Guardian readalong: chapters 13 & 14

[trobadora]

Hi, welcome back to two more chapters of Guardian! Or welcome aboard, if you're just joining in. :)

Last week's post (chapters 11 & 12) is here, and you can find all previous chapter discussions on the schedule post or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

• Chapter 13: Guo Changcheng's secret merits are explained, Zhao Yunlan single-mindedly stalks pursues Shen Wei, and in the Netherworld, the Emissary's loyalties are questioned.
• Chapter 14: Zhao Yunlan meets Shen Wei for their "date", is turned down, gives himself a stomach ache, and runs into Shen Wei being mugged.

This roughly equals chapters 21-22 in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation, but the two versions diverge significantly this time - there, the gastritis and the mugging come on the day before the planned date, and rather than parting, they go out to eat afterwards.

Excerpts

It was quite hard to choose this time - there's a lot happening in these two chapters!

1) We meet Chu Shuzhi at last!

There was one more member of the criminal investigation unit besides the gorgeous snake lady, the fake monk, and the black cat. Two weeks after the Hunger Ghost incident, this last colleague finally returned from a work trip, worn out from his travels. He sat in the corner for a whole afternoon, silently filling out reimbursement forms, and then put his head on his desk and fell asleep until Director Zhao heard he was back and personally sent him home.

The nameplate on the man's desk said "Chu Shuzhi." Everyone called him "Chu-ge," but Guo Changcheng didn't have the nerve to strike up a conversation. Chu Shuzhi looked around the same age as Lin Jing. He was so skinny that his cheeks were hollow-just skin stretched over bone. It gave him a ferocious look. His brows were always furrowed, and it might have just been Guo Changcheng's imagination, but any time Chu Shuzhi laid eyes on him, that furrow seemed to deepen.


2) How to hit-and-run your crush into a date

"Hey, hear me out." Zhao Yunlan stopped him and earnestly said, "These aren't gifts from me. They're from a friend who's planning to emigrate. He owns so many ancient tomes! Some are even made of silk or bamboo strips. He can't take them with him, and he couldn't bear the thought of giving them away. What if they wound up with someone who didn't appreciate how precious they are? But I thought of you immediately. It would be such a waste for them to fall into someone else's hands. Giving them a good home would be a real favor, Shen-laoshi." Like the silver-tongued devil he was, he kept a straight face while lying through his teeth.

"I-" Shen Wei began, but he only managed that one word before Zhao Yunlan cut him off again.

"What is it? You and I are so close now, but are we even friends if you won't do this little thing for me? Now, I have dinner plans, so I have to go, but I'll see you soon! Take care of the books for me and I'll buy you dinner tomorrow. Make sure you show up!"

He stepped on the gas and drove off without giving Shen Wei a chance to speak. The plan had worked beautifully: he'd given the gift and scored a date. He even started to whistle.


3) The Emissary's loyalties are questioned

"Isn't the Soul-Executing Emissary the protector of the Great Seal?" a reaper asked.

"The Soul-Executing Emissary?" The Magistrate's laugh was cold. "The Emissary comes from the same place as the Chaos King of the Gui. The only reason he wasn't trapped behind the Great Seal with his Chaos King brother was that the Mountain God of the Great Wild elevated him to demigodhood. Do you really believe he'll stand against his own kind? We don't even know how the Chaos King of the Gui laid his hands on the Reincarnation Dial."


4) Zhao Yunlan encounters Shen Wei's pendant

Of its own volition, Zhao Yunlan's gaze came to rest on Shen Wei's pendant. It was a hollow crystal sphere, illuminated by something inside. It might have been made from some sort of fluorescent material. Zhao Yunlan had never seen such a warm, unique light. He almost felt as if the sphere contained a living flame. For no reason he could discern, his heart flooded with familiarity and fondness.

It wasn't until Shen Wei covered it with a hand that Zhao Yunlan realized he'd been staring for far too long.


Questions

Would you like to work at the SID? Any thoughts about Guo Changcheng's extracurricular activities? What do you think about Zhao Yunlan's behaviour towards Shen Wei? Could you follow what's going on in the Netherworld?

Any lines that particularly struck you in these chapters? Favourite bits? If you've read more than one version of these chapters, which do you like better? Thoughts about how the book con, the mugging and the gastritis episode were adapted for the drama?

(As usual, these are just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like!)

Our schedule (and there'll be a new post for more chapters soon, where you'll be able to sign-up to host a post)