Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Chapters 5 & 6

[china_shop]

Hi, and welcome to this week's installment of the Guardian novel readalong - in this post, we're talking about chapters 5 & 6 of volume 3.

Here are last week's chapters, and you can find all previous discussions in the schedule posts (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4), or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

Chapter 5: Zhao Yunlan, Zhu Hong, and Daqing discuss the Record of Ancient Secrets, a book found in the SID library. They go to the Netherworld to investigate its provenance, keeping Leaves of Illusion in their mouths to keep from being recognised as living beings. At a bookshop where they're making enquiries, the little-girl proprietor says Zhao Yunlan bought the book.
Chapter 6: The proprietor says the Zhao Yunlan who bought the book 11 years ago looked the same. She warns him to be careful. A double-faced ghost finds them and shouts that they're alive. They get mobbed by ghouls. They fight back, but they're vastly outnumbered. Zhao Yunlan protects Shen Wei's coat. In desperation, Zhao Yunlan sets the city on fire, and they run for the gates only to find them shut. Zhao Yunlan feels something awaken inside him. The Emissary arrives and saves them. Zhao Yunlan hugs him and tells him to come home.

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation are chapters 83-84.

Excerpts:

1) Zhao Yunlan questions the name of his order

Zhao Yunlan suddenly tapped the black cat perched on his shoulder. Keeping his voice low, he asked, “What exactly does the ‘Soul-Guarding’ in ‘Soul-Guarding Order’ mean…?”

“Guard the souls of the living, bring peace to the hearts of the dead, atone for crimes done in life, and complete the unfinished cycle.” Daqing’s glance was heavy with judgment. “It’s written right on the back of the Soul-Guarding Order, isn’t it? Are you blind?”

For once, Zhao Yunlan didn’t offer a snappy comeback. Instead, he mumbled, “But why is the order Kunlun-jun left behind called ‘Soul-Guarding’?”

Why not “Mountain-Guarding,” “Sea-Guarding,” or “Monsters- and Demons-Guarding”?



2) The Netherworld is dangerous for living beings

When they reached Ghost City, Zhao Yunlan took out a few Leaves of Illusion. The three of them each tucked one into their mouth—a leaf in the mouth would keep them from smelling like living beings and thus keep the city’s little ghouls from realizing that they were alive. In addition to ghostly immortals and souls waiting for reincarnation, some of Ghost City’s residents were unable to move on and be reincarnated, either because they were still clinging to something or because they had sinned and were there serving their time. Once in Ghost City, they would remain for hundreds or thousands of years. Their obsession with life was beyond the comprehension of a living person.

Once, when Zhao Yunlan had been inexperienced and arrogant, he’d come to the city in pursuit of a living soul who had entered it accidentally. Ultimately, he’d been unable to retrieve it. Instead, he’d witnessed how the little ghosts in the city had swarmed and mobbed the soul, sucking it dry. The reapers had needed to call in reinforcements to quell the violent unrest.

Zhao Yunlan had still been young at the time. After returning to the Mortal Realm, he’d had nightmares for a whole month and came close to being permanently traumatized.



3) Zhao Yunlan is a repeat customer at the Netherworld bookshop

An enigmatic smile crossed the child’s stiff face. A seven- or eight-year-old girl with the expression of a powerful old woman from a wuxia novel might’ve been funny in any other context, but here in Ghost City of the Netherworld, the effect was a bit creepy. “I keep clear, accurate accounts here, of course,” she said. “Every buyer’s full name and identity are checked against The Book of Life and Death. Does the Guardian have any doubts?”

Zhao Yunlan gave it some thought but realized he wasn’t going to learn anything else from her. He put the book away. “Do you remember what the ‘me’ who came and bought that book eleven years ago looked like?”

A corner of her deep-red lips curved up. In a meaningful tone, she said, “A moment ago I couldn’t remember, but now that the Guardian mentions it, it’s coming back to me. Looking at you again, I’ve only just realized that you’re a past visitor who’s returned. If the Guardian hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have realized that it’s been eleven years since then.”



4) They're accosted by a two-faced ghost

The ghost studied Zhao Yunlan, head swinging, and broke out into a fit of giggles as it rocked back and forth.

Zhao Yunlan didn’t want to cause any trouble while they were here. Keeping his gun trained on the ghost, he signaled Zhu Hong to walk the other way. Keeping their distance from it seemed like the best plan.

When the double-faced ghost saw that they were trying to leave, a hissing noise came from its throat. “Humans and ghosts belong on separate paths,” it said. “Humans and ghosts belong on separate paths!”

The words landed like a blow to the heart. Zhao Yunlan instantly thought of Shen Wei. Expression darkening, he snapped his head around and stared at the giggling ghost. With ice dripping from his voice, he said, “I’ve been exercising restraint here because I don’t want to burn bridges with the Netherworld, but you guys keep taking a mile when given an inch.”



5) Zhao Yunlan hugs the Emissary

The expressionless mask Zhao Yunlan had been maintaining, calm to the point of creepiness, finally gave way. Utterly exhausted, he let go of Daqing, letting the fat cat drop to the ground. Then, with no concern for their surroundings, he wrapped his arms around the black-cloaked figure, who was feared and revered by all, and pulled him into a hug. In a hoarse rasp, he said, “Just come home.”

Poor Zhu Hong, having only just returned to human form, wasn’t quite steady on her feet yet. The shock of what she was seeing knocked her on her ass.



Questions:

What's your favourite worldbuilding detail about the Netherworld? Should Zhao Yunlan have left Zhu Hong back at the SID? Is Zhao Yunlan only polite to the bookshop proprietor because he wants something, or is he nicer to spirits when they're in their proper place? What is the deal with the travel diary that describes the Huangquan Road?! Do you think Zhao Yunlan carries Leaves of Illusion with him at all times, or did he stock up for the trip? How sad are you that we didn't get a Dixing bookshop in the drama? Any other thoughts about these chapters (and how they were adapted)?

(As usual, these are all 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!)

Our schedule for this round -- please sign up to host a post if you can!

Comments

[china_shop]

I really enjoyed these chapters. So much cool worldbuilding and cinematic action. A lot of the Netherworld details felt very horror!Miyazaki to me, which was great. And then the ending, aww! <3

Zhao Yunlan picked the book up and brushed his hand over the cover, wiping the cat’s saliva away. “Antiques Street, huh?”

I was pretty judgy about the cat saliva on the ancient text until it became clear the book was from the 1990s, lol. (Do not smear cat saliva on rare manuscripts, people! ;-p)

I love the description of the shop in Antiques St, and the tree being "neither mortal nor ghost." That's so eerie and cool.

A “black-covered book” was one that had been purchased by a book buyer who could work only at night, obtained through certain means from somewhere other than the Mortal Realm.

Kinda love that there's a system for this! I wonder what kind of books they usually are. Posthumous autobiographies?? ;D And what places "other than the Mortal Realm" exist other than the Netherworld??

Given that, how had this book about ancient gods wound up among the books about Nüwa’s creation of humans and how she had repaired the sky? Was it pure coincidence, or had someone predicted that Zhao Yunlan would be looking up that information?

I initially thought this was a counter-action to whoever's been hiding the info about Kunlun. Now I suspect I'm right and I know who it is, but I'm going to wait for chapter 7 to see.

Aww, ZYL staring at his phone while he misses Shen Wei. He doesn't know what to do, but he cannot stand to be apart.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Zhu Hong beat him to it. “Do you think I’m degrading myself, following you around after what happened earlier?” After a beat, Zhao Yunlan said, “I was just going to remind you to wear your down jacket.”

I feel like he's just helping her save face here, right?

The fact that the lanterns outside the store are labelled "Soul-Guarding" made me ????????. (I got a little confused, because I thought they were going to that store to make enquiries, but they immediately head to the Netherworld. Did they stop in at the store to ask, and the novel just elides that? Or was that never the plan to start with?)

I really like ZYL questioning the "Soul-Guarding Order" that he's just taken for granted all this time. What does it meeeeean?

Little oil lamps stood on either side of the road, similar to streetlights. There was one of these “soul-guarding lamps” every three meters or so, each giving off a tiny glow that cast long shadows. Spider lilies bloomed in vivid red, coloring the path in clusters.

Ohh, I just really love the whole description of the Huangquan Road. It's beautiful! I think this is my favourite imagery in these chapters. <3

And then I hit "Some time back, Zhao Yunlan had read a travel diary", and my head exploded. LOL! Whose travel diary? Why are they writing about the Netherworld? Is it in disguise as SF/F? What is happening?

The glow of those lamps cleansed a soul of everything that connected them to the Mortal Realm.

Oh, that's cool! (Presumably doesn't work on living beings?!)

Zhao Yunlan’s face was deathly pale. He swallowed, choking down the blood welling up in his throat.

Ahh, in the novel it's ZYL who (nearly) coughs blood! (Wait, why am I getting deja-vu writing this? *blinks*)

The Leaves of Illusion seem so ~convenient~. (On my first read of the novel, when I got to this part I noted, "An endless supply of convenient doohickeys.") But at the same time, if he didn't have them, he couldn't go here, and he clearly needs to for work and has before, so. Okay.

Shen Wei’s harsh treatment of himself bordered on abuse. He seemed absolutely unwilling to take his own nature into account.

Yes! ZYL sees it. (And needs to see it, so he can move forward, right?)

Love Zhu Hong calling ZYL racist for trying to send her home (even if I think practicalities aren't the same as bigotry; if her yang energy really is a problem, maybe she shouldn't be there).

Daqing jumped down from Zhao Yunlan’s shoulder and led the way. Black cats and black dogs were all beings of both tremendous yin and tremendous violence. Any little ghouls who laid eyes on one would instinctively give them a wide berth, so having a black cat along was like having a police car to clear the way. It made sneaking into Ghost City easy as pie.

LOLOL! Does it still count as sneaking then?

The crone with the longevity cake is so creepy. shivers

“The book most likely came from this store,” the black cat said, looking back at them. “This family reincarnates once every sixty years, the yin alternating with the yang. The person in the yang realm guards the entrance to the Huangquan by the pagoda tree while the person in the yin realm minds the general store in Ghost City.”

That is such a cool system! But does it mean they don't lose their memories when they reincarnate? Maybe they bribe someone... Anyway, I love everything about the bookshop, and am now so sad we didn't get a Dixing bookshop in the drama, when ZYL was looking for the Dijun's Register.

ZYL is so polite to the proprietor (and has clearly prepared for the eventuality of coming here, unless he's bluffing about the meat) -- is he just treading carefully here so nothing goes wrong? Or is he only careless of spirits who've done something wrong or trespassed where they're not supposed to be? I feel like he's been kind and polite before, but I can't remember when. brainfail

I love the reveal that Zhao Yunlan is leaving mysteries for himself!! :DDD

“I was struggling to stay on top of my secret duties as Guardian and going to class at the same time.”

WAIT. WHAT? bb!ZYL was the slayer doing Guardian stuff as a teen?? (Also, I'm pretty confused now about the SID. Did ZYL's dad found it or revive it for ZYL's benefit? (Or was that Shennong's Bowl who did that?)

the effect was a bit creepy

LOL at the understatement. :D

Zhao Yunlan went very still as he processed what she was hinting at: that the Zhao Yunlan who’d originally bought the book had looked much the same as he looked now.

Mysteries and shenanigans, wheee! :D :D :D

ZYL finally realising sexist is bad and maybe he should have been teaching ZH stuff all long. *facepalm*

OMG, the two-faced ghost is so wonderfully creepy and Miyazaki!! (It took me a little while to realise it had been sent by the Magistrate -- it's all part of the trap, and that's why the gate is shut! Which, wait, ZYL set for himself by leaving the book where he knew he'd find it?? That can't be right, can it? *waits for this to untangle itself*)

“Do you want humanity or inhumanity? You must choose. Do you want to walk the Mortal Realm or tread the paths of ghosts? You must choose. Do you want the world above or the abyss beneath? You must choose.”

False dichotomies! Refuse to choose, ZYL!!

A massive python appeared at his side as Zhu Hong shifted into her true form, lashing out at the swarming ghosts and swallowing four or five in a single bite.

Are they edible? I wonder what they're made of. Hope they don't make her sick!

but wave after wave of little nuisances added up to big trouble.

Truth, lol.

What is a snake's "vulnerable spot"?

Even as the ghost disappeared into the wind, it still craned its neck and stuck out its tongue to try and get a taste of the fresh blood and flesh.

Aww, the little ghouls just want some fresh meat. *pets them* Eww! /conflicted ;-)

Awwww, ZYL protecting SW's coat. He is so far gone, there's srsly no going back. *hearts*

And then ZYL, in his desperation sets the whole place alight, and I go, "Lol. Stealth. A quiet little in-and-out-job."

All the ghouls who had gorged themselves on the fire transformed into wingless bird people. Stomachs distended, they flew into the sky, where they exploded.

Growing wings seems pretty random, but I'm loving the concept anyway. :D

As soon as Zhao Yunlan had the whip in hand, a strange energy gathered there—unfamiliar at first, but less so by the moment. The power felt as though it had always been his, as if it was part of him. Something deep inside him was stirring, quickly awakening.

Ahh, the Magistrate's plan is working!!

A sudden blow struck the closed gates behind him. A figure clad entirely in black strode through the resulting person-shaped hole without so much as lowering his head.

LOL, it's a cartoon! :D

When Zhu Hong catches the whip in her mouth, do you think that's deliberate or an injury? I'm assuming the former.

A great boom annihilated nearly half the city’s inhabitants.

Oof, the collateral damage! /o\ (Also, is this drama!SW's power surge at the wedding?)

And haha, ZH is so pleased and grateful to see the Emissary. She doesn't know!

Then, with no concern for their surroundings, he wrapped his arms around the black-cloaked figure, who was feared and revered by all, and pulled him into a hug. In a hoarse rasp, he said, “Just come home.”

\o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/

[autodach]

Argh, time really flies! I still haven’t read/responded to the comments on our last post!


the little-girl proprietor says Zhao Yunlan bought the book

Love the moment where it dawns on the reader that there’s

possibly a spoiler?

time travel

in this novel on top of everything else. The book shop is a great location in general – just the right amount of eerie.
And then the drama incorporated

same spoiler

time travel

into its plot also, but in a totally different way!

In a hoarse rasp, he said, “Just come home.”

Awww❤

Do you think Zhao Yunlan carries Leaves of Illusion with him at all times, or did he stock up for the trip?

I think he just has that on him, along with talismans and all sorts of other stuff.


Iirc we have one of my favourite Shen Wei moments coming up in the next chapter :D

[trobadora]

This tree was a transportation hub linking the realms together; for example, anyone going from the Mortal Realm to the Yao Market, or from the Mortal Realm to the Netherworld, had to pass through there.

This is the same tree that's translated as "locust tree" for the drama! It's 大槐树 in both cases. Googling around has only confused me further about tree terminology, though. All indications say 槐is styphnolobium japonicum, which should be the pagoda tree, and locust trees are something else - except one famous 大槐树is definitely translated as locust tree so idk. (And to further the confusion, the fan translation has "eucalyptus tree" ...)

"So you're saying this book came from the Netherworld?"

How does that go with it coming from a modern printer? Do they have modern printers in the Netherworld??

As night fell, Zhao Yunlan finally gave in and called Shen Wei, but what answered was a cold, robotic female voice: "The number you have dialed is not in service..."

Did Shen Wei cancel his phone plan?! No, the Chinese just says it's out of coverage area. *g*

"What exactly does the 'Soul-Guarding' in 'Soul-Guarding Order' mean...?"

Ha! A question I've been asking myself for a long time, especially since 镇 means such varied things as "guard, calm, suppress, repress". Looking forward to (maybe??) actually finding out the answer. :p

The Huangquan Road ran down the center of the Huangquan River.

I ... do not know how to imagine that. Anyone?

The glow of those lamps cleansed a soul of everything that connected them to the Mortal Realm. By the time a soul reached the Naihe Bridge and had had everything from this life and the ones before washed away with a bowl of Mengpo Soup made from the waters of the Wangchuan River, they were ready for the next life.

Fascinating!

Shen Wei's harsh treatment of himself bordered on abuse. He seemed absolutely unwilling to take his own nature into account. Thousands of years, tens of thousands of years enduring such endless yearning... How could he have done that to himself?

Perfect vibes, but I have to admit I'm not really certain what exactly is meant by "that". /o\

Ghost City is extremely eerie and fascinating, and the little girl shopkeeper is very cool. I really like this whole section, and the way Zhao Yunlan navigates it all!

The buyer's name was clearly recorded: Renwu year, fifteenth day of the seventh month, Guardian, Zhao Yunlan.

What a perfect place to end the chapter at! :D

(壬午 rénwǔ is from the Chinese sexagenary cycle, btw.)

"I was struggling to stay on top of my secret duties as Guardian and going to class at the same time."

Ha! And we were just talking about that - alas, this is no help in clarifying what exactly those secret duties are! *g*

That was the year that he found the long-abandoned Special Investigations Department from some connections and got me installed there.

This is also confusing, because in vol. 2 ch. 18, Papa Zhao said, Remember how I let you indulge your wild fantasies and apply to create some Special Investigations Department? I even pulled some strings for you. So was it created then, or revived?

I do like that ZYL promises to fill Daqing in on Shennong's bowl, since he hasn't yet.

A moment ago I couldn't remember, but now that the Guardian mentions it, it's coming back to me. Looking at you again, I've only just realized that you're a past visitor who's returned.

Huh. Memory shenanigans? Only remembering on it being mentioned reminds me of drama!SW hypnotising Zhu Hong in the Hanga mountains, whereupon she forgets about SW until ZYL mentions him.

Also, I did not remember any of this "suddenly, time travel!" thing at all, not even in the vaguest of terms.

"I'm trying to teach you. I've never had many girls working for me; you're few and far between. I never wanted to force any of you to do legwork or interact with weirdos. But now I don't think that was the right move," Zhao Yunlan said quietly.

Ugh, I don't like ZYL being sexist like that AT ALL. At least he's sort of realising it now! (And for an excuse to infodump, I've definitely seen worse. :p)

Zhao Yunlan had already drawn his gun, finger on the trigger.

Somehow shooting ghosts with a gun is so inherently funny to me!

"Humans and ghosts belong on separate paths!"
The words landed like a blow to the heart. Zhao Yunlan instantly thought of Shen Wei.

♥ ♥ ♥

"Do you want humanity or inhumanity? You must choose. Do you want to walk the Mortal Realm or tread the paths of ghosts? You must choose. Do you want the world above or the abyss beneath? You must choose."

So ominous!

He quickly drew his arm back, and despite the danger, took two seconds to strip off his coat and hug it to his chest.

AWWWW! (Priorities, Zhao Yunlan!!!)

And then, out of nowhere, the Soul-Guarding Whip appeared, and with a crack, tore fiercely through the lifeless sky above Ghost City.

So he's summoning it from elsewhere, yes? Am I interpreting this correctly?

Then, with no concern for their surroundings, he wrapped his arms around the black-cloaked figure, who was feared and revered by all, and pulled him into a hug. In a hoarse rasp, he said, "Just come home."

♥ ♥ ♥

How sad are you that we didn't get a Dixing bookshop in the drama?

VERY!!!!!

Version comparison: Lots of smaller differences this time. Here's some:

• Talking about how Record of Ancient Secrets made it into the SID library, after ZYL says it can't have been from the previous Guardian's tenure because it's too new, the fan translation has this:
  

  "Then we have a conclusion: it was sent along with the cat food."
  
  What Da Qing was saying was that, someone had, somehow, slipped it between bags of cat food and brought it in.



• The JJWXC version/fan translation lists not just black-covered books but also their counterpart:
  
  

  "This is a 'black leather book'," Da Qing butted in. "Black leather books' were referring to the workers on the night shift, who had gotten books not from the human realm through some way. Books not from the human world were opposite from the ones who had only been in contact with the human world; known as the 'white leather books'.



• The crone selling longevity cakes isn't in the fan translation, and neither are the bits about snakes lacking yang energy, and Zhu Hong telling ZYL not to be racist.


• Zhao Yunlan's explanation for why he's suddenly telling Zhu Hong all this stuff is different:
  
  

  "Though I do have a lot of people on my side to do these things, I never thought you'd leave." Zhao Yunlan smiled. "If I did... remember, even if you do cultivate to the point you become Nüwa herself, remember this person here still needs your help. I can't negotiate with eight thousand year olds."



• A bit that's not in the official translation:
  
  

  Zhao Yunlan was expressionless. "What else can we do? Just push through."
  
  As he spoke, he fished out his phone and took pictures of the hungry ghosts, before brandishing the Guardian Whip. "Bring this back as a trophy."
  
  Da Qing shrieked, "Have you lost your mind? Taking photos at this time? Do you want a group photograph with them, to show that you've been here before, you jerk!"
  
  "What are you shouting about?" Zhao Yunlan pushed down Da Qing's screaming head irritably. "This isn't even much, my wife already ran off and I still haven't carried on."
  
  Da Qing: "... ..."
  
  He didn't know what happened, but Zhao Yunlan was most probably shocked badly by Shen Wei.
  
  In that moment, Da Qing gazed at Zhao Yunlan's seemingly calm face, and suspected Zhao Yunlan treated this whole thing as a destressing activity. Based on Da Qing's knowledge of him, the bastard really could do something like this!



• What Zhao Yunlan tells Shen Wei at the end:
  
  JJWXC: 跟我回去。
  Fan translation: Come back with me.
  Official translation: Just come home.
  
  It's just about possible that this is only a difference in translation, but I very much hope the Chinese version the official translator was working from actually said 回家 (go home), not just 回去 (return, go back)!

[trepkos]

I loved that they mentioned having to clean off the cat saliva! I think he was wise to let Zhu Hong come along - he'd have been in trouble sooner without her help.

“Humans and ghosts belong on separate paths!”

The words landed like a blow to the heart.

NOOO!!! Don't believe it!

[facethestrange]

Yay, I am finally caught up on the chapters. :D :D (Not on the comments yet tho, lol. I basically just drew and wrote fics all week instead. xD)

"Zhao Yunlan picked the book up and brushed his hand over the cover, wiping the cat’s saliva away."

Somehow I never thought about the fact that if Daqing carries anything, it has to be in his mouth. xD Zhao Yunlan must be doing this many times a day, lol.

"This tree was a transportation hub linking the realms together; for example, anyone going from the Mortal Realm to the Yao Market, or from the Mortal Realm to the Netherworld, had to pass through there."

I didn't realize that the Yao Market was in a whole other realm, wow, I thought it was just on Earth but in some magically hidden place that regular people couldn't see. (And obviously I love that this is the transportation hub tree from the drama. :D)

"A “black-covered book” was one that had been purchased by a book buyer who could work only at night, obtained through certain means from somewhere other than the Mortal Realm."

I remember being confused about what "could work only at night" means exactly, and I think I still am. :P

"The atmosphere was intensely awkward as the two humans and the cat drove to Antiques Street in the middle of the night."

I know what it means and all, but Zhu Hong is not a human. :P (Later it says "The two people and the cat followed her into the dilapidated general store", which makes a lot more sense. :))

“It’s written right on the back of the Soul-Guarding Order, isn’t it? Are you blind?”

I love that it's been like five days or so since Zhao Yunlan was actually blind, and DQ says this anyway. xD No sarcasm, I actually love it, it's very them. :D

"Why not “Mountain-Guarding,” “Sea-Guarding,” or “Monsters- and Demons-Guarding”?

And what exactly was the “life and death” Shennong kept mentioning in his dreams?"

Some very good questions indeed. And I like how much he thinks about everything even when he's this preoccupied with Shen Wei being gone.

"His heart was heavy as he stepped into the pagoda tree. Following the trunk all the way down would take one to the banks of the Huangquan."

This switches to the next scene immediately, and I kinda lowkey want to know what it's like inside the tree and how long it takes to go down. :P Or does it just teleport them?

I LOVE everything about the imagery of the Huangquan Road! So incredibly cinematic. ♡♡♡

"Zhao Yunlan’s thoughts ran away from him again, and what surfaced was: if this was what became of humans, then what about the gui, who were born deep below the surface? What about Shen Wei…? Shen Wei’s harsh treatment of himself bordered on abuse. He seemed absolutely unwilling to take his own nature into account. Thousands of years, tens of thousands of years enduring such endless yearning… How could he have done that to himself?"

I love this line, and I love all the undertones of it, not just 'if the dead humans are so miserable, Shen Wei is even more miserable' but also 'if dead humans swarm and kill a defenseless person simply because they're hungry and desperate enough, the gui are really not uniquely evil'.

“Enough ants can kill an elephant. These little ghouls are way harder to get rid of than you’d think.”

How tiny are they? Because even if they're toddler-sized or so, I'd still assume that they would be hard to get rid of, so I'd say they're probably even smaller than that, if it's easy to assume they're nbd? I love how some creatures are just really tiny, like baby Daqing who was smaller than a dumpling. :D

"By nature, snakes lack yang energy. This is no place for you."

This is so interesting because having 'too much life' will get you attacked because they want to steal your life, but having not enough of it is also bad? Because you're too close to death already? (I know Zhu Hong says it's racist so idk if it's even true about snakes specifically, lol, but I'm assuming in general it's still true that lack of yang energy would be a problem.)

"Black cats and black dogs were all beings of both tremendous yin"

And then a few lines later there's this, lol, and now I don't know anything anymore. So yin energy makes black cats safe in the Netherworld, but not snakes? (I don't claim to know anything about the mythology, and idk if any of this is Guardian-specific. It just sounds like a contradiction to me, but it doesn't mean that it actually is.)

"As it was neither the first nor the fifteenth of the lunar month, Ghost City seemed somewhat desolate."

Did I miss something about what happens on these days?

“If you eat her longevity cake, it’s not your natural life span that gets extended. Lying in bed in a vegetative state is also a kind of longevity. Got it?”

Yikes, and also if you want to cheat like that, you could also just give the buyers nothing at all instead of fake longevity - it's not like they will know until they die, and it's not like they will complain less after death if they get a horrible life instead. :P

"Zhao Yunlan lifted the cup and smelled it, going through all the motions of tasting it even if he couldn’t actually drink."

This is adorable, and also I just love everything about the little girl in the store, the imagery is wonderful, and the ~mystery~ too!

"The buyer’s name was clearly recorded: Renwu year, fifteenth day of the seventh month, Guardian, Zhao Yunlan."

Oh, here is the fifteenth day! I don't remember if this ends up being relevant to the other line about the fiteenth day though, considering how many other things are already happening here.

"I was about to give up on university and just go work as some phony medium"

:D :D I don't think he would even be a phony medium, since he can in fact see actual ghosts. :D

"That was the year that he found the long-abandoned Special Investigations Department from some connections and got me installed there."

I know there are ~two fathers~, which makes it more complicated (and Zhao Yunlan is wondering about that too), but this was said by Shennong's Bowl before: "Remember how I let you indulge your wild fantasies and apply to create some Special Investigations Department?" So whose idea was SID, Zhao Yunlan's or not?

"If the Guardian hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have realized that it’s been eleven years since then."

Zhao Yunlan went very still as he processed what she was hinting at: that the Zhao Yunlan who’d originally bought the book had looked much the same as he looked now."

This is so cool, and of course he picks up on the phrasing immediately!

"I’ve never had many girls working for me; you’re few and far between. I never wanted to force any of you to do legwork or interact with weirdos."

This is not the reason why Zhu Hong doesn't generally go on field missons in the drama, is it? Even if it's clearly where it came from. :)

"Remember, without practical experience, it wouldn’t matter if you cultivated until you’re equal to the Goddess Nüwa herself. You’d still be just some technical analyst working for me, and you’d never earn the respect of your milky-eyed elders who refuse to die."

I love Zhao Yunlan, and the fact that he had this realization, and that he's saying it out loud. (Also "technical analyst" is so vague that I still don't know what Zhu Hong's job at the SID is. :P)

"The ghost studied Zhao Yunlan, head swinging, and broke out into a fit of giggles as it rocked back and forth."

All the supernatual imagery in these chapters is SO COOL, so well-done, so vivid, I love it! (And the illustration is so good too, I'm glad this scene got one, and I wish at least half of all the other scenes had illustrations too! This time I don't even know any fanart.)

"Countless ghosts and souls peeked out between dilapidated shingles, cracked rocks, and the ground itself. Their peering eyes gleamed with an eerie light as they whispered among themselves."

SO COOL, seriously. ♡

"With Zhu Hong accompanying him, Zhao Yunlan had to tread with more caution than he otherwise might. Forcing the fury in his heart back down, he started to lead her away."

Yes good, if this is what it takes for him to stop putting himself in unnecessary danger, then I'm glad Zhu Hong is there. :P

"The special bullet immediately ignited beneath its skin, turning the creature to ash from the shoulders up."

I didn't remember him having special anti-ghost bullets, though it probably was mentioned before? But I like how it must be the origin of the anti-dark-energy gun from the drama. :)

"An instant later, a fierce wind swept past. A palm-length dagger sheared through the head of the little ghost who was holding the bloodied scale. Even as the ghost disappeared into the wind, it still craned its neck and stuck out its tongue to try and get a taste of the fresh blood and flesh."

Some of these moments are just so incredibly cinematic and would look amazing as animation!

"He quickly drew his arm back, and despite the danger, took two seconds to strip off his coat and hug it to his chest."

The saga of Zhao Yunlan protecting Shen Wei's coat is my favorite thing. ♡♡♡

"She contracted down into a far smaller snake, only the width of a finger, and slithered into Zhao Yunlan’s sleeve. There, she coiled herself around his wrist."

And this is SO CUTE and soft and AWW?? And really memorable to me too! Somehow I had forgotten Daqing turning into a keychain, but I haven't forgotten this. :D

"Zhao Yunlan whipped around and saw that the vicious ghouls, ravaged by starvation, had managed to swallow some of the raging True Flames. All the ghouls who had gorged themselves on the fire transformed into wingless bird people. Stomachs distended, they flew into the sky, where they exploded."

I was thinking it can't possibly be a good idea to eat the flames and, WELL, it clearly isn't. D:

"He grabbed Zhao Yunlan by the hand that held the whip, and the whip curled back onto Zhao Yunlan’s arm."

I love that this is the first thing Shen Wei does. ♡

"The expressionless mask Zhao Yunlan had been maintaining, calm to the point of creepiness, finally gave way. Utterly exhausted, he let go of Daqing, letting the fat cat drop to the ground. Then, with no concern for their surroundings, he wrapped his arms around the black-cloaked figure, who was feared and revered by all, and pulled him into a hug. In a hoarse rasp, he said, “Just come home.”"

Gods, this is so beautiful?? ♡♡♡ I didn't really latch onto this on the first read, and now I'm not really sure why because wow, it's SO MANY FEELS. ♡

"Poor Zhu Hong, having only just returned to human form, wasn’t quite steady on her feet yet. The shock of what she was seeing knocked her on her ass."

And the immediate contrast with the funny is A++. :D :D

"How sad are you that we didn't get a Dixing bookshop in the drama?"

Oooh, that would be super cool! (But we got a bar instead, I don't think the Netherworld has a bar? xD)