Are you as surprised by Xiao Guo's bravery and competence as he is?
Not really; it's very him! But I'm relieved, because for years I kept hearing that Xiao-Guo is much more useless in the novel than he is in the drama, and this is very much not that!
What do you think about Zhao Yunlan's decision to sacrifice the Soul-Guarding Order?
I wish I understood the thing better, so I could better form an opinion whether it was a stupid risk or not. *g*
What's your favorite comic relief moment?
The youchu lacking soy sauce or vinegar for his ear snack. :D
Favorite angsty moment?
I know dramatic and terrible things are happening, but these chapters didn't feel very angsty to me.
Any thoughts about the many parallels between these chapters and their drama adaptation?
So many elements puzzled together in a whole new shape, as usual! *admires*
On to my notes:
Guo Changcheng pulled the car over on the roadside, where he hemmed and hawed for a good, long while before finally gathering enough courage to follow the GPS into the nearest town.
Aw! I feel you, Xiao-Guo.
No matter how reasonable she thought the crowd's requests were, she couldn't just go against regulations. She was overcome with frustration.
Aw! Comparing her with Xiao-Guo makes sense, she's a great mirror here. She wants to help! She just doesn't know how.
That was just how Guo Changcheng was. Whenever he wanted to ask others for help, he felt like a tremendously ignorant nuisance. Naturally, that made him afraid of whomever it was, and that grew into a fear of all communication, whether speaking aloud or even just making eye contact. But at a time like this, when he realized that the people in front of him required his help, his words always flowed far more smoothly.
♥ ♥ ♥
And then my dad and cousin disappeared too!
Ooh, so more than one incident? Or an active area that stayed active for some period of time, which these two strayed into?
Everybody who had a missing loved one was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof
I had to check the Chinese for this, and in the JJWXC version at least, it's 热锅上的蚂, ant on a hot pan (an established saying). :D
Guo Changcheng, however, stood frozen in place for a long while, unable to believe that he had actually done it.
♥ ♥ ♥
the blade's icy glint made his lips look scarily pale
Ha! The drama has plenty of Shen Wei with pale lips, but not for that reason. *g*
That's the power of Chaos. It's the only thing the Soul-Executing Blade can't cut through.
Ooh, fascinating! (Did we already know that?)
But before Shen Wei could finish speaking, Zhao Yunlan proved that actions were faster than words.
LOL, just like the other way round before! Though the narrative judges SW a lot more harshly than it does ZYL. *judges the narrative*
Only the right half of the characters were still legible.
The JJWXC version says more than that: 镇魂 (Soul-Guarding) is damaged, leaving 真鬼 (real/true ghost/gui). But in English that wouldn't make any sense, so no wonder the translation left it out.
A pool of clear spring water welled up in his palm, extinguishing the fire on the Soul-Guarding Order, but half of the words were already burned off. Only the right half of the characters were still legible. The words on the back-"Guard the souls of the living, bring peace to the hearts of the dead"-were entirely gone.
1) That's a very cool power for SW!
2) I feel like I should understand more of what damaging the Soul-Guarding Order (and more specifically damaging it in this way) means, and what kind of risk ZYL took here, but honestly I'm not even sure what exactly the thing does. Has that been clarified before? Can anyone remind me?
(The Order is what makes Kunlun's reincarnations "the Guardian", which presumably is what grants him his powers, but idk if there's more to it than that? SW's words make it sound like his reincarnation is tied up with it in some way, too. And also, it's very hard for me to tell which powers are actually Guardian-specific and which are just general competence with talismans and such ...)
Do you think you're a gecko?
LOL!
(Is this why the SID has an iguana? Pretty sure they can shed their tails too.)
Shen Wei suddenly leaped back out of the crack in the ground
Huh. Why did he jump into it in the first place?
Just as the shadow was about to touch the hem of his robes, a piercing white light erupted from the seal in Shen Wei's hands.
White light again!
The cold sweat gathering on Shen Wei's face finally dripped down his cheek.
That reminds me of the self-healing in episode 2!
Ghost Face, who had been lying in wait for some unknown amount of time, thrust an icicle over a meter long through Shen Wei's back-right into his heart.
Icicle time! (I'm glad they scaled this down for the drama, LOL.)
Cowards filled their ranks. Perhaps only those true primordial gods and demons from before Chaos had shattered could have hearts large enough to set aside their own lives for the greater good.
You know, I don't know exactly how we're supposed to judge the Magistrate's thoughts, but this really drew my attention to the fact that there aren't any ordinary people involved in all of this at all. Everyone has something that makes them special. I like that that's not the case in the drama!
"If the Soul-Guarding Order hadn't been damaged," Ghost Face rasped, voice hoarse and broken, "my neck might be missing a layer of skin right about now. Tsk , how unfortunate."
Good to see immediate consequences there!
Who the fuck even knew what a Soul-Guarding Lamp was?
I'm confused by this. It's not like this is the first time it's coming up ...
In my tribe, someone your age would still be nibbling their eggshells, you mortal brat!
Oh Zhu Hong!
Torrents of water seemed to be cascading all around him, but some sort of invisible dome surrounded him and protected him from drowning...at least for now.
Okay, that's definitely different from how it was described before, right? When ZYL went under water, the water just ... stopped somewhere, and then there was air. There wasn't a clear barrier, or anything about the waters being visible from the tree. Is that an inconsistency, or is it due to the seal breaking down, or ...?
He was also surrounded by youchu. The creatures pressed around him on every side, salivating.
But they're not touching him? Why? Are they outside the protective bubble, in the water? But then you couldn't see them salivating? *confused*
"I haven't bathed in three days! Comrade, be mindful of your manners!"
Oh Lin Jing! :D
(Also, that's what you get for being protected from the waters, LOL!)
The one that had casually killed its own kin tore an ear from the corpse and gobbled it up without even a splash of soy sauce or vinegar.
LOL! (Now I'm imagining the youchu pulling a bottle of soy sauce from its non-existent pocket ... :D)
Lin Jing rushed to the edge of the invisible dome.
???? Is SW outside the dome in the water? There's no mention of any water when he's being hurled down and stuck to the tree. And also there's sweat dripping from his forehead. I'm very confused about this entire scenario!
Even with his forehead dripping with cold sweat and constant tremors running through his body, Shen Wei was courteous. He gave Lin Jing a slight nod.
Awww!
But upon closer inspection, the now-unmasked "Shen-laoshi's" skin was slightly paler-abnormally pale, in fact. It was a white that bordered on blue, as though he had been soaked in formaldehyde. The skin tone was cold, somehow carrying resentment and yin energy. It made his face, which should have been so handsome, seem like a piece of skin draped over a skull.
Is he ill? Has Ghost Face done something to himself to look that way? Because he shouldn't be looking substantially different from SW, right?
"If I consume you, do you think I could break through the whole Seal?"
And here's the source of Ye Zun eating Shen Wei in the drama, I suppose!
Did you really think yourself so lucky that someone would just give you a pillow the moment you felt sleepy?
LOL!
I really like SW getting this speech about outwitting Ghost Face, but honestly, his actual plan goes straight over my head. Except that SW planted the Awl in Hanga territory?! I'm not sure how that hangs together. For those of you who've read the novel before, how did that change the Awl plot earlier in the novel?
I can simply bleed you out until you can no longer maintain this human form. Then I can pull Kunlun's tendon out of you
So, SW appearing human somehow makes the tendon inaccessible? But reverting to his true form (whatever exactly that means) would reveal it?
(I assume this is the source of the sporadic talk about SW's true form in the drama!)
Version comparison - There are probably more small differences, but these stood out to me:
Before Xiao-Guo speaks up, there's a bit in the JJWXC/fan translation version that's not in the official translation - the only bit that made it in was Xiao-Guo's oncoming headache:
Another family member who came to report a case was a middle-aged man. He waved his hand: "Enough, even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to do it. Everybody stop pressuring her. Miss, let me tell you, my younger sister also should have gotten off from work yesterday but she never came home. She is about the same age as you; put yourself in her shoes. Think about it yourself, this young lady is usually very obedient, and then suddenly, for no reason, doesn't return home at night. We can't even get in contact with her. Don't you think of course we as family would be worried? If this happened to you, what would your parents and family think? I know that you also have difficulties. How about you help us go talk to your chief, ok? Help us communicate a bit..."
When Guo Changcheng saw this scene, he immediately felt a headache coming on. On one hand, he gathered the courage for speaking in front of a big crowd, on the other he listened attentively to the people talking beside him. There were all sorts of things these people were saying, and their descriptions were a mess. Some others only knew how to indiscriminately blather on about "my xx didn't come home yesterday"-for those not in the know they would have thought that these people were purposefully gathered here to make trouble.
In the official translation, in addition to the speaker's little sister, "my dad and cousin" disappeared while searching. In the JJWXC/fan translation version, it's three people - "my dad, my eldest younger brother, and my sister's partner". Also, the line about the dad being 70 isn't in the fan translation.
Zhao Yunlan's reaction to SW asking him to cut off his arm in the official translation:
Zhao Yunlan ignored him and carefully sheathed the blade. Then he got out a paper talisman of the Soul-Guarding Order.
His reaction in the fan translation:
Being a mortal, Zhao Yunlan could not understand this great God who could cut off his arms, legs, and head with ease, and so ignored him. He thrust the Soul Slaying Blade back into the scabbard, then retrieved a Guardian Order.
What Shen Wei says about the Soul-Guarding Order in the official translation:
"Don't you realize that you don't actually belong in the Reincarnation Cycle? That your status as Guardian essentially grants you protection? This was carved from the Great Divine Tree's bark, and you...you..."
What he says in the fan translation, with an additional sentence:
"Do you know that you were originally not allowed to enter the wheel of reincarnation? That the identity of the Chief of the Guardian Order is equivalent to your protective talisman? This was carved from the Dashen Mu. At critical times, it wouldn't even have a problem protecting your life. You..."
About Shen Wei's inability to curse, in the official translation:
Any time Shen Wei wanted to curse, his mind tended to go blank. He repeated the word "you" a few times but was unable to come up with anything better than a refined "You squandering fool!"
In the fan translation:
It turns out that even if his upright gentlemanly façade was mostly a pretense, this part of it was real: whenever Shen Wei scolded someone he was really bad at finding words. Ultimately, he had to settle with choosing the closest equivalent, and blurted: "You, you really are a good-for-nothing!"
In the fan translation, ZYL's reaction to Ghost Face demanding the Soul-Guarding Lamp doesn't have the line asking what a Soul-Guarding Lamp even is. Instead it says:
Zhao Yunlan did not care to listen to this kind of "swapping hostages" condition.
In the confrontation with Zhu Hong, in the official translation ZYL doesn't say anything after she calls him a mortal brat. In the fan translation, there's this additional bit:
He replied, so quietly his words were hardly audible: "There's no rush, soon I won't be."
no subject
Are you as surprised by Xiao Guo's bravery and competence as he is?
Not really; it's very him! But I'm relieved, because for years I kept hearing that Xiao-Guo is much more useless in the novel than he is in the drama, and this is very much not that!
What do you think about Zhao Yunlan's decision to sacrifice the Soul-Guarding Order?
I wish I understood the thing better, so I could better form an opinion whether it was a stupid risk or not. *g*
What's your favorite comic relief moment?
The youchu lacking soy sauce or vinegar for his ear snack. :D
Favorite angsty moment?
I know dramatic and terrible things are happening, but these chapters didn't feel very angsty to me.
Any thoughts about the many parallels between these chapters and their drama adaptation?
So many elements puzzled together in a whole new shape, as usual! *admires*
On to my notes:
Guo Changcheng pulled the car over on the roadside, where he hemmed and hawed for a good, long while before finally gathering enough courage to follow the GPS into the nearest town.
Aw! I feel you, Xiao-Guo.
No matter how reasonable she thought the crowd's requests were, she couldn't just go against regulations. She was overcome with frustration.
Aw! Comparing her with Xiao-Guo makes sense, she's a great mirror here. She wants to help! She just doesn't know how.
That was just how Guo Changcheng was. Whenever he wanted to ask others for help, he felt like a tremendously ignorant nuisance. Naturally, that made him afraid of whomever it was, and that grew into a fear of all communication, whether speaking aloud or even just making eye contact. But at a time like this, when he realized that the people in front of him required his help, his words always flowed far more smoothly.
♥ ♥ ♥
And then my dad and cousin disappeared too!
Ooh, so more than one incident? Or an active area that stayed active for some period of time, which these two strayed into?
Everybody who had a missing loved one was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof
I had to check the Chinese for this, and in the JJWXC version at least, it's 热锅上的蚂, ant on a hot pan (an established saying). :D
Guo Changcheng, however, stood frozen in place for a long while, unable to believe that he had actually done it.
♥ ♥ ♥
the blade's icy glint made his lips look scarily pale
Ha! The drama has plenty of Shen Wei with pale lips, but not for that reason. *g*
That's the power of Chaos. It's the only thing the Soul-Executing Blade can't cut through.
Ooh, fascinating! (Did we already know that?)
But before Shen Wei could finish speaking, Zhao Yunlan proved that actions were faster than words.
LOL, just like the other way round before! Though the narrative judges SW a lot more harshly than it does ZYL. *judges the narrative*
Only the right half of the characters were still legible.
The JJWXC version says more than that: 镇魂 (Soul-Guarding) is damaged, leaving 真鬼 (real/true ghost/gui). But in English that wouldn't make any sense, so no wonder the translation left it out.
A pool of clear spring water welled up in his palm, extinguishing the fire on the Soul-Guarding Order, but half of the words were already burned off. Only the right half of the characters were still legible. The words on the back-"Guard the souls of the living, bring peace to the hearts of the dead"-were entirely gone.
1) That's a very cool power for SW!
2) I feel like I should understand more of what damaging the Soul-Guarding Order (and more specifically damaging it in this way) means, and what kind of risk ZYL took here, but honestly I'm not even sure what exactly the thing does. Has that been clarified before? Can anyone remind me?
(The Order is what makes Kunlun's reincarnations "the Guardian", which presumably is what grants him his powers, but idk if there's more to it than that? SW's words make it sound like his reincarnation is tied up with it in some way, too. And also, it's very hard for me to tell which powers are actually Guardian-specific and which are just general competence with talismans and such ...)
Do you think you're a gecko?
LOL!
(Is this why the SID has an iguana? Pretty sure they can shed their tails too.)
Shen Wei suddenly leaped back out of the crack in the ground
Huh. Why did he jump into it in the first place?
Just as the shadow was about to touch the hem of his robes, a piercing white light erupted from the seal in Shen Wei's hands.
White light again!
The cold sweat gathering on Shen Wei's face finally dripped down his cheek.
That reminds me of the self-healing in episode 2!
Ghost Face, who had been lying in wait for some unknown amount of time, thrust an icicle over a meter long through Shen Wei's back-right into his heart.
Icicle time! (I'm glad they scaled this down for the drama, LOL.)
Cowards filled their ranks. Perhaps only those true primordial gods and demons from before Chaos had shattered could have hearts large enough to set aside their own lives for the greater good.
You know, I don't know exactly how we're supposed to judge the Magistrate's thoughts, but this really drew my attention to the fact that there aren't any ordinary people involved in all of this at all. Everyone has something that makes them special. I like that that's not the case in the drama!
"If the Soul-Guarding Order hadn't been damaged," Ghost Face rasped, voice hoarse and broken, "my neck might be missing a layer of skin right about now. Tsk , how unfortunate."
Good to see immediate consequences there!
Who the fuck even knew what a Soul-Guarding Lamp was?
I'm confused by this. It's not like this is the first time it's coming up ...
In my tribe, someone your age would still be nibbling their eggshells, you mortal brat!
Oh Zhu Hong!
Torrents of water seemed to be cascading all around him, but some sort of invisible dome surrounded him and protected him from drowning...at least for now.
Okay, that's definitely different from how it was described before, right? When ZYL went under water, the water just ... stopped somewhere, and then there was air. There wasn't a clear barrier, or anything about the waters being visible from the tree. Is that an inconsistency, or is it due to the seal breaking down, or ...?
He was also surrounded by youchu. The creatures pressed around him on every side, salivating.
But they're not touching him? Why? Are they outside the protective bubble, in the water? But then you couldn't see them salivating? *confused*
"I haven't bathed in three days! Comrade, be mindful of your manners!"
Oh Lin Jing! :D
(Also, that's what you get for being protected from the waters, LOL!)
The one that had casually killed its own kin tore an ear from the corpse and gobbled it up without even a splash of soy sauce or vinegar.
LOL! (Now I'm imagining the youchu pulling a bottle of soy sauce from its non-existent pocket ... :D)
Lin Jing rushed to the edge of the invisible dome.
???? Is SW outside the dome in the water? There's no mention of any water when he's being hurled down and stuck to the tree. And also there's sweat dripping from his forehead. I'm very confused about this entire scenario!
Even with his forehead dripping with cold sweat and constant tremors running through his body, Shen Wei was courteous. He gave Lin Jing a slight nod.
Awww!
But upon closer inspection, the now-unmasked "Shen-laoshi's" skin was slightly paler-abnormally pale, in fact. It was a white that bordered on blue, as though he had been soaked in formaldehyde. The skin tone was cold, somehow carrying resentment and yin energy. It made his face, which should have been so handsome, seem like a piece of skin draped over a skull.
Is he ill? Has Ghost Face done something to himself to look that way? Because he shouldn't be looking substantially different from SW, right?
"If I consume you, do you think I could break through the whole Seal?"
And here's the source of Ye Zun eating Shen Wei in the drama, I suppose!
Did you really think yourself so lucky that someone would just give you a pillow the moment you felt sleepy?
LOL!
I really like SW getting this speech about outwitting Ghost Face, but honestly, his actual plan goes straight over my head. Except that SW planted the Awl in Hanga territory?! I'm not sure how that hangs together. For those of you who've read the novel before, how did that change the Awl plot earlier in the novel?
I can simply bleed you out until you can no longer maintain this human form. Then I can pull Kunlun's tendon out of you
So, SW appearing human somehow makes the tendon inaccessible? But reverting to his true form (whatever exactly that means) would reveal it?
(I assume this is the source of the sporadic talk about SW's true form in the drama!)
Version comparison - There are probably more small differences, but these stood out to me: