(so this is the meta post that i rambled in response to an ask about hua cheng’s character archetype (link) it got so off topic from the general archetype description that i removed it and answered the ask separately. but here it is, a somewhat brief unpacking of hua cheng’s character journey! )
when we meet hua cheng, he is already near the end of his character arc. he’s confident, independent, and has a clear sense of self. he is a ghost king, he is a supreme, he has a sense of humour, he’s a bitch, he has friends, he has places he frequents, he has a whole life and identity that he has made for himself. his love for xie lian and desire for xie lian’s approval does not overshadow his individual personality. he does what he likes (most of the time, anyway. he still wants gege to like him hahahah). but as the book unfolds we see the long journey that he has gone on to reach this point.
chronologically, we first meet him as hong’er, a mistreated and abandoned child. he reacts to xie lian’s kindness with utter devotion, beginning the relationship that will define his entire life and growth. when he is older, in despair he turns to that person who showed him kindness and asks for guidance, to which xie lian responds, then live for me. that pretty explicitly establishes that initial dependent relationship, where hua cheng is using xie lian, and his role of worshipping xie lian, as his sole reason for living. but that quickly hits a turning point as xie lian, in his own despair, himself tells hua cheng to give up on his devotion, because he does not see himself as deserving of that worship. in the face of xie lian’s weakness, rather than give up, hua cheng takes the burden on himself instead. his devotion is no longer one that asks for strength. instead, he will be xie lian’s strength. and that is a strong, strong motivator. he is able to achieve the impossible, over and over, because of his conviction to becoming stronger, to protect dianxia.
but he spends a significant chunk of time seeing himself as nothing but that strength. he is nothing outside of xie lian, not even a name. but his time at xie lian’s side as wuming gives him more perspective on his god — he is more than just a tool to xie lian. even at his lowest point, xie lian treats wuming as a person, someone deserving of dignity, respect, kindness. xie lian constantly tries to protect him, even as wuming willingly offer himself as a tool to aid whatever xie lian desires. so i see that as kick starting wuming’s journey to becoming hua cheng. and then he has another 700 years to do that.
so hua cheng, as we finally meet him, is his final form after all that growth. he has a name, he has a face, he has a life, a purpose, and a legacy. all those things are inspired by xie lian, yes, but they are all things that hua cheng has built for himself. before he meets xie lian again he is a full person with a full, full life. he could have be separated from xie lian the rest of his life and continued to live and thrive as he had been. him falling in love with xie lian, really, is just a lucky chance, because it has almost nothing to do with his devotion and everything to do with who he is as a person. xie lian doesn’t fall in love with his most devoted believer, he falls in love with hua cheng, the person that his devotion helped him survive to become. he falls in love because hua cheng is bitchy, funny, kind, vicious, petty, steadfast, and as much of a disaster as he is, and they have a blast when they’re together. and none of that would have been possible if hua cheng hadn’t come all the way to the end of his character arc.
