This week I've had my ~liveblog~ written for like 5 days already, and it turns out that I answered most of the questions in it too. :D
"I understand exactly nothing of what happens on Kunlun Mountain, or what's going on with Zhao Yunlan afterwards. Help?"
Anything specific? I can't say I understand everything, lol, but I'm confident about probably 70% of it, so maybe I can help. :)
(Also I especially love that you chose the first excerpt, and the others are awesome too!)
---
"Unable to release him from the Soul-Guarding Order, all Guo Changcheng could do was tuck a throw blanket over him and put earphones on him so that he could watch movies and not be too bored."
"With a start, he realized that Chu Shuzhi was standing up—and the blanket was covering him now."
AWWWWW, this is so damn sweet and soft, and also I love how this book is just really, really, extremely in favor of putting blankets on each other. :D ♡♡♡
"Keep an eye on your Chu-ge and tell him to remain calm."
The fact that Zhao Yunlan trusts GCC to do that = ♡♡♡! (Except he has no time to do that, lol, and I don't think CSZ can hear the phone call? But he's still calm, so it works out!)
"The paper person bowed at him. Guo Changcheng hastily tried to return the gesture, only to accidentally bonk his head into Zhao Yunlan’s monitor."
Always so much love for GCC being awkward and clumsy in the cutest damn ways. :D :D
"Hearing that, the Emissary whipped around and found himself looking at Zhao Yunlan. He was dressed in hiking gear from head to toe, with a black cat trailing close behind, and carrying a cup of coffee and a burger, which he bit into as he spoke. With a wave, he said, “Have you eaten, my lord? I still have a hash brown.”
For a moment, the Soul-Executing Emissary—Shen Wei—wanted nothing more than to pound him into a hash brown. The fury that washed over him made even the black mist surrounding him tremble.
Zhao Yunlan found a passably flat rock, took a seat, and drained his cup of coffee. Using his canine teeth, he plucked the cheese slice out of his burger and discarded it. There was no outward sign that he realized he’d made the Soul-Executing Emissary swell into a balloon filled with rage."
I'm just quoting all of this because this is A++++ comedy and definitely one of my favorite parts of the whole book. :D :D :D I absolutely love Zhao Yunlan's entire vibe (dressing like he has any idea what he's doing, waving and offering hash browns, plonking on a rock in the middle of nowhere, removing cheese with his TEETH and yeeting it away, what the hell ♡♡♡), and the way Shen Wei's reaction is described made me snort out loud even on the re-read. xD Like, I feel for him and all, but the description is the funniest thing. :D
And then it continues being hilarious for a few lines more, but 1) I'm not gonna quote THIS MUCH lolol I need to stop somewhere, 2) THIS: "Shen Wei moved to shield him from the wind." This is literally immediately after the 'filled with rage' line. I can't with them and how soft they just are out of nowhere, in the middle of everything. ♡♡♡
"“Magistrate” sounded like a weighty title, but he served at the pleasure of the Ten Kings of the Yanluo Courts. By the time matters fell in his lap, he didn’t have all that much power. The Magistrate himself sometimes felt like his real job was to serve as a scapegoat."
I love how they nailed this vibe in the drama! (And everything else about him too!)
"Lightning and wind crashed together in the heavens. Looking up, one could glimpse a shape like that of a black dragon flickering in and out of sight."
The large-scale imagery being impeccable again. ♡♡♡
"Past here is the Kunlun Mountain Pass. My apologies, but we must trouble the Guardian to take us up there."
This confuses me a bit: They seem to be actually unable to enter the mountain without Zhao Yunlan. But Shen Wei was there to go with them to the mountain, while being sure that Zhao Yunlan wouldn't be there. So how were they going to enter? (Or does Shen Wei not know that it's not possible to enter without Zhao Yunlan? Or maybe the Magistrate is still lying, I don't remember what comes next. xD)
"In Shen Wei’s eyes, there was only one person in the world.
As Zhao Yunlan stood there in his mismatched windbreaker and boots, his short hair whipped into a snarled bird’s nest by the wind, another silhouette overlaid him in Shen Wei’s vision: that of a man whose green robe brushed the ground, an image from impossibly long ago."
Who was also a chaos gremlin in his own way ngl. :D :D (Which I know is the point. :D Also this part is just really lovely. ♡♡♡ And ALSO Shen Wei should be judging him for not wearing a hat. xD)
I love the illustration of Daqing's human form, with his cat eyes and fangs, but also I just see his YOHE self from the drama in this scene - it just fits so well. :D
"Holding Daqing’s ponytail in one hand, Zhao Yunlan dug out a cigarette with the other."
I love this ridiculous man's entire vibe SO MUCH.
"He pulled out a napkin, carefully wrapped the cigarette butt and ashes in it, and stuffed it all back into his pocket—very environmentally conscientious."
This is really sweet, and also such a contrast with him throwing cigarette butts on the floor in his new place, lol. At least here he's careful, and the mountain is his home too after all. :)
"As he thought those words, something brushed his fingers. Zhao Yunlan froze, then realized that a tiny, vivid green leaf had sprouted from the Great Divine Tree’s trunk, right between his fingers. It slowly grew into a stalk as thin as a strand of hair and curled gently around his finger."
Soooo lovely and soft, the idea itself and how it's described. ♡♡♡
"Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlan sat on the swollen roots of the Great Divine Tree. He had no place in the chaotic battle"
This (and the battle going on in the background) has a gorgeous piece of fanart! ♡ (And also I love Zhao Yunlan just chilling there and occasionally playing dumb at giant-ass Ghost Face just like he does at everyone else. :D)
"Ghost Face raised a hand and took the attack. There was a soft clang as Daqing’s blade ricocheted off—was his wrist made of iron?"
!!! We were just talking in this comm about the Dixingren who have this power. :D
"Though he could barely stand upright against the fierce wind, Zhao Yunlan successfully maintained his pose like a wise master."
Not even the worst wind can stop Zhao Yunlan from looking like the coolest person around who doesn't have a care in the world. :D
"Ignoring the pain in his wrist, Zhao Yunlan feigned a lack of surprise. All smiles, he said, “I tried to stop you so you wouldn’t get hurt, but you really don’t know what’s good for you, huh?”"
Damn, he really just uses EVERY opportunity to his advantage immediately. ♡
“Whoever gets home first, remember to leave the door unlocked and the lights on. Love you.”
This is so mundane-sounding in such a non-mundane situation, awwww.
"Daqing had to meow delicately and nudge the phone toward him before he even took notice. A jolt ran through him as he seemed to reanimate."
Oooh, so this is why Shen Wei can sit for hours and hours on Zhao Yunlan's bed and not do anything else - he kinda just turns off while waiting? :P (Also I adore DQ's shy meow! Like, he has to talk to the Emissary, but using actual words would be too much. :D)
*casually SETS ZHAO YUNLAN'S FATHER ON FIRE and proceeds to ignore pretty much everything about his scenes because I have better things to focus on* Damn, the fact that it later turns out that there were ulterior motives for the few moments when he's NOT a flaming asshole in this chapter just makes it even worse, which I didn't believe was possible on my first read. :P Moving onnnn...
"“I’m fine.” Zhao Yunlan pressed his forehead into Shen Wei’s shoulder."
AW. This, and the pitiful stomach holding, and the neck kiss, and the brush gift, it's all so casual and soft. ♡♡♡
"…And came face-to-face with a reminder that no one showered with their clothes on."
This was for some reason one of the most memorable lines from my first read, lolol, like, I know Shen Wei is too worried to think about that, it's extremely understandable, but um, duh, Zhao Yunlan is not gonna be clothed if he fell in the bathtub. :P
"Still not looking, he extended his arms and flung the towel over Zhao Yunlan. Blushing right to the tips of his ears, with the thick towel between their bodies, he carefully got Zhao Yunlan out of the tub, half helping and half carrying him."
This is so sweet and adorable in a way that is kind of pathetic of both of them. :D ♡♡♡
"Shen Wei’s throat felt like it was on fire, and his Adam’s apple bobbed."
I can only think of the 'you need to repay me' drama scene here, ngl. :D
"Slowly, he sat on the edge of the bed and gathered Zhao Yunlan close, still bundled in the blanket. He patted Zhao Yunlan’s back softly."
I'm gonna stop quoting every line where they're TOO SOFT FOR WORDS right now because it's gonna be ALL OF THEM. ♡♡♡
"Lowering his head, Shen Wei pressed trembling lips to Zhao Yunlan’s eyes. He kissed that stray droplet, tasting its faint saltiness and bitterness."
Except this, I need to flail about this because I just love eyelid kisses so damn much, and this is a gorgeous one, ahhh. ♡♡♡
“You were the one who sealed Daqing’s memories and severed the connection between me and the Soul-Guarding Order.”
Yeah, so when Daqing blamed being a yao for his memory issues, it really wasn't the case. :)
“You accepted me that day because you thought a mortal life lasts barely a hundred years—over in the blink of an eye. Next time I reincarnate, I’ll just forget you again, right? Were you going to accompany me on this last stretch and then…then follow in Nüwa’s footsteps…?”
This is just heartbreaking, damn.
"It seamlessly blended with the memory of countless intimate, tender midnight dreams from which Shen Wei had bolted awake"
I'm clinging to the word 'tender' here because it means it actually is what both of them want. ♡♡♡ If tenderness is what Shen Wei wants on the deepest, most hidden level, then everything else can in fact be blamed on the 'can't control his violent nature well enough' thing - it's not something that Shen Wei actually wants and has been hiding until now.
Um, so, the sex scene? I really REALLY love the lead-up to it, all the soft touching and cuddling and eyelid kisses, and even on the re-read the one thing that upsets me about the actual sex is not the violence or the dubcon (which are 100% perfectly valid reasons to be upset about it, for the record!), it's the fact that Zhao Yunlan is upset afterwards. And I know he mostly got hurt by the energy drain and not by the sex itself, he just doesn't know it yet, and I know he started out very very distraught already before anything even happened, but damn, if you upset Zhao Yunlan then you upset me too, it's just a thing. :P And Shen Wei really REALLY should be the one to do that. (Even if it can count as unintentional imo.) *sighs a bit* Still love them otherwise tho, a whole lot.
“Yes, you.” Zhao Yunlan said stubbornly. “Lie down and let me ravage you.”
Shen Wei lowered his gaze, the tips of his ears burning. He licked his lips awkwardly and asked, “What nonsense are you going on about in broad daylight?”
I just realized that deflecting Zhao Yunlan plays dumb and clueless, and deflecting Shen Wei plays shy and innocent, really enthusiastically and stubbornly and semi-convincingly, both of them. (I know he can't say 'not doing this again when you're still dying from the first time', but actually, why not? Zhao Yunlan is going to find out about the energy drain, and it's going to work out in the end.)
no subject
"I understand exactly nothing of what happens on Kunlun Mountain, or what's going on with Zhao Yunlan afterwards. Help?"
Anything specific? I can't say I understand everything, lol, but I'm confident about probably 70% of it, so maybe I can help. :)
(Also I especially love that you chose the first excerpt, and the others are awesome too!)
---
"Unable to release him from the Soul-Guarding Order, all Guo Changcheng could do was tuck a throw blanket over him and put earphones on him so that he could watch movies and not be too bored."
"With a start, he realized that Chu Shuzhi was standing up—and the blanket was covering him now."
AWWWWW, this is so damn sweet and soft, and also I love how this book is just really, really, extremely in favor of putting blankets on each other. :D ♡♡♡
"Keep an eye on your Chu-ge and tell him to remain calm."
The fact that Zhao Yunlan trusts GCC to do that = ♡♡♡! (Except he has no time to do that, lol, and I don't think CSZ can hear the phone call? But he's still calm, so it works out!)
"The paper person bowed at him. Guo Changcheng hastily tried to return the gesture, only to accidentally bonk his head into Zhao Yunlan’s monitor."
Always so much love for GCC being awkward and clumsy in the cutest damn ways. :D :D
"Hearing that, the Emissary whipped around and found himself looking at Zhao Yunlan. He was dressed in hiking gear from head to toe, with a black cat trailing close behind, and carrying a cup of coffee and a burger, which he bit into as he spoke. With a wave, he said, “Have you eaten, my lord? I still have a hash brown.”
For a moment, the Soul-Executing Emissary—Shen Wei—wanted nothing more than to pound him into a hash brown. The fury that washed over him made even the black mist surrounding him tremble.
Zhao Yunlan found a passably flat rock, took a seat, and drained his cup of coffee. Using his canine teeth, he plucked the cheese slice out of his burger and discarded it. There was no outward sign that he realized he’d made the Soul-Executing Emissary swell into a balloon filled with rage."
I'm just quoting all of this because this is A++++ comedy and definitely one of my favorite parts of the whole book. :D :D :D I absolutely love Zhao Yunlan's entire vibe (dressing like he has any idea what he's doing, waving and offering hash browns, plonking on a rock in the middle of nowhere, removing cheese with his TEETH and yeeting it away, what the hell ♡♡♡), and the way Shen Wei's reaction is described made me snort out loud even on the re-read. xD Like, I feel for him and all, but the description is the funniest thing. :D
And then it continues being hilarious for a few lines more, but 1) I'm not gonna quote THIS MUCH lolol I need to stop somewhere, 2) THIS: "Shen Wei moved to shield him from the wind." This is literally immediately after the 'filled with rage' line. I can't with them and how soft they just are out of nowhere, in the middle of everything. ♡♡♡
"“Magistrate” sounded like a weighty title, but he served at the pleasure of the Ten Kings of the Yanluo Courts. By the time matters fell in his lap, he didn’t have all that much power. The Magistrate himself sometimes felt like his real job was to serve as a scapegoat."
I love how they nailed this vibe in the drama! (And everything else about him too!)
"Lightning and wind crashed together in the heavens. Looking up, one could glimpse a shape like that of a black dragon flickering in and out of sight."
The large-scale imagery being impeccable again. ♡♡♡
"Past here is the Kunlun Mountain Pass. My apologies, but we must trouble the Guardian to take us up there."
This confuses me a bit: They seem to be actually unable to enter the mountain without Zhao Yunlan. But Shen Wei was there to go with them to the mountain, while being sure that Zhao Yunlan wouldn't be there. So how were they going to enter? (Or does Shen Wei not know that it's not possible to enter without Zhao Yunlan? Or maybe the Magistrate is still lying, I don't remember what comes next. xD)
"In Shen Wei’s eyes, there was only one person in the world.
As Zhao Yunlan stood there in his mismatched windbreaker and boots, his short hair whipped into a snarled bird’s nest by the wind, another silhouette overlaid him in Shen Wei’s vision: that of a man whose green robe brushed the ground, an image from impossibly long ago."
Who was also a chaos gremlin in his own way ngl. :D :D (Which I know is the point. :D Also this part is just really lovely. ♡♡♡ And ALSO Shen Wei should be judging him for not wearing a hat. xD)
I love the illustration of Daqing's human form, with his cat eyes and fangs, but also I just see his YOHE self from the drama in this scene - it just fits so well. :D
"Holding Daqing’s ponytail in one hand, Zhao Yunlan dug out a cigarette with the other."
I love this ridiculous man's entire vibe SO MUCH.
"He pulled out a napkin, carefully wrapped the cigarette butt and ashes in it, and stuffed it all back into his pocket—very environmentally conscientious."
This is really sweet, and also such a contrast with him throwing cigarette butts on the floor in his new place, lol. At least here he's careful, and the mountain is his home too after all. :)
"As he thought those words, something brushed his fingers. Zhao Yunlan froze, then realized that a tiny, vivid green leaf had sprouted from the Great Divine Tree’s trunk, right between his fingers. It slowly grew into a stalk as thin as a strand of hair and curled gently around his finger."
Soooo lovely and soft, the idea itself and how it's described. ♡♡♡
"Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlan sat on the swollen roots of the Great Divine Tree. He had no place in the chaotic battle"
This (and the battle going on in the background) has a gorgeous piece of fanart! ♡ (And also I love Zhao Yunlan just chilling there and occasionally playing dumb at giant-ass Ghost Face just like he does at everyone else. :D)
"Ghost Face raised a hand and took the attack. There was a soft clang as Daqing’s blade ricocheted off—was his wrist made of iron?"
!!! We were just talking in this comm about the Dixingren who have this power. :D
"Though he could barely stand upright against the fierce wind, Zhao Yunlan successfully maintained his pose like a wise master."
Not even the worst wind can stop Zhao Yunlan from looking like the coolest person around who doesn't have a care in the world. :D
"Ignoring the pain in his wrist, Zhao Yunlan feigned a lack of surprise. All smiles, he said, “I tried to stop you so you wouldn’t get hurt, but you really don’t know what’s good for you, huh?”"
Damn, he really just uses EVERY opportunity to his advantage immediately. ♡
“Whoever gets home first, remember to leave the door unlocked and the lights on. Love you.”
This is so mundane-sounding in such a non-mundane situation, awwww.
"Daqing had to meow delicately and nudge the phone toward him before he even took notice. A jolt ran through him as he seemed to reanimate."
Oooh, so this is why Shen Wei can sit for hours and hours on Zhao Yunlan's bed and not do anything else - he kinda just turns off while waiting? :P (Also I adore DQ's shy meow! Like, he has to talk to the Emissary, but using actual words would be too much. :D)
*casually SETS ZHAO YUNLAN'S FATHER ON FIRE and proceeds to ignore pretty much everything about his scenes because I have better things to focus on* Damn, the fact that it later turns out that there were ulterior motives for the few moments when he's NOT a flaming asshole in this chapter just makes it even worse, which I didn't believe was possible on my first read. :P Moving onnnn...
"“I’m fine.” Zhao Yunlan pressed his forehead into Shen Wei’s shoulder."
AW. This, and the pitiful stomach holding, and the neck kiss, and the brush gift, it's all so casual and soft. ♡♡♡
"…And came face-to-face with a reminder that no one showered with their clothes on."
This was for some reason one of the most memorable lines from my first read, lolol, like, I know Shen Wei is too worried to think about that, it's extremely understandable, but um, duh, Zhao Yunlan is not gonna be clothed if he fell in the bathtub. :P
"Still not looking, he extended his arms and flung the towel over Zhao Yunlan. Blushing right to the tips of his ears, with the thick towel between their bodies, he carefully got Zhao Yunlan out of the tub, half helping and half carrying him."
This is so sweet and adorable in a way that is kind of pathetic of both of them. :D ♡♡♡
"Shen Wei’s throat felt like it was on fire, and his Adam’s apple bobbed."
I can only think of the 'you need to repay me' drama scene here, ngl. :D
"Slowly, he sat on the edge of the bed and gathered Zhao Yunlan close, still bundled in the blanket. He patted Zhao Yunlan’s back softly."
I'm gonna stop quoting every line where they're TOO SOFT FOR WORDS right now because it's gonna be ALL OF THEM. ♡♡♡
"Lowering his head, Shen Wei pressed trembling lips to Zhao Yunlan’s eyes. He kissed that stray droplet, tasting its faint saltiness and bitterness."
Except this, I need to flail about this because I just love eyelid kisses so damn much, and this is a gorgeous one, ahhh. ♡♡♡
“You were the one who sealed Daqing’s memories and severed the connection between me and the Soul-Guarding Order.”
Yeah, so when Daqing blamed being a yao for his memory issues, it really wasn't the case. :)
“You accepted me that day because you thought a mortal life lasts barely a hundred years—over in the blink of an eye. Next time I reincarnate, I’ll just forget you again, right? Were you going to accompany me on this last stretch and then…then follow in Nüwa’s footsteps…?”
This is just heartbreaking, damn.
"It seamlessly blended with the memory of countless intimate, tender midnight dreams from which Shen Wei had bolted awake"
I'm clinging to the word 'tender' here because it means it actually is what both of them want. ♡♡♡ If tenderness is what Shen Wei wants on the deepest, most hidden level, then everything else can in fact be blamed on the 'can't control his violent nature well enough' thing - it's not something that Shen Wei actually wants and has been hiding until now.
Um, so, the sex scene? I really REALLY love the lead-up to it, all the soft touching and cuddling and eyelid kisses, and even on the re-read the one thing that upsets me about the actual sex is not the violence or the dubcon (which are 100% perfectly valid reasons to be upset about it, for the record!), it's the fact that Zhao Yunlan is upset afterwards. And I know he mostly got hurt by the energy drain and not by the sex itself, he just doesn't know it yet, and I know he started out very very distraught already before anything even happened, but damn, if you upset Zhao Yunlan then you upset me too, it's just a thing. :P And Shen Wei really REALLY should be the one to do that. (Even if it can count as unintentional imo.) *sighs a bit* Still love them otherwise tho, a whole lot.
“Yes, you.” Zhao Yunlan said stubbornly. “Lie down and let me ravage you.”
Shen Wei lowered his gaze, the tips of his ears burning. He licked his lips awkwardly and asked, “What nonsense are you going on about in broad daylight?”
I just realized that deflecting Zhao Yunlan plays dumb and clueless, and deflecting Shen Wei plays shy and innocent, really enthusiastically and stubbornly and semi-convincingly, both of them. (I know he can't say 'not doing this again when you're still dying from the first time', but actually, why not? Zhao Yunlan is going to find out about the energy drain, and it's going to work out in the end.)