later 🙈 The one with Lan Zhan in poor health at the Burial Mounds/the epidemic situation is Over the Rotted Bridge by vailkagami! I can't believe I forgot about the necromancy or Lan Zhan being mute!! I would still love your assistance with finding the other one 🙏🙏 Thank you!

17B)

FOUND! Over the Rotted Bridge by vailkagami (T, 314k, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LWJ dies, Wei Wuxian doesn’t die, neither do (most of) the  wens, JYL also lives, Original Character(s), outside pov, YLLZ WWX,  Canon Divergence, CQL Verse, Illustrated, Grief/Mourning, Non-Consensual  Resurrection, mute LWJ, Hurt LWJ, Slow Burn, canonical death of a child  (mentioned), Survivor Guilt, PTSD)

~*~

18. hi!! for the next fic finder, i have been looking for a fic for a few weeks but since it's been some time ive read it, its lost in my history. it was a time travel fic, where wangxian get back into their bodies during the wen indoctrination. the pov was actually jc's if im not mistaken, but i remember clearly that in the end he accuses lwj of seducing wwx into demonic cultivation, after wx kill the wens there and wwx raises an army. thank you <3

FOUND! I’m pretty sure this one is ❤️ Wen Chao’s Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day by Shializaro (T, 2k, wangxian, time travel, BAMF wangxian, outsider POV, Mojo’s post)

~*~

19. Hello! For the next fic finder, can you help find this fic? It's a sickly WWX because of his live in the street before. I dont remember much but there was a horse riding lesson, he learn about strategy, and when he make a journey alone to make his sword. In his journey he met with imperial soldiers that patroled around capital and befriend them. I think he calmed a resentful mother cat too i think. It's a WIP story. I read that recently in this year but i think it was a fic from around 2019-2020? Thank you @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

FOUND! A Burning Cold by MountainRose (G, 29k, Chronic Illness, Pre-Canon, Nirvana in Fire Fusion, Character Study, Wen Bullshit, Snow Beetle Poison) is a sort of Nirvana in Fire fusion called A Burning Cold by MountainRose locked to archive here / but it's restricted for logged users;

~*~

20. Looking for a fic where the focus iirc was more on LWJ teaching/raising lan juniors to express their emotions healthily.

Sorry, I don't think it's To be of use, I remember it being something shorter. Also WWX came back towards the later part of it.

not FOUND To be of use by Erisette (Not Rated, 53k, LSZ & LWJ, Found Family, Accidental Baby Acquisition, (kinda), Father-Son Relationship, Missing Scene, Good Teacher LWJ, Seclusion Lite(TM), Fluff, Worldbuilding)

FOUND? Gathered Herbs & Sweet Grasses by hansbekhart (Not Rated, 19k, LSZ & LWJ, WangXian, dad wangji, LWJ’s Questionable Parenting Skills, Grief/Mourning, Recovery, Injury Recovery, Hopeful Ending, Canon-Typical Violence)

~*~

[demifiendrsa]

Witch Watch TV anime - Teaser PV

The TV anime adaptation of Kenta Shinohara's Witch Watch manga will premiere in April 2025.

Teaser visual

Rina Kawaguchi as Nico Wakatsuki

Ryōta Suzuki as Morihito Otogi

Kōhei Amasaki as Kanshi Kazamatsuri

Kaito Ishikawa as Magami Keigo

Tomori Kusunoki as Nemu Miyao

Staff

Original creator: Kenta Shinohara

Director: Hiroshi Ikehata

Assistant Director: Masao Kawase

Script: Deko Akao

Character Design: Haruko Iizuka

Sub-character Design: Yoshiaki Sugimura and Sawa Tomoki

Art Director: Ping Xue

Art Setting: Takeuchi Yuzuki and Masayuki Niizuma

Color Key Artist: Yuiha Ōta

Composing Director of Photography: Hisashi Yonezawa

Editing: Mutsumi Takemiya

Music: Yukari Hashimoto

Sound Director: Fumiyuki Go

Sound Production: Bit Grooove Promotion

Animation Production: Bibury Animation Studios

[dailyenglishvoca]

Today’s song is The Principles and Art of Ignorance and Suffering by Xue featuring the Vocaloid Bruno

Happy anniversary Bruno (and Clara)!

[freisende]

Thousand Autumns Audio Drama Ending Song 2 - Cao Mu Bu Xiu Lyrics & Translation

Youtube Music Lyric Video: here.

Production Team:

Produced by: Sheng Luo Wan Xiang Studio (声罗万象工作室)

Producer: Liao Liao (聊聊)

Lyricist: Zhen Zhu (镇朱)

Composer: Chen Yiming (陈亦洺)

Performed by: Chen Yiming (陈亦洺)

Arranger: Li Dabai (李大白)

Harmony writing/mixing: Cha Xue (茶雪)

Poster: Qin Mo (秦墨)

Inscription: Qiongjiu (穹九)

English Translation: Freiya, credit reference to TreasureChestSubs

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Grass and Trees Remain Eternal

Lyrics:

wǒ jièguò yī chuán mèng 

我借过一船梦

suí mèng tiāndì xié yóu 

随梦天地偕游

chéng wù zhī jí yǐ yǎn kāi jiǔzhōu

乘物之极以眼开九州

lěng yuè tài shòu biàn yǎng yú yī xiù 

冷月太瘦便养于衣袖

mèng jiě lǎn yīgè wǒ dú xiàxíng zhōu 

梦解缆一个我 独下行舟

tì zuórì shàonián 

替昨日少年

zhē lái lù báihóng 

遮来路白虹

bù wèn chūnshān jǐ dié xiàn yún zhōng 

不问春山几叠陷云中

yǒuxīn yú wǒ jiàn shàng huà língluò 

有心于我剑上画零落

yǔ nǐ xiāng zhuàng huà wàn qiān xīng fēng 

与你相撞 化万千腥风

tòng xǐng hòu jìxù yuǎn zǒu 

痛醒后继续远走

bù wèn sìhǎi quàn wǒ hé shí xiū 

不问四海劝我何时休

cháng'ān lóu shàng yōng rénmíng liú 

长安楼上庸人名留

rúcǐ dàdào wúyòng jiāng fēngyuè kè sòng 

如此大道无用 将风月刻诵

wǒ jièguò yībēi jiǔ 

我借过一杯酒

mǎn zhēn gǔlǎo xīngdǒu 

满斟古老星斗

nǎge xiào céng ràng wǒ rù qíng zhǒng 

哪个笑曾让我入情种

huò shì shānchuān dōu lái cǐ tíngliú 

或是山川都来此停留

shì nǐ tà yè érguò zèng wǒ dāofēng 

是你踏夜而过 赠我刀锋

huàn chī zhě jiěmèng 

换痴者解梦

shēngsǐ qīng fèngsòng 

生死轻奉送

bù wèn chūnshān jǐ dié xiàn yún zhōng 

不问春山几叠陷云中

yǒuxīn yú wǒ jiàn shàng huà língluò 

有心于我剑上画零落

yǔ nǐ xiāng zhuàng huà wàn qiān xīng fēng 

与你相撞 化万千腥风

tòng xǐng hòu jìxù yuǎn zǒu 

痛醒后继续远走

bù wèn sìhǎi quàn wǒ hé shí xiū 

不问四海劝我何时休

cháng'ān lóu shàng yōng rénmíng liú 

长安楼上庸人名留

rúcǐ dàdào wúyòng jiāng fēngyuè kè sòng 

如此大道无用 将风月刻诵

bù wèn chūnshān jǐ dié xiàn yún zhōng 

不问春山几叠陷云中

yǒuxīn yú wǒ jiàn shàng huà língluò 

有心于我剑上画零落

yǔ nǐ xiāng zhuàng huà wàn qiān xīng fēng 

与你相撞 化万千腥风

tòng xǐng hòu jìxù yuǎn zǒu 

痛醒后继续远走

bù wèn tā nián tóng chén wàng yānbō 

不问他年同尘忘烟波

duōshǎo gùshì zhuǎnshēn qiānqiū 

多少故事转身千秋

xìng dé shì wài xū zhōu huì piāobó jiùyǒu 

幸得世外虚舟 会漂泊旧友

tā xìn shānhé zhǎng yǒu 

他信山河长有

cǎomù yì bùxiǔ

草木亦不朽

---------------------------------

English Translation

Once I borrowed a boatful of dreams,

and journeyed through the universe together with these dreams

Taking this opportunity with my own eyes to see the nine states[1]

Keeping the thin, cold moon within my sleeves.

The dream released one of me to descend the boat alone, 

and helped the young man of yesterday

by covering up the way ahead in white moon light[2]

Do not inquire how many layers of spring mountains were wrapped in the clouds,[3]

If the will of my sword to paint the scattered pieces

turns into a thousand gusts of wind when clashing with you together

After being awakened from the pain, I'll continue to travel far away.

Do not ask the four seas to advise me when to rest,[4]

The mediocre man carves his name on the towers of Chang'an.

Thus the Great Way is but a worthless thoroughfare to carve the wind and the moon.[5]

Once I borrowed a cup of wine,

With the ancient stars, toasted a full cup.

Which smile has made me fall in love,

or made the mountains and rivers stay here?

You were the one who strolled through the night and handed me a blade,

For the sake of those with foolish dreams.

Life and death, gifted gently by you

Do not inquire how many layers of spring mountains were wrapped in the clouds,

If the will of my sword to paint the scattered pieces

turns into a thousand gusts of wind when clashing with you together

After being awakened from the pain, I'll continue to travel far away.

Do not ask the four seas to advise me when to rest

The mediocre man carves his name on the towers of Chang'an.

Thus the Great Way is but a worthless thoroughfare to carve the wind and the moon. 

Do not ask him to forget the dust and the smoke in those years,

How many stories have been told in a thousand autumns?

Fortunate to drift with old friends in the ethereal boat.

He believes that the mountains and rivers will last forever,[6]

And the grass and trees will remain there eternally.[7]

--------------------------------------

*Translator's Notes: [1]This line can also mean ‘riding to the extreme’ to see the nine states. Nine states also refer to the nine provinces in China, also part of the four seas.  [2]This line literally said “white rainbow”, but since there’s a cold moon mentioned before, I think this is actually a moonlight [3]This line literally said ‘do not inquire’, but can also mean ‘no matter’. [4]Four seas in this song mean the world/everywhere/all around the world [5]For me personally I think these two lines described Yan Wushi. The whole reff described how passing through many outcomes and challenges, he had the idea of how human nature is evil, until he stumbled upon a pure mountain, a strong-stanced person (Shen Qiao) in which he began the change of his thinking (to the point of realizing how he was blinded and has been mistaken for a whole long while). [6]The lyrics really is written as ‘he’ [7]In this line it was written literally as immortal/eternal

**The whole song is very complicated in my opinion, and some lines doesn’t really make sense if translated literally, hence I’m also open to suggestions/corrections. 

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Navigation Thousand Autumns Audio Drama Season 1 Ending Song: Wo Du San Qian Bian Ni by Xiao Hun Translation Masterlist

[thewarmestplacetohide]

Dread by the Decade: 夜半歌声

👻 You can support me on Ko-Fi! ❤️

★★★★

Plot: An actor is tutored by the seeming ghost of a murdered revolutionary.

Review: Emotionally resonant and politically charged with well-rounded characters, Song at Midnight thrives despite some technical issues.

English Title: Song at Midnight Source Material: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux Year: 1937 Genre: Psychological Horror, Horror Musical, Historical Romance Country: Republic of China Language: Mandarin Chinese Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes

Director: Ma-Xu Weibang Writer: Ma-Xu Weibang Cinematographers: Yu Xingsan, Xue Boqing Editor: Chen Yiqing Composers: Tian Han, Xian Xinghai Cast: Shi Chao, Jin Shan, Hu Ping, Gu Menghe, Xu Manli, Wang Weiyi

------

Story: 4.5/5 - Provocative and boundary-pushing, it's unafraid to explore dark subject matter and humanize its tragic characters.

Performances: 4/5 - Everyone ranges from solid to fantastic. Shi and Hu give particularly wrenching performances.

Cinematography: 4/5 - Clearly inspired by German expressionism, it pays tribute well with harsh shadows and creative camera work.

Editing: 2.5/5 - Some transitions are noticeably lacking.

Music: 4/5 - The songs sung by the film's leads are lovely.

Effects: 3/5 - Its technical limitations show a bit here, but they did well with what they had.

Sets: 2.5/5 - Limited but professional enough.

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 3/5 - Less exciting than you'd expect from a film inspired by Phantom of the Opera, though Danping's scars are pretty decent.

Trigger Warnings:

Moderate violence and gore

Torture

Attempted sexual assault

Misogyny (critiqued by the film)

Classism (critiqued by the film)

Ableism (critiqued by the film)

Medical scenes

[cosmic-starfall]

"Harmony Rings True"

MDZS Orchestra AU

I started writing this au last year, but never got very far with it due to having zero musical experience. Here's the segment I wrote, along with my notes, for anyone who might like the idea of this au.

Notes: 

Orchestra:

Wei Wuxian = conductor

Lan Wangji = vocalist, guqin 

Nie Huaisang = bass cellist

Wen Qing = violinist

Wen Ning = pianist

Lan Xichen = composer, vocalist, pianist

Lan Qiren = orchestra director

Non-orchestra:

Jiang Cheng = music critic

Nie Mingjue = retired cellist, injury related

Xue Yang = music critic, disgraced vocalist

Xiao Xingchen, Song Lan = retired musicians, xiao and vocalist. Retired, due to the actions of Xue Yang. (A scathing review ruined their careers.) 

Fic:

There is no earthly reason that Wei Wuxian would be here: The Cloud Recesses Concert Hall. But they let him in the door without calling the police, so maybe miracles really do happen. He was hired as a last minute conductor when the last one was fired unceremoniously right before a big concert. 

That doesn’t make it any less surreal to walk through those grand doors and stand in the lavish lobby like he belongs there. Every bit of decor is light and airy, and it makes his simple black outfit stand out like an ink stain. 

But no one stops him. No one is there to scold him for believing he belonged there. The people passing by largely ignore him as they bustle silently in and out of nearby corridors, or work behind the front counter. 

Self consciously, he fumbles for his phone to check the instructions he was given one more time. There’s a detailed note with directions to the orchestra director’s office, and he quickly scans it once again. 

Then with one last awed glance around the vast atrium, he finds the correct corridor and walks as confidently as he can manage down it. The hall is dimmer than the lobby, with less windows and more softly lit lamps as it continues. Wei Wuxian takes the instructed turns down each one, feeling like he’s walking deeper and deeper down a branching cave system. 

The director’s office door is identical to the two bordering it, and he almost walks past. But the plaque next to it says “Director: Lan Quiren”, so he steels himself with one last deep breath and knocks. 

“Enter.” 

Wei Wuxian opens the door and hardly makes eye contact before he’s bowing much deeper than needed in greeting. “Director, sir. I’m here for my interview.” 

His satchel nearly slips from his shoulder and he readjusts it. Lan Qiren is perfectly dressed to blend into the overall aesthetic of the concert hall, with a neatly groomed mustache and goatee to top off his look. He is stone-faced as he says, “Sit down.” 

So he sits across from his desk and sets his bag on the floor. Wei Wuxian resists the urge to wipe the nervous sweat he can feel appearing on his face. 

The director shifts papers around on his desk, not looking up as he speaks. “The position is last-minute, I apologize.”

“No need to. I can easily pick up the program in a few weeks.” He smiles. 

Lan Qiren frowns in response. “You will only have a week.” 

Oh. “That’s fine!” 

“Your resume states that you have over a decade of experience in conducting. Care to elaborate?” 

“I was the conductor for my high school orchestra. And I studied music for four years in college, while conducting for their orchestra as well.” Wei Wuxian leaned back in his seat, his smile only growing. 

The director was unmoved. “That is what it says on your resume. I want to know if you can truly put in the work it takes to memorize an entire concert program. You were the only conductor available, and in fact your resume indicates a gap in employment for one year. How do I know you will be qualified?” 

Wei Wuxian sat up straight, projecting a mask of absolute professionalism. “I unfortunately was dealing with a family emergency during that gap in employment. My…grandmother was bed-bound and I was the only one able to take the time off to take care of her.” 

Lan Qiren raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well I don’t see any other issues with your resume. The lead vocalist will help you memorize the program, he has been assisting with the production while we are missing a conductor.” 

“Thank you, sir.” He suppressed a victorious grin down into something polite. 

Lan Qiren pressed the intercom button on his desk. “Lan Wangji, to my office immediately.” 

Wei Wuxian blinked, hiding his shock– surely he didn’t mean the famous Lan vocalist, the one who had just accepted several awards for his performances? But of course, this was the Cloud Recesses Concert Hall, his home venue. Why wouldn’t he be here? 

The office door swung open behind him, and Wei Wuxian twisted to face it. The man who entered was undoubtedly the famous Lan Wangji. Though he was not as dressed up as he had been on the TV award shows, he was still excessively prim and proper. He wore a high collared white shirt, free from even the tiniest wrinkle. His pants were a pale blue, also pressed and creased to perfection. 

Wei Wuxian had to crane back a bit to see his face, and was unsurprised to find it as blindingly pale as the rest of his appearance. The only respite from his colorless complexion was the slight blush of pink at his lips. 

He realized he was staring at them when Lan Wangji subtly cleared his throat. His eyes snapped up to meet him, and he nearly shriveled at the disapproving laser-focused gaze. 

Wei Wuxian forced his face into a presentable expression. “Hello!” 

“The practice room is this way.” Then he left back down the hall, not giving Wei Wuxian a chance to even get up in time. 

With a rushed goodbye to Lan Qiren, he scrambled to catch up. 

If he thought the route to the director’s office was confusing, getting to the practice room was even worse. This time, there were stairs involved. Lan Wangji kept up a brisk pace that never wavered, even when climbing up flights of stairs. 

By the time they reached the floor with the practice rooms, he was struggling not to pant. The nervous sweat had turned into an actual sweat. He silently cursed at the fact that Lan Wangji was entirely unaffected. 

The soundproof practice rooms surrounded a central open space for musicians to practice together and discuss the programming. Several were already lounging there, stands with sheet music and open instrument cases scattered about. 

Wei Wuxian waved. “Hello everyone! I’m Wei Wuxian, I’ll be your new conductor.” He hoped desperately that the sweat wasn’t visible. 

He received a few polite greetings in return, but one musician seemed to recoil at his presence. “Oh no, not the new conductor! I thought we still had time to learn our parts! I’ve been practicing and I still sound awful, I’m so sorry you’re going to be so disappointed.” 

“Whoa, slow down.” Wei Wuxian came over to him, looking at the sheet music over his shoulder. “What was your name? And what part are you having trouble with?” 

“I’m Nie Huaisang, I play the bass cello. And it’s just–here let me show you.” He stood, retrieving his instrument. The bass cello was almost too tall for him, but he balanced it neatly against his shoulder and consulted the sheet music before laying his bow to the strings and beginning to play. 

Every conversation in the room fell silent, the haunting melody taking over. The pitch was deep enough to vibrate in your lungs at close range, and it was clearly the foundation that other instruments in the orchestra would build upon. It was also exactly the same as the bit of sheet music Wei Wuxian had read over. 

“That was perfect! Are you just struggling with memorization?” He asked, once more stepping to Nie Huaisang’s side to read the music. 

“No, I swear it just doesn’t sound right!” He protested, letting his bow drop from the strings with a final somber note. 

“Of course it doesn’t! You need the rest of the orchestra to complete it. The bass instruments are the valuable support that the rest of the music rests on.” He was gesturing emphatically as he spoke, half-slipping into actual conducting motions. 

Nie Huaisang looked doubtful. “That is true. But I don’t think I’m doing my part as well anyway.” 

Wei Wuxian clapped him on the shoulder. “Then keep practicing! What I heard was wonderful, you just need to add some confidence.”

“Ahem.” Lan Wangji had not moved an inch, and his blank expression had gained an annoyed wrinkle between his eyebrows. 

“Shall we?” Wei Wuxian said, no longer feeling intimidated by the job he was taking on. 

Lan Wangji answered with an affirmative hum, and led the way into an empty practice room. Well, not entirely empty. There were two chairs facing each other and a stack of sheet music on a stand, an empty one beside it. 

The soundproofing instantly descended upon his ears, and he resisted the urge to click his tongue to hear the lack of an echo. With how quiet this famous vocalist was, he had no doubt the room would remain unbearably noiseless. 

Lan Wangji took a seat, picking up the sheet music. Wei Wuxian took the other, shifting to find a comfortable way to lounge on its unyielding surface. 

There was one long moment where the only sound was the shuffling of sheet music. Lan Wangji’s carefully tied back hair slipped over his shoulders and he leaned over the papers, finally breaking his perfectly styled appearance. Wei Wuxian smiled at the crack in his professional mask.

“So, what’s the theme of the program? Is it just a medley of classics or is there a specific tone?” 

“It’s a collection of compositions written in memory of the souls lost in the Sunshot Campaign.” Lan Wangji looked up, plucking a few sheets from the stack and laying them on the stand. “The style is classical but the compositions are modern.” 

Wei Wuxian looked it over. The sheet music was for the choir, which made sense since Lan Wangji was the lead vocalist. Wei Wuxian hummed the melody under his breath. “I see, so it’s a bit like a memorial concert. Very somber, like a funeral.” He gave Lan Wangji a knowing grin. “Which means you’re already on theme.” 

He was returned a stony expression, completely void of humor. Tough crowd. 

“Do you think you could demonstrate what you’ve practiced so far? I’ll know how to adjust the other’s parts if I have a place to start from.” 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“I do not practice in front of others. My technique cannot afford distractions.” 

That was odd. But he didn’t want to be rude. “Right. We should call in another musician then to demonstrate–” 

“No. The director has assigned me to the task. It would be unproductive to take practice time away from a musician.” 

“Then how do you expect me to get a feel for the programming?” Wei Wuxian couldn’t believe the inflexibility of this man. 

“Read it. Then the orchestra will practice together this afternoon.” He moved to stand and leave the practice room. 

“Wait! Don’t go, I won’t be able to get these compositions down without someone to bounce ideas off of. I’ll lose my mind trying to figure it all out on my own.” 

Lan Wangji slowly sat back down. “Very well.” 

Wei Wuxian stood up instead, tracing the lines of music on the stand with one finger as he nodded along to a beat inside his head. He really should ask for a metronome next time. 

With his other hand he started to feel out the music. Every conductor has a unique style, and his involved wide sweeping motions with subtle flicks of his wrist. 

He stopped and started several times, muttering “That’s not it.” and “Almost, but not quite.” 

Once he had run through the first composition once this way, it had completely solidified in his memory. So with the image of the music firmly in his mind, he stepped away from the stand. He closed his eyes and let the room fall away, imagining the sound of a full orchestra. Both of his hands danced through the air, one foot tapping the beat. 

A hum rose in his throat, a little off-key, but it was serviceable. The composition wasn’t exactly rousing, but it was meant to invoke a feeling of national pride, so it was more uplifting than an actual funeral march. 

The final hummed note hung in the air and he opened his eyes once more. He found that Lan Wangji was staring at his right hand, which was curled around an imaginary baton. He smiled, “I forgot! I have it in my bag.” 

Wei Wuxian crouched to sort through his satchel, producing his thin black conductor’s baton. A shiny red ribbon was tied to the base, and it fluttered as he gestured with it. 

“Frivolous.” Lan Wangji commented. 

He shrugged. “No one in any orchestra I’ve worked for has had an issue with it.” 

Lan Wangji simply cast him another disapproving look. So he spun the baton between his fingers, the ribbon trailing jauntily after it. 

“We don’t have practice with everyone else until later, right? It’s about lunchtime, why don’t we get a bite to eat?” 

The vocalist stood. “There is a teahouse nearby where I usually take my lunch.” 

“Perfect! It’s a date!” Wei Wuxian said with a wink. 

Lan Wangji did not honor that with a response, sweeping from the room without a word. 

[rose-tinted-vision]

ok so I'm an emotional mess after finishing My Journey to You and forever doomed to like the side characters, I decided if the directors won't give me a scene of Gong Zishang reacting to Xiaohei/Hua gongzi's death then I'll write it myself.

[its up on ao3 too!]

Fic: 远山如昨 | the distant mountains are like yesterday

Relationships: Gong Zishang & Xiaohei | Young Master Hua, slight Gong Zishang/Jin Fan

Spoilers for the ending of My Journey to You (云之羽)

not beta read btw so it might not make sense

Was listening to this song while writing this

Gong Zishang is strangely subdued today, with none of her usual put-on flairs or prancing, which worries Jin Fan. There was barely a peep from her, no surprise visits or ambushes. In fact, he had only seen her once today, which could be considered abnormal enough to be alarming.

Of course, it had only been two weeks since they held the funeral for Elder Hua, Young Master Hua and Young Master Xue, thus the estate was still in a state of mourning for those they lost in the battle against Wufeng, but even then she had hardly left his side through the entire mourning period.

Jin Fan had not realised how much he had been relying on Gong Zishang to bring some levity into the situation, how much he relied on her to bring some brightness into the difficulties his position often put him in.

The others seemed to have picked up on her strange mood too, if Gong Ziyu's constipated expression was any indicator. Heck, even Gong Yuanzhi had offered to check her medical condition, free of charge. Perhaps she affected more than everyone had assumed before.

He finds her later that afternoon perched on the leg of the giant terracotta warrior in her workshop, discreetly wiping at the corners of her eyes as she held onto a notebook.

"Zishang?" he makes sure to step loudly, so as not to startle her.

"Don't," she hiccups, turning her face away to hastily compose herself, "Just wait there for a while, Jin Fan."

He obeys, taking note of the messy workshop while waiting. It's messy- it always is, with how much time Gong Zishang puts into her research. He does not understand how the servants can discredit her when she tries so hard, is so much smarter than she lets on- there is evidence of her hard work, proof of the many hours put into her latest weapons.

"It's rare for you to come looking for me, Jin Fan," Gong Zishang trills, doing a twirl on her way over, "Did you miss me? They often say, absence makes the heart fonder, perhaps I should try that more often, if it is effective in bringing you to my door," 

She looks the same as ever, but he sees the redness of her eyes, notices how her tone does not have the same energy in it, and it breaks his heart that she thinks she has to keep up her mask even around him.

Do their years of friendship not mean anything?

"Zishang," Jin Fan catches her, floundering a little at the close proximity. He should be used to this by now, with how touchy she usually is, but it is hard to remain unaffected. "Were you crying?"

"Oh my, how improper," Gong Zishang pulls away, effecting a gasp as she does so, "you really shouldn't go around asking ladies if they have been crying, don't you know we don't like showing that side of ourselves to the person we like?" 

Jin Fan frowns. Some of the things she says really just go over his head half the time, but he can pick up on her deflection.

"Did someone you know…" he swallows, unable to finish the question at the way her face crumbles, the tears starting to leak out again.

He tries to recall the list of the deceased, unable to come up with anyone that Gong Zishang was close to- she hardly interacted with anyone else other than him and Gong Ziyu- and then he remembers. 

When Gong Ziyu set his plan into motion, they had enlisted the help of the Young Masters from the back hill. Gong Zishang had arrived with Young Master Hua in tow.

Jin Fan does not know if he should ask. Neither does he know how to comfort her. He never had to, not with the way she had only showed everyone her carefree side. The eldest daughter could not show weakness, after all. He settles on pulling her in for a hug, awkwardly patting her back as she burrows her face into his chest.

"Xiaohei…was my first friend," she finally says after a while, slightly muffled, "he didn't care that I'm a woman representing the Shang lineage or treat me like a joke."

That hardly made any sense to Jin Fan, who did not know who this Xiaohei was- though if he had to make a guess, it would probably be Young Master Hua- and he did not know that Gong Zishang had been meeting with anyone.

"Xiaohei was my research partner," Gong Zishang continues, pulling away to take a shaky breath, "we were experimenting with the gunpowder load and explosion range," she walks over to the terracotta statue and brings over the notebook.

Jin Fan takes the proffered item, though he knows the content will hardly make any sense to him. It's only when he notices the sect motif embossed on the cover that he realises why Gong Zishang passed it to him.

It is the Hua lineage notebook.

"They brought some of Young Master Hua's notes to the Shang house today. His notes are very meticulous, he even thought of how to improve our current Mountain Destroyer already," Gong Zishang tries for a watery smile, hastily swiping at her eyes, "he also just wanted his father to acknowledge him, so we had similar goals to work towards,"

Her words stun Jin Fan, because he knows. He knows that the Shang lineage head was particularly traditional, and barely gave Gong Zishang any scrap of affection, which is why she always ran to the Yu courtyard, to Madam Wuji, who never failed to comfort her.

But he did not know that she had been so lonely.

It had been necessary to distance himself, because he knew that his life had an expiry date. Until Gong Ziyu inevitably took the Three Realms test. He could not afford to lead Gong Zishang on, could not let her get too close. Yet in doing so, he had hurt her anyway.

"I knew Gong Ziyu's plan included Xiaohei protecting the Infinite Flame, but I didn't know he planned to sacrifice himself," Gong Zishang said fiercely, not bothering to hide her tears now, as she curled into herself. Jin Fan gingerly pulls her back into his embrace, not trusting himself to do anything else.

He does not know what to say.

Apart from their brief teamup during the prison break- he had found it strange that Gong Zishang was acting so comfortable around Young Master Hua, when it should have been their first time meeting, given that the back hill lineage were not supposed to enter the front hill- but had dismissed it at that time. It had been too hectic, executing the plan having taken up all of his attention.

He does not know enough about Young Master Hua, does not know just how much their friendship meant to Gong Zishang. He does not feel qualified to say anything, and trying to console her at this moment would seem too much like empty platitudes.

"I don't blame the Sword Wielder, don't worry," she hastily adds on, curling a fist over his robes, "I just wish my friend didn't have to die,"