yingleis

[yingleis]

FANGS OF FORTUNE 大梦归离 (2024), Ep. 14

[yingleis]

Fandom: Fangs of Fortune (大梦归离)

Relationship(s): Pei Siheng & Ying Lei, Pei Siheng & Pei Sijing

Summary:

“That’s only five dishes,” Pei didi points out. “Where’s yours?”

Ying Lei shrugs. “I can’t really taste human food anyway. There’s no need to waste food.”

They lapse into silence after the exchange, Pei didi silently watching as Ying Lei continues his preparations to cook, one simply content with watching and the other happy to have company for once.

In which the Demon Hunting Bureau’s kitchen gains a new fixture, and Ying Lei a new friend.

[yingleis]

Fic requests are currently closed! Thank you for your interest, and please be patient >_< I'll try to fulfill your requests soon.

If you like what I do, please consider checking out my fics for Gaza event, where I write you a fic in exchange for your proof of donation to any of the fundraisers listed ^^

[yingleis]

Hehe, could I request a Pei Sijing fic with prompt 2 "needing help but being unable to ask for it"? Any choice of pairings or no pairings 👀

[read it on ao3]

Wen Xiao hears a sharp hiss of pain, quickly stifled as she rounds the corner– and sees Pei jiejie attempting to sew.

Now that was a sight she hadn't expected to come across today

Pei jiejie, representative of the Prime Minister, ex-commander of the Chongwu camp, bested by a mere sewing needle was something that Wen Xiao hadn't thought possible.

“If Pei jiejie needed help, all she needed to do is ask,” Wen Xiao says with a smile, gently taking the sewing needle and robe into her hands.

Wen Xiao looks over the robe carefully, noting the tear that Pei jiejie had been attempting to mend. It wasn't unsalvageable– it was simply a long gash along the side that needed stitching– though it may have been if Wen Xiao hadn't intervened.

She looks from the large, clumsy stitches to Pei jiejie, who flushes. “Don't tease me.”

“I would never,” Wen Xiao promises, suppressing a giggle. She was here to help, not embarrass Pei jiejie.

For someone who had been all but forced into the role as her family’s breadwinner, it made sense that Pei Sijing didn't have the time to pick up needlework. Wen Xiao would never fault her for that.

“If it's too much trouble–”

“Pei jiejie is never trouble,” Wen Xiao says firmly, undoing the stitches with practiced ease.

Pei Sijing does not reply, a pretty blush decorating her cheeks when Wen Xiao sneaks a look at her.

Contrary to her expectations, Pei jiejie does not leave, choosing instead to remain and watch as she sews.

A comfortable silence blankets them, something which Wen Xiao is more than happy to indulge in– except that she cannot help the question that nags at her– has been since she heard Pei jiejie prick her finger.

“Why didn't you ask me for help?” Wen Xiao cautiously asks, making sure to keep her tone gentle, non-confrontational. As neutral as she could. “Did I not do a good job of patching up your didi?”

Pei jiejie shifts, her eyes flickering to the robe, to Wen Xiao, and back to her hands as she says silently, “A-Heng is A-Heng, I cannot allow anything to happen to him.”

—

She should have seen it coming. To bring her didi’s puppet with her meant that it would get exposed to the harsh weather, to the scrapes that they inevitably found themselves in.

But she hadn't, and it wasn't until the arm on A-Heng’s puppet breaks that she realises the condition she'd let it deteriorate into. Scratched and stained with dirt, it was a far cry from the pristine condition that Cheng Huang had managed to maintain it in.

“I’m sorry, A-Heng, jiejie has let you down.”

Puppet or not, it was where her brother’s soul resided, and to let it reach such a state felt like she had failed him once more.

“Wen Xiao,” she gasps, stumbling into the goddess’s study. Pei Sijing hardly knows how she'd made her way there, only that Wen Xiao was the first person that came to mind. “A-Heng's puppet–”

“Pei jiejie!” Wen Xiao is there in an instant, steadying her with an arm around her shoulders, careful hands supporting her over to her daybed.

“Can I?” She asks, waiting for Pei Sijing’s approval before slowly taking A-Heng out of her hands.

“I failed him,” Pei Sijing says, the pressure on her chest near unbearable as she stares at the broken puppet in Wen Xiao’s delicate hands. “I didn't even realize– I forgot that puppets– and now–”

Wen Xiao gently places A-Heng between them, taking Pei Sijing’s hands into hers, easing them out of the balled up fists they'd subconsciously curled into.

“I'll fix him up, and return him to you good as new. Even better than when Cheng Huang had him,” she says, expression determined. “I promise, Pei daren.”

(It is both reassuring and confusing, to have Wen Xiao look at her with such intensity, and Pei Sijing abruptly makes her escape, embarrassed by the situation that she had placed herself in.

To expose her vulnerabilities so openly, and to have them embraced and met with such sincerity instead of harsh fists and even sharper words, it was something she doesn't know how to react to).

—

“Why didn't you ask me for help?” Wen Xiao had asked, and Pei Sijing does not know how to answer.

Wen Xiao had indeed made good on her word, handing A-Heng back to her with his arm reattached, his puppet robes carefully stitched and the scratches carefully filled in and smoothened out.

(She did not mention a word of Pei Sijing’s breakdown, simply leaving her with a light reminder to join them at lunch).

She'd not been in a good state when she went to Wen Xiao with A-Heng’s puppet, and had been embarrassed by how she had been so easily affected afterwards– though she did not regret her choice– Wen Xiao had done a beautiful job with fixing up A-Heng, but to approach her again for something as simple as sewing up a robe, it felt too demeaning.

“No, you did a good job with A-Heng,” Pei Sijing hurriedly says, looking guiltily at the robes in Wen Xiao’s grip. “I just… I didn't know how to ask.”

She had been determined to learn how to sew, since she now had the time to, only that she hadn't expected it to be so hard.

How others made it look so simple, Pei Sijing couldn't comprehend.

Even Wen Xiao had simply taken a glance at her robes and gotten started right away, gracefully weaving the needle between the fabric, the stitches miniscule and near invisible as the tear slowly closes up.

Pei Sijing had been reluctant to ask for help– doing so felt like failure, felt like admitting defeat, and she had been raised in a household where success was the only acceptable option.

But this was Wen Xiao, she reminds herself. Wen Xiao, who'd embraced all their flaws, who could even accept a demon who had massacred entire villages and taken him in.

Wen Xiao, who never called her a failure for not being able to protect them, who never saw her as lesser than the other figures in their ragtag group.

“Can you… teach me? How to sew?” Pei Sijing asks hesitantly, the words tasting unfamiliar in her mouth.

Wen Xiao gives her a pleased, absolutely radiant smile that made her heart beat impossibly faster, her face heating up as their gazes meet.

“I thought you'd never ask, Pei jiejie.”

[yingleis]

another thing I'm noticing in ep 2: the character introductions

Pei Sijing is introduced blindfolded -- she's lost her way and cannot see the truth or the path forward -- and Bai Jiu is introduced from behind a screen -- a position that theoretically situates him in a place of obscurity and power, but also notably interferes with his ability to see out at the rest of the world. The show told us who the spy was right away. Pei Sijing sus in her attitude but! Blindfolded!

Then we get the silver needle with Bai Jiu -- introduced as a joke -- and his second interaction with ZYZ is...Bai Jiu lying extensively through his teeth about fighting a demon -- again adorably and played for laughs -- but foreshadowing not only his betrayal but also probably his death and/or possession.

Finally, we are reintroduced to Zhuo Yichen through Bai Jiu's eyes and he's got his little hair accessories that look like Bingyi horns and these ones are BRIGHT BLUE.

gfd

[yingleis]

(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠) currently accepting fic requests for Fangs of Fortune! (I'm a month late oops, please be kind)

Feel free to leave prompts in the askbox, anon is on :D

Basic guidelines:

I'm only accepting SFW requests

Any characters/pairings excluding the main polycule (ZYZ/ZYC/LL) and any combination of them please!

(nothing against them, I just prefer to write more of the side characters)

No mpreg (not comfortable, and I don't think I would be able to accurately portray it)

no character bashing

lastly, feel free to pick any prompt from these lists (1 / 2) as well ^^

[yingleis]

head empty no thoughts just Pei Siheng and Pei Siheng only:

[yingleis]

让遗憾留在破晓之前; to let regret linger

🏹 大梦归离 fangs of fortune

🏹 pei siheng & pei sijing

🏹 7.1k; complete; gen/teen

🏹 character study, canon (mostly), fix-it (choose ur ending, BE or HE)

🏹 pei siheng’s lives and attempts at redemption; doomed siblingisms from super sad little brother perspective

‼️ goes through the end of the show timeline; does contain some canon-typical violence and depictions of death

How laughable that a turn of a deity’s hourglass could do more than countless prescriptions by famed doctors and his lived years of toiling, that the only way to stop being a burden was to stop being human. The choice filled him with fear; he did not want to oust himself from his family, to no longer be his sister’s little brother, but he was scared of continuing a life of pity and helplessness. To help his sister, he had no choice but to become what she hated most.

He thought he could be different. He wasn’t born a yao; he still had his memories from his human life, and he remembered why he chose to become a yao in the first place. For his sister, he could behave and show that he could be better, a source of strength instead of a burden and embarrassment.

Jiejie, are hatred and disgust the only feelings you have left for me? Am I even important enough for you to hate me?

Jiejie, won’t you let me say goodbye?

🗡️ on ao3 below

[yingleis]

大梦归离 Fangs of Fortune + Text posts

[OT3 text post meme]

[yingleis]

zyz and ying lei meeting privately as the only two known demons in the demon-hunting bureau 👀 how would they establish their dynamics??? im so against their basically non-existence canon interactions. they definitely had a talk and im wondering if you would be able to expand on their dynamic ❤️❤️ (wastedwaterpotential is my more active cdrama sideblog and am a big fan 🥺)

(Episode 11 rewrite: "Come with us to Kunlun" scene but with ZYZ and YL instead)

Ying Lei doesn't know what to make of it– this ragtag group of humans, a Da Yao, and the reincarnation of the Baize goddess working together to repair the Baize seal.

(But it was more human interaction than he'd gotten in the last couple of years, so he would take it).

Only now, it seemed that their investigations were leading them to Mount Kunlun, and Ying Lei wasn't so sure that he was ready to return yet, as much as he wanted to offer his help with guiding them up the mountain.

It is that indecision that kept him awake, knowing that he didn't have much time left to decide, and Ying Lei finds himself in the kitchen of the Demon Hunting Bureau once again at the hour of Yin, attempting his hand at Osmanthus cakes.

The first batch didn't quite smell right, and so he starts preparing a second, wondering if he should have added another spoon of osmanthus syrup after all.

It is then that Zhao Yuanzhou wanders into the kitchen, perches on the stool Ying Lei had set out in the kitchen for Bai Jiu, and nonchalantly swipes a piece from the pile that he'd been working on.

“Hey–” Ying Lei protests half-heartedly. That had been one of the nicer looking pieces, and he'd been reserving it for Bai Jiu, only for it to get stolen by a heartless, greedy Da Yao just like that!

“Not bad, it almost looks like the ones on the streets,” Zhao Yuanzhou remarks, ignoring Ying Lei’s dirty looks as he chews on the cake.

“Of course!” Ying Lei huffs. Even if he could not taste, he did have his other senses– and what chef would he be, if he couldn't even mimic the appearance of human food?

But no, surely the Da Yao Zhu Yan wouldn't just come in here to steal and compliment his food.

“What is it?”

“Hm?”

“Surely you're not just here for food, you don't even eat!”

“I do eat,” Zhao Yuanzhou corrects, feigning indignance. “I feed on people's malicious intent.”

Ying Lei sighs. If Da Yao wouldn't say it outright, then he would. “You guys are going to Mount Kunlun tomorrow, aren't you?”

Zhao Yuanzhou nods, expression expectant.

“...I'm staying here. Besides, doesn’t the Demon Hunting Bureau need a chef?” Ying Lei says. If they sent Zhao Yuanzhou to pressure him into going– well. He respected the demon, but he was adamant about his choice to stay in the mortal realm.

“Oh?” Zhao Yuanzhou raises a brow, sneaking another piece into his mouth. “A little mountain god who would rather be a chef amongst humans. Most would kill to have your status in the Wilderness, you know.”

“Stop that,” Ying Lei frowns, moving the dish away from the monkey’s greedy hands with a warning glare.

There's a pause, a stalemate where neither of them speak, unwilling to budge from their stance. It was unlike Zhao Yuanzhou to be so stubborn, from what Ying Lei has observed since he joined the Demon Hunting Bureau.

The other demon was usually rather easygoing, unwilling to interfere with their personal affairs– unless it really mattered, such as how he tied Pei didi’s soul to the puppet– but as much as Ying Lei thought, he couldn't see why it would matter to the Da Yao whether he went along to Mount Kunlun.

Sure, they may encounter fierce spirits on the way there, but they were nothing their group couldn't face without him tagging along.

(And Ying Lei does feel guilty for not taking this chance to visit his grandfather– it's the guilt that had been eating at him, the little nagging voice keeping him awake at night– it was why he was haunting the kitchens at this hour of the night, after all.

But a part of him is afraid,

Afraid that if he returned he wouldn't be able to leave for the mortal realm again without regrets).

Zhao Yuanzhou is still looking at him with that unnerving, unblinking stare, a silent challenge to continue this impasse of theirs until the others woke, and Ying Lei caves with a sigh.

“I don't want to be a mountain god,” he admits, sneaking a glance at Zhao Yuanzhou, wondering if the Da Yao would smite him for that treacherous confession.

But he says nothing, expression as impassive and unreadable as ever, so Ying Lei continues. He'd made his own bed and he would lie in it. “I never understood how my grandfather and the other mountain gods could be so willing to remain in the Wilderness, in that lonely and desolate place for so long, compared to the lively and ever changing mortal realm.”

The silence after his confession stretches, unnervingly so, and Ying Lei returns to his second batch of cake batter, preparing the mixture for lack of anything better to do.

He doesn't realise just how long the silece had stretched until Zhao Yuanzhou lets out a little chuckle, startling him from the rhythm he'd gotten into while kneading the dough.

“I think I once said that to the old man too…” he murmurs, clearly lost in a memory of his.

“Huh?”

“Ying Zhao wouldn't force you to be a mountain god and you know that,” Zhao Yuanzhou says, expression unexpectedly grave as he fixes his eyes on Ying Lei.

I'll respect your choice. You can be a mountain god, or an ordinary person if you want.

“I know.” Ying Lei mutters, staring at his flour covered hands.

He hears the telltale scrape of the stool as Zhao Yuanzhou gets up, deftly swiping another piece of cake from his pile as he leaves him with a jaunty, “I'd like to see the expression on that old man’s face when I bring his prodigal grandson back.”

(a/n: in retrospect, I should've tried to add in a part where Zhao Yuanzhou tries to pull seniority rank like Wen Xiao XD "call me uncle!")

[still accepting fic requests]

[yingleis]

Changmu for the wip game!

ooo this one sort of took a back seat when irl got crazy... but I do want to continue it one day, since I've written about half of it already.

(context: this is also known as "tales of dark river but make it gay, Changmu childhood edition")

[yingleis]

PSH/YL? Is that what I think it is? 👀👀

ehehe hello!!! if you guessed Pei Siheng/Ying Lei, then yep >_<

I've only written a snippet so far, but here you go!!

—

“Is that dish for my jiejie?”

“En, and this is for Xiao Jiu, this is for the goddess, Da Yao, and Xiao Zhuo daren.”

“That’s only five dishes,” Pei Siheng points out. “Where’s yours?”

Ying Lei shrugs. “I can’t really taste human food anyway. There’s no need to waste food.”

They lapse into silence after the exchange, Pei Siheng silently watching as Ying Lei continues his preparations to cook, one simply content with watching and the other happy to have company for once.

—

misc notes for future me:

Pei Siheng comes back again,

And again, but this time with food for Ying Lei to try

He has apparently made it his mission to find out what the little mountain god’s favourite food is

“You feed everyone, but who will feed you?”

Idk how the soul spell works anymore

[yingleis]

I would like someone to write a story of when Zhu Yan comes back, he is his white-haired, younger self. Very mischevious and maybe accidently hurts one of the other, his memory of the previous life gone?

Thankyou 🤩

They were the only ones left– the mortals in their ragtag group of demon hunters, who by all means, had lower chances of surviving than the demons and demigod– and yet fate seemed to love playing its tricks.

(Fate really loved to laugh at them, it seemed).

—

“That’s a good blade,” a familiar voice says, it's owner materialising before Zhuo Yichen, who narrowly manages to change his trajectory before the Yunguang Jian can pierce through Zhao Yuanzhou again.

It can’t be, it has to be another demon, one that preyed on a mortals dreams and desires–

And yet they wouldn’t get Zhao Yuanzhou’s styling and hair so horribly wrong, if that were the case.

How dare this demon wear the face of his bear friend, how dare they steal his identity, how dare they cruelly appear before him with Zhao Yuanzhou’s face.

So Zhuo Yichen asks, levelling his blade to the demon’s throat. “Who are you?”

“Zhao Yuanzhou,” the demon says indifferently, instead watching his sword glow blue with a barely concealed interest. “Or, maybe you know me better as–”

“Zhu Yan.”

“Oh? So you do know me.”

“You’re not Zhu Yan or Zhao Yuanzhou, stop lying,” Zhuo Yichen bites back, but finds himself stopping short, unable to truly kill Zhao Yuanzhou.

(Even if it isn't Zhao Yuanzhou, as long as he wore that damned face–)

The demon raises a brow, visibly confused, but he manages to hide it smoothly. “Unable to kill me? I doubt the great Demon Hunting Bureau would be afraid of a small demon like me.”

This Zhao Yuanzhou is much more transparent, easier to read, but still just as infuriating and cocky as his Da Yao, it seemed.

“I won't indiscriminately kill demons,” Zhuo Yichen forces out. “You haven't done anything yet.”

“Haven't I?” Zhao Yuanzhou hums, as if deep in thought.

Zhuo Yichen frowns, a chill running down his back as he turns to check that the Demon Hunting Bureau was indeed still untouched.

“You–”

Zhao Yuanzhou is gone by the time he turns back.

—

He doesn't tell Wen Xiao about the strange encounter, for fear of getting her hopes up about the damned demon. She'd been heartbroken when he left, giving her a false hope would only break her heart once more.

(Besides, despite his deepest wishes, he knows that without an intact soul, it would be hard for a demon to regain their form in such a short period of time.

Da Yao or not, even Zhao Yuanzhou couldn't perform such a miracle).

But Zhao Yuanzhou had always liked to be contrary.

—

“You're a descendant of Bingyi,” Zhao Yuanzhou says, flying right at him with his umbrella. “And you've mastered the art of turning water into ice.”

Zhuo Yichen hadn't expected to see Zhao Yuanzhou again, hadn't prepared himself to meet the demon again, but he falls into step anyway, drawing water from the pond around them and shaping it into sharp, deadly icicles.

They meet in the middle, clashing in a burst of ice and malicious energy, sending leaves rustling and dust falling off the eaves of the Demon Hunting Bureau.

You taught me how to wield it, Zhuo Yichen thinks, searching Zhao Yuanzhou's face for any hint of recognition and stifling the hurt when he finds none.

He'd thought about it the night before– it was unlikely that a lesser demon would dare to steal the identity of a Great Demon, and Cheng Huang was well and truly gone– he'd done another thorough check, startling Wen Xiao when she found him haunting the records room in the middle of the night.

Besides, he'd felt it the first time.

The inner energy, the little mannerisms, it was all Zhao Yuanzhou, Zhu Yan himself.

Another well timed blast of energy catches him off guard, taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, and Zhuo Yichen goes flying, landing painfully on his back.

“Oh,” Zhao Yuanzhou says dumbly, as if he hadn't meant to hurt him. “No, wait. Why won't my one-word spell work on you?”

Zhuo Yichen barely registers the question, still attempting to make the ringing in his head stop– he'd hit his head as he fell, but it didn't seem like a concussion was likely.

“You,” he says, half a beat late as he wonders how to phrase it. Zhuo Yichen didn't like to lie, much less to those who he considered as his friends. “We've met before. I saved your life. You gave me immunity to your one-word spells.”

Zhao Yuanzhou looks disbelievingly from his Yunguang Jian to him, and back at his sword again. “A demon hunter saving the Da Yao Zhu Yan’s life?”

Well.

He had once thought it unlikely as well, but fate often worked in mysterious ways.

“Interesting,” Zhao Yuanzhou says, his lips quirking into a half-smile.

[yingleis]

Fangs of Fortune - random thoughts about Ying Lei and ZYZ

spoilers through finale

Fangs of Fortune really missed an opportunity by making Ying Lei and ZYZ strangers. The timeline doesn't even really work - ZYZ was still getting an allowance from Ying Zhao as of 8 years ago (i.e., the 5 wen he got from Ying Zhao before going into the mortal world with Li Lun) so why wouldn't he have met (or, heck, even baby sat) Ying Lei, who had just reached his maturity in demon terms in the present day?

And during the 8 year period - Ying Zhao was the one who contacted ZYZ each time he punished himself; who better to trust and to send than his grandson, who loved the mortal world as well?

I would've loved to see Ying Lei greet ZYZ with "hey Uncle Monkey" :P And then ZYZ turning him upside down to shake out his treasures.

When Ying Zhao died, it would've been great to have one person who could've mourned with ZYZ, who'd know how close they were. And it could go either way - either Ying Lei blames him for his grandfather's death, in which case extra knives, or there could've been some mutual grief and comfort, which I really really really needed for ZYZ in that episode (and which I honestly see as the more likely route since this drama is about the choices made, and Ying Lei would understand it's his grandfather's choice, the same way his grandfather let him choose his path).

It would also mean that Li Lun would've known Ying Lei, and vice versa, which would make more sense as to why Ying Lei was so adamant to fling himself at Li Lun like he knew Li Lun wouldn't kill him.

It would've been a way of drawing Ying Lei more into the group as well - and would be even more knives for ZYZ when Ying Lei dies.

[yingleis]

[yingleis]

ok I'm finally on ep 32 and i can see why you guys ship zyz/ll so much,,, and the polycule as well,,,i nearly cried when the tree leaves appeared (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)

[yingleis]

fof request, where zyz met zyc when his family still around and he is still that soft boy who love to be pampered by his family and zyz fall for zyc

As it is, Zhao Yuanzhou should probably have expected this.

A flash of cold steel, and a razor sharp edge of a blade pressed against his neck–

He stops, mimicking how humans acted when caught red handed by raising both his hands, doing his best to affect a sheepish expression.

“I didn't mean to–”

“You're a demon, stop trying to act human,” he hears the boy say, and Zhao Yuanzhou hears the slight tremble in his tone despite the harsh words, the faintest trace of hesitation in his actions.

A lesser demon would've killed this boy by now.

Zhao Yuanzhou deftly side-steps the blade, placing a respectable distance between himself and the boy in the blink of an eye.

“Ah, I've been exposed,” he says easily, nimbly dodging when the boy lunges at him. “Relax, I don't have any bad intentions, really.”

(He simply wanted to take a closer look at the infamous Yunguang Jian, to determine whether it would truly be able to kill him if need be, but it seemed that this descendant of Bingyi wasn't the inheritor of the blade.

In fact, this boy seemed too naive, too easily breakable to be its wielder).

“A demon, willingly walking into the Demon Hunting Bureau–” the boy continues his endless barrage of attacks, “and you still say that you have no bad intentions?”

Zhao Yuanzhou hums, feeling the corners of his lips lift upwards in an amused smile. To be able to view this world in such simple definitions of black and white, this kid truly was too innocent, too untouched by this world.

Who could resist such naivety, such a blank white slate, willingly giving itself up?

Zhu Yan was just a demon, after all.

“You're right, I have bad intentions.”

This time, he rushes towards the boy instead, watching his eyes widen endearingly.

(Up close, he can clearly see the boy's long eyelashes, nearly obscuring his eyes from his angle from above– and there must be something wrong with him, Zhao Yuanzhou decides, if his first thought is that this boy is cute).

“Xiaochen!”

And there's the owner of the Yunguang Jian, rushing at him with the blade encased in a brilliant glow of blue. Zhao Yuanzhou bristles at the interruption, deciding that he isn't interested in it any longer as he swiftly makes his escape.

Xiaochen, huh?

[still accepting fic requests]