Chapter 288-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Whether they loved, hated, or were indifferent to Ye Zheng, every reader who saw Bai Muqing stride onto the scene atop the floodwaters in the manga's final panel was no less stunned than when Ye Zheng had unleashed the cataclysmic deluge itself.
Percy had countless reasons and motivations to oppose Ye Zheng—his origin, his honor, his fallen friends, his status as the manga's protagonist...
But Bai Muqing had only one. Across her sparse appearances, she had adhered to a single guiding principle—so consistently that her character in the manga seemed almost thin in its purity. Righteous to the point of naivety, even after being reduced to a pariah in the lower district on Ye Zheng's orders, she still clung to her convictions, protecting people amid the Demonic Domain threat.
It was precisely this simple conviction that made her silhouette in the manga's final panel blaze with a fierce, piercing light—exposing every man who had stood on the side of justice to condemn Ye Zheng as hollow and feeble by comparison!
Percy's unassailable status as the absolute protagonist teetered on the brink.
[Rivals are rivals... The only two in this manga who truly deserve that title have appeared!] [HOT]
The forum exploded with posts discussing Ye Zheng and Bai Muqing.
[#1: Rivals are rivals... The only two in this manga who truly deserve that title have appeared!]
[#2: Nothing more needs to be said. These two women in white are both gods.]
[#3: Bai Muqing—when you witnessed Ye Zheng resurrect the Demon Dragon with your own eyes, were you worried about the world threatened by the dragon, or did you simply not have the heart to see Ye Zheng standing alone against the entire world?]
[#4: Do you people understand how delicious this is?? THIS is my ultimate ship oh my GOD!]
[#5: Should I search ZhengQing or QingZheng? This is very important to me.]
[#6: QingZheng sounds like a steamed fish dish—very light in flavor.]
[#7: The dynamic between these two IS light. Not some tempest of love and hate, not thick and heavy with drama. They're both understated. Even in the days when Bai Muqing's resentment toward Ye Zheng was at its purest, all she wanted was to beat Ye Zheng in the ability tournament.]
[#8: What makes it even tastier is that Bai Muqing was literally introduced as someone who disliked Ye Zheng, yet she was willing to keep the Holy Sword secret for Ye Zheng's sake, endured being ostracized by Ye Zheng's supporters without complaint—but the moment Ye Zheng moved to destroy the world, she stepped forward without a second's hesitation...]
[#9: I disagree with saying Ye Zheng wants to destroy the world. Ye Zheng's true heart has always been about saving the world—she just uses different methods than everyone else.]
[#10: I can only say these two are rivals in a very special sense. In truth, they both fully consider each other friends and have never been adversarial. It's the world that forced them onto opposing sides. If there weren't so few places where female ability users could shine, Bai Muqing would never have developed those complicated feelings toward Ye Zheng over the Saintess position.]
[#11: Ye Zheng, you've ruined me and Bai Muqing for life! I'll never be able to forget you!]
[#12: Actually, I think Bai Muqing's appearance was part of Ye Zheng's plan all along. She calculated everything else—how could she have overlooked Bai Muqing? She knew. With Bai Muqing's personality, she was certain to show up and stand against the flood.]
[#13: Yes! I agree with the post above. Ye Zheng factoring Bai Muqing in is precisely proof that her goal isn't annihilation. Otherwise, she would've used her papal authority to eliminate the threat of Bai Muqing long ago.]
[#14: Ye Zheng clearly intends to resurrect the Demon Dragon. But Demon Dragon doesn't necessarily equal apocalypse. Don't forget how the royal family lied about the Dragon Bones—the whole "Demon Dragon will destroy the world" thing could be another lie. Resurrecting the Demon Dragon might actually be the hope for salvation!]
[#15: Will Bai Muqing learn Ye Zheng's true objective? Please don't let there be any misunderstanding that our Zhengzheng is some villain (crying emoji)]
[#16: They understand each other too well to ever misjudge each other's character.]
[#17: Ye Zheng does carry a certain pride. If she's destined to be the story's final villain, then the righteous protagonist must be someone worthy of standing as her opponent. Percy wasn't worthy, so she handpicked Bai Muqing herself.]
[#18: I can't take it anymore, I'm going to pass out from shipping in this thread. Everyone keep talking!]
[#19: So when Ye Zheng said "Percy, you want to be the righteous knight who stops the evil Pope? You're not worthy"—she was already hinting that the true righteous knight was on her way.]
[#20: Ye Zheng, did you know all along that you were the story's villain? Willingly shouldering all the hatred and threats, sending the dear friend whose reputation you ruined to the glorious opposing side...]
[#21: Kids, this has gone beyond the question of whether it's shippable. This is a once-in-a-generation rivalry—battlefield roses, a masterpiece of sincerity!]
......
[#236: Why do people have to push women toward romantic interpretations? Can't it just be pure friendship?]
[#237: Who are you? Please support this ZhengQing.]
[#238: #236, I suggest you go preach against "romance-brained thinking" in the BL/BG ship threads. Our GL ship is already this niche—please just leave us alone...]
[#239: The fact is, the vast majority of people are male-romance-brained. The complex emotions between women are always overlooked by the mainstream, simplified and twisted into "female rivalry." Given that, there's really no need to attack GL ships.]
[#240: If you don't ship, I can understand, but certain BL/BG shippers—please stop muddying the waters in GL threads.]
[#241: Non-shippers can still enjoy the character bond! Friends are friends!]
[#242: Women's ambitions and the emotions between women are so beautiful. Can we please stop watching female rivalry and mean-girl dramas, stop watching stories that kill off women, and just watch THIS instead?]
[#243: Everyone, please visit our video site to support ZhengQing fan edits/hand-drawn AMVs/still-image MADs, including The One That Got Away, One Last Kiss, and How Do I Make You Stay.]
[#244: Good lord, ZhengQing shippers are making fan edits with this little source material? King of the Demonic Domain feeds us terribly, but our fellow fans feed us so well (Lucy starry-eyes.jpg)]
After this plot update, Bai Muqing's popularity skyrocketed. The ship's buzz vaulted to the top of King of the Demonic Domain's rankings. Everyone chanted "rivals are rivals" as they flooded into the tag to feast.
Overnight, a considerable number of people appeared questioning and even hurling abuse at Bai Muqing. Tang Mingxi recognized several familiar IDs—just weeks ago, they'd been using Bai Muqing as a cudgel to attack Ye Zheng and Zheng fans for supposedly not caring about female side characters, calling them "fake feminists" and "misogynists." Yet this week, because the plot had slighted their precious boy, they turned around and attacked Bai Muqing instead.
Triggered readers raged across forums, boards, and social platforms. Bai Muqing was "awarded" the same 2-point rating that Ye Zheng had received. The fanworks creators gleefully declared they'd struck gold once more.
Tang Mingxi wasn't one for shipping. In fandom circles, she'd always been a die-hard solo stan—no women, no men, nobody get near her girl. Teammates shouldn't leech off her girl's clout, and male characters could stay far, far away.
Since falling for Ye Zheng, she'd gradually evolved from a fierce solo stan into a sweeter one—but her attitude toward male characters only grew harsher. She'd discovered that in this world, even a two-centimeter paper appendage could earn a fictional male better treatment on the internet than real, flesh-and-blood women.
A message popped up on her phone. Tang Mingxi tapped in immediately—it was from the fellow fan who'd been secretly photographed and publicly humiliated by men on a certain forum two weeks ago. The group they'd set up to help her was receiving an update on the situation.
This girl had simply been carrying a Ye Zheng ita bag on the subway. Out of nowhere, she was photographed without consent and posted to a forum, where she was subjected to mass cyberbullying.
[Looking like that, no wonder she likes Ye Zheng. Bet no man would ever want her in real life.]
[Classic assembly-line college girl. The "AAAHH" and "absolutely slaying" and "inhaling this content" type.]
[Better delete it, bro. Any second now the girlies are gonna start with the "I'm literally shaking" and "OMG besties a gross dude posted me" war cries, then screenshot you right back onto their bathroom-wall forums.]
[Let them. Don't back down, OP. The bros all have your back!]
......
The vile comments were too revolting to stomach. To help her fellow fan preserve evidence, Tang Mingxi had personally ventured into the internet's male cesspools to take screenshots. She felt like her phone had been contaminated.
After the incident blew up, it wasn't just Zheng fans—people across and beyond the fandom took notice. They rallied in the relevant post's comments, sharing strategies for fighting back.
Even "Ye Zheng," who hadn't appeared on the forum in ages, spoke up. The quiet diligence punctuated by fierce protectiveness when it mattered was very on-brand.
[Don't let them defeat you. They are far more fragile than you, and they are deeply afraid of your light. That's why they resort to ganging up to attack you. They will undoubtedly pay the price.]
Zheng fans flocked to check in.
[Our girl Zheng is prepping for college entrance exams, and those incels had the nerve to pull this stunt and disturb her. A capital offense!]
[Don't be scared, sis. Zheng Goddess herself has spoken—do those guys even have a chance of surviving?]
[The bros probably think the Ye Zheng ita bag jinxed them. Careful or Zheng Goddess will actually curse them to death.]
[LOL, Ye Zheng is a certified specialist in wrecking men. They should've been on their knees begging for mercy at the sight of the ita bag, and instead they had the audacity to sneak photos?]
[Oh? Seeing Zheng Goddess and choosing not to flee, but to approach instead? Bro's done being human.]
[Men whose combined height and appendage length don't add up to our girl Zheng's height—what are they barking about?]
Two weeks had passed, and the girl posted good news in the group.
[Thank you all for the support. I've filed a police report and the post has been deleted. I will make them pay!]
Seeing that her fellow fan had pulled herself out of the panic and helplessness, Tang Mingxi felt genuinely happy. She told her to reach out to them anytime she ran into difficulties, then launched into a spirited string of curses wishing those men a swift departure from this mortal coil.
After that cathartic session, Tang Mingxi was about to return to the forum when a notification for a King of the Demonic Domain update suddenly popped up at the top of her phone!
She paused—it couldn't be a main storyline update at this hour. Could it be... the Ye Zheng side story was serializing again?
Tang Mingxi tapped in gleefully and spent five minutes reading the new Ye Zheng side story.
In truth, Ye Zheng's actual presence in this side story was minimal. It mainly depicted the daily life of Ye Zheng's Holy Journey Knights Order—more of a world-building supplement.
The characters featured included Ye Zheng's mother Shu Wan, Knights Order Captain Wen De, several knights with distinctive personalities, even a cultural affairs division responsible for managing public discourse, and Wu Shu—who technically belonged to the upper district's Public Security Bureau but was a frequent presence among them.
Because of Ye Zheng, they had all come together. And because of them, Ye Zheng could realize her grand ambitions.
Compared to Tang Mingxi, Li Yixin was even more deeply moved by this side story.
College entrance exams were right around the corner. An ordinary family couldn't support the kind of freedom Tang Mingxi enjoyed. She envied Tang Mingxi—while she was pale and thin, hunched over an endless stack of practice tests, Tang Mingxi could fly off to concerts and participate in offline events.
That envy occasionally blurred into something subtly negative, but Li Yixin had learned to face it honestly and channel the feeling into something positive.
She wanted her friend to thrive, to bring her more motivation and inspiration. Someday, through her own efforts, she'd be able to enjoy life too.
Loving Ye Zheng had brought her many gradual, imperceptible changes. Like right now—reading this side story, it dawned on her with a jolt that the entire core force behind Ye Zheng's cause was women, her own mother included.
Long ago, the male creator of an adventure manga she used to read had said: "A mother is the opposite of adventure."
She hadn't thought much of it at the time. Now, recalling it, the words grated.
A mother could personally equip her daughter for adventure. A mother could be an adventurer herself. A mother didn't have to mean a safe harbor—she could pursue the dream of adventure right alongside her daughter.
It wasn't just mothers who could adventure with their daughters. Women could come together to do anything. Grand, ambitious narratives didn't require the addition of men to be complete.
The forum. Another hot thread was born.
[#1: Ye Zheng's new side story is the perfect answer to the debate over whether a strong female lead should cut off all emotions and rely entirely on herself.]
[#2: Of course no one can live completely independent of social bonds. But—not loving men ≠ cutting off all emotions. Kinship, friendship, loyalty between women... these are all love. Why should men have a monopoly on the word?]
[#3: Of course a strong female lead can draw on others' strength. But why must it always be borrowed from men? And what exactly can men give women? There are countless examples of men leveraging women to build fortunes and become tycoons, yet the gender-flipped version almost never exists—she still ends up as "Mrs. So-and-so."]
[#4: Oh, or she fails and becomes a universally mocked internet celebrity, pioneering an entirely new field of study—yet most people still fail to learn the lesson.]
[#5: Emphasizing women's independence is about breaking free from the lies of men and romance-as-destiny.]
[#6: Girls—your success doesn't owe anything to men. And if you haven't succeeded yet, it's not because you lacked a man's help.]
[#7: OP is so right. Every time I see people smearing readers who like strong female leads, it makes my blood boil. We have NEVER said female protagonists should be cut off from social relationships. The people who equate "no male lead" with "cutting off all emotions" are terminally romance-brained.]
[#8: I think I understand now why Ye Zheng triggers so many people. In this society, not loving men is treated like an original sin. How dare a woman succeed without relying on a man? (foaming at the mouth) (horrified stare)]
[#9: Anti-Ye Zheng posts have become a daily ritual at this point. Hard to imagine someone hating a female character just because she doesn't love men enough. Ye Zheng's methods are literally cleaner than the haters' wallets.]
[#10: Ye Zheng's future is so bright she can't even close her eyes to sleep. We Zheng fans will keep shining brighter right alongside her—blinding their eyes all the way~]
[#11: Mama Shu Wan really does know how to pick a name. Unlike the male power fantasy lead next door—Pei is his surname, and also his fate. (Note: 裴/赔 pun, meaning "to lose")]
[#12: Don't even say it. The other side is genuinely triggered this time. They'd barely recovered from Ye Zheng's existence, and now Bai Muqing pops up (snickering emoji)]
......
[#98: I'm truly grateful to my past self for clicking into this series. Meeting and falling for Ye Zheng—entertainment media does have power. She's given me so much to think about and so much motivation.]
[#99: Ye Zheng—aspiring to be you is a form of heroism from my girlhood.]
[#100: Being lucky enough to meet such wonderful fellow fans is a blessing too. As always: the road to success is necessarily a hard road. Choose pain over numbness.]
[#101: King of the Demonic Domain's anime has been gaining traction internationally lately. More and more people are getting to know Zhengzheng. This woman is destined to be a dominant force both inside and outside the manga!]
[#102: We're currently organizing an event for Ye Zheng's debut anniversary, commemorating her first manga appearance. We'll be projecting tributes in multiple countries, so please stay tuned!]
[#103: Everyone, please support our Zheng Goddess!]
Author's Note
Please don't fight, everyone. We may have different perspectives on this part of the story. I'm only trying to reflect the double standards in fan culture—many people think only male characters can generate compelling dynamics and ship appeal. If you're active in fan communities, you'll have felt this. They aren't supporting female friendship; they simply don't think the emotions between women are worth analyzing in depth. My critique is directed at those people, not at those who genuinely value female friendship. The forum readers shipping GL in the story are mostly analyzing the mutual respect and emotional bond between the two—and I've emphasized that love shouldn't be monopolized by romance.
As for why a no-ship story includes readers shipping GL: when female characters gain popularity, shipping inevitably follows. Ship fanworks are a key indicator and driver of popularity. This story has always aimed to simulate realistic reader reactions, and in a work where female characters consistently shine, a major GL ship rising to prominence is natural—similar works in the no-ship genre have had the same phenomenon (though usually with BL ships).
Shipping is often a projection of mixed emotions and an aspiration toward ideal relationships—it's not limited to romance. Yet most people only care to explore the depth of relationships between men, believing women can't sustain that kind of complexity. This storyline is merely satirizing that phenomenon in fan culture. Readers outside fan communities may have misunderstood, so I'll revise the text a bit.
Comments
Post a Comment