If there is something I would have loved to see in TGCF, it would have been a female Supreme.
The biggest reason behind this is obviously the fact that ghosts are associated with Yin energy. Which is said to be feminine in nature.
In Chinese philosophy, the feminine or negative principle (characterized by dark, wetness, cold, passivity, disintegration, etc.) of the two opposing cosmic forces into which creative energy divides and whose fusion in physical matter brings the phenomenal world into being.
But, aside from this. I think that the whole excitation (?) that the ghosts get before the opening of Mt Tonglu could also be read as a metaphor for periods.
This is how the book describes the excitation of ghosts:
Just then, waves of hellish howls and cries sounded from outside Thousand Lights Temple. Ghosts were doubling over on the street, bawling their eyes out as they clutched their heads and wailed. They sounded like their skulls were splitting open, like they were on the verge of death.
It kinda reminds me of how men tend to see menstruation as well or the way they describe female 'hysteria' to enforce their misogynistic ideas upon women. Like, a satire of sorts..
But, aside from this, the 'ghosts' are more earthly as compared to Gods, just like how females were considered to be more connected to earth.
The gods created heaven to reside in, drawing a clear boundary between themselves and mortals. They watched from above and ruled from beyond reach. The Ghost Realm, on the other hand, was not separated from the Mortal Realm. Monsters, demons, ghosts, and mortals all shared one earth. Some ghosts hid in the darkness, and some pretended to be humans as they walked among the people and roamed the Mortal Realm in disguise.
When humans ascend, they become Gods. When humans fall, they become ghosts.
Historically, since cis men did not experience it, they often labeled menstruation as something wicked and evil. It is also why they viewed menstruating women as impure and often imposed restrictions on them and did not allow them to visit sacred places.
Even though it is emphasized that both ghosts and gods are ultimately human, ghosts are the ones who 'fall'. The ones who are not able to move on and let go of their obsessions.
I am yapping too much now, so forgive me. Moving on, both the Supremes in the story were known with a title that was given to them by others. Hua Cheng got his after destroying Qi Rong's lair, while He Xuan got his after he started to sink the ships that entered his dominion. Their identity was bestowed upon them by others. They were the ones who defined those two.
Additionally, their identities are also made with respect to the two 'gods' . Both Hua Cheng and He Xuan's titles are also references to Xie Lian and Shi Wudu. Their relation with these two is taken as the defining point of their identity as Supremes, not their personalities and how they are as people.
Hua Cheng was not taken seriously by the gods he challenged. They thought he was some random ghost. Even after he defeated them, they did not uphold their end of the bargain until Hua Cheng burned their temples. Same with He Xuan- they knew he was lowkey, so they never paid attention to him until they came to know about his infiltration.
It kind of reminds me of how cis men don't tend to take women or even trans men seriously due to misogyny. They consider them to be inferior until they 'prove' something to them that could command their respect.
More about the Mt Tonglu thing. Menstruation is said to have evolved as a mechanism to protect placental mammals. To protect the mothers from unfavorable pregnancies. Every ghost enters the kiln in order to reach the level of Supreme. Those who manage to come out of the kiln reach the devastation level, and as a result, they are affected the most by its opening. And, in order to conserve their strength, they turn into a younger version of themselves or go into hibernation.
These are..well, the reasons I would have liked if there was a female Supreme, but since there isn't...we'll let our minds do the job.
My apologies for the incoherence. I was talking to a mutual about how the tgcf characters would react to period cramps, and neither of us could think much about Hua Cheng and He Xuan at all, and then my mind wandered off to this.
P.S. If I said smth wrong, please be nice and let me know, I'll correct it.
