We're on to the second volume of the official translation, and the Merit Brush arc! Whether you've been with us since the start, or are just joining in, welcome aboard!

Here are last week's chapters, aka the end of vol. 1/the Mountain-River Awl arc. You can find all previous discussions on the schedule post (vol. 1 part 1, vol. 1 part 2), or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

• Chapter 1: Guo Changcheng has an uncanny encounter; Sangzan is struggling with learning Mandarin; and Zhao Yunlan steals his team's food. Also, no one has any work ethic at the SID!
• Chapter 2: Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng investigate; Shen Wei visits his bedroom and thinks about Zhao Yunlan; the Emissary visits the Netherworld, where the Magistrate is scheming.

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC/the fan translation are 46 and 47.

Excerpts:

1) Food thief Zhao Yunlan

“Hey, is there food?” Zhao Yunlan came dashing through the criminal investigation unit’s door. Catching sight of Chu Shuzhi, Zhao Yunlan gave him a quick pat-down without another word. When his search turned up a hard-boiled egg in Chu Shuzhi’s coat pocket, he unceremoniously claimed it for himself.

Chu Shuzhi was outraged, but as Zhao Yunlan’s subordinate, he didn’t have the guts to protest.

Next, Zhao Yunlan grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, ripped it open, and guzzled it down.

“That’s mine!” Daqing yowled. “You’re even stealing cat food?! Have you no shame?!”

Zhu Hong asked, “Why don’t you go to the cafeteria?”

“I’m in a hurry.” Mouth full of milk and egg, Zhao Yunlan strode off purposefully…straight into a wall.


2) SID work ethics

Zhu Hong hung up and said, “In keeping with our department’s tradition of doing nothing all day and then racking up overtime at night, it’s five minutes past time to clock out and our fucking boss has just dumped a pile of work in our lap.”

Hearing that, Lin Jing bolted out the door before anyone else could react. As he vanished into the night, he cried, “Not listening, not listening! I’m not listening!”

Zhu Hong stuck the note with the address to the wall, wrapped her scarf over her face, and followed right behind him. “I’m a cold-blooded animal; I’m afraid of the cold! Goodbye!”

Daqing slipped out as the door shut. “My winter coat hasn’t even come in yet!”

And just like that, the only ones left in the office were Chu Shuzhi, who hadn’t had time to react, and the fool Guo Changcheng.

“Fuck,” said Chu Shuzhi.


3) Shen Wei's bedroom

The door to Shen Wei’s bedroom was always closed. He pushed it open, and the lights inside turned on automatically, revealing a room devoid of furnishings. Instead, there were portraits on the wall, with framing and mounting that betrayed their great age.

The paintings were all of the same man: his front, his profile, his back. His clothes changed with the times, but the man himself was always the same, down to the subtlest expression of his brows. Life after life after life, never changing.

Old paintings gave way to an array of photographs of all sizes. Here the man was still a child; there he had grown up. There were photos of him laughing and photos where his brows were drawn in concern, photos of him fooling around or engaged in conversation. There was even one immortalizing a moment when a cat had jumped onto his head.

Each and every one was of Zhao Yunlan.


4) Netherworld shenanigans

The Emissary cut him off with an icy glance. “I’ve come to tell you something. Whether or not you believe me, I am the protector of the Great Seal. I won’t miss a single one of the Four Hallowed Artifacts. I will carry out my duty. And if I ever wished to break my vow, nothing could stop me—not even if you reawakened Kunlun-jun or restored the primordial gods to life. Stop your dirty tricks. You do not want to anger me.”

The Magistrate bowed his head very low. “I fear my lord may have misunderstood. Connecting the Book of Merits to the Book of Life and Death was the Guardian’s idea. That’s why we rushed to make it and give it to him. We never imagined it could betray my lord’s identity. We greatly regret not considering things more fully…”

There was a trace of a sneer in the Emissary’s voice. “For your sake, I hope that’s true. Mind your actions. I’ll take my leave.”

On his final words, the Emissary was already disappearing into a cloud of black mist. Eventually the air of cold and wrath that accompanied him dissipated, and the reapers could finally let out a breath of relief. The Magistrate wiped sweat from his brow with a sleeve.

“My lord,” whispered a reaper, stepping forward. “The Emissary has a point. The Four Hallowed Artifacts are divided between him and the Chaos King of the Gui, and he is the protector of the Great Seal. Even if Kunlun-jun did awaken, he’s just a mortal now. What could he do? I say we might as well relax and have faith in the Emissary.”

“If the Great Seal were to break, do you know what kind of price would be required of its protector?” the Magistrate asked quietly. “All the primordial gods had to sacrifice themselves, never mind him, a demigod. It took hundreds of tribulations and lifetimes for him to cultivate a physical form for himself from the vicious darkness. Do you really think he could throw away tens of thousands of years of effort and sacrifice himself for the Great Seal?”


Questions:

How do you like the cover art for the second volume? (Larger version on Twitter.) What do you think about Chu Shuzhi's bedside manner? or the way Lin Jing, Zhu Hong and Daqing immediately dodge out of having to work a case? Shen Wei's thoughts about Zhao Yunlan's impending death? What about what's going on in the Netherworld, and the foreshadowing there? What about parallels with the drama?

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

Our schedule (which is also where you can sign up to host a post - please do if you can!)