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sid_guardian2025-06-13 01:34 pm
Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Chapters 11 and 12
Welcome to this week’s readalong post!
To get caught up, you can read last week’s installment, or check out part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5 (or the !readalong tag) for the rest of the posts for this round.
- Chapter 11 Summary: Zhao Yunlan throws Record of Ancient Secrets into the Wangchuan River. He is not fined for littering but considers the consequences of the book’s disappearance and decides to buy it again while in the past. He leaves the book in his old bedroom, narrowly avoiding being caught by his mother. Zhao Yunlan tracks down Shennong to question him, only to have Shen Wei show up before Zhao Yunlan can get the answers he’s looking for. Shen Wei returns the two of them to Zhao Yunlan’s home in the present where they talk, with Zhao Yunlan explaining how he figured out that Shen Wei had planted false memories in the Great Divine Tree. Zhao Yunlan both pushes and reassures Shen Wei, who agrees to tell him the truth.
- Chapter 12 Summary: A discussion is taking place at SID headquarters about what Zhao Yunlan might be up to. Daqing realizes that Zhao Yunlan was involved in danger he was trying to shield the rest of the SID staff from and sends Wang Zheng and Sangzan to Zhao Yunlan’s home to look for him, but neither he nor Shen Wei are they were then arrive. Guo Changcheng receives a call from a ghost asking for help finding her daughter. Shen Wei takes Zhao Yunlan to witness the birth of the gui along with when Kunlun first discovered them.
The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC/the fan translation are 89, 90, and 91.
Excerpts:
The Zhao Yunlan and Daqing of eleven years ago weren’t there. There was only a computer and pile of random university English final study guides on the desk. On one page, someone had commented “dog shit” in a distinctive chicken-scratch scrawl. Zhao Yunlan couldn’t help touching a light finger to those inelegant words, smiling in spite of himself. It felt like looking in a mirror and seeing his own reflection from back when he was still in his edgy teenage phase.
He knows, Shen Wei thought. Despite all my machinations, he found out.
At the pinnacle of his fear, there was an instant in which the King of the Gui was gripped with the temptation to follow his natural instincts and slaughter the person before him. He could solve this problem the way the rest of his kind would: simply and violently. Then, once Shen Wei had consumed every last morsel, they would be one in flesh and blood. Nothing would remain in all the world that could threaten him so; no longer could anything make him tremble at the possibility of losing the one he loved.
But Shen Wei was no longer the young King of the Gui from thousands of years ago, whose open heart had been a blank slate. Ruthlessly, cruelly, he had crushed his own instincts and nature underfoot, contorting himself into the kind of gentle, righteous person Kunlun-jun had once described.
Restraint had long since been carved into his very bones.
Zhao Yunlan lifted the kettle and added hot water to the teapot. “So after telling all those lies and sending me on such a wild-goose chase, can you finally tell me the truth now?”
Quietly, Shen Wei asked, “Do you really want to hear it?”
Zhao Yunlan gave him a long, hard look. “Nothing that comes from your lips, whatever it might be, could ever make me hate you.”
“Oh, okay,” Zhu Hong responded, then reached out to pet his fur and scratch his chin. Daqing instantly went from an overbearing, aggressive King of Beasts to a lazy kitten. Comfortable and relaxed from the scritches, he leaned on his front paws and started purring.
There were a few suppressed snorts from the onlookers. Daqing’s head snapped up, and he swatted Zhu Hong’s hand away with his claws. “What impudence! Men and women mustn’t openly touch each other in broad daylight! I’m male! Show some respect!”
The living should never casually agree to a ghost’s request. Superstitions on it abounded. If you took on the task and were unable to follow through, you’d only bring trouble on yourself.
But by the time Chu Shuzhi finished writing, Guo Changcheng had already responded. “Of course, Xiuyun’s mom. Don’t work. I promise to find her and bring her back!”
The tip of Chu Shuzhi’s pen dragged across the paper, leaving a long mark. But just as he was about to scold Guo Changcheng and say how disappointed he was, Guo Changcheng glowed white with his merits – and they seemed to change color. For just an instant, a flame-like orange flash passed through his entire body.
Questions: What are your thoughts on teenage Zhao Yunlan from the clues we get in Chapter 11? How do you feel about the way Guo Changcheng’s ability to talk to the dead here compares with the drama? What stood out to you the most with Zhao Yunlan gradually learning the truth in these chapters? If you worked at the SID, would you rather have Zhao Yunlan in the office or Daqing stepping in as deputy director on days you went in? What do you think of Shen Wei’s approach to underwater breathing?
Feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you’d like. You’re also welcome to discuss anything else that resonates with you from these chapters.
If you’re interested in hosting an upcoming week, you can find available dates and sign up by visiting the new schedule.
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On a more serious note, I love the little detail of Chu Shuzhi watching Guo Changcheng while he's on the phone with the ghost.
Fascinated, Chu Shuzhi looked at him. It struck him that when Guo Changcheng spoke to people in need, he spoke more naturally, and his words flowed more smoothly.
I guess I just love seeing how Guo Changcheng's character has progressed from where we first found him at the beginning of the novel, but how others around him are seeing that as well.
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I have looked deep inside myself (ok, thought about this for one half of a minute) and realized that this would be my exact reaction as well.
LOLOL! *hearts*
I guess I just love seeing how Guo Changcheng's character has progressed from where we first found him at the beginning of the novel, but how others around him are seeing that as well.
Yes, that's so good! And he probably doesn't even realise he's progressing. <3
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Oh probably not at all. Like, not a single clue. There are so many times where I just want to hug him.
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Lol, 100% same, every unknown number is a telemarketer until proven otherwise. :D
"I guess I just love seeing how Guo Changcheng's character has progressed from where we first found him at the beginning of the novel, but how others around him are seeing that as well."
Yesss, ITA, and especially Chu Shuzhi going from 'you are weird, WHY' to 'you are weird *HEART EYES*' is delightful. :D ♡
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Hee! You're not wrong, same here.
I guess I just love seeing how Guo Changcheng's character has progressed from where we first found him at the beginning of the novel, but how others around him are seeing that as well.
Yes! And also that there are sides to him that no one else in his life seems to have noticed before. Very cool!
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Ahh, great post, and great choice of quotes. I'm particularly grateful for the chapter summaries, because I'm getting mythology fatigue, and some of it is slipping right off my brain. (I remember this happening on my first read, too. :-)
Here are my lengthy and extensive notes. I'll come back and answer the questions later. <3
Taken all together, it would mean he wouldn’t be here now on the Huangquan Road, pondering the stupid question of whether or not he should go buy that book…because that book wouldn’t even exist.
I love these slightly sullen ruminations about time travel and the cost of not closing the loop. He doesn't want to lose his present day (with SW), so he has no choice but to do what he's destined to do.
He desperately wanted to know [...] if there was another side to Shen Wei, one completely different from his righteous, gentlemanly appearance.
ZYL did see Shen Wei menacingly sass the Magistrate, right? :D His assessment of Shen Wei's personality is so impervious to new evidence, lol.
Did Shen Wei really not know that the Netherworld had been using him all this time? If he knew, how could he not care?
Using him how??? I'm confuuuused. (Using him to awaken Kunlun?)
Zhao Yunlan couldn’t help touching a light finger to those inelegant words, smiling in spite of himself. It felt like looking in a mirror and seeing his own reflection from back when he was still in his edgy teenage phase.
Aww. This is like when he saw Kunlun being a scamp in the Tree vision. In fact, this whole trip to ZYL's childhood home feels like an analogy writ small of the trip to the Mountain. In which case, does his dual-personality dad map onto his suspicions about Shen Wei (loyal and loving, but also deceptive)?
The person in the hallway had sharp ears. There was a knock, and then his mother’s voice, as it had sounded eleven years ago, called out to him, “Little asshole, you home? What are you doing, making so much noise?”
Oh, imagine if this had happened in the drama!! Ouch! (I guess we got the Dragon Gate visions instead.)
“The cat?” his mother muttered. “But it only comes home after dark. Why’s it back so early today? Is it pregnant? I said ages ago that we should’ve gotten it spayed.”
Is she talking about DQ? Does she not even know he's male? LOL!
He’d successfully broken into and escaped from his own house.
Okay, this really does make me think it's a deliberate parallel with the trip to Kunlun Mountains. <3 <3 <3 (I love how priest keeps doing this! So clever, so good. It makes the reading very rich, even when I'm not consciously aware of it.)
Zhao Yunlan instinctively stepped to the side to avoid the meter-high spray of blood.
"Instinctively" -- LOL. /o\ That's his reaction to this unprovoked attack. /o\ (Also, what lengths won't SW go to to hide whatever he's hiding??)
Shen Wei reached out as he spoke, only to see Zhao Yunlan’s pupils constrict minutely. He looked down at his own hand, as bloodied as a butcher’s. Withdrawing it uneasily, he roughly wiped it on his cloak, but no amount of wiping made it feel clean.
Shen Weiiiiii. (But also, cf drama a) the Rebel Chief in YOHE having blood on his hands, and SW identifying him as a murderer, and also b) SW's first encounter with Zhu Jiu in flashback, in which ZJ also had blood on his hands.)
“You kept it on your person without even knowing what it was.” Shen Wei’s voice betrayed an abominable mood. “Not to mention, it…it came from someone else’s body. Doesn’t that strike you as unclean?”
Cf the tooth necklace! Did SW learn this digust from KL? But also, SW must think the soulfire is okay, mustn't he? So... oh no, is it that SW think physical bodies are unclean in general? /o\ /o\ /o\
Forgetting that he could not, in fact, breathe underwater, he didn’t manage to hold his breath in time. Shit! he screamed silently, bracing himself to choke. But the instant his body touched the water, hands turned his head, and a soft tongue gently pushed his lips apart. Air filled his lungs.
LOL, this is so Due South buddy breathing (Youtube link)! HEE! (And in the drama we got ChuGuo doing Due South huddling for warmth instead. :D :D :D :D :D)
So much time in the Wangchuan waters had left his hands pale and puffy, too soft and weak to exert any force. One hand nearly slid out of Shen Wei’s grasp. He had been under the Huangquan for too long. His eyelids closed heavily as he pillowed his head against the side of the boat. “I’m dizzy,” he moaned, through lips drained of color.
This reminded me of all the times ZYL goes unconscious in the drama. (And then it turns out to be a trick, so maybe not.)
“Don’t forget the coat,” Zhao Yunlan mumbled next to his ear. “Coat? What coat?”
The coat!!!! This is so cute, I love everything about the coat!! :D :D :D
At this point, I feel like it should cultivate, and they can adopt it to live along with Daqing. :DDDHe took a step toward the bathroom to start running a hot bath, only for Zhao Yunlan, who’d seemed to be at death’s door, to spring up as though he’d just received a shot of adrenaline.
LOL, of course he does. The trickery and deceit cuts both ways. /o\
After a moment—with the bed between them and each of them holding a corner of the coat—they both broke out into laughter.
I had to quote this specifically. All the coat shenanigans are adorable and funny, but this breaking out into laughter is especially great. The whole "resolving their interpersonal tension by having an irrepressible shared sense of humour" this is THE BEST! Yes!
“Actually, I kind of get it now.” Zhao Yunlan’s soft voice struck Shen Wei’s ears like a thunderclap. “The ‘death’ Shennong keeps mentioning is ‘Chaos,’ right? You didn’t let him finish, but I could tell.”
Oh, is this why the gui escaping the Seal and flooding the world with Chaos equated with the end of the world?
but I’d rather not learn the truth from someone else. I’ve already shifted my boundaries for you time and again, and demeaned myself just as often, but if you keep doing this…” Zhao Yunlan paused before continuing, voice steady, “I’ll really be angry with you.”
What does he mean demeaned himself? (Is this about the bottoming again?) What shifted boundaries? And also, I kind of love that ZYL is threatening Shen Wei with making him angry when ZYL infuriates SW ALL THE TIME! LOL!
His lowered eyes held none of their usual sparkle. For a second, his face was that of the high and mighty Mountain God of the Great Wild in Shen Wei’s memory, as if Kunlun had returned.
Have we even ever met this version of Kunlun? LOL.
He knows, Shen Wei thought. Despite all my machinations, he found out.
The first time I read this, this just sparked a row of question marks. Like, I had no idea what was happening.
At the pinnacle of his fear, there was an instant in which the King of the Gui was gripped with the temptation to follow his natural instincts and slaughter the person before him.
I keep thinking of him as an ordinary person with powers and issues, but he's really really not, is he? He comes from a literal dog-eat-dog world.
Ruthlessly, cruelly, he had crushed his own instincts and nature underfoot, contorting himself into the kind of gentle, righteous person Kunlun-jun had once described.
The contrast between the start of the sentence (how SW treats himself) with the end of the sentence (how he treats others), though!
Rationally, he knew he was dealing with a grave matter, but he was too lazy to think too hard about it.
LOL! (Though I wonder if this is actually a god thing: that logic and philosophy come second to intuition and instinct, and then they rationalise things later?) (It is also a human thing, of course.)
This man, who ate the type of instant noodles that came in bowls just so he could avoid doing dishes, actually spent twenty minutes washing the tea set—every last piece of it, clumsily yet meticulously, as if he needed to busy himself with something to calm down.
Awwww! (I'm confused by his placing the tray on the coffee table before he's made the tea. How does that work?)
And then he even warms the cups and ?rinses the tea leaves?!!! o.O Who is this stranger?
Zhao Yunlan looked him straight in the eyes. “Fabricating so much in such a short amount of time just shows how capable you are. I can’t believe Ghost Face has the audacity to call himself your twin. I don’t think you two are remotely similar, other than in looks. Your intellect alone is worlds beyond his.”
Ooh, imagine Ghost Face's reaction to that!! Ha! (I mean, Ghost Face has hardly had the same opportunities; SW is a literal university professor. ;-p)
Now that I think about it, he probably realized that you’d even tampered with the memories within the Great Sealing Rock—although I’m guessing that this time, you weren’t making stuff up. You just cherry-picked the truth.”
Which presumably meant putting a different spin on them in the process, though. I wonder what it all would have looked like in context...
“No. Shennong is long dead.” Shen Wei finally spoke. “That’s just an apparition he left behind.”
... Now we have apparitions, as well as ghosts and gui and spirits and disembodied gods???
“Your soul bears my mark. Given enough time, I can always find you.
Aha, that's how it works!
The ‘me’ in the Great Divine Tree—the one who raised the banner in revolt, the one whose heart was choked with all that grief, anger, and rebellion—none of those emotions were mine. They were yours, weren’t they?
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. (Did these emotions come after Kunlun died and went into the reincarnation cycle, or are they more recent? Or just ongoing?)
Zhao Yunlan gave him a long, hard look. “Nothing that comes from your lips, whatever it might be, could ever make me hate you.”
Statements like that always make me start searching for counter-examples. ;-p
“Your fourth uncle definitely knows more than he’s letting on,” Chu Shuzhi said decisively. “Why else would he try to take you away at a time like this, and at the same time tell you to give the water dragon pearl to Director Zhao?”
Aha! They've noticed, too.
And now all the Yao are leaving the city. Is this because the Seal is about to break?
Zhao Yunlan’s style had always been to work smarter, not harder. He had a remarkable gift for gathering people together but wilted the moment anything required him to actually work. That loafer bossed the less lazy around; honestly, he’d try to order around anyone he could.
LOL! They definitely kept all this in the drama. <3 <3 <3
I love it when Daqing drops the lazy cat act and steps up as deputy. That's always fabulous. And then the chin skritches immediately undoing him (as quoted in the post) is chef's kiss! :D :D :D
Aww, Lao Li offered Daqing placatory fish, and it turned into a whole subplot in the drama. <3 <3 <3
Haha, the person on the phone calling Xiao Guo "Guo-laoshi". :D
Fascinated, Chu Shuzhi looked at him. It struck him that when Guo Changcheng spoke to people in need, he spoke more naturally, and his words flowed more smoothly.
Aww, all this time, the SID has mostly only seen the side of Xiao Guo that is faced with scary monsters and intimidating workplace stuff. CSZ keeps catching glimpses of his other side, and he's starting to put it together. <3 <3 <3
But by the time Chu Shuzhi finished writing, Guo Changcheng had already responded. “Of course, Xiuyun’s mom. Don’t worry. I promise to find her and bring her back!” The tip of Chu Shuzhi’s pen dragged across the paper, leaving a long mark.
LOLOL! Poor CSZ!
They knocked politely, but when there was no sound from inside, Wang Zheng led Sangzan right through the door.
LOL! Love that the knocking was only for form's sake. <3
Zhao Yunlan thought he had every reason to keep his guard up around Shen Wei, but before his brain could catch up, he took the proffered hand.
*hearts*
Two pitch-black figures stretched out from within. The nearest gui was inexorably drawn toward them and consumed before it could even struggle. The figures fed and fed, and the more gui they consumed, the more clearly defined they became. Heads, necks, torsos, limbs, facial features, and even hair gradually took shape.
Ah, Shen Wei is literally made of other gui. You are what you eat! (Also, omg, I never thought about Ye Zun's eating power coming from the gui's cannibalistic tendencies!! alksjdflkjdfhaldskjfa of course!!)
Before she turned into Houtu, the Netherworld didn’t exist, so there were no such things as ‘life,’ ‘death,’ or ‘reincarnation.’ To those who lived in those days, death was death. As Shennong said, ‘death’ meant a return to the Chaos—returning to the empty Place of Great Disrespect.
Ahh, okay. (So in a way, Kunlun was dead when he was guarding the Seal??)
All of that is why Shennong, whose godhood was lost by then, had no choice but to borrow your soul fire. He wanted to use the Mountain God’s soul to safeguard all the resentful spirits who had died from battle and lessen their suffering, that they might find peace sooner. That’s why the wooden plaque you wound up leaving behind was called the ‘Soul-Guarding Order.’
Oookay. I'm still a bit hazy. Shennong was going to use Kunlun's soulfire to stop the war dead from turning into resentful ghosts, but the dragon knocked it out of his hands (did the dragon get blinded in reality?), and the soulfire fell on the Bog and birthed the Kings of the Gui(?). (Why was SW hiding all this before? Was it just his having Kunlun's soulfire that he didn't want ZYL to know, or more than that?) So the Kings of the Gui are qualitively different from ordinary gui because they have soulfire?
He paused, then gave a cold laugh. “Of course, it was you who told me all of this. I don’t know how true it is. Perhaps it really was a coincidence, or perhaps Shennong did it deliberately. Who can say?”
I'm so confused about how SW feels about all this and what's going through his head.
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Yesss, it's such a cool way to tie it with "there’s only one path you’ll inevitably choose".
"ZYL did see Shen Wei menacingly sass the Magistrate, right? :D His assessment of Shen Wei's personality is so impervious to new evidence, lol."
IKR, this is getting weirder and funnier every time he thinks this way. ;D
"Using him how??? I'm confuuuused. (Using him to awaken Kunlun?)"
I'm confused too, lol, I've been confused since the first time this was mentioned a long while ago. It had something to do with guarding the Seal at that point? But since I didn't fully follow, I'm even more confused now that I don't even fully remember it. xD Awakening Kunlun is a good guess too, though, maybe this is what it means!
"Is she talking about DQ? Does she not even know he's male? LOL!"
Lol yep, I think this explains very well why she doesn't know that he can talk - she's never even looked at him properly. :D
"Okay, this really does make me think it's a deliberate parallel with the trip to Kunlun Mountains. <3 <3 <3 (I love how priest keeps doing this! So clever, so good. It makes the reading very rich, even when I'm not consciously aware of it.)"
Ooooh, NEAT, I didn't think of that at all! ♡
"Instinctively" -- LOL. /o\ That's his reaction to this unprovoked attack. /o\ (Also, what lengths won't SW go to to hide whatever he's hiding??)"
I think getting sprayed with blood has been a part of Zhao Yunlan's job for a long time - reacting instinctively makes sense? (And Shennong wasn't real, it's not like Shen Wei killed anyone, this time at least. :))
But also, cf drama a) the Rebel Chief in YOHE having blood on his hands, and SW identifying him as a murderer, and also b) SW's first encounter with Zhu Jiu in flashback, in which ZJ also had blood on his hands.
Oooh, so some trace of the clean hands obsession did make it into the drama!
"Cf the tooth necklace! Did SW learn this digust from KL? But also, SW must think the soulfire is okay, mustn't he? So... oh no, is it that SW think physical bodies are unclean in general? /o\ /o\ /o\"
What comes next is "Shen Wei, fully aware that his jealous anger was unreasonable, could only hold Zhao Yunlan’s gaze for a few moments.", so I think he doesn't exactly say what he means, he just says something that will make Zhao Yunlan feel bad about the scale?
Oooh, and he's been jealous of Nüwa before! So maybe he just has a problem with it specifically coming from Nüwa's body?
(Chapter 1 of volume 3: “If I was the one who knocked down the Pillars of Heaven, why did I seal the Four Hallowed Artifacts? Did I do it for Nüwa?”
A hint of displeasure flickered across Shen Wei’s face. For an instant, there was something almost ominous in his expression. Seeing it, Zhao Yunlan briefly set those questions aside. He touched Shen Wei’s chin with a finger, tilting his head. “Don’t be upset. I was just wondering. To me, you’re much more beautiful than Nüwa.”)
But wow, the comparison with the tooth necklace is a fantastic observation, I never would have thought of that! OH, WAIT, he says "Doesn’t that strike YOU as unclean?" = Kunlun didn't like the necklace = maybe if SW reminds him of that, it will make Zhao Yunlan not like the scale??
A soul fire comes from the soul, not from the body, so that's probably okay. :) I have no idea about bodies in general being unlean to SW? Definitely gui bodies at least.
"LOL, this is so Due South buddy breathing (Youtube link)! HEE! (And in the drama we got ChuGuo doing Due South huddling for warmth instead. :D :D :D :D :D)"
I've never watched that show, but I'm so impressed that this is a thing, lol. :D :D (Huddling for warmth is at least more popular, I think. :D)
"This reminded me of all the times ZYL goes unconscious in the drama. (And then it turns out to be a trick, so maybe not.)"
Wait, does Zhao Yunlan going unconscious all the time in the drama come from the energy drain that makes him feel sick all the time? Except without any implications that Shen Wei is bad for him. :D
"The coat!!!! This is so cute, I love everything about the coat!! :D :D :D At this point, I feel like it should cultivate, and they can adopt it to live along with Daqing. :DDD"
I love everything about the coat SO SO MUCH toooo, AND OMG YES??? :D :D :D YES PLEASE. :D :D :D Sentient coat > sentient bowl, and it's already storing so much love, it could never become an asshole. :D
"I had to quote this specifically. All the coat shenanigans are adorable and funny, but this breaking out into laughter is especially great. The whole "resolving their interpersonal tension by having an irrepressible shared sense of humour" this is THE BEST! Yes!"
♡♡♡♡♡! YESSSSS, this, 100%! Definitely one of the best scenes in the entire book imo! :D ♡♡♡
"Oh, is this why the gui escaping the Seal and flooding the world with Chaos equated with the end of the world?"
It is the reason, but the world was pretty much going on as normal before the Seal was made, so at the same time it's not entirely true.
"Have we even ever met this version of Kunlun? LOL."
Lol, good question. :D The expression does sound like Kunlun the revolutionary, who was going around ignoring divine punishment, but then it turns out that these were Shen Wei's emotions, not Kunlun's, so yeah, we probably haven't.
"The contrast between the start of the sentence (how SW treats himself) with the end of the sentence (how he treats others), though!"
Oh, OUCHH.
"Ooh, imagine Ghost Face's reaction to that!! Ha! (I mean, Ghost Face has hardly had the same opportunities; SW is a literal university professor. ;-p)"
Lol, I also feel like Zhao Yunlan doesn't know Ghost Face enough to know this much about his intelligence or lack thereof. :P
"... Now we have apparitions, as well as ghosts and gui and spirits and disembodied gods???"
LOLOL. :D For some reason I assumed an apparition is kind of like a recording or an AI version - not sentient anymore, just repeating things? Idk if that's in any way true. :D
"Did these emotions come after Kunlun died and went into the reincarnation cycle, or are they more recent? Or just ongoing?"
Probably all of the above, and also from earlier than that - when he was a kid and angry that he never got to live in the outside world before.
"And now all the Yao are leaving the city. Is this because the Seal is about to break?"
Presumably? I don't remember though, maybe there's more. :D
"Aww, Lao Li offered Daqing placatory fish, and it turned into a whole subplot in the drama. <3 <3 <3"
Oh, true. :D :D I thought there was more of that in the novel, but it doesn't seem to be the case. :D
"Haha, the person on the phone calling Xiao Guo "Guo-laoshi". :D"
He was teaching the kid (even if he was still a kid himself), so it does make sense. :)
"Aww, all this time, the SID has mostly only seen the side of Xiao Guo that is faced with scary monsters and intimidating workplace stuff. CSZ keeps catching glimpses of his other side, and he's starting to put it together. <3 <3 <3"
Ooooh, true, I never noticed that he's the only one who gets to see this side of Xiao Guo so far! ♡
"LOL! Love that the knocking was only for form's sake. <3"
Lol aw, Daqing gave them a task, they're going to carry it out. :D :D
"So in a way, Kunlun was dead when he was guarding the Seal??"
When the Seal exists, the Netherworld already exists too. :)
"Shennong was going to use Kunlun's soulfire to stop the war dead from turning into resentful ghosts, but the dragon knocked it out of his hands (did the dragon get blinded in reality?), and the soulfire fell on the Bog and birthed the Kings of the Gui(?).
I think that's all true, yep. And it says "Gonggong was riding the divine dragon straight for the mountain", so I think the dragon had to be blinded for Gonggong to be able to do that (dragons are sentient yao, I'm assuming they can't just be forced into a suicide mission).
"Why was SW hiding all this before? Was it just his having Kunlun's soulfire that he didn't want ZYL to know, or more than that?"
In both of the visions, the fake one and the partial one, Kunlun gave Wei his soul fire, so I think this part is not the problem. But I'm really looking forward to some group brainstorming (or further canon reveals) re: what all of Shen Wei's problems with the real story were, because the only one I can see so far is that he's literally made of other gui. And maybe that Kunlun created him?
"So the Kings of the Gui are qualitively different from ordinary gui because they have soulfire?"
Ooooh, good idea! That's why/how they were born to stand among the sages?
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I'm glad I'm not the only one!
I love it when Daqing drops the lazy cat act and steps up as deputy. That's always fabulous. And then the chin skritches immediately undoing him (as quoted in the post) is chef's kiss!
Daqing contains multitudes! But yes, I also love to see him take charge. (I mean, my cat bosses me around all the time - she's currently screaming at me right now to stop typing and go feed her.) Still, even with all that authority, his cat nature comes through and he can't resist the skritches!
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LOL, you and me both.
His assessment of Shen Wei's personality is so impervious to new evidence, lol.
Haha, right? Or even old evidence - there's a reason everyone's so afraid of him, but all of that just doesn't register on ZYL at all.
Using him how??? I'm confuuuused.
I'm not sure either.
This is like when he saw Kunlun being a scamp in the Tree vision. In fact, this whole trip to ZYL's childhood home feels like an analogy writ small of the trip to the Mountain.
Oh, that's a fascinating comparison!
cf drama a) the Rebel Chief in YOHE having blood on his hands, and SW identifying him as a murderer, and also b) SW's first encounter with Zhu Jiu in flashback, in which ZJ also had blood on his hands.
Ooh, great catch! You're right, they did get that motif into the drama!
Oh, is this why the gui escaping the Seal and flooding the world with Chaos equated with the end of the world?
I'm not sure I even understand what that means; do you? Can you explain?
I kind of love that ZYL is threatening Shen Wei with making him angry when ZYL infuriates SW ALL THE TIME! LOL!
I don't love that because ZYL doesn't care that he's constantly infuriating SW, whereas SW seems actually afraid of ZYL's anger. It feels so unbalanced.
Have we even ever met this version of Kunlun? LOL.
I'm so confused about what the Kunlun SW met back then is supposed to have been like. I know we all sort of decided he was just a dumb teen himself, but passages like these make me think we weren't supposed to see it like that.
The first time I read this, this just sparked a row of question marks. Like, I had no idea what was happening.
I still don't! So much of what SW appears to have been hiding is just "??? WHY ???" to me.
I'm confused by his placing the tray on the coffee table before he's made the tea. How does that work?
Don't you traditionally prepare Chinese tea at the table?
... Now we have apparitions, as well as ghosts and gui and spirits and disembodied gods???
LOLOLOL, too many different kinds and states of being!
LOL! They definitely kept all this in the drama. <3 <3 <3
Haha, right???
So in a way, Kunlun was dead when he was guarding the Seal??
I'm not sure how that follows?
and the soulfire fell on the Bog and birthed the Kings of the Gui(?) [...] So the Kings of the Gui are qualitively different from ordinary gui because they have soulfire?
It looked to me like it birthed all of the gui: Then, from beneath the fragments of flames, countless hands reached up, as if sprouting from the mud. Just the bulk of it went into the two Kings, which would make them different in degree but not in kind? Idk.
Why was SW hiding all this before? Was it just his having Kunlun's soulfire that he didn't want ZYL to know, or more than that?
I have no idea what specifically he was hiding here, or why! It's so confusing.
I'm so confused about how SW feels about all this and what's going through his head.
Ha, I keep getting so confused trying to figure out what actually happened, never mind SW's perspective! *tears hair*
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(I'm not PM-ing anyone, even if I could probably use some more ridiculous brainstorming, because it's 1) novel-only, 2) a whole-ass ridiculous premise, 3) pwp. xD)
ETA: Wait, when does he even get named Wei? The original "mountain ghost" Wei, I mean. Because he has this name already before Shen San, who just changes it to the other version of Wei for him.
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"How do you feel about the way Guo Changcheng’s ability to talk to the dead here compares with the drama?"
I love that the drama went 'we don't even have actual ghosts, just ~handwavy science ghosts', but he still talks to the dead, in a handwavy scientific way'. :D :D
"If you worked at the SID, would you rather have Zhao Yunlan in the office or Daqing stepping in as deputy director on days you went in?"
Lol, I would have the biggest crush on Zhao Yunlan (but not like Zhu-Hong-style, like awww-Weilan-style ;D) so it would be very nice if he's there, but on the other hand, Daqing is a boss who can be instantly defeated with cuddles and chin scritches and dried fish, and that's not to be sneezed at. xD (Btw, working at the SID would be like my literal dream job. :D :D)
"What do you think of Shen Wei’s approach to underwater breathing?"
YES. That's it, YES. :D ♡♡♡
Long-ass liveblog incoming. :D (I may still be behind on comments on a lot of comments on the post from two weeks ago - not the one from one week ago tho, hah - but I am still staying on top of the actual chapters, yay me. :D :D)
"Zhao Yunlan acted on the thought the moment it entered his mind, flinging the blank paper into the Wangchuan River."
I just absolutely adore him immediately acting on the most random thought that crosses his mind. :D
"He stood there waiting for a good, long while, but no one came to fine him for littering."
*SNORT* ♡ The contrast between 'he's probably waiting for something metaphysical to happen' and littering is wonderful. :D
"The little owner of the general store still looked only seven or eight years old, and she didn’t seem at all surprised to see him."
I find it really interesting that the shopkeepers reincarnate every 60 years, but they don't age at all in 11 years? Do they just stay kids for the entire 60 years? (Also I'm guessing her not being surprised means that she remembers this time loop happening over and over again.)
"There was only a computer and a pile of random university English final study guides on the desk. On one page, someone had commented “dog shit” in a distinctive chicken-scratch scrawl. Zhao Yunlan couldn’t help touching a light finger to those inelegant words, smiling in spite of himself. It felt like looking in a mirror and seeing his own reflection from back when he was still in his edgy teenage phase."
Ahhhhh, this is so sweet and adorable, and Zhao Yunlan likes his younger self so much (Shen Wei could learn something from him, but I guess that's easy to say when he didn't spend his edgy teenage years eating raw youchu :P). ♡♡♡ And also did he write "dog shit" in English or in Chinese? Because if in English, A+++ use of the language he's leaning. :D :D
“What, then, are the gui? What is the Place of Great Disrespect?”
Zhao Yunlan’s patience ran out. “All right, what would you say it is?”
YES, very good question to ask. Not going anywhere yet, but still very good.
"He spoke like some doomed extra in a TV show—the kind who sobbed interminably and choked out a single clue but didn’t manage to actually name the murderer before finally dying."
All the lampshading is fantastic in this book (and it feels believable as Zhao Yunlan's commentary too). :D
"He looked down at his own hand, as bloodied as a butcher’s. Withdrawing it uneasily, he roughly wiped it on his cloak, but no amount of wiping made it feel clean. He made no further attempt to touch Zhao Yunlan; instead, he tucked both hands into his sleeves, as if to avoid contaminating him."
GODS, Shen Wei and his obsession with CLEAN HANDS. I love him so much.
"He strode over and seized Shen Wei’s hand. Shen Wei shuddered violently and tried to pull away, but Zhao Yunlan only held on tighter."
And Zhao Yunlan doesn't care even the tiniest little bit how clean or dirty his hands are, omgggg. THIS WHOLE SCENE. ♡♡♡
“You’re Shen Wei from eleven years later? Quick, how many drunken trysts have we had?”
Lololol, that's supposed to be a trick question, right, since the answer is zero, on the grounds of slashing shirts and yeeting-self-out-of-body and stuff like that? :D :D
"Any possible answer seemed like a waste of breath."
Yeah, I feel you Shen Wei. xD xD
“Not to mention, it…it came from someone else’s body. Doesn’t that strike you as unclean?”
I know that he KNOWS he has issues, but wow, he has issues. /affectionate
"But the instant his body touched the water, hands turned his head, and a soft tongue gently pushed his lips apart. Air filled his lungs."
Asdfghfjdksldkfjhjdjkl;; ♡♡♡ This is one of my favorite kisses, and it's not even actually a kiss. ♡♡♡
"Shen Wei picked him up and set him in a ferry, not sparing a single glance for the trembling ferryman cowering in the corner."
"There was a splash beside them as the faceless ferryman finally leaped into the water, sheer terror getting the better of him."
They just keep terrifying the poor ghosts, and somehow it never stops being funny. xD
"Shen Wei made a valiant attempt to carry him in his arms…but Zhao Yunlan was no girl with a pliable body. He was a man around Shen Wei’s height, making him difficult to carry."
I love that when Zhao Yunlan is pretending and trying to be annoying, he's so good at it that even this doesn't work: "Shen Wei obligingly dragged Zhao Yunlan away. In his hands, a full-grown man or a fifty-kilogram lacquer box seemed equally weightless, as easy to carry around as a thin old book." xD xD xD (It's from when the others got pissed at ZYL while playing mahjong in volume 2, chapter 13.)
"Just then, a little ferry ghost emerged from the water and dragged another ferry over. This one held a carefully folded coat, not an edge out of place."
♡♡♡!! Everything about the coat = ♡♡♡! (And of course Shen Wei didn't even care about it or think about it at all, lol, and to Zhao Yunlan it was the most important thing, AWWW.)
“Aiyou, you’re swearing. It’s lovely! Do it again.”
xD xD xD
"“If I give it back, what am I supposed to jack off to?”
Shen Wei, both embarrassed and angry, had no answer. Whatever thought had flashed into his mind turned his cheeks scarlet."
I remember being really amused by "whatever thought" on my first read, lolol, what thought could it possibly be. xD
"Kneeling on the bed, Shen Wei threw himself forward and caught a corner of the coat. He started to pull, and Zhao Yunlan continued to roll…right off the edge of the bed. To no one’s surprise, he hit the floor with a thump.
After a moment—with the bed between them and each of them holding a corner of the coat—they both broke out into laughter."
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. ♡♡♡ Definitely one of my absolute favorite novel Weilan scenes, they're LAUGHING TOGETHER, and it's so ridiculous and silly and soft and adorable. :D :D :D ♡♡♡
"As he spoke, he climbed up onto the bed and went to Shen Wei, gathering him close. Shen Wei was completely rigid in his arms. Still soft, Zhao Yunlan said, “You’ve never asked me for anything; I don’t even know how to suck up to you. But the truth is, if there’s anything you really want, you could just tell me, and as long as I have it… So why lie to me?”"
And then this entire scene. ♡♡♡ Not quite as perfect to me as the laughing, but really lovely too.
"Then, once Shen Wei had consumed every last morsel, they would be one in flesh and blood. Nothing would remain in all the world that could threaten him so; no longer could anything make him tremble at the possibility of losing the one he loved."
That's very dramatic and all, but he's just gonna get reincarnated. xD (Well, unless SW plans to die earlier than that.)
"Ruthlessly, cruelly, he had crushed his own instincts and nature underfoot, contorting himself into the kind of gentle, righteous person Kunlun-jun had once described."
So Wei restraining his instincts long before he met Kunlun was part of the lie?
"But Zhao Yunlan waited for him with endless patience—as if he had reserved every drop of patience he had in this life for Shen Wei.
Zhao Yunlan sank his fingers into Shen Wei’s hair, carefully combing through it."
♡♡♡ Srsly, this whole scene is just so soft and wistful and lovely.
And Zhao Yunlan washing the tea set is another one of my favorite parts. ♡
"Shen Wei extended a finger and gently tapped Zhao Yunlan between the brows. Reflected in Shen Wei’s eyes, Zhao Yunlan saw a golden light flash on his own forehead. “Your soul bears my mark.”"
This image is gorgeous, and also it's really telling that Shen Wei's mark (whatever that means, but definitely something tied closely to the essence of who he is) is golden and not any kind of dark.
"Back when he left behind his shadow, Nüwa’s scale, and the dictated Record of Ancient Secrets , he’d already predicted everything that would happen here and now. Each link connects perfectly to the next; the end is an echo of the beginning. Such is the work of the head of the Three Sovereigns"
Another reason why I love the drama time loop a million times more (a small reason, compared to all the other reasons ♡♡♡) - it was not created/engineered by some outside character.
"The ‘me’ in the Great Divine Tree—the one who raised the banner in revolt, the one whose heart was choked with all that grief, anger, and rebellion—none of those emotions were mine. They were yours, weren’t they?"
♡♡♡ Ahhhhh.
"The serious things his colleagues were discussing were mostly over his head, but he still wanted them to see that he was doing his best to understand, so he ignored the phone and let it keep vibrating away."
He has no idea what's happening and he's being all diligent anyway, AW, I love this kid.
"I’m just an old bachelor. I don’t have much to do after work, but I like to go to Antiques Street and play xiangqi and drink tea with some old pals."
I kinda highkey adore lao-Li just because of this tiny piece of information alone. :D (And the way he's all flustered by the attention too. :D)
"Sometimes, when he felt too lazy to even read a subordinate’s investigation report, he’d park his ass in his chair and make them read the report aloud."
xD I wonder if Zhao Yunlan enjoys podfics. :D :D
"He most likely knew that even if his team did get involved, they’d be nothing but cannon fodder. He wanted to carry this burden himself."
My thought exactly ever since he went to the village and walked into the trap and got blinded. He didn't take anyone with him because he didn't want to risk their lives for his personal stuff.
"The black cat, understanding Zhao Yunlan’s intentions, found an excuse to interrupt everyone’s wild guessing."
And Daqing quietly supports him in this, without being told anything and without telling anyone else anything either, AW. ♡
"If he hasn’t returned before sunrise, I’ll go back down the Huangquan Road to look for him."
Oh, so I guess it's true that Daqing has experience going to the Netherworld and that wasn't his first time.
"Guo Changcheng listened politely until the person finished, then weakly said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that… Could you repeat it…slower?”"
Listening politely when he doesn't understand a word, oh Xiao Guo, SWEETHEART.
"They knocked politely, but when there was no sound from inside, Wang Zheng led Sangzan right through the door."
I wonder if that means that Sangzan doesn't usually consider the possiblity of walking through things, being a new ghost. :D
"At dusk, after Zhao Yunlan had said those words to Shen Wei—words almost as solemn as a vow—Shen Wei just gazed at him for a while, as though drowning in Zhao Yunlan’s eyes. Finally, softly, he agreed. “All right.”"
I just adore how their interactions are described in these scenes. ♡
"When the tremendous fire struck, it splintered into innumerable shards. The sparks reflecting off the ground looked like flakes of gold, creating the sense that one was stepping on the Milky Way. The staggeringly beautiful display of light and colors was enough to steal the breath from their lungs."
1) This is gorgeous! 2) This stepping-on-stars imagery + Weilan just standing there together, watching past events without participating in them, makes me think this is the wormhole void and them watching YOHE from there. :D
The illustration of the Kings of the Gui is beautiful and super cool (the way their bodies are being built!! the whole composition! ♡), but I'm always a bit confused that they are so clearly not children in it. :P
"The mud Nüwa had flicked so casually, the gui born from mud… It seemed as though all things born from the mud were being driven by some unexplainable force, moving in the same direction as they grew—exactly the same as the sages and gods."
I love it so much when the gui are objectively just not unique (and therefore not uniquely evil), they're just like all other beings. ♡ (Just a few chapters ago Zhao Yunlan was thinking about how violent and cruel regular human ghosts are, and therefore how understandable it is that the gui are too.)
“Of course, it was you who told me all of this. I don’t know how true it is. Perhaps it really was a coincidence, or perhaps Shennong did it deliberately. Who can say?”
It's really funny to me that THIS may not be true either, simply because Kunlun didn't know the whole story. xD And he didn't know much in general (see: telling bullshit stories all the time), so that's even very likely. xD
(Also, if Kunlun knew about all of these past events, regardless of how true they are, then did Shen Wei not expect Zhao Yunlan to eventually get these memories back too? Or did he hope that the fake memories would replace them or something?)
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I love that the drama went 'we don't even have actual ghosts, just ~handwavy science ghosts', but he still talks to the dead, in a handwavy scientific way'. :D :D
Oh, ha, I hadn't even thought of that. *facepalm* I was thinking about the way he hangs out in graveyards and talks to the dead there.
but I am still staying on top of the actual chapters, yay me. :D :D
*twirls you*
The contrast between 'he's probably waiting for something metaphysical to happen' and littering is wonderful. :D
Yes, that was so delightful! :D
Also I'm guessing her not being surprised means that she remembers this time loop happening over and over again.
Wait, how would she? (I thought it just meant she hadn't met him before. Maybe I'm not thinking deeply enough about the whole time travel thing...)
Lololol, that's supposed to be a trick question, right, since the answer is zero, on the grounds of slashing shirts and yeeting-self-out-of-body and stuff like that? :D :D
Wasn't ZYL kind of drunk the first time they had sex? He'd been out drinking with his dad.
I love that when Zhao Yunlan is pretending and trying to be annoying, he's so good at it that even this doesn't work
LOL, so true. It's literally passive-aggressive. :D
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. ♡♡♡ Definitely one of my absolute favorite novel Weilan scenes, they're LAUGHING TOGETHER, and it's so ridiculous and silly and soft and adorable. :D :D :D ♡♡♡
Yesss! I really loved that too. *smishes themmmm* :D
So Wei restraining his instincts long before he met Kunlun was part of the lie?
Oh, I didn't think of that. *sadface* Maybe he'd started down that road already, but he's not giving himself any credit for it in this moment?
and also it's really telling that Shen Wei's mark (whatever that means, but definitely something tied closely to the essence of who he is) is golden and not any kind of dark.
Ooh, excellent point! *likes*
Another reason why I love the drama time loop a million times more (a small reason, compared to all the other reasons ♡♡♡) - it was not created/engineered by some outside character.
Unless the Hallows count as a collective character, hee! :D But yes, totally agree.
xD I wonder if Zhao Yunlan enjoys podfics. :D :D
LOLOL!
I wonder if that means that Sangzan doesn't usually consider the possiblity of walking through things, being a new ghost. :D
Or maybe he's more respectful of ZYL's private space? :D Or both!
2) This stepping-on-stars imagery + Weilan just standing there together, watching past events without participating in them, makes me think this is the wormhole void and them watching YOHE from there. :D
Oooooh, yes! I love that! :DDD
It's really funny to me that THIS may not be true either, simply because Kunlun didn't know the whole story. xD
Haha, oh no. (If there's yet another version to come, it might kill me. :D)
Also, if Kunlun knew about all of these past events, regardless of how true they are, then did Shen Wei not expect Zhao Yunlan to eventually get these memories back too? Or did he hope that the fake memories would replace them or something?
He has been trying to avoid awakening Kunlun, hasn't he? So maybe with the lie, he was buying time and hoping?
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Ok but this is an excellent point. The drama's science is soooooooooooooooooooo handwavy XD XD
And I completely agree - the SID would be a dream job.
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Yay for staying on top of the readalong! And looking forward to youir comments back there whenever you get to it. :)
I find it really interesting that the shopkeepers reincarnate every 60 years, but they don't age at all in 11 years? Do they just stay kids for the entire 60 years? (Also I'm guessing her not being surprised means that she remembers this time loop happening over and over again.)
I don't think ghosts age - but if she's a little girl, shouldn't that mean she died as a little girl? How does that work with the 60-year cycle? *confused*
(I keep finding new sources of confusion, LOL.)
And also did he write "dog shit" in English or in Chinese? Because if in English, A+++ use of the language he's leaning. :D :D
It's in Chinese in the JJWXC version, alas.
So Wei restraining his instincts long before he met Kunlun was part of the lie?
I don't want to believe that, but he makes it sound like that. :(
Another reason why I love the drama time loop a million times more (a small reason, compared to all the other reasons ♡♡♡) - it was not created/engineered by some outside character.
YES! THIS! And no one set it up to be like this, dominoes falling - it all hinges on two people making choices because of each other. Which is such a different vibe! (The book timeloop here in the novel works so much better as well, because ZYL goes and buys the book because he wants his present, not some potential alternate version.)
And Daqing quietly supports him in this, without being told anything and without telling anyone else anything either, AW. ♡
Yes! That's lovely!
1) This is gorgeous! 2) This stepping-on-stars imagery + Weilan just standing there together, watching past events without participating in them, makes me think this is the wormhole void and them watching YOHE from there. :D
Oooh, great point! Yes, that has to be where that image came from!
The illustration of the Kings of the Gui is beautiful and super cool (the way their bodies are being built!! the whole composition! ♡), but I'm always a bit confused that they are so clearly not children in it. :P
I'm never sure what age anyone's supposed to look in this, LOL.
(Also, if Kunlun knew about all of these past events, regardless of how true they are, then did Shen Wei not expect Zhao Yunlan to eventually get these memories back too? Or did he hope that the fake memories would replace them or something?)
That's a very good question, but I don't even understand what specifically he's trying to hide or why. *g*
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Back to answer a few questions:
What are your thoughts on teenage Zhao Yunlan from the clues we get in Chapter 11?
This made me kind of sad: He turned away and lifted the baseboard of his bed, revealing the space where he’d once hidden all sorts of books about folk legends, myths, and the occult, along with cinnabar, yellow paper, and other tools. It's so Buffy with her weapons chest, but without the gang of friends helping out. (At least he finally gets a Scooby gang when he starts at the SID.) Also, I'm amused by the degree of change-resistance evident in his grumpy attitude to his dad's new car. *hearts*
What stood out to you the most with Zhao Yunlan gradually learning the truth in these chapters?
Idk, at this point my brain is mush, lol.
If you worked at the SID, would you rather have Zhao Yunlan in the office or Daqing stepping in as deputy director on days you went in?
Hm, I think Daqing only steps up when things are going kind of bad, so I'd rather have ZYL just because there's a greater chance that things are okay and/or he will take care of them. (I do not want to work at the SID! Except oh, maybe in the library?)
What do you think of Shen Wei’s approach to underwater breathing?
Hee! It's very "practical". I'm sure there was no other way...
Additional thought about chapter 12: I wonder if there's a deliberate parallel between: Two pitch-black figures stretched out from within. The nearest gui was inexorably drawn toward them and consumed before it could even struggle. The figures fed and fed, and the more gui they consumed, the more clearly defined they became. (along with Shen Wei's future disgust with eating gui), and the part about ZYL's dad force-feeding ZYL ice cream for a month until he cried. /are food issues a theme
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Ah, you're gonna make me cry here because that's a perfect description. But yes, he does eventually get his Scooby gang eventually.
Hm, I think Daqing only steps up when things are going kind of bad, so I'd rather have ZYL just because there's a greater chance that things are okay and/or he will take care of them. (I do not want to work at the SID! Except oh, maybe in the lib
Ooh! Good point. Zhao Yunlan's presence is a solid sign that things are going ok. I wouldn't mind working there in the library or in an in-office position like Wang Zheng's. Fieldwork, though, is not for me.
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At least he has Daqing right from the start!
And that's a good question! I'm not sure how it all goes together but there's definitely a recurrent motif with the cannibalism and the creation/consumption and the ice cream force-feeding, and also with SW force-feeding ZYL medicine ...
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I realized a few days ago that he did in fact have other people as the Guardian - a lot of the SID employees are sworn/bound/whatever-the-mythology-is to the Soul-Guarding Order (especially CSZ, it's part of his sentence iirc?), so they must have worked with Zhao Yunlan before the SID was a thing, and with the previous incarnations of the Guardian too if they're old enough.
"Hm, I think Daqing only steps up when things are going kind of bad, so I'd rather have ZYL just because there's a greater chance that things are okay and/or he will take care of them."
It's not like this is not true, lol, but he could also be sleeping off his fight with Shen Wei and throw knick-knacks at the wall. ;D
"I wonder if there's a deliberate parallel between: Two pitch-black figures stretched out from within. The nearest gui was inexorably drawn toward them and consumed before it could even struggle. The figures fed and fed, and the more gui they consumed, the more clearly defined they became. (along with Shen Wei's future disgust with eating gui), and the part about ZYL's dad force-feeding ZYL ice cream for a month until he cried. /are food issues a theme"
Ooooh, is this WHY Zhao Yunlan buys very-likely-the-same ice cream at the very first opportunity? He doesn't care, he literally couldn't possibly care less, he likes the things (and people) he likes, no one can't stop him. :D :D :D (Since the ice cream story only gets told because it's a stand-in for Shen Wei, 'remember the last time you liked something too much'.) And in the same way that he doesn't care about Shen Wei's hands having blood on them, he also doesn't care about what he used to eat and how? :D
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How do you feel about the way Guo Changcheng's ability to talk to the dead here compares with the drama?
I think it's so neat that they managed to include it in multiple different ways, from the graveyard visits to the serum power in the end!
What stood out to you the most with Zhao Yunlan gradually learning the truth in these chapters?
My confusion keeps growing, LOL.
And a whole bunch of notes from me:
Zhao Yunlan acted on the thought the moment it entered his mind, flinging the blank paper into the Wangchuan River. It landed with a splash and slowly began to sink. He stood there waiting for a good, long while, but no one came to fine him for littering.
Everything about this paragraph is gold. ZYL having the impulse and immediately tossing the book, then expecting some kind of reaction and getting none, and equating it to littering! Hee!
Taken all together, it would mean he wouldn't be here now on the Huangquan Road, pondering the stupid question of whether or not he should go buy that book...because that book wouldn't even exist.
I love ZYL puzzling out the potential paradox!
and if there was another side to Shen Wei, one completely different from his righteous, gentlemanly appearance
Honey, were you not paying attention when SW obliterated an entire city of ghosts, and then taunted the Magistrate about it? LOL!
she didn't seem at all surprised to see him
I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. Does that mean she was expecting him? But how? He's the one who travelled back; she didn't. *confused*
On one page, someone had commented "dog shit" in a distinctive chicken-scratch scrawl.
LOLOLOL!
Is it pregnant?
She hasn't even paid enough attention to notice Daqing is male!
He spoke like some doomed extra in a TV show-the kind who sobbed interminably and choked out a single clue but didn't manage to actually name the murderer before finally dying. This particular old man, however, was cut off and cut cleanly in half right before Zhao Yunlan's eyes.
LOL! The image is hilarious. (I have no idea what SW thinks he's doing, why he's trying to keep this from ZYL, but he sure has amazing timing!)
He looked down at his own hand, as bloodied as a butcher's. Withdrawing it uneasily, he roughly wiped it on his cloak, but no amount of wiping made it feel clean. He made no further attempt to touch Zhao Yunlan; instead, he tucked both hands into his sleeves, as if to avoid contaminating him.
:( :( :(
ZYL then taking his hand is great, though.
So much time in the Wangchuan waters had left his hands pale and puffy, too soft and weak to exert any force. One hand nearly slid out of Shen Wei's grasp. He had been under the Huangquan for too long. His eyelids closed heavily as he pillowed his head against the side of the boat. "I'm dizzy," he moaned, through lips drained of color.
The narrative being complicit in ZYL's deception is very annoying to me because it's a symptom of its larger lack of reliability - and I'm already on much too shaky ground trying to understand what's real and what's not. /o\
Kneeling on the bed, Shen Wei threw himself forward and caught a corner of the coat. He started to pull, and Zhao Yunlan continued to roll...right off the edge of the bed. To no one's surprise, he hit the floor with a thump.
After a moment-with the bed between them and each of them holding a corner of the coat-they both broke out into laughter.
Awwww! :D
The 'death' Shennong keeps mentioning is 'Chaos,' right? You didn't let him finish, but I could tell.
However, I can't tell what that's actually supposed to mean. There's a bit more in SW's explanation later, but I can't say I actually understand it.
But the truth is, if there's anything you really want, you could just tell me, and as long as I have it... So why lie to me?
I'd like to know that too.
I want you to personally tell me each and every single thing you did. I don't want to waste my brain cells on wild guesses.
Ha! That's what I'd like from the novel - and alas, I'm not getting it.
I've already shifted my boundaries for you time and again, and demeaned myself just as often
What? When? If anything it's the other way round.
Utter terror boiled up in Shen Wei's heart.
What is he afraid of? Just Kunlun's anger? (In which case, DNW.) Or is there some larger consequence he's worried about? I have no idea.
Ruthlessly, cruelly, he had crushed his own instincts and nature underfoot, contorting himself into the kind of gentle, righteous person Kunlun-jun had once described.
That sounds like he only did that in response to Kunlun. So him already exercising self-control before that, was that another lie? DNW! I liked that!
although I'm guessing that this time, you weren't making stuff up. You just cherry-picked the truth
So those things actually happened as seen? But the original context might have changed the meaning? *tears hair*
"Right, I still haven't asked-how did you bring me back, anyway?"
"The Soul-Executing Blade can cut through anything."
So it's a time travel device too? OMG.
Back when he left behind his shadow, Nüwa's scale, and the dictated Record of Ancient Secrets, he'd already predicted everything that would happen here and now. Each link connects perfectly to the next; the end is an echo of the beginning.
I dislike predetermination and I'm not sure this is meaningfully different. (Unlike the time loop, which really was a perfect example of there's only one path you'll inevitably choose - the element of choice is crucial there!)
The 'me' in the Great Divine Tree-the one who raised the banner in revolt, the one whose heart was choked with all that grief, anger, and rebellion-none of those emotions were mine. They were yours, weren't they?
I have no idea what that actually means for the events in that vision.
"Nothing that comes from your lips, whatever it might be, could ever make me hate you."
♥ ♥ ♥
He was occasionally a little dark, and what was more, he was a genuine conspiracy theorist.
"Your fourth uncle definitely knows more than he's letting on," Chu Shuzhi said decisively. "Why else would he try to take you away at a time like this, and at the same time tell you to give the water dragon pearl to Director Zhao?"
Yeah, that's not being a conspiracy theorist, that's picking up on something extremely blatant!
But...how serious must the situation be for Fourth Uncle to be relocating the entire tribe?
I'm not sure why they're leaving the city, or what he's worried about. (Can't be the Great Seal breaking, surely - that wouldn't just affect the city! Or maybe they're just moving away from the tree?)
I love Daqing taking charge! I love it in the drama too, but it's even better with him in cat form. :D
Guo Changcheng glowed white with his merits-and they seemed to change color. For just an instant, a flame-like orange flash passed across his entire body.
Ooh, very cool! Foreshadowing!
Zhao Yunlan thought he had every reason to keep his guard up around Shen Wei, but before his brain could catch up, he took the proffered hand.
♥ ♥ ♥
Next, a ball of fire like the sun itself fell from the sky.
I wonder if this image is the source of the drama's meteor?
The nearest gui was inexorably drawn toward them and consumed before it could even struggle. The figures fed and fed, and the more gui they consumed, the more clearly defined they became.
And here's the source of Ye Zun's eating power.
Before she turned into Houtu, the Netherworld didn't exist, so there were no such things as 'life,' 'death,' or 'reincarnation.' To those who lived in those days, death was death. As Shennong said, 'death' meant a return to the Chaos-returning to the empty Place of Great Disrespect.
Returning means they originally came from there? I think I'm missing something here.
"It just so happened that Shennong passed by Buzhou Mountain, carrying your soul fire that was meant to deliver all living things, just as Gonggong was riding the divine dragon straight for the mountain. The divine dragon's tail brushed against Shennong and knocked your soul fire from his hands. And then, coincidentally, it landed in the Place of Great Disrespect at the foot of Buzhou Mountain."
So what's going on with the dragon? Wasn't that one of the things that originally didn't add up?
Later SW says, The Water God was close with the Dragon tribe - so Gonggong and the dragon were working together, presumably? But was the dragon blinded? Was toppling the mountain deliberate? I have so many questions!
Of course, it was you who told me all of this. I don't know how true it is. Perhaps it really was a coincidence, or perhaps Shennong did it deliberately. Who can say?
*screams*
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My confusion keeps growing, LOL.
Ha, I know exactly what you mean.
Honey, were you not paying attention when SW obliterated an entire city of ghosts, and then taunted the Magistrate about it? LOL!
Haha, right? He just can't see Shen Wei as anything but gentle and lovely. :D
Does that mean she was expecting him? But how? He's the one who travelled back; she didn't. *confused*
I thought it meant she didn't recognise him, so there was no reason for her to be surprised? But I have no idea.
(I have no idea what SW thinks he's doing, why he's trying to keep this from ZYL, but he sure has amazing timing!)
Ha, right? Was he waiting
off-screenin the wings for the most dramatic moment?The narrative being complicit in ZYL's deception is very annoying to me because it's a symptom of its larger lack of reliability
That's a great point. The physical descriptions of ZYL totally support the lie. Argh!
However, I can't tell what that's actually supposed to mean. There's a bit more in SW's explanation later, but I can't say I actually understand it.
Yeah, it's so confusing.
What is he afraid of? Just Kunlun's anger? (In which case, DNW.) Or is there some larger consequence he's worried about? I have no idea.
Maybe of being perceived as a gui (with all the cannibalistic messiness that goes with it)? I have no idea.
> "The Soul-Executing Blade can cut through anything."
So it's a time travel device too? OMG.
LOL! What is even happening at this point? *imagines Shen Wei dancing up and down the timeline, inserting misleading visions everywhere* /o\
Back when he left behind his shadow, Nüwa's scale, and the dictated Record of Ancient Secrets, he'd already predicted everything that would happen here and now. Each link connects perfectly to the next; the end is an echo of the beginning.
I somehow managed to miss a bunch of paragraphs here, so thanks for highlighting them. (I'm so confused, lol.)
Or maybe they're just moving away from the tree?
Ooh, good point. That could be it!
I wonder if this image is the source of the drama's meteor?
Oh, yes! AWESOME! Thank you, I totally missed that.
So what's going on with the dragon? Wasn't that one of the things that originally didn't add up?
I think the part that didn't add up was ZYL being the one riding the (blinded) dragon. It makes more sense if it's Gonggong, presumably.
> Of course, it was you who told me all of this. I don't know how true it is. Perhaps it really was a coincidence, or perhaps Shennong did it deliberately. Who can say?
**screams*
LOLOL, I KNOW!!
And thanks, as always, for the version comparisons!!
He decided to first go buy a pack of cigarettes to wash out his lungs
LOL!
some things aren't supposed to be investigated, when you're supposed to be confused you should stay confused.
LOL! Maybe priest should have led with that, at the start of the book? ;D
He couldn't imagine how Mister Da Qing would react if he heard this.
Aww, so it definitely is DQ then. So glad he at least had the cat at his side. <3
Yet I lowered my guard and removed you from my list of suspects
Is that in the drama? It sounds really familiar to me. (Maybe it showed up in fic, though.)
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Ikrrrrr, the more he's in denial the funnier it gets. ;D :D BUT OH WAIT, Shen Wei obliterated the ghosts to save Zhao Yunlan, maybe that still counts as righteous and gentle in Zhao Yunlan's book? And he's only puzzled when Shen Wei is ruthless for reasons he doesn't understand?
"The narrative being complicit in ZYL's deception is very annoying to me because it's a symptom of its larger lack of reliability - and I'm already on much too shaky ground trying to understand what's real and what's not. /o\"
This confused me too! I think I'm still a bit confused how his hands are actually pale and puffy and his lips drained of color if he's okay, but I guess some of the physical symptoms are there, they just don't actually make him feel sick? And the rest is Shen Wei's POV and interpretation?
"What is he afraid of? Just Kunlun's anger? (In which case, DNW.) Or is there some larger consequence he's worried about? I have no idea."
I assumed 'Zhao Yunlan will be disgusted with him and leave'.
"Yeah, that's not being a conspiracy theorist, that's picking up on something extremely blatant!"
Right?? The others are not being conspiracy theorists enough. xD
"I'm not sure why they're leaving the city, or what he's worried about. (Can't be the Great Seal breaking, surely - that wouldn't just affect the city! Or maybe they're just moving away from the tree?)"
Idk either, but that could be a good guess with the tree! Oh, and also the yao can't cultivate in the city - maybe they're trying to get as strong as possible before the shit hits the fan?
"I wonder if this image is the source of the drama's meteor?"
Ooooh, could be!! :D
"Returning means they originally came from there? I think I'm missing something here."
I think everything originally came from Chaos? So if there's no death, and there's only life and Chaos, then everyone returns to Chaos.
"Was toppling the mountain deliberate?"
I think definitely on Gonggong's part. (And most likely the dragon's too, now that we've talked about it more elsewhere.)
"He decided to first go buy a pack of cigarettes to wash out his lungs"
Zhao Yunlan's thought processes are always really nice to witness, but this is sure ~a reasoning~. xD xD
"no matter what, he was incapable of treating Shen Wei in an official manner like one put on trial."
This makes me think of him sort-of-literally putting Shen Wei on trial in the drama. :D
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Ruthlessly, cruelly, he had crushed his own instincts and nature underfoot, contorting himself into the kind of gentle, righteous person Kunlun-jun had once described.
I love what we learn about Shen Wei here, and the inherent contrast of violently making yourself gentle.
Everything he does, it really is all for Kunlun, isn't it? At least at this point in time.
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Yes! That is amazing!
(So glad I'm not the only one confused by the mythology and its various dubiously-reliable versions, LOL!)
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Yeah, the mythology is so confusing. (I keep approaching it in a paragraph-by-paragraph, scene-by-scene way that might actually be obscuring the wider picture. /o)
and the inherent contrast of violently making yourself gentle.
It's fascinating! And, like, I feel like it takes even more control to force yourself to be gentle than it does to force yourself to just shut down your reactions and feelings entirely.
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