Hi everyone, this thread is for all fans who want to create or recommend LYF fanfics. All interested people are welcome to come here to create and share!

The rules are simple: when posting fanfic, please state all settings that are different from the drama or novel, as well as the main couples and characters in the text. If you want to post a recommended fanfic, please state the author and original URL.

Now let's get started!

Now, I'll post the first fanfic I just wrote:

Can I Give Each of Your Heads a Name?

Main couple: Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao
Characters: Xiang Liu, Xiao Yao, Miao Pu, Cang Xuan

Part 1

"Xiang Liu, come down here! I really saw you just now. You're not ugly, not at all, I swear!"

Xiao Yao sat helplessly on a tree branch, raising her head and looking at the white spot on the treetop that was blocked by the dense leaves. This is the first time she has climbed a tree since she regained her status as a princess. Now her skirt had a big gash cut by a tree branch, and the jewelry on her head was dangling on her hair that was loose due to the chase just now. She looked miserable.

How did she end up in this situation? It’s a long story. Today was the Shangsi Festival, and she was rarely in the mood to go out to enjoy the spring, so she made an appointment with Fang Feng Bei to go shopping. As luck would have it, when she was studying the quality of a root of Angelica sinensis in a drug store, two cats raised by the store knocked down a whole jar of medicinal powder placed on the top of the cabinet while chasing, and the powder in the jar was immediately all over Fang Feng Bei's face and clothes. Seeing this, the store owner apologized hurriedly, and offered to take Fang Feng Bei to the inner room to bathe and change clothes. Fang Feng Bei kept crying and sneezing, but instead of getting furious as Xiao Yao feared, he actually raised his hand and shook off the store owner's hand, then turned around and ran away! Xiao Yao felt something bad, so she quickly picked up some medicinal powder that had fallen on the table and smelled it. It turned out to be realgar. She immediately ran after Fang Feng Bei, but she didn't expect that this guy suddenly turned into a strong wind and blew out of the store when he reached the door...

It is common knowledge that snakes are afraid of realgar. Folks have used realgar powder to drive away snakes since ancient times. There is also a legend that snake demons will show their true form when encountering realgar. She always thought that it was just people's imagination, but she never knew it was true? !

Xiao Yao immediately mounted her spirit beast and chased the gust of wind, all the way to a forest on the outskirts of the city. The "wind" finally flew up to the top of a tree and disappeared into a mass of leaves.

Although Xiang Liu wisely chose a twig that she could neither see inside nor climb up, but when the gust of wind blew up the leaves, she still caught a glimpse of his true form for a moment, or, the true form shrunk down to its smallest size by him using spiritual power: a small white snake with many heads, for some reason that posture seems to reveal a hint of despair. Honestly, although it did look a little bit weird, it was just a little bit weird, and she didn't find it very ugly.

But Xiang Liu obviously doesn't think so. The result was that, even though she had been sitting here earnestly persuading him for a stick of incense's time, he was still hiding in that ball of leaves as motionless as if he were dead.

"Xiang Liu, I know what you are thinking. You plan to pretend to be dead until I lose patience and walk away, and then come out and hide in this wood for a few days, waiting for the realgar to metabolize before you come out to see people. Am I right? But have you ever thought about, you are the ONLY known nine-headed snake in Dahuang. At this time of year, there are so many people out of the city to enjoy the spring. If someone sees you, how much trouble will it cause? You'd better come with me, hide in my Qingluan Peak for a few days. I promise not to laugh at your appearance, I promise!"

Xiang Liu remained motionless, as if he was determined to pretend that he was a ball of air.

Xiao Yao wanted to throw her hairpin at him. Although she was thirsty and tired now, and her butt hurt from sitting in this position for a long time in the tree, she did not intend to give up. It takes at least four or five days for all realgar to be metabolized in the living body. During this period, if some unlucky guy accidentally sees him, either Xiang Liu will kill innocent people, or it will attract the government to investigate, or at least, rumors about Nine Lives Xiang Liu in Zhiyi City would spread all over the place, and she never wanted any of them to happen. What's more, she can't leave him in this wilderness to live the life of an animal again. Although it seems that his spiritual power is not damaged, she is not worried he will be bullied by other demons, but for a being who already has a human mind, it would definitely not be a pleasant experience to relive his life as a beast.

"Xiang Liu, let me discuss this with you. As long as you come with me, I will never make fun of your nine heads again, okay?"

Xiang Liu remained unmoved.

"If you come with me, I promise that no matter what kind of rare seafood you want to eat, I will ask them to catch it for you, and I will make you a big and comfortable fish tank with sea water in it. You can put whatever you like in it, okay?”

Xiang Liu is still pretending to be a corpse.

Xiao Yao sighed, "How about I use a 'honey trap' on you? If you are willing to come with me, I will hold you in my arms and carry you all the way back...and even kiss your face, okay?"

The white shadow seemed to move slightly, but just as a little hope ignited in Xiao Yao's heart, he stopped moving again.

"Xiang Liu, come down!" Xiao Yao slapped the tree trunk, almost made herself fall off the tree. One of Xiang Liu's heads immediately poked out from behind the leaves to take a look. Seeing that she had stabilized her body, he retracted again. She only had time to see a blurry white shadow.

Xiao Yao was not discouraged and continued to think hard... Suddenly, another folk rumor came to her mind... Although she didn't know whether that rumor had any basis, now she suddenly wanted to know how Xiang Liu would react to this rumor... Will he do it for...

"Xiang Liu," she suddenly said in a more serious tone, "have you ever heard of that saying, that although people who have made connection in this life will meet again in the next life, if you only meet one person in his or her incarnation and never see his or her true form, then you will not be connected by karma, no matter how long time you spend together in this life, you will never meet again in the next life. So," she raised her head , looking at the white shadow among the leaves on the tree crown, "If I have never seen your true form in this life, then we may not meet again in the next life, never... By that time," she took a deep breath, "there will be no one like me who can chat with you, play with you, and prepare delicious food for you... Doesn't that matter?"

Xiang Liu still didn't move. She didn't know what he was thinking.

For some reason, Xiao Yao felt her heart suddenly sink. A coldness rose from her fingertips and flowed throughout her body... She clenched her fists in discomfort, but the feeling did not lessen. It got worse. Her throat felt dry and she wanted to say something to break this moment of silence, but nothing came to her mind.

Xiang Liu doesn't want to meet her again in the next life, or at least he doesn't care about it.

But so what? Didn't he say that she is here to relieve his boredom, and she has always agreed with this? so why does it matter whether they meet or not in the next life? What's there to be disappointed about? Did she ask a stupid question...?

While she was thinking wildly like this, a little head quietly poked out from behind the group of leaves.

Xiao Yao raised her head again, wanting to tell Xiang Liu that she wouldn't force him anymore and was going back, but she ran into that pair of bright little eyes that seemed to be observing her seriously.

Her heart, which had sunk to the bottom of the sea, suddenly floated up. In fact, it was so happy that it felt like it was about to fly.

She quickly seized the opportunity: "Wow, you look so cute, Xiang Liu, even more beautiful than I imagined! Are those fins on side of your head? So beautiful! They are translucent, like mutton-oil jade..." This opportunity will not come again. Before she even had time to see one-ninth of Xiang Liu's heads clearly, she started to flatter, "Can you get a little closer? I want to see more clearly. I have to at least see all your faces before I can be considered as seeing your true form, right?"

Perhaps it was dizzy from that series of flattery attacks. After hearing this, the little head hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved its body and slipped out of the shadow of the leaves.

One, two, three... nine little white heads poked out one by one. Each one was only as big as a quail egg, but Xiao Yao could already see them very clearly.

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and Xiao Yao has never realized this so deeply as at this moment. She has seen the eyes of many wild snakes before. Although Xiang Liu's eyes are not much different from them in appearance, they look very different because of the obvious emotion and intelligence flowing in them, vivid and full of vitality, not only do they not make her feel scared, but actually look cute?

Probably because Xiang Liu is a sea beast, he doesn't look exactly like ordinary snakes. His scales are semicircular, pure white and fine, as smooth as if they have been carefully polished. In the sunlight, they show a soft iridescent sheen like pearls and shells. There is a pair of translucent fins that can be opened and closed near where the ear holes should be, and there is a similar fin on the back. The fin bones clearly protrude and look very sharp. Each of the nine heads has a pair of small coral-like horns. At first glance, they look a bit like dragon, but actually different. The most special thing is that these nine heads do not look exactly the same if you take a more careful look. Some of them have serious or fierce faces, some of them look a little silly or innocent, one of them has a upward-turned corner of its mouth, which looks a bit cunning, one has a slightly pointy nose, looking arrogant, and another has a thin ring of red around its eyes, with the lightest iris color, looking sensitive and alert. Just like people's face, each head has a different appearance.

Xiao Yao breathed softly unconsciously. She and those nine pairs of eyes looked at each other at arm's length in silence. At this moment, she no longer felt he was weird at all. In her heart, she only felt that this unique and miraculous being in front of her was strange and beautiful - strangely beautiful.

How about you don't turn back into a human again? Being a human is so tiring, wouldn’t it be nice if I just take you back to raise and protect for the rest of your life, and never let anyone harm you again?

She didn't know why, for a moment such a meaningless sentence came into her mind.

(To be continued)

Note: Xiao Yao is not stupid, she knows that it is risky for Xiang Liu to be able to approach Cang Xuan easily, so the setting here is that Xiao Yao has her own official palace on another peak of Chenrong Mountain, but rarely lives there, and there is a separate defensive barrier on Zijin Peak where Cang Xuan is. In addition, in the novel, there is a plot later in which Xiang Liu had to reveal his true form to fight against the vortex, and asked Xiao Yao not to look at him, but that time Xiang Liu appeared in his "original size", in my imagination, it is at least as big as a three-story villa. This image definitely gives people a completely different feeling from the "mini version", so that plot does not conflict with the plot of this fanfic :-)

If anyone likes this fanfic, I'll update the next part within a week. Thanks for reading! :-)

Also, here is a fanfic I wrote on the New Year, which was posted in another thread. This one only uses the drama as the background. The main characters are Xiao Yao and Xin Yue. All the main characters appear:

New Year

New Year's Eve, heavy snow.

This is Cang Xuan's first New Year after ascending the throne, and as usual he would spend it with his family. Since Xiao Yao and Feng Long's wedding was on the agenda, and it was tacitly understood that Xin Yue will be crowned queen, this year's New Year's Eve was spent by the Xiyan family and Chenrong family together. In order to enjoy the snow, at Xin Yue's suggestion, Cang Xuan took Xiao Yao, A nian, Shen Shu Hui, grandpa, and Chenrong's family of four to the lake on Xin Yue's boat. Accompanied by four boats carrying guards, they enjoyed the snow while eating New Year's Eve dinner.

Although there are still some political matters have not been completely resolved, for everyone present, this is indeed the most relaxed moment in the past many years, so the atmosphere at the dinner table is quite good. Cang Xuan, former King Xiyan, Chen Rong Yi, and Feng Long were chatting enthusiastically about the tribes in the south that had not yet recognized Cang Xuan. Shu Hui was listening to their conversation with interest. Mrs. Chenrong was taking this opportunity to secretly observe her future daughter-in-law and son-in-law. Xiao Yao was thinking about her marriage to Feng Long, and couldn't help but think over and over Feng Long's words, "Jing was a bit sad, but he also said that as long as I treat you well, he is willing to bless us", and Xiang Liu's words, "You will find someone else, I won’t accompany you there." It is difficult for her to truly relax and enjoy the festival atmosphere, so she just ate in silence the foods Feng Long kept putting in her bowl, not even noticing A Nian's anger towards Xin Yue. Xin Yue had been directing the servants to take care of everyone like a real hostess. Looking at her like this, A Nian was so angry that she couldn't eat. But Cang Xuan had told her before not to conflict with Xin Yue today, so she could only drink hard by herself. After a while, she fell drunk and was helped back to the cabin to rest by Hai Tang.

After drinking and eating, now everyone was drinking tea and waiting for dawn. The men were still talking about matters related to moving the capital. Xin Yue began to become impatient, so she picked up the mink fur and took Xiao Yao to the bow of the boat to enjoy the snow. 

The lake was calm at night, with only feathery snowflakes flying quietly in the air. Xiao Yao sat on the bow of the boat and watched for a while, couldn't help but think of the snow Xiang Liu once conjured for her when she was still healing in his "lair", which was even more beautiful than this one.

Now Cang Xuan has become the king, so the future of Chenrong army became more dangerous. Is he worrying about this now? she thought.

"Xiao Yao, you were silent just now. Were you thinking about your marriage to my brother?" Xin Yue suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah..." Xiao Yao couldn't deny it, but strangely, she didn't feel shy talking about it.

Xin Yue teased her: "Thinking about my brother, but not looking at him. My brother kept looking at you just now!"

Xiao Yao smiled and did not answer her.

"Actually...my brother knows, and understands that you haven't let go of Jing yet, so even though your heart is not with him now, he has never blamed you." Xin Yue said, "Before coming today, he asked me to find a chance to ask you a question, because It’s not appropriate for him to ask, that is, do you want to postpone the wedding? He said that if you feel you are not ready yet, he can wait, and he will explain it to the elders, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Xiao Yao thought carefully about Xin Yue's words, then took a deep breath and said: "No need, the date has already been determined, if you change it, people will definitely speculate. We will get married sooner or later anyway, so why delay? However, I'm happy that Feng Long is willing to tolerate me, please thank him on my behalf."

Xin Yue sighed, tightened the collar of Xiao Yao's cloak, and said: "Actually, I know you were probably engaged to my brother to help Cang Xuan, and you didn't really have interest in my brother.  If this marriage wasn't of great significance to the Chishui family and the throne, I would have told you that if you really don’t want to marry my brother, just break off the engagement. Anyway, with my brother’s temper, he will only be angry for some time, but never really hold a grudge against you."

"But," she continued, "I still have to defend my brother for one thing. You may think my brother wants to marry you only because of your identity and appearance, and that he mistakes friendship for love, but in fact, it is because, he just loves smart people! When he decided to follow Cang Xuan, although he had his own ambitions, the most important reason was that he was impressed by Cang Xuan's wisdom and foresight! He was attracted by Jing and you for the same reason. In the beginning, he was truly only attracted by your appearance, but later, after gradually knowing you more, he grew more and more fond of you... I'm pretty sure that as long as you treat him sincerely, one day he will become loyal to you like he is to Jing and Cang Xuan. Did you see him ever wavered when supporting Cang Xuan was the most dangerous and unwise choice?"

Xiao Yao was a little surprised after hearing her words, and said: "I never thought about this. He has always been a bit male chauvinistic in his speech. I thought he liked the kind of girls who only care about 'things women should care about'."

Xin Yue rolled her eyes and said, "Maybe he himself thought so too, because he was too proud to see his own heart clearly. Anyway, at least this was what the girls who wanted to marry him thought, so they acted like having no brain in front of him, needing him to teach everything in the hope that this 'big man' can have enough face. The result is my brother's relationship history had always been blank, until he met you! "

Xiao Yao thought about it carefully, and said, "Hearing what you said, I seem to understand him a bit..."

Xin Yue immediately said: "I didn't say this to ask you to marry my brother. What I said is what I believe."

Xiao Yao quickly patted her hand and said, "I know. In fact you don't have to worry. It's not that I don't want to marry Feng Long. For me, there is really no better choice than your brother... When he proposed, he actually could have told me directly that this was the quickest way he could help Cang Xuan. He knew that as long as he did this, I would probably agree. However, he did not mention Cang Xuan at all, but simply said he wanted to marry me, asked me if I was willing. Later, it was because I pressed him that he told me about Cang Xuan. At that time, I knew that he was a trustworthy man who could give me the security I want."

She looked seriously into Xin Yue's eyes and said, "Although I can't guarantee that I will be able to love him as much as I love Jing, I swear that as long as Feng Long is sincere to me, I will also be sincere to him. I will support him, help him, for the rest of my life."

Xin Yue grabbed her hand and said, "That's enough. Don't worry, if he treats you not good enough, I will be the first one to scold him."

Xiao Yao said teasingly: "Yes, I have such a good girlfriend and sister-in-law to support me, what should I be afraid of?"

Xin Yue nodded proudly: "That's right!"

Then Xin Yue thought for a while and then said: "Xiao Yao, you are going to marry my brother, so I should call you sao sao from now on, but I am going to marry your brother too, so you should call me sao sao, then we...how about we just call each other sisters? You are older than me, so I will call you jie jie, and you will call me mei mei. How about that?"

Xiao Yao said: "Okay, then... I will call you mei mei?"

Xin Yue nodded, "That's settled! In the future, if we all give birth to daughters, they will be real sisters connected by blood and grew up together. When the time comes...how about we give them paired names? If your daughter’s name has 'snow' in it, then my daughter’s name will have 'rain'. If your daughter’s name has 'qin' in it, then my daughter’s name will have 'se', just like sisters in one family. How about that?”

Xiao Yao couldn't help but want to laugh, "Okay~ How did you know I want to have a daughter?"

Xin Yue tilted her head, "Because I want to have a daughter. Only a daughter can understand her mother's heart, unlike those stinky men, who only make you angry!"

Xiao Yao couldn't stop giggling.

Suddenly, there was a muffled sound of firecrackers in Zhiyi City in the distance. It turned out that it was midnight, and every household and the Department of Ceremony started to set off fireworks to drive away the "New Year beast". The whole brightly lit city was in jubilation, with all kinds of colorful and wondrous fireworks rising up like heavy rain falling into the pond. Even from such a distance, it was still thrilling to see. After a while, with a huge explosion, two giant "living fireworks" carefully forged with spiritual power, a dragon and a phoenix, rose into the sky. They chased and played with each other in mid-air, using their spiritual power to gather the snowflakes into a huge "snow-and-wind ball", throwing them to each other and playing... Finally, amidst the cheers of the whole city, they quickly soared high into the sky, end to end, formed a circular "dragon and phoenix in auspiciousness pattern", and then annihilated in an instant, scattering into a meteor shower of countless light points and falling down, illuminating the entire lake. Everyone walked out of the cabin and looked at this scene with excitement.

A new beginning, let me use it to commemorate those lost dreams, Xiao Yao thought. From now on, she must cherish this upcoming long autumn of her life, which will definitely be beautiful as well.


THE END

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AH - RETURNING THE HEART OF THE OCEAN, REUNITING WITH YOU (XY and XL)

Summary:  This fic is based on the novel and is canon-compliant. The storyline is inspired by the 1997 film Titanic and by Ah Heng and Chi You’s final moments in chapter 36 of Lost You Forever.

Two thousand years after leaving Xuan Yuan for the ocean, Xiao Yao is nearing the end of a long life. But the discovery of a long-hidden treasure raises questions that send Xiao Yao on a new journey. As the answers fall into place, Xiao Yao finally shares Xiang Liu’s story. At the place where he made his last stand, an elderly Xiao Yao returns the tokens of his gifts. And on the ocean's surface, a young goddess and a white-haired demon reunite under the bright glow of a rising full moon.

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ZYHLJ - NEW YEAR   (XY and Xin Yue)

ZYHLJ - CAN I GIVE EACH OF YOUR HEADS A NAME? (XY and XL)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4


Thank you to HeadInTheClouds for finding this awesome fanart.

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plor20 -  ETERNALLY YEARNING: a Butterfly—a Bee's Eternity Fade unto Divinity  (Maoqiu, Fang Feng Wuming)

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 1: "Maoqiu, how many times must I remind you? People are devious.”

Chapter 2: Meetings and Partings 

Chapter 3: Old Master's Home 

Chapter 4: Fang Feng Wuming 

Chapter 5: The Northern Tavern 

Chapter 6: The Emperor’s Decree 

Chapter 7: Lost Soul

Chapter 8: Spirit Calling

Chapter 9: Soul Release 

Chapter 10: Eternally Yearning 

Chapter 11: Do you believe in fate? 
Thank you to HeadInTheClouds for finding this awesome fanart.

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In ... Archive of Our Own -- English

A Flag of Surrender by achray --This was a political marriage. Xiaoyao would do her duty. And so, she hoped, would Xiang Liu.

IN CHINESE

In ... Archive of Our Own -- Chinese

The General's Tent (将军帐) by ailao1999  --What if WXL was not captured?

With You Forever (相思日月长 ) by 噫哞噫哞  --Xiao Yao resurrects Xiang Liu using a fragment of his soul which Gong Gong managed to preserve. 

Fulfill My Wish  (不负相思意)  by 醋坛坛  --Xiao Yao goes back in time after Xiang Liu's death, and makes different choices, knowing now what she didn't before. 

Knots of Yearning (相思结 ) by YOLO苏璎   --Xiao Yao's 16 year search for Xiang Liu after learning of his death, refusing to allow herself to believe that he was really gone. It has a happy ending, partially attributed to Hong Jiang himself too.

The Heart of the Bright Moon on the Sea (海上明月心) by 人间檀柳  --Xiao Yao heals and grows, as she slowly discovers all the things that Xiang Liu did for her. Xiang Liu doesn't show up until 2/3 of the way into the story.  Extras with baby hydra/sea dragon Xiang Liu and sweet scenes of YaoLiu.

Kiss Xiang Liu (吻相柳) by 吉巴罗   --A modern reader who likes Xiang Liu accidentally traveled to the world of Dahuang and became A Nian in Qingshui Town. She changed Xiang Liu's fate and finally made him her own, with a happy ending.


FAN FICTION VIDEOS

With You Forever trailer for AU fan fiction

 ZYHLJ:
One, two, three... nine little white heads poked out one by one. Each one was only as big as a quail egg, but Xiao Yao could already see them very clearly.

 ZYHLJ:
Each of the nine heads has a pair of small coral-like horns. At first glance, they look a bit like dragon, but actually different.

XL's mini true form sounds super cute!! ^^


 ZYHLJ:
If anyone likes this fanfic, I'll update the next part within a week. Thanks for reading! :-)

Looking forward to the next part! 

 ZYHLJ:
Now, I'll post the first fanfic I just wrote:

Can I Give Each of Your Heads a Name?

Absolutely love it! The premise is fun, adorably amusing yet there is an underlying current of the characters' secret hopes and fears as we know them from the novel which is unexpectedly poignant. Love the descriptions of Xiang Liu's nine heads... how you gave each one a distinct identity each of which composes a part of his multi-faceted character. Can't wait for the next part. Thank you so much!

Here's my fanfic.

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 one: "Maoqiu, how many times must I remind you? People are devious.”

Maoqiu lazily reclines in the soft sand, his gaze fixed on the boundless ocean. The moon ascended into the night sky, a perfect circle of light dwarfs the starlight. Tonight, the moonlight bathes the beach in a soft white glow, reminiscent of the time he met his master. The sea carried a fresh scent that momentarily masked the slightly rotting smell that permeated the island. Maoqiu raises his wine gourd to his lips, welcoming the bittersweet taste of alcohol.

As the wine dulls his senses, Maoqiu sees the full moon, a beacon of hope, yearning for a long-lost lover's return. Maoqiu was never one for sentimentality, yet every time he gazes upon the full moon, a wave of longing for what has been lost, washes over him. Instantly, a surge of rage and annoyance welled up, fueled by the passing years that were never meant to be.

How long has it been since Master Xiang Liu passed away? It felt like a lifetime had passed since Maoqiu last saw him, dressed in a white robe stained with the crimson of battle, his white hair as pristine as snowfall dancing in the wind, standing his ground like an ice sculpture crafted from the finest snowflakes. His peach blossom shaped eyes, unyielding and steadfast, commands the attention of a thousand arrows, flying straight at him. His spiritual powers weakened and trampled, each arrow piercing through him, his blood seeping, turning black and burning the land.  

Maoqiu was flying toward Jade Mountain, tasked with delivering a gift to Sir Ah Bie for Miss XiaoYao—a gift that turned out to be the ugliest wooden doll he had ever laid eyes on. Filled with annoyance and dread, Maoqiu found himself unable to disobey. Master Xiang Liu was a demon of resolution and principle; he would not abandon General Gong Gong, his adopted father, nor his comrades in arms. Though Maoqiu longed to follow him to the river of death, his master forbade it.

Upon returning from his task, Maoqiu remembered soaring above the island where his master perished. Unable to land, with no body to bury and no opportunity to pay respect, Maoqiu’s mournful screech echoed for leagues. Master Xiang Liu was more than just his master; he was like a father. As a young demon, he didn’t comprehend the ways of deities and humans, yet Master Xiang Liu never spoiled him. Xiang Liu was the kind of demon who wanted to see his charges grow and succeed. The ability to stand on one’s own feet came with harsh lessons to be learned. Mistakes were better left unmade, and if they occurred, one needed to learn from them. To Master Xiang Liu, the failure to learn from one’s mistakes meant death.

As a baby white condor, he had fallen from his nest and been abandoned by his mother. Unable to spread his wings, Maoqiu let out a piercing mournful cry. Xiang Liu, who happened to be lounging on a tree branch, drinking wine and drowning out the chatter from the Shennong camp, was interrupted by the resonant sound cutting through the calm night. Eyes closed, wine gourd in his left arm, resting on his knee, Xiang Liu twirled the wine with flicks of his wrist. The moonlight peeked through the cloudy night, and its rays softly traced his beautiful features. Maoqiu’s keening cry continued, and with a furrow of his eyebrows, Xiang Liu opened his eyes, blood red. Abruptly, Maoqiu’s cry was muffled, the sound stuck in his throat, and he found himself unable to breathe.

"If you don't learn to spread your wings, you are as good as dead," Xiang Liu flew down the tree, his eyes intense, glaring at Maoqiu. His white silhouette illuminated by the full moon, he landed softly on the ground. Xiang Liu crouched down, wine gourd still in his left hand, he hissed, "Your mother is right to abandon you. What's the use if she returns for you when you can't even fly?"

Maoqiu remembered that he was afraid to die and wanted to live, but he couldn’t stop crying. After a while, Xiang Liu, annoyed, said, “If I help you spread your wings, will you obey me?”

The memory began to fade as Maoqiu continued to gulp down the strong wine. Unlike his master, whose hair was as white and delicate as snowfall, Maoqiu's hair shone like moonlight and glittered in starlight. In the sun, it reflected pale yellow hued peonies. Like his master, Maoqiu’s face was delicate and beautiful - so much, that he often was mistaken as a beautiful woman. His eyes were a faint blue that reflected the ocean, clear and translucent. A mole sat just above the tip of his lips. Adorned in an indigo dyed robe, with exquisite embroidery of willow trees, Maoqiu was decorated in a silver necklace crafted by his teacher, a jewelry maker of the Juili.

Maoqiu would never admit it, but he had made it a habit to wear the dark indigo blue as it reminded him of the night skies, flying freely with his Master. The silver he adorned reflected the moonlight, and flickered where there was no light. In the early years after the passing of his master, Maoqiu would occasionally search the skies, flying beyond the oceans, in the direction of the moon, for news of Miss XiaoYao. Soaring over lush green islands, filled with colorful flowers, and bright bitter fruits, Maoqiu hopes to witness just a glimpse of the life his master treasures more than his own. Even though his master never asked him, Maoqiu felt a filial duty to make sure that Xiang Liu’s sacrifices were not made in vain. It would have pain his heart to see a life that could’ve been for his master. Yet after a half a millennium, he never saw or heard of her again. Another half millennium will go by and still no words or sightings.

Maoqiu thought to himself, 'Everyone attributes peace to the Black Emperor.' He snickered. From the bottom of his heart, Maoqiu knew it was the death of his master that ultimately ushered in a world where all beings—deities, humans, and demons—could coexist without war. A peaceful time didn’t equate to a life without suffering. He takes another gulp of wine, and memories flicker and the sound of chains rang in his ear.

Five hundred years after the passing of his master, Maoqiu gained his human form. Still weak and unable to fully control his limbs, he was captured by traffickers, destined for the fighting cages. Thanks to the many years of cultivating with Master Xiang Liu, Maoqiu’s blood was so toxic it could burn through chains—a unique saving grace. Half-dead, he soon found his way to the Jiuli tribe, where he stayed, made his home, and learned to craft silver jewelry. His jewelry skills soon became so well sought after by rich deities, and he soon found himself a traveling merchant. Since his transformation, shifting into his true form and back for travel had been such a hassle that he had to painstakingly navigate Dahaung by foot. If he had known what a pain it would be, he would have resisted the transformation with his last breath.

“Master!” a screech sounds from the jagged rocks behind him. “I'm so hungry. There's no food on this godforsaken island.” Huayu stumbles through the beach and drops some driftwood and sticks next to where Maoqiu lies. Then, she marches up to Maoqiu, swatting, and looks at him with big round eyes, glistening in the moonlight. “Master, look, I was able to find this, but I am spent, and if I don't get food, you might as well prepare a funeral for me.”

Maoqiu glares at Huayu, a petite young high-level demon, piercing through her male illusion. Her hair pinned into a simple bun, a purple butterfly fluttering nested comfortably in the bun, and several strands of ebony hair shape her beautifully handsome oval face. Like Maoqiu, she is dressed in a similar indigo-dyed robe with intricate embroideries of the Jiuli tribe, rustling softly with every move. She dons a simple silver necklace with a pair of butterflies that glitters like twilight under the moon, especially crafted by Maoqiu for her.

He side-eyes her and rises to a sitting position, gazing at her with amusement. With pursed lips, she pouted. Finally, Maoqiu concedes and smirks softly, revealing a dimple that sinks into his right cheek. He hands her his wine gourd. Huayu's pout curves into a grin as she takes the gourd and stands up. She bows and, with a wave of her hand, leads the way for Maoqiu.

He stands up and walks towards the ocean. His tall posture, regal and his moonlit hair gleaming like starlight. With the rise of water vapor, a great white and gold condor emerges where her master stood, Huayu's face brightens in awe when Maoqiu spreads his wings and takes off towards the moon. “Master, get me the biggest fish!” She screams happily. 

To be continued...

 plor20:
As a baby white condor, he had fallen from his nest and been abandoned by his mother. Unable to spread his wings, Maoqiu let out a piercing mournful cry.

Ahhh baby Mao Qiu! <3


 plor20:
Five hundred years after the passing of his master, Maoqiu gained his human form.

 plor20:
Huayu's face brightens in awe when Maoqiu spreads his wings and takes off towards the moon. “Master, get me the biggest fish!” She screams happily.

I'm glad he survived and found a new companion for himself. 


 plor20:
He stands up and walks towards the ocean. His tall posture, regal and his moonlit hair gleaming like starlight.

Does Mao Qiu's human form have white hair?


 plor20:
To be continued...

Looking forward to it!

 AH :

Ahhh baby Mao Qiu! <3



I'm glad he survived and found a new companion for himself. 


Does Mao Qiu's human form have white hair?


Looking forward to it!

Blonde hair and blue eyes. I looked at the drama depiction of him, and his had a yellow puff and blue eyes...so. hehe.

 plor20:
Chapter one: "Maoqiu, how many times must I remind you? People are devious.”

We are truly spoiled! Another fic! Thank you so much for sharing. Aww... Mao Qiu has finally cultivated into human form. And a jewellery merchant trained by a Jiuli master no less, after almost having been trafficked. Love the reminiscences of how he met Xiang Liu, and how he continued to search for Xiao Yao, without any luck. The mysterious Fang Feng Wuming is intriguing even if we have not met the character yet... is it Xiao Yao's most recent disguise? Can't wait to find out. 

Just a question. Mao Qiu is afraid of water. As such, how would he be able to fish? And does he get a new name? I can't imagine him going all over Dahuang calling himself "feather ball" (literally).

 liddi:
And does he get a new name? I can't imagine him going all over Dahuang calling himself "feather ball" (literally).

This makes me think of poor Mázǐ and Chuànzi trying to convince Xiǎo Liù not to give the beggar a name like Gāncǎo or Dìshàng Ní. ^^

 plor20:
Blonde hair and blue eyes. I looked at the drama depiction of him, and his had a yellow puff and blue eyes...so. hehe.

I have seen a few anecdotal comments (e.g., on tumblr) that the Hmong people are unique among ethnic groups in Asia for having genes that can result in blond hair and even blue eyes, although I wasn't able to find academic sources to substantiate it. 

But I think you mentioned a connection between Chi You and Jiu Li with the Hmong people? If Mao Qiu was originally from Jiu Li and returned there, perhaps it would make extra sense for him to be blond and blue-eyed? Although I guess as a demon, human genetics maybe aren't relevant. 

 AH :

I have seen a few anecdotal comments (e.g., on tumblr) that the Hmong people are unique among ethnic groups in Asia for having genes that can result in blond hair and even blue eyes, although I wasn't able to find academic sources to substantiate it. 

But I think you mentioned a connection between Chi You and Jiu Li with the Hmong people? If Mao Qiu was originally from Jiu Li and returned there, perhaps it would make extra sense for him to be blond and blue-eyed? Although I guess as a demon, human genetics maybe aren't relevant. 

There are no current official research on the Hmong reccesive DNA that causes blond hair and blue eyes, but there have been research on the DNA distribution of Miao/Hmong.

There's this FB post where Hmong people share photos of thier hair and eyes.  The post also has a link to academic resech paper on the unique DNA in Hmomg/Miao: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/hSyGoR8fFRBx2ByB/?

My two oldest kids and myself don't have back hair. We actually have dark brown. Nothing close to the strawberry blonde others in our community has, but it's possible for the reccesive gene to pop up in different shades.

 AH :

This makes me think of poor Mázǐ and Chuànzi trying to convince Xiǎo Liù not to give the beggar a name like Gāncǎo or Dìshàng Ní. ^^

Yes. Imagine walking around being called 甘草 Licorice or 地上泥 Mud-on-the-Ground. 麻子 Ma Zi (pockmarked) and 串子 Chuan Zi (skewer) were protesting out of their own experiences, poor things!

 plor20:
There are no current official research on the Hmong reccesive DNA that causes blond hair and blue eyes, but there have been research on the DNA distribution of Miao/Hmong.

There's this FB post where Hmong people share photos of thier hair and eyes.  The post also has a link to academic resech paper on the unique DNA in Hmomg/Miao: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/hSyGoR8fFRBx2ByB/?

My two oldest kids and myself don't have back hair. We actually have dark brown. Nothing close to the strawberry blonde others in our community has, but it's possible for the reccesive gene to pop up in different shades.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing!


 liddi:

Yes. Imagine walking around being called 甘草 Licorice or 地上泥 Mud-on-the-Ground. 麻子 Ma Zi (pockmarked) and 串子 Chuan Zi (skewer) were protesting out of their own experiences, poor things!

And the poor guys kept those names for the rest of their lives!

Koala translated the name of XY's winged mount that she raised from an egg as Yuan Yuan, but looking at the original text it seems that XY actually named her 玄鸟 / Xuán niǎo, which I've seen translated as mysterious bird, blackbird, and swallow (e.g., here) and also in the legend of the birth of Xie / 偰, the first known ancestor of the Shang Dynasty. Who was the son of Emperor Kù / Dì Kù / 帝嚳 and his second wife Jiandi / 簡狄 born after Jiandi swallowed the egg of a Xuán niǎo / 玄鳥. Maybe that influenced Tong Hua's choice?

And then XY also named Left Ear... Left Ear. Because he was missing his left ear... 

Really XY's general naming style juxtaposed with XL's very cute name for his winged mount is quite something.