• wall of discipline.
• tranquility room.
• library pavilion.
• back to gūsū.

    about:     lanqin is an independent roleplay blog for lán wàngjī from the xiānxiá novel grandmaster of demonic cultivation (mó dào zǔ shī) by author mò xiāng tóng xiù.what is xiānxiá? it is a fantasy genre (仙侠 meaning “immortal heroes”) that blends martial arts with chinese folklore, daoism and buddhist philosophy. its characters often strive for spiritual cultivation with the end goal of extending their life span or achieving immortality, while fighting demons and ghosts. mxtx's novels, such as grandmaster of demonic cultivation, are all considered part of the xiānxiá genre.    activity:     i’m private, selective, mutuals only and sometimes low activity due to chronic health issues but please don’t be afraid to approach me! i only ask for patience if i don’t reply right away to dms.    etiquette:     general rp etiquette is expected. trimming posts, no god-modding, reblog memes from source, don’t pressure me for replies, yadda yadda. you know, the usual. i don’t send passwords or do interest checkers, if i follow you it’s because i am interested in writing with you! i do read everyone’s rules upon following and always try to engage with people on my dashboard.    selectivity:     i am selective about who i follow. i aim to curate my dashboard with characters i see writing potential with, so i primarily follow blogs featuring fantasy and historical settings. i don’t follow blogs that habitually reblog several pages worth of gifsets in a row. if my attempts to build rapport and write together are repeatedly ignored, i will eventually break mutuals. no hard feelings.    banned faceclaims:     i don’t keep a banned list unless the fc is a known abuser, scientologist, zionist, convicted criminal, etc. i am okay with deceased faceclaims only if they are professional actors, not influencers of any kind. actors actively consent to having their likeness associated with the portrayal of fictional characters.    discourse:     i hardblock blatant bigotry and hate speech on sight. however, i do not participate in fandom discourse or posts about real-world events. my activism takes place in real life, and i do not consider tumblr roleplay the appropriate place for me to have these conversations. i ask that you respect this boundary.    smut:     i’m very sex positive and comfortable with smut on my dashboard. i don’t write it often but it may happen on occasion. wangxian are insane about each other so beware you may see things on your dash. suggestive content will be tagged as ‘nsft’ (not safe for tumblr).    mature themes:       the source material contains sensitive subjects such as war, persecution, violence, gore/dead bodies, ghosts, spiritual manipulation, explicit sexual content, pregnancy, class and social hierarchies, corporal punishments, and more. mdzs is an adult work with a mature rating, most certainly not aimed at or suitable for minors, and the same applies to my writing. sensitive content will be tagged as ‘cw ___’    by following me it is assumed you are aware of the content you may be exposed to and take responsibility for your own safety and well being.     

    shipping:     please never assume i’m approaching you with the intention of shipping. lwj is very married and the only ship that will ever be featured on my blog is wangxian. your muse is allowed to develop a crush or feelings for lwj (if stoic antisocial men that speak 2 words a day is their type?), but be aware it will never be reciprocated on lwj’s side. however, i do love platonic ships and love exploring all kinds of dynamics. give lwj friends, rivals or enemies. beef with him! it would be hilarious.    thread length:     my replies do tend to be lengthy, but i am not strict about length! as long as your replies are well-written and give me something to respond to, i don't mind if you don't match my word count. one-liners can be a fun, light-hearted way of establishing dynamics and i may partake in them sometimes.    formatting:     my formatting is very minimal. i typically use small, lowercase text with colored dialogue and sometimes icons. never feel pressured to match! format your replies as much or as little as you want. if you need me to simplify my formatting please let me know! aesthetics are fun, but not a requirement to write with me.    languages:     i write names almost exclusively in pīnyīn, i’m studying chinese and it helps me read with the correct tones. i also use some translated names, particularly for places, that are widely accepted. i occasionally write dialogue in chinese in threads with mutuals that also speak chinese and have given me the green light to practice with them.    canon compliance:     my writing is first and foremost based on the novel and consider myself canon compliant. i use the live-action drama adaptation the untamed (chénqíng lìng) as a secondary source for visual references, with some minor headcanons inspired by the acting, costuming, scenery, etc. beyond sometimes using manhua icons, i don’t draw significant inspiration from other adaptations, though I am familiar with them.    verses:     by default everything i write is post canon based on the novel, so feel free to reference or incorporate events from any point in the story in our plots. i am not very interested in alternate universes that significantly stray from fantasy at this time. most of my threads exist within the same loose “universe” so i can reference events from other threads and keep a sense of continuity throughout my blog. if you want to check what au verses i do have, you can find them in the library pavilion section.    crossovers:     i’m very open crossovers outside of wǔxiá/xiānxiá settings provided that your setting is within the realm of fantasy. in terms of incorporating lore outside of the mdzs canon, i’m most familiar with forgotten realms from dungeons&dragons, critical role’s exandria and grrm’s a song of ice and fire, but so long we can plausibly plot i’m happy to figure out a middle ground that works for both of us. please do not ask me to write specific aus for media i’m not familiar with.    exclusivity:     i take both mains and exclusives if chemistry warrants it. i prioritize establishing long term writing partners over collecting variants of the same muse. i don’t make a difference between “mains” and “affiliates”, there are no tiers. if we interact often and click ooc, i would definitely like to feature you on my affiliations! exclusivity takes more time and i am admittedly picky about it. in order to be exclusives i expect reciprocity in effort and interest.

affiliations

out of character

i’m cherry. she / her pronouns are fine. i was born in 1993 so i’m in my milf era or whatever lmao. my timezone is GMT-3 but i'm around at weird hours, time is a weird soup.i'm a teacher, i love sewing, playing d&d and power rangers. most of my things are pink and i'm very normal about it. those are probably the first things you'll know about me.i'm a deeply unserious person, please don't be afraid to talk to me! yap at me about your blorbos and send me cursed tiktoks whenever.my discord is available to mutuals!!

two strums from a gǔqín sounded in the far distance. The two notes were skillfully played, ethereal and clear, carrying with them the tinkling bleakness of windswept pines. The collection of demonic evils that were in the middle of a brawl all froze.The youths of the lán Clan of gūsū immediately beamed as if they had been resurrected. lán sīzhuī raised a hand to wipe away the blood on his face and then looked up, calling out in delight:

    “ hánguāng-jūn! ”    

he was cloaked in soft, white moonlight. he carried a seven-stringed gǔqín on his back. the body of the instrument was narrower than the usual standard and ebony-black in color, but soft in the luster of its wood. a cloud-patterned ribbon was fastened around this man’s forehead.the man was exceptional in both looks and elegance. his skin was fair, and his features were as refined as smoothed jade. the color of his eyes was especially light, almost like colored glaze, and it made his gaze appear overly cold. there was a frostiness to his expression, which was stern enough to appear stiff. even when he saw wèi wúxiàn’s currently ridiculous-looking face, he appeared unperturbed.there wasn’t a single spec of dust or wrinkled spot on him, from his head to his feet, he was scrupulous and immaculate. even so, two words still jumped out in wèi wúxiàn’s mind: funeral clothes!those were funeral clothes, and that couldn’t be denied, no matter how much the other clans proclaimed the uniforms of the lán clan of gūsū to be the most pleasing to the eye and sang their exaggerated praises to the heavens. furthermore, no matter how thoroughly lán wàngjī was praised as an unrivaled rare beauty who only appeared once in a blue moon, nothing could help the fact that he looked profoundly embittered, as if his wife had died.

the name 忘机 (wàngjī), which serves as both his courtesy name and the name of his zither, originates from the proverb 鸥鸟忘机 (ōuniǎo wàngjī), meaning “seagulls forget scheming”.this proverb is derived from a fable found in the daoist text 列子 (lièzǐ) from the 4-5th century bce:黃帝治世時，有一個年輕人和海鳥玩得很好。他的父親看他和海鳥融洽自在，就唆使他：「捉一隻回去。」青年再見到海鳥時，海鳥都高高飛起，不與他親近。during the reign of the yellow emperor, a young man played well with a seabird. seeing how close they were, his father tempted him, saying, "catch one and bring it home." when the young man saw the seabirds again, they all flew high above, no longer approaching him.this fable was later turned into the 15th century gǔqín song 忘机 (wàngjī). the song can be heard here.

personality

lán wàngjī is principled, stubborn, and deeply compassionate beneath a stoic exterior. raised with strict rules, he followed them rigidly in his youth, even punishing himself for breaking them accidentally, but he will defy any rule that contradicts his own strong sense of justice.he prioritizes helping those in need over fame or glory, earning the reputation of going “wherever the chaos is.”he is perceptive and intelligent, often noticing details others overlook. above all, lán wàngjī is steadfast and selfless.he rescues and raises lán sīzhuī despite public condemnation of the wēn survivors, fights thirty-three elders of his own clan to protect wèi wúxiàn, and continues to shield him even when he believes his feelings are unreturned. he dislikes being thanked because he knows wèi wúxiàn uses gratitude to diminish himself, and lán wàngjī refuses to accept anything that harms him.despite his reserved, stern demeanor, lán wàngjī is someone who feels intensely and is deeply caring and devoted with those he holds dear.with strangers lán wàngjī is rather aloof. always polite and elegant, but serious, distant and reserved. he is someone who rarely talks and when he does, his words are always precise. as such, he is not exactly friendly, talkative or sociable. however, small animals and children seem to always get along with him as he is very calm and gentle with them.

appearance

lán wàngjī is described as a beautiful man with fair skin and black hair. the outlines of his waist and back are smooth and graceful, yet strong. he has light eyes and long eyelashes, and dresses in the characteristic white robes and forehead ribbon of the gūsū lán clan. his back is marred with thirty-three scars inflicted by the discipline whip and beneath his collarbone, lies a scar from the qíshān wēn clan's branding ironas a youth, he ranked second on the list of young cultivator gentlemen of his generation:“ the lán clan of gūsū had always been renowned as a family who consistently produced handsome men, and the twin jades born of the head household of this generation were especially striking.while these two brothers had not been born twins, their looks were very similar, and it was difficult to discern who was the superior in appearance.however, they were one color, two shades. lán xīchén was warm and elegant, sincerely gentle. lán wàngjī was overly aloof and stern, completely unsociable, and kept others at arm’s length.this was why, in the rankings for the looks and character of the clans’ young masters, the former was ranked first and the latter second. ”

weapons

bìchén (避尘) is lán wàngjī’s sword. it's strong enough to cut through iron and so heavy that non-cultivators are unable to wield it. its hilt was forged from pure silver and refined with secret techniques.

wàngjī (忘机) is a seven-stringed zither that lán wàngjī uses to communicate with spirits and to suppress resentful energy.

techniques

inquiry (问灵, wèn líng) lán wàngjī is masterful at the use of inquiry to communicate with deceased spirits, to the point that spirits cannot lie in their answers.qin language (琴语, qín yǔ) a secret technique known only to the gūsū lán sect and the main language used to communicate in inquiry. spirits communicate through the notes of the qín. this acts a sort of code played through the qín’s pentatonic scale.evocation (招魂, zhāohún) alongside his elders in the gūsū lán sect, lán wàngjī participates in performing evocation on the demonic left arm, and after the resentful energy summoned grows too strong, he is the only member still able to stand.chord assassination (弦杀术, xián shā shù) this technique was originally created to assassinate dissidents. lán wàngjī uses this technique to kill the tortoise of slaughter.silence spell (禁言术, jīnyán shù) as a member of the gūsū lán sect, lán wàngjī can use this spell to silence those around him for thirty minutes, or remove the spell if he deems fit.rest (安息, ānxī) lán wàngjī plays this song to suppress the resentful energy of the demonic left arm and the rest of the fierce corpse’s body parts.sound of vanquish (破障音, pòzhàng yīn) as the melody is most powerful on the seven-stringed qín, lán wàngjī is familiar with this song used to suppress resentful energy.song of clarity (清心音, qīng xīn yīn) is a family of mind-calming musical techniques in the gūsū lán sect. the strongest of the songs in this category is Cleansing (洗华, xǐhuá).

abilities

strength: lán wàngjī possesses prodigious arm strength from performing many handstands. as a teenager he could already haul two peers by the collar with one arm. at the height of his adult strength, his non-dominant hand can lift a wooden coffin, two adult corpses inside the coffin, the large guānyīn statue of solid rock atop the coffin, and wèi wúxiàn atop the statue altogether.cultivation: lán wàngjī is reputed as one of the most talented cultivators within his generation, with an exceptionally high level of cultivation.calligraphy: lán wàngjī is said to be talented at all six arts, but his calligraphy, alongside his music, is particularly beautiful.swordsmanship: lán wàngjī is an excellent swordsman, having been trained from youth by his uncle lán qǐrén.perception: lán wàngjī is quite perceptive, as he realised before anyone else that the waterborne abyss had led them to the center of biling lake, and while trapped in the cave of the tortoise of slaughter, he deduced that there was another way to escape from the mere presence of maple leaves on the pool of water.archery: as a teenager, lán wàngjī placed fourth in archery among all the juniors of his generation. as he left the competition early, it's believed that lán wàngjī should have placed even higher.cooking: lán wàngjī is a talented cook, to the point of his húnán cuisine being mistaken for a restaurant’s.sewing: alongside other domestic skills such as cooking, lán wàngjī is good at sewing and mending clothes.

history

lán wàngjī and his brother lán xīchén were raised strictly by their uncle lán qǐrèn after their mother's death and father's seclusion.his orderly life at the cloud recesses was disrupted by the arrival of wèi wúxiàn, whose constant rule-breaking and teasing provoked him, from their first fight over emperor's smile to being forced to supervise him in the library. despite his annoyance, he accompanied wèi wúxiàn to caiyi town to investigate water ghosts and later saved him from the waterborne abyss.their complex relationship deepened when they were trapped together in the xuanwu cave, where lán wàngjī shared that his home had been sieged by the qishan wēn sect, his brother went missing, and his father was gravely sick. he then sang a song he had composed himself for a feverish wèi wúxiàn after they worked together to kill the monstrous turtle.when lán wàngjī returned to the cloud recesses, his father had already passed away.during the sunshot campaign, lán wàngjī was horrified by wèi wúxiàn’s use of demonic cultivation and repeatedly begged him to return to gūsū with him with the intention of protecting him from the cultivation world, as they would undoubtedly turn on him.he witnessed wèi wúxiàn’s downfall at nightless city, where he desperately rescued the unconscious wèi wúxiàn and took him away from the battlefield into hiding. he then spent the following few days transferring his spiritual energy to wèi wúxiàn and confessed his feelings, but the rebound of resentful energy had already caused damage beyond repair in wèi wúxiàn’s body.lán xīchén, lán qǐrèn, and thirty-three elders found them in a cave in yílíng where lán wàngjī held wèi wúxiàn, whispering to him and transferring his spiritual energy in attempt to save him from the rebound of resentful energy corrupting his body to no success, for wèi wúxiàn's mind was already gone.lán qǐrèn demanded an explanation, to which lán wàngjī informed there was no explanation and things were exactly as they seemed. he then proceeded to fight and injure his clan elders to make an escape with wèi wúxiàn and bring him back to the burial mounds. he willingly returned to the cloud recesses to receive his punishment, and he was whipped thirty-three times with the discipline whip — a severe punishment that left him nearly incapacitated and took years to heal.although severely injured, lán wàngjī dragged himself to yiling once he learned of wèi wúxiàn’s demise. he found no trace of the man he loved, but he did discover a feverish wēn yuán. lán wàngjī brought the child back to the cloud recesses to raise him as a member of the gūsū lán clan.

lán wàngjī spent the next thirteen years raising lán yuán, giving him the courtesy name lán sīzhuī. he would bury the boy in a pile of rabbits to entertain him and spent time instructing the younger generation. he earned a name of “being wherever the chaos is” for his choice to prioritize helping others over the glory of rare prey and elaborate night-hunts.when wèi wúxiàn returns in mò xuānyǔ’s body, lán wàngjī recognizes him instantly when he plays the song lán wàngjī had sung for him in the xuánwǔ cave as teenagers, and brings him to the cloud recesses.the two begin investigating the case of niè míngjué’s dismembered corpse, journeying to the stone castles, yì city, and the guānyīn temple.at the guānyīn temple, their feelings for each other are finally and openly confessed amidst the confrontation taking place. in the aftermath, lán wàngjī and wèi wúxiàn get away from the temple to elope and set off traveling together.as they are leaving, lán wàngjī finally tells wèi wúxiàn the name of the song by which he had recognized, declaring he named the song wàngxiàn.the two return to gūsū together after three months, settling down in the cloud recesses where lán wàngjī continues his duties as a cultivator and as a teacher to his sect’s junior disciples.

verses

    forget envy:         default verse. post-epilogue and canon compliant. compatible with other xiānxiá and fantasy media.    lunar warren:         forgotten realms or other d&d worlds. lán wàngjī is a cleric who serves tù'er shén, the rabbit god. his domain is twilight, governing the transition between light and dark, life and death.    white noise:         modern setting. mostly non-magical. heir to a legacy of corporate power, lán wàngjī has chosen a life of quiet contemplation and modesty, preserving fragments of the past as an archivist.    suzhou files:         modern cultivator. urban fantasy. hunter of ghosts and demons in a modern world. compatible with universes such as btvs, supernatural, etc.    verse:         description to be added.    verse:         description to be added.    verse:         description to be added.

navigation

• ooc
• headcanons
• commentary
• dash games
• shitposting
• starter calls
• ask memes
• answered asks
• musings
• aesthetics
• visual media
• audio media

• twin jades of lán
• wàngxiàn

• lán wàngjī
• wèi wúxiàn
• lán xīchén
• lán qǐrén
• lán sīzhuī
• lán jǐngyí
• jiāng wǎnyín
• wēn qíng
• wēn qiónglín
• tbd

dānměi (耽美 / “indulgence in beauty”) is a Chinese fiction genre focused on romanticized tales of love and attraction between men.wǔxiá (武侠 / “martial heroes”) is one of the oldest Chinese literary genres and consists of tales of noble heroes fighting evil and injustice. It often follows martial artists, monks, or rogues, who live apart from the ruling government, which is often seen as useless or corrupt. characters in wǔxiá focus primarily on human concerns, such as political strife between factions and advancing their own personal sense of justice. True wǔxiá is low on magical or supernatural elements. To Western moviegoers, a well-known example is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.xiānxiá (仙侠 / “immortal heroes”) is a genre related to wǔxiá that places more emphasis on the supernatural. Its characters often strive to become stronger, with the end goal of extending their life span or achieving immortality. xiānxiá heavily features daoist themes, while cultivation and the pursuit of immortality are both genre requirements. If these are not the story’s central focus, it is not xiānxiá. MXTX's novels 'The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System', 'Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation', and 'Heaven Official’s Blessing' are all considered part of the xiānxiá genre.

terms.

cores/golden cores: the formation of a jīndān (金丹 / “golden core”) is a key step in any cultivator’s journey to immortality. the golden core forms within the lower dāntián, becoming an internal source of power for the cultivator. golden core formation is only accomplished after a great deal of intense training. a core’s destruction or removal is permanent. in almost all instances, it cannot be re-cultivated. its destruction also prevents the individual from ever being able to process or cultivate qì normally again.cultivators/cultivation: cultivators are practitioners of spirituality and martial artists who seek to gain understanding of the will of the universe while also attaining personal strength and expanding their life span. cultivation is a long process marked by “stages.” there are traditionally nine stages, but this is often simplified in fiction.dāntián (丹田 / “cinnabar field”) refers to three regions in the body where qì is concentrated and refined. the lower is located three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel. this is where a cultivator’s golden core would be formed and is where the qì metabolism process begins and progresses upward. the middle is located at the center of the chest, at level with the heart, while the upper is located on the forehead, between the eyebrows.incense time: a common way to tell time in ancient china, referring to how long it takes for a single incense stick to burn. a single incense time is usually about thirty minutes.

names.

courtesy names: a courtesy name is given to an individual when they come of age, but it can also be presented when an elder or teacher deems the recipient worthy. it is considered disrespectful for one’s peers of the same generation to address someone by their birth name. use of one’s birth name was reserved for only family elders and spouses.sobriquet: the term used in this translation for hào (號). hào can also be translated as “art name.” these names are generally chosen by an individual for themselves, but they can also be bestowed upon them in light of their accomplishments or traits. lán wàngjī's sobriquet is hánguāng-jūn, which translates to "lightbringer" or "light bearer".

cloud recesses.

(云深不知处, yún shēn bùzhī chù) it's the residence of the lán clan of gūsū, located on a remote mountaintop. the cloud recesses is a tranquil place constantly shrouded in mist. beside the entrance there looms the wall of discipline, carved with the three thousand (later four thousand) rules of the lán clan.the cloud recesses is home to the library pavilion (藏书阁, cángshū gé) where many rare and ancient texts are housed, the tranquility room (静室, jìngshì) where lán wàngjī resides, the frost room (寒室, hánshì) where the sect leader resides, and the orchid room (兰室, lánshì) where lán qǐrén hosts lectures. there is also the underworld room (冥室, míngshì), a tower in which spirit-summoning rituals are performed, as well as a cold spring for bathing. on the back of the mountain is a secluded meadow where lán wàngjī keeps his pet rabbits.the cloud recesses’ name translates more literally to “somewhere hidden in clouds” (云深不知处) and is a reference to a line in the poem “failing to find the hermit,” by jia dao:i asked the young disciple beneath the pine; “my master is gone to pick herbs,” he answered. “though within this mountain he is, the recesses of clouds hide his trail.”

honorifics.

this is not an in depth list of all family titles and honorifics, only an explanation of the ones lán wàngjī uses frequently. for a more thorough list read this postshūfù: uncle (paternal, biological) formal address for one’s father’s younger brother.xiōngzhǎng: eldest brother. very formal, blood related-only.