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ghost_valley2021-06-18 11:24 am
shadaras) wrote in ghost_valley2021-06-18 11:24 am
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[WoH Rewatch] Episode 2
Last week’s discussion got us off to a great start! We had some lovely conversations about things like “Why does ZZS cut open his scars when he goes to see Prince Jin?” (link), Wen Kexing’s hairpins (link), and people chiming in with stories about how long it took them to realise that Wen Kexing was the Valley Master. :)
Today we begin learning about the Five Lakes Alliance, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu bicker, and Mirror Lake Manor burns.
Please feel free to read and comment on this at your leisure! I continue to write many words!
Scenes in This Episode
WKX makes GX stop fighting and leave
ZCL gives ZZS his name token
WKX identifies the swift-moving steps
ZZS hears the five lakes alliance rhyme
ZZS and the boatman (ft. WKX interlude)
WenZhou’s first sparring match
ZZS enters Mirror Lake Manor, ft. Zhang Yusen and Zhang Chengfeng (first mention of the glazed armor rhyme is here!)
Prince Jin and DPJ send men to investigate the glazed armor rhyme and continue searching for ZZS.
ZZS waking at midnight to quell the nails’ side effects
The attack on Mirror Lake Manor
ZYS and his sons are threatened for the Glazed Armor
ZZS, Uncle Li, and Chengling at the abandoned temple
GX and WKX’s timely rescue
ZZS agreeing to escort Chengling to Zhao Jing
Deng Kuan tries to get to Mirror Lake Manor but the boats have been wrecked
A nice meal around the fire with absolutely no bickering at all
WKX isn’t allowed to help tend Chengling’s wound
A Rough Timeline of Events
This episode happens in less than 24hrs! No need for a timeline today, so long as one assumes all events happen in sequence and we aren’t skipping any days. (Which seems like a fair assumption to make.)
The rhyme about the Five Lakes Alliance’s ambitions has existed for long enough that ZZS notes “that rhyme again”, so at least a few weeks.
“Recently”, the verse about glazed armor and the ghosts of Mount Qingya appeared.
Recap! With Commentary!
…today we also learn that if I give myself more time to do something I get sidetracked more easily while doing it, so uh hope you enjoy me spending a bunch of time staring at subtitles and going “hey what’s the chinese for that?”. (Do I know chinese at all? Not really! [I am effectively monolingual, though I know scattered words and grammar of various other languages.] Do I find it interesting to look things up? Yes! It’s very fun! I learn things!)
We begin by once more being shown WKX protecting ZZS and staring at Gu Xiang. He reels her in, fairly literally, while everyone looks on, and then turns to ZZS to apologise for his “maid” (婢 bì, which pleco’s saying would be slave/servant-girl).
(There’s a whole possible conversation—that I don’t know enough, linguistically or culturally, to feel equipped to have—about the kinda derogatory language Wen Kexing uses to refer to Gu Xiang. But, even if I don’t know enough to really discuss it, I want to mention it! And if people know of resources by Chinese people discussing this, I’d love to see them. Along with 婢, WKX also sometimes calls GX 丫头, yātou. Both of these terms, by dictionaries and what I’ve heard elsewhere, include some connotations of “slave”, and while WKX and GX are clearly on good terms, it’s… well. It’s the reciprocal side of her calling him 主人, zhǔrén, all the time. Anyway. I’m unlikely to mention this again because I really don’t know enough, but it’s something I want to learn more about.)
ZZS tries to hide behind the wine and says he should be the one apologising (though nobody outright says why). The contrast between the two of them right now is very striking, with ZZS’s beggar outfit and WKX’s pure white (ghost-coded, death-coded) robes.
WKX walks away, and Gu Xiang follows, but not before exchanging a challenging look with ZZS. He seems amused by this.
ZZS goes back over to where he’d been lying at the base of the bridge, and Chengling carries his (lost via weaponisation) hat back and calls ZZS “my friend in the martial arts world” and introduces himself. He then asks for ZZS’s name and where he trained. (the youtube subs say “which clique or sect are you from?” but I’m poking at the Chinese subs and suspect that “Where did you train?” or “What martial lineage are you from?” would be equally reasonable translations. Mostly I’m just ??? over “clique or sect”; why is it not just “sect”?)
ZZS demures, and starts coughing, possibly as a distraction but also probably for general sympathy points. It’s really entertaining seeing how much he presents himself as a sick man here vs later in the show when he’s distinctly worse-off physically. But he’s a lot more committed to the whole “I’m gonna die!” thing right now than later, so it’s emotionally fitting.
“I’m not talented. I don’t belong to any clique or sect.” (youtube subs say), and this time I won’t argue about it being two different words, since he did use two different terms to deny that he’s part of any formal lineage (I think ‘clique’ is a weird choice of word regardless, but that’s not the point). So I suppose that’s why Chengling’s question was translated how it was, but it’s still an odd choice to me.
Chengling’s servant wants him to go, but Chengling decisively brings out a token and places it on ZZS’s chest (because ZZS is pouring wine for himself) and says that ZZS is the Mirror Lake Sect’s guest now. ZZS is a bit “what” about this, and the servant is like “You shouldn’t do this! Your father wouldn’t approve!”
Chengling retorts that this is exactly what his father wants him to do. “We rely on our parents at home, but depend on our friends outside. Righteous men shall help each other.” All of which definitely sounds like he’s quoting Zhang Yusen, and gives me a lot of feelings about the kind of person Zhang Yusen must be.
“How do you know he’s a righteous man? Look at his attire. What if he’s a bad guy?” the servant asks, continuing to try and get Chengling to leave ZZS alone. (Also, “How do you know he’s a righteous man?” and judging people by appearances is a Theme! We’ll keep seeing how judging people by their appearance—and the first impression—fails people throughout the show.) When Chengling hesitates to respond, ZZS takes the opportunity to urge Chengling to be about his day and not bother with him any more.
We learn that Chengling was out in town buying his mom some pastries! This is possibly the only time his mother gets mentioned in the whole show. I would love to know literally anything about Zhang-furen, but I’m glad that she is—at this time—alive and well.
Chengling bids ZZS farewell with a bit of poetry, because that’s the kind of show this is. The youtube subs translate it as “Everything will stay as it is. ”, but that (while probably not wrong) is definitely not getting at the poetry of the literal meaning. Chengling says “青山不改, 绿水长流” (Qīngshān bù gǎi, lǜ shuǐ cháng liú; “The green hills do not change, the green water flows” according to google translate), which some googling tells me is a rather wuxia thing to say and connotes “We will meet again” at the very least. Which doesn’t come across at all in these english subs, thanks youtube. (He also, immediately after this poetic line, says a phrase with a much more straightforward meaning of “We’ll meet again someday”.)
Chengling leaves, and ZZS can finally get back to his very important business of lounging around doing nothing. Still, he examines the name token, sighs, and thinks about Jiuxiao, saying that Chengling is as silly as Jiuxiao was.
Gu Xiang is complaining to WKX about not being allowed to keep fighting ZZS, and WKX reveals that he knows ZZS was using the Swift-Moving Steps! The youtube subtitles helpfully capitalize this so that we know it’s a specific technique name to pay attention to, and Gu Xiang asks what sect this is from. When WKX says it’s from Siji Manor, Gu Xiang asks what that is.
WKX ignores her, instead thinking “This man might be the variable. I shall see him.” Definitely not being flirty in this moment! Definitely thinking of some sort of plot! Really hard to figure out what sort of plot he’s thinking about, though!
ZZS walks over a bridge and hears some children chanting the first half of that rhyme. “You chase me and I’ll chase you, there’s a legend in the martial arts world. The water from the Five Lakes gathers around the world. Who else deserves the supremacy in the martial arts world?” I’m sure it sounds much better in chinese, because every time I see the english translation I get irritated by how many lines end with “world”. But that’s not the point!
The point is that ZZS has heard this before, and he thinks to himself that “The martial arts world has only been settled for a few years, but the five lakes alliance wants to gain power again and become the supreme leader of the martial arts world unfairly. They don’t deserve it. It will be a disaster.”
I am quoting this in full because it’s such an accurate description of what goes down with Zhao Jing. The writing/foreshadowing in this show is tremendous. So is ZZS’s general awareness of the jianghu’s political situation; even if he wasn’t involved with it for a decade, being back for three months has already given him enough to confidently make this judgement.
ZZS then wanders over to the riverside and meets an old boatman who really doesn’t want to give him a ride to Mirror Lake Manor. It’s delightful. Also, ZZS is rich for not quibbling over the price of this ride, I’m pretty sure; it’s like that “how much could a banana cost?” meme but for wuxia.
The boatman also asks if ZZS has bad intentions, which I’m mostly noting here because it’s an interesting mirror to ZZS asking WKX if he has bad intentions at the end of the episode. The boatman thinks ZZS is going to cheat him, or is crazy, or something else, and just wants to be left alone. Which… is interesting, considering how ZZS treats WKX in general during this episode. And considering how the boatman (like ZZS) is a martial artist pretending not to be one for various loyalty reasons. Apparently I have feelings about this boatman now?
And then WKX shows up and says “A fated man would not be rejected”, which really does tie into all the conversations at the end of this episode even more. Also, WKX wants to give ZZS a boat ride himself, though at this point it’s hard to tell how much is actual flirting and how much is him trying to get a rise out of ZZS. Or maybe he just wants more of a chance to study ZZS and figure out what’s up with him!
The boatman gets defensive about his customer regardless, so ZZS gets what he wants. He departs, and WKX promises to find him again. (ZZS definitely doesn’t want, or expect, that to be as soon as it will be.)
WKX watches ZZS go. Gu Xiang asks who “that sick dude” is, and WKX responds with “A variable”.
ZZS enjoys the peaceful boat ride.
(Please note WKX’s boat in the background, following him.)
(Please enjoy this shot, which I associate so strongly with the ending theme that it felt very weird to see it in the actual show!)
(To parallel with when they flee later; it’s basically the same shot but with different lighting/context.)
This boat ride would be a lot more aesthetic if ZZS were dressed more nicely (or at least didn’t have the mask on). ZZS also lets us know (via his thoughts) that we’re in Jiangnan. Not that he lets it stay pretty, since he’s commenting on how lovely it is by considering that “It’s worth it even if I die here”. Which is a mood that he has a lot more in TYK than SHL, but still!
Then the boatman starts cursing him out for idly staring off into the distance and not paying. ZZS probably was going to pay, but then the boatman swears at him too much and ZZS realises that it’s fun be to a dick sometimes and runs off.
He uses his qinggong to leap around the (apricot, probably, from his commentary?) beautifully-flowering trees and starts cursing nobody in particular with a laugh.
There’s an old boat in the forest? I don’t understand this? It’s a fun set-piece but I don’t get it.
ZZS learns that he’s out of wine, and then that someone’s attacking him via the way the last droplets get blown off his gourd’s mouth.
Time for a very beautiful fight between ZZS and WKX that’s mostly about WKX testing ZZS! We are told, via the theme music playing, that this is ~romance~. Which, that’s fair, it’s wenzhou; fighting is a perfect form of flirting.
There are also some lovely shots where they do the same movement at the same time, already in sync with each other.
ZZS almost draws Baiyi, but then thinks better of it as WKX comes to a half in front of him and apologises. WKX calls out how pretty his footwork is, ZZS says something’s wrong with his eyes, and WKX keeps describing him with poetry to make it clear that he knows about the Swift-Moving Steps.
ZZS is perturbed. WKX continues trying to get ZZS to come drink on his boat, in a very flirty way this time, and ZZS wants to know why he followed him here. WKX smugly points out that he made sure they met again (implying that he’s the fate bringing them together), and ZZS turns away, calls WKX an ass-kisser, and leaves.
Mirror Lake Manor!
ZZS is told lovely things about the Zhang family and those they associate with (kind, generous, righteous), and we’re treated to some nice shots of Mirror Lake disciples going through their forms. Their outfits are white robes over red, which is a fun color scheme. We’re also told that this manor is “small” but it’s hard to tell if that’s just politeness or actually true. It might actually be true! That’d be interesting!
The servant showing ZZS around gives off some scornful vibes as he talks about how he “didn’t expect [Chengling] to learn from [his older brothers]” in the implied sense of “bringing good martial artists home”, likely because ZZS looks like a beggar and doesn’t fit the general ~vibe~ of Mirror Lake Manor, which is done up in white and pale gray and very neat.
We then cut to Zhang Yusen talking to Zhang Chengfeng, his oldest son, about the Five Lakes Alliance rhyme. He says this line that is really confusing by youtube subs: “It’s been some time since Mirror Lake Sect is not involved in the world’s affair.” Which. Okay. Taking this line in the Chinese and sticking it into deepl gave me “Our Mirror Lake School has long been out of the world”, which is a lot easier to quickly parse? But has a different meaning on the surface of it?
I think that the line is supposed to get across that Zhang Yusen and the Mirror Lake Sect have been out of touch with the world’s affairs for a while, based on how the rest of this conversation goes, but it sure isn’t easy to get that from the youtube subs.
Zhang Yusen then wishes those who want to gain supremacy over the martial arts world good luck, but in that kind of tone where you can tell he doesn’t really mean it.
Zhang Chengfeng brings up another verse that has appeared recently and calls it creepy and suspicious! “The Iridescent Clouds are scattered and the Glaze is shattered. Who will cry with the Ghosts on Mount Qingya?”
Zhang Yusen appears not to have heard this before, and Zhang Chengfeng starts asking if this is hinting about the Glazed Armor but his father cuts him off and warns him to be careful with his words.
He turns to look out at the courtyard, and after a moment Zhang Chengfeng mentions that Deng-shixiong (Deng Kuan) “came to invite [the sect] to the mid-autumn festival gathering of the Five Lakes Alliance again” and suggests that they visit Gao-bobo there this year.
As this dialogue happens, we see ZZS being shown around the manor and passing through the courtyard right in front of where ZYS and ZCF are talking, and this distracts Zhang Yusen from the whole topic. He wants to know who ZZS is, and Zhang Chengfeng calls him “A beggar who got Chengling’s name card and is trying to seek money” and says that he doesn’t know how they met.
Zhang Yusen gets a lot more serious at this point, and tells Zhang Chengfeng to take care of his brothers (Chengluan, the middle brother; and Chengling, the youngest) by not allowing either of them off “this island”, because Mirror Lake Manor is on an island and I keep forgetting that.
ZZS is shown into a woodshed, pretends like he’s going to be offended about that, and then tells the servant who’s brought him here that it’s great and the only thing he needs is wine.
(I really want to know if, during this day, Chengling and ZZS meet/talk more. But we aren’t shown that!)
Hard cut to Prince Jin and Duan Pengju!
DPJ just killed a few generals who were being uncooperative, and Prince Jin wants their heads hung at the city gate as examples. DPJ agrees to do this, and then tells Prince Jin some news from their spy: Someone is spreading a creepy song among the kids in Jiangnan! Perhaps it has information about the Glazed Armor! Prince Jin orders him to send men to investigate.
DPJ also tells Prince Jin that the spy they’d set on ZZS’s tail has lost him, and Prince Jin seems unsurprised that ZZS was prepared for such things as he tells DPJ to continue searching for him.
And then we’re back to ZZS in Mirror Lake Manor’s woodshed, not sleeping because it’s midnight and “the Nails of Seven Torments are hurrying [his] death again”. It’s really interesting seeing the extent of the side effects here, with all the black lines rippling through his body and him poking at acupoints (presumably) to try and halt them. It’s more intense than the side effects are portrayed as later on, presumably because the show figures it’d made its point about how rough this is for ZZS.
He finishes quelling the nails’ effects and opens his eyes to find the manor on fire!
ZZS jumps up to the roof and stands there like Batman for a bit as he listens to people screaming for help and swords clashing together.
We’re shown ghosts killing servants, and ZZS continues watching. He thinks to himself that he’s “read about these ghost masks in some book” and wonders why they’re after Mirror Lake Sect.
And then he jumps down, pulls out Baiyi, and kills some ghosts.
There’s no sign of any disciples of Mirror Lake Sect, just dead servants, and ZZS observes that “none of the martial artists are fighting back” and realises how hard Mirror Lake Sect got hit by Ghost Valley. (So, even though he doesn’t recognise the masks right away, he still knows enough to be certain they’re Ghost Valley’s people.)
ZZS jumps onto another roof and sees the old boatman and Chengling escaping, another set of ghosts chasing after them.
Before he can think too much about that, though, he sees a mechanical bird! The youtube subs say he calls it “The Trapped Sparrow”, but the chinese is 机关雀 (jīguān què), and that seems to literally translate to “mechanical bird”, so dunno why youtube subs are making it fancier and making one question what kind of trap the bird might be.
ZZS immediately realises there’s a spy from Tian Chuang here, and doesn’t know why. Presumably this is the same spy that had just given DPJ all that information he just told Prince Jin! Dunno why they had a spy out here to begin with; were they already actively looking for the Glazed Armor? Probaby? This one isn’t here for ZZS, at least.
ZZS doesn’t care about the why, setting the whole matter aside to focus on saving Chengling.
We learn that the boatman can fight with two swords pretty well, that these three ghosts can fight with cutting wires (it’s really gorgeous to watch them coordinate and spin around each other!), and that Chengling is no good in a fight.
(look at these gloves!)
The boatman gets injured as ZZS arrives, for maximum drama, and ZZS swoops in front of them to save them. ZZS tells Chengling and the boatman to run and then fights off some more ghosts.
I am like 90% certain that this ghost that was jumping at him got knocked back/killed by not ZZS. Since ZZS then turns and sees WKX lounging in a circular wall cut-out being aesthetic with his fan, WKX probably interfered with a walnut, like he enjoys doing.
WKX smirks and they share a moment of eye contact. ZZS coughs, because seriously his injuries seem to be way worse now than they are later in the series, and leaves. WKX watches him go and takes a drink from a flask.
When ZZS turns back a few seconds later (having reached the boat with Chengling and the boatman), WKX has disappeared.
(As previously mentioned, it’s a mirror to the shot of ZZS coming to Mirror Lake Manor.)
Inside Mirror Lake Manor, a bunch of ghosts have captured Zhang Yusen, Zhang Chengfeng, and Zhang Chengluan! Zhang Yusen’s right arm has been cut off! They’re all tied up, and his sons are gagged. (There is no sign of Zhang-furen or any other disciples.)
There’s no specific leader for these ghosts—even though later on Bai Wuchang (White Grim Reaper, iirc?) takes the blame for this attack (for Wuchang Gui | Changing Ghost), we don't see any sign of any named ghost in this sequence. (Other than WKX, of course.)
The ghosts tell ZYS that if he doesn’t want to suffer, he needs to hand over the Glazed Armor. When ZYS refuses, the ghosts change from threatening him to threatening his sons. We aren’t shown what happens, but next episode we learn that they all got cut to pieces. I doubt it was pleasant, and yet we also know that nobody realised that Chengling had the Glazed Armor hidden in his side (except ZZS and I think WKX) until Chengling revealed it himself.
We return to ZZS, Chengling, and Uncle Li the boatman in the abandoned temple. Neither ZZS nor Uncle Li introduce themselves at this point, so Chengling is the only person whose name everyone knows!
ZZS and the boatman bicker about boat rides, saving lives, and payment due before ZZS stops the conversation by sitting down to meditate and calm his internal injuries. He suggests Uncle Li and Chengling run, but Chengling is a good and loyal kid who doesn’t let his rescue attempt go; he doesn’t want to disappoint his dad by being discourteous and leaving ZZS here.
Uncle Li points out that ZYS is probably dead, and Chengling refutes that and says that “My father is Qiu Yue Jian” (秋月剑, qiū yuè jiàn; lit. “autumn moon sword”), which is a cool title that I don’t think we hear again after this temple fight! :D (it’s also made up entirely of hanzi I recognise on sight! which I enjoy.)
We learn that ZYS saved Uncle Li’s life once, and that he’s been a boatman here for three years looking for a chance to “return him my life”/repay the debt. He urges Chengling to run to Tai Lake and find Sanbai-daxia (Zhao Jing; his title is 三白, sān bái) (…the subs say Chevalier Sanbai but I cannot figure out what I think of ‘chevalier’ as a title in a wuxia context because it’s so strongly a title I associate with western knights, so instead you’ll get my consistent use of ‘daxia’ [大侠, dàxiá]).
Chengling continues refusing to leave, and the door blows open. He picks up one of Uncle Li’s swords, insists he’s a martial artist, and tells the other two to heal their injuries while he guards them.
He’s trying! He has a good heart! He clearly is not skilled, since a gust of wind inspires him to drop the sword.
Ghosts appear, hovering on balls of qi like they’re airbenders, and Uncle Li asks if ZZS can stand up. ZZS says he needs 15 minutes, and Uncle Li readies himself to give ZZS that time.
One of the completely unremarkable ghosts declares that “Hanged Ghost, one of the top ten evil ghosts from Mount Qingya, is here!”, which is a blatant lie that serves its purpose of intimidating Chengling. Especially since it’s followed up by a demand for the Glazed Armor! Which on a first viewing we don’t know is with Chengling, but since it is he must be going “oh shit oh shit oh shit” right now, since if the ghosts know it’s with him that implies that someone else who knew (his dad, maybe his brothers?) gave up the secret, which implies that they’re dead.
Uncle Li bursts out of the ruined temple to fight some ghosts and tells Chengling to go back inside. He does an admirable job, the ghosts are very pretty on their wires, and ZZS is doing his best to heal quickly.
Uncle Li still gets super beat-up and gets tossed back into the temple, and we finally learn his name as Chengling shouts “Li-bobo” and runs over to see if he’s still alive.
The ghosts enter the temple, ZZS continues meditating, and Chengling tries to kill some ghosts. He gets disarmed in the first strike, because he’s not good at this! Also, his hat finally gets knocked off, which makes him much easier to recognise.
The leading ghost insults Chengling by saying “I didn’t expect Qiu Yue Jian would have such a useless kid”. On a first viewing, that just seems like a normal insult. On this rewatch, I’m contemplating this line and how much Zhao Jing is responsible for, and it makes me consider way more heavily whose fault the attack on Mirror Lake Sect really was. I know there are clues to this scattered throughout the whole show, but I don’t recall them all! I wasn’t paying attention to Zhao Jing until the midway point of the show, the first time around, because we aren’t meant to.
The ghost raises his sword very dramatically. Chengling really hopes ZZS will wake from his meditation, but when the sword starts coming down he throws himself between ZZS and the ghost’s blade. Which does wake ZZS up, so that worked I guess.
But then! A whip comes down and wraps around the ghost’s neck, and everyone’s like “what.” about it as we’re treated to Gu Xiang’s dramatic entrance. She starts beating people up, ZZS gets to go back to stabilising his internal injuries, and Chengling and Uncle Li are just kind of confused but glad someone is keeping them from getting hurt.
Gu Xiang’s opening lines about “How dare you practice evil in front of me” are very cute.
She’s fighting people when Chengling is standing around watching and gets grabbed by some cloth, so Uncle Li makes a last heroic effort to cut the cloth and free him and kill that ghost.
For all that Gu Xiang enters with a whip, she fights most of this combat using a knife and her body. It makes sense; they’re in a fairly tight space, and a whip takes more room to maneuver accurately. She also gets rescued from a backstab by some walnuts during this sequence, which is the first sign of WKX’s presence in this location.
There are four ghosts left (and not fighting Gu Xiang) when ZZS finishes his meditation. He draws Baiyi and kills all four of them in one go, then turns and slices what’s probably another walnut out of the air.
Gu Xiang kills her own last ghost, then compliments ZZS’s martial arts.
ZZS coughs again. I guess he hasn’t learned how to calibrate his fighting for his injuries during these early bits? That’s the main explanation I can think of for why this short bout of fighting bothers him so much, compared to later matches with WKX or YBY.
ZZS also falls backwards into WKX’s arms, and he Does Not Like That. He regains his balance and lashes out with Baiyi, and WKX does that absolutely gorgeous catching of the blade as he spins around ZZS.
WKX continues to be very smug about having met ZZS again, but Uncle Li is coughing up blood so he’s more interesting to ZZS than WKX is.
ZZS gives Uncle Li some qi to help him stay functional, and Chengling comes over and is upset about how Uncle Li’s dying.
WKX checks Uncle Li’s pulse, which means he knows that Uncle Li is dying, and ZZS (after accepting that Uncle Li’s recognised his martial skill) looks at him to see his prognosis. WKX shakes his head, and this is honestly the first non-combative conversation they’ve had and it’s about someone else’s death. What does this say about them? I’m not sure, but it sure is something.
WKX still gives Uncle Li some more qi, which has its healing effects, and ZZS gives him a sidelong glance of “Wait really?” but they end up sitting next to each other and working together very nicely. They have not said a word in this conversation and it is the nicest they’ve mutually been to each other.
Uncle Li’s happy he can repay ZYS, and then starts dragging ZZS into taking care of Chengling. He frames it as repayment for the boat rides, and asks ZZS to make sure Chengling gets to Zhao Jing safely. Chengling is upset by how this means Uncle Li is going to die! Gu Xiang and WKX are surprisingly quiet throughout all of this, and WKX keeps providing qi to Uncle Li.
“You’re a good kid, but your father has taught you too well,” Uncle Li tells Chengling.
Zhou Zishu is finally given a reason to introduce himself, and after a long pause he gives his name as Zhou Xu. There’s a distinct reaction shot of WKX during this. I can’t figure out what he’s thinking, but he sure is thinking something about ZZS’s name.
Uncle Li tells Chengling to bow to ZZS and listen to him in the future.
Thus begins their relationship! We get reaction shots for both WKX and Gu Xiang, this time, who both seem to be looking more at ZZS than Chengling.
Uncle Li tells ZZS to be loyal to Chengling, or else he’ll curse ZZS’s ancestors from beyond the grave. Everyone has a lot of feelings about this! And then Uncle Li kind of collapses into death. WKX catches him (with a look of surprise? or something? I can’t quite tell), Gu Xiang matches WKX, Chengling starts sobbing, and ZZS mostly looks resigned to the responsibility he’s taken on.
But ZZS takes Uncle Li’s body from WKX, closes Uncle Li’s eyes, and promises that he’ll take care of Chengling. WKX observes this, and really just looks like he’s trying to figure out what ZZS’s deal even is. Which is fair; this is the first time either of them have really observed each other being nice to someone.
We cut to Yue’s docks, where Deng Kuan is yelling for a boatman. They can see the hazy glow of Mirror Lake Manor burning, and wonder what’s even going on.
Unfortunately, all the boats have had holes gouged into them, so they’re no longer usable. Also, the boatman and his family are dead.
Deng Kuan, now very worried, sets off a signal flare.
We return to the abandoned temple and our family of protagonists who are nothing like a family yet. Chengling is kneeling in front of a simple grave, ZZS standing at his side, while WKX watches from further back. Chengling only knows Uncle Li’s surname, and ZZS gives him a piece of charcoal to write it on the piece of wood serving as a gravestone.
WKX praises Uncle Li’s good sense for entrusting Chengling to ZZS. He also starts complimenting ZZS, probably partially as a way of going “wtf” about his mask, which is so fair! Apparently, to WKX lovely bone structure means being a man who places much value in loyalty.
ZZS thanks WKX, and WKX finally introduces himself! WKX then asks about Zhou Xu, and learns that he took the name from willow catkins, which WKX takes as an invitation to continue complimenting him. ZZS just looks tired.
Chengling collapses as he finishes the last stroke of Uncle Li’s name, and both ZZS and WKX catch him. Chengling protests that he’s fine and just felt dizzy suddenly, which probably nobody here believes but everyone lets slide.
WKX tells Chengling to stop being tough, and points out that he’s exhausted and needs rest.
Chengling continues trying to say he’s fine, despite needing help to stand up, and WKX says that resting for a night is fine. ZZS hasn’t said anything since asking if Chengling is okay, and both of them watch as WKX calls for Gu Xiang to start a fire and make food.
She already has, of course, and WKX invites the other two over to eat.
Gu Xiang gives the first flatbread to WKX, who had been staring off into the distance. He stares at it, then moves closer to the fire to hand it to ZZS. (Which: he’s calling ZZS “兄台”, xiōngtái, instead of Zhou-xiong? Which would be equally polite, I’m pretty sure? It’s interesting. I feel like it goes along with WKX being pretty certain that Zhou Xu is a fake name to go with a fake face.)
ZZS ignores him. Gu Xiang gets offended that WKX isn’t eating first. ZZS does take the flatbread on a stick that Gu Xiang offers him, even if he just kind of stares at it.
Gu Xiang then starts telling ZZS that “though your martial arts are good, you’re timid” and asks if he’s afraid she’ll poison him. WKX shuts her up by stuffing some bread in her mouth, and then offers the rest of that piece to ZZS in case he really doesn’t trust her.
ZZS says he isn’t hungry, and Gu Xiang continues talking about how ZZS is being so guarded with them while having promised to protect Chengling because of a three-silver debt. WKX again interrupts with nice words for ZZS about following principles and keeping promises and “travelling a long journey without fear of death” (which is very fitting for him) before calling him “Zhou-jun” (which feels like a teasing shift in formality from xiongtai) and saying that he’s a gentleman (君子, jūnzǐ, a word that uses the same ‘jun’ as the Zhou-jun WKX had addressed him with).
Gu Xiang whines about WKX “acting literate”, because he’s making references that are going over her head. Chengling names this reference, saying that it’s “written in a historical record by Sima Qian”, and explains it for her (and for the audience). It’s most of what WKX said, it seems, and Chengling ends by saying that his father taught him this.
Chengling tries to thank ZZS, ZZS tells him not to, and then hands over the bread on a stick without actually looking at Chengling.
Chengling takes it, looks sadly at the bread, and Gu Xiang also tosses him a bun because he doesn’t seem to like the bread. Chengling says he’s not going to eat her food, Gu Xiang points out that she saved his life, and WKX once more tells her off in a rather polite fashion.
Gu Xiang says that “people nowadays can’t distinguish between good and evil” (look! a Theme of the show!) and is generally aggravated about how useless Chengling was in the fight.
Chengling is not having a good time! He’s very resilient, and he’s a polite boy, so he stands and apologises to Gu Xiang and bows to thank her for saving his life. ZZS seems surprised by this, and Gu Xiang is very taken aback because she did not ask for (or expect) this.
(I feel like I’ve been told this is a visual pun about gayness somehow but I cannot for the life of me remember how/when/where I was told this.)
Cut to lounging around the fire, and WKX decides he can go back to saying “Zhou-xiong” as he asks ZZS if he disguised himself.
ZZS doesn’t respond, which appears to amuse WKX, and WKX changes targets to Chengling (who he’s currently calling Zhang-gongzi most of the time); Chengling takes this as a reason to introduce himself (calling WKX ‘daxia’) and saying WKX can call him Chengling.
WKX says not to call him ‘daxia’ (大侠, dàxiá; consistently translated as ‘chevalier’), because he hates ‘daxia’ (chevaliers, martial heroes). Chengling doesn’t know what to say to this, and Gu Xiang jumps in to mock Chengling for talking a big game about righteousness and helping others but not being capable of doing anything himself. Chengling gets angry/upset, and ZZS takes note.
This time, WKX doesn’t jump in, but ZZS says that “A man should never quarrel with others”, which is enough to get Chengling to back down/sit down. We’re also shown the first sign of his injury! He clutches at his side, and WKX clearly notes this.
Gu Xiang keeps going, saying that Chengling can’t even hold a sword properly, and WKX finally tells her to stop.
ZZS also goes “Ah, yes, I haven’t thanked you yet, kind lady” (a term thattrobadora pointed out to me last week was actually “小善人”, xiǎo shànrén [little philanthropist], to match how WKX starts calling himself “Philanthropist Wen” later), and Gu Xiang tells him to stop calling her that because it gives her goosebumps. She introduces herself at this point, too.
ZZS talks about how they’re clearly fated, and we’re treated to WKX’s very slight smile as ZZS says “We met at the right time” (and then follows it up with “We met at the wrong time, too”, which is such a summary of ZZS and WKX’s relationship). WKX points out that ZZS and Chengling are fated too.
Chengling is currently realising that he’s bleeding through his clothes, which isn’t good, and WKX asks about his injury. Chengling says he’s fine, and nobody believes him. WKX stands, says that he’s learned some medical skills from his family, and offers to treat him. Chengling continues insisting he’s fine, and ZZS steps between them.
WKX keeps pressing, ZZS keeps protecting, and they get into a lovely little spat. (Chengling is rather “uhhhh” about this, Gu Xiang is delighted.)
(This one reminds me of Ye Baiyi’s face when Wen Kexing goes after him.)
They pause, ZZS tells WKX that “if you have bad intentions, make it clear; you don’t have to act”, and WKX seems to find this delightful. He doesn’t drop the act, but he does stop trying to push Chengling to let him help, and all this clearly continues upping his interest in ZZS.
And then we end with a lovely shot of WKX smirking at ZZS!
This is his expression during so much of this episode; it’s fascinating.
General Commentary
Chengling’s attitude before the attack on Mirror Lake Manor is a lot more confident and, well, young-lord-like than it is after. Partially that’s the trauma, I’m sure! But it also makes me wonder if he’s acting younger around ZZS and WKX because it’s so clear that want to see him as a child (and as more of a son than a little brother), and also to make the shifu/disciple relationship he wants more viable. (They’re like… fifteen years apart in age? Which means that ZZS and WKX are like twice Chengling’s age, sure, but it also isn’t enough to really be a full generation-gap.)
I know I said in the recap text that probably the Zhangs didn’t spill that their Glazed Armor was with Chengling, but if they did? And if the “ghosts” were Zhao Jing’s men? That would explain more of why Tian Chuang was so into capturing Chengling in ep8—we know that they were specifically after him, and that Tian Chuang has contacts with Zhao Jing. I dunno! Thoughts?
This has nothing to do with plot or anything but any time I think about Yueyang Sect’s disciple uniform too much I start wondering what all the straps are for. Aesthetic? It’s certainly a Look, but I don’t know what I think about it.
Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu’s interactions during this episode are fascinating! Neither of them trust each other, but Wen Kexing is clearly fascinated by Zhou Zishu and is trying to dig into his secrets already. It’s hard to say how much he remembers right now about his brief time at Siji Manor, but it sure left an impression, that two decades later he’s still able to recognise the Swift-Moving Steps that most people in the jianghu have forgotten about. As much as his enjoyment of pretty people, and whatever that whole “variable” thing is about, I wouldn’t be surprised if Zhou Zishu’s connection to Siji Manor is also part of what he’s after.
Zhou Zishu, on the other hand, just wants Wen Kexing to leave him alone (and is only asking questions to ascertain his purpose). Which is so valid, because Wen Kexing’s whole body language (especially his smirks) probably scream “court sleaze”, and Zhou Zishu ran away from responsibility and people who wanted his attention.
As I was going through the episode for the second time gathering screenshots (yes that needs to be a separate thing for me), I realised that there’s a decent chance Wen Kexing actively told Gu Xiang to be more of a dick and antagonist Zhou Zishu and Chengling so that he can build up his “No I’m actually a nice man” persona more by making her stop being like that. Or just generally seem like a more pleasant person by contrast.
Questions! (to answer or not, as you wish.)
Next week: Episode three, wherein ZZS fails to get WKX to leave him alone and we’re introduced to a lot of jianghu characters! (Shen Shen! Huang He! Gao Chong! Uhhh the pastel grandparents I always forget the names of! Some other folk too!)
Today we begin learning about the Five Lakes Alliance, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu bicker, and Mirror Lake Manor burns.
Please feel free to read and comment on this at your leisure! I continue to write many words!
Scenes in This Episode
WKX makes GX stop fighting and leave
ZCL gives ZZS his name token
WKX identifies the swift-moving steps
ZZS hears the five lakes alliance rhyme
ZZS and the boatman (ft. WKX interlude)
WenZhou’s first sparring match
ZZS enters Mirror Lake Manor, ft. Zhang Yusen and Zhang Chengfeng (first mention of the glazed armor rhyme is here!)
Prince Jin and DPJ send men to investigate the glazed armor rhyme and continue searching for ZZS.
ZZS waking at midnight to quell the nails’ side effects
The attack on Mirror Lake Manor
ZYS and his sons are threatened for the Glazed Armor
ZZS, Uncle Li, and Chengling at the abandoned temple
GX and WKX’s timely rescue
ZZS agreeing to escort Chengling to Zhao Jing
Deng Kuan tries to get to Mirror Lake Manor but the boats have been wrecked
A nice meal around the fire with absolutely no bickering at all
WKX isn’t allowed to help tend Chengling’s wound
A Rough Timeline of Events
This episode happens in less than 24hrs! No need for a timeline today, so long as one assumes all events happen in sequence and we aren’t skipping any days. (Which seems like a fair assumption to make.)
The rhyme about the Five Lakes Alliance’s ambitions has existed for long enough that ZZS notes “that rhyme again”, so at least a few weeks.
“Recently”, the verse about glazed armor and the ghosts of Mount Qingya appeared.
Recap! With Commentary!
…today we also learn that if I give myself more time to do something I get sidetracked more easily while doing it, so uh hope you enjoy me spending a bunch of time staring at subtitles and going “hey what’s the chinese for that?”. (Do I know chinese at all? Not really! [I am effectively monolingual, though I know scattered words and grammar of various other languages.] Do I find it interesting to look things up? Yes! It’s very fun! I learn things!)
We begin by once more being shown WKX protecting ZZS and staring at Gu Xiang. He reels her in, fairly literally, while everyone looks on, and then turns to ZZS to apologise for his “maid” (婢 bì, which pleco’s saying would be slave/servant-girl).
(There’s a whole possible conversation—that I don’t know enough, linguistically or culturally, to feel equipped to have—about the kinda derogatory language Wen Kexing uses to refer to Gu Xiang. But, even if I don’t know enough to really discuss it, I want to mention it! And if people know of resources by Chinese people discussing this, I’d love to see them. Along with 婢, WKX also sometimes calls GX 丫头, yātou. Both of these terms, by dictionaries and what I’ve heard elsewhere, include some connotations of “slave”, and while WKX and GX are clearly on good terms, it’s… well. It’s the reciprocal side of her calling him 主人, zhǔrén, all the time. Anyway. I’m unlikely to mention this again because I really don’t know enough, but it’s something I want to learn more about.)
ZZS tries to hide behind the wine and says he should be the one apologising (though nobody outright says why). The contrast between the two of them right now is very striking, with ZZS’s beggar outfit and WKX’s pure white (ghost-coded, death-coded) robes.
WKX walks away, and Gu Xiang follows, but not before exchanging a challenging look with ZZS. He seems amused by this.
ZZS goes back over to where he’d been lying at the base of the bridge, and Chengling carries his (lost via weaponisation) hat back and calls ZZS “my friend in the martial arts world” and introduces himself. He then asks for ZZS’s name and where he trained. (the youtube subs say “which clique or sect are you from?” but I’m poking at the Chinese subs and suspect that “Where did you train?” or “What martial lineage are you from?” would be equally reasonable translations. Mostly I’m just ??? over “clique or sect”; why is it not just “sect”?)
ZZS demures, and starts coughing, possibly as a distraction but also probably for general sympathy points. It’s really entertaining seeing how much he presents himself as a sick man here vs later in the show when he’s distinctly worse-off physically. But he’s a lot more committed to the whole “I’m gonna die!” thing right now than later, so it’s emotionally fitting.
“I’m not talented. I don’t belong to any clique or sect.” (youtube subs say), and this time I won’t argue about it being two different words, since he did use two different terms to deny that he’s part of any formal lineage (I think ‘clique’ is a weird choice of word regardless, but that’s not the point). So I suppose that’s why Chengling’s question was translated how it was, but it’s still an odd choice to me.
Chengling’s servant wants him to go, but Chengling decisively brings out a token and places it on ZZS’s chest (because ZZS is pouring wine for himself) and says that ZZS is the Mirror Lake Sect’s guest now. ZZS is a bit “what” about this, and the servant is like “You shouldn’t do this! Your father wouldn’t approve!”
Chengling retorts that this is exactly what his father wants him to do. “We rely on our parents at home, but depend on our friends outside. Righteous men shall help each other.” All of which definitely sounds like he’s quoting Zhang Yusen, and gives me a lot of feelings about the kind of person Zhang Yusen must be.
“How do you know he’s a righteous man? Look at his attire. What if he’s a bad guy?” the servant asks, continuing to try and get Chengling to leave ZZS alone. (Also, “How do you know he’s a righteous man?” and judging people by appearances is a Theme! We’ll keep seeing how judging people by their appearance—and the first impression—fails people throughout the show.) When Chengling hesitates to respond, ZZS takes the opportunity to urge Chengling to be about his day and not bother with him any more.
We learn that Chengling was out in town buying his mom some pastries! This is possibly the only time his mother gets mentioned in the whole show. I would love to know literally anything about Zhang-furen, but I’m glad that she is—at this time—alive and well.
Chengling bids ZZS farewell with a bit of poetry, because that’s the kind of show this is. The youtube subs translate it as “Everything will stay as it is. ”, but that (while probably not wrong) is definitely not getting at the poetry of the literal meaning. Chengling says “青山不改, 绿水长流” (Qīngshān bù gǎi, lǜ shuǐ cháng liú; “The green hills do not change, the green water flows” according to google translate), which some googling tells me is a rather wuxia thing to say and connotes “We will meet again” at the very least. Which doesn’t come across at all in these english subs, thanks youtube. (He also, immediately after this poetic line, says a phrase with a much more straightforward meaning of “We’ll meet again someday”.)
Chengling leaves, and ZZS can finally get back to his very important business of lounging around doing nothing. Still, he examines the name token, sighs, and thinks about Jiuxiao, saying that Chengling is as silly as Jiuxiao was.
Gu Xiang is complaining to WKX about not being allowed to keep fighting ZZS, and WKX reveals that he knows ZZS was using the Swift-Moving Steps! The youtube subtitles helpfully capitalize this so that we know it’s a specific technique name to pay attention to, and Gu Xiang asks what sect this is from. When WKX says it’s from Siji Manor, Gu Xiang asks what that is.
WKX ignores her, instead thinking “This man might be the variable. I shall see him.” Definitely not being flirty in this moment! Definitely thinking of some sort of plot! Really hard to figure out what sort of plot he’s thinking about, though!
ZZS walks over a bridge and hears some children chanting the first half of that rhyme. “You chase me and I’ll chase you, there’s a legend in the martial arts world. The water from the Five Lakes gathers around the world. Who else deserves the supremacy in the martial arts world?” I’m sure it sounds much better in chinese, because every time I see the english translation I get irritated by how many lines end with “world”. But that’s not the point!
The point is that ZZS has heard this before, and he thinks to himself that “The martial arts world has only been settled for a few years, but the five lakes alliance wants to gain power again and become the supreme leader of the martial arts world unfairly. They don’t deserve it. It will be a disaster.”
I am quoting this in full because it’s such an accurate description of what goes down with Zhao Jing. The writing/foreshadowing in this show is tremendous. So is ZZS’s general awareness of the jianghu’s political situation; even if he wasn’t involved with it for a decade, being back for three months has already given him enough to confidently make this judgement.
ZZS then wanders over to the riverside and meets an old boatman who really doesn’t want to give him a ride to Mirror Lake Manor. It’s delightful. Also, ZZS is rich for not quibbling over the price of this ride, I’m pretty sure; it’s like that “how much could a banana cost?” meme but for wuxia.
The boatman also asks if ZZS has bad intentions, which I’m mostly noting here because it’s an interesting mirror to ZZS asking WKX if he has bad intentions at the end of the episode. The boatman thinks ZZS is going to cheat him, or is crazy, or something else, and just wants to be left alone. Which… is interesting, considering how ZZS treats WKX in general during this episode. And considering how the boatman (like ZZS) is a martial artist pretending not to be one for various loyalty reasons. Apparently I have feelings about this boatman now?
And then WKX shows up and says “A fated man would not be rejected”, which really does tie into all the conversations at the end of this episode even more. Also, WKX wants to give ZZS a boat ride himself, though at this point it’s hard to tell how much is actual flirting and how much is him trying to get a rise out of ZZS. Or maybe he just wants more of a chance to study ZZS and figure out what’s up with him!
The boatman gets defensive about his customer regardless, so ZZS gets what he wants. He departs, and WKX promises to find him again. (ZZS definitely doesn’t want, or expect, that to be as soon as it will be.)
WKX watches ZZS go. Gu Xiang asks who “that sick dude” is, and WKX responds with “A variable”.
ZZS enjoys the peaceful boat ride.
(Please note WKX’s boat in the background, following him.)
(Please enjoy this shot, which I associate so strongly with the ending theme that it felt very weird to see it in the actual show!)
(To parallel with when they flee later; it’s basically the same shot but with different lighting/context.)
This boat ride would be a lot more aesthetic if ZZS were dressed more nicely (or at least didn’t have the mask on). ZZS also lets us know (via his thoughts) that we’re in Jiangnan. Not that he lets it stay pretty, since he’s commenting on how lovely it is by considering that “It’s worth it even if I die here”. Which is a mood that he has a lot more in TYK than SHL, but still!
Then the boatman starts cursing him out for idly staring off into the distance and not paying. ZZS probably was going to pay, but then the boatman swears at him too much and ZZS realises that it’s fun be to a dick sometimes and runs off.
He uses his qinggong to leap around the (apricot, probably, from his commentary?) beautifully-flowering trees and starts cursing nobody in particular with a laugh.
There’s an old boat in the forest? I don’t understand this? It’s a fun set-piece but I don’t get it.
ZZS learns that he’s out of wine, and then that someone’s attacking him via the way the last droplets get blown off his gourd’s mouth.
Time for a very beautiful fight between ZZS and WKX that’s mostly about WKX testing ZZS! We are told, via the theme music playing, that this is ~romance~. Which, that’s fair, it’s wenzhou; fighting is a perfect form of flirting.
There are also some lovely shots where they do the same movement at the same time, already in sync with each other.
ZZS almost draws Baiyi, but then thinks better of it as WKX comes to a half in front of him and apologises. WKX calls out how pretty his footwork is, ZZS says something’s wrong with his eyes, and WKX keeps describing him with poetry to make it clear that he knows about the Swift-Moving Steps.
ZZS is perturbed. WKX continues trying to get ZZS to come drink on his boat, in a very flirty way this time, and ZZS wants to know why he followed him here. WKX smugly points out that he made sure they met again (implying that he’s the fate bringing them together), and ZZS turns away, calls WKX an ass-kisser, and leaves.
Mirror Lake Manor!
ZZS is told lovely things about the Zhang family and those they associate with (kind, generous, righteous), and we’re treated to some nice shots of Mirror Lake disciples going through their forms. Their outfits are white robes over red, which is a fun color scheme. We’re also told that this manor is “small” but it’s hard to tell if that’s just politeness or actually true. It might actually be true! That’d be interesting!
The servant showing ZZS around gives off some scornful vibes as he talks about how he “didn’t expect [Chengling] to learn from [his older brothers]” in the implied sense of “bringing good martial artists home”, likely because ZZS looks like a beggar and doesn’t fit the general ~vibe~ of Mirror Lake Manor, which is done up in white and pale gray and very neat.
We then cut to Zhang Yusen talking to Zhang Chengfeng, his oldest son, about the Five Lakes Alliance rhyme. He says this line that is really confusing by youtube subs: “It’s been some time since Mirror Lake Sect is not involved in the world’s affair.” Which. Okay. Taking this line in the Chinese and sticking it into deepl gave me “Our Mirror Lake School has long been out of the world”, which is a lot easier to quickly parse? But has a different meaning on the surface of it?
I think that the line is supposed to get across that Zhang Yusen and the Mirror Lake Sect have been out of touch with the world’s affairs for a while, based on how the rest of this conversation goes, but it sure isn’t easy to get that from the youtube subs.
Zhang Yusen then wishes those who want to gain supremacy over the martial arts world good luck, but in that kind of tone where you can tell he doesn’t really mean it.
Zhang Chengfeng brings up another verse that has appeared recently and calls it creepy and suspicious! “The Iridescent Clouds are scattered and the Glaze is shattered. Who will cry with the Ghosts on Mount Qingya?”
Zhang Yusen appears not to have heard this before, and Zhang Chengfeng starts asking if this is hinting about the Glazed Armor but his father cuts him off and warns him to be careful with his words.
He turns to look out at the courtyard, and after a moment Zhang Chengfeng mentions that Deng-shixiong (Deng Kuan) “came to invite [the sect] to the mid-autumn festival gathering of the Five Lakes Alliance again” and suggests that they visit Gao-bobo there this year.
As this dialogue happens, we see ZZS being shown around the manor and passing through the courtyard right in front of where ZYS and ZCF are talking, and this distracts Zhang Yusen from the whole topic. He wants to know who ZZS is, and Zhang Chengfeng calls him “A beggar who got Chengling’s name card and is trying to seek money” and says that he doesn’t know how they met.
Zhang Yusen gets a lot more serious at this point, and tells Zhang Chengfeng to take care of his brothers (Chengluan, the middle brother; and Chengling, the youngest) by not allowing either of them off “this island”, because Mirror Lake Manor is on an island and I keep forgetting that.
ZZS is shown into a woodshed, pretends like he’s going to be offended about that, and then tells the servant who’s brought him here that it’s great and the only thing he needs is wine.
(I really want to know if, during this day, Chengling and ZZS meet/talk more. But we aren’t shown that!)
Hard cut to Prince Jin and Duan Pengju!
DPJ just killed a few generals who were being uncooperative, and Prince Jin wants their heads hung at the city gate as examples. DPJ agrees to do this, and then tells Prince Jin some news from their spy: Someone is spreading a creepy song among the kids in Jiangnan! Perhaps it has information about the Glazed Armor! Prince Jin orders him to send men to investigate.
DPJ also tells Prince Jin that the spy they’d set on ZZS’s tail has lost him, and Prince Jin seems unsurprised that ZZS was prepared for such things as he tells DPJ to continue searching for him.
And then we’re back to ZZS in Mirror Lake Manor’s woodshed, not sleeping because it’s midnight and “the Nails of Seven Torments are hurrying [his] death again”. It’s really interesting seeing the extent of the side effects here, with all the black lines rippling through his body and him poking at acupoints (presumably) to try and halt them. It’s more intense than the side effects are portrayed as later on, presumably because the show figures it’d made its point about how rough this is for ZZS.
He finishes quelling the nails’ effects and opens his eyes to find the manor on fire!
ZZS jumps up to the roof and stands there like Batman for a bit as he listens to people screaming for help and swords clashing together.
We’re shown ghosts killing servants, and ZZS continues watching. He thinks to himself that he’s “read about these ghost masks in some book” and wonders why they’re after Mirror Lake Sect.
And then he jumps down, pulls out Baiyi, and kills some ghosts.
There’s no sign of any disciples of Mirror Lake Sect, just dead servants, and ZZS observes that “none of the martial artists are fighting back” and realises how hard Mirror Lake Sect got hit by Ghost Valley. (So, even though he doesn’t recognise the masks right away, he still knows enough to be certain they’re Ghost Valley’s people.)
ZZS jumps onto another roof and sees the old boatman and Chengling escaping, another set of ghosts chasing after them.
Before he can think too much about that, though, he sees a mechanical bird! The youtube subs say he calls it “The Trapped Sparrow”, but the chinese is 机关雀 (jīguān què), and that seems to literally translate to “mechanical bird”, so dunno why youtube subs are making it fancier and making one question what kind of trap the bird might be.
ZZS immediately realises there’s a spy from Tian Chuang here, and doesn’t know why. Presumably this is the same spy that had just given DPJ all that information he just told Prince Jin! Dunno why they had a spy out here to begin with; were they already actively looking for the Glazed Armor? Probaby? This one isn’t here for ZZS, at least.
ZZS doesn’t care about the why, setting the whole matter aside to focus on saving Chengling.
We learn that the boatman can fight with two swords pretty well, that these three ghosts can fight with cutting wires (it’s really gorgeous to watch them coordinate and spin around each other!), and that Chengling is no good in a fight.
(look at these gloves!)
The boatman gets injured as ZZS arrives, for maximum drama, and ZZS swoops in front of them to save them. ZZS tells Chengling and the boatman to run and then fights off some more ghosts.
I am like 90% certain that this ghost that was jumping at him got knocked back/killed by not ZZS. Since ZZS then turns and sees WKX lounging in a circular wall cut-out being aesthetic with his fan, WKX probably interfered with a walnut, like he enjoys doing.
WKX smirks and they share a moment of eye contact. ZZS coughs, because seriously his injuries seem to be way worse now than they are later in the series, and leaves. WKX watches him go and takes a drink from a flask.
When ZZS turns back a few seconds later (having reached the boat with Chengling and the boatman), WKX has disappeared.
(As previously mentioned, it’s a mirror to the shot of ZZS coming to Mirror Lake Manor.)
Inside Mirror Lake Manor, a bunch of ghosts have captured Zhang Yusen, Zhang Chengfeng, and Zhang Chengluan! Zhang Yusen’s right arm has been cut off! They’re all tied up, and his sons are gagged. (There is no sign of Zhang-furen or any other disciples.)
There’s no specific leader for these ghosts—even though later on Bai Wuchang (White Grim Reaper, iirc?) takes the blame for this attack (for Wuchang Gui | Changing Ghost), we don't see any sign of any named ghost in this sequence. (Other than WKX, of course.)
The ghosts tell ZYS that if he doesn’t want to suffer, he needs to hand over the Glazed Armor. When ZYS refuses, the ghosts change from threatening him to threatening his sons. We aren’t shown what happens, but next episode we learn that they all got cut to pieces. I doubt it was pleasant, and yet we also know that nobody realised that Chengling had the Glazed Armor hidden in his side (except ZZS and I think WKX) until Chengling revealed it himself.
We return to ZZS, Chengling, and Uncle Li the boatman in the abandoned temple. Neither ZZS nor Uncle Li introduce themselves at this point, so Chengling is the only person whose name everyone knows!
ZZS and the boatman bicker about boat rides, saving lives, and payment due before ZZS stops the conversation by sitting down to meditate and calm his internal injuries. He suggests Uncle Li and Chengling run, but Chengling is a good and loyal kid who doesn’t let his rescue attempt go; he doesn’t want to disappoint his dad by being discourteous and leaving ZZS here.
Uncle Li points out that ZYS is probably dead, and Chengling refutes that and says that “My father is Qiu Yue Jian” (秋月剑, qiū yuè jiàn; lit. “autumn moon sword”), which is a cool title that I don’t think we hear again after this temple fight! :D (it’s also made up entirely of hanzi I recognise on sight! which I enjoy.)
We learn that ZYS saved Uncle Li’s life once, and that he’s been a boatman here for three years looking for a chance to “return him my life”/repay the debt. He urges Chengling to run to Tai Lake and find Sanbai-daxia (Zhao Jing; his title is 三白, sān bái) (…the subs say Chevalier Sanbai but I cannot figure out what I think of ‘chevalier’ as a title in a wuxia context because it’s so strongly a title I associate with western knights, so instead you’ll get my consistent use of ‘daxia’ [大侠, dàxiá]).
Chengling continues refusing to leave, and the door blows open. He picks up one of Uncle Li’s swords, insists he’s a martial artist, and tells the other two to heal their injuries while he guards them.
He’s trying! He has a good heart! He clearly is not skilled, since a gust of wind inspires him to drop the sword.
Ghosts appear, hovering on balls of qi like they’re airbenders, and Uncle Li asks if ZZS can stand up. ZZS says he needs 15 minutes, and Uncle Li readies himself to give ZZS that time.
One of the completely unremarkable ghosts declares that “Hanged Ghost, one of the top ten evil ghosts from Mount Qingya, is here!”, which is a blatant lie that serves its purpose of intimidating Chengling. Especially since it’s followed up by a demand for the Glazed Armor! Which on a first viewing we don’t know is with Chengling, but since it is he must be going “oh shit oh shit oh shit” right now, since if the ghosts know it’s with him that implies that someone else who knew (his dad, maybe his brothers?) gave up the secret, which implies that they’re dead.
Uncle Li bursts out of the ruined temple to fight some ghosts and tells Chengling to go back inside. He does an admirable job, the ghosts are very pretty on their wires, and ZZS is doing his best to heal quickly.
Uncle Li still gets super beat-up and gets tossed back into the temple, and we finally learn his name as Chengling shouts “Li-bobo” and runs over to see if he’s still alive.
The ghosts enter the temple, ZZS continues meditating, and Chengling tries to kill some ghosts. He gets disarmed in the first strike, because he’s not good at this! Also, his hat finally gets knocked off, which makes him much easier to recognise.
The leading ghost insults Chengling by saying “I didn’t expect Qiu Yue Jian would have such a useless kid”. On a first viewing, that just seems like a normal insult. On this rewatch, I’m contemplating this line and how much Zhao Jing is responsible for, and it makes me consider way more heavily whose fault the attack on Mirror Lake Sect really was. I know there are clues to this scattered throughout the whole show, but I don’t recall them all! I wasn’t paying attention to Zhao Jing until the midway point of the show, the first time around, because we aren’t meant to.
The ghost raises his sword very dramatically. Chengling really hopes ZZS will wake from his meditation, but when the sword starts coming down he throws himself between ZZS and the ghost’s blade. Which does wake ZZS up, so that worked I guess.
But then! A whip comes down and wraps around the ghost’s neck, and everyone’s like “what.” about it as we’re treated to Gu Xiang’s dramatic entrance. She starts beating people up, ZZS gets to go back to stabilising his internal injuries, and Chengling and Uncle Li are just kind of confused but glad someone is keeping them from getting hurt.
Gu Xiang’s opening lines about “How dare you practice evil in front of me” are very cute.
She’s fighting people when Chengling is standing around watching and gets grabbed by some cloth, so Uncle Li makes a last heroic effort to cut the cloth and free him and kill that ghost.
For all that Gu Xiang enters with a whip, she fights most of this combat using a knife and her body. It makes sense; they’re in a fairly tight space, and a whip takes more room to maneuver accurately. She also gets rescued from a backstab by some walnuts during this sequence, which is the first sign of WKX’s presence in this location.
There are four ghosts left (and not fighting Gu Xiang) when ZZS finishes his meditation. He draws Baiyi and kills all four of them in one go, then turns and slices what’s probably another walnut out of the air.
Gu Xiang kills her own last ghost, then compliments ZZS’s martial arts.
ZZS coughs again. I guess he hasn’t learned how to calibrate his fighting for his injuries during these early bits? That’s the main explanation I can think of for why this short bout of fighting bothers him so much, compared to later matches with WKX or YBY.
ZZS also falls backwards into WKX’s arms, and he Does Not Like That. He regains his balance and lashes out with Baiyi, and WKX does that absolutely gorgeous catching of the blade as he spins around ZZS.
WKX continues to be very smug about having met ZZS again, but Uncle Li is coughing up blood so he’s more interesting to ZZS than WKX is.
ZZS gives Uncle Li some qi to help him stay functional, and Chengling comes over and is upset about how Uncle Li’s dying.
WKX checks Uncle Li’s pulse, which means he knows that Uncle Li is dying, and ZZS (after accepting that Uncle Li’s recognised his martial skill) looks at him to see his prognosis. WKX shakes his head, and this is honestly the first non-combative conversation they’ve had and it’s about someone else’s death. What does this say about them? I’m not sure, but it sure is something.
WKX still gives Uncle Li some more qi, which has its healing effects, and ZZS gives him a sidelong glance of “Wait really?” but they end up sitting next to each other and working together very nicely. They have not said a word in this conversation and it is the nicest they’ve mutually been to each other.
Uncle Li’s happy he can repay ZYS, and then starts dragging ZZS into taking care of Chengling. He frames it as repayment for the boat rides, and asks ZZS to make sure Chengling gets to Zhao Jing safely. Chengling is upset by how this means Uncle Li is going to die! Gu Xiang and WKX are surprisingly quiet throughout all of this, and WKX keeps providing qi to Uncle Li.
“You’re a good kid, but your father has taught you too well,” Uncle Li tells Chengling.
Zhou Zishu is finally given a reason to introduce himself, and after a long pause he gives his name as Zhou Xu. There’s a distinct reaction shot of WKX during this. I can’t figure out what he’s thinking, but he sure is thinking something about ZZS’s name.
Uncle Li tells Chengling to bow to ZZS and listen to him in the future.
Thus begins their relationship! We get reaction shots for both WKX and Gu Xiang, this time, who both seem to be looking more at ZZS than Chengling.
Uncle Li tells ZZS to be loyal to Chengling, or else he’ll curse ZZS’s ancestors from beyond the grave. Everyone has a lot of feelings about this! And then Uncle Li kind of collapses into death. WKX catches him (with a look of surprise? or something? I can’t quite tell), Gu Xiang matches WKX, Chengling starts sobbing, and ZZS mostly looks resigned to the responsibility he’s taken on.
But ZZS takes Uncle Li’s body from WKX, closes Uncle Li’s eyes, and promises that he’ll take care of Chengling. WKX observes this, and really just looks like he’s trying to figure out what ZZS’s deal even is. Which is fair; this is the first time either of them have really observed each other being nice to someone.
We cut to Yue’s docks, where Deng Kuan is yelling for a boatman. They can see the hazy glow of Mirror Lake Manor burning, and wonder what’s even going on.
Unfortunately, all the boats have had holes gouged into them, so they’re no longer usable. Also, the boatman and his family are dead.
Deng Kuan, now very worried, sets off a signal flare.
We return to the abandoned temple and our family of protagonists who are nothing like a family yet. Chengling is kneeling in front of a simple grave, ZZS standing at his side, while WKX watches from further back. Chengling only knows Uncle Li’s surname, and ZZS gives him a piece of charcoal to write it on the piece of wood serving as a gravestone.
WKX praises Uncle Li’s good sense for entrusting Chengling to ZZS. He also starts complimenting ZZS, probably partially as a way of going “wtf” about his mask, which is so fair! Apparently, to WKX lovely bone structure means being a man who places much value in loyalty.
ZZS thanks WKX, and WKX finally introduces himself! WKX then asks about Zhou Xu, and learns that he took the name from willow catkins, which WKX takes as an invitation to continue complimenting him. ZZS just looks tired.
Chengling collapses as he finishes the last stroke of Uncle Li’s name, and both ZZS and WKX catch him. Chengling protests that he’s fine and just felt dizzy suddenly, which probably nobody here believes but everyone lets slide.
WKX tells Chengling to stop being tough, and points out that he’s exhausted and needs rest.
Chengling continues trying to say he’s fine, despite needing help to stand up, and WKX says that resting for a night is fine. ZZS hasn’t said anything since asking if Chengling is okay, and both of them watch as WKX calls for Gu Xiang to start a fire and make food.
She already has, of course, and WKX invites the other two over to eat.
Gu Xiang gives the first flatbread to WKX, who had been staring off into the distance. He stares at it, then moves closer to the fire to hand it to ZZS. (Which: he’s calling ZZS “兄台”, xiōngtái, instead of Zhou-xiong? Which would be equally polite, I’m pretty sure? It’s interesting. I feel like it goes along with WKX being pretty certain that Zhou Xu is a fake name to go with a fake face.)
ZZS ignores him. Gu Xiang gets offended that WKX isn’t eating first. ZZS does take the flatbread on a stick that Gu Xiang offers him, even if he just kind of stares at it.
Gu Xiang then starts telling ZZS that “though your martial arts are good, you’re timid” and asks if he’s afraid she’ll poison him. WKX shuts her up by stuffing some bread in her mouth, and then offers the rest of that piece to ZZS in case he really doesn’t trust her.
ZZS says he isn’t hungry, and Gu Xiang continues talking about how ZZS is being so guarded with them while having promised to protect Chengling because of a three-silver debt. WKX again interrupts with nice words for ZZS about following principles and keeping promises and “travelling a long journey without fear of death” (which is very fitting for him) before calling him “Zhou-jun” (which feels like a teasing shift in formality from xiongtai) and saying that he’s a gentleman (君子, jūnzǐ, a word that uses the same ‘jun’ as the Zhou-jun WKX had addressed him with).
Gu Xiang whines about WKX “acting literate”, because he’s making references that are going over her head. Chengling names this reference, saying that it’s “written in a historical record by Sima Qian”, and explains it for her (and for the audience). It’s most of what WKX said, it seems, and Chengling ends by saying that his father taught him this.
Chengling tries to thank ZZS, ZZS tells him not to, and then hands over the bread on a stick without actually looking at Chengling.
Chengling takes it, looks sadly at the bread, and Gu Xiang also tosses him a bun because he doesn’t seem to like the bread. Chengling says he’s not going to eat her food, Gu Xiang points out that she saved his life, and WKX once more tells her off in a rather polite fashion.
Gu Xiang says that “people nowadays can’t distinguish between good and evil” (look! a Theme of the show!) and is generally aggravated about how useless Chengling was in the fight.
Chengling is not having a good time! He’s very resilient, and he’s a polite boy, so he stands and apologises to Gu Xiang and bows to thank her for saving his life. ZZS seems surprised by this, and Gu Xiang is very taken aback because she did not ask for (or expect) this.
(I feel like I’ve been told this is a visual pun about gayness somehow but I cannot for the life of me remember how/when/where I was told this.)
Cut to lounging around the fire, and WKX decides he can go back to saying “Zhou-xiong” as he asks ZZS if he disguised himself.
ZZS doesn’t respond, which appears to amuse WKX, and WKX changes targets to Chengling (who he’s currently calling Zhang-gongzi most of the time); Chengling takes this as a reason to introduce himself (calling WKX ‘daxia’) and saying WKX can call him Chengling.
WKX says not to call him ‘daxia’ (大侠, dàxiá; consistently translated as ‘chevalier’), because he hates ‘daxia’ (chevaliers, martial heroes). Chengling doesn’t know what to say to this, and Gu Xiang jumps in to mock Chengling for talking a big game about righteousness and helping others but not being capable of doing anything himself. Chengling gets angry/upset, and ZZS takes note.
This time, WKX doesn’t jump in, but ZZS says that “A man should never quarrel with others”, which is enough to get Chengling to back down/sit down. We’re also shown the first sign of his injury! He clutches at his side, and WKX clearly notes this.
Gu Xiang keeps going, saying that Chengling can’t even hold a sword properly, and WKX finally tells her to stop.
ZZS also goes “Ah, yes, I haven’t thanked you yet, kind lady” (a term that
trobadora pointed out to me last week was actually “小善人”, xiǎo shànrén [little philanthropist], to match how WKX starts calling himself “Philanthropist Wen” later), and Gu Xiang tells him to stop calling her that because it gives her goosebumps. She introduces herself at this point, too.ZZS talks about how they’re clearly fated, and we’re treated to WKX’s very slight smile as ZZS says “We met at the right time” (and then follows it up with “We met at the wrong time, too”, which is such a summary of ZZS and WKX’s relationship). WKX points out that ZZS and Chengling are fated too.
Chengling is currently realising that he’s bleeding through his clothes, which isn’t good, and WKX asks about his injury. Chengling says he’s fine, and nobody believes him. WKX stands, says that he’s learned some medical skills from his family, and offers to treat him. Chengling continues insisting he’s fine, and ZZS steps between them.
WKX keeps pressing, ZZS keeps protecting, and they get into a lovely little spat. (Chengling is rather “uhhhh” about this, Gu Xiang is delighted.)
(This one reminds me of Ye Baiyi’s face when Wen Kexing goes after him.)
They pause, ZZS tells WKX that “if you have bad intentions, make it clear; you don’t have to act”, and WKX seems to find this delightful. He doesn’t drop the act, but he does stop trying to push Chengling to let him help, and all this clearly continues upping his interest in ZZS.
And then we end with a lovely shot of WKX smirking at ZZS!
This is his expression during so much of this episode; it’s fascinating.
General Commentary
Chengling’s attitude before the attack on Mirror Lake Manor is a lot more confident and, well, young-lord-like than it is after. Partially that’s the trauma, I’m sure! But it also makes me wonder if he’s acting younger around ZZS and WKX because it’s so clear that want to see him as a child (and as more of a son than a little brother), and also to make the shifu/disciple relationship he wants more viable. (They’re like… fifteen years apart in age? Which means that ZZS and WKX are like twice Chengling’s age, sure, but it also isn’t enough to really be a full generation-gap.)
I know I said in the recap text that probably the Zhangs didn’t spill that their Glazed Armor was with Chengling, but if they did? And if the “ghosts” were Zhao Jing’s men? That would explain more of why Tian Chuang was so into capturing Chengling in ep8—we know that they were specifically after him, and that Tian Chuang has contacts with Zhao Jing. I dunno! Thoughts?
This has nothing to do with plot or anything but any time I think about Yueyang Sect’s disciple uniform too much I start wondering what all the straps are for. Aesthetic? It’s certainly a Look, but I don’t know what I think about it.
Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu’s interactions during this episode are fascinating! Neither of them trust each other, but Wen Kexing is clearly fascinated by Zhou Zishu and is trying to dig into his secrets already. It’s hard to say how much he remembers right now about his brief time at Siji Manor, but it sure left an impression, that two decades later he’s still able to recognise the Swift-Moving Steps that most people in the jianghu have forgotten about. As much as his enjoyment of pretty people, and whatever that whole “variable” thing is about, I wouldn’t be surprised if Zhou Zishu’s connection to Siji Manor is also part of what he’s after.
Zhou Zishu, on the other hand, just wants Wen Kexing to leave him alone (and is only asking questions to ascertain his purpose). Which is so valid, because Wen Kexing’s whole body language (especially his smirks) probably scream “court sleaze”, and Zhou Zishu ran away from responsibility and people who wanted his attention.
As I was going through the episode for the second time gathering screenshots (yes that needs to be a separate thing for me), I realised that there’s a decent chance Wen Kexing actively told Gu Xiang to be more of a dick and antagonist Zhou Zishu and Chengling so that he can build up his “No I’m actually a nice man” persona more by making her stop being like that. Or just generally seem like a more pleasant person by contrast.
Questions! (to answer or not, as you wish.)
- “[Zhou Zishu] might be the variable”? “Who is he?” / “A variable.”? Thoughts on what Wen Kexing means by calling Zhou Zishu a variable in this episode?
- We’ll probably keep coming back to this, but I know many of you have rewatched this show more than I have! So: Who do you think was behind the attack on Mirror Lake Sect? (Zhao Jing? Changing Ghost | Wuchang Gui? Someone else?)
- Relatedly, do you think Zhao Jing or Wen Kexing was behind the rhyme about the Five Lakes Alliance’s ambitions? (I feel like I always assumed it was WKX, but sure could be a ZJ thing too…)
- Do you think Zhang Yusen (or his sons) gave up the information that Zhang Chengling had the Glazed Armor?
- Any thoughts about what Wen Kexing is thinking/feeling as Uncle Li dies? He’s very quiet during that scene, and much kinder than he’d been acting earlier in the episode.
- Seriously, Zhou Zishu seems worse off after a brief fight here than he does later in the show when the nails’ effects are theoretically worse. Thoughts or opinions on why that might be? (As serious or as silly as you’d like! Did he simply not quell the nails enough? Is he not used to fighting with all the nails in? Does accepting WKX’s help with them really have that much of an effect?)
Next week: Episode three, wherein ZZS fails to get WKX to leave him alone and we’re introduced to a lot of jianghu characters! (Shen Shen! Huang He! Gao Chong! Uhhh the pastel grandparents I always forget the names of! Some other folk too!)
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1) IIRC there's a bit in episode 17 where YBY implies the nails giving ZZS less trouble recently is a sign things are actually getting worse. So it probably looks so bad here because it hasn't progressed to that point yet.
2) Zhao Jing says in episode 22 that what happened to the Mirror Lake sect was arranged by him. And Wu Chang Gui is in league with Zhao Jing, so that would make sense too.
3) (I feel like I’ve been told this is a visual pun about gayness somehow but I cannot for the life of me remember how/when/where I was told this.)
Reference: https://sixteenthshen.tumblr.com/post/644383033219252225/a-xiang-is-all-of-us-i-mean-i-love-her
4) WKX admits to having written the second part of the nursery rhyme in episode 27, and I can't see why he'd have phrased it like that if he was also responsible for the first?
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(the nails having less of an effect meaning ZZS's closer to dying is a thing in TYK that I remember, but the whole 'losing your senses' thing in SHL getting worse while the other side effects become lessened throws me off so badly...)
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It was interesting that in the novel ZZS notes his first impression that she may be a slave. In that context it's of note that 主人 can mean "owner", but you're right in that I don't know enough about Chinese to say more. But I found it very amusing when I first ran it.
I love WKX' whole villain aesthetic. However, the costume department must have run those robes through so many laundry cycles, they probably hated it.
Chengling is still so sweet and innocent, and so young (also mentally, nothing bad ever happened to him, he's the pampered youngest son, dressed in silks etc, he's so...young). God. He'll never be that young again.
“青山不改, 绿水长流” (Qīngshān bù gǎi, lǜ shuǐ cháng liú; “The green hills do not change, the green water flows” according to google translate)
Actually I think we hear that line quite a lot going forward. And as you say elsewhere in wuxia land, it's the final parting scene in CQL as well, where youtube butchers it even worse? (Actually there's a funny story about that because this is what happens when people investigate who are native speakers but didn't grow up in a wuxia/xianxia diet but this is OT.)
So is ZZS’s general awareness of the jianghu’s political situation; even if he wasn’t involved with it for a decade, being back for three months has already given him enough to confidently make this judgement.
But! It also shows that ZZS, despite whatever he might have initially wanted to, can't let it go either. It stands to reason, I'm not criticising him here, but he's such a dog with a bone. Three years to live and his mind is going in circles and he can't let it go. Unfortunately I recognize something of myself in that, so I'm probably projecting, but it's such a thing he will continue to do throughout the show and which will lead him down...really terrible avenues.
Or maybe he just wants more of a chance to study ZZS and figure out what’s up with him!
He probably wants to figure out why the fuck a Siji Manor disciple is roaming jianghu, because they're supposed to be absorbed by the imperial court. Not sure he suspects identities here already, I actually think not.
But I hate this fated aspect. I know we've talked about this in terms of fic before, but I really don't like that they went down this road with the relationship. It's not bad it's just....really not my thing? It turned out mostly fine here but that has so many options for uglies, ugh.
Can I just...the boatman/Li-bobo, whatever calls him 痨病鬼, and the 鬼 is the same we get for ghost valley and all the ghosts, it amuses me so much!
ZZS realises that it’s fun be to a dick sometimes and runs off
novel!ZZS definitely knew that before.
I find it interesting how different they chose to set up the whole first meeting and rescuing Chengling stuff in the show. I mean sure, it makes for a much better dramatic arc to bring ZZS into Mirror Lake Manor while it's attacked, but it's still interesting.
Prince Jin wants their heads hung at the city gate as examples
Helian Yi did that with his ministers, it's a nice callback actually?
The youtube subs say he calls it “The Trapped Sparrow”, but the chinese is 机关雀 (jīguān què), and that seems to literally translate to “mechanical bird”
The Viki subs do that too, though. The literal is actual "mechanical sparrow" as 雀 is sparrow. I assume the trap stems from the 关, since 关 can mean "lock up" (or "shut, close"). It's one of those jack of all trades hanzi that heavily depends on what it's compounded with. 机关 is just "mechanism/mechanical" though (and again other things, because Chinese is a context language, but I have been told by people wiser than me in it "if you see 机 start thinking about machines" so that's what I'm doing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
WKY lounging in that moon arch should have given it away to everyone that he's the Valley Master, srsly. But hindsight is 20/20, though. Still well done, I liked it.
Considering that WKX and ZZS only just met there is a LOT of significant eye contact in that whole shrine scene. However, it pings me more as "people who are capable and know what they're doing and who don't want to alarm bystanders by what they know" than anything else. It's still interesting because not everyone can do that with everyone and WKX has done his best to pull pigtails since they met so it actually is interesting that they are still instantly on the same page about this at least.
There’s a distinct reaction shot of WKX during this. I can’t figure out what he’s thinking, but he sure is thinking something about ZZS’s name.
I do think this is when he's putting it together. He knows about the Passing Cloud Steps (however you want to call them in whichever translation) and has seen them, he has hinted that there's a disguise involved and does so again the next few minutes and then gets Zhou as a last name. And while there are plenty of Zhou families around, that's a few too many coincidences. He's been suspicious, he's looking for clues and he just found the last puzzle piece. Now he just needs confirmation.
What I don't know is: Is he pleased? Is he wary? Does he really want that part of his past back or doesn't he? Does he even know himself? Does he feel relief or dread?
(Which: he’s calling ZZS “兄台”, xiōngtái, instead of Zhou-xiong? Which would be equally polite, I’m pretty sure? It’s interesting. [...]
Oh, I actually briefly had a chat about that with a native speaker and she basically was a bit flabbergasted how I'd learned that word (lol), but yeah it's pretty much a polite thing but with undertones of 'friend'. Not quite 'bro' but also not quite 'random stranger my age I just met'. I don't believe it's super widely used in everyday language but it's one of those hundreds of 'brother' terms in Chinese (if you look in pleco at the Words tab for xiong it's uh long). Mind you that's a localized experience, unfortunately I can't go around polling my colleagues for their opinion (wish I could, though).
ZZS says he isn’t hungry
Honestly, the whole ZZS and food thing is something I need to look at this time around. We have a lot of scenes in inns and restaurants, but the whole food avoidance thing is a actually a thing until relatively late in the show. It makes sense from the Nails perspective (and other aspects), but it's still definitely a factor.
3. Relatedly, do you think Zhao Jing or Wen Kexing was behind the rhyme about the Five Lakes Alliance’s ambitions? (I feel like I always assumed it was WKX, but sure could be a ZJ thing too…)
Doesn't WKX later confess to what's his doing and what isn't? I can't remember the episode.
6. Seriously, Zhou Zishu seems worse off after a brief fight here than he does later in the show when the nails’ effects are theoretically worse. Thoughts or opinions on why that might be? (As serious or as silly as you’d like! Did he simply not quell the nails enough? Is he not used to fighting with all the nails in? Does accepting WKX’s help with them really have that much of an effect?)
I think it's too close to midnight in combination with the last Nail being put in recently and starting to crippled his meridians. This is novel canon, but we know that martial prowess starts to recover and at the end of the 3 years actually is almost back to their normal ability. Which, I think, makes the Nails all the more devious. (In the drama, this is facilitated by ZZS yeeting the Nails out of his body.) So it's probably a combination?
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Definitely! He's spent so long needing to care about politics; there's no way to shut up that part of who he is anymore. :)
He probably wants to figure out why the fuck a Siji Manor disciple is roaming jianghu, because they're supposed to be absorbed by the imperial court.
I have so much trouble figuring out how many people even know about Siji Manor anymore? Whether people think they're part of the court or simply dead, hard to say, but there aren't many people who are paying attention enough to even recognise ZZS by his techniques...
But I hate this fated aspect.
Eh, in this context it doesn't bother me because it comes across as "if the heavens will it" or "if luck allows it" more than "we're fated"? It's not nearly as personal as it could be; WKX is making fate happen during this episode (as far as following ZZS goes), and they all know it.
It's still interesting because not everyone can do that with everyone and WKX has done his best to pull pigtails since they met so it actually is interesting that they are still instantly on the same page about this at least.
Yes! They're the two people with the most experience in that moment, and they both understand death, and even if they might not like each other at this point in time it does no harm to work together. Really it's just impressive that they can read each other so well and silently while everything else is going on.
I don't believe it's super widely used in everyday language but it's one of those hundreds of 'brother' terms in Chinese
Yeah, that's what I got from pleco! Cool to have some confirmation from your co-worker, too! :)
Honestly, the whole ZZS and food thing is something I need to look at this time around.
I don't think I ever consciously noticed what he's like with food, just his general preference for consuming liquids over solids. But yeah. It makes sense with his headspace and also physical side effects.
Doesn't WKX later confess to what's his doing and what isn't? I can't remember the episode.
Dora, above, remembered these things. <3
This is novel canon, but we know that martial prowess starts to recover and at the end of the 3 years actually is almost back to their normal ability.
I love that bit of novel canon. <3 But yeah, in this case I'm thinking more about pre-nail yeeting fight sequences as contrasts. It's interesting. Doesn't get explained much/at all that I can recall. xD;
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Huh. I really dislike actually "fated" relationships, but Wenzhou doesn't ping that for me at all. Fascinating!
Thanks for pointing out the ZZS-and-food thing - I need to pay more attention to that. (I was distracted by the ZZS-and-liquor thing. *g*)
I didn't think people knew ZZS had taken the Siji Manor disciples to Jin - I thought from everyone's POV in the jianghu, the sect just faded/disappeard, but now that I think about it I can't say why I assumed that!
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机关雀 (jīguān què) is also not a completely awful translation, XD. 机关 when mentioned in wuxia/xianxia often does mean puzzles/traps, because it usually means there's a secret or some kind of treasure being guarded by some mechanical device.
So, 机关雀 (jīguān què), a sparrow trapped in a mechanical device, carrying secret(s)!
But personally, this is one of the cases I think translating it literally would have been just fine!
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tbh, I assumed his knowledge from his Window of Heaven stuff (like they might keep an eye on what's going on in the jianghu, even if they aren't involved).
I love ZZS and WKX's fight of romance! And WKX having ZZS' back later in Mirror Lake Manor! (I assumed the latter was using his fan, since he flips it afterwards)
I’m like 90% certain a character falling backwards and being caught by their love interest is a trope in CDramas.
I think they're for their scabbards, tbh
1. Maybe that ZZS' connection Four Seasons Manor could be useful in his plot against the Five Lakes Alliance?
2. I’m not sure – after I was spoiled for WKX’s identity I thought it might be DPJ/Prince Jin or someone from the Five Lakes Alliance based on what WKX says in episode 3 (“someone wearing a ghost mask is not necessarily a ghost”).
3. iirc WKX only added the second verse about the Glazed Armor. I think the part about the Five Lakes Alliance might be from around when Rong Xuan died?
4. I’m not sure – up until it was revealed that he had it, I assumed ZCL didn’t know where it was at all.
5. I wonder if the healing stuff is meant to foreshadow some of his backstory. I wonder if he's thinking about the collateral damage of his plotting or about who might be behind the attack.
6. I think this might be the first time he's fought with the nails in (I also like the idea that WKX help makes that much of a difference).
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But are they usually so bristly about it? XD :D
(I also like the idea that WKX help makes that much of a difference).
It probably does, but it tales a while for them to get there (and I'm not sure it's indicated in the drama that they do this nightly).
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Maybe! I could see that. I generally get the sense that court and jianghu are supposed to be separate, so I personally assume that Tian Chuang might care about broad strokes but not details.
And WKX having ZZS' back later in Mirror Lake Manor! (I assumed the latter was using his fan, since he flips it afterwards)
I stared at that sequence for so long, trying to work it out, and I couldn't see anything a bright enough color to read as WKX's fan! That's certainly a possibility, though. :)
I’m like 90% certain a character falling backwards and being caught by their love interest is a trope in CDramas.
Oh, definitely, and in the first YBY fight (end of ep13 I think?), they do the full-on spinning catch. :)
I think the part about the Five Lakes Alliance might be from around when Rong Xuan died?
I never got the sense that it was from that long ago? It would feel odd to me if that were the case, what with how everyone responds to it in this episode.
I wonder if the healing stuff is meant to foreshadow some of his backstory. I wonder if he's thinking about the collateral damage of his plotting or about who might be behind the attack.
Definitely backstory foreshadowing!
I don't get the impression WKX really notices the collateral effects of his schemes until he breaks down at the death of the Sages of Anji end of ep9/beginning of ep10. Maybe thinking about who was in charge of the attack/ghosts though, yeah!
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Oooh, yes, definitely, good catch! :D
(Also, I agree about WKX using the fan, based on the flip afterwards. I thought the same thing.)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvOzbhiiMNA&t=47s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhBqPOjt1H0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXn-5oBcQ7g
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Agreed. Also, Zhang Yusen is familiar with it, even though he hasn't heard the new bit yet.
ZZS goes back over to where he'd been lying at the base of the bridge, and Chengling carries his (lost via weaponisation) hat back
Interesting to me: ZZS walks right past his hat, which is lying at Chengling's feet, rather than picking it up along the way.
Chengling says "青山不改, 绿水长流" (Qīngshān bù gǎi, lǜ shuǐ cháng liú; "The green hills do not change, the green water flows" according to google translate), which some googling tells me is a rather wuxia thing to say and connotes "We will meet again" at the very least. Which doesn't come across at all in these english subs, thanks youtube.
That's fascinating! The subs generally seem very simplified sometimes, not just with poetry references.
When WKX says "Siji Manor" he sounds and looks very pensive, and then he calls ZZS a variable. I agree he's definitely thinking of some sort of plot.
I'm sure it sounds much better in chinese, because every time I see the english translation I get irritated by how many lines end with "world".
LOL! It's very awkward. In Chinese it's three different terms - 江湖 jianghu, 天下 tianxia, 武林 wulin.
I am quoting this in full because it's such an accurate description of what goes down with Zhao Jing. The writing/foreshadowing in this show is tremendous. So is ZZS's general awareness of the jianghu's political situation; even if he wasn't involved with it for a decade, being back for three months has already given him enough to confidently make this judgement.
That is an excellent point! He's clearly very aware of the political situation - I'd say in part (on the larger scale) presumably via Tianchuang, and in part (the smaller stuff) from recent experience.
The boatman also asks if ZZS has bad intentions, which I'm mostly noting here because it's an interesting mirror to ZZS asking WKX if he has bad intentions at the end of the episode. The boatman thinks ZZS is going to cheat him, or is crazy, or something else, and just wants to be left alone. Which... is interesting, considering how ZZS treats WKX in general during this episode. And considering how the boatman (like ZZS) is a martial artist pretending not to be one for various loyalty reasons. Apparently I have feelings about this boatman now?
Excellent catch! I didn't pick up on any of this the first time through, but it's a really fascinating parallel/mirroring!
at this point it's hard to tell how much is actual flirting and how much is him trying to get a rise out of ZZS. Or maybe he just wants more of a chance to study ZZS and figure out what's up with him!
I think it's all to figure out what's up with ZZS, because there's clearly something if someone with Four Seasons Manor's martial arts is disguising himself like this. The flirting at this point seems a means to an end, and then WKX ends up a) enjoying it, and b) genuinely liking ZZS.
ZZS probably was going to pay, but then the boatman swears at him too much and ZZS realises that it's fun be to a dick sometimes and runs off.
LOL! I love how ZZS actually has the money in his hand and only decides to not pay after the boatman goes off on his rant. :D
There's an old boat in the forest? I don't understand this?
Same here! I'm sure it means something but I have no clue what!
"It's been some time since Mirror Lake Sect is not involved in the world's affair." Which. Okay. Taking this line in the Chinese and sticking it into deepl gave me "Our Mirror Lake School has long been out of the world", which is a lot easier to quickly parse? But has a different meaning on the surface of it?
I think that the line is supposed to get across that Zhang Yusen and the Mirror Lake Sect have been out of touch with the world's affairs for a while, based on how the rest of this conversation goes, but it sure isn't easy to get that from the youtube subs.
Huh. I have to admit I'm not seeing the issue here? The Youtube subtitle has a mistaken double negative, but the meaning seemed obvious to me? Mirror Lake Sect hasn't been involved in the world's affairs for some time; they've withdrawn from the political arena where the Five Lakes Alliance seems to be reaching for ever-more power.
(Btw, Zhang Yusen makes me think of his namesake in Guardian, Lin Yusen. Mainly because his name consists entirely of characters I know. *g*)
I really want to know if, during this day, Chengling and ZZS meet/talk more.
Huh, that never occurred to me! It doesn't seem like it to me, but it's certainly possible ...
I am like 90% certain that this ghost that was jumping at him got knocked back/killed by not ZZS. Since ZZS then turns and sees WKX lounging in a circular wall cut-out being aesthetic with his fan, WKX probably interfered with a walnut, like he enjoys doing.
The way he moves his fan when the scene cuts to him seems to imply he was using his fan? But yeah, totally agreed that it was WKX.
And it's interesting - WKX does nothing to interfere in the massacre, except this. (He may not have instigated the attack, but he's definitely responsible for not even trying to save Chengling's family. Chengling is a very forgiving boy!) Of course at this point WKX was fully on board the "set everyting up so everyone destroys each other while I watch" - and yet he does interfere at this point. He's intrigued enough by ZZS to want to keep him alive, if only to figure out who he really is/what he's after. (I doubt he believes ZZS is just there by accident! He must have seemed like he was undercover.)
I wonder if the ghosts see him there. He's very conspicuous, of course, but we don't know how long he was lounging there - when ZZS looks again later, he's gone. He might only have been there briefly, after all.
Btw, those paper thingies the Ghosts are using - idk what to call them, but they look super cool!
He clearly is not skilled, since a gust of wind inspires him to drop the sword.
Agreed about his lack of skill, but he drops the sword when those paper thingies fly into his face - and considering what they can do, that's understandable, if not exactly useful. (He brings his hands up to shield himself after the things have already hit him - but this time they're just paper.)
One of the completely unremarkable ghosts declares that "Hanged Ghost, one of the top ten evil ghosts from Mount Qingya, is here!"
Yep. Whoever is actually behind it is trying to blame it on Hanged Ghost, not knowing the guy has been dead since the previous episode. *g*
This whole fight scene is seriously gorgeous, btw.
"How dare you practice evil in front of me"
This bit is so interesting! She says, 敢在姑娘面前弄鬼 - you dare 弄鬼 in front of a girl. I left that bit untranslated because Baidu says 弄鬼 means to hatch plots or play tricks behind the scene, but it also literally means play ghost! So I wonder if that's implying via wordplay that the people she's fighting aren't actually ghosts. Maybe Wu Chang Gui and his flunkies were involved, but the manpower was provided by Zhao Jing?
WKX shakes his head, and this is honestly the first non-combative conversation they've had and it's about someone else's death.
So fascinating! And also, ZZS seems to take WKX's word on Lao-Li's condition here. He has reason to suspect WKX of being involved in the attack on Mirror Lake Sect, if only from the way he was lounging and watching and not helping, but he doesn't treat him that way.
WKX still gives Uncle Li some more qi, which has its healing effects, and ZZS gives him a sidelong glance of "Wait really?" but they end up sitting next to each other and working together very nicely.
Yes! I think this moment matters because ZZS sees WKX help someone with no possible gain, and where no one would think badly of him for leaving the qi-giving to ZZS.
(Is this situation with Lao-Li, who's been trying to repay a debt for years and is now dying for it, the first time WKX thinks oops, maybe I don't want everyone to die? And I don't doubt he's also having some kind of feeling about Chengling, who's lost everything but is not being abandoned by Lao-Li or ZZS. He's not used to thinking well of people, but this whole scenario does make him think well of the three of them.)
There's a distinct reaction shot of WKX during this. I can't figure out what he's thinking, but he sure is thinking something about ZZS's name.
I think him using the name Zhou confirms it for him that this is ZZS. He has three hints by this point - the first is the Swift-Moving Steps, signifying a connection to Siji Manor; the second is the very recognisable Baiyi sword, signifying a close connection to Qin Huaizhang in particular, and the third is the name Zhou. Qin Huaizhang's sword in the hands of a Siji Manor disciple named Zhou - it would be a big coincidence if it wasn't Qin Huaizhang's first disciple and successor Zhou Zishu.
Gu Xiang says that "people nowadays can't distinguish between good and evil" (look! a Theme of the show!)
Yes! So good!
I know I said in the recap text that probably the Zhangs didn't spill that their Glazed Armor was with Chengling, but if they did? And if the "ghosts" were Zhao Jing's men? That would explain more of why Tian Chuang was so into capturing Chengling in ep8-we know that they were specifically after him, and that Tian Chuang has contacts with Zhao Jing. I dunno! Thoughts?
I don't think they would need to have given anything away to explain that - Chengling is the only member of the family who's missing, and they were clearly tortured for the Glazed Armour, which is also missing, so it only makes sense that Zhang Yusen would have sent it away with Chengling.
As much as his enjoyment of pretty people, and whatever that whole "variable" thing is about, I wouldn't be surprised if Zhou Zishu's connection to Siji Manor is also part of what he's after.
I think the prettiness isn't really important at this point, just a benefit. *g* And the rest is connected - he's interested because a) ZZS is clearly not who he appears to be, which b) makes him an unpredictable factor that may affect WKX's plans, and c) his connection to Siji Manor and WKX's positive feelings regarding his memories of ZZS and QHZ means he's willing to look at ZZS as something other than a threat.
(I think I already talked about everything in your questions above, so I won't repeat that ...)
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There is no way I would've noticed if I hadn't been going through again twice in close succession! xD But I love how much thematic resonance they pack into this guy who seems like an incidental character at first; it's very impressive. (The mirroring, too, of ZZS bothering a man who just wants to sleep in the sun? Hilarious to me. Delightful. ZZS's already stopped being just a sunbathing beggar by this point, even if he doesn't want to admit it.)
(Btw, Zhang Yusen makes me think of his namesake in Guardian, Lin Yusen. Mainly because his name consists entirely of characters I know. *g*)
(I do not have any memory of this Guardian character! :D But that's not surprising; picking up on the names of minor characters is hard...)
He's intrigued enough by ZZS to want to keep him alive, if only to figure out who he really is/what he's after. (I doubt he believes ZZS is just there by accident! He must have seemed like he was undercover.)
Yes! And he wouldn't even be wrong that there's undercover people hanging around (Tian Chuang's spy, probably someone from Zhao Jing...); it's just that ZZS himself is here more or less by chance.
I wonder if the ghosts see him there. He's very conspicuous, of course, but we don't know how long he was lounging there - when ZZS looks again later, he's gone. He might only have been there briefly, after all.
WKX being conspicuous purely for ZZS's benefit would be very fitting for him. :) I suspect that if any of the ghosts in this particular fight saw him there, they then immediately died.
I wonder if that's implying via wordplay that the people she's fighting aren't actually ghosts. Maybe Wu Chang Gui and his flunkies were involved, but the manpower was provided by Zhao Jing?
I love all the word-stuff that brought you here! :D Yes! That would make perfect sense to me. (And also explain some of why they felt a need to announce Hanging Ghost's name so dramatically, if they didn't even know that name until they were told to use it...)
(And it fits with WKX's more explicit comment about how the "ghosts" that attacked Chengling in Zhao Jing's manor weren't good enough fighters or whatever to be real ghosts (I'm forgetting the exact line) in a few episodes.)
He has reason to suspect WKX of being involved in the attack on Mirror Lake Sect, if only from the way he was lounging and watching and not helping, but he doesn't treat him that way.
Likely he's balancing "WKX was involved with the attack on Mirror Lake Sect" with "WKX helped me out" and "WKX and his servant just saved our lives" and landing on "Probably not going to kill us (right now), but keep an eye on him".
(Is this situation with Lao-Li, who's been trying to repay a debt for years and is now dying for it, the first time WKX thinks oops, maybe I don't want everyone to die? And I don't doubt he's also having some kind of feeling about Chengling, who's lost everything but is not being abandoned by Lao-Li or ZZS. He's not used to thinking well of people, but this whole scenario does make him think well of the three of them.)
Yes! All of this! :D A beautiful turning point. <3
I think him using the name Zhou confirms it for him that this is ZZS.
The sheer amount of difference in what they learn about each other when, and how quickly/easily they get it confirmed... It's very strange to me, still! But yes, I think you're right.
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WKX’s pure white (ghost-coded, death-coded) robes.
This passed me by completely, because that's not how I read white, but you are of course so very right. I love it. I don't think it's a colour that suits him well, so it felt like a pointed choice to introduce him in this robe; the only other time I recall him wearing very light colours is 33/34, when he is clearly going for the Healer Valley look...
[Zhou Zishu] might be the variable”? “Who is he?” / “A variable.”? Thoughts on what Wen Kexing means by calling Zhou Zishu a variable in this episode?
To me this is very much a reference to how he fits into WKX's plan to destroy Jianghu. Here's a man who is a powerful martial artist, unaffiliated but clearly with a history with Jianghu, and specifically with a part of Jianghu that is supposed to be lost and gone. I think WKX's initial fascination comes from that initial recognition of the Swift Moving Steps and therefore realising that this man, whoever he is, has the potential to make WKX's revenge a lot more complicated. So he needs to be woven into WKX's plan, he needs to be understood better so that he can't derail things, and instead needs to be made part of the plan, woven into it. I see WKX at this point of the show as still trying to establish his humanity, and what it means to be a human and how to act and feel like one; he doesn't know how to be one yet (which also explains to me why he is so OTT in his flirting, he's just... badly calibrated), so while he's fascinated by ZZS I'm not sure he's fascinated by him as a person yet, but rather as a shiny bauble he can weave into his scheme.
Also, I forget if it's in the show or the book, but when Xie'er/Scorpion King makes his retreat at the gates of Ghost Valley at the end I'm pretty sure he quotes the green mountains line. I hadn't realised Chengling used it, though!
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I see WKX at this point of the show as still trying to establish his humanity, and what it means to be a human and how to act and feel like one; he doesn't know how to be one yet (which also explains to me why he is so OTT in his flirting, he's just... badly calibrated), so while he's fascinated by ZZS I'm not sure he's fascinated by him as a person yet, but rather as a shiny bauble he can weave into his scheme.
This is a lovely set of observations! :D Thank you for sharing them! <3
I especially love talking about WKX as badly-calibrated; I think people talk about Gu Xiang's lack of normal socialization far more than WKX's, but you're very right that WKX isn't actually that much better off. :)
I forget if it's in the show or the book, but when Xie'er/Scorpion King makes his retreat at the gates of Ghost Valley at the end I'm pretty sure he quotes the green mountains line.
I mean, it could always be both! :) But yeah, I'd need to look back in order to know that myself.
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that is SUCH a good way to put it and which I hadn't even considered!
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Very good! I think that is his main reason for following ZZS at the beginning as well.
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COURT SLEAZE PFFFFT. I love it.
I realised that there’s a decent chance Wen Kexing actively told Gu Xiang to be more of a dick and antagonist Zhou Zishu and Chengling so that he can build up his “No I’m actually a nice man” persona more
And she would do it, no questions asked. Is this like a regular occurrence when he wants to hit on dudes or?
I completely forgot about two things in this episode - one, that we get a Prince Jin scene (too short but surprisingly informative), and two, that ZZS thinks about Jiuxiao when he first meets Chengling. The latter didn't really make any impression on me at all before, but now I'm like oh, ouch.
4. I didn't think about this at all first time around, but yeah, pretty sure they just reasoned it out that it wasn't in the house and he was the only family member to escape. My impression of the Zhang fam is that they would not give away the fact that mostly helpless Chengling had it.
6. I think about this ALL THE TIME because it's such a good narrative arc if you frame it in terms of quality of life. Looking broadly from this episode on, ZZS gains a lot of support he didn't have before. WKX is probably the biggest part of that, because he's a competent adult, but ZCL and GX also matter in their own ways. ZZS has more good days, is able to do more physically with less consequences, when he starts letting himself accept support from others (which is emotionally difficult for him, but that's a bit of a tangent). Having the right kind of support leads to a better quality of life, and it's more than just WKX helping to alleviate the symptoms. ZZS also suddenly has people helping him get better food, helping him cook, helping him get some sleep, buying him clothes, simply giving him safe companionship, etc etc, all of which adds up to far less daily wear and tear on his body and mind. Even these little things would go a long way toward having a better quality of life and more energy to do things he wants to do. In ZZS's case that includes fighting, because we know that being able to continue practicing martial arts matters to him so much. I have no idea if any of this was the scriptwriter's intention, but I can't help seeing it this way, and I love this theme a lot.
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Isn't it so much? Every time Jiuxiao comes up I get sad, because it's ZZS remembering a happier time. And with Chengling in particular... he failed Jiuxiao as his shixiong/zhuangzhu, of course he's going to resist taking on a new person who reminds him of that failure.
I think about this ALL THE TIME because it's such a good narrative arc if you frame it in terms of quality of life. Looking broadly from this episode on, ZZS gains a lot of support he didn't have before.
Ahhhh I love how you described all of this! It's so nice. :) Yeah, it's hard to tell how much is intentional and how much is plot necessity, but it's a nice arc! Even if it'd be easier still on ZZS if he could actually tell people about his problems more...
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in front of me, an actual Ghost from Ghost Valley! I'll make you into a real ghost!"It's actually kind of funny, in hindsight.
I actually really like how Word of Honor plays around with 'fate'. If you watch enough wuxia/xianxia/danmei, it's referenced a lot as 緣 (yuán) is a part of traditional/budhist/taoist culture. In WoH, yes, fate played a part in Wenzhou meeting, and not meeting again as a child. And then, they meet as strangers again as adults by chance/fate. Then WKX starts making 'fate' work for them to continue their 'meetings'. And of course, ZZS lets him!
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Oh, very cool! Thank you for explaining/retranslating that! :D Yeah, that's another mark in favor of the people here being Zhao Jing's men in ghost costumes as opposed to Changing Ghost's men outright. :)
I actually really like how Word of Honor plays around with 'fate'.
Yeah! I love the blend of fate/luck that leads to their meetings and specific intentional choice that leads them to stay together. :)
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WKX’s pure white (ghost-coded, death-coded)
I think there is also a case to be made for white being the colour of scholars, set apart from wordly concerns. He is playacting a noble man of few cares. See also Ye Baiyi.
We learn that Chengling was out in town buying his mom some pastries
In hindsight this is a lovely little bit of characterisation. As the third brother, it is entirely plausible that he is a total mummy‘s boy.
So is ZZS’s general awareness of the jianghu’s political situation; even if he wasn’t involved with it for a decade, being back for three months has already given him enough to confidently make this judgement.
I love all these hints of Zhou Zishu‘s enormous competence as a spy, and being able to read larger political situations. Competence kink for the win!
Also, ZZS is rich for not quibbling over the price of this ride
I did wonder about that. He is of somewhat noble birth right? At least he has worked now for a long time for a sponsor who probably just gave him whatever he asked. The actual buying process was delegated. BUT! That must have only been the case when he was in the palace. I wonder what he did when he did reconnaissance missions in disguise. Wouldn‘t that completely blow his cover, not knowing the basic prices of goods? I mean, in later years he probably didn‘t do as much spying 'on the ground' anymore, but he must have when he was still building Tian Chuang.
Plus, before that he lived in a normal sect who had to buy stuff at least occasionally. Did they grow all thei own things? Was he simply never involved in going down from the mountain to the town? Since he was younger than 16, I would have thought that errands like that would have been his task.
Your screenshot of ZZs with the Mirror Lake Manor disciple/servant made me realise that they disguised Zhang Chengling prior to his being sent away. His outfit for going into town was a lot more fitting for a young master of the manor.
ZZS jumps up to the roof and stands there like Batman for a bit as he listens to people screaming for help and swords clashing together
Haha that was my association as well.
Zhang Yusen’s right arm has been cut off!
Totally missed that during my rewatch!
I also missed Wen Kexing using walnuts to interfere in the fight at the temple.
? Is he not used to fighting with all the nails in?
I believe he simply hasn‘t needed to fight up to now with the nails in. He wants the simple life of a beggar and has to hide so I think he would have avoided open conflict with anyone so far. Otoh, he already had the nails while he was in Tian Chuang and had to fight (but we heard in ep 1 that he got injured a lot more and didn‘t heal well). Another reason not to get into fights once the last nail is in!
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I think it's not that he doesn't know he's overpaying, he just has enough money that he's decided he doesn't care.
Your screenshot of ZZs with the Mirror Lake Manor disciple/servant made me realise that they disguised Zhang Chengling prior to his being sent away.
Oh! I never thought of it that way, but that makes total sense!
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