Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Chapters 17 & 18

[facethestrange]

Hi, and welcome to this week's installment of the Guardian novel readalong! ♡

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, part 5), or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

• Chapter 17: Guo Changcheng can't get ahold of the rest of the team, and drives alone to the nearest town. An angry crowd is begging the police to find their loved ones who went missing at Spring Harbor Resort. Guo Changcheng manages the crowd and promises them that the SID is already on the case. Zhao Yunlan's sacrifices some of the true Soul-Guarding Order to save Shen Wei. Shen Wei defeats the Chaos shadow that chased them, but Ghost Face stabs him in the heart with an icicle and takes him away, demanding that Zhao Yunlan brings him the Soul-Guarding Lamp in exchange.
  



• Chapter 18: Zhao Yunlan asks the Magistrate to take him to the Reincarnation Cycle in order to awaken Kunlun's spirit. Lin Jing regains the use of his senses and finds himself imprisoned at the Seal, surrounded by youchu. Ghost Face brings Shen Wei there too, and shackles him to the Merit Tree. Shen Wei is in pain, but he mocks Ghost Face and reveals that he's always had the power over the Mountain-River Awl, and that he has tracked Ghost Face and manipulated his actions. Ghost Face attacks him with the icicle again and Shen Wei passes out.
  

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC/the fan translation are 98-99.


Excerpts:

1) Xiao Guo manages the crowd

If it were Director Zhao, what would he do? If it were Chu-ge, what would he do?

He couldn’t let these people go to the resort. It was too dangerous. Guo Changcheng suddenly took two steps forward and stood on the curb. “Everyone! Everyone!”

The crowd quieted.

He held his work ID up high. “I’m here from the Special Investigations Department in Dragon City. We specialize in very important, serious cases. Our boss has already rushed to the scene with our very best elite personnel, and he sent me here to explain the situation to you all.

“We haven’t found any signs of your loved ones yet, but we also haven’t had terrible news. We are already doing absolutely everything we can to search for them. Right now, the best thing you can all do to help is to cooperate with the comrades here at the police station while they record all the details. Just absolutely do not go anywhere near the resort. If you do, you’ll make things harder for the rescuers, who’ll have more trouble finding the victims.”

He had never spoken so much in a single breath before. In that instant, Guo Changcheng felt like he wasn’t fighting alone.

His heart felt warm and toasty, as if a flame were burning within him. Cupping his hands together, he bowed to everybody around him.



2) Zhao Yunlan's burns the Soul-Guarding Order

“That’s the power of Chaos. It’s the only thing the Soul-Executing Blade can’t cut through. Nothing will work but to cut my arm off. Do it quickly!”

Zhao Yunlan ignored him and carefully sheathed the blade. Then he got out a paper talisman of the Soul-Guarding Order. With a snap of his fingers, a small spark burst forth, and he sent the blazing talisman shooting straight into the mist…

…And the talisman disappeared. Not a speck remained.

“Cut off my arm!” Shen Wei yelled.

Zhao Yunlan acted like he didn’t hear him. Next, he took out the true Soul-Guarding Order, carved from the Great Divine Tree itself, which he had brought along specially.

Alarmed, Shen Wei said, “You can’t—”

But before Shen Wei could finish speaking, Zhao Yunlan proved that actions were faster than words. The Soul-Guarding Order, made from the wood of the Great Divine Tree, began to burn. The flame rose a third of a meter into the air, burning an unnatural red. The black mist ensnaring Shen Wei’s arm finally shrank back in fear.

Regaining the use of his arm, the first thing Shen Wei did was grab the burning Soul-Guarding Order. Still holding Zhao Yunlan close, he dodged around the swamp-like mist. 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.



3) Ghost Face kidnaps Shen Wei

Squeezing the words out from between his teeth, Zhao Yunlan said, “Let. Go. Of. Him.”

“Him? He and I were born as twin Kings of the Gui. You know, even though circumstances left us so incompatible, I still had no desire to hurt him. He was the one who drove me to it, every step of the way.” Pausing between each word, Ghost Face continued. “If you want him, fine. Bring me the Soul-Guarding Lamp in exchange.”

Who the fuck even knew what a Soul-Guarding Lamp was?

Zhao Yunlan’s handsome face clouded over. “If you were smart, you’d jam an icicle in my chest too. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you never have a moment’s peace for all eternity.”

Through broken peals of laughter, Ghost Face replied, “If you were Kunlun-jun, I’d gladly die here today if it meant ending your existence, but…”

He quivered once, violently, and the Soul-Guarding Whip, which no longer had the Great Divine Tree’s protection, shattered into innumerable fragments. The force of it cut Zhao Yunlan’s palm open to the bone. “My dear Guardian, you truly have nothing to fear from me.” Ghost Face sighed. “I’m grateful for your soul fire, and thanks to his influence, I can’t help but…like you a little. There’s no harm in letting you live.”

There came another sharp laugh. Black mist filled the air, and just like that, both Ghost Face and the cocooned Shen Wei were gone.



4) Lin Jing talks to the youchu

With a gulp, Lin Jing forced a sad attempt at a smile. “U-um, I only just got here. I didn’t know we had a rule against reciting scriptures. K-kindly forgive me. I’ll correct my ways at once.”

The youchu nearest to Lin Jing greedily came even closer. It raised its nose and sniffed hungrily at his scent of fresh flesh and blood.

Lin Jing was about to cry. “I haven’t bathed in three days! Comrade, be mindful of your manners!”

The youchu’s mouth gaped open, preparing to bite—only for a more humanlike youchu to suddenly grab the back of that one’s neck, reacting to the gall of it daring to claim food for itself. This higher-ranked youchu twisted its fingers, separating the inferior youchu’s head from its body. The head hung there, dangling like a grotesquely shaped wind chime.

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. Then it generously threw the corpse a short distance away. The corpse was immediately swarmed by youchu, which descended on it as if it were a holiday feast. Less than half a minute later, barely even a scrap remained of the dead youchu’s skin or bones.

Gawking, Lin Jing murmured, “My Buddha is merciful. Please reflect on your table manners, benefactors.”



5) Shen Wei mocks Ghost Face

Even nailed to the Ancient Merit Tree, Shen Wei still laughed at him. The laugh was weak but mocking. “What, has your scheme with the Four Hallowed Artifacts failed already? What happened to the Reincarnation Dial? Did it turn into an ordinary rock in your hands?”

Ghost Face’s eyelid twitched violently. He slapped Shen Wei across the face, and his brother’s head snapped to the side with the force of it. The blow broke the skin inside his mouth on his gritted teeth.

Shen Wei spat the blood out, then said, “The Reincarnation Dial was made from the Three-Life Rock, and the Three-Life Rock and the Ancient Merit Tree are each connected to one of every person’s seven corporeal souls. They are connected through the souls of the living. Only the Mountain-River Awl contains both yin and yang within itself as one.

“The Awl can trap anything in the world. I lured you out with it and put a tracking spell on you. Then, exactly as I expected, you brought out the Soul-Tempering Cauldron, and then the Merit Brush, where everyone could see. The most important hearthstone under the Soul-Tempering Cauldron is from the Three-Life Rock. As for where you found such a fragment…I don’t even need to guess. The moment the Merit Brush appeared in the world, I found the Reincarnation Dial and put it in the Mountain-River Awl. How do you suppose that cauldron ended up in your hands so easily? Did you really think yourself so lucky that someone would just give you a pillow the moment you felt sleepy?”

“Mountain-River Awl… The Mountain-River Awl was in your hands all along? You were the one who planned for it to appear in Q ingxi Village?”

“Can’t you read? ‘Mountain-River.’ ‘Mountain-River.’ The thirty-six mountains begin with Kunlun Mountain. I inherited the Mountain God’s power and an inherent connection to the ten thousand great mountains. Why would I fight you for something…that has always been in my hands?” Cold sweat dripped into Shen Wei’s mouth. Unbothered, he licked his lips. “One more thing you might want to know. Remember the bait you used to lure me here? That wisp of Chaos you took from your own body? Where do you suppose it is now, after I sucked it away?”



Questions:

Are you as surprised by Xiao Guo's bravery and competence as he is? What do you think about Zhao Yunlan's decision to sacrifice the Soul-Guarding Order? What's your favorite comic relief moment? Favorite angsty moment? Any thoughts about the many parallels between these chapters and their drama adaptation?

You can answer as many or as few questions as you like, or just comment without answering any of them at all! And if you see this post and you're not actually reading the novel, I would love to know what you think about any of this with limited context. :D

And here is the schedule, where you can sign up to host a post!

Comments

[china_shop]

And that's so true about the time loop!!!!!

Ooh, and that's why ZYL fell for Professor Shen rather than the Envoy, I think? :D

[trobadora]

How do you mean?

[china_shop]

I mean that what first attracts ZYL and is most important to him is Shen Wei's being Shen Wei, not his being the Envoy.

[trobadora]

I don't think he's any less himself as the Envoy than as Professor Shen - they're both part of him but not all of him.

[china_shop]

I think we're talking at cross purposes again. Never mind. <3

[trobadora]

<3