Spirit Of The Eve Star

A lot stays the same in this au, a good chunk also changes so bear with me here 😭

So, first thing's first, the dragons aren't imprisoned. They're still kept under close watch by heaven and forced to do as they say, but they're given a lot more freedom than they do in canon. The Eastern Dragon clan itself has become a well-known and well respected group, having earned great renown and many riches through tales of great battles against demonkind in defense of innocent and helpless mortals.

Second, the whole demon pill/spirit pearl incarnation still happens, though with how well the dragons have acted, acting on heaven's will, the spirit pearl was instead given to Ao Bing when he was born as a gift to the dragon clan, with the demon pill being entrusted to Taiyi Zhenren to be destroyed or sealed away immediately instead, no 3 year curse required. But, somewhere on the journey, Taiyi, my diva, fumbles </3 and Nezha was born as the demon pill incarnate because, idk, Taiyi dropped the demon pill on a very pregnant lady Yin and is forced to become the third prince's uncle because he's too embarrassed to admit to the grandmaster that he fucked up 🫶

Anyways, the boys develop as usual. Ao Bing lives lavishly with great treasures and riches, and is trained and taught well by both his family and clan members, along with his shifu Shen Gongbao, meanwhile, Nezha has... Well, his life doesn't exactly stray from how it was in canon.

Nezha was a quick learner and an artist at heart. He was trained in politics and the art of strategy and war by his general father, and was taught the ways of cultivation, fighting techniques and (tried to be taught) meditation by Taiyi Zhenren, but he has always been a mama's boy, and so stuck to Lady Yin's side as he grew. She helped teach him small things such as manners, discipline and respect, and helped hone his skills in politics alongside her husband, as well as battle, but Lady Yin also taught him smaller, more domestic skills such as how to cook, do his hair– even to the point Nezha could be seen doing "peasant" duties such as cleaning, washing clothes, or trying to copy how Lady Yin applies her makeup. Despite all this, as the incarnation of the demon pill, Nezha had a penchant for causing trouble, and his loud and rowdy behavior, alongside his tendency to push and question societal rules and roles only adds to the fear and displeasure the people of Chentang Guan have for their youngest prince.

Nezha, despite his own behavior, wanted to be accepted by the people of his kingdom, wanted to bring glory and honor to his family, and hoped so badly to catch up to his older brothers' achievements and be someone his younger sister Zhenying could look up to. But, whatever hope he had didn't matter after Chentang Guan was attacked and overwhelmed by a demonic swarm, leaving most of the kingdom in ruins and over half the population dead, with Lady Yin being one of the many casualties that were mourned after the massacre had ended.

Chentang Guan wasn't the same after the incident.

Rumors of the kingdom being haunted and torn to cinders by demons kept outsiders from visiting, save for a few traders or thieves and crooks who have no place left to go. Chentang Guan, once a thriving, lively town was now a broken reflection of what it used to be, kept together by the remaining members of the Li family, and the bond they held with the surviving villagers and the few new outsiders that have called this poor rundown place their new home.

Somewhere down the line, Nezha took up the mantle and became a general much like his father and mother were, keeping close watch over the main center of Chentang Guan. Even still, Nezha, forced to grow up faster than he should (both physically due to his demonic nature and mentally bc of... YKnow, the incident), wasn't blind to his kingdom's hardships. They were a recovering community, but food and building resources were hard to come by after their farms and fields were destroyed in the attack, and with rumors of their town being cursed by demons, outside trade had become much harder, even with the Li Family's good name. They are in desperate need of resources, people, help, and through an offhand mention about a divine celebration among immortal and divine royalty from Taiyi, Nezha knew just what he needed to do.