Guardian Readalong: Vol. 2, Chapters 7 & 8

[china_shop]

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 7: The SID team and Shen Wei work to trap the resentful spirit Wang Xiangyang. Zhao Yunlan summons a ghost army using sorcery. Da Qing is incensed; Chu Shuzhi thinks it's cool.
Chapter 8: Shen Wei is furious about the sorcery, but Zhao Yunlan cajoles him out of it. The team interrogates Wang Xiangyang, and we get his backstory. Shen Wei sanctions Wang Xiangyang's revenge, and the Merit Brush is in play. Shen Wei is called to the Netherworld. Zhao Yunlan takes advantage of his absence to go to West Plum Village, stepping into what is most definitely a trap.

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation are 54 to 56.

Excerpts:

1) Da Qing is furious about the sorcery
All the strength seemed to have drained out of Zhao Yunlan. He stumbled back and leaned on the wall behind him, ignoring everyone’s terrified gaze. He shook his still-bleeding hand and said, short of breath, “I still got a little blood on my sleeve. Will dry cleaning get it out?”

Very carefully, Daqing asked, “Yunlan?”

Zhao Yunlan raised a brow. “Hmm?”

That expression was all too familiar. This was the Zhao Yunlan who was always in need of a good swipe. With no further hesitation, Daqing reached out and smacked him. “What the fuck was that?! I never taught you this kind of sorcery!”

Zhao Yunlan said smugly, “Humans can read, dumb cat.”

Daqing jumped to stand on Zhao Yunlan’s thighs, forepaws on the human’s shoulders. Right in Zhao Yunlan’s face, he bellowed, “What exactly did you take out of the library?!”



2) Shen Wei is furious about the sorcery
“Don’t talk to me!” Shen Wei was pale with fury. His hand, still held in midair, trembled. “‘Perish, foes, though mortal or god; any may fall by their blades’? The Guardian’s power must defy description! What mad arrogance! Don’t… Don’t you fear punishment from the Heavens?”

Zhao Yunlan had rarely seen Shen Wei or the Soul-Executing Emissary show true anger. He quickly caught hold of Shen Wei’s ice-cold hands and apologized first, the rest be damned. “You’re absolutely right. I was wrong. If you want to hit me, go ahead. Don’t be mad, okay? Don’t be mad.”

Shen Wei shook him off. “Do you think this is a joke? Are you somehow unaware that gathering souls with the Ghost Army Summons is utterly forbidden sorcery? Do you even understand what sorcery is? Do you imagine the Three Realms are beneath you? With such disregard for the Heavens, will nothing satisfy you but to tear the sky asunder?! When that happens, you…y-you’ll…”

He broke off abruptly. When he could finally speak again, he took half a step back. “When that happens, what am I to do?” he asked, voice shaking.

Zhao Yunlan’s heart ached for him. He reached out to pull Shen Wei into his arms. “I was wrong, babe. I’m sorry.”

He thought his apology was appropriately sincere, but the words triggered something in Shen Wei. Shen Wei shoved him away, pinning him against the door with one hand and grabbing his collar brutally with the other. “Don’t try to fool me the same way you’ve fooled who knows how many others.”

“Okay.” Zhao Yunlan gave a helpless sigh. “I’ll just stop talking, then.”

With no more warning than that, he leaned in to ambush Shen Wei’s icy lips.



3) Chu Shuzhi is supportive of Guo Changcheng during the interrogation
Chu Shuzhi shot a sidelong glance at Guo Changcheng, who immediately sat up straight and looked down at his palm, which he’d turned into a cheat sheet by writing all over it. As though reciting from a book, he began, “N-name, age, time of death, cause of death.”

The resentful spirit’s gaze fell on Guo Changcheng, eliciting another shiver of fright. Chu Shuzhi put a hand on Guo Changcheng’s shoulder.



4) Shen Wei pronounces judgement on Wang Xiangyang
It was Shen Wei who spoke first. “Those who seize what they want without permission are thieves, whether it’s gold and silver or a handful of fruit. Theft is theft. And to cause another person to lose their life in the course of it? I believe they are as guilty as someone committing murder for personal gain.”

As soon as Shen Wei had opened his mouth, it was too late for Zhao Yunlan to stop him. However he appeared at the moment, he was still the Soul-Executing Emissary. Legend said that the Soul-Executing Blade had come into existence even before the Reincarnation Cycle was established. Now that he had spoken, not even the Yanluo Courts could overturn his verdict. With those few words, Shen Wei had essentially sanctioned Wang Xiangyang’s revenge.



5) Zhao Yunlan complains about Shen Wei being called away
Half-seriously, Zhao Yunlan grumbled, “This is horrible. I finally managed to gain a little ground with my lord, so I thought maybe I could get you to put out a little tonight. Now I’ll be spending the night lonely and unsatisfied.” He sighed as he added, “Tomorrow I’ll be coming to work with dark circles under my eyes.”

Speechless, Shen Wei passed through the window without another word and disappeared into a cloud of black mist.


Questions:
Whose contribution to apprehending Wang Xiangyang did you enjoy the most? Whose reaction to the sorcery? Did you enjoy the Weilan dynamic in these chapters? Did Wang Xiangyang's backstory make you feel sorry for him? What do you think of Shen Wei's judgement? On a scale of 1 to 10, how inevitable was it that Zhao Yunlan would walk into the West Plum Village trap?

(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! You don't have to be keeping up with the readalong!)

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