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ghost_valley2021-10-19 08:12 pm
rekishi) wrote in ghost_valley2021-10-19 08:12 pm
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[Tian Ya Ke (Re-)Readalong] Chapter 42-44
Hello again!
It's time for chapters
Chapter 42 – Great Ruckus
Chapter 43 - Rescue Mission
Chapter 44 - Shuzhong
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
ZZS has conditions upon his existence (and his life), which I fully understand - a lot of us worry about dementia and that's also a sort of surrendering the soul (the soul being a function of our brains), and doing so fully knowing you do so… No. Just no. So I, and apparently also WX and JBY or they would have pressed, understand ZZS. Going on your own terms is better than surrendering your identity.
This must, naturally, be hard for WKX, who probably does consider it a fair price to pay. But this is where it becomes clear that WKX doesn't actually know ZZS long or well enough to consider all the implications. WKX is not part of a sect and doesn't carry that kind of tradition; while I guess it would be bad for him to lose his martial arts - since it had guaranteed his survival for a long time - it doesn't carry the same weight as for ZZS, who not only carries his own efforts but also the last vestiges of the Siji Manor Sect.
(When he says, "Alright, A-Xiang, whoever you’re willing to rescue, just go and rescue them. I will naturally accompany you in stirring up a great ruckus." is this the first time he calls her A'Xiang? Because I think it is. What does that mean for how he sees his relationship with WKX?)
CWN is such a decent young man who just wants to do what's right according to his own conscience. Unfortunately that's not necessarily how the sects see it, which have their own principles and their own guidelines and….those might not always be the same as what conscience dictates. Shishu to the rescue though!
Mo Huaikong though is not….pleased with CWN's little infatuation with GX. I hadn't remembered this, so this is where that stems from. *sigh* He's even calling him unfilial, which is as bad as it comes for an orphan like CWN. Ugh.
Throwing ZCL into the fray like that is pretty mean of ZZS, but it also shows how far ZCL has come in the last few months. Also, we know that the sects won't do anything to him (he's their justification for war, after all). Still mean, though. Shifu, so mean. Of course, ZZS still assumes ZCL will have to fend for himself rather sooner than later, so perhaps he considers this a kindness.
(I'm sorry, commenting on these fights is hard, so I utterly fail at it.)
MHK is hilarious in pretending to be hit though. He does have a soft heart after all.
YBY is quite scoldy here, does he even have the right consiering there should be no degree of relation here? Then again, I think this YBY also knew QHZ... But ever the wise senior to say, "When you live to be the age I am now, you will understand that sometimes, being able to tell what a person wants is not as difficult as you think." (My friend, you're not even 30. You have no clue, either.)
YBY has no patience for these juniors and their personal problems, mostly he wants to put his house in order and die in peace. And with ZZS (and WKX) he has the best chance to get something moving, considering that the orthodox sects are all busy with their internal strife. Even if he calls ZZS useless. The amount of insults YBY bestows upon someone shows his level of affection, after all.
He also does put up with a lot, because "Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing were bored to tears. With nothing to do, they could only bicker and make digs at each other, endlessly raucous.", really, what is he supposed to do? I can understand that he is fed up eventually and basically tells them to get a room. Epic roast, I love it (see quote above)
Wenzhou's flirting really leaves something to be desired.
So… "Back when he had taught Liang Jiuxiao, Zhou Zishu had always grumbled that he was too stupid--many times, he had only just managed to suppress his agitation to teach him." does that mean……..ZZS taught only LJX? That…...explains so much. Sooooo much. Omg. I do feel bad for ZCL, ZZS is quite cruel. It is with a purpose here but…. Damn.
It does lead to a breakthrough moment for him but….poor kid, really. The thing is, ZZS is helping him but he isn't doing it in any way that would be obvious (helping him regulate his qi). Which is….not really good, no? Yeah.
Sidenote: How does ZCL know Feng Xiaofeng??? (From: A smidgen of worry involuntarily rose in Zhang Chengling’s heart as he thought, what if he could not grow taller because of how his shifu kept pressing down on him over a long period of time? Feng Xiaofeng’s savage and feral mien surfaced in his mind, and he involuntarily shivered.)
Three more chapters next week!
It's time for chapters
Chapter 42 – Great Ruckus
Chapter 43 - Rescue Mission
Chapter 44 - Shuzhong
Chapter 42
- "Throughout history, numerous pugilists, far too many to count, had fought one another for just one secret manual and failed tragically. That gongfu of his was trained through momentous perseverance, through the deepest winters and the hottest summers; through carving his own unprecedented path of understanding via laborious rumination. It was not merely a possession of his, or merely a skill he was proficient at. It was the culmination of his entire soul. What did it mean to rid himself of his martial ability? It was like a person missing his soul; he might as well have turned himself into an imbecile at the very beginning and live blissfully in idiocy."
- "He only saw Zhou-xiong doing good deeds; saw Gu Xiang, such a frail and petite maiden, protecting the child of the Zhang family with her life. Conversely, it was the venerable orthodox who were bitterly forcing them to desperation. What was good, and what was evil? All along, Cao Weining’s greatest strength was his ability to keep an open mind. Qingfeng Sword Sect taught him the path of good and evil, but did not teach him to pursue fame and personal interests."
Chapter 43
- "Panicked, Gu Xiang exclaimed, “I’m about to die, and you’re still enjoying the show!”
There was a light laugh, before Peach Red Grandma felt a gust of wind sweep at her and slam into her back. It was too late for her to dodge; she could only spring forward with all her might and stick herself onto the rafters like a giant lizard. Gu Xiang took the chance to hop off the rafters, and the crowd only noticed then that the thing that had nearly scared the daylights out of Peach Red Grandma was actually a walnut shell...and it was only half of one." - "The three of them fled and stopped only when they were far away. Setting Zhang Chengling down, Zhou Zishu tore off his human skin mask and straightened his robes. Lowering his head, he saw Zhang Chengling gazing back at him with a pair of shiny eyes like a tiny critter begging for praise, and the movement of his hand paused. The tradition he adhered to in the past was that his shidi must be punished for any mistake made, otherwise he would not remember the lesson; if his shidi did well, to prevent him from being full of himself, he could not be praised. However, as he looked at the child’s expectant manner before him, his heart softened of its own accord. He thought about it, and said, “Your qinggong is passable.”"
Chapter 44
- "Ye Baiyi looked at him for another long while, before he remarked, "It's you? Why do you always have to make yourself look so ghastly--do you not look quite like a proper human like this? Moreover, the ancients have the saying ‘Wherever you go and no matter the situation, one should not change his name’, much less the looks naturally bestowed on you by your parents. Do you not know what is meant by ‘to live as plain as day’?”"
- ""Long Que of the Puppet Manor."
Zhou Zishu's brow furrowed as he could not help but point out, “Legend has it that there is indeed such a Puppet Manor within Shuzhong, but it is concealed deep within the mountains. The lord of the Puppet Manor, Long Que, is a master of traps and of the art of the vanishing door; that manor appears to be migratory. I have repeatedly ordered men to create a map, and each time, the one who edited the map would swear that there was nothing wrong with the map, but when one visited the place again, there would be no trace of the manor that appears and vanishes mysteriously…”" - "Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing were bored to tears. With nothing to do, they could only bicker and make digs at each other, endlessly raucous. At first, Ye Baiyi still listened to them expressionlessly and calmly--until later on, when he felt that the both of them were being ridiculous, upon which he snarked, “If the two of you are capable enough, scram and go tussle in bed. Stop jabbering, you’re like two huge crickets. Is it that you can’t get it up, or that you’re maidens disguised as men? What are you pretending to be restrained for? Taking your mushy touchy-feely as entertainment, both of you, shut up!”"
ZZS has conditions upon his existence (and his life), which I fully understand - a lot of us worry about dementia and that's also a sort of surrendering the soul (the soul being a function of our brains), and doing so fully knowing you do so… No. Just no. So I, and apparently also WX and JBY or they would have pressed, understand ZZS. Going on your own terms is better than surrendering your identity.
This must, naturally, be hard for WKX, who probably does consider it a fair price to pay. But this is where it becomes clear that WKX doesn't actually know ZZS long or well enough to consider all the implications. WKX is not part of a sect and doesn't carry that kind of tradition; while I guess it would be bad for him to lose his martial arts - since it had guaranteed his survival for a long time - it doesn't carry the same weight as for ZZS, who not only carries his own efforts but also the last vestiges of the Siji Manor Sect.
(When he says, "Alright, A-Xiang, whoever you’re willing to rescue, just go and rescue them. I will naturally accompany you in stirring up a great ruckus." is this the first time he calls her A'Xiang? Because I think it is. What does that mean for how he sees his relationship with WKX?)
CWN is such a decent young man who just wants to do what's right according to his own conscience. Unfortunately that's not necessarily how the sects see it, which have their own principles and their own guidelines and….those might not always be the same as what conscience dictates. Shishu to the rescue though!
Mo Huaikong though is not….pleased with CWN's little infatuation with GX. I hadn't remembered this, so this is where that stems from. *sigh* He's even calling him unfilial, which is as bad as it comes for an orphan like CWN. Ugh.
Throwing ZCL into the fray like that is pretty mean of ZZS, but it also shows how far ZCL has come in the last few months. Also, we know that the sects won't do anything to him (he's their justification for war, after all). Still mean, though. Shifu, so mean. Of course, ZZS still assumes ZCL will have to fend for himself rather sooner than later, so perhaps he considers this a kindness.
(I'm sorry, commenting on these fights is hard, so I utterly fail at it.)
MHK is hilarious in pretending to be hit though. He does have a soft heart after all.
YBY is quite scoldy here, does he even have the right consiering there should be no degree of relation here? Then again, I think this YBY also knew QHZ... But ever the wise senior to say, "When you live to be the age I am now, you will understand that sometimes, being able to tell what a person wants is not as difficult as you think." (My friend, you're not even 30. You have no clue, either.)
YBY has no patience for these juniors and their personal problems, mostly he wants to put his house in order and die in peace. And with ZZS (and WKX) he has the best chance to get something moving, considering that the orthodox sects are all busy with their internal strife. Even if he calls ZZS useless. The amount of insults YBY bestows upon someone shows his level of affection, after all.
He also does put up with a lot, because "Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing were bored to tears. With nothing to do, they could only bicker and make digs at each other, endlessly raucous.", really, what is he supposed to do? I can understand that he is fed up eventually and basically tells them to get a room. Epic roast, I love it (see quote above)
Wenzhou's flirting really leaves something to be desired.
So… "Back when he had taught Liang Jiuxiao, Zhou Zishu had always grumbled that he was too stupid--many times, he had only just managed to suppress his agitation to teach him." does that mean……..ZZS taught only LJX? That…...explains so much. Sooooo much. Omg. I do feel bad for ZCL, ZZS is quite cruel. It is with a purpose here but…. Damn.
It does lead to a breakthrough moment for him but….poor kid, really. The thing is, ZZS is helping him but he isn't doing it in any way that would be obvious (helping him regulate his qi). Which is….not really good, no? Yeah.
Sidenote: How does ZCL know Feng Xiaofeng??? (From: A smidgen of worry involuntarily rose in Zhang Chengling’s heart as he thought, what if he could not grow taller because of how his shifu kept pressing down on him over a long period of time? Feng Xiaofeng’s savage and feral mien surfaced in his mind, and he involuntarily shivered.)
Three more chapters next week!
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"He only saw Zhou-xiong doing good deeds; saw Gu Xiang, such a frail and petite maiden, protecting the child of the Zhang family with her life. Conversely, it was the venerable orthodox who were bitterly forcing them to desperation. What was good, and what was evil? All along, Cao Weining’s greatest strength was his ability to keep an open mind. Qingfeng Sword Sect taught him the path of good and evil, but did not teach him to pursue fame and personal interests."
I adore CWN! Poor guy hasn't been having a very good day.
"Panicked, Gu Xiang exclaimed, “I’m about to die, and you’re still enjoying the show!”
WKX and ZZS finally show up! (I’m amused that WKX has been eating walnuts while watching everything unfold)
Out of the blue, Zhou Zishu reached out to cradle his face. Wen Kexing froze, stunned, and Zhou Zishu did not speak either. He merely leaned in very close, his eyes staring intensely at Wen Kexing, unblinking. [...] An incense stick would have burnt down wholly before Zhou Zishu finally let go of Wen Kexing with a hint of a smile, and flicked his earlobe, laughing, "You're finally blushing, now." Wen Kexing took a dazed step forward--his arm and leg along one side of his body swung at the same time. Zhou Zishu laughted heartily.
ZZS is definitely flirting now!
YBY returns!
“If the two of you are capable enough, scram and go tussle in bed. Stop jabbering, you’re like two huge crickets. Is it that you can’t get it up, or that you’re maidens disguised as men? What are you pretending to be restrained for? Taking your mushy touchy-feely as entertainment, both of you, shut up!”"
I love YBY telling ZZS and WKX to get a room!
Poor Chengling dealing with two teachers with different approaches at the same time! (let alone their bickering)