The MDZS novel readalong - chapter 5

[solo]

This week we have Novel Chapter 5 'The Sunny Pair' (web serialization chapters 19-22); we're back in the present day, starting to solve the arm mystery.

1) Wei Wuxian is happy to continue ruining Lan Zhan's reptuation, this time by saying he's too sore to get up because Lan Zhan made him 'sleep with him'... not entirely untrue; his donkey is also making enemies. (205-6)

2) The rabbits have gone forth and multiplied. Wei Wuxian, still scheming to get out of the Cloud Recesses, suggests roasting one, and Lan Jingyi is scandalized, pointing out they belong to Lan Zhan. So Wei Wuxian entertains himself with thoughts abut Lan Zhan with rabbits. (206-7)

3) An alarm bell sounds from the Nether Room, but nobody can open the doors to it. Well, until Wei Wuxian and his command (208-9)

4) Arm angy! Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian play 'evocation' together but nothing appears. Wei Wuxian concludes the soul must have been split alongside the body, and reflects that he at least got lucky: his body was torn to pieces but this soul remained intact. (210-11)

5) Wei Wuxian intentionally plays the flute badly to annoy Lan Zhan (who shows no reaction) -- it does have the effect of reviving Lan Qiren for a moment to complain, but then makes him faint again. (212)

6) Arm is super-duper resentful, but also helpfully functions as a signpost to the rest of the body. (213-4)

7) Lan Zhan decides to go down the mountain to check this out, and Wei Wuxian enthusiastically adds that they can elope with each other. Lan Qiren's face twitches at this and the disciples wonder if Wei Wuxian should talk louder about scandalous things to help Lan Qiren wake up entirely. (215-6)

8) Wei Wuxian reflects on how Lan Zhan doesn't let him get away with anything any more, and that he misses teen!Lan Zhan who was so exquisitely teaseable. (216-7)

9) Wei Wuxian is about to buy makeup from a quack vendor (for himself, he insists!), but the vendor catches a glimpse of Lan Zhan and flees, expecting trouble. All Lan Zhan does, though, is give Wei Wuxian money. Wei Wuxian, puzzled, thinks that if he didn't know better, he'd believe Lan Zhan had something going with Mo Xuanyu. (217-8).

10) Quack is now selling Yiling Laozu pics to keep evil spirits away. Wei Wuxian complains about how ugly they are, but then he sees someone dressed in gold: Jin Ling. (219-20)

11) Wei Wuxian sasses Jin Ling; Jin Ling calls Fairy (who is black!). Fortunately, Lan Zhan intimidates Fairy by his mere presence. (221-2)

12) Quack, grateful that they saved him from Jin Ling and his 'kill the demonic cultivator' spiel, tells them about the man-eating Xinglu Ridge. Wei Wuxian would prefer him to draw the Yiling Laozu more attractively. (222-3)

13) Nie Huaisang is sect leader now, and is the head-shaker. We get backstory on Nie Mingjue's qi deviation and Nie Huaisang's incompetence. Wei Wuxian sighs. (226-7)

14) At least Wei Wuxian finally gets his rouge. (227)

15) On their way into the ridge, they don't encounter anything but weak corpses and conclude that its reputation is nothing but unfounded rumour. (227-8)

16) Wei Wuxian hears Fairy barking (eeeek!), and they find a maze array, then the fortress, then the place where Jin Ling broke into it. It's pretty much like in the drama (229-31)

17) Wei Wuxian considers the resetment energy inside very noisy, and his compass spins like crazy. (232-3)

18) They find a coffin with... nothing in it... oh wait there's a saber! (234-5) Still no Jin Ling, though.

19) Enquiry finds Jin Ling in the wall and they free him and several skeletons. The resentment gets even noisier and Wei Wuxian is sure the entire place is full of corpses. (236-41)

( The reading schedule )