#bing ge

...At least I have a meaty update for you all to sink your teeth into, dear readers. My apologies for being a slow writer. Have another tiny sneak peek.

THE UNTOLD TALE - CH3 PREVIEW V

Descending from the night skies, Shen Yuan was an ethereal figure dressed in white, the thin garment fluttering behind him as he took the invisible steps down into the foreign dream realm. In the infinite cosmos, he saw nothing but stars. He cast a cursory look over the bioluminescent glow rippling under him with each tread, like an otherworldly procession, until his feet finally touched the earth.

The sound of wings flapping caught his attention. Shen Yuan twisted his head, seeing a majestic fènghuáng burst free from his own heavenly realm. The immortal phoenix soared high overhead, the five sacred colors—red, blue, yellow, white, and black—of its serrated tail feathers trailing behind it. A beautiful cry escaped its throat like a song.

A mighty roar shattered the night. The air pressure shifted. As though answering the phoenix’s call, a fierce and powerful lóng ascended from the dark depths of the realm, brackish water trembling off its black scales as it shot up to give chase after the fènghuáng’s vibrant plumage.

He watched their aerial dance in flight. Like yin and yang coming together, seeing their bodies twist and weave with one another in a harmonious sight made an intensity arise from the bottom of his heart.

The relief he felt was all-consuming. Every Chineseman knew of the dragon-and-phoenix metaphor of olden times. And if the mythical phoenix dared to take flight in this dream realm, in a demon’s home turf, surely it was an auspicious sign that Bing gē was not too far gone in darkness and corruption.

Feeling a renewed lightness on his feet, Shen Yuan went to follow.

The moment that the dragon surfaced, he had registered a faraway presence. It was a feeling of awareness, a slight prickling sensation of the scalp, making him feel self-conscious. He was hyper-aware that he was not alone. Even if Luo Binghe had been preoccupied, there was no way Protagonist A would not have sensed Protagonist B’s presence.

If Shen Yuan’s world had been representative of the heavenly air and water, much like the man himself Luo Binghe’s spirit root was aligned with the earth. His hand drifted back to his throat. The air was as arid as a desert. If memory served Shen Yuan correctly, Luo Binghe also had an innate affinity with the fire attribute. It’d been discovered during his time in the Endless Abyss arc once the demon seal had been broken, indicative of his high sensibility to the fire type of Qi.

Hearing noises behind him, he glanced over his shoulder. Leaves had sprung from the blackened branches, rustling in the wind. Moonlight dripped through the gaps in the canopy, reflecting mottled shadows. He had been following along a ravine, seeing where the running water led to. Presumably it would take him to wherever Luo Binghe—and Meng Mo?—wanted him to see.

Tucking the long strands of his hair behind an ear, he halted midstride when he heard, “...a...re...f...ul….”

He’d heard that voice before—that time at the pond, didn’t he? A woman’s voice. Like the babbling of a brook, as faint as the wind, with accents of a beauty hitherto unknown. He glanced at the waters, keeping his expression impassive.

Ping.

【Do exercise caution, Esteemed Host! One should not turn their back on an opponent.】

Shen Yuan was silent. He cast his gaze sidelong to the trees for a fleeting moment. As though addressing someone in the prevailing shadows, he purposely stated aloud, “I don’t make mistakes in recognizing talent. I have no intention of making Luo Binghe my opponent.”

Without another word, he resumed his stroll.

SOME NOTES:

[1] The dragon-and-phoenix symbolism is an age-old metaphor. “In ancient and modern Chinese culture, they can often be found in the decorations for weddings or royalty, along with dragons. This is because the Chinese considered the dragon-and-phoenix design symbolic of blissful relations between husband and wife, another common yang and yin metaphor. In some traditions it appears in good times but hides during times of trouble, while in other traditions it appeared only to mark the beginning of a new era.”

The eastern phoenix represents “power sent from the heavens to the Empress. If a phoenix was used to decorate a house it symbolized that loyalty and honesty were in the people that lived there. Or alternatively, a phoenix only stays when the ruler is without darkness and corruption (政治清明). The male is identified by five long serrated tail feathers or "filaments" (five being an odd, masculine, or yang number).” Eastern dragons in Chinese culture were often associated with the emperor.

Bingmei:

Bingmei: I haven’t lost my virginity because I never lose

Bingge:

Sha Hualing: Yes.

Mobei Jun: No

Shen Yuan: I don't want to fuck my clone because that would be gay sex and I'm not gay.

Tianlang Jun: I'm not gay, but I would actually totally fuck my clone.

Liu Qingge: I'm gay, but I still don't want to fuck my clone, that's gross and weird.

Shen Jiu: I don't want to fuck my clone because my self-loathing is THAT strong.

Liu Mingyan: I'd totally fuck my clone because I want to know if I'm good in bed.

Bingge: I'd fuck my clone because who would know better how to fuck ME than ME?

Yue Qingyuan: I'd totally do all sort of weird things to my clone I'd be embarrassed to ask someone else to do.

Shang Qinghua: To be honest, fucking my clone has always been my fantasy.

Ning Yingying: It's basically the same as masturbating, right? So no big deal.

Ming Fan: It's not the same as masturbating; it'd be like having sex with your twin. Wrong and bad! Bingmei: I would not have sex with my clone because what if my clone is evil.

Qi Qingqi: Not only would I have sex with my clone, I'd probably make a bunch of clones and just get it on with all of them at once because that's how pro clone-fucking I am.