Guardian Readalong: Vol. 2, Chapters 11 & 12

[trobadora]

Whether you've been with us all the way, are just catching up, or are newly joining in - welcome to this week's chapters!

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

This week's chapters:

• Chapter 11: Zhao Yunlan goes to the SID while blind, figuring out how to properly use his Heavenly Eye along the way. He establishes some new rules for the SID and begins to research Kunlun. They hear about the Yao Market, which should have a cure for his eyesight.
• Chapter 12: Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are domestic and soft, and Daqing takes Shen Wei's measure. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan visit the Yao Market and get their cure. Shen Wei claims not to know details about ancient times. The Crows arrive.

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC/the fan translation are 61-63.

Excerpts:

1) Shen Wei's merits

Zhao Yunlan turned toward him. The perception granted by his Heavenly Eye just kept getting clearer and brighter, and now, through it, he gazed at Shen Wei.

What he saw was row after row of the bright red text that represented Shen Wei's merits. Those crimson characters flashed into existence repeatedly...yet none of them lasted. They appeared with the swiftness of the tide, only to be washed away by vast waves of darkness, as ephemeral as marks in the sand.

Zhao Yunlan's eyes suddenly stung as an emotion crashed over him, surging up from someplace he couldn't identify. It was as though some memory had been buried deep for hundreds of thousands of years, and a hurricane had just passed through and blown away the deep layers of dust covering it. What was revealed was some naked, inescapable truth that stabbed into the heart, setting off cascading waves of pain.


2) What Zhu Hong sees

When Zhu Hong knocked and came in, what she saw was two people who brought out the best in each other without getting in the other's way. She paused in the doorway, gripped by the feeling that if she entered, her presence would be completely extraneous.


3) Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan talk about Zhu Hong and are very soft (sorry for the length of this excerpt, I couldn't bear to cut anything)

Shen Wei looked up from his ancient text. "Do you think she, ah, has feelings for..."

"Mmn." Zhao Yunlan spread out a new piece of yellow paper, measuring with his fingers as he spoke. "I hadn't noticed it before. But now that I do know, I should do something about it before it's too late."

Shen Wei sighed, and Zhao Yunlan chuckled.

"What are you sighing for? What future is there for a workplace romance? Besides, humans and yao don't belong together. What's the point in getting involved?"

Zhao Yunlan only meant exactly what he said, but Shen Wei read more into it than he'd intended. There was a brief silence before Shen Wei asked, "Then you and I...as a ghost and a human, shouldn't we stay apart?"

"What?" Zhao Yunlan reflexively reached out, getting cinnabar all over his hand. After a frozen second, he exclaimed, "We're not the same at all! I like you so much."

He said it so casually, as if there were nothing sweet and romantic about the words. It might have been the kind of idle chitchat people exchange while enjoying tea and a lovely fragrance together. As snow blanketed the world outside, such simple words seemed ordinary, yet warm with sincerity.

A hand suddenly pressed against the hand Zhao Yunlan was using to hold a talisman in place. The touch interrupted the movement of the brush, and the spiritual energy leaked out of the talisman. Just like that, it went to waste.

At some point, Shen Wei had closed the distance between them; now he placed his hands on the chair's armrests, trapping Zhao Yunlan with his arms. Almost piously, Shen Wei closed his eyes and leaned in close. He held his breath, and there was the faintest quiver to his eyelashes. Ever so carefully, he kissed the tip of Zhao Yunlan's nose. Then, even more slowly, he dared to move his mouth lower. This cautious exploration continued until his lips brushed Zhao Yunlan's.

It was incredibly gentle and warm, even as he parted Zhao Yunlan's lips, feeling their slight dryness and dipping so, so softly between them. There was no sense at all that he sought anything more than this.

He was so helplessly in love, yearning for the sweetness of a kiss, for the simple touch of skin on skin.

This man before him was like some sort of deadly poison. Shen Wei had struggled with all his might and still failed to resist. He had only fallen ever deeper.


4) Daqing questions Shen Wei

Daqing cleaned his claws. He and Shen Wei studied each other for a while, and then he asked, "Are you human?"

Shen Wei didn't know how to respond to that.

Daqing hurried to explain. "No, don't misunderstand. That's not an insult. I mean it literally-literally, you understand? As in, are you human or something else...? Something not human, you know?"

The question hit Shen Wei right where it hurt. After a bit more silence, he shook his head.

To his surprise, Daqing let out a sigh of relief. Talking more to himself than Shen Wei, he said, "It's good that you're not human. Not human... Hmm... That little brat has such a punchable face, but he's not a bad person. He really likes you, so don't betray his trust."

Shen Wei said simply, "How could I? As long as he still wants me, I will not betray him in life or death."


5) Shen Wei keeps secrets

Baffled, Zhao Yunlan persisted, "But isn't Gonggong the God of Water? Who's this 'Mountain God of the Great Wild'? God of which mountain? I've never heard of Buzhou also having a Mountain God."

This time Shen Wei took even longer to reply, and his answer was vague. "Maybe it does have one? I don't know the details of things that happened back in those times."

Something in his voice told Zhao Yunlan to stop pressing. He fell silent, idly scratching his fingernail across his palm and occasionally tapping along to the beat of the song.


Questions:

I have so many feelings about the merits just washing away from Shen Wei - how about you? What do you think about Zhao Yunlan essentially locking down the SID without explanation - and what does his team think about it? Did Zhao Yunlan really not notice Zhu Hong's feelings before? How do you like the Yao Market? (Does it remind you of scenes from historical dramas, too?) And we've got a few things in these chapters with parallels in the drama - any thoughts about those?

(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 (which is also where you can sign up to host a post - please do if you can!)

Comments

[facethestrange]

I haven't looked at the actual chapters yet, BUT. :D

"At some point, Shen Wei had closed the distance between them; now he placed his hands on the chair's armrests, trapping Zhao Yunlan with his arms. Almost piously, Shen Wei closed his eyes and leaned in close. He held his breath, and there was the faintest quiver to his eyelashes. Ever so carefully, he kissed the tip of Zhao Yunlan's nose. Then, even more slowly, he dared to move his mouth lower. This cautious exploration continued until his lips brushed Zhao Yunlan's.

It was incredibly gentle and warm, even as he parted Zhao Yunlan's lips, feeling their slight dryness and dipping so, so softly between them. There was no sense at all that he sought anything more than this.

He was so helplessly in love, yearning for the sweetness of a kiss, for the simple touch of skin on skin."

!!! ♡♡♡ This entire scene, SOFTEST THING EVER. ♡♡♡ (And Zhao Yunlan just sitting there being slowly kissed, ahhh. *MELTS* I would love his POV on this too! ♡)

"That little brat has such a punchable face, but he's not a bad person. He really likes you, so don't betray his trust."

Shen Wei said simply, "How could I? As long as he still wants me, I will not betray him in life or death.""

Pinky swear scene? :D (Unless there's another one somewhere else, but a cat can't do an actual pinky swear anyway. xD)

"I have so many feelings about the merits just washing away from Shen Wei - how about you?"

YES, ahh, I know the book lampshades that merits are pretty much just unfair bullshit anyway, but this is SO unfair. Like, just because of what you are, nothing you do will ever actually matter to whoever/whatever is in charge? And knowing about it (there's really no way Shen Wei doesn't know/can't see it, is there?) will really not make you hate yourself any less.

[autodach]

Loving the excerpts! ❤❤❤

As long as he still wants me, I will not betray him in life or death.

Aaaaaah what a quote❤

I have so many feelings about the merits just washing away from Shen Wei - how about you?

It’s so unfair!

Did Zhao Yunlan really not notice Zhu Hong's feelings before?

Seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? Maybe he means he didn’t realize the depth of her attraction to him?

[trobadora]

"Got hit while playing basketball," Zhao Yunlan lied casually.

LOL! I love how easy he is with the excuses, and how casually he tells the driver it's just for a few days, even though at that point he doesn't know that yet. (Or does he, somehow?)

And I like how he tests the driver and his own understanding of what he sees with his Heavenly Eye! Very cool.

Zhao Yunlan could unmistakably feel that something was rapidly awakening within him. What was unclear was whether it was good or bad.

AHHHH, yes! And he's putting things together re: the earthquake, the Awl, and himself. :D

I came back from buying breakfast, and you were gone. You scared me half to death. If you do that again... If you do that again, I'll...

Aw, SW! At least he left a message; it could have been worse! But since the last time Zhao Yunlan went off on his own, he came back blind, I can see why Shen Wei is overreacting just a big. *g*

Those crimson characters flashed into existence repeatedly...yet none of them lasted. They appeared with the swiftness of the tide, only to be washed away by vast waves of darkness, as ephemeral as marks in the sand.

*screams* This is an image that really stayed with me from the last time I tried to read the novel. It's such a horrible worldbuilding set-up! The whole universe is against him. But also, all that red text says so much about who Shen Wei really is, even if the evil system won't allow it to matter.

It was as though some memory had been buried deep for hundreds of thousands of years, and a hurricane had just passed through and blown away the deep layers of dust covering it. What was revealed was some naked, inescapable truth that stabbed into the heart, setting off cascading waves of pain.

I'm not sure what exactly this is about, but it's very vivid!

There's nowhere you wouldn't dare set foot, no one you wouldn't dare cross, right?! You think you're second only to the Heavens, don't you? Fucking dumbass!

Zhu Hong is not wrong, LOL!

I love that Daqing took his research seriously and figured out what happened with Zhao Yunlan's eyes!

(Also, "too much yin energy" (novel) = "black energy corruption" (drama), right? That seems such an obvious equivalence now! Not that it matters for the drama's purposes, but still.)

One look at Shen Wei told Daqing that he was genuinely worried. The cat sighed to himself and continued.

Awww! I love Daqing taking Shen Wei's feelings into account. ♥

Zhao Yunlan essentially locking down the SID: very smart, obviously, with everything that's going on, but also, would it hurt him to explain to anyone what's going on? But none of them even ask why. (I feel the drama team would ask!)

He noticed something at once that hadn't been so apparent the last time he'd read it: a page had clearly been ripped out. To his Heavenly Eye, the torn page seemed to seep a purplish-black blood.

Oh, ouch! Yeah, maybe he'd have been more careful if he'd seen that before ...

Thanks to the language barrier, he always seemed a little stupid; it was often all too easy for the others to forget that he had been a slave who'd turned the fate of an entire tribe. Only when he was silent did his innate spirit and zeal show through.

a) I'm very annoyed that "has language difficulties" means "seems stupid" here, but b) yay for acknowledging there's more to Sangzan than that!

Zhao Yunlan had made a show of not understanding, but of course he understood perfectly well. In writing it out now, he reproduced it exactly.

Ha! (I'd like to understand it, too! Explain, ZYL! :p)

When Zhu Hong knocked and came in, what she saw was two people who brought out the best in each other without getting in the other's way. She paused in the doorway, gripped by the feeling that if she entered, her presence would be completely extraneous.

Awww! I love Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan quietly sitting together, one reading and the other drawing talismans, and I love the idea that they both bring out the best in each other.

Also good to see Zhu Hong doing her job!

"Not only that, but I'll be bringing the family. Right, wifey?"

It's 老婆 again, and I still don't like it. :p But Shen Wei being unimpressed and just telling him to shut up is excellent!

I hadn't noticed it before. But now that I do know, I should do something about it before it's too late.

HOW did you not notice? Zhu Hong wasn't being subtle! (He must have noticed and deliberately refused to acknowledge it even to himself, right?)

Also, Zhao Yunlan saying humans and yao don't belong together, apparently not realising that that would apply even more to humans and ghosts - that reminds me of the drama when they're talking about Zhu Hong and he tells Shen Wei he's not made for love. Equally insensitive.

"We're not the same at all! I like you so much."

Awwwww! :D

He held his breath, and there was the faintest quiver to his eyelashes. Ever so carefully, he kissed the tip of Zhao Yunlan's nose.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! :D

This is such a sweet and lovely moment. ♥ ♥ ♥

He'd never seen such an easily embarrassed human around Zhao Yunlan before. Shen Wei's expression just then wouldn't have been out of place in a photo of a handcuffed sex worker accompanying an article denouncing pornography and illegal activities. His deep blush had crept almost to his neck.

a) Not fond of that comparison. b) Also not fond of the embarrassment and blushing. I know a lot of people like it, but personally it just makes me wince and want to look away.

Daqing raised his tail, gratified by Zhao Yunlan's misfortunes and the pleasing thought that, no matter how lovely Shen Wei looked right now, Zhao Yunlan was denied the sight of him.

LOLOLOL, Daqing! :D

Also loving that he thinks Shen Wei looks more dependable than Zhao Yunlan, LOL.

The phone call with Zhao Yunlan's mother: I know the fandom loves her, but I've always disliked this archetype.

"Are you human?"

I love Daqing questioning Shen Wei, Shen Wei admitting he's not human, and Daqing being all, phew! :D

That little brat has such a punchable face, but he's not a bad person. He really likes you, so don't betray his trust."
Shen Wei said simply, "How could I? As long as he still wants me, I will not betray him in life or death."

Like facethestrange says above, it's the pinky swear moment! Yay!

"I told her to prepare for an extra person. Do you have other plans? Do you want to come home with me?"

I like this! He actually asks if Shen Wei has plans first! \o/

Zhao Yunlan wore a pair of sunglasses and carried a cane, and Shen Wei somehow managed to spare one hand to guide him while carrying a lacquer box in the other.

Hee! I love the little detail about Shen Wei effortlessly carrying the very heavy box, and also, Zhao Yunlan's look is exactly the same in the drama. :D

I was just thinking about how traditionally our relationship has progressed.

OMG ZHAO YUNLAN!!!! LOL.

This was another tradition of the Yao Market. Everyone in attendance had to display part of their original form so that younger attendees with lower cultivation could see who they were dealing with, thus preventing any unhappy misunderstandings.

Oh, very cool!

It was bitterly cold. The Snake tribe, due to their nature, were reluctant to venture out during the winter. Normally, most wouldn't attend these festivities, only sending a couple of representatives to make a brief appearance.

That seems, uh, weirdly arranged? Why would they have the Yao Market at a time so inconvenient to the Snake Tribe? Couldn't they find a more suitable time?

Inside was a pedestrian street about a hundred meters long. Along the sides were roads paved with long stone slabs, and between them was a long, narrow river crossed by a little stone bridge, on which a stage had been assembled.
Crowds bustled on both sides of the river. There were colorful lanterns and streamers everywhere, and most people walking among them were half-human, half-beast. Some yao had set up stalls and were selling their wares to the other tribes before the banquet started.

Hee! I've seen this exact scene (minus the half-transformed yao, of course) in any number of historical cdramas. I love that it instantly evokes a visual. :D

For some reason, Winter Jasmine seemed to fear Shen Wei. Her gaze swept across him hastily before she looked back to Zhao Yunlan. All smiles, she said, "Uncle Black Cat said the Guardian is a dreamboat. So, dreamboat gege, why are you wearing such large sunglasses?"

1) Ying Chun!!! :D :D :D Though she isn't the Flower Tribe leader here - I think everything she says is even more hilarious in the drama, coming from a tribe leader!

2) Daqing said earlier that he wrote to the Flower tribe (about Zhao Yunlan's blindness) - is that part of what he said? Or do he and Ying Chun know each other outside of that? Either way, delightful!

3) No parallel with the drama's dynamic between Ying Chun and Shen Wei (so far), which is a shame!

Zhao Yunlan hadn't even had time to take his other hand out of his pocket, where he was carrying something Daqing had given him. Apparently, it had belonged to the past Guardian...which now seemed to mean it was a treasured belonging from his past life, or his past-past life. It was a tiny luminescent cup carved with moonflowers, indescribably intricate and lovely. The cup was said to be able to store moonlight.

Oooh! Do we ever learn more about that past life? I love getting little bits like this!

It sounds like the Water God, Gonggong.

Oh! That would be the one Shen Wei's Gonggong Blade is named after, right? Smashing mountains and breaking the sky, shifting the Earth's axis, sounds right. :)

(Is his blade ever called that in the novel? If not, it's a very subtle reference in the drama, where the blade is named in episode 33.)

And Shen Wei (of course) keeps everything about Kunlun to himself, just like (for different reasons) in the drama.

In myths, mountain gods were always minor deities on about the same level as the local lords of the land.10 What kind of random country bumpkin official had managed to leave behind such a lasting legacy?

LOLOLOL! :D

Version comparison: I didn't notice anything of substance this time - I expect there are small differences, but the only one I happened to see was that when Daqing says "That little brat has such a punchable face", in the fan translation/JJWXC version he says he "looks like a jerk most of the time" instead. I like the "punchable" version much more! *g*

[china_shop]

Excellent choice of quotes!! \o/

My notes:

The bandage around the eyes is such a different vibe from just dark glasses, wow. Does it even achieve anything? I'm glad they didn't go with that in the drama, anyway.

The fuzzy edges of people’s silhouettes started to sharpen. He began to see the three treasures gathered on the top of each person’s head.

Haha, I'm totally failing to keep up with the worldbuilding. What are the three treasures? It can't be the soul fires, because there's only two of those, and they're on the shoulders, right?

Aww, the taxi driver (and lol, of course ZYL had to test him). <3

That sense ZYL has of something awakening within him is so eerie. How unsettling must that be?!

“Couldn’t you wait for me before wandering off? I came back from buying breakfast, and you were gone. You scared me half to death. If you do that again… If you do that again, I’ll…”
[...]
“I knew you’d come after me right away,” Zhao Yunlan said smoothly.

Poor Shen Wei! (I keep having that "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" song from The Sound of Music going around my head, except it's not Maria. ;-p) (Presumably, this is the "ZYL walks into traffic" moment. <3 <3 <3)

Also, ooh, this makes me wonder if ZYL wandered off to the SID alone in the show, that first morning, and Shen Wei caught up in time for them to arrive at the SID together. (But why would ZYL, when he only wants to be at SW's side?? I don't think it makes as much sense in the drama context.)

Daqing had run off somewhere to be melodramatic.

Omg, whose POV is this? That's so dismissive! *pets DQ*

Ha, I love Zhu Hong throwing the bandages at ZYL and yelling at him. <3 But I'm confused about her asking SW, "Aren't you very powerful?" Does she know his identity? (What am I forgetting? Why am I so bad at keeping track? /o\)

I liked the ZYL & Sang Zan scene, aw. ZYL isn't perfect, but at least he respects SZ's capability.

The title on the book’s cover was plainly visible to the Heavenly Eye. The book flipped itself open before he even had a chance to touch it.

o.O There are magic books?? (Has anyone written a Discworld crossover, I wonder...)

And lol at ZYL's invitation to the Yao Market arriving by sparrow. I am not sure I'd trust sparrows to run a delivery service (unless the sparrow is Yao, of course).

Awwwww, I adore the domestic-fluff peacefulness of the scene in ZYL's office. ZYL relaxing and calming his mind, aww! And this bit:

Zhao Yunlan normally lacked the patience for this kind of work, so it always fell to Chu Shuzhi. But right now—perhaps it was due to his blindness, perhaps he was affected by Shen Wei’s presence, but currently—he sat quietly and calmly in a rare moment of stillness.

Shen Wei is his Ritalin! *hearts and hearts*

I find the whole thing with ZYL selling talismans on the side so charming. It's like, he says he does it for the money, but I bet it's also to make sure there's a ready supply of needed talismans in the market, and it's such a low-key, chill, undramatic thing for him to do. <3 <3 <3

Once more (cf the drama), Shen Wei initiates the "ZH likes you" conversation. *pets him* I feel like his motives here are a bit more insecure? Or oblique, anyway. In the drama, it feels to me like he's sorry for ZH and thinks ZYL should set her straight for her sake, so she can move on. (Maybe an impulse honed from SW having students crushing on him?)

ZYL managing to be straightforward and sincere -- FTW!! :D :D :D And then the incredibly sweet nose-kissing and other kissing, awwwww! <3 <3 <3

Shen Wei nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him.”

That was a relief for Daqing, who still believed that humans required some sense of shame to keep them from just endlessly sinking lower. If there was a point past which they wouldn’t sink, they could be depended upon.

LOLOL. Daqing has so little time for humans. :D :D :D

At first Shen Wei smiled to hear it, but then an involuntary darkness shadowed his eyes. It suddenly struck him more clearly than ever that Zhao Yunlan was a flesh-and-blood human—someone with parents. Unlike Shen Wei, he had countless connections to the Mortal Realm.

This makes me wonder how he feels in the drama about ZYL's issues with Zhao Xinci. They must emphasise ZYL's youth / mortality / modernity -- this is not the Kunlun he thought Kunlun was! <3

And Daqing comes across so much older in the novel than the drama, where he's a perpetual youth. (I do love him demanding fish, lol! <3)

urban centers might be a melting pot of people of all kinds, but it wasn’t actually suitable for cultivation

That makes so much sense. (And "the local Yao Market was on the quieter side" made me laugh, because of the drama.)

Zhao Yunlan winked. “Oh, dear gege, I want you so badly I can’t stand it. Won’t you please give me what I want?”
Angry with embarrassment, Shen Wei shook off Zhao Yunlan’s hand.

Omg, was the whole personality switch case in the drama just so they could include (an approximation of) these lines?? Ahhhh! :D :D :D

I enjoyed all the Yao Market description and worldbuilding, especially that everyone has to display part of their original form. Cool!

The fact that ZYL has to listen carefully to identify Fourth Uncle makes me wonder what he sees with his heavenly eye when he looks at Yao. Do they look like ordinary humans? (I don't think he's using his heavenly eye at this stage -- but why not?)

Like I said above, I love everything they did with Ying Chun in the drama -- ageing her up, making her tribe leader, making her both Shen Wei's ally and concerned with neutrality. And implying a history with Ya Qing. <3 That said, having her call ZYL "Guardian-gege" is almost worth the price of novel admission, lol. :D

And then the Crows, dun dun DUN!

[facethestrange]

"Zhao Yunlan felt around on the coffee table for the bandages and medicine that they’d brought back from the hospital."

I find it kinda funny that the hospital went 'there's nothing medically wrong with your eyes at all, but hey, have some random medicine and bandages for shits and giggles, now go away'. :P

I absolutely love Zhao Yunlan's experiment with the taxi driver and figuring it all out about the merits so quickly (and wondering about the earthquake!). He's always so unassumingly smart and it's wonderful!

I already talked about the unfairness of what happens to Shen Wei's merits (and I probably will again, lol), but now I paid attention to something else - at the beginning of the chapter it specifically says that ZYL can tell apart ghosts from living people specifically by the layer of merits - ghosts don't have one. So I guess this only refers to the actual ghosts who used to be living people, because Shen Wei is referred to as a ghost a lot (including by himself in these chapters), and he clearly has the layer of merits. Is it a translation thing? Or just another one of those differences between actual ghosts and gui/youchu, like with the ghost army? Or is it because he's partially a god? (If it's explained somewhere later, I forgot. :P)

"What was revealed was some naked, inescapable truth that stabbed into the heart, setting off cascading waves of pain.

“I knew you’d come after me right away,” Zhao Yunlan said smoothly. He was almost able to keep the tremble out of his voice. “It’s good that you’re here now. Come inside with me.”"

Ahh, Zhao Yunlan on the verge of crying but pretending that he's not, and also I think comforted by Shen Wei's presence for real, but also he wants to cry about Shen Wei, ahhh. /not coherent, I just love them so much ♡♡♡

"Zhu Hong unwound his bandages with trembling hands. When she saw his eyes, still bright but not quite able to focus, her own eyes reddened.

Zhao Yunlan’s fingers twitched, but he remembered he couldn’t see and shouldn’t grope blindly toward his female employees. A tad embarrassed, he lowered his hand again. “Which of us is blind here? I haven’t shed a single tear, so what are you getting emotional for?”

1) How does he know if he can't see her?

2) Zhao Yunlan, ily, TWO VERY SHORT PARAGRAPHS AGO it was you crying about Shen Wei. xD ♡♡♡

"Daqing made an affirmative sound but glanced at Zhao Yunlan. He had the sudden suspicion that Zhao Yunlan knew something.

But Shen Wei was too worried to think straight and didn’t notice. He barreled on to his next question. “How long will it take him to recover? What medicines does he need? Where can they be found?”

One look at Shen Wei told Daqing that he was genuinely worried. The cat sighed to himself and continued."

I just love this interaction, Shen Wei worried out of his mind (by something that already doesn't even seem like that big of a deal, but it's Zhao Yunlan, and SW is blaming himself too), and DQ slightly exasperated about it and all clear-headed.

“And that reminds me—Zhu Hong, I’ve told them to set up a private room for you on the third floor. For now, when you can’t transform easily and need to rest, stay there. Don’t take any leave.”

This is really considerate, aw!

"“Cat slutterer.” Sangzan was fully aware that his pronunciation wasn’t good, so he made a determined effort to correct himself. “Deeractor… Director… Director Zhao slutterer!”

Zhao Yunlan chuckled and didn’t bother asking any further."

Lol, ZYL just went 'ah, DQ being an asshole, that explains everything, moving on', and THEN, when everything was done:

“And I’ll go kick that fatass Daqing for you.”

♡♡♡!

"The title on the book’s cover was plainly visible to the Heavenly Eye. The book flipped itself open before he even had a chance to touch it. He noticed something at once that hadn’t been so apparent the last time he’d read it: a page had clearly been ripped out. To his Heavenly Eye, the torn page seemed to seep a purplish-black blood."

This is a cool af image, and also him noticing the missing page with his heavenly eye was a part of the plan and not a flaw in it, wasn't it?

"Sangzan shook his head. In a rare instance of perfect pronunciation, he said, “I don’t.”

“Neither do I,” Zhao Yunlan said slowly. “As the one possessing the Soul-Guarding Order, all I wanted was to fulfill my duty of watching over the Mortal Realm, but some people just don’t want to let me live in peace.”"

"In Sangzan’s mind, Zhao Yunlan was halfway to being a savior. Sangzan might have been a self-taught conspirator, but one of the greatest qualities of his people still ran bone-deep: he knew when to love and when to hate."

All of this is SO GOOD. I just really love all of the ZYL and Sangzan's interactions! And ZYL being smart af and figuring everything out and asking for help. Definitely one of my favorite scenes in these chapters. Other than, well, this :D :

"When the curtains on the room’s huge floor-to-ceiling window were open, the room was flooded with winter sunlight. With the heat cranked all the way up, there was no need to wear layers for warmth. The office held two giant taro plants, green and plump, and a tank by the door contained a relaxed, carefree silver arowana.

Leisurely guqin music flowed through the speakers. The office was spacious, and its two occupants had each claimed half. After watering the plants, Shen Wei sat and read a book. He was temporarily serving as Zhao Yunlan’s assistant until his injured eyes recovered.

Zhao Yunlan had asked Shen Wei to mix a bowl of cinnabar and was now sitting at the table with the cinnabar and a thick stack of yellow paper, practicing drawing talismans with his eyes closed. The first ones he drew were a mess, but as he slowly got used to drawing blind, the activity went from an idle time-killer to a way to relax and calm his mind."

♡♡♡!!! I'm quoting everything, all of it, because this entire image, this entire concept, this entire FEEL of this scene, ahhhhhhhhh, I just can't. ♡♡♡ The description of the sunny office with both of them just being relaxed and happy and doing their thing has always been one of my most vivid mental images from the novel (along with the Hanga arc scene with Shen Wei creating the huge curtain around them and Wang Zheng). And that's before all the SOFTEST KISSES EVER which I already flailed about. :D Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. ♡♡♡

"Whether because Shen Wei was already used to Zhao Yunlan’s flirting or because of Zhu Hong’s presence, Shen Wei didn’t put up a fight. He simply smiled with a playful “Oh, shut up” in response."

Shen Wei being playful is so rare and adorable. :)

“We’re not the same at all! I like you so much.”

Aww. AWWWW. And then SOFTEST KISSES EVER not gonna requote them again but it's tempting. :D ♡♡♡ And also it's finally Shen Wei kissing Zhao Yunlan first, without any extra circumstances like being drunk or ZYL being asleep. :) (And I still want Zhao Yunlan's POV on being kissed like this. ♡♡♡)

And Shen Wei is panicking that (exasperated again :D) Daqing saw them, and I'm just like, '... he only saw that you're THE SOFTEST AND SWEETEST PERSON AROUND, that's not particularly shameful', but it's Shen Wei and *gasp* a kiss, so I get it. :)

"Daqing raised his tail, gratified by Zhao Yunlan’s misfortunes and the pleasing thought that, no matter how lovely Shen Wei looked right now, Zhao Yunlan was denied the sight of him."

DQ is such an ASS omg. xD xD

"The change in his posture was like night and day. He went from sitting boldly on his swivel chair, looking powerful and domineering, to shrinking into a ball."

I hate both of Zhao Yunlan's novel parents with a fiery passion, and this may be all I'll ever say about any of their scenes.

"The question hit Shen Wei right where it hurt. After a bit more silence, he shook his head.

To his surprise, Daqing let out a sigh of relief."

DQ just really doesn't have a high opinion of humans, lolol.

"Daqing stared up into his eyes, struck by the sheer weight of the sincerity he saw there. Many, many years had passed since he’d seen such sincerity in anyone. For a moment, he was too shocked to move."

AW! The pinky swear scene is really lovely here too. ♡

"“What did the old lady say? I want to eat her pan-fried little croakers!”

“Eat my ass and fuck off. Don’t trip me.”"

Lololol, and also 100% with Zhao Yunlan here.

"Zhao Yunlan bent down and grabbed Daqing by the scruff of his neck, tossed him aside, and then slapped him on the butt."

An impressive feat while blind. :D

"Zhao Yunlan wore a pair of sunglasses and carried a cane, and Shen Wei somehow managed to spare one hand to guide him while carrying a lacquer box in the other."

And now he wears sunglasses (and I can only see their drama versions here :D), lol, why did he even have the bandage. :P

The fox yao's aesthetic is so cool!

"I was just thinking about how traditionally our relationship has progressed."

LOLOLOL. ♡♡♡

"However, Zhao Yunlan’s shame was nowhere to be seen."

Always my fav Zhao Yunlan ngl, and also is it ever anywhere to be seen. :D :D

"Angry with embarrassment, Shen Wei shook off Zhao Yunlan’s hand. But then, seeing Zhao Yunlan’s hand grasping aimlessly in the air, he gave in after a moment’s hesitation and subtly took hold of it again."

I love that they were holding hands in the first place, and I love this even more. ♡♡♡ (And this may as well be where I subconsciously got the idea that drama Shen Wei fixed Zhao Yunlan's sock after all in episode 8. xD)

"Not too far away, there was the sound of a rough duet between a qin and a xiao. The melody was somber, but the players were obliged to conjure a lively atmosphere in spite of it. The overall effect was somewhat unsettling."

I don't even know anything about instrumental music, but I like the vibe of this!

"Inside was a pedestrian street about a hundred meters long. Along the sides were roads paved with long stone slabs, and between them was a long, narrow river crossed by a little stone bridge, on which a stage had been assembled."

I could never picture the layout of this for the life of me, and I just need to move on or I'll get stuck on it for 10 minutes like I did the first time around. xD

"Hearing that, the thin winter jasmine vines suddenly exploded with growth, instantly spreading all over the bridge like a flower carpet. Countless narrow, fresh buds burst into life, blooming everywhere. From among the flowers, a girl rose.

She was human from the waist up, but her bottom half was still made of flowering vines."

"But Winter Jasmine had already shifted into a tremendous number of vines. She quickly curled up along the entire stone bridge, wrapping each post in flowers. Together with the fine dusting of snow, the bridge seemed to bloom with life."

Yay, Ying Chun gets to go all out with her aesthetic without any need for cgi. :D :D SO PRETTY.

“Uncle Black Cat said the Guardian is a dreamboat. So, dreamboat gege, why are you wearing such large sunglasses?”

:D I love her. :D :D

"Winter Jasmine giggled as she looked closely at his eyes before asking Fourth Uncle, “What’s wrong with the Crow tribe? Why are they going around messing with mortals for no reason?”"

Can she tell what happened just from looking at his eyes? Or does she know it from DQ?

“But you kids shouldn’t worry about such matters. Concentrate on cultivating. When spring comes, bloom properly.”

I kinda love the concept that there are ways to bloom properly.

"Who’s this ‘Mountain God of the Great Wild’? God of which mountain? I’ve never heard of Buzhou also having a Mountain God."

Was hoping that Zhao Yunlan would go to the Yao market to heal his eyes ALSO part of the plan to bring back his memories? He wouldn't have heard this otherwise. (And of course he puts it together with what the crow said!)

"Had Guo Changcheng been there, he would have recognized this half-yao man as the one he’d nearly run over the other day."

This is really cool, and also it confused me because I thought that guy was a ghost, but I think it doesn't actually say that anywhere? (Also, more than half of this volume takes place in two days!)

"Shen Wei pulled Zhao Yunlan behind him, gaze growing cold."

He's not there as the Emissary, is he? But the Guardian needs to be protected by him, aw. :D