Fan Fiction Thread for Lost You Forever

Chapter 9: Soul Release*

Despite being one of DaHuang's most wanted criminals, Huayu somehow was able to avoid detection. Thousands of hours and hundreds of days had passed, to the point where even Maoqiu might have lost count. Through their travels, Maoqiu continued to make jewelry here and there to sell, avoiding personal deliveries. They opted to stay and live in the wild, flying to the islands he had discovered, only occasionally returning to DaHuang for a taste of city life. Maoqui’s quiet and somber travels became lively and filled with laughter, mischief and adventure. 

Now on the desoluted island, he turned the large fish, its fat sizzling over the campfire, Huayu sat cross-legged, her knees jittery, eagerly awaiting when she could take a bite. Her focus was on the white flesh, and her stomach growled audibly. Maoqiu glared at her, and she meekly smiled. “Master, pardon this weak student of yours.” The scent of the cooked fish carried by the smoke teased Huayu's nose.

After eating, Huayu looked into the sky, only to realize the moon was now already merging into the west. She looks at Maoqiu, now sitting crossed legged, eyes closed, meditating. She smiles and lays her head gently onto his thigh, facing the waterfront. He opens his eyes and slightly knuckles her head, and welcomes the weight of her head in his lap.

“Master, is this the island where Lord Xiang Liu perished?” Huayu cautiously asked, to which Maoqiu answered with a soft grunt of affirmation.

By this time, the soft wind had calmed down, and the air was still. Huayu continues to observe the sea, watching the waves gently caress the stoney shores with a shushing sound. She takes a deep breath, and turns around to look up at Maoqiu and asks him earnestly, “Master, if I told you that the butterflies often whisper that Lord Xiang Liu cannot reincarnate, would you believe me?”

Maoqiu opens his eyes and looks down at Huayu, whose beauty often left him speechless, not that he was one to talk much either. Before his eyes lose their way, capturing the vestiges of her face, he takes a deep breath, furrows his brow, grits his teeth, and averts his gaze from her penetrating stare.

“Master, don't you get mad at me. I'm just the messenger,” Huayu says as she shot up from his lap and leans closer to his face, sulking. Maoqiu quickly glances at her, and the distance between them intensified, her reflection leaving a mark on Maoqiu's pupil.

Maoqiu stands up quickly to avoid her honey trap and marches a few steps from Huayu, clasping his hands behind him. He turns toward her and is about to say something, but unable to formulate his thoughts into words, he circles back towards the sea in frustration. Staring at the waves as they tucked into each other, Maoqiu didn't know what to do with the information about Master Xiang Liu. With his thoughts jumbled, Maoqiu finally rests upon the fact that he could not seem to see through Huayu. Her thoughts would always be a mystery to him. Just when he was able to pierce through her powerful illusions, he found himself facing another obstacle. Sometimes, he even doubted that he had successfully seen through her illusions, but that Huayu only allowed him to truly see her.

“I was never meant to eliminate the Li Rong clan…or try to assassinate Tu Shan Zhen…” Maoqiu could hear Huayu's words stumble out, as if they were being pried from the deepest depths of her heart. Even so, she continued to refrain and harbor her secrets. Maoqiu felt that she had been treading on this solo path, meticulously planning for what seemed like the destabilization of the great clans, for so long that it had become a burden, heavy to carry. Despite it all, he sensed that she still couldn't manage to peel away and relieve her burdens with him. In the end, all he could do was speculate.

“Um…I was supposed to do something else, but along the way, I went astray. Through my journey, I just saw too much suffering for our kind, so I put it off...” Huayu looks at Maoqiu's back, and he could sense her strong stare tracing his silhouette among the stars. After a moment of silence, Maoqiu remains steadfastly committed to his frustration.

Huayu stands up, walks onto the middle of a mound of stench, the moon slowly still sinking into the west. Huayu continues, “Maoqiu, there really are some things that are better left unsaid, but I have never lied to you. Even now, I must finish what I have started…”

Her voice rings out, ambrosia to the ears. Huayu begins singing a folk song in the language of the Jiuli. Maoqiu’s sight leaves the sea and fixates on Huayu, his ears perked up to the sound of her voice. His mind starts to race as his heart quickens. He didn't have time to wonder when, why or how she would come to know the Jiuli language or anything as a matter of fact.

The ancient words of longing brims the star-filled night sky, and the halo around the moon starts to spread out, creating a heavenly aurora. The twinkling of fireflies spread across the universe morphed into silver-winged butterflies. From the ground, as she continues her song of loss, little sprites rose, encasing her in a cocoon of karma. They danced around her like a tornado, disappearing into the night, undoing her hair as they melded into infinite darkness.

The indigo dye on her robe rained down to the ground, spreading and taking root in the soil, little sprouts peeking through, leaving her dress pure white. Her hair billowed amongst the moonlight, glistening white like snowfall. Her hands spread on either side, she summoned a spiritual power reminiscent of snow flurries. With a clench of her fists, the snow flurries melted into her.

Maoqiu, now facing her, smirks lovingly at Huayu. In the years in Jiuli, while waiting for Huayu's soul to return to her body, he accidentally ventured into a cave, where he found ancient drawings on the walls. Maoqiu could see seven women performing an ancient dance, all around them, little sprites rose. He once curiously asked the Shaman King what this dance was and he replied that it was a soul release ceremony, and the story as well as the magic are long lost, even the language to summon lost souls and guide them is no longer understood.

Yet, the bees, fireflies, and butterflies remember. Unbeknownst to Maoqiu, Huayu knew that even though the lives of pollinators are short-lived, their memories are long-lasting, passed on to the next short-lived generation. They whisper to Huayu that lost in the annals of DaHuang is the knowledge of the powerful Juili shaman named Siv Yis**, who possessed the ability to summon the lost spirits wandering aimlessly among the living. He had no heir but seven daughters, all of whose powers would intermix and eventually dilute into the fabric of DaHuang, except one who tragically died. Huayu, whose existence is interconnected with the lost magic of Siv Yis, can harness the powers of those who have refused to depart.

Maoqiu didn't understand that releasing a soul as powerful as Xiang Liu, who had been tethered to the very grounds where they stood for a millennium, would require an even greater exchange—one that he might not have wanted if he had known—that one day he would have to choose between defending his Master’s last wish or the love of his life. Yet, he watched Huayu in awe and fascination, his heart filled with love and adoration, as the sun and moon*** eclipsed the eastern and western horizons. Their light streaks stretched towards each other with an unfathomable yearning to touch. For a full second, a flash of light blinded the night sky across DaHuang.

Her song, carried by the wind, echoes across the ocean and weaves its way into the villages in Jiuli, touching the hearts of the enslaved and bolstering the courage of grief-stricken demons chained to fighting cages. For far too long, the gods and humans had enjoyed a life of luxury on the backs of Juili and demons. Huayu’s song whispers of rebellion, standing on the essence of resistance.

Huayu turns to look at Maoqiu, so beautiful like an ice sculpture. She stretches her hand out to Maoqiu, enticing him, she asks, “Maoqiu, do you believe in fate?”

Without hesitation, he walks toward her, grabs her hand, and pulls her into his arms. He touches his forehead with hers. They hold each other for a while before kowtowing several times to Master Xiang Liu as his remaining soul transformed into silver butterflies, evaporating into the rising sun. With a surge of spiritual power, mist rose, and Maoqiu transforms into his true form. She jumps onto his back and let out a laugh as cold as winter frost. Maoqiu spread his wings, takes off westward into the moonlit horizon with the sun rising behind them. He lets out a screech all too familiar.

*Soul release (tso plig) is a Hmong/Miao funeral ceremonial rite in which a shaman guides the spirit of the deceased back to the ancestors. They usually do this with a song, drum and the qeej (lusheng).

**Siv Yis is the Hmong/Miao ancestor of shamanism.

***The sun and moon (Sun maiden and Moon Gentleman) on Hmong/Miao folklore are lovers, created and also separated by the heavens, for falling in love and neglecting thier duties to help Hmong/Miao till the lands. It is our night and day creation myth. It also serve as the solar eclipse creation myth where they are granted permission to meet once in awhile.

 liddi:

Yes, especially the highlighted section. Everyone is entitled to their individual opinions and we should all be allowed to enjoy a work in whatever capacity we like. What frustrates me is seeing entitled individuals touting their opinions as canon and abusing others whose theories do not align with theirs.

Yep. It's even worse when they openly accuse the author of not understanding their work. That's just nuts and presumptuous. I think you can like or dislike the author's choices or intentions or what have you. You can also agree or disagree with the author's stance and opinions, but to say they don't understand the thing that they wrote is essentially saying that they do not allow their opinion on their own work. The audacity!

There have been times when I strongly disliked certain choices that an author made, but if it's congruent with the characterization and world-building then it's just a personal dislike. I will probably rant about it to my poor, unfortunate friends, but I'm not going to @ the author and make a nuisance of myself. 

 liddi:

I am personally grateful that I got to interact with one of my favourite fantasy authors on her messageboard before she passed away - during that time, she had been nothing but warm, gracious and witty. I don't feel that such accessibility is a bad thing, since it is an avenue to better understand the intent behind the works, and perhaps even better appreciate it as a result.

It's awesome that you had such a positive experience with someone whose work you admired. I think when a piece of art speaks to you, you may feel a certain kindred spirit with the creator of that work of art. You may feel as if this person, through their work "gets" you. I tend to get this with music. Out of the books that I've read, the ones that I've felt this way towards tend to be from authors who are long dead. I've admired a few contemporary writers and show creators whose, unfortunately, upon closer knowledge have proven to be messy :-). It was a good thing that I didn't idolise them too much like my poor friends with J.K. Rowling so I could quickly disengage from them and just focus on the work that they put out. I came to realize that they are just human with flaws (some massive ones) - I may like their works, but I don't really like them much as people. 

 liddi:

Nonetheless, I think that such conundrums would occur with or without access to the person in question.

This is true. However, I would like to say that I think if this person is still alive and you get to witness their ongoing shenanigans in real-time, it would probably be a little harder to deal with/ignore than someone who is long gone and whose "misdeeds" you merely read about.

 ZYHLJ:

@AH


Xiang Liu in my imagination is actually a unique creature that is similar to snakes and dragons, but is neither a snake nor a dragon. He has no parents. Like Sun Wukong in Journey to the West, the egg that hatched him was "born by heaven and achieved by earth", that is, it was born by absorbing the vitality of heaven and earth and the energy of the sun and moon for a long time.

I like this headcanon! ^^

 ZYHLJ:

The birth of Sun Wukong is described in Journey to the West like this

Thanks for sharing this!

 AH :

Between that and Once Promised (which features a predecessor of the 巫王 in LYF), my impression was that the 巫王 position referred to the most senior spiritual figure / advisor out of many such spiritual figures / advisors (like a chief shaman), but not really a political leader in the same way an actual king / 王 would be.  

The 王 "king" in 巫王 does not mean a literal political king, but the leader of the shamans. It is similar to referring to Xiang Liu as 海底妖王 Demon King of the Seas - he is not a king per se, but is still deemed to be one since he is the most powerful demon in the sea.

 ZYHLJ:

In my imagination, every time Xiang Liu communicates with Xiao Yao, each of his heads will have different reactions, haha! Although they don't necessarily fight. Returning to his true form made Xiang Liu's struggles and ambivalence visible by bare eyes :-) 

Nice detail! When you think about it, if each head has its own characteristics, what does that make his human form? Is it an amalgamation of all his different heads, in terms of thought processes? There should be one dominant character though, 那个重情重义、尽忠尽义的傻子。。。

 ZYHLJ:

Even after Xiang Liu left, Xiao Yao kept it because she wanted to have something to commemorate this cohabitation life between her and Xiang Liu :-)

Love this. Her act of doing so actually subconsciously reflects how much she treasures their time together.

 ZYHLJ:

I feel happy drinking milk tea with a cup sleeve printed with Xiang Liu

I can relate! If any such collaborations are available where I am, I would have gone and bought the milk tea, even if I don't drink it! I remember queuing up early in the day to buy Genshin Impact x Pizza Hut collab merchandise for my children last year (I was probably the only one there at the time who is older and doesn't actually play the game LOL) I would definitely do the same for Xiang Liu.

 ZYHLJ:

Don't you like milk tea? It seems that few Asians don’t like milk tea. Do you like drinking tea then? Or you just don't like tea?

I do love milk tea, but more the garden variety such as English Breakfast and Earl Grey, and I prefer my tea hot. Am more of a coffee lover myself - these days it's black with no sugar for health purposes though I do have a sweet tooth. I usually find pre-prepared milk tea, especially boba tea are way too sweet for me.

 ZYHLJ:

Are you in Vietnam? I live in Wuhan :-)

You're in Wuhan? Have you encountered any drama / movie filming where you are at? Do let us know if you ever sight TJC on the streets! I'm in Malaysia so the chances he will show up in my area are next to nil. Still, one can always hope!

 HeadInTheClouds:

There have been times when I strongly disliked certain choices that an author made, but if it's congruent with the characterization and world-building then it's just a personal dislike. I will probably rant about it to my poor, unfortunate friends, but I'm not going to @ the author and make a nuisance of myself. 

Yes. It's exactly like how I rail and wish Tong Hua had been kinder to Xiang Liu, but I have to respect that this is her creation, and she has the final say how his story turned out, though she did elaborate in her "Scholar Speaks" interview that sometimes the characters write themselves:

"I normally do not write an outline for my stories, which means I myself actually have no idea how the character would end. As I write, it's sometimes based on my own deeper understanding of the characters or like being pushed. Or perhaps sometimes it's the character who guides you slowly towards the end of his fate. So it is not deliberate, but a natural progression."   -- Tong Hua, Scholar Speaks interview, 2019

And from the way she expressed her sorrow over Xiang Liu in her Weibo post a year before LYF was actually published, it does seem to confirm what she said:

"I thought of Nine Lives (a character in a story), all dressed in white, living nine lives in the mortal realm, a demon who should have been so unfettered and free but instead trapped himself with responsibility. I always love to use the snow to describe him. Just as I was feeling sad, it suddenly started snowing, and the snowflakes hit against the car window. I was shocked! The sun was clearly still shining brightly. My husband said, 'Sunny and snowing! It's a rare occurrence!' " -- 桐华tonghua @ Weibo, 26 Feb 2012

Now I just wish she would one day either revisit the two unfinished books, or give us a vignette or epilogue of sorts, anything to do with him.

 HeadInTheClouds:

It was a good thing that I didn't idolise them too much

 HeadInTheClouds:

I came to realize that they are just human with flaws (some massive ones) - I may like their works, but I don't really like them much as people. 

Yup. Love their works as much as you like, but don't ever lose sight of the fact that they are merely human. The same goes for authors, musicians, composers who are deceased. Even with the author I mentioned, not every work of hers sits well with me, and her books have some quite controversial themes. So loving their works does not necessitate loving everything about them. I was just fortunate that whatever brief interaction I had with her was a wonderful experience. 

 HeadInTheClouds:

This is true. However, I would like to say that I think if this person is still alive and you get to witness their ongoing shenanigans in real-time, it would probably be a little harder to deal with/ignore than someone who is long gone and whose "misdeeds" you merely read about.

I guess that's true. It also helps that if they are long gone, there is a lot less chance that more shocking or unsavoury behaviour would be unearthed, compared to someone who is living and breathing, and very likely to pull the rug from under one's feet the next moment.

@HeadInTheClouds

Xiang Liu's nine nerve centers can work independently, just like a person's left brain can independently command the right half of the body, and the right brain can do the opposite. At the level of consciousness, these nerve centers are somewhat similar to the different personalities in Dissociative Identity Disorder. The difference is that Xiang Liu has a complete master personality and he has absolute control, he can take over control of any head at any time, and these sub-personalities are not pathological or extreme, they are normal personalities with different temperaments and abilities. Each sub-personality cannot control each other, but I think they can exchange information. The actions made by each personality reflect a certain aspect of Xiang Liu's thoughts and feelings, just like to the same stimulus, the left brain of a person will give a relatively rational response, and the right brain will give a relatively emotional response. Sometimes these different reactions fight in your mind, but you will not feel that you are "two people". Your self-awareness can perfectly reconcile these different thoughts. In fact, the collection of all reactions is you. The same is true for Xiang Liu, each head is a side of him, and together they constitute "Xiang Liu", and the complete self-awareness of "Xiang Liu" can command every head. :-)

These cup sleeves are paper, so they're probably hard to be used more than three times :-(. Although they're of decent quality, if the drink is cold, they get wet and have to be left out if you want to keep them. There will definitely be similar co-brand activities when the second season is aired. I will post links here. If you find something you want to have, I can send it to you as a small gift,  only need to learn how to send international express :-)