Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Chapters 19 & 20

[china_shop]

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), or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

Chapter 19: At the Great Seal, Lin Jing discusses their predicament with Shen Wei and meditates effectively. At the police station in the mountains, Daqing and Chu Shuzhi meet up with Guo Changcheng. Daqing shifts into human form and tells Changcheng that the souls of the dead are still at the resort; Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi decide to go to find them.
Chapter 20: Zhao Yunlan goes to the court of the Ten Yanluo Kings with Zhu Hong and sasses the Kings. A reaper reports that the Great Seal has broken, and an earthquake shakes the court. Zhao Yunlan demands to see the Reincarnation Cycle. The Qin'guang King shows him the Soul-Guarding Lamp. At the Seal, Shen Wei comes out to Lin Jing as the Emissary, and Lin Jing pulls out the icicle. Shen Wei heals and reveals that he's been manipulating Ghost Face. Meanwhile, Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng search the resort for souls. (Guo Changcheng records a dead courier's last message.) They're joined by a rogue cultivator who tries to make conversation but has a disturbing shadow. A huge youchu bursts out of the ground.

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation are chapters 100, 101 and a little less than half of 102 (up to "Meanwhile, in the county less than fifty kilometers away, people were still completely clueless.").

Excerpts:

1) Lin Jing and Shen Wei strategise

“Don’t worry.” Shen Wei chuckled. “That Chaos King of the Gui has enough to deal with right now. As long as I have Kunlun’s divine tendon, he won’t dare do anything to me. We’re safe for the moment.”

“No, no, let’s figure out a way to save ourselves,” Lin Jing quickly said. “No magical tendon can staunch your wound. If Director Zhao ever found out I just sat back and let you bleed like this, he’d make me the main course of this year’s Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner.”

Shen Wei’s gaze softened at the mention of Zhao Yunlan. After some thought, he said, “If you must try something, please continue reciting your scriptures. The Great Seal originated from Nüwa’s merciful heart. If you’re sincere, it might help you.”



2) Chu Shuzhi explains that the Ghost Face problem is above their paygrade

Chu Shuzhi laughed helplessly. “Guo Changcheng, do you know who the Soul-Executing Emissary is?”

Guo Changcheng thought the Emissary was scary, but he had no real idea about his background. He shook his head.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Chu Shuzhi said. “My thousands of years of cultivation allow me to walk under the sun. All corpses and skeletons bow to my will, so those in the know flatter me with the title ‘Corpse King.’ The next level up for me would be a ba, or a ‘Corpse Immortal.’ But even if I attain that level, if it weren’t for Director Zhao, I’d still never dare approach someone like the Soul-Executing Emissary. At the bare minimum, I’d keep a good two kilometers away from him. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Chu Shuzhi paused, then continued, “We’re dealing with someone who can catch the Soul-Executing Emissary off guard. Even if he only managed that by being sneaky, it means his power is at least on par with the Emissary’s. Whoever this is, he’s too powerful. This isn’t something we can handle.”



3) Daqing finds his human body hideous and explains some gui lore

Daqing kept speaking. “I don’t know who sealed away my memories. I still can’t remember much from all those years ago. But when I went up Kunlun Mountain with Zhao Yunlan, the Great Divine Tree awoke something in me. Now I can take human form again. Even though transforming makes me hairless, and thus, hideous, I at least seem to be able to remember some things now.”

Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi, who were both hairless and, apparently, uglier than “hideous,” wore the same peculiar expression.

“The Netherworld officially calls the things we ran into today ‘youchu,’ but more accurately, they’re gui,” Daqing said. “I’m not exactly sure where the gui are from, but I know they’re linked to the demise of Fuxi and Nüwa. You heard Shen Wei. When the gui came into the world, not a single blade of grass survived in the Great Wild. But as far as I know, the gui don’t have souls, so even though they drink blood and gnaw on bones, they don’t eat mortals’ souls because there’s no benefit to it for them. I think what happened here must’ve been too sudden. All those people died before their time, so even though their bodies disappeared, their souls are still souls of the living. Since the Netherworld couldn’t reach them in time, those frightened spirits probably ran off somewhere.”

“Then I’m going to go find them!” Guo Changcheng said.



4) Zhao Yunlan is unimpressed with the Ten Kings' Hell Expo and has no more fucks to give

From the moment Ghost Face had stolen Shen Wei away right before his eyes, Zhao Yunlan had felt like a chunk of ice was ­weighing down on his heart. He’d felt completely detached from everything anyone said or did; none of it seemed real or consequential. Only now, after having been confronted with such an extreme sight, did his mind begin to clear. Belatedly, he felt his anger float to the surface, although no trace of it showed on his face.

Zhao Yunlan crossed his arms in front of his chest. Ghost Face had taken the Soul-Executing Emissary. Whether Ghost Face harmed the Emissary or the Emissary had gone to Ghost Face’s side, it was bad news for the Netherworld. What was more, while there might not be a clear prognosis for the Great Seal, it clearly wasn’t going to hold out for much longer. And yet even under these circumstances, the Ten Courts were still putting on such an unfriendly welcome, appearances be damned.

Years of experience working with the Netherworld told Zhao Yunlan that the dumbasses were obviously planning to ask something of him, but they were unwilling to swallow their pride to do so. Either that, or they saw no need to take a mortal like him seriously and had chosen the route of coercion and bribery.



5) Shen Wei is blasé about his chest icicle

By this point, Lin Jing had escaped his bonds. He recited a water-repelling spell and circled around Shen Wei many times before climbing the Ancient Merit Tree. “Hold on, let me take a look. I must have a wire or something on me that I can use to pick the lock.”

“No need,” Shen Wei said calmly. “All you need to do is pull the icicle from my chest.”

Lin Jing shuddered. “P-pull it out? Won’t you…”

“I’ll be fine, but thank you.”

Lin Jing’s palms were a little sweaty. “You said it, Shen-laoshi, not me. If I fuck you up when pulling it out, I… I… Can you sign a waiver for me first?”



6) Chu Shuzhi is softening towards Guo Changcheng, despite himself

The Corpse King had an extreme personality and was cold by nature; necromancy was a deviation from the norm to begin with, not accepted by the world. Chu Shuzhi was lonesome and arrogant, wholly unconcerned about his merits, so he never paid it any mind. He’d always thought “morality” was a facade, nothing but an excuse to hide behind. The purer and more beautiful something seemed, the darker it might be beneath.

Despite this cynical outlook on the world, he somehow managed to put up with Guo Changcheng. Maybe by now it was just habit.

Either way, looking at the soul bottles in his bag stirred an inexplicable feeling in his heart. It made him grumble that Guo Changcheng was being too kind for no reason, even as Chu Shuzhi followed him around to collect lost souls.



Questions:

How many points does Lin Jing get for a) attempting to communicate with a youchu, b) keeping calm and meditating on, and c) not falling out of the tree when Shen Wei revealed his Emissary identity? Where did the youchu learn human speech? How wounded would Shen Wei have to be to admit that he wasn't fine? Does the SID really only employ people who can hyperfocus, or is hyperfocus a side-effect of the Soul-Guarding Order? What do you think of the descriptions of the different hells? How adorable are Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng? How well are you following what's going on with the Seal and Shen Wei's machinations? And do you have any thoughts about how moments in these chapters affected or were remixed in the drama adaptation?

(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

[autodach]

Daqing finds his human body hideous

I love how casual he is about this. Yeah, obviously if you have no fur you’re a lost cause XD

Zhao Yunlan had felt like a chunk of ice was ¬weighing down on his heart

Ohoho, a chunk of ice you say? On his heart? Is this a deliberate parallel to what’s going on with Shen Wei this very moment?

Can you sign a waiver for me first?

Lin Jing is hilarious! This whole interaction between him and Shen Wei is great.

[facethestrange]

"Ohoho, a chunk of ice you say? On his heart? Is this a deliberate parallel to what’s going on with Shen Wei this very moment?"

I'm not finished re-reading yet (just a part of the second chapter left, I'll be back with my comment later today :D), but omggggggggg I never would have caught that, this is AMAZING, damn. ♡♡♡

"Yeah, obviously if you have no fur you’re a lost cause XD"

LOL yep, and I find it really funny that he's so good-looking in his human form that GCC and CSZ have to accept that they're 'uglier than hideous'. ;D

[china_shop]

> I love how casual he is about this. Yeah, obviously if you have no fur you’re a lost cause XD

Ha, yes. He clearly doesn't identify with his human shape.

> Ohoho, a chunk of ice you say? On his heart? Is this a deliberate parallel to what’s going on with Shen Wei this very moment?

Ooooooh, that totally passed me by. It has to be deliberate, doesn't it? Great catch!

> Lin Jing is hilarious! This whole interaction between him and Shen Wei is great.

Hee! Yes, I love that, even now, he's most nervous about what ZYL will do to him. ;D

[trepkos]

I though Daqing was quite attractive - especially historical long-haired Daqing!

[facethestrange]

Heee, agreed! Novel!DQ thinks his cat form is infinitely more attractive, and now I'm wondering what drama!DQ's opinion is. :D

[trobadora]

Yeah, he looks so great in YOHE!

[trobadora]

Ohoho, a chunk of ice you say? On his heart? Is this a deliberate parallel to what’s going on with Shen Wei this very moment?

OHHHH, what a fantastic catch, you're totally right!

And entirely agreed about Daqing and Lin Jing, too. :D

[facethestrange]

The titles of the excerpts are A+++, lol 'Hell Expo'. :D :D :D (And I also said somewhere below that Zhao Yunlan ran out of fucks to give, lol *high five*)

"How many points does Lin Jing get for a) attempting to communicate with a youchu, b) keeping calm and meditating on, and c) not falling out of the tree when Shen Wei revealed his Emissary identity?"

Right?? Many, many points for Lin Jing! For not falling out of the tree especially. ;D

"Where did the youchu learn human speech?"

Damn, I have no idea? They were out and about for a bit at the beginning, but I feel like humans didn't particularly like hanging out with most of them (the less human-looking youchu at least), and then they were under the Seal for millennia. Ghost Face could be teaching them or something, but even he was under the Seal until recently. But maybe he does regardless? He probably met some humans just like Wei did? But then the youchu would speak ancient human language, and this one said "shut up"? Lol, maybe Ghost Face is learning/teaching modern slang at the moment, now that he escaped. xD

"How wounded would Shen Wei have to be to admit that he wasn't fine?"

Hah, drama Zhao Yunlan calls him out on that in YOHE. ♡

"Does the SID really only employ people who can hyperfocus, or is hyperfocus a side-effect of the Soul-Guarding Order?"

Lol. :D I figured they're either emulating Zhao Yunlan, or he picks the people who are similar to him (as far as he can pick - sometimes/often they're assigned?), but in the end I have no idea. :D

Liveblog time. :D :D

"Overwhelmed with shock and fear, Lin Jing muttered reassurances to himself. “It’ll be okay. Amitabha. Everything’ll definitely be okay.”"

SO relatable. ♡

"Lin Jing craned his neck, trying to get a look at Shen Wei, who was somewhat obscured by the Wangchuan waters. He found himself wishing that he could turn into a large turtle, able to swim and hide at will."

Conversations under the previous post were very illuminating re: how the dome and water thing could work, but tbh I still have no idea how it actually does work. xD (Also wishing he could turn into a turtle is adorable!)

"Out of nowhere, a youchu appeared, baring its crooked teeth at Lin Jing. Startled, Lin Jing instinctively leaned away and clamped his mouth shut to hide his own tidy pearly whites, afraid that the youchu might see them and become jealous."

This logic is so funny to me. :D (Also idk if this could have some metaphorical connection to Wei's necklace, re: youchu and teeth. Probably not. :P)

"High-level youchu were intelligent and capable of conversing with humans. This one gave its cunning prey a wary look. “Shut up,” it responded in the peculiar, hoarse voice of its kind."

I always figured that was the case, but this is the first intelligent youchu that is actually described, isn't it?

"He gave the unconscious Shen Wei another anxious look, but his only real option was to force himself to calm down and silently chant the Great Compassion Mantra."

I feel like there's another option which is panic, and I'm so impressed with Lin Jing that for him there isn't. ♡

"I could’ve dodged, but I was busy taking back the Chaos. I had to take the blow so that our efforts wouldn’t all go to waste."

I keep waiting for this to be the equivalent of the light/dark energy thing that drama SW planned. Idk if it will though.

"“If Director Zhao ever found out I just sat back and let you bleed like this, he’d make me the main course of this year’s Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner.”

Shen Wei’s gaze softened at the mention of Zhao Yunlan."

AWW! ♡♡♡ (Also New Year's Eve has only just passed, so he'd have a year. ;D ;D)

"In a booming voice, with crisp enunciation, he began chanting as though he was announcing the news. The effect was comedic enough to make Shen Wei burst into laughter."

Why is this so sweet. :D :D The situation is so messed up, and yet here they are, both of them being weirdly adorable. :D

"In utter disbelief, Guo Changcheng asked, “A reasonable…explanation?” Chu Shuzhi seemed to be saying that he wanted Wang Zheng to think of how to cover up the truth."

I love this earnest smol bean so much. ♡♡♡

“We’re dealing with someone who can catch the Soul-Executing Emissary off guard. Even if he only managed that by being sneaky, it means his power is at least on par with the Emissary’s. Whoever this is, he’s too powerful. This isn’t something we can handle.”

GCC in the drama resisted Ye Zun successfully, I don't remember if this is what happens here too, but this quote reminds me of that!

"he transformed into a young man whose hair fell all the way to his ankles! He was barefoot, clad in garments from some unknown era; really, it looked as though he’d carelessly wrapped a length of cloth around himself…but none of that seemed important. Most shockingly, black fur had been replaced by pale skin; and while the cat had been tremendously fat, the beautiful youth before them was slim!"

The description is not even particularly similar, but still all I can see when I picture human Daqing is drama DQ in YOHE. :D :D

"Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi, who were both hairless and, apparently, uglier than “hideous,” wore the same peculiar expression."

Lol. :D I'm amused that they're both aware that human Daqing is better looking than them. xD

“So I need to go find the victims’ souls! If a person existed, they can’t just disappear for no reason.” Guo Changcheng was absolutely adamant on this point. “That… That’s not right.”

So much love for Xiao Guo, seriously. ♡♡♡ And after trying and failing to discourage him, CSZ helps him without a word, AW.

"A bit awkwardly, Chu Shuzhi avoided Guo Changcheng’s too-warm gaze."

Aww, CSZ, you do deserve the heart-eyes. :D

“If the kid’s too naive and doesn’t understand, please try to be understanding, Corpse King. Be very careful. We only just got our new office. We haven’t even had a chance to renovate yet.”

Does this refer to GCC's family being rich/powerful/funding the SID?

"The hall was as blue as the sky; its height and depth were endless. There was always a vast expanse of stars hanging overhead, and just underfoot were the Eighteen Levels of Hell—tongue-pulling and hot oil and all—with three thousand impassable waters flowing endlessly around them. Anyone entering the hall was walking on solid ground, but it was as if that ground were unmarred glass."

All of this is so cinematic! ♡ All the torture underfoot is really extra (and, well, it is intentionally extra and rude in-world), but the whole concept and aesthetic is just so good!

"Each word pierced the distressed cries rising up from the Eighteen Levels of Hell."

Until this line I didn't realize that they could hear them too, not only see them. D:

"Zhao Yunlan took his seat like an important lord, crossing his legs. Then he placed a hand against the teacup that was being offered to him and glanced at the reaper’s pale face, so like papier-mâché. “I’ll pass on the tea. I’m afraid the food from down here won’t agree with my stomach.”"

Is this the 'drinking with Ye Zun' scene?

"Ten voices spoke, one from each of the Ten Courts, layering into a unique harmony as they angrily denounced him. “Impudent young man!”"

1) The voices are also so cinematic! 2) Kunlun didn't quite understand what 'impudent' even meant, this is not gonna work on Zhao Yunlan. xD

"Enraged, the ensemble boomed again. “Zhao Yunlan!”
Zhao Yunlan didn’t back down. “Sorry, but that’s ‘Guardian’ to you,” he retorted."

:D He has zero fucks left to give! (Not that he has ever had any, lol.)

"In the Hell of Copper Pillars, cracks appeared on the pillars, and in the Hell of the Mountain of Knives, the blades were jumping up and down like shrews."

The Hell of Copper Pillars made me look it up (I couldn't figure out what could possibly be happening there, lol, apparently it's "where arsonists will be repeatedly chained to red-hot pillars of copper"), and all of this is an actual thing in Chinese mythology: the 18 levels of hell. I'm also loving the image of blades jumping like shrews. xD

"The narrow Huangquan Road was already submerged beneath the rising water, and a massive black shadow was slowly approaching from below. But just as it was about to surface, it stopped. Lights as soft as fireflies began glowing on either side of the flooded Huangquan Road—pea-sized lights all in a row."

The imagery in these chapters is just A++++, srsly, let someone animate it. ♡♡♡

"As the soft light and the huge shadow faced off"

Another thing that reminds me of bringing light to Dixing, a huge place vs. just one lamp.

"The hall that had been so dark was now brightly lit, revealing the Ten Kings for all to see. Exposed by the light, they seemed surprisingly normal, despite their slightly peculiar getups."

And this reminds me of the Haixing version of the Regent.

"With a great noise of metal springs, a stone door opened in the wall, behind which was another door. The Ten Kings descended from their towering pedestals, each taking out a key that was always on their person. They opened ten doors, one after another, and behind them all lay a huge pond with an ephemeral air to it.

It's the funniest thing to me that all of this is so grand and dramatic, and the drama Lantern was in a box full of assorted trash. xD xD

"He recited a water-repelling spell and circled around Shen Wei many times before climbing the Ancient Merit Tree."

Just one more quote that confuses me about the water. xD What exactly is he repelling? Does he need to walk under a waterfall to get to Shen Wei? (china_shop's idea, and only explanation that makes sense to me a this point. :P)

Oh, and I like the callback to Lin Jing climbing the hospital walls. :D I'm glad it was established that he's basically Spiderman because otherwise I'd be very confused how he pulled out a meter long icicle while trying to hold onto a tree. xD

“All you need to do is pull the icicle from my chest.”
Lin Jing shuddered. “P-pull it out? Won’t you…”

Damn, I'd take pulling out the icicle over pushing it in deeper any day. It could be so much worse, Lin Jing. D:

"What Shen Wei said shocked Lin Jing so badly that his legs turned to jelly. He nearly fell right out of the tree."

Good thing that he didn't actually fall, unlike everyone else who fell off of something out of shock. xD

"Lin Jing, afraid he would faint again, reached out to pat his face but then remembered that this was the Soul-Executing Emissary. His extended hand couldn’t quite make the landing."

This is so adorable of him. :D :D

"As he faded in and out of consciousness, they moved minutely. Voice faint and muffled, he called out, “Kunlun…”"

Aw, both Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan do that. ♡♡♡ (From chapter 4: “What were you dreaming about? What made you cry out for Shen Wei so heart-wrenchingly?”)

"As Lin Jing handed it over to Shen Wei, the ice melted all at once into a wisp of smoke with a bloodred tinge. In the next moment, Shen Wei swallowed it. The deep cracks in his lips closed over one by one; light returned to his eyes."

This is so unexpected, and also very cool!

"As he gave Shen Wei a sidelong look, it occurred to him that Shen-laoshi… No, that the Soul-Executing Emissary and the masked man, despite their similar appearance, were worlds apart when it came to intelligence."

How is this something that people are able to tell without really having any information? xD (Zhao Yunlan was thinking something similar at some point, and yeah, he at least knows Shen Wei a lot better, but he also doesn't actually know Ghost Face. :P)

"Lin Jing thought of himself as pretty dumb. Shrewd, calculating people made him want to run and hide far away in case they sold him off without him even realizing while he was still helping to count the money."

AW! :D (And I feel like knowing this about himself actually makes him pretty smart. :D)

"The waters of the Wangchuan River are above us. Swimming up, you’ll reach the Huangquan Road. Yunlan is most likely in the Netherworld, so let’s go find him. Start swimming and I’ll follow."

Um, so how is Lin Jing going to breathe if Zhao Yunlan couldn't, and why do I picture Shen Wei kissing Lin Jing. xD xD xD Is the water-repelling spell going to help with this? (Also if Shen Wei is not carrying him, it's going to take a long-ass time!)

"Hearing this, Lin Jing started silently chanting scriptures. What had his boss been thinking, falling for someone who was as calculating as…as…a calculator? It was probably a mistake he’d regret forever."

xD The Buddhist equivalent of 'y'all need Jesus'? xD

"“I remember. I’ve seen your ID. Your name is Feng Dawei, born in 1989. You turn twenty-four this year. You have an older brother, right? I wrote it all down,” said Guo Changcheng. He took a notebook from his bag and flipped it open for Feng Dawei to see."

I'm so impressed that GCC actually remembers all these details off the top of his head - he's not reading from his notebook. ♡♡♡

“If the murderer is caught, will we be avenged?”
Choked up, Guo Changcheng had no idea how to respond. Instead, it was Chu Shuzhi’s low voice that answered. “No evildoer can escape. Don’t worry.”

Omggg, CSZ. ♡♡♡ He just said that Ghost Face can't possibly be defeated, but he's not going to crush Feng Dawei's hopes and tell him that too. AW.

“But how could I just…die? I-I wasn’t done living…”

Damn. :'(

"After a few steps, Chu Shuzhi suddenly spoke again, without even turning to look back at him. “You’re doing great.”
The tiniest compliment had always been able to make Guo Changcheng light up. This sudden praise made him glow like the peak of spring."

They're so precious, both of them! ♡

"He stabbed them swiftly and precisely, as if making tanghulu. In the blink of an eye, he had created a truly revolting barbecue stick of low-level youchu."

Same vibe as the youchu eating ears without soy sauce or vinegar. xD xD

"His appearance suggested that his parents hadn’t put much effort into making him, but his smile radiated absolute sincerity."

This description is so funny to me, and also the absolute sincerity is really impressive in hindsight!

"In the darkness, the bottles glowed richly with different colors."

This sounds so beautiful and I would love to see some art of it! ♡

"The purer and more beautiful something seemed, the darker it might be beneath."

Hah, this is apparently literally true about the Kings of the Gui. :P

"The young man’s profile was facing the display window, and he was talking with a dazzling smile, but from the corner of his eye, Guo Changcheng happened to glimpse the reflection in the glass."
---
"Guo Changcheng stumbled over his words. “His… H-his…shadow…”"
Chu Shuzhi turned on his flashlight. The cultivator’s lonely shadow had nowhere to hide from the light, but no matter how carefully Chu Shuzhi looked, he didn’t see anything wrong."

GCC got it wrong because he was stumbling over his words, right? (It was a reflection and not a shadow.) That's why CSZ doesn't see anything wrong with the shadow? And only GCC can see supernatural stuff in reflective surfaces?

[china_shop]

The titles of the excerpts are A+++, lol 'Hell Expo'. :D :D :D

*takes a bow* :D :D :D

Many, many points for Lin Jing! For not falling out of the tree especially. ;D

He's doing so much better than everyone else. :D

Ghost Face could be teaching them or something, but even he was under the Seal until recently. But maybe he does regardless?

Oh, I just thought, maybe Ghost Face just tells them to shut up a lot, and that's the main thing this youchu can say? Oh, except it explicitly says, High-level youchu were intelligent and capable of conversing with humans. So yeah, idk. Magic?

But then the youchu would speak ancient human language

It would be amazing if the youchu did speak an ancient language, and Lin Jing recognised it from all his scripture study. :D

Hah, drama Zhao Yunlan calls him out on that in YOHE. ♡

Exactly! :D

Conversations under the previous post were very illuminating re: how the dome and water thing could work, but tbh I still have no idea how it actually does work. xD

Right? When he's climbing the tree, there's no mention of swimming...

I keep waiting for this to be the equivalent of the light/dark energy thing that drama SW planned. Idk if it will though.

You mean that Shen Wei has planted an energy bomb for Ghost Face? Ooh! *waits to see*

I love this earnest smol bean so much. ♡♡♡

Yessss! <3

Lol. :D I'm amused that they're both aware that human Daqing is better looking than them. xD

I feel like that's an extremely high bar, though: they're only hideous in DQ's eyes.

> > “If the kid’s too naive and doesn’t understand, please try to be understanding, Corpse King. Be very careful. We only just got our new office. We haven’t even had a chance to renovate yet.”
>
> Does this refer to GCC's family being rich/powerful/funding the SID?

That's how I interpreted it. That GCC's family is influential, and if Changcheng is hurt, that could come back to bite the SID.

Until this line I didn't realize that they could hear them too, not only see them. D:

I totally missed that! It must make conversation so awkward, lol! /o\ I wonder if they can dial it up and down, like those fancy frosted glass offices.

Is this the 'drinking with Ye Zun' scene?

Oh, maybe! It's not half so effective without Ghost Face there, though.

2) Kunlun didn't quite understand what 'impudent' even meant, this is not gonna work on Zhao Yunlan. xD

LOL!

:D He has zero fucks left to give! (Not that he has ever had any, lol.)

*high fives you* :D

Thanks so much for looking up the copper pillars. Yikes!! (And agree about the shrewlike jumping blades -- it sounds so cute, lol.)

It's the funniest thing to me that all of this is so grand and dramatic, and the drama Lantern was in a box full of assorted trash. xD xD

LOLOLOLOL!! Great point, that is amazing!!! *sends another gift basket to the drama writers* :D :D :D

> > "As Lin Jing handed it over to Shen Wei, the ice melted all at once into a wisp of smoke with a bloodred tinge. In the next moment, Shen Wei swallowed it. The deep cracks in his lips closed over one by one; light returned to his eyes."
>
> This is so unexpected, and also very cool!

I didn't get this. Do you think he just needed to drink from the Wangchuan, or it had to be the melted icicle specifically? Was he just thirsty? ;-p

How is this something that people are able to tell without really having any information? xD

Right? Especially when Shen Wei is so good at keeping his manipulative side hidden!

Um, so how is Lin Jing going to breathe if Zhao Yunlan couldn't, and why do I picture Shen Wei kissing Lin Jing. xD xD xD Is the water-repelling spell going to help with this? (Also if Shen Wei is not carrying him, it's going to take a long-ass time!)

All very good points! Maybe Lin Jing has to meditate the whole way??

Omggg, CSZ. ♡♡♡ He just said that Ghost Face can't possibly be defeated, but he's not going to crush Feng Dawei's hopes and tell him that too. AW.

Right?! *hearts*

They're so precious, both of them! ♡

Yes! I really love this dynamic of Changcheng heedlessly determined to do good, and cynical disaffected Chu Shuzhi being impressed and admiring about it, despite himself.

This description is so funny to me

I loved that too. :D (I wonder if it's a saying.)

GCC got it wrong because he was stumbling over his words, right? (It was a reflection and not a shadow.) That's why CSZ doesn't see anything wrong with the shadow? And only GCC can see supernatural stuff in reflective surfaces?

Omg, thank you! I'd completely forgotten about Changcheng's ability. *facepalm*

[facethestrange]

"Oh, I just thought, maybe Ghost Face just tells them to shut up a lot, and that's the main thing this youchu can say? Oh, except it explicitly says, High-level youchu were intelligent and capable of conversing with humans. So yeah, idk. Magic?"

Lol, maybe 'shut up' is the only modern phrase Ghost Face brought to them after he escaped the Seal. ;D But yeah, in the end it's probably magic. :D

"It would be amazing if the youchu did speak an ancient language, and Lin Jing recognised it from all his scripture study. :D"

Ooooh, true, ancient languages must be very familiar to a monk! Now I'm wondering if the youchu would be speaking the language that was on Shen Wei's Kunlun painting, but that was probably a god language, not a human one.

"You mean that Shen Wei has planted an energy bomb for Ghost Face? Ooh! *waits to see*"

Yeah, because Ghost Face freaked out when Shen Wei said "That wisp of Chaos you took from your own body? Where do you suppose it is now, after I sucked it away?" (And now I went to check the next chapter and I'm not exactly right, lol, but no spoilers. :D)

"I feel like that's an extremely high bar, though: they're only hideous in DQ's eyes."

Hah, indeed. :D (They're both supposed to be average-looking in the novel, aren't they? With CSZ being additionally creepy-looking, lol.) But the 'worse than hideous' realization is funny to me, like, if human Daqing is hideous, where are they on this spectrum? xD xD

"It must make conversation so awkward, lol! /o\ I wonder if they can dial it up and down, like those fancy frosted glass offices."

Lolol, considering it's all for show and they can shut down the visuals anytime they want to, I'm sure it applies to the sound too. :P

"I didn't get this. Do you think he just needed to drink from the Wangchuan, or it had to be the melted icicle specifically? Was he just thirsty? ;-p"

I don't think I really got it either - I assumed water from the Wangchuan is healing to him in some way (when it's not being forcefully shoved into his heart :P), but it could also be the specific icicle - he undid what it did? Or he was dehydrated and would drink anything, and this was an opportunity to be dramatic. ;D Who knows, it was a good show tho. xD

"Maybe Lin Jing has to meditate the whole way??"

Oooh, it helped with the chains, maybe it can help with the water too! Lin Jing is so unprepared for all of this (very good point that he presumably doesn't have Leaves of Illusion on him either), I hope Shen Wei knows what he's doing. :P

"I really love this dynamic of Changcheng heedlessly determined to do good, and cynical disaffected Chu Shuzhi being impressed and admiring about it, despite himself."

Yesss! ♡ He just goes along with everything, grumbling the whole time at his own warm and fuzzy feelings. :D

[trepkos]

I did wonder what was so hellish about copper pillars - they would look quite nice!

[trobadora]

I always figured that was the case, but this is the first intelligent youchu that is actually described, isn't it?

Yes, as far as I can tell!

I keep waiting for this to be the equivalent of the light/dark energy thing that drama SW planned. Idk if it will though.

I definitely want it to be because I love that so much in the drama!

GCC in the drama resisted Ye Zun successfully, I don't remember if this is what happens here too, but this quote reminds me of that!

Yes, great point! And in the drama no one would think he could do it, either. Not until he does!

So much love for Xiao Guo, seriously. ♡♡♡ And after trying and failing to discourage him, CSZ helps him without a word, AW.

Yes! CSZ is a softie. :D

Does this refer to GCC's family being rich/powerful/funding the SID?

Yeah.

Is this the 'drinking with Ye Zun' scene?

It doesn't really hit that vibe for me, I'm not seeing much of a parallel.

Kunlun didn't quite understand what 'impudent' even meant, this is not gonna work on Zhao Yunlan. xD

LOLOLOL, too true!

The imagery in these chapters is just A++++, srsly, let someone animate it. ♡♡♡

Seriously! This would be so amazing.

It's the funniest thing to me that all of this is so grand and dramatic, and the drama Lantern was in a box full of assorted trash. xD xD

Hahaha, my thoughts exactly! *high fives*

Just one more quote that confuses me about the water. xD

None of the water bits seem to fit together! I really want to know what priest was imagining and failing to get across here ...

Oh, and I like the callback to Lin Jing climbing the hospital walls.

I had forgotten about that, thanks for the reminder! Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Damn, I'd take pulling out the icicle over pushing it in deeper any day. It could be so much worse, Lin Jing. D:

Awww! Yeah, it's fascinating what they did with this for the drama. Novel!Lin Jing doesn't know how lucky he is!

How is this something that people are able to tell without really having any information? xD (Zhao Yunlan was thinking something similar at some point, and yeah, he at least knows Shen Wei a lot better, but he also doesn't actually know Ghost Face. :P)

Yeah, this makes zero sense, they don't know nearly enough to be able to compare! Even if that was something that could be simply compared.

Um, so how is Lin Jing going to breathe if Zhao Yunlan couldn't, and why do I picture Shen Wei kissing Lin Jing. xD xD xD Is the water-repelling spell going to help with this? (Also if Shen Wei is not carrying him, it's going to take a long-ass time!)

These are all very good questions, I have no idea! That really seems to be a pretty big oversight ...

GCC got it wrong because he was stumbling over his words, right? (It was a reflection and not a shadow.) That's why CSZ doesn't see anything wrong with the shadow? And only GCC can see supernatural stuff in reflective surfaces?

That's how I understood it, yeah!

[facethestrange]

"Awww! Yeah, it's fascinating what they did with this for the drama. Novel!Lin Jing doesn't know how lucky he is!"

Right?? It's novel!Lin Jing's fretting over pulling out the icicle (which in the end is just an equivalent of a really unpleasant medical procedure, like setting someone's broken leg) that made me realize how traumatized drama!Lin Jing must be. D: Shen Wei better come back really soon because this is a really damn heavy thing to carry. D:

[china_shop]

How many points does Lin Jing get for a) attempting to communicate with a youchu, b) keeping calm and meditating on, and c) not falling out of the tree when Shen Wei revealed his Emissary identity?

So many points!! (We don't know exactly what he went through at the resort, do we? But regardless, he has not had an easy time lately, even before this!)

How wounded would Shen Wei have to be to admit that he wasn't fine?

I don't think he'd ever admit it. (And yes, drama!ZYL knows this about drama!SW. :D)

Does the SID really only employ people who can hyperfocus, or is hyperfocus a side-effect of the Soul-Guarding Order?

See my realisation below.

How adorable are Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng?

SO ADORABLE!! They're such good influences on each other. <3 <3 <3

How well are you following what's going on with the Seal and Shen Wei's machinations?

I'm pretty much just letting it play out. ;-p

My ~extensive~ notes:

Lin Jing craned his neck, trying to get a look at Shen Wei, who was somewhat obscured by the Wangchuan waters.

A contrast to the drama, where Shen Wei is obscured by darkness, and Lin Jing uses his phone as a torch.

This youchu seems a bit like the ones Zhu Jiu is ordering around in the Hanga arc, right? A henchman able to follow orders.

The youchu, seeing that Lin Jing’s eyes were now closed, assumed that he was finally settling down and dismissed him from its mind. It risked a glance up at Shen Wei, impaled on the ancient tree. The youchu whimpered and retreated a tiny bit further.

I wonder if it's whimpering because SW is hurt, or whimpering because he doesn't want to be that close to SW even when SW's unconscious and impaled... Oh, given it runs off when SW wakes up, probably the latter.

A crackling filled the air as its flesh and skin roasted, but the youchu held fast in spirit even as its body was reduced to ruin.

I have no idea what "spirit" means in this context. Just willpower?

It’s fine—except that he stabbed me in the heart with this icicle made from frozen water of the Huangquan, so I’m unable to move at the moment.

LOL, everything is totally, completely fine. I guess when you're a god...

Shen Wei just chuckling and chilling, chained to a tree with an icicle through his heart. Thank goodness for Lin Jing insisting on doing something. (And I find it hilarious that Lin Jing's (presumably at least partly, but not entirely performative) fear of ZYL's fury is what makes SW's gaze soften. SID shenanigans!)

Shen Wei, chained to a tree with an icicle through his heart, bursting into laughter at Lin Jing's scripture recitation. I feel like I'm taking the whole icicle thing way more seriously than SW is. ;-p

Birds of a feather, it seemed, really did flock together. Everyone who’d gathered around Zhao Yunlan seemed to be a little like him, one way or another; for example, when fixated on something, he could focus his whole attention on it and forget everything else.

Oh, wait, I misread this earlier. Shen Wei isn't thinking they all have hyperfocus; he's thinking that they all share one trait or another with ZYL: Lin Jing shares the hyperfocus... Chu Shuzhi the cynicism, Daqing the bossiness and self-assurance, Zhu Hong the reckless impulsiveness, and Changcheng the earnest desire to help people? Something like that?

LOL at Chu Shuzhi's way of telling GCC what's happened is just to hand him a bag of bone ash. /o\

OMG, no one's explained to Changcheng who the Emissary is, even after Shen Wei's Emissary reveal?!? LOL!

Daqing's body dysmorphia is both hilarious (of course fur makes you beautiful) and pushing back against the novel's fatphobia, which I appreciate. But I still hope he either gets over it or shifts back soon. (And if he stays in human form, also gets some shoes and maybe more practical clothes?)

Wait, so someone deliberately sealed away Daqing's memories? Anyway, I love that he's remembered his gui-lore, at least (and that gui don't eat souls). Which means, okay, the people who disappeared were eaten by the gui? But some of them were reduced to ash (along with every other living thing in the radius)? Is that why it seems like there were multiple events: the initial arrival of the gui obliterated everything, and when people went looking for their missing relatives, the gui ate them, and those are the souls Changcheng goes to collect? (Does that work?)

Daqing is all bewildered by Changcheng's determination to help random people, all "this isn't our jurisdiction." I guess shepherding the Guardian over lifetimes and lifetimes would make you pretty jaded.

Chu Shuzhi scoffed. “There are plenty of things that aren’t right. Do you think you can fix them all? How do you even plan on ­finding these souls?”

No answer occurred to Guo Changcheng for that. He gave it some thought, then looked down, embarrassed. But Chu Shuzhi didn’t keep laughing at him. Instead, he pulled out a little bottle and threw it to him. “Cows’ tears. They’ll help open your third eye so you can see the souls of the living.”

I really love this. CSZ has grown so disaffected and "the world is full of wrongs, what's the point?" especially with DQ there being jaded, but he's spent enough time with Changcheng by now that Changcheng doesn't even have to say anything for CSZ to start helping in a genuine and practical way. (LOL, how do you even collect cows' tears? Maybe you can buy them over the counter. :D)

Love Daqing instinctively using the window instead of the door (and worrying about ZYL).

The Ten Kings are allllll theatrics, and ZYL has zero time for this, whereas the Magistrate is actually intimidated. (I presume all the torture-hell stuff got turned into CSZ being flogged in the palace, as well as SW's remark about Dixing being "a large prison of torment"? /o)

LOL at ZYL going, "Do you guys expect me to just stand here while we talk?" Kunlun might not be fully awakened, but ZYL is drawing on the power and status anyway. :D Not even politely pretending to drink the tea.

From the moment Ghost Face had stolen Shen Wei away right before his eyes, Zhao Yunlan had felt like a chunk of ice was ­weighing down on his heart. He’d felt completely detached from everything anyone said or did; none of it seemed real or consequential.

Oh, ZYL! That detachment is so terrible. :-(((

So the reaper saying that the Great Seal broke is lying, aren't they? It's either a foreshock, or some of Ghost Face's theatrics, or SW's boobytrap? *is confused* I'm sad about Ghost City being in chaos.

The Ten Kings sounded very much like ten enormous ducks quacking noisily at one another. Hee! (More impressive than the "ducklings" at the police station near the resort, but not by much.)

Zhao Yunlan grabbed the Magistrate by the collar, jamming his gun under the man’s chin. “Take me to see the Reincarnation Cycle right now or I’ll shoot you in the head!”

Ooh, they kept that feint (or something like it) in the drama. :D

Sooo... is the Soul-Guarding Lamp the same as the Reincarnation Cycle, or is that something else? *confused again*

Back to the Seal. Still no idea if they're underwater. *handwaves*

If I fuck you up when pulling it out, I… I… Can you sign a waiver for me first?

LOLOL!! :D And then SW murmurs his identity in Lin Jing's ear, rather than just saying it out loud. What would happen if anyone overheard them?

I wonder if SW's blood spatter has any effect on Lin Jing, good or bad, or if its medicinal properties only apply when a) it's from the tip of the heart, and b) the recip is suffering from dark-energy-corruption-novel-equivalent.

Shen Wei laughed lightly. “Oh, him? He’s gone to investigate the scrap of Chaos that I captured. I also prepared a little surprise for him in front of the Yanluo Courts.” and “If I appear, this play won’t reach its conclusion, and then how would we redirect all the disaster to our enemies?”

Was the "little surprise" the cause of the tremor? Shen Wei seems so amused by all this, idek. Like, calling it a play -- I'm totally with Lin Jing in the side-eyeing and the "getting involved with someone like this is a mistaaaake" feeling.

(Also, meep, is Lin Jing going to the Netherworld without a Leaf of Illusion? /o)

I like the magic soul-summoning whistle -- that's very cute.

Chu Shuzhi felt as though, having had Guo Changcheng following him around for so long, he had become enough of a pacifist to go become a monk.

LOL! <3 <3 <3

Guo Changcheng shivered instinctively, but the confusion on the young man’s face wiped his fear away. Instead, his heart ached a little.

Awww! *hearts him so much* And Chu Shuzhi lying to reassure him! a;lskfdajs;dflkajsdf I love them.

And lolol, I love that Feng Dawei's message from the afterlife is just a bunch of pointless nonsense. That's great. <3 <3 <3

After a few steps, Chu Shuzhi suddenly spoke again, without even turning to look back at him. “You’re doing great.”

asdlfkajsdf <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 :D :D :D :D :D

He stabbed them swiftly and precisely, as if making tanghulu. In the blink of an eye, he had created a truly revolting barbecue stick of low-level youchu.

I can't remember who this really is, but I note that he doesn't eat this revolting snack or even show any sign of being tempted to. ;-p

I love the glowing bottles of souls, and how CSZ finds them moving by association, awww!

So interesting that the gui are just wandering around, rather than eating each other or looking for other people to eat. Are they full?

(I wish they hadn't translated the address terms. "Li'l bro" sounds so wrong to me; just say xiaoge. They let Lin Jing cry out da-shixiong. ;-p)

Does Chu Shuzhi know about GCC's ability to see truth (the past?) in reflections? I can't remember.

Meep, huge youchu attack, and gui drawing closer to the city and streets. /o\ /o\ /o\

[trepkos]

Sooo... is the Soul-Guarding Lamp the same as the Reincarnation Cycle, or is that something else? *confused again*

Me too! You do you get taken to a Reincarnation Cycle - or any kind of Cycle for that matter? I mean, no one can take you to the Carbon Cycle - it just exists as a phenomenon, rather than an object in a specific location ...

[facethestrange]

I think it's like the Four Pillars that hold up the sky - a mythological concept that is made into something tangible in this universe?

[china_shop]

FWIW, I just saw at the start of ep 18, ZYL asks the Magistrate to take him to the Reincarnation Cycle, and the Magistrate says, “I… This humble one expected the Guardian to inquire about the Soul-Guarding Lamp…” So they must be different things.

[facethestrange]

"We don't know exactly what he went through at the resort, do we? But regardless, he has not had an easy time lately, even before this!"

Indeed! D: It sounds like whatever caused his senses to give out was already something unpleasant in itself, and even if it wasn't, losing all senses must be absolutely terrifying even if nothing else is happening. D: Lin Jing is doing amazing, and keeping his spirits up through all of it too. ♡♡♡

"I'm pretty much just letting it play out. ;-p"

Same. xD *high five* :D

"A contrast to the drama, where Shen Wei is obscured by darkness, and Lin Jing uses his phone as a torch."

Oh, very cool! :D

"This youchu seems a bit like the ones Zhu Jiu is ordering around in the Hanga arc, right? A henchman able to follow orders."

Oh yep, from the whole spectrum of the gui, this one seems the most similar to the drama youchu.

"I wonder if it's whimpering because SW is hurt, or whimpering because he doesn't want to be that close to SW even when SW's unconscious and impaled... Oh, given it runs off when SW wakes up, probably the latter."

Yeah, the gui are super terrified of both of their Kings, so it's definitely the latter, but now I'm loving the idea of whimpering because SW is hurt, aww?? If SW can be a kind and gentle gui, I would love to see another one who goes 'I have to do this but that doesn't mean that I want anyone to get hurt'. :P

"I have no idea what "spirit" means in this context. Just willpower?"

I think so, yep.

"Shen Wei, chained to a tree with an icicle through his heart, bursting into laughter at Lin Jing's scripture recitation. I feel like I'm taking the whole icicle thing way more seriously than SW is. ;-p"

Hahah, that's very possible. :D :D I think he's not actually in any danger, just like he says, he's just in pain and immobilized. (And a regular icicle or other weapon wouldn't be able to do even that.)

"Lin Jing shares the hyperfocus... Chu Shuzhi the cynicism, Daqing the bossiness and self-assurance, Zhu Hong the reckless impulsiveness, and Changcheng the earnest desire to help people? Something like that?"

Ooooh, this is amazing, and I completely agree with your assessment!! ♡ (And pretty much everyone is also stubborn af. :D :D)

"OMG, no one's explained to Changcheng who the Emissary is, even after Shen Wei's Emissary reveal?!? LOL!"

I think he knows who he is, just not how powerful he is - or at least that's what CSZ ends up explaining. :)

"Wait, so someone deliberately sealed away Daqing's memories?"

This is what Zhao Yunlan got from Shen Wei's first (fake) story: “You were the one who sealed Daqing’s memories and severed the connection between me and the Soul-Guarding Order.” (I just re-read the Shen San extra recently and it seems like it's not Shen Wei who did it?? But I don't actually remember the in-between, lol.)

"Is that why it seems like there were multiple events: the initial arrival of the gui obliterated everything, and when people went looking for their missing relatives, the gui ate them, and those are the souls Changcheng goes to collect? (Does that work?)"

Oooooh, this is probably where the multiple events come from, yes!! (The souls are either the people who got turned into ash or both groups of people, because at least the delivery guy got turned into ash - the signature was unfinished.)

"Daqing is all bewildered by Changcheng's determination to help random people, all "this isn't our jurisdiction." I guess shepherding the Guardian over lifetimes and lifetimes would make you pretty jaded."

True, Zhao Yunlan is already jaded as a mortal, and DQ had a lot more time to get there. Though in addition to 'this isn't our jurisdiction' I also see 'nothing can be done', so I think he's also genuinely trying to help GCC: “You won’t be able to,” Daqing said patiently. “Besides, they won’t believe you.”

"LOL, how do you even collect cows' tears? Maybe you can buy them over the counter. :D"

Lolol, even then someone needs to collect them first. :D I'm also wondering why this time they didn't use a talisman to open his third eye. Maybe because the cows' tears can be reapplied by GCC himself?

"(I presume all the torture-hell stuff got turned into CSZ being flogged in the palace, as well as SW's remark about Dixing being "a large prison of torment"? /o)"

Oh, I didn't think of that, I can definitely see it!

"So the reaper saying that the Great Seal broke is lying, aren't they? It's either a foreshock, or some of Ghost Face's theatrics, or SW's boobytrap? *is confused*"

My thoughts exactly! xD

"The Ten Kings sounded very much like ten enormous ducks quacking noisily at one another. Hee! (More impressive than the "ducklings" at the police station near the resort, but not by much.)"

Hahah, that's a fantastic parallel! I went back and "The whole crowd exploded into speech at once; the wall of noise was like five thousand ducks simultaneously yelling at the top of their lungs.", so the humans could be considered more impressive than the Kings. :D :D

"Sooo... is the Soul-Guarding Lamp the same as the Reincarnation Cycle, or is that something else? *confused again*"

I was going to say no, but now I think it may be more confusing than that. xD

"Back to the Seal. Still no idea if they're underwater. *handwaves*"

*handwaves all of this too* They're leaving, it's not relevant anymore. ;D

"And then SW murmurs his identity in Lin Jing's ear, rather than just saying it out loud. What would happen if anyone overheard them?"

I think everyone who is even there and could overhear already knows who Shen Wei is? Idk why Shen Wei doesn't say it out loud, but possibly because his voice is giving out, and he doesn't want to have to repeat the dramatic reveal? xD

I wonder if SW's blood spatter has any effect on Lin Jing, good or bad, or if its medicinal properties only apply when a) it's from the tip of the heart, and b) the recip is suffering from dark-energy-corruption-novel-equivalent.

I think it's most likely both, and also it needs to be ingested. (But also if his entire heart was pierced, a lot of this blood must have been from the tip of the heart. :P Save it for Zhao Yunlan, you won't have to stab yourself so much. xD)

"(Also, meep, is Lin Jing going to the Netherworld without a Leaf of Illusion? /o)"

I didn't think of that at all - yet another reason why this really doesn't like a good idea!

"So interesting that the gui are just wandering around, rather than eating each other or looking for other people to eat. Are they full?"

I think they are lowkey looking for people to eat (which is why they attack), but yeah, I think they can only eat this much, and they seem to have just had a feast. :P

"I wish they hadn't translated the address terms. "Li'l bro" sounds so wrong to me; just say xiaoge. They let Lin Jing cry out da-shixiong. ;-p"

Heee, I thought maybe the decision was made to make this guy sound more annoying. :D

"Does Chu Shuzhi know about GCC's ability to see truth (the past?) in reflections? I can't remember."

Oooh, very good question! During the biggest conversation about it, GCC is only with Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan (or at least that's what I got from a quick skim right now), but idk if there's another scene. He may not know, but even if he does, GCC said 'shadow', not 'reflection', so at this point CSZ doesn't know it's relevant.

[china_shop]

Lin Jing is doing amazing, and keeping his spirits up through all of it too. ♡♡♡

Truly an example of the benefits of meditation, lol. :D

I think he's not actually in any danger, just like he says, he's just in pain and immobilized. (And a regular icicle or other weapon wouldn't be able to do even that.)

"Just" in pain and immobilised. It's nothing! /o\ /o\ /o\ /o\

(And pretty much everyone is also stubborn af. :D :D)

LOLOL, this is so very true! Possibly excepting DQ, who is lazy enough that sometimes the stubbornness doesn't stick. ;D

I think he knows who he is, just not how powerful he is - or at least that's what CSZ ends up explaining. :)

I know, but you know? It could have come up when CSZ has his little belated freak-out.

This is what Zhao Yunlan got from Shen Wei's first (fake) story:

*cries* (But yeah, DQ says, “I don’t know who sealed away my ­memories. I still can’t remember much from all those years ago. But when I went up Kunlun Mountain with Zhao Yunlan, the Great Divine Tree awoke something in me." -- so either DQ was also tricked by SW or it's objectively true. Or the Tree is lying, who even knows anymore?!! ;-p)

(The souls are either the people who got turned into ash or both groups of people, because at least the delivery guy got turned into ash - the signature was unfinished.)

Good point! It must be both groups of people then, because DQ said gui don't eat the souls.

Though in addition to 'this isn't our jurisdiction' I also see 'nothing can be done', so I think he's also genuinely trying to help GCC:

Trying to help GCC by telling him to give up on doing something to help people is such a losing battle, even if the thing is impossible, lol.

I'm also wondering why this time they didn't use a talisman to open his third eye. Maybe because the cows' tears can be reapplied by GCC himself?

Oh, true. Good point! Yeah, maybe it gives GCC more agency.

My thoughts exactly! xD

LOL! *high fives*

I went back and "The whole crowd exploded into speech at once; the wall of noise was like five thousand ducks simultaneously yelling at the top of their lungs.", so the humans could be considered more impressive than the Kings. :D :D

Oh, true! Huh, I must have come across a duckling metaphor somewhere else recently, because I'm sure there were ducklings somewhere. /brainfail :D

I was going to say no, but now I think it may be more confusing than that. xD

The Magistrate seems to think they're different. And if the Soul-Guarding Lamp was made out of Kunlun's body and the Reincarnation Cycle is made of Shennong, then surely they have to be?

Idk why Shen Wei doesn't say it out loud, but possibly because his voice is giving out, and he doesn't want to have to repeat the dramatic reveal? xD

Oh, great point. Yeah, that makes sense.

Save it for Zhao Yunlan, you won't have to stab yourself so much. xD

Hee! He doesn't seem to care at all. /o\

I think they are lowkey looking for people to eat (which is why they attack)

But they could just be eating each other! Though, hm, probably humans are much easier targets...

Heee, I thought maybe the decision was made to make this guy sound more annoying. :D

LOL, that might be it. If so, very effective. ;D

He may not know, but even if he does, GCC said 'shadow', not 'reflection', so at this point CSZ doesn't know it's relevant.

True! Good point. *sighs at the communication fail, lol*

[trobadora]

This is what Zhao Yunlan got from Shen Wei's first (fake) story: “You were the one who sealed Daqing’s memories and severed the connection between me and the Soul-Guarding Order.” (I just re-read the Shen San extra recently and it seems like it's not Shen Wei who did it?? But I don't actually remember the in-between, lol.)

1) I had forgotten that about the fake story - I think I've just mentally dismissed all the falsified flashbacks because it's so impossible to say what actually happened and what didn't. /o\

2) I'm so confused about all of this, LOL. It's probably too much to hope for that we'll actually get some clarification ...

I was going to say no, but now I think it may be more confusing than that. xD

*screams*

Heee, I thought maybe the decision was made to make this guy sound more annoying. :D

He does sound annoying! But also like he's immigrated from California. *g*

[trobadora]

This youchu seems a bit like the ones Zhu Jiu is ordering around in the Hanga arc, right? A henchman able to follow orders.

Yeah, good point! That does fit.

I wonder if it's whimpering because SW is hurt, or whimpering because he doesn't want to be that close to SW even when SW's unconscious and impaled... Oh, given it runs off when SW wakes up, probably the latter.

I definitely think it's whimpering because it's terrified of SW even when SW is clearly in no condition to do anything to it.

I have no idea what "spirit" means in this context. Just willpower?

That's how I understood it.

Shen Wei, chained to a tree with an icicle through his heart, bursting into laughter at Lin Jing's scripture recitation. I feel like I'm taking the whole icicle thing way more seriously than SW is. ;-p

LOL! Yeah, he seems to regard it mainly as a nuisance. So annoying to be pinned down! *g*

Shen Wei isn't thinking they all have hyperfocus; he's thinking that they all share one trait or another with ZYL: Lin Jing shares the hyperfocus... Chu Shuzhi the cynicism, Daqing the bossiness and self-assurance, Zhu Hong the reckless impulsiveness, and Changcheng the earnest desire to help people? Something like that?

That would make a lot more sense to me, I like this reading!

Daqing's body dysmorphia is both hilarious (of course fur makes you beautiful) and pushing back against the novel's fatphobia, which I appreciate.

That's a great point about the fatphobia. His cat body is his ideal body!

Is that why it seems like there were multiple events: the initial arrival of the gui obliterated everything, and when people went looking for their missing relatives, the gui ate them, and those are the souls Changcheng goes to collect? (Does that work?)

The souls they're going to collect are from the obliteration event - CSZ explicitly talks about how suddenly it happened. But I think you're right about the multiple events, it's just that neither destroyed any souls, only bodies. And the gui didn't eat the souls of the killed humans from either event, because they don't eat souls, so all those souls are still hanging around.

I really love this. CSZ has grown so disaffected and "the world is full of wrongs, what's the point?" especially with DQ there being jaded, but he's spent enough time with Changcheng by now that Changcheng doesn't even have to say anything for CSZ to start helping in a genuine and practical way.

Yes! It's really great. :D

I presume all the torture-hell stuff got turned into CSZ being flogged in the palace, as well as SW's remark about Dixing being "a large prison of torment"?

Yeah, I think that's where the remnants of drama!Dixing being based on novel!hell ended up, plus the aesthetics, of course.

So the reaper saying that the Great Seal broke is lying, aren't they? It's either a foreshock, or some of Ghost Face's theatrics, or SW's boobytrap? *is confused* I'm sad about Ghost City being in chaos.

I have no idea if anyone's lying or if they've been deceived somehow, or what is actually happening for real ... SOMETHING is clearly happening, but I'm not sure what!

Sooo... is the Soul-Guarding Lamp the same as the Reincarnation Cycle, or is that something else?

I don't think they have anything to do with each other, they're completely separate things.

So interesting that the gui are just wandering around, rather than eating each other or looking for other people to eat. Are they full?

Idk, but they're clearly a lot less "all hunger and eating all the time" than their reputation!

(I wish they hadn't translated the address terms. "Li'l bro" sounds so wrong to me; just say xiaoge. They let Lin Jing cry out da-shixiong. ;-p)

Yeah, that's a pretty weird choice, especially when contrasted with the untranslated dashixiong! It's not 小哥 xiaoge, though, it's 小兄弟 xiao xiongdi. Which, idk if I'm getting the nuances right, but it definitely sounds a lot more condescending to me.

[trobadora]

I'm finally catching up! Great post, and great excerpts, as usual. :)

They're joined by a rogue cultivator who tries to make conversation but has a disturbing shadow.

It's not his shadow, it's his mirror image, isn't it?

How many points does Lin Jing get for a) attempting to communicate with a youchu, b) keeping calm and meditating on, and c) not falling out of the tree when Shen Wei revealed his Emissary identity?

ALL the points!

What do you think of the descriptions of the different hells?

Very vivid, very unpleasant. It's straight out of the mythology, but that doesn't make it any less Evil Worldbuilding™.

How well are you following what's going on with the Seal and Shen Wei's machinations?

NOT AT ALL.

And on to my notes:

Shen Wei, who was somewhat obscured by the Wangchuan waters

AARGH, this water situation is really driving me batty, I really can't work out what I'm supposed to envision. All the individual bits don't seem to work together at all! /o\

The youchu, which Ghost Face had presumably sent to keep an eye on them, licked its lips but ultimately didn't dare take a bite of the things it was meant to guard.

Aha! I was so confused why they all didn't take a bite out of Lin Jing, but that makes sense. *g*

High-level youchu were intelligent and capable of conversing with humans.

Hm, "conversing with humans" is quite a bit more specific than just "talking"! And now I want to know all about past instances where youchu did converse with humans ... What did they talk about? Did anyone get eaten? Do youchu sometimes talk to their food? /o\ Or are they ... gasp, shock ... not nearly as must-eat-everything as we've been led to believe? Perhaps much like certain other gui? :p

"Now that the others have all run away, it's just the two of us here. If I shut up, won't you be lonely-aaah! Don't do that! Be civilized, please!" The youchu had come closer, its menacing shark-like teeth on full display. "I'll shut up!" Lin Jing cried. "I'll shut up! I'll shut up right now! Please believe me! Monks don't lie!"
The youchu withdrew its claws and teeth and slowly backed off to one side.

So there's a whole (probably-not-intended) reading here where the youchu is just being friendly in response to Lin Jing trying to chat with it - possibly bored, just as Lin Jing suggests! - and then Lin Jing immediately reacts badly and the youchu sadly retreats ... (I mean. It's not like the youchu chose its teeth! And it shouldn't have to hide its body! Possibly it's just not good at knowing what will scare humans. *g*)

The youchu, seeing that Lin Jing's eyes were now closed, assumed that he was finally settling down and dismissed him from its mind. It risked a glance up at Shen Wei, impaled on the ancient tree. The youchu whimpered and retreated a tiny bit further.

From this I gather that at this point, the youchu is terrified of Shen Wei, but has no particular feelings about Lin Jing, neither friendly nor hostile. (Obviously that changes when Lin Jing's scripture-reciting makes the Great Sealing Rock glow with youchu-destroying power!)

"Buddha! This disciple is close to surrendering his mortal body and ascending to the higher realm! Where did da-shixiong go? Save me! Shen-laoshi! Boss! Da-shixiong!"

I assume he means the da-shixiong from whatever sect he belongs to as a monk. Do we know anything else about his background? I've forgotten ... Also, aww, he calls out for SW and ZYL!

I could've dodged, but I was busy taking back the Chaos. I had to take the blow so that our efforts wouldn't all go to waste. It's fine-except that he stabbed me in the heart with this icicle made from frozen water of the Huangquan, so I'm unable to move at the moment.

1) I have zero understanding of what SW has done/is planning/?? ...

2) LOLOLOL, "I'm fine I'm just stabbed through the heart and can't move, never mind that minor inconvenience!" Oh, SW.

Lin Jing wasn't yet aware of who exactly Shen Wei was, but nothing about this situation seemed fine in the slightest.

You get it, Lin Jing! :D

"If you must try something, please continue reciting your scriptures. The Great Seal originated from Nüwa's merciful heart. If you're sincere, it might help you."

Aw, that's kind of lovely. Sometimes the worldbuilding isn't evil!

In a booming voice, with crisp enunciation, he began chanting as though he was announcing the news. The effect was comedic enough to make Shen Wei burst into laughter.

LOLOLOL at SW hanging there stabbed through the heart and laughing at Lin Jing's newscaster voice! What an image.

In utter disbelief, Guo Changcheng asked, "A reasonable...explanation?" Chu Shuzhi seemed to be saying that he wanted Wang Zheng to think of how to cover up the truth.

Aw, Xiao-Guo! He's not wrong, every time I find a canon where this sort of thing is hidden, I feel like they should just tell people the truth. (So glad the drama has a plot thread about that!)

Guo Changcheng thought the Emissary was scary, but he had no real idea about his background.

Er. Shouldn't someone have taught him that by now?!

I don't know who sealed away my memories. I still can't remember much from all those years ago. But when I went up Kunlun Mountain with Zhao Yunlan, the Great Divine Tree awoke something in me. Now I can take human form again. Even though transforming makes me hairless, and thus, hideous, I at least seem to be able to remember some things now.

So, 1) someone sealed Daqing's memories, and 2) this somehow prevented him from changing shape? And his encounter with the Great Divine Tree awoke some memories, including how to change shape? Am I getting this right?

(Did we know this before? I'm pretty sure the shape-changing part is new info, at least.)

Also, LOL at him considering hairlessness to be hideous!

Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi, who were both hairless and, apparently, uglier than "hideous," wore the same peculiar expression.

Hee! :D

"So I need to go find the victims' souls! If a person existed, they can't just disappear for no reason." Guo Changcheng was absolutely adamant on this point. "That... That's not right."

♥ ♥ ♥

"You two go ahead. I need to find Zhao Yunlan," Daqing said. "He's on his own, and I'm worried about him."

I love protective Daqing! :D

The hall was as blue as the sky; its height and depth were endless. There was always a vast expanse of stars hanging overhead, and just underfoot were the Eighteen Levels of Hell-tongue-pulling and hot oil and all-with three thousand impassable waters flowing endlessly around them. Anyone entering the hall was walking on solid ground, but it was as if that ground were unmarred glass. The ghosts below were starkly visible as they were skinned, as they passed through mountains of knives, and as they were fried in hot oil. The sight made it seem that anyone in the hall could fall through the floor into Hell at any moment.

What a vivid picture!

And LOL at this being on display on purpose, for Zhao Yunlan!

Zhao Yunlan took his seat like an important lord, crossing his legs.

You know, this reminds me of drama!ZYL on the rooftop, for the meeting with Zhu Jiu ...

From the moment Ghost Face had stolen Shen Wei away right before his eyes, Zhao Yunlan had felt like a chunk of ice was ­weighing down on his heart. He'd felt completely detached from everything anyone said or did; none of it seemed real or consequential. Only now, after having been confronted with such an extreme sight, did his mind begin to clear. Belatedly, he felt his anger float to the surface, although no trace of it showed on his face.

Awww! ♥

Even as they spoke, the doors to the Halls were thrown wide-open. Everyone peered out, only to see the water in the Wangchuan River boiling. All the ferrymen had abandoned their boats and taken uncertain refuge up on the Naihe Bridge, which shook precariously. The narrow Huangquan Road was already submerged beneath the rising water, and a massive black shadow was slowly approaching from below. But just as it was about to surface, it stopped. Lights as soft as fireflies began glowing on either side of the flooded Huangquan Road-pea-sized lights all in a row. Zhao Yunlan remembered the little oil lamps that had lined the road-the soul-guarding lamps.

All of this is so impressively described, what a visual!

And there, in the pool, Zhao Yunlan saw a gigantic lamp. It was a giant version of the small oil lamps on the Huangquan Road, standing at least a dozen meters high. The Qin'guang King, who had opened the final door, turned to Zhao Yunlan. "I'll be honest with you now. This is the last of the Four Hallowed Artifacts, the Soul-Guarding Lamp."

Wow, what a dramatic reveal! And in the drama, it's stashed away in a box in a corner ... :D

If I fuck you up when pulling it out, I... I... Can you sign a waiver for me first?

LOLOLOL Lin Jing!

What Shen Wei said shocked Lin Jing so badly that his legs turned to jelly. He nearly fell right out of the tree.

Doing better than Daqing and Zhu Hong, he only almost fell!

As Lin Jing handed it over to Shen Wei, the ice melted all at once into a wisp of smoke with a bloodred tinge. In the next moment, Shen Wei swallowed it.

So it doesn't melt into water, but into smoke. What is it that Shen Wei consumes, the actual Wangchuan water the icicle was made of, or the power that was used to freeze it and turn it into a weapon?

Shen Wei laughed lightly. "Oh, him? He's gone to investigate the scrap of Chaos that I captured. I also prepared a little surprise for him in front of the Yanluo Courts."

I wish I understood what's going on there! Hopefully it will become clearer soon. (And at least Lin Jing doesn't understand either, heh.)

What had his boss been thinking, falling for someone who was as calculating as...as...a calculator?

OH LIN JING. :D

With a sniffle, Feng Dawei began to talk. He said a whole bunch of random, useless things, and Guo Changcheng faithfully recorded ­every last word.

Xiao-Guo recording the messages of the dead! Awww! And even Chu Shuzhi is reassuring him that his murderer will be caught, even though he doesn't actually believe that. ♥

It was a youth holding a long skewer, which he turned on the gui. He stabbed them swiftly and precisely, as if making tanghulu. In the blink of an eye, he had created a truly revolting barbecue stick of low-level youchu.

This is such a priest kind of description. :D

Don't misunderstand, bro.

Ugh. I mean, the "bro"-ing does a great job making this guy sound especially annoying, but I really don't like it as a translation because it sounds so terribly American to me. (And the less said about "li'l bro", the better.)

This kind, warm friend's reflection was that of a monster Guo Changcheng had never seen before: pitch-black all over, with different heads constantly surging in and out of its shoulders. In the window, its mouth was opened savagely in Guo Changcheng's direction-a mouth bristling with fangs that resembled ancient torture devices.

Very very cool!

Guo Changcheng stumbled over his words. "His... H-his...shadow..."

He's misspeaking, right? It's his reflection, not his shadow.

[trobadora]

And the version comparison, in a separate comment because I exceeded the character count:

• The start of chapter 100 (fan translation) has a sentence that doesn't appear at the start of chapter 19 (official translation):

  "There shouldn't be any problems, right?" Looking around, there was no one nearby. Lin Jing had no one else to talk to and could only resort to talking to himself.

  And the same goes for this sentence, which comes before Lin Jing looks towards Shen Wei:

  He was on pins and needles. If it wasn't for the fact that he was tied into a zongzi (t/n it's a wrapped Chinese food), he probably would have already jumped up as if he were sitting on nails.

• This bit comes in the fan translation before Lin Jing tries to talk to the youchu:

  Lin Jing took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He tried to sooth his miserable mood by silently reciting scriptures. However, when he closed his eyes, he tragically found that it wasn't the up and down lilt of the "Prajna Paramite" sutra in his consciousness but the anxiety provoking scratching of an imaginary phantom limb-If that forgetful brute Zhao Yunlan knew that he was indifferently reciting scripture while actually watching his baby suffer, he would definitely turn him into Da Qing's cat food.
  
  Lin Jing thought about this and then opened his eyes to lock gazes with the youchu in front of him.

• Lin Jing also already knows that SW is the Emissary, and he brings it up to the youchu:

  Do your balls not hurt, do you not feel afraid when you look at His Excellency, the Soul Slayer, nailed high on the tree? You have balls don't you, benefactor...

• After Lin Jing looks at Shen Wei the second time, the fan translation has this:

  However, this little bit of concern was quickly interrupted. As he was worriedly looking at the beautiful man whose whole body was drenched in blood, a big wart-covered face of a youchu suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Lin Jing immediately felt that he changed from being in a pure little sentimental artistic film into being in an excessively heavy horror film like Resident Evil. At that moment, his breath almost became choked in his chest.
  
  He silently withdrew his gaze. In his heart, he said: "So what if I wash my eyes, bastard." (t/n meaning sw is pretty so he's using sw to "wash" his eyes)
  
  At last, Lin Jing finally recognized the reality-even if he was chopped up by Zhao Yunlan, there was nothing he could do to counter the present situation.

• The fan translation has this reaction from SW when LJ first speaks to him:

  Shen Wei's gaze moved slightly and landed on his body. Then, he nodded at him in a courteous and gentle manner.

• Different explanations for how SW ended up in this situation:
  
  Official translation:

  "He attacked me from behind," he said mildly. "I could've dodged, but I was busy taking back the Chaos. I had to take the blow so that our efforts wouldn't all go to waste. It's fine-except that he stabbed me in the heart with this icicle made from frozen water of the Huangquan, so I'm unable to move at the moment."

  Fan translation:

  "He surprise attacked from the back. I originally could have dodged him but I wasn't able to fully succeed at the time and was pierced by him. For the time being, it's not a big deal and it's nothing serious."
  
  Lin Jing was stunned into silence for a while. Uncertainly, he asked: "Is that true...?"
  
  Shen Wei seemed to be getting weaker. As if he was trying to conserve his strength, he lowered his voice and slowed his speech: "But because he stabbed an icicle formed from the waters from Huan Quang into my heart, I can't move."

• After Shen Wei suggests Lin Jing keep reciting scripture, the fan translation has this:

  In actuality, Shen Wei didn't expect Lin Jing to really accomplish anything. Although he was in a difficult position, he had a plan in his heart. He only wanted to find something for Lin Jing to do, and so he spoke offhandedly.

• The bit where Shen Wei thinks about ZYL's team being like him is a bit different between versions. Official translation:

  Birds of a feather, it seemed, really did flock together. Everyone who'd gathered around Zhao Yunlan seemed to be a little like him, one way or another; for example, when fixated on something, he could focus his whole attention on it and forget everything else.

  Fan translation:

  He abruptly sensed in his heart that, like birds of a feather, the people around Zhao Yunlan were more or less somewhat similar to him-for example, they were all very persistent about something, the kind of persistence where they could forget about everything else.
  
  For example this one, and for example that little boy who becomes nervous the moment he speaks.

  And following this, before the scene shifts to Xiao-Guo, the fan translation has another bit from Shen Wei's POV:

  Shen Wei squinted a little. In fact, he already had some speculations about the Guardian Lamp in his heart. However, looking at it now, it seemed as if it would be better at this moment for it to not show up.

• Before Zhao Yunlan visits the Yanluo Courts, the JJWXC version/fan translation has this transitional bit:

  Zhao Yunlan was silent for the whole trip. The ghost messengers who still had lingering fears didn't dare approach him for conversation. Only Zhu Hong followed him in the wake of his every footstep, no matter what he said.
  
  After passing the gates of hell and arriving at Yanluo temple, the magistrate was just about to lead Zhao Yunlan inside when a little ghost suddenly appeared to block their road.
  
  The magistrate furrowed his eyebrows.
  
  The little ghost smiled gloomily: "Lord Guardian. The Ten Halls of Yanluo requests the pleasure of your presence."
  
  Before Zhao Yunlan could speak, the magistrate could already no longer bear it and said: "What is the meaning of this? The Soul Slayer was secretly plotted against by Gui Mian, chaos is about to break open, the Great Seal is about to completely fracture...Can you take responsibility if you delay official business? Move!"
  
  The little ghost held down his head very low: "Yes, Lord Magistrate, but this small one is merely acting under orders."
  
  Magistrate: "You guys..."
  
  Zhao Yunlan suddenly interrupted him: "Take me there. I've lived for this long and still haven't met the Yan King."

• A bit of additional detail for the visibility of the levels of Hell:

  The magistrate stared. He knew this was the opened "earth-piercing eye"; and with some uneasiness, he cast a glance at Zhao Yunlan and quietly had all the ghost messengers present withdraw and stand to one side. Normally, the earth-piercing eye wasn't open and people in the hall of the Yan Kings wouldn't be able to see matters below in the eighteen levels of Diyu.

• Additional detail for Zhu Hong grabbing Zhao Yunlan's arm in the fan translation:

  Zhu Hong grabbed Zhao Yunlan's arm. If it weren't for his thick clothes, her ten sharp fingers would have practically pierced into Zhao Yunlan's flesh.

• Zhao Yunlan in the official translation:

  Zhao Yunlan's frosty gaze swept across the Ten Yanluo Kings. Then he turned to the Magistrate cowering at his side. "Do you guys expect me to just stand here while we talk?"

  In the fan translation:

  Zhao Yunlan completely ignored the female ghost who was still climbing up despite her face already being cooked into big boils: crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. He raised his cold gaze to sweep around the bodies of the ten Yanluo halls, then turned to look at the magistrate pretending to be a quail on the side (t/n quail, the bird, is used to describe people who are cowardly/timid) and gently lifted his brows. Arrogantly, he dragged out his speech: "You guys are planning on letting me stand while I talk?"

• Where the official translation has "Years of experience working with the Netherworld", the fan translation has "Zhao Yunlan's 30 years of experience collaborating with Difu", which doesn't seem right unless he's older than I thought. (Possibly that's why it got removed.)


• The fan translation has an additional paragraph before the ground shakes:

  He slapped his own face without hesitation (t/n figuratively, not literal). The hand in his coat pocket gently rubbed the butt of his gun. Similarly, a fire burned in his heart. He had a mind to be like a fighting House Sparrow, taking out these ten assholes who were pretending to be cool one shot at a time. However, at this juncture, he still couldn't afford to completely break off relations with these pig-like comrade-in-arms and so could only fucking bear it.

• When Shen Wei explains that nothing will happen to him if the icicle is pulled out, the fan translation adds:

  The tone he used was as if he was talking casually to the take-out waitress at a canteen.

  (And of course the bit where he reveals his identity to Lin Jing isn't there, because in the JJWXC version/fan translation, Lin Jing already knows.)


• The section after Shen Wei cryptically answers Lin Jing's question about Ghost Face is a bit different:
  
  Official translation:

  Although he didn't understand, Lin Jing still found himself shuddering. As he gave Shen Wei a sidelong look, it occurred to him that Shen-laoshi... No, that the Soul-Executing Emissary and the masked man, despite their similar appearance, were worlds apart when it came to intelligence.
  
  Lin Jing thought of himself as pretty dumb. Shrewd, calculating people made him want to run and hide far away in case they sold him off without him even realizing while he was still helping to count the money.
  
  Shen Wei said, "The waters of the Wangchuan River are above us. Swimming up, you'll reach the Huangquan Road. Yunlan is most likely in the Netherworld, so let's go find him. Start swimming and I'll follow. But don't mention anything about my whereabouts just yet."

  Fan translation:

  Lin Jing thought for a moment and then truthfully said: "Amitabha, Benefactor, I don't understand."
  
  Shen Wei glanced at him with a faint smile, turned, and disappeared under Lin Jing's eyes.
  
  Lin Jing was stunned and blurted out: "Fuck! I lost the Chief's family member! I can say goodbye to this year's year-end bonus!"
  
  An invisible hand rested on Lin Jing's shoulder. He heard Shen Wei's voice next to him say: "The waters of Wang Chuan are above us. You must think of a way to swim up. When you've reached Difu, Yunlan is around there somewhere. We'll look for him together, I will follow you, just don't expose my movements."

[facethestrange]

"AARGH, this water situation is really driving me batty, I really can't work out what I'm supposed to envision. All the individual bits don't seem to work together at all! /o\"

Big high-five! The closest I got to understanding it is that the water flows over the dome/creates the dome, and once Lin Jing leaves it there's no more water surrounding him. But there probably are parts of the description that don't fit this interpretation either. xD

"Hm, "conversing with humans" is quite a bit more specific than just "talking"! And now I want to know all about past instances where youchu did converse with humans ... What did they talk about? Did anyone get eaten?"

I really want to know that too! Just like I'd love to see Wei's early interactions with humans, or even more, because we already know Wei, and all of this is completely unknown!

"Or are they ... gasp, shock ... not nearly as must-eat-everything as we've been led to believe? Perhaps much like certain other gui? :p"

This is indeed the case. :P (And it only keeps getting more canon.)

"So there's a whole (probably-not-intended) reading here where the youchu is just being friendly in response to Lin Jing trying to chat with it - possibly bored, just as Lin Jing suggests! - and then Lin Jing immediately reacts badly and the youchu sadly retreats ... (I mean. It's not like the youchu chose its teeth! And it shouldn't have to hide its body! Possibly it's just not good at knowing what will scare humans. *g*)"

As much as I also think it probably wasn't intended, this interpretation definitely makes as much sense to me as the reverse! Especially since, as you said later, the youchu is neutral toward Lin Jing until he becomes a danger. A random display of friendliness and a random display of hostility would be equally likely, and the description fits either.

"I assume he means the da-shixiong from whatever sect he belongs to as a monk. Do we know anything else about his background? I've forgotten ... Also, aww, he calls out for SW and ZYL!"

He's a descendant of Bodhidharma, but I don't remember anything else. And I'm especially amused that he calls out for Shen Wei (which is interesting, considering the other two people are not even there :P), because at this point he thinks SW is just a regular human who is impaled through his chest - there's not much help he could provide. :P It is super sweet though. ♡

"LOLOLOL at SW hanging there stabbed through the heart and laughing at Lin Jing's newscaster voice! What an image."

Hahah, right?? xD It's so weirdly adorable to me. :D :D

"So, 1) someone sealed Daqing's memories, and 2) this somehow prevented him from changing shape? And his encounter with the Great Divine Tree awoke some memories, including how to change shape? Am I getting this right?

(Did we know this before? I'm pretty sure the shape-changing part is new info, at least.)"

I think this is all correct, yep, and the shape-changing part is indeed new. (The memories part is not new, as said elsewhere. And then there's also a thing later about Daqing himself having been sealed away at the beginning/right after being separated from Kunlun? No idea how that ties into any of that. :P)

"You know, this reminds me of drama!ZYL on the rooftop, for the meeting with Zhu Jiu ..."

Ahh, fantastic catch, YES! The chair where a chair doesn't belong, and Zhao Yunlan just imperiously chilling in it! :D

"Wow, what a dramatic reveal! And in the drama, it's stashed away in a box in a corner ... :D"

Right?? :D :D *high five* This may be my favorite inconsequential change, since it's all about the tone and not plot-related at all - in the drama it could also be a dramatic reveal, just in a different context, but instead they decided to do the complete opposite because why not. :D

"Doing better than Daqing and Zhu Hong, he only almost fell!"

Indeed, lolol. :D :D (The bar is so low at this point. ;D)

"So it doesn't melt into water, but into smoke. What is it that Shen Wei consumes, the actual Wangchuan water the icicle was made of, or the power that was used to freeze it and turn it into a weapon?"

Ooooh, I didn't even catch that it doesn't melt into water! I really like the power theory - I was thinking he may be somehow reversing what the icicle did, and this would definitely be a way to do that.

"I wish I understood what's going on there! Hopefully it will become clearer soon. (And at least Lin Jing doesn't understand either, heh.)"

This is one of the things that will get the clearest explanation later, imo! At least compared to many other things. :D

"He's misspeaking, right? It's his reflection, not his shadow."

Yep!

[china_shop]

I'm finally catching up!

Hee! Meanwhile I'm falling further and further behind. /o\

It's not his shadow, it's his mirror image, isn't it?

Yes, I made the same mistake as GCC. :-)

> > How well are you following what's going on with the Seal and Shen Wei's machinations?
>
> NOT AT ALL.

My brain has pretty much given up in self-defence. /o\

Hm, "conversing with humans" is quite a bit more specific than just "talking"!

True! Good point. Probably a good call on its part that it doesn't start chatting here; never wise to make friends with your prisoner.

1) I have zero understanding of what SW has done/is planning/?? ...

I know! Do you think we're supposed to know at this stage?

2) LOLOLOL, "I'm fine I'm just stabbed through the heart and can't move, never mind that minor inconvenience!" Oh, SW.

Right? This is taking stoicism to absurd levels.

I love protective Daqing! :D

Yes, that's so good!

You know, this reminds me of drama!ZYL on the rooftop, for the meeting with Zhu Jiu ...

Oh, excellent point. Yeah! There's absolutely no other reason for the chair in that scene.