#「ᵀᴸ」— arc ii. even snakes cannot trust snakes

[goldencored]

dump three.

#「ᵀ」— the snake will always bite back ( yu daiyu ) #「ᵛ」— every great story begins with a snake #「ᵀᴸ」— arc i. little glittering scales #「ᵀᴸ」— arc ii. never wound a snake; kill it #「ᵀᴸ」— arc iii. shed the past like a snake sheds skin #「ᵛ」— black jade; dark as the night sky #「ᵀᴸ」— arc i. moonless night #「ᵀ」— look like a flower; be the serpent beneath ( yu yanmei ) #「ᵛ」— toughness of a serpent; softness of a dove #「ᵀᴸ」— arc i. born into a viper pit #「ᵀᴸ」— arc ii. even snakes cannot trust snakes #「ᵀᴸ」— arc iii. cast off the past skin #「ᵀᴸ」— arc iv. pretend to be venomous #「ᵀ」— o wind; where have you been that you blow so sweet? ( shi qingxuan ) #「ᵛ」— a breeze will always blow in the direction it wishes to go #「ᵀᴸ」— arc i. gentle; like a breeze in spring #「ᵀᴸ」— arc ii. heavy winds stir the veil of fate #「ᵀᴸ」— arc iii. the wind shrieks; the wind grieves #「ᵀᴸ」— arc iv. a little breeze kindles #「ᵛ」— where the celestial breeze blows #「ᵀᴸ」— arc i. black swan among a sea of white #「ᵛ」— they sow the wind and shall reap the whirlwind #「ᵀᴸ」— arc i. if you cage the wind will it die? #「ᵀᴸ」— arc ii. the tempest; raging and roaring #「ᴿ」— ♡ ❛ the red string may tangle but will never break ❜ ( shuangxuan ) #「ᵀ」— be wary of the scorpion's sting ( xie wang ) #「ᵛ」— a gamble in the game of fate #「ᵀᴸ」— arc i. child in a gambler's den #「ᵀᴸ」— arc ii. into a pit of scorpions #「ᵀᴸ」— arc iii. like the scorpion surrounded by fire

[goldencored-arc]

⤷ Yu Yanmei meme / @jiangswanyin​ / accepting

          “you’ve liked many a stupider person.”  

Wen Xu is dead. His head hangs in the entrance of the Unclean Realm for all to see. Yu Yanmei is a widow now, and the sight of his head swaying is like a knife to the gut. She loved him once, before his father turned him into a cold blooded murderer, before he set fire to the Cloud Recesses and slaughtered children.

Bitter tears she’s wept over him during this secret meeting. Part of her feels guilty over it. She knows how horrible he became, knows his deeds during this war. Yet it still hurts. She still mourns the loss of what could have been.

But Jiang Cheng’s words make her smile, even laugh through her tears as she wipes them away. “I do have awful taste. Remember my crush on Jin Zixun? I was so upset when mother said it would be useless to marry him since Yanli was marrying Jin Zixuan.”

Sighing, she leans against her cousin, resting her head on his shoulder. Nothing feels real; not the war, not her husband’s death, not the destruction of Lotus Pier. “I’m swearing off men. I’ll never love again.”

#「ᵀ」— look like a flower; be the serpent underneath ( yu yanmei ) #「ᵛ」— toughness of a serpent; softness of a dove #「ᵀᴸ」— arc ii. even snakes cannot trust snakes