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sid_guardian2025-06-01 10:39 pm
trobadora) wrote in sid_guardian2025-06-01 10:39 pm
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Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Chapters 7 & 8
Welcome aboard for this week's chapters of our Guardian readalong!
Here are last week's chapters. You can find all previous discussions on the schedule post (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4), or via the !readalong tag.
This week's chapters:
- Chapter 7: Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei argue about their relationship; Zhu Hong defends Zhao Yunlan by blaming Shen Wei, and Zhao Yunlan again tries to let her down gently. He sends Zhu Hong and Daqing back to Dragon City, then heads towards the Great Seal, with the timely help of the extremely convenient water dragon pearl from Zhu Hong's uncle.
- Chapter 8: Chu Shuzhi returns to Dragon City after a break, carries Guo Changcheng's bag, and learns what he does in his free time. The entire SID is shocked about Shen Wei being the Emissary. Meanwhile Zhao Yunlan reaches the Ancient Merit Tree, and sees memories from being Kunlun.
Excerpts:
1) Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei have a romantic moment, no wait, a confrontation
Teeth gritted, Zhao Yunlan snarled, "I want to fucking drag you home and handcuff you so that you'll stay put."
With his back still turned, so Zhao Yunlan couldn't see, Shen Wei suddenly smiled as though he'd just heard the most stirring, heartfelt romantic declaration the world had ever known. Even the trace of gloom in his eyes turned gentle, as if about to melt.
"If I leave with you, will you take the medicine?" he asked.
"Fuck off!"
Now, finally, he turned around and faced Zhao Yunlan. There was a quiet sigh before he said, "I'm one of the gui, Yunlan. No matter what Kunlun-jun did for me, no matter what...you made of me all those years ago, they're all empty titles. My nature is that of a gui. From their first breath, the gui were inauspicious. At the dawn of Chaos, it was even said in the Mortal Realm that the mere sight of a gui foretold a horrible death and an eternity without peace."
Zhao Yunlan gazed back at him, fighting to contain the restless fury in his heart. "I don't believe in that shit. Just come home with me, and we can figure everything else out from there. Even if we can't be together, you have to at least be somewhere I can see you every day, so I can rest easy..."
"Where you can see me," Shen Wei echoed, very low. His narrow lips twitched as if trying to quirk up but managed only a bitter smile. After a while, he said, voice still soft, "Yunlan, I beg you, stop tormenting me so. In all my existence, my greatest regret is my carelessness in becoming entangled with you and lacking the self-control to keep from making mistake after mistake. I... I think perhaps I'm simply not good enough. I'm too weak and lack the necessary willpower."
2) Zhu Hong's accusations
At first, Zhu Hong didn't know what to say. But people's hearts are unavoidably biased, and her heart held only Zhao Yunlan. She seemed to feel his every emotion as if it were her own. Zhao Yunlan still hadn't said a word, but the more Zhu Hong thought about it, the more frustration she felt on his behalf. Finally, under the double weight of his sadness and her own, she yelled, "He's setting you up to be in the wrong!"
Zhao Yunlan's gaze finally shifted and landed on her. "What was that?"
"He's deliberately setting things up so you're the one in the wrong!" she said indignantly. "If he hadn't sent you mixed signals to begin with, would you have chased him for so long for no reason? You're not the son of the emperor; if he hadn't oh-so-reluctantly given in, would you have forced yourself on him? On the Soul-Executing Emissary ? As if someone that powerful could be forced into anything!"
Zhu Hong's bold accusations made the black cat sway and slide off her feet. It seemed to him that her shattered worldview had been reassembled in record time. The cat was in awe of her ability to take a blow and come back swinging. It was as if she didn't even realize that she was talking about the Soul-Executing Emissary-the same man who, once upon a time, she'd feared so much that she'd been scared to even open his letters.
The more Zhu Hong spoke, the angrier she got and the more her heart ached. She just couldn't let it go. "He obviously seduced you on purpose and then strung you along and played hard to get. He's just a fucking cocktease! If he can't be with you, why didn't he say so in the first place? He's obviously forcing...forcing you to..."
Zhao Yunlan took the last cigarette from the pack in his pocket, lighting it with a flick. After slowly exhaling a puff of white smoke, he asked mildly, "Forcing me to do what?"
For a second, Zhu Hong didn't have an answer, but then a light bulb went off in her mind. "Forcing you to be unable to leave him!" she blurted. "Forcing you to feel like you could never bear to give up on him, until he's all you can see and nothing else matters! The way I see it, his intentions have been sketchy right from the start!"
3) Zhao Yunlan's self-assessment
After giving it a moment of thought, two dimples blossomed on Zhao Yunlan's cheeks. "I must be blind. The same goes for you, actually. Look, I'm a chain-smoking drunk. I'm annoying. I talk too much. I have a shitty temper. At best, I can pretend to be tender and considerate for about three days before I blow my cover. I'm great at wasting money, and I'm no help at all on the everyday-life front, but I'm great at causing trouble. My own mother stopped being able to cope with me and kicked me out ages ago. Why is a beautiful woman like you so hung up on me?"
Zhu Hong looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "You're friend-zoning me!"
"I guess." Zhao Yunlan's eyes slid half closed as he savored the last puff of his cigarette. It smoldered between his fingertips. "True story: I'm too lazy to even wash my socks. I buy seven or eight pairs and wear them all once, and then I shake them out, sort them by how bad they smell, and wear them again. Then I finally stuff them into the laundry bag and send them off to be washed. Rinse and repeat, ad nauseam. Every so often a sock goes missing, so its partner ends up among the mismatched. I didn't start wearing them in pairs until after Shen Wei moved in."
4) Chu Shuzhi's reaction
The first thing Chu Shuzhi noticed was that every single person's eyes were completely blank, as though his coworkers had been collectively struck by lightning. Before he could ask what had happened, Wang Zheng turned to face them. Voice shaking, she asked, "Chu-ge, did you know that Shen-laoshi...th-that Shen Wei...is the Soul-Executing Emissary?"
Chu Shuzhi froze for just a moment but replied calmly. "What won't that dumbass Zhao Yunlan do? Where is he? Realized he's in way over his head and ran off?"
Off to the side, Daqing meowed and said, "He jumped into the Wangchuan River."
"Broken heart?" Chu Shuzhi asked. "What, did he off himself?"
Daqing and Zhu Hong's initial rush of panic had worn off by this point, leaving them mostly calm. Zhu Hong knew that Zhao Yunlan was wearing the water dragon pearl-she'd put it on him just before the trouble started-and that it would protect him from suffering any harm from water. If she was just a little more inclined to be suspicious, she would almost think that her fourth uncle had known something in advance.
"I'm guessing he went to find the Emissary," she said.
Chu Shuzhi's gaze swept across the room. The only other person absent was Lin Jing, who was currently out of town. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the office door. "Let's start by each sharing exactly what we know. Things have been too chaotic recently. Let's pool our information..."
And then he paused abruptly, expression turning to one of horror. It sent everyone else's nervousness through the roof. "What is it, Chu-ge?"
"Wait- Shen Wei is the Soul-Executing Emissary ?" Chu Shuzhi's face had gone green. After another moment, he mumbled, "I've teased him so much!"
Evidently, sometimes one was crowned the King of Calm only thanks to a delayed reaction time.
5) An impudent god and an impudent gui
He kept watch over the pitch-black opening of the seal, sitting against the large stone tablet as he meditated. When boredom struck, he simply stared at the Ancient Merit Tree and spaced out for the whole day. Later, a lovely but unsettling youth would always be close at hand-an ever-present shadow.
At first, Kunlun-jun ignored him, but finally he broke down and said, "We're in your territory now. Why are you still following at my heels?"
The youth's response was immediate and straightforward. "Because I like you."
Kunlun-jun had spent his existence being told that he was absurd and impudent, day in and day out. Presented with the opportunity to say it to someone else, he seized his chance. "How impudent," he scolded, despite not being angry at all.
The young King of the Gui just looked back at him in confusion, with no idea how he was being impudent.
For years and years, Kunlun-jun had been standing guard over the seal, bored out of his mind. He kept teasing. "What do you like about me, then?"
The young King of the Gui's desire for Kunlun-jun was plain as day, for he was yet unmarred by principles and morality. "You're pretty," he said bluntly. "I want to hide you away and hold you every day."
Questions:
What is your favourite Weilan bit in this? Your favourite moment in general? Which SID character has the best moment? How do you like Zhao Yunlan's handling of Zhu Hong's feelings here? Do you think Guo Changcheng is doing the same kind of volunteering in the drama? Do you think Zhao Yunlan is being reckless?
(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 current schedule (a new one will go up soon; if you'd like to sign up to host a future post, please comment on the current schedule!)
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♥ ♥ ♥
The comments will still be here when you find the time! (Best thing about Dreamwidth, honestly.)
The titles for the excerpts are A+++, hahah, especially the first one, and so are the excerpts themselves, all the best scenes!
Yay, glad you like!:D
Hah, idk if he has the time in the drama (though maybe at least he used to do it pre-canon :D), but I hope so because it's one of my favorite things about novel GCC. :D
Yeah, I think not so much after things get going with the SID, because things get busy, but generally speaking it just seems like a very Xiao-Guo thing to do.
Daqing's entire dramatic vibe here, omgggg, especially considering he FELL OFF THE LEDGE when he found out. xD
Haha, right? He's being all superior, as if he'd figured it out himself, but he only knows because ZYL confided in him, and then, as you say, he FELL OFF THE LEDGE, no better than Zhu Hong! ♥ ♥ ♥
I am getting more and more convinced that he's only hiding his face because of Zhao Yunlan and all his previous incarnations (as we talked somewhere else, it's unlikely that the Emissary has never worked with the Guardian before). This is not really dramatic at all, this just feels like 'eh, I have no reason to hide my face' kind of thing (even though there are other people/creatures around, not just Zhu Hong).
That's a great point - you're right, he acts like he has no reason to hide himself, now that ZYL knows. It does make sense, hee!
Lolol, the drama: Let's go literal with the 'butt welded to the throne' thing! :D
Oh, you're right, excellent catch! That's hilarious. :D
Asfgfhdjsklfjgjfdk, SHEN WEI ILY. There is so much happening here, from the entire falsely-calm terrifying vibe, to weaponizing his origins, to 'oh I could kill YOU too btw', ahhhh.
It's fantastic, isn't it? I loved that, but I already had too many quotes in the post, LOL.
I've talked about this scene somewhere before, lol, OH GODS they are just SO UNHINGED, BOTH OF THEM. ♡♡♡
They really are! It works so well because it goes both ways.
A suspicion of what exactly?
Yeah, I was confused about that, too.
Spoilers, I guess? Future vibes at least, lol.) Oh gods, Zhu Hong ILY and ngl I kinda lowkey wish you were more wrong than you are. xD
She's sort of right about the facts but wrong about the vibe of it? I think?
Other than the 'girl' part, so is Shen Wei, lol.
Definítely gentle, kind and beautiful! Not pure because gui, but that's entirely the fault of Evil Worldbuilding™. *g*
Everything Zhao Yunlan says about his traits in this scene is pretty much a perfectly good point and an accurate description, lol, other than this. I think this one is not true at all, but I also think that he genuinely thinks it is true, which is really quite sad.
Yeah, he's not jsut pretending to be tender at all, he is, as the very next bit already shows again, but I don't think he even lets himself acknowledge his own sincerity unless he can't help it. *g*
It is bullshit that his tenderness is all pretend, case in point. :P
Yes! That is so well done, his false claims immediately undermined by his own tenderness, LOL. :D
These two lines are A+++ comedy to me. :D :D :D
The entire scene is hilarious. Just ZYL marching onto the Naihe Bridge and jumping over the railing is amazing. And then the ghost! And the coat! OMG. :D
It is so strangely adorable that his reaction to being in a great mood is to go live in a burial mound. :D :D (And it's so sweet of him that he came back because Zhu Hong is leaving! Srsly, CSZ is just a big softie, kind of. :D)
Yeah, 100% agreed!
The entire scene with GCC carrying all the stuff immediately rememinded me of the drama one in episode 8 (a lot shorter and in an entirely different context, obviously), but the entire humor there is about how CSZ doesn't end up helping him, lol.
Yeah, I was thinking about that contrast, too. Entirely opposite actions yet both with an excellent vibe between these two. :D
I'm assuming it's not 'Walmart' in the original? :D
I thought so, too, and I'm delighted that
Aw, honestly, CSZ knowing really well how much everything is unfair bullshit and STILL being indignant on GCC's behalf is so sweet and earnest of him?
Yeah, I really appreciate that! It is bullshit, and everyone should be indignant about it!
Bwahhh, fantastic second-first reaction too. :D :D :D
Honestly, that was one of my favourite moments in these chapters. I wish we'd had something like this in the drama!
Would it be the same language as Shen Wei's description of the Kunlun painting? ("In fact, it wasn’t any sort of writing he was familiar with. Zhao Yunlan had never laid eyes on it before. And yet, somehow, one quick look told him exactly what it said.") Or specifically not the same one because he would recognize it from the painting?
Oh, good question! I think it would make sense ifit was the same language. If it's character-based rather than alphabet-based, it might not be immediately recognisable as the same language if the two inscriptions didn't share any characters ...
This is the first time it occurred to me, but I feel like the aesthetic of them just sitting side by side, alone in the vast dark landscape in YOHE may have come from this.
Oh, yeah, I didn't think of that, but now that you say it, I can see it!
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Indeed! *cuddles dreamwidth* (And I may have time for some of the past comments later today, yay. :D)
"He's being all superior, as if he'd figured it out himself, but he only knows because ZYL confided in him, and then, as you say, he FELL OFF THE LEDGE, no better than Zhu Hong! ♥ ♥ ♥"
Hahah, and that's very true too - he had not even an inkling before Zhao Yunlan told him! :D
"She's sort of right about the facts but wrong about the vibe of it? I think?"
Yeah, more or less? From what I remember, what she says and what Shen Wei later admits are kind of the exact same sentence paraphrased, lol. (Only this line, not everything else she says.) Which is quite impressive, considering that she really has no knowledge about the situation and she's only taking shots in the dark to make Shen Wei look bad. But I guess if you take many enough shots, you'll hit something at some point. xD
"Definítely gentle, kind and beautiful! Not pure because gui, but that's entirely the fault of Evil Worldbuilding™. *g*"
That entirely depends of what 'pure' means. (Which, to be fair, has like a million definitions, so everyone can plausibly have their own and never find any common ground. xD) I'd say that having violent impulses and staying unfailingly gentle and kind is one of the definitions of morally pure. Spiritually pure in the mythology he lives in? Unfortunately not, yeah. But then how pure are the yao in this context? Is there some kind of hierarchy, or is it just 'gui = filthy, literally everyone else = pure'?
"The entire scene is hilarious. Just ZYL marching onto the Naihe Bridge and jumping over the railing is amazing. And then the ghost! And the coat! OMG. :D"
Right?? :D :D 100% my kind of humor, and it all happens in such a quick succession too, what a ride! :D
"I thought so, too, and I'm delighted that
Ikr, the random facts I learn from this book are fantastic, and every once in a while they're not even about Chinese mythology. xD :D
"Oh, good question! I think it would make sense ifit was the same language. If it's character-based rather than alphabet-based, it might not be immediately recognisable as the same language if the two inscriptions didn't share any characters ..."
Oh, yep, that's a very good point! Plus maybe he didn't even notice any particular characteristics of it if he could just understand it anyway. Like, it could go straight from 'unfamiliar' to 'I know what it says', without the process of actively reading it. I'm so curious about this ancient language now! The language of the gods, I guess?
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Haha, point! :D
But then how pure are the yao in this context? Is there some kind of hierarchy, or is it just 'gui = filthy, literally everyone else = pure'?
I'm not sure about the yao. But humans are contaminated with the three worms, so they're not the purest at any rate.
Like, it could go straight from 'unfamiliar' to 'I know what it says', without the process of actively reading it.
Oh yeah, great point! I wish we knew more about that language, too!
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But humans are contaminated with the three worms, so they're not the purest at any rate.
Does cultivation affect that?
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Couldn't it be the difference between merely contaminated and, essentially, "made entirely of impurity" though? The gui can't cultivate out of impurity because there's literally no part of them that isn't impure to cultivate. But if you're only contaminated, maybe you can cultivate the bits of non-contamination until they outweigh, overtake and oust the impurity.
Or maybe I don't understand anything about how cultivation works. ;-p
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Yeah, that makes sense - once you ascend, that no longer applies, but until then ...
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Soooooo, does human!Kunlun, whose soul has been cleaned, have three-worm contamination, or is he a different thing again -- like an inherently cultivated person?
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:D :D :D
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Oh, true, I forgot about that! And it is the same thing that the gui are made of. I always like all the indications and reminders that the gui are not uniquely filthy or evil. :D
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he acts like he has no reason to hide himself, now that ZYL knows. It does make sense, hee!
And it kind of follows in the drama, too: once ZYL knows, Shen Wei's compartmentalisation starts to break down all over.
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