Fan Fiction Thread for Lost You Forever

 liddi:

The word 玄 xuan means "black" or "mysterious", while 鸟 niao means "bird". As such, 玄鸟 xuan niao literally means "black/mysterious bird". The Classic of Mountains and Seas described this mythological bird's original form as resembling a swallow.

When you guys were talking about this yesterday, I immediately thought of one of my favorite Chinese songs ever. Not Lost You Forever related, but it is very much Mysterious Bird-related :D

玄鸟 (Mysterious Bird) - 萨吉 (Sa Ji)

Summary: 1,000 years after the passing of Nine-Headed Xiang Liu, Maoqiu roams around DaHuang as a jewelry merchant. His encounter with Fang Feng Wuming sets off a chain of events that will disrupt the peace of DaHuang. Who is Fang Feng Wuming? Things aren't always what they seem, and Maoqiu finds himself at a crossroads. Should he follow his heart, or should he act with reason?

Chapter 3: Old Master's Home

The Fang Feng family, after enduring the humiliating events involving the second master Fang Feng Bei and the youngest madam Fang Feng Yiying, forbade the younger generations from even mentioning them. They carried on with their everyday lives as if these two people had never existed.

One day, a rambunctious young fellow showed up and demanded to receive what was left of Fang Feng Bei's estate. He declared himself to be his illegitimate heir, knowing details of Fang Feng Bei's life that hadn't been spoken of in centuries, and was accompanied by a former prostitute who had danced for Feng Fang Bei in the past, now ill and bedridden. Since the new generations were oblivious to the details, they assumed it must be true. The new clan leader, desperate to save face, without question gave it to him, since the estate had fallen into ruin. The fellow did not demand anything else other than the estate, a place for himself to fulfill his filial duty and nurse his dying mother until she passed. Not many questioned him because Fang Feng Bei's reputation was so terrible; it was better to appear magnanimous and swiftly sweep it under the rug to avoid bringing more attention to the beleaguered family.

Maoqiu knew that this young master was not Fang Feng Bei’s child. He was enjoying afternoon tea in Chiusui when he heard of it; he merely laughed out loud. It was preposterous that anyone would dare to impersonate Fang Feng Bei’s illegitimate son, but even more ludicrous that the family gave in. It was not his business, and he couldn't care less. Now standing outside the door, he remembered the times when he would sneakily fly in as a small white bird to run errands for Master Xiang Liu, who had lived as Fang Feng Bei for more than 400 years.

The two fireflies that were guiding Maoqiu flew in front of the doors; they creaked open, and the fireflies flew in, leading the way. Looking at the courtyard, Maoqiu saw the once beautifully groomed garden overrun with weeds, the statues covered in moss, and the roof of the main building caved in. The moment he stepped over the doorstep, the doors closed with a thud. Maoqiu turned around cautiously to inspect. As he turned back around, the courtyard burst into life. Bees, fireflies, and butterflies danced all around him.

Suddenly, the fireflies changed rapidly into a formation beneath him, and Maoqiu's legs became heavy and stuck. The bees flew up and spread into a cage formation, keeping Maoqiu immobile. Maoqiu was like a sitting duck, but he wasn't afraid. 'Amateur!' As the butterflies fluttered around, Maoqiu bit his finger and flicked his blood droplets, burning them. 'Next time, chain my hands!' Blood droplets started to multiply, shaping into a thin sword. Gripping the sword hilt, Maoqiu parried and swung it precisely, creating a blood counter formation. The fireflies and bees burst into vapor, and the butterflies dispersed in confusion. Maoqiu twirled backwards, wielding his sword behind him, using the sleeve of his robe to avoid the poisonous vapor from the dead bees and fireflies.

“If you continue to throw useless things at me and dirty my clothes, I’m going to kill you,” Maoqiu threatens, shaking his sleeve and patting his robe.

Out from the shadows of the main building emerged the young man from the gambling den, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked nothing like the Fang Feng Bei he remembered; however, he was incredibly beautiful, with big round innocent eyes, sauntering flirtatiously towards Maoqiu. His hair was neatly in a bun, with a silver butterfly perched on the side of it, its wings fluttering. He wasn't very tall but smiled mischievously, exuding an aura of regality.

Maoqiu belted out in laughter, “No wonder no one dared to question the young master!”

“I have no qualms with you, but your existence is a danger to my plans,” he said, tilting his head, his eyes examining Maoqiu. “It's a pity I must kill you because, if I'm not mistaken, I am quite smitten with you already! Tsk..tsk.” He shook his head. “Such a waste of beauty!”

Maoqiu smirked and chuckled. “If you can't kill me, you will call me Master?!”

To Maoqiu's surprise, the young man answered, “Of course!” The young man bowed, and with a wave of his hand, he led the way to the center of the courtyard. “Shall we?!”

Without taking his eyes off the young man, Maoqiu flicked the sword flawlessly to his side. He took a step back and held the crimson blade up, chastising him to attack. The young man turned to his right side and looked up at the sky, searching for the moon hidden behind a veil of clouds. A slight smile appeared, and the courtyard fell into pitch black. With one hand, he summoned little fireflies, their lights frantically flickering in all directions, compressing tighter and tighter until a golden lasso unwound in the blackness and solidified into a whip. He grabbed onto the grip, lashing it towards Maoqiu.

The night was still, and the moon was not in a hurry to leave the comfort of the clouds. Maoqiu and the young man exchanged several blows. The sword thrashed forwards only to retreat in defense as the whip whirled in offense. From afar, the two men’s stalemate combat looked like two butterflies playfully chasing in a field of flowers. Addled with exhilaration, Maoqiu's heartbeat quickened, his blood jumping in excitement. The stench of the battlefield repleted his senses. He remembered the nostalgia of his last flight with Xiang Liu, where his master shot and killed Feng Long.

As soon as the clouds moved past the moon, Maoqiu summoned several blood daggers, and they flew at the young man. The young man twirled backwards and somersaulted in the air to avoid them. A moonlight beam illuminated the young man in midair; a dagger pierced his hair bun, undoing his hair and killing the perched butterfly, dissipating the male illusion, revealing a young woman. Maoqiu stepped up in the air, floating towards the young woman, with his sword thrusting forward. The young woman recovered from her somersault and floated backwards, evading Maoqiu’s sword.

For what felt like a lifetime, Maoqiu found himself mesmerized by the soft lines of her face, tracing her nose and lips. Upon realizing Maoqiu's sudden infatuation, the woman's face lit up in mirth. Maoqiu's heart missed a beat, and he withdrew his sword, swirling backwards, his robe circling around him. The young woman stopped floating backward and slid to a halt. With a tap of her feet and a swish of her whip, she charged forward. Maoqiu quickly summoned his remaining daggers, and they reversed direction, flying toward her back.

A blanket of silver butterflies materialized out of the darkness to shield her. The blood daggers and the butterflies vaporized into thin air. Unexpectedly, one of the daggers split into two, while one disappeared upon contact; the other flew right past towards her. The woman hears the slight whistle of the blade coming at her, turns around, and swings her whip, breaking the blade. Instantaneously, Maoqiu charges forward with a frozen spell readied at the palm of his hands. The young woman twirls around to avoid Maoqiu's attack, called a firefly to neutralize the spell, and in the confusion, Maoqiu accidentally grabbed her robe and pulled away, revealing her soft, white shoulder.

Embarrassed by his sudden mistake, Maoqiu let go of the robe and retreated a couple steps. With his sword pointing down, he coupled his hands together at the hilt, lowered his head and bowed slightly in apology. Quite amused by Maoqiu's demeanor, the woman let out a laugh, as she pulled her robe back, covering her shoulder.

To be continued...

@plor20

It's not a fanfic, it's just a fan saying what she imagined in the comments of a video, and it's basically what I recounted. When I saw it, I also felt like I was stabbed in the heart. I thought that when Xiang Liu died, Maoqiu was still an eagle. As a young demon he might only have the mind of a seven or eight-year-old child. At that time, would he be able to understand why his master left him... 

So Maoqiu is competing with a mysterious woman for Fangfengbei’s inheritance or a certain inheritance? This setting is interesting, I am quite interested in her origin... The fighting scenes are very exciting, and the setting of using a butterfly in the hair to transform is very beautiful~ Jiayou, wait for the next chapter!

@liddi

Love you! It’s because of your encouragement under the New Year’s excerpt that I decided to write this fanfic, so it’s also your credit:-)

 ZYHLJ:

Love you! It’s because of your encouragement under the New Year’s excerpt that I decided to write this fanfic, so it’s also your credit:-)

Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us in the first place. It is awesome how the love for Xiang Liu has inspired so many incredible creative works (fanfics, art, etc) - we are all spoilt by the options, even just on this forum!

 liddi:

The dancer who sold merely her craft but not her body, until she saw Fangfeng Bei's face? The only person who would have known of her would be Xiao Yao. Is Huayu Xiao Yao's daughter? All the references to butterflies seem to indicate it. If so, how could she be a demon? Hmm.

It wasn't particular to this dancer. I assumed he would have many dancers who had danced for him in the course of the 400 years he lived as FFB. In the novel, XY once told him to ask CX maids to dance for him because she was a terrible dancer. haha.

 liddi:

This is a familiar line. Too bad Maoqiu did not have anyone beside him to say, "I have told you many times that the hearts of men are devious. It should stick in your mind this time round."

Yes...it is definitely too bad. But Maoqiu is resilient and stubborn, so he would only manifest some of his master's old habits.

 liddi:

So is the demon Huayu going by the name Fangfeng Wuming? She is clearly not Fangfeng Bei's illegitimate child. What demon is she anyway? Questions questions. 

Huayu is taking on the Fangfeng Wuming for a purpose. As for what kind of demon she is, you will find in the next couple of chapters. I need to tidied this one up so I can continue on my novel...hehe. The fanfic has taken over my attention and I've run out of words for my original story. 

 liddi:

I totally missed this comment in my excitement. Yes, it would probably make sense if some of these creatures were black, or certainly toxic if they were formed out of the black blood and its aftermath, almost like those on You Du Mountain. If it also meant a remnant of his soul also managed to survive there...

About XL's soul surviving in my fic, I'm open to your thoughts. My thinking, for the purposes of the fic, was that XL's spirit would have survived similarly to how Chi You's soul survived.

Chi You's heart continued beating in Ah Heng's chest after Chi You's body died. XL's essential soul blood ran through XY's veins after XL's body died. 

Chi You was the personification of nature. XL was the king of the seas. 

Chi You's body disappeared and turned into a flurry of peach blossoms, churned the earth in order to bury the corpses of the soldiers who fell on the battlefield, and then became a living peach tree forest that was Ah Heng's home for ~400 years. Where a particular peach tree had previously played an important and tragic role in their relationship.

So perhaps when XL's body disappeared and turned into black blood that wiped out all life and vegetation on the island, his spirit could have lived on, manifested in the form of something like a home... perhaps something that felt poignant and symbolic of his relationship with XY... perhaps something like the white clam shell that he disintegrated before his death. A place where his spirit could have a very long rest before it was time to wake up.

When Ah Heng fulfilled her promise to Chi You and was ready to die, her body slowly vanished and turned into blue light that joined the peach blossoms that had been dancing around her and XY. Then XY saw Ah Heng and Chi You's spirits in their human forms as they had been ~400 years earlier before Chi You's body died. The spirits embraced each other and smiled at XY before slowly disappearing along with the spirit-manifestation-peach-blossoms. 

So when XY died on the island where XL had died, why shouldn't her body slowly vanish and then turn into pink light that joined the spirit-manifestation-clam-shell in the ocean just off the shore of the island? And then why shouldn't XY's granddaughter see XY's spirit and XL's spirit in human form as they had been millennia earlier before XL's body died (along with the spirit-manifestation-clam-shell) on the surface of the ocean? And why shouldn't those two spirits finally get a chance to embrace before slowly disappearing together, along with the spirit-manifestation-clam-shell?