sid_guardian | Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Bonus Stories: The Mountain Spirit

Entry tags:

Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Bonus Stories: The Mountain Spirit

Welcome aboard for this week's extra in our Guardian readalong!

are last week's extras. You can find all previous discussions on the schedule posts (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5), or via the !readalong tag.

Summary: Jianghu wanderer Shen San is injured while saving someone, falls down a cliff, and finds himself in the care of a beautiful ~~immortal~~ yao, who nurses him back to health. He soon finds himself entirely smitten. Returning as promised after taking care of unfinished business, he finds the cottage empty. Three years later, having made a home there, Shen San discovers his yao-xiong has been secretly around all this time. They settle into domesticity, disrupted only by a book of erotica and Shen San falling ill. Before Shen San dies, he promises to come back in his next life and find him again. Afterwards, the newly-named Shen Wei hunts down the original Soul-Guarding Order, which Shen San had given away, and unseals Daqing so Daqing can take care of Kunlun's reincarnations.

The corresponding part in the Chinese version/the fan translation is the "Shen San" extra.

Excerpts:
I could have quoted everything! But I managed to restrain myself. *g*

1) Shen San, jianghu wanderer
"Careful, now," someone said.

The hoarse voice belonged to a tall man dressed in rags. A small piece of wood hung around his neck like a dog's name tag, and a rusting wine jug was strapped to his waist. He looked tremendously disheveled, his face half-hidden by unbound hair. His eyes were half-shut, and he smelled of alcohol. It was hard to guess how old he was, but no matter his age, this was a disreputable way to look. He had a blade of grass in his mouth, the bamboo stick in his hands, and a rag-wrapped sword on his back. When he walked, his shoulders swayed, which somehow gave him an even more unreliable air, like someone who might start a fight or make trouble at any moment.

All told, he was the sort of man one would steer well clear of if encountering him on the street.

2) Human, immortal, yao?
Finally getting a good look at him, Shen San saw a young man with a pale complexion. His eyes and brows were works of art, and with his lowered lashes, he seemed to carry a quiet serenity, as if sculpted from snow.

Shen San was immediately distracted. "You... Are you human, or..."

The young man looked up. "Mn?"

Those eyes were like nothing Shen San had ever seen. The corners might've been drawn with the stroke of a brush, but perhaps by a painter who wasn't quite a proper artist. This "brushstroke" held a hint of demonic energy-cold and eerie, making the souls of the beholder quiver.

As soon as their eyes met, the words "an immortal" died on Shen San's tongue. "...a yao?" he finished.

3) Shen San has a revelation
Shen San was a wanderer among wanderers. His wanderings had brought him to the bottom of the cliff, and he'd come to this sudden stop at this small hut after being swept away by the torrential waters. Something stirred in his heart. Words burst from his lips. "Yao-xiong, you brought me back here and you've tended my wounds so carefully. If things go the way they usually do in books, I should be offering myself to you right about now."

Yao-xiong's hand quivered. The medicine bowl fell to the floor and smashed.

Shen San froze. "I'm just..."

Before the word "joking" could leave his mouth, Yao-xiong had picked up the broken pieces in a panic and fled.

The breeze from his passing made the little wind chime ring again and again. Much like the chatter of a gaggle of girls just leaving childhood behind, the sound was somehow both pleasant and annoying.

Eventually, Shen San came to a realization. He stared, dazed, eyes and mouth wide, at the half-open door of the thatched hut. Understanding dawned.

It was just like the stories: the scholar and the fox spirit, the lost traveler and the mountain spirit, Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen.

He had met a male fox spirit, a male mountain spirit, a male snake.

4) High literature
Only two people lived in the hut, and some stupid work of erotica could hardly cultivate a pair of legs for itself and run off. That left only one person who could've hidden it.

Yao-xiong's personality was as transparent as water. A single glance was all it took to see through him. He had only a few places to hide things, and Shen San could've found them all with his eyes closed. He sent Wei outside on the pretext of wanting a few pretty branches of plum blossoms. But while he was still rummaging through the chests and drawers, Yao-xiong suddenly returned, intending to ask Shen San where he should put the branches. Instead, he caught Shen San in the act of stealing the book back.

Startled, Shen San dropped the book.

In those few short days, Yao-xiong, who was pure as a blank sheet of paper, had read through it countless times, and the book's thread binding had already come loose. When the book hit the ground, its pages went flying, dusting the floor with elegance.

The two of them stared at each other. Shen San burst into laughter; his mortified Yao-xiong fled.

5) A promise
A smile broke over Shen San's face. "I never used to believe in gods and immortals, but I do now, a little... When I was younger, I had a wooden plaque that said 'Soul-Guarding.' My mom said I was born with it, and she told me to take good care of it. She was afraid I wouldn't live long without it. I never believed that, but a few years ago, I gave it to a tiny baby. Ever since then, my health's crumbled, year after year, and I'm at the end of my life. I brought it on myself by not listening to my elders. It has nothing to do with you."

His Yao-xiong's eyes were so red that they seemed about to bleed. Shen San gripped his hand lightly, giving it a shake. "Xiao-Wei, wait for me. Don't leave. Stay here in this garden. If there is a next life, I'll come find you again, okay?"

His Yao-xiong gave no reply.

"Okay?" Shen San tried again.

"...Mn."

It was enough. Shen San closed his eyes, satisfied. Merely speaking those few words had exhausted him. He couldn't have lifted even a single finger again.

You promised. This time, you'd better keep your promise, Yao-xiong.

Questions:

What do you think about Shen San? How much is he like Kunlun, or like Zhao Yunlan? Do you think Shen San and his yao-xiong ever managed to make proper use of that book of erotica? *g* How do you feel about the tragedy of it all? Should Wei have resisted harder? Can you make sense of how the parts about the Soul-Guarding Order fit with everything else? Which parts of this extra have parallels in the drama?

(As usual, these are just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like!)

Our schedule - only one more extra to go! Sign up if you'd like to host it!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When did Shen Wei become the Emissary anyway? Is the Netherworld already 'where he belongs', or not yet?

That's a very good question! I figured he'd been in this role since the start - since Kunlun entered the reincarnation cycle - but I don't think there's any canonical proof for that?

Yeah, I always wonder if a Xiao-Wei YOHE scene was written/filmed and then just not included in the final version - there's too much potential payoff to just intentionally ignore it. But who knows. :P

My headcanon is that the YOHE sequence was originally envisioned as longer, and was cut down to essentials when they realised they'd lost their budget. So a scene like that being in the original script sounds very plausible to me!

In the original version it was Kunlun calling him Xiao-Wei, right? Was it also only before Kunlun's death, or just in general? (And I'm assuming when the Shen San extra was first written, both of them called him Xiao-Wei?

My memory is blurring, but I don't actually remember Kunlun calling him Xiao-Wei in the PP ... They have the renaming conversation in the PP, but Kunlun only directly calls him "little ghost king" there.

It does say it was five thousand years ago many times, but I've always thought it was the other way around and it's the five thousand years that is just an expression

"Ten thousand years" is definitely an established expression for "a long time", but you're totally right, the five thousand are also an expression. So I guess we shouldn't take any of the numbers literally and just count it as "lots and lots of years ago". *g*

Though later he does say, "Yunlan, with only a few decades left, let’s spend our lives together like mortals, all right?", so that probably counts as confirmation? But SW is SW, so who knows.

Yeah, the SW-ness of it all muddies the waters considerably - hard to tell when he's lying, when he's deluding himself, when it's just hopeful thinking, and when it's actually true. *g*

Did he only not leave because the Seal wouldn't actually let ZYL live out his life anyway, so it didn't matter?

That interpretation definitely sounds very plausible to me!

"I figured he'd been in this role since the start - since Kunlun entered the reincarnation cycle - but I don't think there's any canonical proof for that?"

I also feel like there's no information that is canon-canon, but it says this in the glossary: "Due to a promise he made to Kunlun-jun in the past, he became the Soul-Executing Emissary and the keeper of the Great Seal." (Which I guess is only semi-canon, especially since it wasn't a promise he made to Kunlun, was it? It was a promise he made to Shennong.) I guess the Netherworld officials are permanently annoyed and/or terrified every time Kunlun is being reincarnated because suddenly the Emissary is there all the time, lol.

"My headcanon is that the YOHE sequence was originally envisioned as longer, and was cut down to essentials when they realised they'd lost their budget. So a scene like that being in the original script sounds very plausible to me!"

Yep, that would definitely make sense - their YOHE conversation always feels to me like several different conversations with time skips.

"My memory is blurring, but I don't actually remember Kunlun calling him Xiao-Wei in the PP ... They have the renaming conversation in the PP, but Kunlun only directly calls him "little ghost king" there."

Ohh, that's fascinating! So there used to be no callback either? (I'm assuming the modern day scene where SW reacts to being called Xiao-Wei is still there?) It's so weird if there wasn't one before, this callback that got added is SO GOOD. :D

"Ten thousand years" is definitely an established expression for "a long time", but you're totally right, the five thousand are also an expression. So I guess we shouldn't take any of the numbers literally and just count it as "lots and lots of years ago". *g*"

Yeah, I think so too. :D (Since they live in actual China in the novel, I'm assuming Earth history worked more or less the same as irl, gods and supernatural stuff notwithstanding. So the creation of Earth, and the creation of humans, and the vague historical period when wuxia stories take place can all be put on an actual timeline that is similar to the real world timeline. And it all adds up to "lots and lots of years" indeed. :D)

"Yeah, the SW-ness of it all muddies the waters considerably - hard to tell when he's lying, when he's deluding himself, when it's just hopeful thinking, and when it's actually true. *g*"

Hah, so true, perfectly said!

I also feel like there's no information that is canon-canon, but it says this in the glossary: "Due to a promise he made to Kunlun-jun in the past, he became the Soul-Executing Emissary and the keeper of the Great Seal." (Which I guess is only semi-canon, especially since it wasn't a promise he made to Kunlun, was it? It was a promise he made to Shennong.)

There's a bit in volume 2 chapter 19 (the fake tree vision) where Kunlun before his death asks the young king to stand guard - we don't know what of this actually happened, but at least some version of this must have happened? I still don't understand how any of it connects to their scene down at the seal, LOL. Anyway there's no explicit promise on baby!SW's part in this either, but it's implied:

“Take my divine tendon,” he said. “From this day forward…you can be free of…the Place of Great Disrespect, and rank among the gods… Guard…guard over the Four Pillars for me. With Nüwa’s Reincarnation Dial, Fuxi’s Mountain-River Awl…the brush from the Ancient Merit Tree…and I’ll give you one last…” [...]

At last, the pillars stood once again. The Four Hallowed Artifacts were assembled, the Mountain God had faded into thin air, and the Three Sovereigns were gone without a trace. The responsibility for the Four Pillars that held up the sky had, by chance, fallen to the young King of the Gui, who had divinity forced upon him. All that weight lay on his shoulders. It was Kunlun-jun’s last taunt to the Heavens.

Once he took up that burden, he faced millions of years with no end in sight.

I guess the Netherworld officials are permanently annoyed and/or terrified every time Kunlun is being reincarnated because suddenly the Emissary is there all the time, lol.

LOLOLOL! "Oh no, it's that time of the cycle again, can we rush the bureaucracy PLEASE so Kunlun can reincarnate again and the Emissary will GO AWAY ..." :D

Yep, that would definitely make sense - their YOHE conversation always feels to me like several different conversations with time skips.

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean! It's clearly one single conversation, but it doesn't feel like it should be, and I think it makes sense to assume that they stitched together multiple bits from a longer story arc.

Ohh, that's fascinating! So there used to be no callback either? (I'm assuming the modern day scene where SW reacts to being called Xiao-Wei is still there?)

Apparently! Yeah, his reaction to "Xiao-Wei" is in the Yao Market scene in vol. 2 chapter 13 (official translation) and chapter (JJWXC/fan translation) - no difference between the versions there:

“Xiao-Wei!” he exclaimed. Shen Wei went utterly still in his arms.

After a moment, Shen Wei turned and gave Zhao Yunlan a disbelieving look. Voice trembling, he said, “Wh-what did you call me…?”

"There's a bit in volume 2 chapter 19 (the fake tree vision) where Kunlun before his death asks the young king to stand guard - we don't know what of this actually happened, but at least some version of this must have happened?"

Oooh, yep, I forgot that! Though I think Kunlun asking him to do that is one of the main lies - SW didn't want ZYL to know about the actual promise, so he only kept 'I guarded the Seal for you', without the extra step of 'because it was a condition of getting you reincarnated'. (But now I realized that the glossary has a lot of explanations based on initial/older information and not including any later reveals, so I think saying it was a promise to Kunlun is a feature not a bug. :D)

This line is fascinating in retrospect btw: "The responsibility for the Four Pillars that held up the sky had, by chance, fallen to the young King of the Gui, who had divinity forced upon him.", because it was the opposite of chance - he didn't get the responsibility placed on him because he was a god now, he got it because he begged Shennong for help. As far as I can tell, he'd have nothing to with the Seal or the Pillars if he had let Kunlun die? (Officially, I mean. He'd always have emotional attachment to them.)

"Oh no, it's that time of the cycle again, can we rush the bureaucracy PLEASE so Kunlun can reincarnate again and the Emissary will GO AWAY ..." :D

Lololol, exactly. xD :D :D

"Apparently! Yeah, his reaction to "Xiao-Wei" is in the Yao Market scene in vol. 2 chapter 13 (official translation) and chapter (JJWXC/fan translation) - no difference between the versions there"

That is so weird!! Thanks for checking! ♡ Lol, then maybe YOHE didn't have a callback simply because the novel didn't have one either. :P

I think Kunlun asking him to do that is one of the main lies - SW didn't want ZYL to know about the actual promise, so he only kept 'I guarded the Seal for you', without the extra step of 'because it was a condition of getting you reincarnated'.

Yeah, now that you say it, that's obviously what happened. I keep forgetting things about all these lies and uncertainties because there are so many, LOL.

because it was the opposite of chance - he didn't get the responsibility placed on him because he was a god now, he got it because he begged Shennong for help

Yeah, he did have divinity forced on him but this part he definitely chose because it was a price worth paying for saving Kunlun. I don't think there was anything else compelling him, other than that oath to Shennong.

That is so weird!! Thanks for checking! ♡ Lol, then maybe YOHE didn't have a callback simply because the novel didn't have one either. :P

Maybe when priest saw the drama she realised how weird it was, and therefore added it to the Shen San extra? *g*

Ooh, complete tangent, but that thought just made me realise that Shen San-era Wei is a lot more like YOHE!Shen Wei than PP!not-yet-Wei - in the PP, he's still very inexperienced and immature, but by the time of Shen San he has experience in the world and his own duty and agenda and no longer believes all the bullshit he's told like he does with Kunlun back then. YOHE!SW is already an established general with duties and convictions when he meets Kunlun. I wonder if that dynamic partially inspired the Shen San extra?

I keep forgetting things about all these lies and uncertainties because there are so many, LOL.

that thought just made me realise that Shen San-era Wei is a lot more like YOHE!Shen Wei than PP!not-yet-Wei - in the PP, he's still very inexperienced and immature, but by the time of Shen San he has experience in the world and his own duty and agenda and no longer believes all the bullshit he's told like he does with Kunlun back then.

Oh, yes! Great point! :D

LOL, I feel like someone could reasonable create an Annotated Guardian, with in-book cross-referencing of lore and fact, and explanations as you go of what is lies/deceptions. Like, essentially distil this kind of discussion, but less haphazard. ;-p

That would be THE BEST thing, OMG.

(I'm so glad the novel isn't my primary fandom, because if it was, I might feel compelled to try and make that happen, and I really don't have time for that kind of huge project ... *g*)

(I'm so glad the novel isn't my primary fandom, because if it was, I might feel compelled to try and make that happen, and I really don't have time for that kind of huge project ... *g*)

LOL! It would be an ENORMOUS project -- comparable to solo fixing the drama's fansubs. /o\

"Yeah, he did have divinity forced on him but this part he definitely chose because it was a price worth paying for saving Kunlun. I don't think there was anything else compelling him, other than that oath to Shennong."

And this just made me realize that the divinity really wasn't the main problem - SW would've been fine with it, he probably even would've been happy with it (he was fully free from the Place of Great Disrespect, he could 'legally' live in the Mortal Realm, which is where he always wanted to be), and the thing that really messed him up were all the responsibilities and worry and guilt and everything else that came with the oath. And then when he shares the fake story with Zhao Yunlan, it's ZYL's turn to feel guilty (when he's crying and saying how sorry he is) because he thinks he gave SW all the responsibilities but he didn't. D: But then again, SW did it all for him, just less directly, so ZYL is going to feel guilty no matter which version of events he knows.

"Maybe when priest saw the drama she realised how weird it was, and therefore added it to the Shen San extra? *g*"

Lol, honestly, I would believe that! :D

"Ooh, complete tangent, but that thought just made me realise that Shen San-era Wei is a lot more like YOHE!Shen Wei than PP!not-yet-Wei - in the PP, he's still very inexperienced and immature, but by the time of Shen San he has experience in the world and his own duty and agenda and no longer believes all the bullshit he's told like he does with Kunlun back then. YOHE!SW is already an established general with duties and convictions when he meets Kunlun. I wonder if that dynamic partially inspired the Shen San extra?"

Ahhh, this is an AMAZING observation, I love it, you are so right! ♡ And the 'light teasing + huge amounts of softness' vibe of the Shen San extra also reminds me of YOHE (though sometimes it's more modern drama Weilan too) - I could totally see it being the inspiration in several ways! (Which would explain why this extra is so good! :D)

Yeah, I figure he'd always have taken on duties for Kunlun's sake, no matter what, but that's a good point - he didn't get a choice about it, but divinity itself is no issue for him. (Perhaps in parallel to Kunlun, who got no choice about becoming human, but who also has no issues with that?)

And the 'light teasing + huge amounts of softness' vibe of the Shen San extra also reminds me of YOHE (though sometimes it's more modern drama Weilan too) - I could totally see it being the inspiration in several ways!

Yes, that all works really well!

Which would explain why this extra is so good! :D

You said it, hee! :D

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Bonus Stories: The Mountain Spirit

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject