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biboomerangboi · 2 months

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Hua Cheng essentially cockblocking himself for possibly all of eternity will literally never not be the funniest thing MXTX ever wrote.

Xie Lian was pretty much completely in love with him the second he saw those lanterns (and completely oblivious about it) and then we get the wonderful first kiss underwater moment and Xie Lian is basically drawing hearts around Hua Cheng every time he sees him. While like quietly dying cause he literally has no idea what to do with it. Like at this point he doesn’t even really understand that he is head over heels totally gone for this man.

Until Hua Cheng is like I have a beloved I just haven’t won them over yet. Which he thinks is perfectly reasonable because his self esteem is the worst and he doesn’t understand how he could have won Xie Lian over yet. (He’s only on step 22 of his Marrying Dianxia 3000 step Master Plan ((that he debates throwing out on a regular basis because he doesn’t deserve to even dream about wanting Xie Lian)). So course he’s like yeah I have this wonderful noble beautiful beloved I just haven’t won them over yet wink wink nudge nudge.

But Xie Lian is like oh of course obviously I don’t deserve nice things and fuck I actually wanted him so badly I’m actually in love with him and now I will resign myself to never being happy for his sake. (Their combined self esteem is truly a so low it’s a hole in the ground which is hilarious because they think the other person is to good for them and unattainable forever because they literally have the same neurosis.) So he starts boxing up his feelings forever constantly wanting Hua Cheng and feeling guilty about it and literally dying inside because he wants Hua Cheng like he’s never wanted anyone.

Like essentially books 3 and 5 only happen because Hua Cheng has now cursed them both by saying he has a beloved because Xie Lian believes he isn’t wanted and therefore any nice thing Hua Cheng does is just him being nice and not Hua Cheng pulling out steps 23-34 of his plan thinking he still hasn’t won Xie Lian over. (He has he so has but he shot himself in the foot so badly it’s painful to read).

Like thank the Gods Hua Cheng is so unhinged and created the cave of 10000 Gods cause Xie Lian would literally be at his own wedding to Hua Cheng still convinced he wanted someone else and this was in fact a thing they were doing to solve a case together otherwise.

Like he needed something that unhinged to put 2 and 2 together otherwise he never would have caught on he’s Hua Cheng’s beloved. Meanwhile Hua cheng is like 🥺 he’s going to think I’m a weirdo now and I’m only on step 50 of the plan 🥺 like the two of them wouldn’t have been fucking nasty 2 books ago if he just kept his mouth shut and didn’t cockblock himself so violently.

#I hate them I love them they are both so stupid #hualian #tgcf #tian guan ci fu #hua cheng #xie lian #heavens official blessing #heaven official's blessing #hualian meta #tgcf meta #actually don’t know why I’m tagging this as meta I’m just bullying them but you get it #zee rambles #writing them and wanting to die #zees 2am text posts

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sunshineastro · 1 month

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hello tgcf fandom. let’s talk about yin yu and hua cheng’s relationship for a minute .

yin yu as a banished god, being picked up by the last believer of another banished god. yin yu spending years and years serving hua cheng and witnessing the art he creates and the worship he bestows and the love he carries. yin yu being one of the few people who knows the full truth of xie lian’s fall from grace, because he’s proven himself trustworthy. yin yu learning this and learning what’s been done to hua cheng and how deeply he still loves xie lian, and maybe for the first time in his life being able to look at himself as something good.

not necessarily because hua cheng wants him in any way, but because if xie lian is still deserving of love (and of course he is, yin yu would never argue otherwise) and if their stories are so similar… well, let’s be honest, that’s what it would take for yin yu to feel capable of being a person again. i think he looks at hua cheng’s unending devotion and hears about wu ming and he sees quan yizhen. who was willing to die if yin yu asked it of him, in much the same way.

i don’t know how to end this, i just think the parallels there are neat :)

#tgcf #yin yu #hua cheng #quanyin

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baiwu-jinji · 10 days

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TGCF author's notes translation

@/camilikha on twitter kindly provided links to TGCF author's notes and I translated the ones I find informative and interesting. See translations below:

chapter 58 notes: The second book is all about the overconfident Xie Lian with delusions of grandeur and the tender little flower (mxtx means kid Hua Cheng) and their diaries of the downfall of Xianle. Word count is undecided, I'm never accurate at estimating word counts anyway. It's just like the xianxia I write doesn't fit into your regular xianxia, the royalty I write doesn't fit into your regular fictional depictions of royalty - just the outlandish made-up worlds and social customs in the author's imagination...

chapter 60 notes: If we put Qi Rong in a modern context, we could say that he has bipolar disorder.

chapter 72 notes: about the chapter title "To Meet You in the Mortal Realm; to Find Flowers Beneath the Rain" - eventually I feel that "To Meet You" is more romantic than "To Meet Someone". Just think about it, "meeting you" is one of the most romantic things in the world.

chapte 80 notes: Of course (HC) won't give (XL) a handjob or help him [...], but Huahua's sexual awakening starts with this incident... (XL is seriously obssessed with martial arts combat!)

chapter 88 notes: Xie Lian never gets tanned, I envy him... I finally reached this place - in a dilapidated temple, a god about to be forgotten and a believer who's still young - this is the first mental image I have about this story, which drove me to wrote the story. I'm the kind of person who'd make up a whole book just to get to write a certain passage...

chapter 119 notes: Actually Huahua is just being naughty and wants to joke around playing dead, who'd have thought...

chapter 123 notes: So Black Water made his appearance long ago, he's been hanging around before your eyes all along. Wind Master never knew the real Mingyi, it's always been the same person before him - and before you readers. (Black Water) officially recognized as Best Actor of this story! I've been holding it a secret for so long and so has he, now I can finally let it out.

chapter 141 notes: If you heat up Huahua in the kiln, he'll grow bigger~

chapter 175 notes: "Hua Cheng! Your diary! We've read it all!!!"

chapter 229 notes: Huahua low-key sucking up to the elderly to make a good impression

chapter 242 notes: Why do you like to spook yourselves? - why on earth would there be such plots as (XL) waiting for another 800 years - too long, impossible! Happy ending is around the corner!

SVSSS is my first work so it has some exceptions that I won't discuss here, but MDZS and TGCF both only have one main couple. I said this repeatedly in the author's notes when MDZS was being serialized and in other places. As for Mo Xuanyu, he is a little gay dude but he died at the beginning of the story so he doesn't count as a serious character...It's fine to have headcanons you like as long as you don't seperate the main couple. But for me personally, my taste leans towards having only one gay couple in the story, and I have no plans to write about another secondary couple. I'm stating this to avoid some unnecessary disputes.

XL is good at making pickled vegetables. Because pickled vegetables are needed with steamed bun and rice porridge, so XL became quite experienced after practicing for hundreds of years. Also you can just leave the pickled vegetable by itself most of the time and let it undergo chemical reaction. XL mostly fail because he get inventive.

XL and Mu Qing chose the same path of cultivation and are both Daoists. But Feng Xin never studied under a master at the Holy Royal Pavillion so he's not a Daoist and simply a plebeian martial god, so he doesn't need to observe the celibacy rules like XL and Mu Qing.

My passion for inventing new dishes (or rather weapons) cooked by Xie Lian is only slightly less than my passion for making Huahua change into new clothes

Huahua often turn into human forms, in which he has two eyes, so you guys can stop counting the number of his eyes.

In the setting of this story, if you want to be a god,you need to be a human hero first, which means you need to be the best of the best among humans. Only heaven officials who ascended are real heaven officials and belong in the Upper Court. How do you ascend? Firstly it depends on your personal ability, you have to be outstanding in some aspect (such as martial arts or literary talents) to enter the path of ascension. Secondly it depends on luck, if you're extremely lucky and a favourite of fate, and just picked up some rare secret guides (to ascension) or immortal pills by the roadside, that works too. Officials in the Middle Court are appointed, which means someone in the Heavenly Realm could promote you to that position. But Middle Court officials have the opportunity to become a bona fide Upper Court official too if they're capable enough.

Black Water indeed owes Hua Cheng a huge sum of money and is a very impoverished Calamity, seriously lowering the income standard of the Calamities (although there're only three of them). But his debt isn't completely due to eating too much. As for the money Black Water owes, it's an ancient debt - 40% is the cost of buying gifts for heaven officials of Upper Court and planting agents there (bribery!), 30% is maintenance fee for his territory and expenses on pet food, the rest 30% is food (for himself).

Talismans are probably the equivalent of the business cards (of heaven officials)... "Hello this is my consecrated talisman" = "hello this is my business card"

You can't get rid of ghostly essence (which XL is tainted with because he spends too much time with HC) simply by brushing your teeth with plain water...you need to use consecrated spell water (which is super bitter and weird).

The weapon forged by a heaven official is called fabao (literally "dharma treasure"); if it's a weapon forged by mortal Daoists and monks, it's called faqi (literally "dharma tool") - only after their ascension can their weapons be called fabao.

In my imagination, Xianle ia the kind of small ancient kingdom that's overall culturally Han, but has peculiar customs...although I feel like what I wrote on Xianle is mostly just peculiar hahahaha [facepalm] [beat myself up]

Not only are the forms, customs, cultures, and politics of countries in this story made-up, the kind of arcane stuff like occult sciences and philosophical values are all made-up. Although I did research but the records I consulted are too difficult to understand, so I just made things up on my own. Please bear with me If you're knowledgable in this sort of thing hahaha.

Puqi refers to water chestnut.

Look up "Blood-Soaked Fire Social" (xue she huo) if you're interested, it exists in real life and is very thrilling. What I wrote is different from the traditional festival, there're some made-up elements to make it more exciting

#tgcf #heaven official's blessing #hualian

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mikaela-the-slut-expert · 3 months

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Hi! Can I request a Hua Cheng x bottom male reader x Xie Lian one shot? Maybe that the three of them are already in a relationship together. And maybe when they all go to Qi Rong's (the black water calamity) lair to kill him in that one chapter/episode, Before they start fighting Qi Rong starts flirting with reader and it makes HuaLian jealous as fuck. And so when they defeat him they drag reader back to the Puqi Shrine and reminds him who he belongs too 🤭

Also if possible can you make it smut?

Feel free to delete this ask if you want tho!

Look At Me

Hua Cheng x M!reader x Xie Lian

Sorry it took so long I'm still in school guys 😞 at first I was confused because I thought you were talking about He Xuan because I was sure he was the black water calamity

I forgot the prince's name guys

I made up connections for Qi Rong and reader

Ignore grammar mistakes

Slight ooc?

Smut ahead!!!

____________________________________

They knew it wasn't going to be easy, nor was it going to feel good. Hua Cheng has meant to find Qi Rong, reveal the truth to Lan Qin Qao, and continue on with their lives. Well, he just wanted to beat the shit out of Qi Rong for what he did to Xie Lian.

All of you went to Qi Rong's lair, and watched Hua Cheng beat Qi Rong's face into the ground. Then you all got to listen to the truth about the banquet. So far so good. 'good' is an emotional ride for everyone there. But that was the whole point anyways.

Everything was going as planned, in Hua Cheng's book anyways. Until Qi Rong started slandering Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. He started yelling about how Hua Cheng was Xie Lian's dog, and how Xie Lian is so pure he must've been blinded by it.

You have a deep past with Xie Lian, and a relationship with both men so of course you aren't happy to hear these things. Especially from Qi Rong. You used to be close with him, of course you were. He was Xie Lian's cousin so obviously you would've met him. Now look at Qi Rong. It was truly pitiful.

You were upset by the words Qi Rong was saying, he used to be such a good child for you. The things he was saying weren't fair to your lovers, you also didn't want to see Qi Rong get beat up anymore. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng already had a go at him.

"Qi Rong you've grown to have such a vulgar tongue, please be quiet." You weren't going to hit anyone, you're too sweet for that, so you could only ask him nicely. It's the first thing you've said since you've been here. You haven't said anything, rather staying quiet instead. You just didn't want things to escalate further.

You hadn't expected it to work, Qi Rong is. . . Unstable, to put it nicely. Plus he hasn't looked at you this whole time you doubt he remembers you at all. It's been so long.

Qi Rong snaps his head towards you and his giggling dies down. "Y/n? Y/n is it really you? What a wonderful reunion this is!" Even though Qi Rong had just been upset about 'people throwing a party in his lair'.

"Come closer, come closer I want to see your face y/n. It seems you've been by my high and mighty cousin all this time." He grins widely. You don't reply to that, you don't know what to say. You had gone to step forward though, to allow Qi Rong to see your face after all these years.

Xie Lian stopped you though. Where he usually is so hesitant to touch you has been thrown away, he pulls you by the elbow, behind him now. Xie Lian doesn't know why he does it. Anger? Jealousy? Selfishness? Protectiveness? Hostility? Who knows but he knows that him and Hua Cheng will lose it if Qi Rong dares to spit harmful words towards you.

But Qi Rong doesn't. He does the contrary, as if Qi Rong had really missed you. As if he had a right to your person. He laughs, finding it hysterical how Xie Lian pulls you behind him. How his big cousin is selfish even though he acts like the most selfless person to ever breathe. "Hahaha! Look at you big cousin! Look, look! You've always been selfish! Selfish!" He laughs and laughs against the ground.

Qi Rong looks at you, what he can see peaking over Xie Lian's shoulder anyways. "Y/n, Y/n I've missed you over these 800 years. You must've been blinded by big cousin's light too! His pureness and selflessness right?! You should come with me instead. I miss Y/n's pretty face I haven't seen it in so long!" And he dares to try and reach a hand to your robes.

You don't know if he's being honest in his words or if he's saying it to piss off your lovers. You wouldn't put it past him. "Qi Rong please" you hiss through your teeth. You had been so focused on Xie Lian that you had completely forgotten about the seething ghost behind you.

Hua Cheng's devotion to Xie Lian is admirable and his devotion to you is the same. Qi Rong very quickly finds his face being slammed into the ground again. It's a very gruesome sight and you didn't enjoy it all. Hiding behind Xie Lian and covering your ears as Qi Rong continues to roll your name over his tongue.

Things pass, and tensions increase. Eventually leading to Qi Rong being cut in half and thrown into boiling liquids. Even though Xie Lian drags you off, you can't help but stare where Qi Rong was thrown.

Once the three of you are out of the lair, you're all interrupted by Shi Qingxuan and Feng Xin. Feng Xin wants the two of you to come back to the heavens. To come home. He demands it actually, threatening Hua Cheng with his bow and arrow. Shi Qingxuan stops him though. You and Xie Lian get pulled behind Hua Cheng.

Once things smooth over with them and Hua Cheng bullies Feng Xin with blood rain, you were expecting to go back to the heavens with Xie Lian. The two of you do need to get up there and explain everything that has happened. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng decide differently though. Instead you're dragged off and your lovers are eerily silent, seething quietly. You don't know what to say, because you don't know why they're upset. So you don't say anything you let them drag you along.

They've taken you to Puqi shrine. You can only assume that maybe after such a tiring day, that everyone is missing home. Maybe your lovers just want to spend a few hours with you and have some peace. To make what happened earlier a distant memory. Your mind is quickly changed.

Your assumptions prove wrong when Xie Lian drags you through the door and shoves you down on the mat. "H-hey! What is wrong with you?" You look away. Xie Lian grips your jaw and snaps your gaze back towards him. "Look at me, don't look away again" Xie Lian has never treated you so roughly. You've known him a long time and he's always treated you carefully. Not even in bed does he usually dare to treat you so hard.

You try to gain your balance, and to get off of the floor. You're quickly pulled back by your shoulders and your back meets Hua Cheng's chest. Leaving you between your two, seething lovers. And you? You poor, oblivious thing. You don't even understand why.

"A-Lian, San Lang! Why are you acting like this!?" You're left with no answer besides Xie Lian practically tearing at your robes and San Lang pinning your back against his chest. He's not giving you the chance to move away. Not that you would anyhow.

Hua Cheng being angry, and upset is nothing new. It's concerning sometimes but he tends to pout a lot so you expect it. Seeing Xie Lian angry, is frightening. Well, not exactly but you haven't seen him angry in a long time but he's never been angry with you. Ever.

You're stripped quickly, and your hands shoot out to Xie Lian's face. Holding his face in your hands, making him look at you, forcing him to pause in his ministrations. "A-Lian, what's wrong?"

Xie Lian's brow furrows and he lets out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry y/n" he huffs softly and holds your wrist. He moves his face to the side and kisses your palm. "Qi Rong was right I am selfish. I am, I shouldn't be but I can help it. But I'm selfish for good reasons" he moves closer, nipping at your neck. His usual soft kisses, become possessive bites.

"I have a right to claim you, to touch you. You're mine. You're San Lang's. You're ours" he hisses through his teeth and he bites your shoulder hard. His hands roam while he talks, spreading your legs and his oiled fingers prod at your hole. Where did he get a bottle of oil? When did he even do that?

San Lang makes himself busy by kissing you and shoving his tongue down your throat. Stealing your breath as if it were his. Not that he needs to breathe.

Xie Lian continues, "But what right does he have to claim you? To try and take you away from me, from us?" Xie Lian growls out, and presses fingers up against your prostate. It didn't take long for him to find it, he's explored you many times. It causes you to arch against San Lang's chest and moan into his mouth.

Xie Lian doesn't feel like being nice today though because his fingers continue to rub and curl up against your prostate. You squirm against them both, moans being ripped out of you by Xie Lian nimble fingers. "A-Lian, A-Lian, please~!"

San Lang bullies you too, making you dizzy from his kisses and his forces your legs apart. He's encouraging Xie Lian to bully you. San Lang is good in bed and Xie Lian is usually obedient, but Xie Lian getting out of his shell to bully you? San Lang enjoys it thoroughly.

One of his hands wraps around your dick and he strokes you, he only makes it worse. The two take out their frustrations on you, leaving you to mumble their names. With both of them bullying your front and back, it's not long until your cumming. A long moan spills from your lips and your legs try to clamp shut. San Lang doesn't let them though.

You double over and heave a breath when they don't stop. Xie Lian bullies your prostate and San Lang moves his fingers faster around your dick. It quickly puts you into overstimulation and pretty tears drip from your eyes. "No, no, slow down~" You whine, and your legs shake into San Lang's hold.

"Tell us who's you are then" San Lang purrs in your ear. Another orgasm is forced out of you and you babble some more. "Xie Lian d-does, San Lang too. Please!" You squeal from the pleasure.

Those words are forced out of you many times that night, because they don't intend to let you get away so soon. They bully you for the rest of the night and when you show up in the heavens the next day you have a slight limp. The other officials are worried you were injured by Hua Cheng, but it was both Xie Lian and Hua Cheng who made you cry on their cocks.

____________________________________

I hope you like it 😁🙏🖤🖤

#tgcf #tgcf headcanon #hualian #hualian x reader #tgcf x male reader #hua cheng x reader #tgcf hua cheng #tgcf hualian #tgcf xie lian #xie lian x reader #tgcf oneshot #mxtx tgcf

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justaghostingon · 1 year

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Shi Qingxuan and the Quest to Win the Heart of the Hot Ghost

A beefleaf au to soothe my soul since i’ve reached “that” arc in the series

It all begins when He Xuan makes a mistake. A mistake that almost cost him centuries worth of work

He accidentally saves Shi Qingxuan in the wrong form!

He meant to save him as Ming-xiong, the trusted best friend, but due to an unexpected flux from Taicang mountain, he couldn’t control his form, and slipped into his true form.

Fortunately shi Qingxuan did not see him transform, and he was able to quickly get out of sight to change back

Unfortunately, Shi Qingxuan interpreted He Xuan suddenly appearing, saving his life and then leaving as a sign that He Xuan a hero!

His hero!

His Ghost king who wants to be friends just like Hua Cheng and Xie Lian!

But he’s shy! That’s why he ran away! So its Shi Qingxuan’s job to seek him out and thank him.

And treat him to dinner, and go out on the town, and hold his hand… you know, sworn brother stuff!

Shi Qungxuan might have a bit of a crush.

And Ming Yi, good old best friend ming yi, has to listen to all of it. Every excruciating detail, every inch of his face painted with such flowery language he wants to throw up.

Is he jealous of himself? No way! Not a chance! He’s just worried shi Qingxuan will put sowmthing together before its time!

At first ming yi hopes it will go away, a passing fancy, if shi qingxuan never sees he xuan again

But shi Qingxuan is way more determined than ming yi was expecting. He hunted down his layer, and threw his favorite foods down into the sea as an offering

How did he know he xuan’s favorite foods? They were ming yi’s favorites too! Did he know???

He xuan had to throw him off his trail, so he shifted in to his true form, just to reject them and throw him off the scent.

Shi Qingxuan then asks what his favorites are

He xuan panics and says super rare dishes like “cinnamon” and “corn” thinking the fetch quest will deter him.

It does not. Instead shi Qingxuan drags ming yi on a quest to find a whole nother two continents just so he could bring back food for his new “friend”

And of course, he brings his trusty friend ming yi with him. So ming yi has to go on his own impossible quest

He xuan has just about had it with this, ans vows never to appear before shi Qingxuan again, except…

Shi wudu comes to visit him.

Shi wudu wants to recruit him, ming yi, to keep he xuan away from his brother. To stop this disastrous crush before it destroys everything

He even offers to support ming yi’s own endeavors to court shi qungxuan, because clearly that’s ming yi’s goal here.

“This is that is that important to you?” Ming yi asks

“He xuan and shi qingxuan together would be the worst thing to ever happen to me” shi wudu says (not exactly in those words, but its what he xuan hears)

And suddenly he xuan sees a perfect opportunity to hurt shi wudu in a way that is intense and long lasting

Forget physical torture! Let him watch his brother fall for his greatest enemy!!!

So he begins to court shi qingxuan in his true form. Offering gifts of precious treasures from the sea bottom, eatinf his food, giving him the smoldering look that shi qingxuan will not shut up about to ming yi

Only one problem: he xuan is a little too good. He knows all of shi qingxuan’s favorite things from being his best friend, and bringing them up in courtship…that’s kinda creepy

He doesn’t want to come off as creepy. He needs this to go well.

So he tries to dial it down, but he’s not nearly as good as he thinks

Because one day shi qingxuan looks ming yi right in the eyes and goes “you know there’s nothing that would make me love you any less right? He xuan?”

And ming yi/ he xuan, realizes he’s been caught

But he’s also got a boyfriend, and shi wudu’s worst nightmare has come true, ao its all good

#beefleaf #beefleaf au #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #ming yi #he xuan #shi qingxuan #tgcf au #shi wudu

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double-rat · 13 days

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TGCF Avatar Au

Okay guys bear with me here. Just sharing some loose thoughts on a Heaven Official's Blessing Avatar universe coupled with excerpts from our Sketchbook.

Okay so first of all, obviously Xie Lian is the Avatar because the avatars are loved and hated by the people they safe etc. But I thought for this, it's more of an idea where the avatar has to roam the Earth until they fulfill "their purpose" so Xie Lian has been partaking in different cultures as different men (Fang Xin style) for over a hundred years trying to find what he is here for.

Of course one day, he meets the last dragon that has survived all this time by taking the form of a man. Cheesy? I don't care.

They can bond over being hoarders and being centuries old/hunted by humanity.

Hua Cheng would definitely start off cheeky and "dangerous" but you know Xie Lian - he sees right through it.

Okay so yes I have a whole plot in mind that involves Pei Ming and Wudu and spirits and whatnot but that's not what we are here for today. Let's just skip to Feng Xin(Fire Bender) and Mu Qing(Water Bender) : basically, Feng Xin's family line has been entrusted with watching over and caring for a temple dedicated to the avatar/ the avatar's return but as time went on people stopped believing in the avatar but Feng Xin kept watching over the temple anyway - waiting. Mu Qing, on the other hand, believes spirituality is leaving their world and that man needs to fight for himself and not depend on heroes and legends.

Side note: I can't remember if it's a head canon or legit because im delusional but I like to pretend the Northern Water Tribe is so high and mighty and looks down on the Southern Water Tribe. Anyway, Mu Qing is def from the South but pretends to be from the North.

Okay while I'm here, I also want to mention that I loved Nan Feng and Fu Yao so much that in every AU I make, Nan Feng is Feng Xin's little brother and likewise with Fu Yao and Mu Qing. Because like... them as big brothers on top of everything else they have to deal with? Cry my eyes out.

#tgcf #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #heavens official blessing #xie lian #hua cheng #hualian #san lang #xianle trio #feng xin #Mu Qing #fenglian #mu qing tgcf #heaven officials blessing #fengqing #fu yao #nan feng #nanyao

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sacredfire44 · 8 months

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There’s something in TGCF fanfic that’s regularly forgotten, that I was fairly sure was canon but was confirmed completely by the newly-release extra.

The gods do NOT know Hua Cheng’s true form even in post-canon, and he doesn’t usually wear it outside of fights were he needs his full strength(and, of course, the private company of his husband). The gods even mention in the newest extra that Hua Cheng in his true form terrifies them because it’s the form that’s only seen when he’s going on a rampage!

From the Gambler’s Den arc, we can infer that he either uses his true form slightly more often in Ghost City, or he noticed Xie Lian’s arrival and shifted to his true form in accordance to his promise. Considering that the residents of ghost city didn’t recognize his form very well either, the second one is the likeliest option.

Even in the Black Water arc, Hua Cheng remained in his San Lang form until he was alone in the coffin with Xie Lian, and - forgive me if I’m remembering wrong - transformed back to San Lang when they reached the shore.

Anyway, all this is to say. If your fic is set at any point other than after A Ghost King Dressed Down, it’s very VERY unlikely for Hua Cheng to be in his true form outside of a fight. I don’t actually mind that much if you want to do it anyway haha, but I just realized it’s actually not on purpose for most people so. Just a reminder

#bro I seriously don’t mind that much either #it doesn’t really break the immersion for me #but it happened so often that I wondered if anyone even realized #so I just had to point it out 😅#tgcf #tian guan ci fu #hua cheng #crimson rain sought flower #San Lang #Xie lian #hualian

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mikoishere · 1 year

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Poly Hualian with an oblivious s/o?

firstly you’d confuse xie lian at first with how the way you acted when they first tried to express their love for you because the way he remembers

it the moment him and San lang were gifting you an expensive silver butterfly Clip for you’re hair you reacted with “That’s nice, who are you gifting

it to?” He was dead stunned although hua cheng was not surprised by this because of him knowing how oblivious you become when it comes to love

However as time goes by xie lian gets used to the oblivious behavior and is unbothered by it! They both keep gifting you expensive things like rare silks, Jewels, they even gifted you multiple Braces that was smothered in Big Expensive stunning jewels! No surprise you reacted with “??”

Hc’s!

-HC and XL will often visit you and spend all of their time with you! They love you a lot you just don’t realize it yet, don’t worry they have undying patience for you and will wait eternity for you in any life.

-Once you even got angry at them for giving you expensive gifts EVERYTIME(Well I mean everyday) They visited, you were gifted a necklace covered with jewels in public and eyes rolled over the scene of where that expensive jewelry was, people started whispering even

-after that time of “embarrassment” you hadn’t talk to them for a week! You even shut them out!? How could you do that?!

-XL was getting worried even cried once or thrice! Because they haven’t seen you for so “long”! HC seemed fine but deep inside he was aching like XL getting impatient not seeing you for a week!

-once you showed up to their door they were delighted! XL hugged you in a bone crushing embrace as HC joined shortly after, you hugged them back but told them you need to talk to them about the gift smothering thing.

-they agreed and invited you inside, You told them you wanted no more expensive gifts from them and they reacted with “what?! Why! You need to be treated like royalty” you explained to them how they don’t need to spend so much money on you every now and then

-both of them were shocked! You need to be smothered in expensive items so why decline them!?

-anyways you explained everything to them and made them promise to lessen gifting you gifts they agreed

-but the next day holy mother of Cheetos there they were again this time with a gorgeus Diamond ring! You groaned once more

“Xie lian, Hua cheng what have I told you the other day?” You said “no more gifts” you said with a frown worrying they might’ve been spending so much money on you “But [Name] hear us out! We want to talk to u about something!” Xie lian said as you raised an eyebrow “fine, what is it?” Hua cheng took a sigh and spoke “[Name are you that oblivious towards our love for you?” You we’re shocked as those words left Hua cheng’s mouth “love for me? What are you guys talking about?” You asked “[Name]! You’re oblivious with our affection we’ve shown for you!” Xie Lian spoke once more

-wait hold on! What now? Those were you’re thoughts at that very moment. What. How could Them THE CROWN PRINCE XL and GHOST KING HC be inlove with you and is now confessing!?

-you almost fainted you knew you liked them but didn’t expect them to return the feelings and be the one to confess I mean of course how could you know.

-of course you accepted their confession and decided to continue things slowly but you of course told them to stop giving u gifts to which they did NOT agree but agreed to try to stop buying too much expensive things for you.

-and so on so forth you 3 dated each other then on, XL and HC was sweet While XL Cooked “yummy” food for you and HC, HC provided the needs you were like 3 peas in a pod together.

-they both love you so don’t forget it kay?

Note from author: might make HC’s when dating them together and separately, but who knows?

#xie lian #hua cheng #tgcf #xie lian x reader #Hua cheng x reader #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #polyamory #hualian

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bi-turtle-enthusiast · 3 months

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the more i read tgcf the more i get mad that quan yizhen's entirely rational responses to things are not treated as such.

if you think quan yizhen is behaving erratically you simply do not have all the facts yet. he does. he tries to wear robes to test if they're the brocade immortal because he sees lang ying (hua cheng in disguise) doing exactly that. oh, xie lian needs spiritual energy? doesn't it make sense for him to offer some?? his shixiong whom he loves SO much despite everything is refusing to talk to him? he misses him and wants to just clear the air at least. there are bone dragons around and he needs a powerful weapon? yeah of COURSE he's going to pilot one like a badass. xie lian is super poor and quan yizhen has a lot of money? well that's an easy solution—plus, xie lian was nice to him, so it's a thank you!

idk he's just so. i love him. he's neurodivergent coded for SURE and i hate the way he's infantilized or treated like he's stupid. i'm glad the book is written in a way that at least hints at the fact that quan yizhen is operating in an understandable if not mainstream way.

also quan yizhen refusing to respond to work calls is just beautiful i think.

#quan yizhen #quan yizhen appreciation #tgcf

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darlingpwease · 9 months

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Yandere omega Hualian who keep get rejected by they alpha but still made they nest just for them to comfortable

But imagine this Yandere Omega Hualian but Alpha have puppy with someone else how will they fell about that and what will they do

my dear puppy,

♡ unhealthy behaviour, animalistic behaviour, parenthood (variation with & without consanguinity), poly relationship, modern au for variation with consanguinity; single parent!reader

In fact, neither HUA CHENG nor XIE LIAN will have a problem with the fact that you already have a puppy / puppies. The fact that you reject their nest or send mixed signals will bother a lot more.

XIE LIAN in general has a strong 'parental instinct' and would like to have puppies someday, even if he needs time to agree to — if the 'puppy' is not an addition to you; in that case, XIE LIAN very quickly and smoothly immediately reaches the stage of 'let's raise a puppy together', accepting with everything you have, including a small (or not so) lump in your hands. After all, it's your puppy — and now it's the puppy of your entire pack of you and your two omegas, so it's natural that they adopt them and raise together, even if there is no blood relationship. Your puppy will easily get attached to someone like XIE LIAN, who easily manages to hide steel in silk, and, in the end, he builds soft nests and smells so delicious, making them feel so comfortable that soon the very idea of leaving him seems wrong — especially when you see that your puppy genuinely loves his and it's mutual. XIE LIAN doesn't mind your puppy at all and considers them his own, so why should you leave? Haven't you already found the perfect omega parent for your little cub?

HUA CHENG is even more flexible and relaxed in this regard — he is generally indifferent to the aspect of the presence or absence of puppies. Although, of course, if there is a puppy or if the puppy considers him a parent, then you will not be able to easily leave HUA CHENG — but he is generally not that type of omega. He wants to keep you close, not because you have 'nowhere else to go' or 'no one is letting you go', but because you don't want to leave yourself — if you see that he is so perfect, then why would you want to leave? This is much more reliable and will be a stronger anchor for you, because in other cases you can try to escape, having an opportunity, but when no one is better than him, then who can you go to? It's the same with a puppy — he didn't have good parents or a nurturing community, so his experience is literally molded on the basis of the behavior of you and XIE LIAN, but he really tries, combining his 'omega instincts that feels the milky smell of a cute puppy whose parent is now' and taking an example from XIE LIAN, who grew up in a loving and prosperous family and knows how to handle puppies, even if this is also the first time for him.

(in my opinion, in the omegaverse world, especially in the ancient one, the collective upbringing of all puppies is generally widespread, including those who are not related by blood, so no aspect of 'jealousy' for someone else's puppy or for the fact that you had someone is the exception rather than the rule; besides, in the end you are with them and you will stay with them, and the fact that you had someone before does not matter to the two of them, as long as they know that this 'someone' does not matter to you now.)

puppy with a blood relationship / is your biological puppy

XIE LIAN and HUA CHENG have nothing against the fact that your puppy has no blood connection with them — after all, it is now a puppy of your pack that you will raise together; when you are look for your little one and your omegas in different nests or when you bend down to the nest for a puppy only to be playfully dragged inside by one or two pairs of hands, you try to be careful in the future — but you still get caught over and over again.

XIE LIAN and HUA CHENG are often scenting the puppy and likes to sleep with them, either with you by their sides and with the puppy on your chest if possible — and they have no problems even if the puppy is very small and often wakes up at night or is generally anxious and restless and often needs the presence of others. For XIE LIAN, this experience is a study of his own parenting and how much he himself is ready and would like to give birth to another puppy for you if you wanted, while HUA CHENG is experiencing a mixture between getting the experience of parenthood and re-childhood, which he did not have.

In the end, the three of you raise the child as a common one, where he has one alpha parent and two omega fathers (a semi-playful 'who's papa who's daddy' is attached, but your puppy probably uses names along with letters from their name like daddy / papa lian / cheng and other variations depending on their pronunciation), and your puppy grows up in a more than happy and loving family even if he inherits some of their intense traits and attitudes towards you, especially if they are omega.

If you don't want to talk about the origin of the puppy or if about their parents, then they are fine with it — it doesn't matter what happened before, it's important that this is their puppy and you are now their alpha, since your puppy considers them his omega dads, which is especially important if your puppy is also an omega.

If you continue to communicate with the puppy's parent, they will be much more wary and jealous, even if they know that they should trust you. They are both quite possessive and are looking for regular confirmation from you as an alpha that they are only your omegas and that you are only their alpha, and it gets even worse when they feel that the omega with whom you once conceived your puppy is still in touch with you. HUA CHENG is much more open to direct aggression or belligerence, especially if the omega parent also has a heavy temper — and although HUA CHENG will not show you this, he will be more than sarcastic and annoyed at the sight of them. XIE LIAN, on the other hand, behaves outwardly more peaceably, keeping the thought that, after all, thanks to them, their pack now has such a sweet and cute puppy, but he will not particularly try to calm HUA CHENG, especially if he sees that your former partner is behaving 'wrong' — and not that he is at all wants to stop HUA CHENG...

puppy without a blood relationship

Explain to them from the outside why you have a puppy who never gets older than a certain age and considers you to be his only parent, not remembering either the past before a certain age or his second parent. You yourself are not sure how it happened, and whether what you unintentionally did is some variation of ghostly forces or the like, — but they are closer to the spirit than to the ghost, they like to cling to you, they never grow up and call you their alpha parent, and you don't mind at all, even if you can explain little to others.

Neither HUA CHENG nor XIE LIAN ask anything, however. Your puppy is cute and charming, and whoever they are, both omegas instantly adopt them and make them their puppy as well, treating them as a single puppy within the pack and easily calling themselves their parent, even if you may initially feel embarrassed by how easily they accepted this whole situation and your 'strange 'puppy.

But, whoever they are, your omegas are absolutely fine with you and your puppy, creating nests and willingly basking in them, cuddling with them and with you, considering themselves a full-fledged family.

You and your puppy are suspicious?... Maybe, but you are their alpha — you have always been, are and will be — and as long as that's the case, nothing matters.

in my opinion, if you have a puppy with another and you are happy with another, then they won't do anything about it.

of course, you expect HUA CHENG to remain flirtatious, and in modern au he may be the type who will still try to attract your attention, but they are more than respectful and understanding, especially if you are straightforward with refusal.

they will instantly return to you if you find yourself free again, though, but they will not intentionally break the family, even if HUA CHENG is characterized by the position of 'if someone is better, then there is nothing wrong with leaving for the better' — but he does not consider himself good enough for you because of the unstable self-esteem, while XIE LIAN is more than patient, although no less open in his intentions.

#❖.my jewelry #🥮 — heaven official's blessing #✉.xie lian #✉.hua cheng #🧸.yandere au #🧸.omegaverse au #🧸.parent reader #alpha reader

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spookybad · 9 months

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Fengqing x Goddess of Death! Reader

Warning!!! Contains death! (it's gentle and unnamed characters, but still, be warned)

I'm pretty sure tgcf doesn't have death gods (I haven't read the books yet, but I know most of the plot) but we'll ignore this fact

I added a name for the goddess, but it's literally just a nickname

The goddess of death was very elusive, many heavenly officials considering her a myth, only few having seen her a select few times.

So, perhaps it was inevitable that somebody would deem it necessary to track the goddess down, for paperwork that was never reported.

And who would be the one assigned such if not Xie Lian himself?

And who would be the tag-along's if not Hua Cheng, Mu Qing and Feng Xin?

In their disguises, of course.

So that's how they ended up making their way to a village that apparently housed a pair of senior-aged soulmates who had reincarnated together to share their love.

On the way they end up meeting a traveler woman, with silver hair and carrying a white cloth bundle in her arms.

"Ah, are you fellow travelers, perhaps?" she'd started with a curious tilt of her head.

"Yes," Xie Lian smiled, "we heard the town just up ahead has wonderful views, so we wanted to visit."

A peculiar, knowing glint entered the woman's eye, "Sure there are!" she leaned in closer, as though telling a secret, "They say, whatever you're looking for can be found in Yang village."

"And you're looking for something." Hua Cheng pointed out amicably.

The woman laughed, "Of course! As are you!"

The rest of their walk to the village was relatively quiet, even Feng Xin and Mu Qing not bickering much.

Instead, the two might be seen whispering among themselves, casting an occasional glance at the traveler woman accompanying them.

Upon reaching the Yang village the silver haired woman turned to them, smiled and bowed, "You'll find what you're looking for." and with that strange glint in her eye, she walked off.

Once alone, the quartet were left in a bout of silence.

"Where might we find the couple, gege?" Hua Cheng turned to Xie Lian with the same smile he always had for his gege.

"Ling Wen gave me their names, so let's just ask around, see if anyone knows."

And that's how they found their way to a regular village home with a yard and some trees.

In the yard of the senior couple, they found a woman with glittery silver hair, draped in a pristine white cloak, with an elegant black scythe held in her hands, sitting on a tree stump, looking into the home of the soulmate couple.

Upon their approach, the silver haired woman smiled, "Ah, it appears you have found what you were looking for, fellow travelers!"

Mu Qing's eyes narrowed, "Are you really the goddess of death?"

The goddess before them smiled in a sly, perhaps infuriating, way, "Perhaps, if you could guess my name~."

"Why do we need to guess your name?" Feng Xin's brows furrowed.

"Because," the goddess's smile seemed a permanent fixture, "you hadn't asked before."

"Most of heaven doesn't know your name." Mu Qing pointed out.

This time Hua Cheng butted in, "Of course they would not."

Mu Qing bristled at this "You-!"

"I think part of it is Yue," Xie Lian interrupted, "Because of your hair."

"The moon." The goddess confirmed, "I'll accept that and ask for no more then."

Yue stood up and walked toward the open door to the home, where they could see the soulmate couple having a mid-day nap, with their door to the yard open to let in the warm summer breeze.

The goddess of death approached the couple and kneeled beside them.

"It's time now, my dears." She said and reached out a gentle hand to brush the wispy hairs out of their faces.

Soon after, the couple's chests stopped moving.

The goddess stepped away from the home, ribbons of silver hair fluttering in the wind, making her look every bit the ethereal being she is.

There was only one thought allowed in that moment.

"Wow."

................

I've had fengqing x Goddess of Death on my mind for quite a while now, I had to write this

The "wow" was Feng Xin, btw

Also, Hua Cheng has met the goddess of death before, so he knew

#fengqing x reader #fengqing #tian guan ci fu #tgcf #the heaven official's blessing #feng xin x mu qing #feng xin x mu qing x reader #mu qing x reader #mu qing #feng xin x reader #feng xin #xie lian #hua cheng #tgcf x reader

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biboomerangboi · 26 days

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Been thinking about the homoerotic potential of Xianle Quartet again and I think I’ve figured out the best/funniest way for the post canon dynamic to play out: Xie Lian gets his offical harem.

And no I don’t mean Xie Lian just gets to hold hands with everyone. I think Hua Cheng who wants Gege to be happy and give him everything he wants but also genuinely believes he’s better than Feng Xin and Mu Qing starts acting like the Wife and Feng Xin and Mu Qing are Xie Lians concubines.

I think it would start with Hua Cheng giving them strictly solicited times to be with Xie Lian and then later when Xie Lian admits he feels something more about the two of them he would get real into it.

He makes it extremely clear he’s the first and most important wife in this game and they play by his rules. They deal with his times and get to see him give Xie Lian really extravagant gifts to wear when he spend time with them as well as giving him lots of love bites not to mention lots of little digs and because Fengqing are Fengqing they instantly match the energy.

The Harem games begin.

There’s so much side comments and subterfuge and of course fights to see who is the favourite while also convinced that it won’t be them because they start to notice all the beautiful things about their competitors in a really homoerotic way.

They would all start to act nice with each other when they are with of Xie Lian because they notice that he likes that and they have points to win. So there are lots of group spars and meals with a general play nice vibe to them. Until they reluctantly start to like playing nice but are also be thinking fuck these guys. These two guys are the worst people in the world.

Then of course Xie Lian goes away for a few days on a mission and they all lose it . They will literally have no one to perform for and yet they are all still being so petty and in each others business, then each others faces, and then suddenly they are all in each others bed.

Xie Lian naturally comes back to this and is delighted by this development.

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realbeijinger · 4 months

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Another semi-coherent rant on climate change, the value of idealism, and TGCF (I finally finished!)

Well, I finished Tian Guan Ci Fu. And, oh man, if you read my last post, you’ll know that I was terrified that the entire novel would be a criticism of blind idealism. But I am SO glad I was wrong!!! Looking back on what I wrote before… it’s kind of hilarious how worried I was. I was so sure that I knew where it was going, was so busy preparing myself to be offended/emotionally crushed, that I wouldn’t even entertain the idea that maybe MXTX had a similar worldview to me all along.

In my defense, aside from the line, “Something like saving the common people… although foolish, it is brave,” everything seemed to point toward the idea that trying to do good is pointless. I mean, up until the moment when Xie Lian was lying with a sword in his chest on the streets of Yong’an, all of his efforts to do good had essentially been in vain. He hadn’t been able to help anyone.

And then, when the one guy stopped and gave Xie Lian his hat, I dunno, I just cried. It was so perfect! Like, ugh, damn you, MXTX! So sneaky… destroying us, just to bring us back later!! It was such a small, insignificant win, but it was exactly what Xie Lian (and I) needed. I love the line, “Just one person was enough!” Just one person doing something selfless. It’s enough to give us hope.

It really resonates with me because I think a lot about how to maintain hope. In terms of the climate crisis, I feel like Xie Lian—completely powerless. I want to stop eating meat, use less plastic, spend more time on environmental activism, but honestly, what do any of these things matter? The meat industry is not going to change because I choose to stop consuming. Even my activism has a completely negligible effect—whether or not I join a protest or write a letter to my congressman will almost certainly not be the deciding factor for any climate legislation, no matter how much effort I put in.

And yet, I still want to. I love the moment when Xie Lian chooses to get stabbed over and over rather than create a second plague of Human Face Disease, and White No-Face asks him in shock, “Why??”—as in, why would you ever do that? And Xie Lian responds: “I don’t have a reason—just because I want to! Even if I explained it to you… Useless trash like you wouldn’t understand.” This line is so great. Xie Lian can’t explain it to White No-Face, because, in truth, it isn’t entirely logical. It can’t be explained by reason. I want to do my measly, unimportant part to help the world… because I want to. Because it feels right. Because it’s my way of keeping my heart, of maintaining faith that there is some good in this world worth upholding. (As an aside, I love how the English title of the live action drama—which we may never get to see, God damn censorship!!!!—is called “Eternal Faith.” Of course it refers to Hua Cheng and Xie Lian’s faith in each other, but I think it also means having eternal faith in the value of doing good, despite centuries of experience that seem to show its pointlessness.)

As I talked about in my last post, if you zoom out far enough, nothing really seems to matter. Everything we love and care about will one day be gone. And yet, I believe we still have to act like it matters. This is the basic tenant of existentialism, and I think MXTX portrays this philosophical paradox really beautifully.

It’s funny, because I think MXTX has a lot of profound things to say, but in an interview I read, she warned against viewing her work too deeply, saying, “I am not a guru.” I get that she may not want the responsibility of giving people spiritual advice, but I do think she presents some really fascinating, really novel, philosophical ideas. So, sorry MXTX, but I’m about to analyze TGCF like it’s a piece of freakin scripture. Soo here we go…

The main theme she comes back to again and again is that fortune is limited, so the only way you can do good for others is by taking fortune from somebody else. Which leads the characters to a bunch of ethically impossible choices: the people of Yong’an and the people of Xianle can’t all be saved (Xie Lian must choose who to help), neither can the people of Wuyong and the surrounding kingdoms (Prince of Wuyong must choose), and Shi Wudu can’t save his brother from a tragic fate without taking fortune from an innocent person. When the characters try to avoid choosing, and try to “play God” by creating a “third path,” it just invites disaster.

But is this really true? Is fortune actually limited? It’s an idea that reminds me of Buddhism and Daoism, but also seems kind of revolutionary… (I like to think I know something about Chinese philosophy but it could certainly be a thing and I don’t know). I don’t believe in fate, but I do believe in limited resources, and the idea that nature tends toward balance. I think conceiving of it this way, as a pool of fortune, is really interesting.

It reminds me of this Meme:

In other words, who is the protagonist and who is the villain is entirely based on perspective. And, according to the laws of nature, we all must survive by eating others, or causing others to starve (i.e. avoiding being eaten).

I tried to think if this is really true in all areas of life. I’m a teacher, and one of the ways I convince myself that I am doing good in the world is by helping my students—preparing them well for college so that they can get into good schools and follow their dreams. But then, is this just taking fortune from others? If I do prepare my students well, and as a result they all get into top universities, does that mean they are taking spots away from other students? Am I simply just helping “my own,” at the expense of others?

One place where I see this concept play out very clearly is with our modern, industrialized society. As I mentioned in my last post, we live in a world of abundance. Most of us have enough food to eat, live in houses with electricity and running water, and don’t worry about a whole host of diseases endured by our ancestors. It seems we have done what Xie Lian couldn’t—we have expanded the well of fortune for most of humanity.

But this fortune wasn’t spontaneously created. It was taken from other species. It was borrowed against our own future, when climate change will likely destroy this world of abundance we have created, causing untold suffering. In truth, when it comes to prosperity, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Even now, when we ought to be enjoying our fortune, most of us are not happy. We want other things. We take food, clothing, and shelter for granted, creating even bigger, more lofty demands—a bigger car, a better house, a machine that’s sole purpose is to make bread. In fact, it seems like whenever we make things “better,” the goalposts just move. I recently read a book called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, which mentioned that with the advent of washing machines and vacuum cleaners, everyone assumed there would be more free time. Yet, the real outcome was that standards of cleanliness just changed. Suddenly, people expected you to wear fresh clothes every day and have a perfectly dust-free home, which meant spending just as much time cleaning as in the past.

And according to psychologists, getting what we want doesn’t really make us happier. Instead, something like getting a promotion causes our happiness to spike, before it quickly returns to baseline. The psychologist Dan Gilbert writes that the purpose of our emotions is to act like a compass—to tell us which direction to go in. If you feel good, you can continue the way you are going. If you feel bad, you should probably turn—make a change. But if you get what you want and become permanently happy, your compass is now broken. It’s stuck in one direction and becomes useless.

All of this is very Buddhist, of course. Suffering is not caused by our external circumstances, but our desire to change them.

Like I said, I don’t necessarily believe in “fate” or “fortune.” But I believe this all points to something deeper that MXTX is getting at: which is that we cannot fundamentally make a better world, for the common people, or for anyone. This idea of “better” doesn’t really exist. The world is as it is. Trying to alter that is like playing God. And like Xie Lian says, “In this world, there are no true gods…”

So, what do we do? How can we survive this absurdist tragedy of life? I don’t think we can just throw up our hands and not give a shit—that way lies depression and Jun Wu-style cruelty. We cannot lose our heart. But we also can’t try to fix everything.

One thing I find a bit difficult about MXTX is she is very clear about the impossible situations our characters find themselves in, but not really clear about the solution. She seems critical of the characters’ actions (I’m thinking also of Wei Wuxian here), but what exactly does she think they should have done? In other words, what is the point?

I spent a long time thinking about this. And I realized that Xie Lian was able to get back on his feet, find happiness and make peace with himself. How did he do this? Ultimately, I see Xie Lian’s solution as having three parts: self-sacrifice, gratitude, and purpose. Which all sounds very academic and maybe not that profound on an emotional level. But hear me out. Because, in the end, I think these choices are incredibly beautiful. They are the kind of thing that make me feel like reading TGCF was actually a spiritual experience, no matter what MXTX says. That makes me admire Xie Lian and want to follow him (like the God he is).

Okay so first: self-sacrifice. If fortune is limited, and the only way to make others’ lives better is to take fortune from someplace else, then there is really only one place you can take it from without hurting others—yourself.

So, part of Xie Lian’s solution is to take fortune from himself and give it to others. It’s why he asks for a cursed shackle that disperses his fortune, so that his fortune will naturally flow to those around him. It’s, of course, a very small thing. He is no longer playing God, or trying to “fix” the world on a grand scale. He is simply, in his own, quiet way, serving the common people.

My desire to give up meat and to spend more time on activism—these things feel like big sacrifices for me. And yet, they will have a very small impact on the greater situation in the world. They’re a drop in the ocean. I still want to do it, but it’s hard. It’s hard to care, or think that these things matter. Yet, this is the trade-off Xie Lian was willing to make. I really admire him for it.

I believe self-sacrifice is actually a really important, beautiful thing, that our society has forgotten the value of. We are individualistic—obsessed with our own wants. As I mentioned previously, our expectations have risen, so we buy and buy and buy. We are unwilling to rein in our consumption. I know a lot of people baulk at lifestyle changes as a solution to the climate crisis, and I agree that putting pressure on individuals instead of governments or corporations is misguided. But, first of all, there simply aren’t enough resources on earth to sustain our current levels of consumption. And, second… I don’t think we can completely let individuals off the hook. What is society anyway, but a collection of individuals? If we are going to address this thing, it’s going to take a massive movement—bigger than the civil rights movement or the works’ rights movement or the women’s movement. It’s going to take millions of people worldwide getting out of their own heads, their own lives, and concerning themselves with the greater good. That requires immense sacrifice.

Which takes me to gratitude. In order to be willing to sacrifice, you have to appreciate what you already have.

People often talk about gratitude these days as a path to mental health. Instinctively, it sounds like an uplifting, positive thing. And it is… but it also entails having a relatively negative worldview. It means remembering all the horrible things that exist in this world which we are lucky enough to avoid on a daily basis. You stepped in some dog shit? Well, that sucks, but you could have stepped into an open manhole and broken your neck! So! That’s something to be grateful for.

We are all so lucky. I’m sure everyone reading this has pains and traumas and challenges. This isn’t to diminish those, but, I hope, at least we all have at least one person to love. That’s all Hua Cheng had, and it’s what kept him going. Just one person was enough. And most of us, I hope, get to eat food every day, get to sleep in a bed, get to play video games or read novels or write poetry when we are sad. Not everyone gets those things.

Xie Lian, of course, was the king of low expectations, because he knew his future was going to be bad. He had intentionally accepted bad luck for a lifetime. So, there was no point in hoping for things to get better.

I think this attitude is best shown by his interaction with the Venerable of Empty words. The Venerable of Empty Words feeds off people’s fears. But Xie Lian didn’t really have any. When the Venerable of Empty Words warned him that his hut will collapse in two months, his response is, “Two months? If it’s still standing in seven days, then it’ll be a real miracle.” Because his expectations are so low, he’s essentially immune to fear. I can’t help but think that if you could really think this way, it would be a kind of superpower. It reminds me of the famous quote by spiritual teacher Krishnamurti, “Do you know what my secret is? You see, I don’t mind what happens.”

And so Xie Lian is okay with everything. He can sleep anywhere, crash boulders on his chest for money, not eat for three days, regularly suffer corpse poisoning, and still be okay.

Which leads to my third point: purpose. Xie Lian is able to endure such hardship because his expectations are low, but also he knows all his suffering has a purpose. “If I am to become a God of misfortune, then so be it,” he says. “As long as I know deep down that I am not.” He is okay with being laughed at or avoided for his bad luck, because deep down he knows he is doing the right thing. People can withstand a great deal if they feel their suffering has meaning. In Man’s Search for Meaning, the psychiatrist Victor Frankl’s writes about the horrors of living through a concentration camp, and how over and over, it was creating purpose that allowed him, and others, to find motivation to survive. Which I think has an important lesson for self-sacrifice. People are willing to sacrifice a lot, if they feel their sacrifice has purpose.

I get it when MXTX says that she is not a guru, and maybe it’s a lot to ask of a danmei novel to take spiritual advice from it. The book wasn’t necessarily perfect, and I do have some critiques (which I was gonna add here, but this thing is already wayyy too long). But… I do think I found something really meaningful in this story—some inspiration. I want to follow Xie Lian’s example, and live with gratitude and acceptance, while keeping my faith in doing the right thing. In other words, WWXLD! (What Would Xie Lian Do?)

#tgcf #mxtx #heaven official's blessing #tgcf meta #tian guan ci fu #climate change #xie lian #hualian #danmei #chinese bl

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