Guardian Readalong: Vol. 2, Chapters 15 & 16

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Hi, and welcome to this week's installment of the Guardian novel readalong! ♡

Here are last week's chapters, and you can find all previous discussions on the schedule post (vol. 1 part 1, vol. 1 part 2, vol. 2), or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

• Chapter 15: Zhao Yunlan takes Shen Wei to their still-unfinished new place, and gives him the key. Shen Wei receives bad news from the Netherworld - black clouds have formed in the thirty-third heaven, which hasn't happened for 800 years. Zhao Yunlan suspects that it was caused by Ghost Face, but Shen Wei doesn't explain and leaves for the Netherworld. Zhao Yunlan asks Daqing about Kunlun-jun, but Daqing doesn't remember much. He tells Daqing that Shen Wei is the Soul-Executing Emissary.
  



• Chapter 16: Zhao Yunlan asks Daqing about the Emissary's origin, and Daqing thinks he couldn't have been born from the Netherworld because he's older than the Netherworld. Back at the SID, Zhao Yunlan talks to Sangzan and does research. Information about Kunlun seems to be deliberately erased, so he reads other closely related ancient stories. He thinks that Ghost Face wants to collect the Four Hallowed Artifacts to destroy the Four Pillars that hold up the sky. Chu Shuzhi doesn't regret his crimes and has a fight with Zhao Yunlan about it, until Zhao Yunlan magically binds him to a chair. The Magistrate visits, and asks Zhao Yunlan to go to Kunlun Mountain to stop Ghost Face from acquiring the Merit Brush. He's not fully truthful, and Zhao Yunlan sees right through it. He uses this opportunity to get Chu Shuzhi's merit shackles removed, and agrees to go to Kunlun Mountain, despite a letter from Shen Wei telling him not to agree to anything.
  

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation are:
Chapter 15: From about 1/5 into chapter 68 up to the end of that chapter.
Chapter 16: From the start of chapter 69 until about 2/3 into chapter 71.


Excerpts:

( 1) Zhao Yunlan gives Shen Wei the key to their new place )

( 2) Daqing's reaction to Shen Wei being the Soul-Executing Emissary )

( 3) Sangzan's insight helps Zhao Yunlan figure things out )

( 4) Guo Changcheng continues to follow Chu Shuzhi )

( 5) Zhao Yunlan gets Chu Shuzhi's merit shackles removed )

Questions:

What do you like the most about Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei's new place, and would you like to live there? What do you think Chu Shuzhi's neighbors think about him? Is the primordial past/mythology storyline easy for you to follow? Would you hate or enjoy being in a battle of wits with Zhao Yunlan? What's your favorite Chuguo moment and/or your favorite Weilan moment?

You can answer as many or as few questions as you like, or just comment without answering any of them at all! And if you see this post and you're not actually reading the novel: As always, I would love to know what you think about any of this with limited context. :D

And here is the new schedule, and that's where you can sign up to host a post!