rekishi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rekishi) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
ghost_valley2021-08-31 07:07 pm
rekishi) wrote in ghost_valley2021-08-31 07:07 pm
Entry tags:
[Tian Ya Ke (Re-)Readalong] Chapter 26-28
Welcome back! I actually intended to take an unscheduled break, but then bladedweapons put a new wind beneath the wings of these posts. Thank you, myro!
Oh btw, I'm switching back to the sparklingwater and wenbuxing translations, because the extra effort is really getting to me. I'll spotcheck if something seems iffy.
Chapter 26 – Lord Seventh
Chapter 27 – Slaughter
Chapter 28 - Ancient Monk
Jing Beiyuan getting mixed up in things no one expected him to! Though to be honest, Zhou Zishu should have known better. Ye Baiyi knows way too much.
Can you believe Zhou Zishu is still wearing his mask here? Crazy.
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Jing Beiyuan! (And the sable, but I do think it's a new one...no small animal lives that long. :( )
For everyone who hasn't read Qi Ye, Lu Ta calls JBY 'father' ( 爹, die, which is less formal and probably more 'dad'; for reference, the Jiang siblings in CQL call JFM also 'die'), but Lu Ta isn't JBY's bio son. Lu Ta is the shamanet of Nanjiang, JBY just….adopted him. Because he could and JBY isn't like normal people, also evidenced by his roundabout way of talking to Lu Ta. Luckily, the boy is clearly used to it and deals with it like a champ.
But we do see how surprised but also pleased JBY is with getting notice that ZZS has asked for information. Even Wu Xi is pleased, which stands to reason since he did form an odd sort of friendship with ZZS...and supplied him with many a neat little drug (WX calls ZZS still 庄主, since this is what he knew him as).
The thing is, I don't think ZZS wanted JBY to come out. But since JBY has his ears everywhere (certainly having taken a page out of ZZS' book, so basically his own methods are coming back to haunt him), ZZS really really should have known better. His own fault that now he will get haunted by an old friend.
Speaking of Wu Xi! Honestly, Wu Xi has tons more chill in these few paragraphs we see him than he has in the entire Qi Ye novel. Where he has exactly zero chill. He's so much more relaxed here! Ah, the things love do to you. (I'm rolling my eyes at myself, yeah.)
I love these two, I quite enjoy this dynamic that's a little more adult than we left them. Plus, JBY has three hundred years of cynicism to call back on, by now ZZS is probably on par with JBY on that front. WKX….won't know what hit him.
I love love love that GX has to bail the two idiots out from the bill racked up by YBY's insatiable appetite. (We'll talk about YBY and his gremlin ways so much later.)
Speaking of GX, this was adorable: Gu Xiang was alarmed, “Master, you committed arsonry?” Like, WKX has committed a lot of crimes over the years, I'm sure, including murder, but a little bit of arson is setting her off. I guess maybe usually WKX doesn't do it for no good reason? WKX is a madman but there's method to his madness, usually.
CWN is so adorable with his instant infatuation. I love him, he's so earnest and he's so good for GX. Meanwhile GX thinks he's a bit slow in the head, clearly crushing his spirits. Poor CWN.
ZZS also does not know how to use his words. Look, I'm not surprised by it, all things considered, but he's just….taking ZCL. And...not saying anything, leaving the poor boy not actually knowing what's up, but he's still clearly much more actively looking out for him and showing it (even if he has an additional motive by wanting to question him). I wonder if this is related to that somewhat earnest heart to heart he's had with WKX a few chapters ago.
Then again, this chapter is another tally on "ZZS is actually not a good sect leader/shifu/any of the above", because really, ZZS? “I’m going to teach you a mnemonic rhyme; you have to try to comprehend it yourself and utilize it to further your cultivation. You can come to me if there is any confusion.” I have no clue what that's supposed to mean.
But I think we're getting some hints here what drove him to the Nails: Zhou Zishu watched all of it, detached from everything as a habit. He didn’t know how to view himself as a human—someone with emotions, with a sense of right and wrong. It was for his own self-preservation; as long as he acted without thinking, he wouldn’t be driven to insanity.
How desolate are these words? That whole scene is horrible and incredibly atmospheric and quite deft writing here, and finally we know what happened with the Jiang family. ZZS had it so much together in Qi Ye in the aftermath of this scene, but clearly he was putting up a brave front for LJX. ZZS clearly...considers the Nails justice, which also is consistent with the fact that he then wakes up with pain from the Nails.
(Also, ZZS doesn't consider himself human. WKX is not considered human… No wonder they understand each other on a level they don't need to talk about.)
Meanwhile WKX starts showing his hand. I don't think he feels any less desolate than ZZS in this situation, even if he has GX for company.
Do we think Ghost Valley is responsible for the dead bodies? Do we think WKX ordered it, considering his musing of the previous night? Certainly not out of retaliation of the previous day's execution but of the past.
GX has good instincts though, "It’s only been a few days since you started following him, how are you already changing to keeping tabs on him all the time?" Also! YBY calling ZZS for a secret midnight meeting.
WKX is less than pleased and I'm wondering of he's really still in denial or whether he just blusters in front of GX and...does want more than to be friends with ZZS. To be honest, considering WKX background and life so far, I consider both options viable. Both of them accelerate in their whole ~feelings~ bit later on, but at this point….I wonder.
On that note, why does WKX always leave through the window???
Please note everyone, YBY's martial arts is even better than ZZS' martial arts! The thing is, with YBY, ZZS, and WKX in one place these are quite a few heavy weights. If I were an innocent bystanders and knew this...I'd be concerned.
Ye "carve my name into your sword" Baiyi and his gremlin ways, he's so awesome. Basically zero social courtesy left and the things he tells ZZS here could fell a lesser man. Are ZZS' thoughts polite? No, but that makes it so much fun. :D
So YBY also knows about the Nails (how could he not) and will not be pleased. Meanwhile, he and WKX have met...properly now. Which won't end in a fun way either. WKX has decided ZZS is his...and now someone else has touched what's his.
We'll continue with chapters 29+30 on September 07!
bladedweapons put a new wind beneath the wings of these posts. Thank you, myro!Oh btw, I'm switching back to the sparklingwater and wenbuxing translations, because the extra effort is really getting to me. I'll spotcheck if something seems iffy.
Chapter 26 – Lord Seventh
Chapter 27 – Slaughter
Chapter 28 - Ancient Monk
Jing Beiyuan getting mixed up in things no one expected him to! Though to be honest, Zhou Zishu should have known better. Ye Baiyi knows way too much.
Can you believe Zhou Zishu is still wearing his mask here? Crazy.
Chapter 26
- Please note, there is an inconsistency in the wording sparklingwater uses here. In Qi Ye, the place name is Nanjiang, in TYK the place name is South Xinjiang, which… Yeah, is odd (especially since south = nan). And Aixinle is Axinlai (which corresponds to the hanzi here.)
- "The man was about to say something when they heard a small laugh and a gentle voice, “Are you so unoccupied to the point of wanting to stir up troubles?”
The man who just came in was dressed in black from head to toe, carrying a scepter that was also solid black. Upon seeing him, Axinlai bowed, “Great Shaman.”
The shaman muttered a word of acknowledgement and gestured at him. “Go do your work—Beiyuan, don’t always make fun of good-natured people.” - "Zhou Zishu, not knowing he had signed his fate for having such an acquaintance, was currently distressed about a very materialistic matter—“Giant’s Stomach” Ye Baiyi’s presence had left him with a money problem."
- "Wen Kexing, seeing that Zhou Zishu’s gaze had turned sour, couldn’t help but tighten his clothes around him. He said in a small voice, “I only sell my entertainment value and not my body, you must not leave me here.”
Zhou Zishu asked, “So what are you going to do now?”
Wen Kexing said, “Since you’re the one who treated us, you should sell yourself instead.”
Zhou Zishu gritted out, “I’m not a fucking maiden, will you buy me if I do sell myself then?”
Wen Kexing’s eyes immediately brightened, “Of course, I will buy you even if I have to sell away all of my fortunes!”
Zhou Zishu lowered his voice, “Can you sell all of your fortunes to pay for this meal first then?”" - "Wen Kexing was completely undisturbed. The corner of his lips lifted but there was no hint of a smile in his eyes. He said gently, “Even Old Meng wants to tell me what to do?”
“…Yes.”"
Chapter 27
- "Zhou Zishu watched all of it, detached from everything as a habit. He didn’t know how to view himself as a human—someone with emotions, with a sense of right and wrong. It was for his own self-preservation; as long as he acted without thinking, he wouldn’t be driven to insanity.
He was merely a pair of bloody hands on which the kingdom of Da Qing rested. Prosperity was like beautifully decorated sleeves, and his hands were forever hidden inside of them, making it difficult for people to really see him. Until the rotten age of war was over and peace reigned over the people, another chapter in history would begin…" - "Wen Kexing allowed a slow smile to spread over his face and spoke softly, “I have waited for this for twenty years.”
Gu Xiang only looked at him in silence. The smile on his face showed inconceivable relief that bordered on maniacal glee. With no source of light around, he almost didn’t look human, prompting reverence in her." - "Ye Baiyi closed his eyes, muttering, “Changqing, I always have a bad feeling about this, why aren’t you here anymore…”
Would the world be so much more peaceful if the Command, the Ghost Valley, the Glazed Armor and Tian Chuang ceased to exist?" - "Zhou Zishu decided that he would ignore this man until he learned how to speak like a normal human again, but unbridledly, he nodded.
He immediately regretted it afterwards and wished he could remove his annoying head from his body. He started to evaluate whether it was worth appeasing his soul to kill a disciple of the Ancient Monk right now to cover his tracks." - "At night, after Zhou Zishu had sent Zhang Chengling off—the boy snuck out again to see him—he was greeted with an uninvited guest that was Ye Baiyi. The man was so indifferent that he didn’t bother to wear clothes that would help him blend in the night; he shamelessly knocked on the window and called, “You, follow me.”
It was too late to execute his murder plan, so Zhou Zishu followed him outside.
In the room next to his, Wen Kexing already heard everything happening. His arms crossed and he frowned, face sour."
Chapter 28
- "He suddenly asked, “Ah-Xiang, do you think I’m crazy?”
Gu Xiang was stunned, and looked at him hesitantly. Seeing the dull calmness on his face without any trace of anger, she nervously nodded. Wen Kexing turned away and scoffed.
After some thinking, Gu Xiang added, “I’m following you even if you are.”" - "After a long while, Ye Baiyi asked, “What have you discovered?”
Zhou Zishu startled, finally able to pinpoint why there was a distant feeling emanating. He lowered his head, “Please forgive this junior’s terrible eyes, for I have severely disrespected you in the past few days.”" - "When it was met with no movement from Zhou Zishu, his tone became impatient. “You think I haven’t seen that thing? It was a gift from me to your shifu way back then, and no one will bother to steal it from you, so why can’t I have a look? What an incompetent disciple Qin Huaizhang has!”
That was when Zhou Zishu was reminded that there were the words “Baiyi” carved on his sword. He once thought it was some kind of mysterious motto, but turned out it was this man’s name. His face turned sullen and he felt incredibly uncomfortable; involuntarily, he reached down his waist and felt around a bit before pulling out an impressive whip sword. He gave it to Ye Baiyi." - "However, Ye Baiyi didn’t do anything else but frown. Zhou Zishu felt a gentle stream of core power transmitting from the other’s hand into him, as if it was investigating inside his body. Triggered from the inside, the Nails started to act up again, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He tried to reign it in.
Suddenly, the power multiplied; the small stream became a river, filling up his half-withered meridians. Zhou Zishu felt like the Nails were further stirred by the foreign incentive; everything went dark before his eyes as he staggered back."
Jing Beiyuan! (And the sable, but I do think it's a new one...no small animal lives that long. :( )
For everyone who hasn't read Qi Ye, Lu Ta calls JBY 'father' ( 爹, die, which is less formal and probably more 'dad'; for reference, the Jiang siblings in CQL call JFM also 'die'), but Lu Ta isn't JBY's bio son. Lu Ta is the shamanet of Nanjiang, JBY just….adopted him. Because he could and JBY isn't like normal people, also evidenced by his roundabout way of talking to Lu Ta. Luckily, the boy is clearly used to it and deals with it like a champ.
But we do see how surprised but also pleased JBY is with getting notice that ZZS has asked for information. Even Wu Xi is pleased, which stands to reason since he did form an odd sort of friendship with ZZS...and supplied him with many a neat little drug (WX calls ZZS still 庄主, since this is what he knew him as).
The thing is, I don't think ZZS wanted JBY to come out. But since JBY has his ears everywhere (certainly having taken a page out of ZZS' book, so basically his own methods are coming back to haunt him), ZZS really really should have known better. His own fault that now he will get haunted by an old friend.
Speaking of Wu Xi! Honestly, Wu Xi has tons more chill in these few paragraphs we see him than he has in the entire Qi Ye novel. Where he has exactly zero chill. He's so much more relaxed here! Ah, the things love do to you. (I'm rolling my eyes at myself, yeah.)
I love these two, I quite enjoy this dynamic that's a little more adult than we left them. Plus, JBY has three hundred years of cynicism to call back on, by now ZZS is probably on par with JBY on that front. WKX….won't know what hit him.
I love love love that GX has to bail the two idiots out from the bill racked up by YBY's insatiable appetite. (We'll talk about YBY and his gremlin ways so much later.)
Speaking of GX, this was adorable: Gu Xiang was alarmed, “Master, you committed arsonry?” Like, WKX has committed a lot of crimes over the years, I'm sure, including murder, but a little bit of arson is setting her off. I guess maybe usually WKX doesn't do it for no good reason? WKX is a madman but there's method to his madness, usually.
CWN is so adorable with his instant infatuation. I love him, he's so earnest and he's so good for GX. Meanwhile GX thinks he's a bit slow in the head, clearly crushing his spirits. Poor CWN.
ZZS also does not know how to use his words. Look, I'm not surprised by it, all things considered, but he's just….taking ZCL. And...not saying anything, leaving the poor boy not actually knowing what's up, but he's still clearly much more actively looking out for him and showing it (even if he has an additional motive by wanting to question him). I wonder if this is related to that somewhat earnest heart to heart he's had with WKX a few chapters ago.
Then again, this chapter is another tally on "ZZS is actually not a good sect leader/shifu/any of the above", because really, ZZS? “I’m going to teach you a mnemonic rhyme; you have to try to comprehend it yourself and utilize it to further your cultivation. You can come to me if there is any confusion.” I have no clue what that's supposed to mean.
But I think we're getting some hints here what drove him to the Nails: Zhou Zishu watched all of it, detached from everything as a habit. He didn’t know how to view himself as a human—someone with emotions, with a sense of right and wrong. It was for his own self-preservation; as long as he acted without thinking, he wouldn’t be driven to insanity.
How desolate are these words? That whole scene is horrible and incredibly atmospheric and quite deft writing here, and finally we know what happened with the Jiang family. ZZS had it so much together in Qi Ye in the aftermath of this scene, but clearly he was putting up a brave front for LJX. ZZS clearly...considers the Nails justice, which also is consistent with the fact that he then wakes up with pain from the Nails.
(Also, ZZS doesn't consider himself human. WKX is not considered human… No wonder they understand each other on a level they don't need to talk about.)
Meanwhile WKX starts showing his hand. I don't think he feels any less desolate than ZZS in this situation, even if he has GX for company.
Do we think Ghost Valley is responsible for the dead bodies? Do we think WKX ordered it, considering his musing of the previous night? Certainly not out of retaliation of the previous day's execution but of the past.
GX has good instincts though, "It’s only been a few days since you started following him, how are you already changing to keeping tabs on him all the time?" Also! YBY calling ZZS for a secret midnight meeting.
WKX is less than pleased and I'm wondering of he's really still in denial or whether he just blusters in front of GX and...does want more than to be friends with ZZS. To be honest, considering WKX background and life so far, I consider both options viable. Both of them accelerate in their whole ~feelings~ bit later on, but at this point….I wonder.
On that note, why does WKX always leave through the window???
Please note everyone, YBY's martial arts is even better than ZZS' martial arts! The thing is, with YBY, ZZS, and WKX in one place these are quite a few heavy weights. If I were an innocent bystanders and knew this...I'd be concerned.
Ye "carve my name into your sword" Baiyi and his gremlin ways, he's so awesome. Basically zero social courtesy left and the things he tells ZZS here could fell a lesser man. Are ZZS' thoughts polite? No, but that makes it so much fun. :D
So YBY also knows about the Nails (how could he not) and will not be pleased. Meanwhile, he and WKX have met...properly now. Which won't end in a fun way either. WKX has decided ZZS is his...and now someone else has touched what's his.
We'll continue with chapters 29+30 on September 07!
no subject
The shaman looked at the other man’s mischievous face without saying anything, but internally he knew the other clearly just wanted to watch chaos happen while “helping” his friend.
Beiyuan and Wu Xi!
GX saving WKX and ZZS’ bacon re: YBY’s bill!
They arrived when Cao Weining, accompanied by Zhang Chengling, was looking for them. “Brother Zhou, Young Brother Zhang told me that you are his master…” He suddenly stopped talking to gape at Gu Xiang who was standing behind Wen Kexing, his mouth wide open.
Gu Xiang blinked a few times for no reasons, while Cao Weining kept staring at her stupidly.
Next to him, Zhou Zishu cleared his voice. Cao Weining was pulled out of the daze and blushed deeply, stuttering, “M- Miss… Apologies, I didn’t mean to be rude, really, just…”
GX and CWN finally meet! (I was a bit surprised it took this long tbh)
He was merely a pair of bloody hands on which the kingdom of Da Qing rested. Prosperity was like beautifully decorated sleeves, and his hands were forever hidden inside of them, making it difficult for people to really see him. Until the rotten age of war was over and peace reigned over the people, another chapter in history would begin…
Zhou Zishu lowered his head. The face of the person in his dream was hazy, but he thought he could still see the features that belonged to a little girl—she was held in the nanny’s arms like an innocent, helpless lamb while her protector never strayed from her task with a desperate expression on her face.
Ow.
Wen Kexing fell silent, then inhaled after a good while, still feeling incredibly irritated. He casually leaned on the window to enjoy the chilly wind and said to Gu Xiang in a bland voice, “Say, according to you apparently I’m not at all interested in women, can only bed handsome men and harm those who don’t look that good? Can’t I have a friend or two just to talk to?”
It's interesting how different the mood is this vs the equivalent conversation in episode 4 of SHL (the later bit with WKX asking GX if she thinks he’s crazy shows up in episode 10 of SHL).
There was a shadow of someone appearing behind his back, that person shouted, “What are you doing?” while catching Zhou Zishu in their hold. They raised a sleeve to bat away Ye Baiyi’s hand; and with an “Oh”, the man unabashedly clashed with them. Ye Baiyi came into contact with a strong demonic energy; it startled him and gave his chest a suffocated feeling.
Wen Kexing was even more taken aback. He just utilized a majority of his core strength in that attack, but it was met with a seemingly untraceable wall. His grip on Zhou Zishu’s waist tightened as he leaned forward a little to both cover for the man in his arms and stabilize his footing.
WKX to ZZS’s rescue!(I love this scene)