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sid_guardian2025-02-08 10:39 pm
trobadora) wrote in sid_guardian2025-02-08 10:39 pm
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Guardian readalong: chapters 25 & 26
Hi, welcome to this week's chapters of our Guardian readalong!
Last week's post (chapters 23 & 24) is here, and you can find all previous chapter discussions on the schedule posts (prologue, 1-16, 17-) or via the !readalong tag.
This week's chapters:
- Chapter 25: in which Zhao Yunlan and the Emissary discuss destroying the Mountain-River Awl, Zhao Yunlan has questions and the Emissary gives no answers, and a surprise Ghost Face appears;
- Chapter 26: in which the Emissary uses Zhao Yunlan's given name, they fight Youchu and Ghost Face, the latter tries to poke at sore spots, Sangzan makes an appearance, and the Mountain-River Awl melts into its true form.
Excerpts
1) Zhao Yunlan asks questions, and the Emissary doesn't lie
Realizing he’d said too much, the Soul-Executing Emissary made no reply. Zhao Yunlan was far too astute. He showed a facade of being brash and unreliable, but that was a cover for his true shrewdness. Whenever he exposed his sharp mind without warning, he could cut right to the heart of an issue.
Zhao Yunlan wasn’t about to let the Emissary off so easily. His gaze slowly lowered, coming to rest on the Soul-Executing Emissary’s wide sleeves. “The blood on my lord’s sleeves is still wet. I’d never even heard of a youchu until recently, when they appeared at almost the exact same time as the Reincarnation Dial, one of the Four Hallowed Artifacts. The Netherworld had never breathed a word to me about them before. What exactly are youchu? Where did they come from? They can’t have just appeared out of nowhere. And as for these so-called ‘Hallowed Artifacts,’ shouldn’t everyone be fighting as hard as they can for them? Why would you guys let them drift around the Mortal Realm for all these years?”
The Emissary was accustomed to questioning others; he had never been on the receiving end like this. He was quiet for a long time. Finally, unable to offer a good excuse, he acted like a gentleman and offered the only truth he could. “Forgive me, but I cannot say.”
Lying to someone like Zhao Yunlan was basically asking to be humiliated. It was much simpler to fall back on “I can’t tell you,” which took much less energy than lying.
Lighting another cigarette, Zhao Yunlan took a deep drag and stopped asking.
2) Our antagonist makes an appearance
From the moment he’d entered the valley, Zhao Yunlan had kept one hand tucked in his pocket, holding his gun at the ready. Reacting instantaneously, he drew the gun, braced his wrist on the Emissary’s shoulder, and fired without even blinking.
Through the silencer, the bullet hit the attacker square in the forehead. At the same time, the the Emissary swung the blade to the side. He turned like a vortex of night incarnate, a fierce gale rising around him. The friction of his blade and its sheath made an earsplitting sound as the end collided with the descending giant axe.
They both took three steps back. That was when Zhao Yunlan realized the axe-wielder’s face was covered by a deathly pale ghost mask. Ink-black fluid was trickling from the bullet hole in his forehead.
The ghost-faced figure slowly raised his hand, wiped the black blood off, and turned to Zhao Yunlan. Following his movements, the mask’s drawn-on features slowly twisted into something resembling a smile.
“Guardian.” The voice was muffled beneath the mask. “It’s been thousands of years, but you haven’t changed a bit.”
3) Zhao Yunlan has opinions about masks
Zhao Yunlan laughed. “Yeah, I just said that to fool him. Did he really think I was going to split the Mountain-River Awl? I’ve noticed that people who go around wearing masks don’t tend to be very smart.”
“…”
“Ah—that doesn’t include you, my lord,” Zhao Yunlan added, making it worse. “Of course not.”
The Soul-Executing Emissary was perfectly aware that Zhao Yunlan was unhappy about his many secrets. The fearless piece of shit was blatantly insulting him while claiming not to. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry, but one thing was clear: Zhao Yunlan had almost certainly overheard the last thing his ghost-faced adversary had said, and he was now making some extremely calculated jabs as a result.
On the one hand, it gave him the sense that their relationship was becoming more casual and familiar; on the other, Zhao Yunlan was subtly conveying that he wouldn’t make wild guesses just because of a few overheard words.
The Emissary’s heart sank. The man really was incredibly astute. It was likely that he wouldn’t be able to hide the truth from him for much longer.
4) Zhao Yunlan shares his philosophy
Wang Zheng was silent for a while. Finally, she said softly, “So right from the start, I was powerless to do anything about all this?”
“Just realizing that now, you dumbass?” Zhao Yunlan suddenly laughed and pulled the ripped-out page about the Luobula Curse from his ratty wallet. He dug a hole and buried it deep under the snow. “There are always things that you can’t control. Either you become strong enough to solve every problem, or you just forget it. It’s not good to obsess over them. That just eats up your mental RAM.”
This time, Wang Zheng was silent for even longer.
Questions
Ghost Face, aka Gui Mian, aka Mianmian! What do you think of his appearance here? And about his interactions with Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei? And just what, and how much, has Zhao Yunlan guessed about what the Emissary is keeping from him? Why do you think Zhao Yunlan decided to rescue Sangzan, give that he knows nothing about the guy's current frame of mind? What about Zhao Yunlan's philosophy? And this is all pretty different from the drama, but any thoughts on the bits and pieces that did make it into 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 please do sign up to host a post if you can!)
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The Emissary shook his head. "Executing a soul for no reason is unjust."
♥ ♥ ♥
Realizing he'd said too much, the Soul-Executing Emissary made no reply. Zhao Yunlan was far too astute. He showed a facade of being brash and unreliable, but that was a cover for his true shrewdness. Whenever he exposed his sharp mind without warning, he could cut right to the heart of an issue.
ZYL in a nutshell! :D
The Emissary was accustomed to questioning others; he had never been on the receiving end like this. He was quiet for a long time. Finally, unable to offer a good excuse, he acted like a gentleman and offered the only truth he could. "Forgive me, but I cannot say."
Lying to someone like Zhao Yunlan was basically asking to be humiliated. It was much simpler to fall back on "I can't tell you," which took much less energy than lying.
1) Awwww! and 2) I'm so fascinated by this, that he jumps straight to "can't say", rather than even trying to lie to Zhao Yunlan! He really doesn't want to keep secrets, even if he feels he has to.
Zhao Yunlan went completely still. Something beyond words stirred in his heart. He listened carefully and found himself speaking in unison with the voice. "Stone that is aged but not yet old; water that is frozen but not yet cold; body that is dead but not yet born; soul that is melted but not yet burned..."
Oh, it's that quote! I never could make sense of its use in the drama, and somehow I suspect the novel won't do much to clarify it, but I'm definitely curious. *g*
"Guardian." The voice was muffled beneath the mask. "It's been thousands of years, but you haven't changed a bit."
Zhao Yunlan arched an incredulous brow. That was rich, coming from someone he'd never heard of. And where did the "thousands of years" come from?
LOL! I didn't remember much about Ghost Face from my previous attempt at reading the novel, only that he's very different from the drama's Ye Zun. But even just reading this single scene, I totally get why Ghost Face has fans; he's very fun here. (And also why they made him into Shen Wei's younger brother - he acts so much like a bratty younger brother here!)
"The Guardian didn't quite disregard me like this before. But it doesn't matter. After all, the favor of lending a fire couldn't be repaid even if I died hundreds-"
Oh, what a fascinating hint! I don't actually remember anything about this, LOL.
Do I look like someone who just makes friends randomly?
ZHAO YUNLAN!!!!!! *dies*
That was exactly what Wang Zheng was afraid of: Zhao Yunlan having ideas.
LOL!!!! Wang Zheng knows him! :D
In desperation, he yelled, "Yunlan!"
!!!!!!!!!
The blade cut into his mask, but then the Emissary seemed to hesitate. His attention snapped back and he quickly withdrew, leaving the mask scored but intact.
That has to be such a fascinating bit when you're reading for the first time! Does anyone remember how they reacted to this when they didn't know (if there ever was such a time)?
Ominously, the Emissary said, "If you dare touch even a strand of his hair, I will make you regret ever crawling out of that place."
The ghost-faced figure laughed loudly. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"Try me and find out," the Emissary replied.
Yes, Shen Wei! :D
I've noticed that people who go around wearing masks don't tend to be very smart.
LOLOLOL! Also, poor Shen Wei.
Finally, on differences between the versions: the only thing I'm seeing this time is the very end of chapter 24, where Wang Zheng says, "I haven't thanked you yet" - in the JJWXC version, there's an additional bit of conversation:
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I also just went "♡♡♡!" at this, yes. :D
"Oh, it's that quote! I never could make sense of its use in the drama"
OMG, it had so much zero context in the drama that when I read the novel I actually forgot I knew it from the drama and wondered for a second where I knew it from, like from some real life source. xD
Ghost Face feels weirdly a lot like Ye Zun to me, despite, like, pretty much everything being different, and I kinda highkey love them both. :D
"In desperation, he yelled, "Yunlan!""
IKRRRR. ♡♡♡
"Wang Zheng laughs lightly, "I died three hundred years ago, who's a little girl?"
Zhao Yunlan agrees, "You're an old tramp who died three hundred years ago, and you're asking for red packet money? How can you be so shameless?""
Ahhhhh, okay, I LOVE THIS SO MUCH? :D :D :D ZYL & Wang Zheng are genuinely my brotp in the novel, yay more content. :D And another house mention too, lol. Thank you for sharing! :D (And I would ask why apparently some of the best banter always ends up being removed, but this whole book is made of really good banter, there's not much else left that could be removed. :D)
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LOL, that's hilarous!
Ghost Face feels weirdly a lot like Ye Zun to me, despite, like, pretty much everything being different, and I kinda highkey love them both. :D
Yeah, it's amaziang how they manage to preserve the vibe entirely while changing all the facts! That's true adaptational skill.
Also yeah, there's so much banter in this book, hee!
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Me too! I can't tell how much I'm just projecting. :D
but this whole book is made of really good banter, there's not much else left that could be removed.
Haha, so true. :D
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Yes, he’s really as honest as he can be! Also interesting that it’s “I can’t say” rather than “You don’t need to know”.
And also why they made him into Shen Wei's younger brother
True, Ye Zun as the elder is unfathomable XD
In desperation, he yelled, "Yunlan!"
Never gets old! ❤❤❤
Finally, on differences between the versions
Hnnnng once again there are differences…
Thank you for pasting in the missing passage! It’s actually a good scene that fleshed out the relationship between these two. I don’t know why that would be cut.
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Ohgods, I LOVE this observation?? Like, it's not about what Zhao Yunlan can or cannot do or know, it's just about Shen Wei's obligation to protect him? Or something. ♡♡♡ Now I'm going to have thinky thoughts about this. :D
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Yes! There's an important difference!
I'm not sure why that bit got cut either.
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Ooh, such a great point. Yes! (I love how that makes it less a rebuff, and more an "it's out of my hands" thing. <3)
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Right? I love that the Emissary knows him so well.
He really doesn't want to keep secrets, even if he feels he has to.
Do you think he doesn't want to, or he just recognises the futility of trying? I thought it was that he knew ZYL would see through a lie and badger him about it.
(And also why they made him into Shen Wei's younger brother - he acts so much like a bratty younger brother here!)
Yes, so much! :D
And ooh, thank you for the additional conversation. Awwww, the bickering, and Wang Zheng finally saying thank you. She knows that bitching her out means he cares.
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He definitely knows ZYL would see through a lie, but I think he also doesn't want to. Of course he also doesn't want to, and/or feels he can't, tell the truth! *g*
She knows that bitching her out means he cares.
Yes!!!
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The immediate, unplanned synchronization between them is to me soooo much like the drama scene where ZYL stops pretending to be mind controlled, and I'm so here for it. :D
"There are always things that you can’t control. Either you become strong enough to solve every problem, or you just forget it. It’s not good to obsess over them. That just eats up your mental RAM."
I mean, it's just facts. Often easier said than done facts, but still just facts. (And hey, that's exactly why he ignored the information about his soul fire being missing, isn't it? I just realized it. :D)
"Wang Zheng was good tempered. Even when her boss said something so blatantly racist, she was able to stay calm; she didn’t even daydream about beating him up."
I love the implication that she did in fact daydream about beating him up. :D :D
"That was exactly what Wang Zheng was afraid of: Zhao Yunlan having ideas."
"Reflect carefully, Comrade Wang Zheng. You’ll be representing our department at the Party seminar at the end of this year. I’ll get Zhu Hong to find you a corpse to wear, so study hard."
I just love the ZYL & Wang Zheng dynamic so much in general, k, it's so fun to read.
"The person touched the bloody hole in his forehead, exploring inside it."
Idek, this is cool.
"No expression showed on the ghost-faced mask. “I have no wish to hurt you. It would be best if the Guardian stayed out of this.”
There was no change in Zhao Yunlan’s relaxed, easy posture, with one hand tucked into a pocket. He didn’t need to try hard for his streetwise attitude to shine through. “Aiyou, I’m so scared.”"
I just love ZYL so much, SO SO MUCH, DAMN. And the Emissary is not having it at all, which somehow makes it even better. :D :D
"Zhao Yunlan dusted the powder off his hands. “Don’t try to act cool. Acting cool gets you struck by lightning.”"
"Plucking it from the ground, he threw it to the Soul-Executing Emissary. “Here! Your Hallowed Artifact.”"
I LOVE HIM TO PIECES.
"Once the trapped souls think it through, they’ll come out on their own. They’re only still stuck in there because they don’t want to come out yet. What can keep them in there now other than themselves?"
I love this line and this concept.
And teleporting while being cuddled under the cape! ♡♡♡ Very professionally and only as long as necessary, of course. :D
And yesss, I was like 'what in the world are you taking Sangzan for, he's terrifying??', but ZYL is just doing everything for Wang Zheng here (in a really prickly way), so he'd totally do this too, apparently.
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Aaah, yes, absolutely! It’s so fun (and romantic)!❤
And hey, that's exactly why he ignored the information about his soul fire being missing, isn't it? I just realized it
I never made that connection but you’re right! He got over the soul fire stuff awfully quickly after all.
And teleporting while being cuddled under the cape! ♡♡♡ Very professionally and only as long as necessary, of course. :D
They’re being very professional and subtle!❤
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Oooh yes, that is such an excellent parallel! :D :D :D
And hey, that's exactly why he ignored the information about his soul fire being missing, isn't it? I just realized it. :D
Thank you for pointing this out! OMG, yes, that makes so much sense!
I love the implication that she did in fact daydream about beating him up. :D :D
Now whenever drama!Wang Zheng is being absent-minded, I'm going to imagine her daydreaming about beating ZYL up, hee! :D
I just love ZYL so much, SO SO MUCH, DAMN. And the Emissary is not having it at all, which somehow makes it even better. :D :D
♥ ♥ ♥
And yesss, I was like 'what in the world are you taking Sangzan for, he's terrifying??', but ZYL is just doing everything for Wang Zheng here (in a really prickly way), so he'd totally do this too, apparently.
Yeah, he can be so abrasive and mean sometimes, but his actions spell out something very different!
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HEE! :D :D :D
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Ooh, what a great point! Love it.
I just love the ZYL & Wang Zheng dynamic so much in general, k, it's so fun to read.
Agreed! Priest (and ZYL) at their finest. :D
Ahh, that "one hand in his pocket" moment is So Very Zhao Yunlan -- drama and novel versions, both! <3333
but ZYL is just doing everything for Wang Zheng here (in a really prickly way), so he'd totally do this too, apparently.
omg, so true! He's just a big softy, which is why he needs to be an asshole on the outside. :D
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I wish I could have his mindset!
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The Mountain-River Awl suppresses and absorbs souls,” the Emissary said. “Even someone who died peacefully of old age and had their soul drawn into the Awl would eventually become a vicious, resentful spirit, let alone those who died in such bitter, violent ways.
This is such a design flaw, seriously. /o\
I love how beautifully priest has summed up ZYL's character, ahh.
It was much simpler to fall back on “I can’t tell you,” which took much less energy than lying.
Strategy! (The only way to win is not to play, heh.)
Before I died, this was my tribe’s forbidden area. No one but the chief was allowed to come here.
This makes me want the Yashou forbidden area in the drama to have a Hallow too. I guess it has a gateway instead... ;-p
Zhao Yunlan waved to Wang Zheng as if calling a dog, impatiently tapping his watch.
So rude! (Drama!ZYL uses this gesture (beckoning with an upturned palm) to Da Qing at the start of episode 13, iirc.)
And, of course, ZYL doesn't have any gun-related trauma. (I kind of missed that, because it meant we didn't get the overcoming-it moment.)
Following his movements, the mask’s drawn-on features slowly twisted into something resembling a smile.
Creeeeepy.
Sensibly, he stepped aside in case the two clashing titans needed more space. -- hee!
Bi Fang, that pheasant -- ohh, I have a vague recollection that this comes up later? Unless I'm getting it mixed up with something else (or, uh, confused with a fic).
Ominously, the Emissary said, “If you dare touch even a strand of his hair, I will make you regret ever crawling out of that place.”
Kind of showing his hand, here. Like drama!Shen Wei stalking the streets of Dragon City warning Zhu Jiu to keep away from ZYL.
With a great boom, divine fire illuminated the entire Awl.
Zhao Yunlan let his hands fall open, revealing a lightning-invocation talisman that was already disintegrating into fine powder.
For some reason, this feels kind of Harry Potter-ish to me: a talisman for every occasion, rather than a spell.
Once the trapped souls think it through, they’ll come out on their own. They’re only still stuck in there because they don’t want to come out yet. What can keep them in there now other than themselves?
Ooh, is this a metaphor for Shen Wei and his secrets?
The Emissary’s cape opened, revealing that they were at the mountain pass.
So the cape is kind of his portal? Or something? :D
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IKR, and how perfectly this is conveyed in the drama! ♡
"Creeeeepy."
*repeats in a fascinated, enthralled voice* xD
"Kind of showing his hand, here. Like drama!Shen Wei stalking the streets of Dragon City warning Zhu Jiu to keep away from ZYL."
I think here his hand has been out in the open for a while (or always?), nothing left to lose.
"So the cape is kind of his portal? Or something? :D"
I figured it was just to hold him extra close so that they could both teleport together, but the cape does weird things in general, so who knows. :D
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Yes! It truly is Essence of ZYL! :D
I think here his hand has been out in the open for a while (or always?), nothing left to lose.
True! It's not a secret from Ghost Face, obviously. And ZYL is definitely getting the idea, too...
I figured it was just to hold him extra close so that they could both teleport together, but the cape does weird things in general, so who knows. :D
Oh, right, yeah. I guess it could be either. :D
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Seriously!!! I honestly resent this a bit, that the worldbuilding is set up for maximum awfulness here.
This makes me want the Yashou forbidden area in the drama to have a Hallow too. I guess it has a gateway instead... ;-p
It has a place for all the Hallows! They make the trans-temporal videocall from there. So it's still related! *g*
So rude! (Drama!ZYL uses this gesture (beckoning with an upturned palm) to Da Qing at the start of episode 13, iirc.)
It's a lot less rude without the description, at least! "as if calling a dog", indeed. Oh, ZYL, no. :(
(I kind of missed that, because it meant we didn't get the overcoming-it moment.)
Yeah! I miss drama!ZYL's vulnerability - that makes his BAMFness so much more satisfying.
Kind of showing his hand, here. Like drama!Shen Wei stalking the streets of Dragon City warning Zhu Jiu to keep away from ZYL.
Ghost Face knows, though, so there's nothing to hide there, not like with Zhu Jiu.
For some reason, this feels kind of Harry Potter-ish to me: a talisman for every occasion, rather than a spell.
Huh. I guess I'm used to it, so it didn't stand out to me.
Ooh, is this a metaphor for Shen Wei and his secrets?
If it is, I kind of hate it? Shen Wei has good reasons for his secrets!
So the cape is kind of his portal? Or something? :D
Good question! I'm not very clear about that ...
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Oh, excellent point. I'd forgotten. Okay, all is forgiven. :D
It's a lot less rude without the description, at least! "as if calling a dog", indeed.
In Korean class, I was taught that palm-down beckoning was for people, and palm-up beckoning was for animals (and I presume this applies in a lot of the rest of Asia, too). But yeah, I guess specifying that the animal is a dog is going for maximum insult.
Ghost Face knows, though, so there's nothing to hide there, not like with Zhu Jiu.
True. I wonder what ZYL made of it, though.
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Seriously! If it said cat it wouldn't be nearly as offensive.