[Tian Ya Ke (Re-)Readalong] Chapter 35+36

[rekishi]

Welcome back!

Are you also excited after last week's identity reveal?? And who is that beauty who stole Zhou Zishu's attention?

Let's find out in

Chapter 35 – Green Vixen
Chapter 36 – No Regrets

Zhang Chengling continues to be in danger (srsly, this boy). Zhou Zishu tries to protect him. Wen Kexing is jealous. Also, Ye Baiyi would need ice for that burn if Zhou Zishu had said it out loud.


Chapter 35

• "Zhou Zishu smiled, and said, “How am I unwilling? Never mind a flask of wine, with such a character like yours, miss, even if you want to consume my flesh, drink my blood, this humble one won’t even bat an eye--waiter, serve us a flask of good wine.”
  
  Then he paused, swept an eye over Wen Kexing and his unfriendly mien, and pointed to him, telling the waiter, “Put it on his tab.”
  
  This was the first time Gu Xiang had seen such vibrant reds and purples blooming on her own master’s face, and she instantly felt that this meal was so, so worth it."


• "Zhou Zishu shook his head and murmured, “I was just saying that this miss has a beautiful character; even if your looks are ordinary, your beautiful qualities are difficult to hide. Why be obsessed with physical beauty, and end up with something inferior? I had a friend who once said that a person’s looks are casted by heaven--one looks exactly like how she should, and once there’s any slight change to them, others can spot it, and that gives her away. From what I see, this miss’ techniques are considerably skilled, yet, how do you not know of these doctrines?”"


• "Wen Kexing stilled for a moment, then came up to glue himself to him, smiling cheekily and unabashedly, “Ever since I decided to cling to you, I’ve never touched anyone else.”"

Chapter 36

• "The good had to rely on the heavens for protection, but the evil could live on viciously. Wasn’t this too laughable?"


• "He recalled that time in childhood, when the shifu teaching him martial arts had complained about him to his father. His father had only patted his head, and said to that shifu with an apologetic smile, “Please be more forgiving on him. It’s like how the five fingers on a hand do not grow to be the same length--this boy of mine had a bout of fever when he was younger, and is slower than others. But he’s a good kid, I don’t expect him to become something great in the future. As long as he can take good care of himself, that’s good enough.”"


• "There were many things that his puny teenage brain could not make sense of. It could not make sense of the theories his shifu taught him, could not make sense of the sword techniques Senior Wen had taught him, could not make sense of destiny, and could not make sense of how he should proceed from here. A thought suddenly flashed past in his mind--if he could not live on, he should just die."


• "Suddenly, he laughed, thinking: Why should I have to stay hidden in the shadows? Back when the previous Emperor had been on the throne, I was the one who set a domino chain of plans in motion to wipe out the Second Prince’s gang, and was the one who picked out a whole bunch of worms who had eaten holes in the rotten court. Back when the Northern brutes had invaded the Central Plains and were headed straight for the capital, I was the one who guarded the Chengwu Gate to the death, without budging a single inch. The reason why this nation of Daqing can gradually recover from the winds and storms and the thousand holes riddled into it to show a hint of liveliness, so that all of you may live and work in peace freely, even snap at each other like dogs because you have nothing better to do--all the dirty, disreputable work behind a glorious era, I managed it all single-handedly--back then, my methods were vicious, and I hurt people, but today, I too can drag this broken body and despicable soul to do good and accumulate good karma. From the beginning to the end, my conscience has been clear, so why do I have to hide in the shadows?!"

I love how ZZS is just using WKX' funds as he's wont to (and vice versa, really). Money isn't an object for either of them for...reasons we discussed in the past (did we discuss it here or in the rewatch? Ah yes. There is said: I don't think either ZZS nor WKX are especially concerned about money and they both could afford to 'keep' the other of they had to. Which means that in the end, money is just a question of "will do you this for me?" and also "how far can I push you (away) until it's finally too much?". It's interesting! But I don't think in the end money means anything to either of them. which also holds true here, I believe.

WKX' jealousy is a thing to behold though, and I almost think ZZS is enough of a minx to make him jealous intentionally. Which, I think, is confirmed later when he actually regrets teasing WKX about his brother visits.

ZZS sees right through LQQ's disguise (because that's who the beautiful woman is, surprise!), so he knew what he was getting into when he got up and followed. Mostly, I believe, he did this to prevent ZCL from yet another stressful situation, rather offering himself to give the explanation and have it out with LQQ, if required. It's actually sort of sweet?

(Side note: ZZS says that LQQ is "no longer young" but we will later learn that she was taught the disguise technique as a girl by ZZS' shifu… How old was QHZ???)

WKX, of course, had to follow which...is par of the course, really. I don't have anything to say about that man anymore. (Note: You left with another woman right in front of me! another woman, WKX? Might be a translation artifact, but it still amuses me.)

I feel so much for ZCL here as he reminiscences about his father (and at the same time we get some backstory). Memories are the only thing he has, and the way he clings to ZZS even though he was being pushed away by him… Well.

But I really feel bad for him, he has so much on his plate and while ZZS does actually protect him and even goes out of his way to keep additional stress from him… Poor boy, really. And he's a good kid!

Meanwhile, YBY continues to take no prisoners (while taking LQQ prisoner, heh), and I love ZZS' thought of In that moment, Zhou Zishu realised--the reason why this Ye person was this odd, was most probably because he had been single for all of his life; if a woman was willing to spend the rest of her life with someone like him, never mind climbing a tree, a female pig would ascend to heaven!, which….ouch. Just ouch.

YBY also informs us that the Gao manor was burgled and Glazed Armor pieces were stolen…….and that Shen Zhen is dead (one of the major deviations by the drama) and that people now think ZZS is the perpetrator. Well, that's a doozy.

And that leads us to have the whole Qi Ye story summarized from ZZS perspective in a matter of a single very long paragraph. Phew!

A fight is brewing here, and I'm looking forward to see where it's going!

Back next week, I think with the next three chapters for a change!