huaxiemostdevotedbeliever

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

Things I love about HuaLian,

a short analysis and nothing deep, just me sighing with love for them 💞

I like how it was only after Hua Cheng's arrival that Xie Lian realized that being used to loneliness is different from being okay, that he really missed having someone by his side, hearing him talk, that he missed talking late into the night and the little things that make being happy so simple.

And I like how Hua Cheng is always protecting and caring, taking the lead only when necessary, but always leaving Xie Lian in the lead.

He doesn't try to control Xie Lian, he just stands by his side, adding his strength to his rather than replacing it, and only trying to persuade Xie Lian not to do something when it involves danger to him.

I like how they don't make one or the other stand out or diminish, they are not substitutes for each other, but a complement.

I like that even their disagreements aren't enough to cause major stresses between them cuz they trust each other enough, whether it's because there's always an unspoken reason or cuz they like each other too much for whatever reason there is or lack thereof not matter.

And I like how this calm makes total sense with their personality, even when they both have scenes of jealousy, it's not something that intense, after all, any stress they have is not between them, it just arises outside the relationship because of third parties or when a of them is in danger. Which leads me to say that I absolutely love it when they go crazy when the other is in danger.

Hua Cheng is described as someone rational, who is always on his own mind, so when he invades the Heavens after Xie Lian who had been arrested shortly after being injured by E-Ming, the gods fall into despair because this simply It's not like Hua Cheng, no one was prepared for it.

Another thing I love is the progression of Xie Lian's feelings.

When he meets Hua Cheng in the ghost bride arch, he already feels impacted by Hua Cheng's strength, kindness and clear beauty even though he hasn't seen his face, and later when they meet in the carriage, even though he is wearing a different skin, Xie Lian still sees "Hua Cheng" in "San Lang", barely able to look at him because he is so handsome. There comes a time when Xie Lian is clearly in love, wanting to marry Hua Cheng and feeling unhappy when Hua Cheng talks about his "wife", but no one knows when Xie Lian fell in love, nor should he know.

Hua Cheng probably doesn't even know when he fell in love too, he only realized when he found himself sighing for the prince on the swing and saying things like "he's my future wife".

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

the many ways shen qingqiu loves luo binghe

this was more or less inspired by this post, but because this is gonna be a personal opinion and i don't want to make a thread of it and inadvertently contest with the other two's points, I'm going to make my own post.

so i wanna start saying that "the moment one falls in love" is a trope that's waaaay to overstated. in my opinion. specially because falling in love tends to be something that has to do with romantic love most of the time, and it pretends to establish a sort of timeline, a point of no return, for ships and fictional relationships.

when the stories surrounding the characters are more straightforward, i don't really mind, since it makes sense for there to be an "Oh" moment when the character realizes they are in love. like, we know the moment lbh started to see sqq in a sexual light, and we can roughly add to this that the events of the demon invasion and the nightmare scenario are what sealed the deal for lbh. it helps that he's more honest about his feelings and the sexual awakening had already happened, and we can easily assume that from that point lbh's feelings have a romantic-sexual side.

it still has other sides... because lbh loves sqq as a shizun, as a parent, and this side of their relationship, the master-disciple and parent-child side, is intrinsic to their dynamic; it's in conflicting element during their prolonged conflict for most of the novel, but at the same time, it's their default when they want to approach each other, it's the "safe zone".

but when it comes to sqq I think it's a much more difficult thing to ask: when does sqq falls in love? when is his Oh moment? Is there one, a conscious realization that he's in love? Can his relationship with lbh be described as "being in love"?

he loved Luo Binghe The Character

—the way a reader loves a favorite character, and fanboyed about him plenty before and after transmigrating. the shadow of what the little sheep he was raising would became was ever-present throughout those first 6 years before their meeting in Jinlan City.

but he loved lbh the character in a fanatical way that wasn't actually real... it was meaningful to him because he liked this fictional character a lot, but it's a safe love from the side of a screen.

he was compelled by lbh the character, by his tragic backstory full of angst, and by the ways lbh the character did things: he "rightfully" took his anger out in the people who'd hurt him and paid back for it tenfold. in a way, sy as a reader was also projecting himself in lbh the character.

in short, he loved the Idea of luo binghe, but not luo binghe as a real person.

he loved Luo Binghe the White Lotus Disciple

—and he loved him like a parent loves a child. yet, as I mentioned, he always kept in mind that this boy would grew up to be a very attractive and sexual man, and thus sqq expected him to have romantic encounters with girls around his age.

i know some people shy away from talking about this because everyone is paranoid about your favorite character being called a pedophile etc etc, but really, sy could be nothing farther from that, and whoever who says that has a very, hmm, wide definition of the word and it's probably just using the buzzword to hate on the character.

the important thing is that, despite sqq being aware that lbh is a potential sexual being and will become very sexually active in the future, he does not in any way sexualize his and lbh's relationship. Like I said, sqq would never abuse his power in that way, and he'd never get it on with someone he sees as a child, his disciple. that lbh is very much viewing their relationship with romantic and sexual lenses is a complete shock for him because of this, along with other reasons and assumptions (that lbh was straight)

the problem here is, precisely, that he treated lbh like a child once, and would go on treating him as a child later, post-holy mausoleum: disregarding lbh's agency, making decisions for him and without asking what lbh wants, since as the parent he obviously Knows Better, and taking responsibility for lbh's "bad behavior". the endless abyss was a decision he made without consulting lbh. he self-detonated because he thought that would be best for everyone, and he intended for his death to (among other things like saving the city and escaping prison) "make up" for his mistakes. in maigu ridge, he almost kills himself again because he thought that would be better for lbh.

he's self-sacrificing, protective, caring, and overall parental/maternal towards lbh, which has it's good and bad sides. for a long time, he loves lbh like a parent loves a child, and though this side of his love for lbh is not lost in the extras, it's lesser in the sense that the power unbalance is nullified, and the parent-child, shizun-disciple side of their relationship turns more into a comforting, safe roleplay that allows them to access intimacy and express their feelings (that infamous "if i was your mother" speech) than the entirety of their relationship.

and the thing is, he always loved and will always love lbh as a parent loves a child. and i think people uncomfortable with this fact have to get around to accepting that lol

he is subconsciously attracted to luo binghe (bingmei) the Man

we all know this part. sqq's descriptions of lbh's beauty are numerous and far too difficult to quote them all, but one that really stands out to me, because it proves the point, is this one:

[Shen Qingqiu] asked, “The important person you’re talking about, was it…a good-looking young man?” When he thought about it, he decided against suppressing his conscience and clarified. “Not just good-looking, he’s very good-looking, especially good-looking. Fair skin, pretty face, tall. He doesn’t smile often, but when he does, it’s exceptionally dark.” chapter 9: borderlands

if he was unaffected by lbh's attractiveness, he wouldn't need to "suppress his conscience" about it. also this description is just... describing lbh's smile from his own pov? a personal feeling? to a stranger? he has it bad.

he's repressing his own feelings, so it's difficult to point to a specific moment as the moment he realizes he's attracted to lbh... because he never has a conscious realization, and he's in constant denial about it. all the way through to the last bingqiu extra, the wedding extra, he'll continue using the same narrative: the Protagonist is Beautiful and Irresistible, so what can sqq do but surrender to him? It's inevitable, really. (hahahaha he can't help but love and be attracted to lbh. it says more about him that he could ever verbalize)

so yeah, sqq really has the hots for lbh the man. but he'll NEVER admit it, he'll never had an Oh moment. Not even when he unconsciously called lbh "husband".

i want to make a clarification: for a character like sqq, who care about his pride and dignity way too much and has internalized homophobia and sexism to the detriment of his own peace of mind and fulfillment, admitting that he enjoys sex is way too shameful. he's never doing it. he mentions being "drunk with lust" in the showdown extra; in the deep dream extra he gets enthusiastic and proactive, initiating sex with lbh himself very smoothly; in the RoC,SoBQ extra he initially asks to do it doggy style and then changes his tune and wants to see lbh's face, DESPITE being embarrassed about it, and his desire is described as wanting the spot inside him to be rammed. all of this are subtle hints of how he really feels about sex, despite his inner struggles with his pride as a man.

another clarification: the way smut is written in western space is not the same as the way is written in chinese novels. for example, some chinese slang put the the top as the one "attacking", as if sex is a sort of fight. there's always this implication that the shou surrenders to the gong. there's a clear distinction of who tops and who bottoms and the roles of husband and wife made by this distinction; pleasure is described in differently: phrases like "scalp going numb", "getting goosebumps" are not particular to svsss alone; the way the bodies engaged in the sex act are described, etc. (it IS a different language with a different culture) so it's normal that most of us come out of the extras thinking the smut is not enjoyable for readers or the characters themselves. what is the difference between the mdzs extras and the svsss extras? that wwx, being characterized as a "shameless" person, is very vocal about how he feels during sex. he has no shame around sex, unlike sqq, who is in the opposite side of the shame spectrum.

sqq is still struggling with that part of himself, and personally I think it's very understandable that even until the end of volume 4 he still has a difficult time with it; it's not easy shedding the believes one grows up with.

which bring me to,

he loves luo binghe the Man, "romantically"

—and it's a love that conflates his parental love, his attraction, too, but that starts to develop mostly post-holy mausoleum: it's when the hand-holding starts, somehow, though it develops fulling throughout the extras, when they finally become romantic partners and explore sex together. mxtx traces an arc that starts with the showdown extra, goes through the deep dream extra that has sqq telling lbh that "Tonight I feel like... I live you a great deal" and ends in the wedding extra with sqq calling lbh "husband" unprompted; despite previously agonizing about his loss of face and dignity and the humiliation of it, his actions speak louder than his words and inner thoughts. because of this, functionally, sqq can be read as a tsundere.

but aside from the sex, sqq enjoys domesticity and spending time with lbh; he likes teasing him, conversing with him and going out with him to see the world. post-main novel they're equals in their relationship and treat each other with respect and consideration, even if their shizun-disciple roleplay prevails. by romance definitions, I believe they mostly fit them, even if their relationship is unconventional.

as for when sqq fell in love with lbh? i still don't have a clear answer. he's always loved him; this love evolves through time, bringing him and lbh closer together. personally, i don't think it's not important. sqq loves lbh, and that's what matters.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

@perpetualgrey's comment on this post

Ok my first instinct was to laugh, but then I realised you might be onto something???

Shen Yuan is LITERALLY an impostor, who’s more far more kind and beloved by Binghe than the original. The Guanyin pendant is a counterfeit, but it carries the love of Binghe’s mother and is far more precious than any real jade could ever be.

The heartbreak Binghe’s mother felt after realising that the Guanyin pendant was fake and she’d been tricked was part of what lead to the gradual decline of her health.¹ In wanting to do something kind for Binghe, she felt that she’d failed, and this led to her demise. What is Shen Qingqiu’s entire story, but trying to be kind to Binghe, feeling inadequate at this, and dying? (More than once!!)

Guanyin is a Bodhisattva associated with mercy, kindness, compassion and unconditional love. She is a patron of mothers, and is called upon in times of fear, uncertainty, and despair. The Bodhisattva she originated from is seen as a saviour, through whose grace even those with the most negative karma can achieve salvation. Even when she is not worshipped as a goddess, she is revered as the principle of love, compassion and mercy.² From wikipedia, “The act, thought and feeling of compassion and love is viewed as Guanyin. A merciful, compassionate, loving individual is said to be Guanyin.”²

The original Luo Binghe appears never to have lost his pendant. Shen Qingqiu tells us: “It was the only bit of warmth in Luo Binghe’s dark world, always by his side, and even in the future when he was at his darkest, it could summon up his last dregs of humanity.”¹ He also states that “it was Luo Binghe’s biggest berserk button.”¹

Our Luo Binghe does not cling to the pendant when he’s at his darkest: he clings to the love he has for his shizun and to memories of his kindness, and later, to the lifeless body of Shen Qingqiu himself. His biggest berserk button isn’t when people insult the pendant or his mother, or try to take it away; it’s Shen Qingqiu: when people insult him or try to take him away.

From the start, Shen Qingqiu expresses truly unconditional love for Binghe. He spends three years showing endless compassion and kindness, actions which feel insignificant to him but are more than enough to completely change Binghe’s life. He holds no blame or resentment for the things he fears Binghe will do to him; though he doesn’t want to be tortured, he forgives Binghe for it nonetheless, before it has even happened. He sacrifices himself to save Binghe as his mind is eaten away at by Xin Mo, when he believes that Binghe just slaughtered a hundred Huan Hua Disciples, when Binghe’s reckless use of the sword is putting countless more lives at risk.³

Shen Qingqiu is a counterfeit that is more precious than the original could ever be. For Binghe, he personifies kindness, compassion and unconditional love. His regrets over his treatment of Binghe lead to his temporary demise. Binghe clings to him in his darkest moments, and he is that which Binghe protects most fiercely.

I always found the pendant’s role in the story to be almost lacking: it’s treated as such an important item to Binghe, yet in the end its return is almost anticlimactic. But perhaps this is because the role the pendant played in Bing-ge’s story has been overtaken by Shen Qingqiu. When he returns the pendant, Binghe is relieved and appreciative: but his joy seems to stem more from the fact that Shen Qingqiu held onto it and cherished him than from the pendant itself. The pendant doesn’t matter all that much to him anymore, at least not compared to how important it seems to have been in PIDW. Binghe doesn't need an object to symbolize love and kindness; he has a person to love, who loves him back.

In conclusion: Shizun was in fact the fake jade Guanyin pendant all along!

sources cited below :)

1. Seven Seas Volume 1, Chapter 1: Scum. Pages 40-41.

2. “Guanyin,” Wikipedia. There’s a lot more to her than what I mentioned here, she’s quite interesting.

3. Seven Seas Volume 2, Chapter 8: Death. Pages 154-156.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

it took me a minute (read: several days) to pin down why i liked this comment in the epilogue so much, but i have it now.

the whole book has given us a lot of xie lian's journey to understanding how much he's loved, and shown us his struggle with that, as well as his realization of how much he loves hua cheng in return. but what we barely get glimpses of is the monumental realization hua cheng was having, that xie lian loves him.

because, pre-canon, the last he'd seen of xie lian was when he was going around as white no-face, threatening to disperse wu ming just for calling him the wrong name. and hua cheng loved that xie lian, and dying for him was his greatest honor, but im sure he was under no illusions that xie lian cared for him in return.

and even after he'd gained eight hundred years of confidence, become the mischievous flirt we meet as san lang, its clear that he's so desperately afraid of coming on too strong. i was red-stringing like crazy trying to figure out why he didn't tell xie lian he was wu ming after the cave of ten thousand gods, but in retrospect I think it was that simple: not wanting to overwhelm him, not wanting to ask for too much.

and we see this cracking at the very end, with his genuine surprise that xie lian would be just as upset over hau cheng jumping into the lava as he was over xie lian falling.

but the transition from the barely dawning realization of "i would be your stepping stone, but i know you wouldn't want that" to the trust and confidence of him having become a spoilt-rotten bully because he knows that xie lian will give him what he asks for, that he actually *loves* to give hua cheng whatever he wants?

i love that for him, i love that for them, and it makes for a wonderful ending.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

Luo Binghe y Hua Cheng son muy parecidos:

Ambos son huérfanos, sus padres biológicos realmente los querían pero tuvieron muertes repentinas.

Ambos pasan su niñez siendo maltratados física y emocionalmente por la gente que los rodeaba.

Ambos tenían un lugar al que ir para sentirse seguros (Hong-er iba al pequeño santuario de Xie Lian y Binghe la casa de bambú de Shen Qingqiu).

Ambos se encariñan con la persona que les mostró amabilidad y preocupación.

Ambos son salvados por la persona que aman.

Ambos hacen a esa persona su prioridad y motivo de vida.

Ambos realizan todo tipo de actos de servicio para la persona que aman; limpian, cuidan, ordenan, ayudan en sus misiones, tratan de hacer lo que pueden para esa persona.

Ambos buscan volverse más fuertes para proteger a la persona que aman.

Ambos sacrifican sus vidas por la persona que aman.

Ambos son alejados durante años de la persona que aman, y durante ese tiempo ninguno dejó de pensar en ellos.

Ambos se convierten en las personas más odiadas y temidas.

Ambos soportan e ignoran todos los comentarios de todas las personas solo para poder estar cerca de la persona que aman (Binghe espera hasta que Shen Qingqiu despierte sabiendo que no era bienvenido en la secta y Hua Cheng continuamente deja pasar todos los comentarios de los oficiales celestiales y hace un gran esfuerzo por ignorar a Mu Qing y Feng Xin).

La única gran diferencia entre ellos dos es que Luo Binghe se sintió abandonado y rechazado por Shen Qingqiu cuando fue lanzado el abismo. Sin embargo, para Hong-er, el que Xie Lian respondiera sus súplicas sobre porqué debía de vivir fue lo que le dio esperanza y un sentido a su vida.

Eso es lo que convierte a Luo Binghe en una persona con una gran herida de abandono, mientras que Hua Cheng se convierte en el creyente más devoto.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

It’s you

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

Random Thoughts #1

So, finally having read book 4 of TGCF, my respect for Xie Lian has only grown. He goes through all of this awful, horrible shit and still comes out the other side a good person.

I think it's very telling of his character that even when he wanted to give in to his anger and unleash the humans-face disease on Yong'an, he was still hoping that there was good in this world, that kindness still existed.

It would be really interesting to see a compare and contrast of the scene with the temple and the one in the town because they're interesting in the way they came about. I have thoughts about it but I'm not 100% confident that I have the analytical skills to do it justice.

Anyways, Xie Lian is the best

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

While reading TGCF, I probably ugly cried three times, but there’s this comforting warmth that stayed with me throughout. Now, halfway through MDZS, I haven't cried, but there’s this weight on my chest and an unsettling chill in my bones. Xiao Xingchen’s and Wen Ning’s stories linger in my mind. Wei Wuxian’s win-the-fight-when-all-the-odds-are-against-you attitude and kindness twist my heart. MXTX’s comparison of MDZS to a person’s homecoming on a snowy, windy night, and TGCF to a small red clay stove is really apt. TGCF is the kind of story I can easily read before bed, but MDZS isn't. I love them both.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

Does anyone else think about the fact that things only got better for Hua Cheng after he died? And even then, it took a while? Anyone else ever feel haunted by the fact that he never got to turn 18 in life and how horrible his death must have been as a soldier? How the very thing that made him an outcast and demonized in life ironically became a source of power in his death? Do you?

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

TGCF reread new finds #1

Xie Lian actively and consciously knows that he is attracted to HC the MOMENT THEY MEET in the Ox Cart. Like it’s not just blank gay panic, he knows.

His beauty was deadly like a sword, sharp and mesmerising. Xie Lian only met his eyes for a moment, then lowered his eyes in defeat.

MATE, normally wouldn’t you continue to be mesmerised and can’t peel your eyes away? That is, UNLESS YOURE WHIPPED. XL knows that SL's looks affect him to this degree. Defeat is the key word here.

Also

The distance between them had closed too fast. he suddenly didn't know what to do[...]Xie Lian blanked on the spot. He watched as the tall and slender youth walked away with his giant bag of junk as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do, and it made him mutter inwardly, Forgive my sins.

Making a rich young lad carry your things? Making him sleep in your crappy temple? That doesn't warrant the weighty thought? FORGIVE WHAT SINS Xie Lian??!!!

Many village girls saw (HC) and blushed [...] Xie Lian didn't know what they were going to ask, but felt instinctively that it must be stopped at once, and cried, "No!"

Jealous jealous boi! XL WAS POSSESSIVE after ONE night spent together at Puqi Shrine. Didn’t XL just say to SL that he will have no problem in the love department because girls will throw themselves at him? Yo, why are you cock-blocking? Everyone says HC is insane, no XL is equally insane for the other!

Also, when HC revealed that it's his real skin after the Banyue arc, XL instinctively poked him. Then

He looked at his own finger then hid it away, betraying nothing of his thoughts.

What thoughts XL ?!! Explain yourself right now!

Jumping back to OX CART scene, Xie Lian's character development was foreshadowed when they were talking about the gifting of ghost ashes.

Book 1: Xie Lian sighed. "It certainly is painful to think about, to have given everything for love and lose everything in return."

This is what Xie Lian is most afraid of! Like even thinking back to Xie Lian pushing Feng Xin away in Book 4, he definitely operated under that mindset. Love is a risk, it's something to be feared. Even now 800+ years later, he still feels that way and doesn't allow himself to get close to anyone. It just hits so much harder thinking that he operated under that for so many centuries.

Then Hua Cheng says

"What there to be afraid of? If it were me, I'd have no regrets giving away my ashes"

Which I think really changed the way that Xie Lian thought about love. Book 5 Xie Lian completely operates with Love is empowering and isn't something to be afraid of.

TGCF isn't about XL realising his feelings, literally from Book 1 it's about him wondering if it's worthwhile to act on them.

Three things, is this person worth losing cultivation over for?

He needs the reassurance that this person must reciprocate his feelings.

Then HC changed his perspective on love from FEAR -> EMPOWERMENT.

XL is soooo self-aware (unlike SQQ from SVSSS and WWX from MDZS), he's an unreliable narrator in the way that he doesn't reveal everything to the reader, especially his own feelings until he was absolutely sure that there really was both a physical and romantic attraction. I wanted to make this post to dispel the assumption for XL it was easy to forego 800+ years of cultivation. It was not? He ABSOLUTELY thought about it carefully.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

I received a very thoughtful anon ask about Qi Rong and in the process of doing research for the ask, I came across a meta about Qi Rong on the Chinese website Zhihu that I absolutely loved, so I translated the meta into English - anon I will answer your ask ASAP, in the meantime I hope you're interested in this excellent meta:

I think Qi Rong's feelings for Xie Lian isn't that of a fan for his idol, but that of a child for an imaginary "father". So he wouldn't try to understand and study XL's character like Hua Cheng; he's only looking up to this "father figure".

This isn't a baseless conjecture - the relationship between father and son has always been a topic that can't be averted when it comes to Qi Rong. I'm guessing that when he was bullied and excluded by other kids in his childhood, it didn't occur to Qi Rong to hate the circumstances of his family; instead he wished for his father to stand up for him and help him teach those nasty kids a lesson. This wish had always existed in Qi Rong's heart and became a traumatising shadow of his childhood.

Whereas his cousin, the prince Xie Lian, who suddenly appeared in his life to help him, was unconsciously used by Qi Rong to fit his expectation of the "father". XL did what he expected a father to do, so he placed XL in his fantasies about a father. Since his abusive and useless father doesn't cut it, then someone as gentle and strong as XL must be the standard for what a "father" is like. Subconsciously Qi Rong had this idea.

Therefore I think a lot of the dumb and horrible things that Qi Rong did for XL is only due to the anxiety that a son feels towards the indifference of the "father", so he tried to do something compensatory to win the father's attention and approval; but this didn't work out at all.

This is also why he's good to Gu Zi, because Gu Zi is just another Qi Rong - he's abused by the father but still begs for the father's love and doesn't allow others to hurt his father. It's probably because Qi Rong understands what this feels like that he'd pretend to be a seemingly decent "father" for Gu Zi.

(Here the author also points out the connection between Qi Rong and Gu Zi based on their names, which needs to be explained to English readers in more detail - Qi Rong's name "Rong," in Chinese "容", is comprised of two parts: 宀 and 谷. The latter part is "Gu" (谷) as in Gu Zi's name, and the former part 宀 stands for a house or a home - in this sense the character "Rong 容" (Qi Rong) incorprates the character "Gu 谷" (Gi Zi) and provides a "home" or "shelter" for "Gu".)

Qi Rong shows off all kinds of places to the kid that he's never been to, deliberately bigs himself up, and protects the kid at the dire moment, because all of these are what Qi Rong hoped his father would do for him. However, Xie Lian was only a kid himself; how could he answer Qi Rong's expectations for a father?

Qi Rong undoubtedly loathes his biological father, because when Qi Rong was a kid, his father was useless and crass, made a laughing stock of Qi Rong and his mother and became the reason Qi Rong was mocked by other kids. But when Qi Rong needed his father and needed him to scold those kids, his father didn't care about him at all (probably only the father could accomplish this sort of task since Qi Rong's mother was depressed and sickly; this plot is repeated later on in Feng Xin and his son).

When the entire country was being destroyed, his other "father," Xie Lian, became a laughing stock too. XL didn't manage to help him before and after his death. For Qi Rong, this is a replay of the events that happened when he was five years old; this perfect "father" proves no different from his biological father.

So fundementally Qi Rong hates Xie Lian for the same reason that he hates his biological father. He indeed projected too many wishful fantasies on XL, but I think it's more about the son's disappointment towards a "father" instead of a believer's disappointment for a "god". In fact, whether XL activated the human face disease or whether he managed to saved Xianle is of secondary importance to Qi Rong; the complaints someone could voice out loud usually aren't what he actually cares about.

Of course, Qi Rong is possessed by the idea of avenging Xianle to some degree, otherwise he wouldn't have plotted revenge with other Xianle descendants. But what Qi Rong really cared about, he only managed to speak when his soul dissipated - it's what he always wanted to say to Xie Lian and his biological father but never could: "I worship and need you so much, but you don't care about me at all". This is more the case of a son who craves the father's love and complains about it. The relationship between Qi Rong and Gu Zi is comparable to the relationship between Jun Wu and Xie Lian. At least Gu Zi received some paternal love and won't grow up to be like Qi Rong, which is nice.

(For anyone interested in reading the original Chinese, here's the link: https://www.zhihu.com/question/372905885/answer/1735047946?utm_psn=1754070720630493184&fbclid=IwAR0eSI0gya5ERovl1C1Fphv2ZjnXGuKUalA378VWcZjoCj4NiUD7Pw6BDS0)

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

I was reading this post's comment section and saw people having an argument about who's the narrator of MDZS - I don't know the MDZS fandom very well but there seems to be a consensus that Wei Wuxian is the narrator of MDZS? To quote someone in the comment section, "although the flashbacks are narrated by an omniscient 3rd person, the present is narrated by WWX and everything stated as facts should be interpreted as his own thoughts." I'm not sure I agree because while WWX is the protagonist, he's not the narrator. I feel like Chinese novels and English novels are different in this aspect because readers of English novels are used to identifying fictional characters as narrators and attributing statements in the stories to certain characters' perspectives; but in Chinese novels, no single character needs to be the narrator, sometimes the author would just randomly insert their own opinions in the middle of a fictional character's point of view, and sometimes what people take to be a character's thoughts are really just the author's own voice.

I noticed this issue before in a post I saw about TGCF chapter 112. Chapter 112 contains the observation "in the future, there might be a heaven official who ascends while using the toilet, and that would be a sight to see", which the post takes to be Xie Lian's thoughts. I think the person who made the post assumed the observation is from Xie Lian's pov because they see Xie Lian as the narrator, but there's no indication that the line is from any character's perspective - in fact, it's just MXTX's own observation which she inserts into the plot and which intrudes on the characters' dialogues.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

He disgusts and scares me tbh

Jesus Christ.

White No-Face already had just the most rancid energy, but something about this-- the fact that he had to have been waiting until Xie Lian was (almost) completely alone, broken down by defeat and humiliation and betrayal, and then showed up to be the one to hold him while he cried...

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

Maybe it's time to learn mandarin 😭 what else am I missing from the translations!!??

In at least three separate instances, MXTX used the word 珍重 (zhen1 zhong4) to describe the manner in which Hua Cheng speaks to/treats Xie Lian, as perceived by Xie Lian.

When Hua Cheng addressed him as Dianxia for the first time, Xie Lian felt that it was in a manner distinct from everyone else’s. The two characters were uttered in a manner that is exceedingly ‘zhenzhong’. （珍重已极）

When the soul of a young soldier told him, ‘redacted,’ (T_T) it was said in a manner that is ‘zhenzhong’ and with solemnity. （珍重且郑重）

In one of the extra chapters, when Xie Lian recalls a night spent with Hua Cheng, he remembered Hua Cheng being “exceedingly tender, exceedingly wicked, but also exceedingly ‘zhenzhong’.” (温柔至极，邪恶至极，却也珍重至极）

‘Zhenzhong’ has been variously translated as ‘sincere’ ‘special’ or ‘feeling cherished’ in these instance, which are not wrong. But there’s a subtle additional nuance that could be overlooked because it’s difficult to convey through translations.

So 珍重, the first character 珍 (zhen) means precious thing, treasure, to value highly, to cherish; the second character重 (zhong) conveys the notion of significance and weightiness. Combined the word can describe actions/manners/demeanors toward things/people you cherish deeply that are deliberate and reverent, approached very thoughtfully, with great care and deep respect. No half-assing anything. 

And that is very Hua Cheng to Xie Lian omg

Minor case in point. That two second of him lingering in his palms up pose when Xie Lian has already withdrawn his hand is just so freaking 珍重 I can’t.

P.S. in chinese 请多珍重 (pls zhenzhong/please take care) is a nice parting phrase asking the other person to direct the same level of care and respect toward oneself

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

Y'all think MQ and FX were worried XL would dissolve since they didn't know he had any believers left?

#xie lian #xie lían trio #mxtx tgcf #tgcf

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

What gets lost from the book’s message in trying to push monster!Hua Cheng as canon is not just that the message of Hualian’s romance is “I see you for who you are, at your best and worst, and I love what I see,” but also that Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are both just people. Xie Lian isn’t a bad luck charm capable of toppling kingdoms, and Hua Cheng isn’t some grotesque monster that nobody loves because they can’t look past the horrors. They were both once kids, then young men who were put through some of the worst trauma—but not unique!—imaginable and still came through the other side without losing themselves. They were and are people, and nothing about their traumas makes them inherently unloveable. There is nothing wrong with them. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM!!! 🗣️🗣️🗣️ It just took someone willing to see them without shying away for them to experience the love they deserved.

[huaxiemostdevotedbeliever]

Why does everyone assume YinYu has no coworkers? Y'all think he's running ghost city by himself??

#tgcf #yin yu #hua cheng #hualian #mxtx tgcf #yinyu is not overworked!