#jing xi || interactions

[lcngliive]

jing xi & qi yan ( @mvsicinthedvrk )

"is there a point to the different flavours of coffee?" she asked, looking to the other beside her in the line. "what's wrong with just regular coffee with sugar?" not that she was much a fan of coffee, but it wasn't all too bad. "it all seems a bit excessive to me, if I'm being honest."

[lcngliive]

"I'm right there with you," jing xi nodded at the other's statement. "it just seems like people are glued to them," she would rather read a book, if she was being completely honest - but apparently other people in this city didn't share the same sentiment. "I can see why it would be useful, being able to send someone a message instantly is helpful, rather than having to find someone to send it for you and waiting a while for a reply, but the other stuff just sounds dreadful in my opinion,"

He agrees with the other's sentiment: "I don't see the allure." Especially because those who do have his cell phone number feel entitled to his time. Some of them seem to expect a response instantly, when he has far better things to do than chat on the keyboard. He shakes his head, adding, "It's not a bother. My skills are limited in this area. I would advise asking a teenager." They all seem to know how to use these things.

[coreofgold]

@lavendaers for a very late and random starter

"Jing Qi! Jing Beiyuan, where are you?" Wu Xi called as he looked for him. He wasn't answering his calls, and it's been a while since Jing Qi returned home, so he took it upon himself to find the other. It's probably nothing, or it could be something. He has to find him

[lavendaers]

@coreofgold jing qi for wu xi

jing qi cleared his throat as he approached his husband. he'd witnessed many strange things, but every time he saw the other, he wasn't sure what was going to happen. "excuse me? you wouldn't happen to be some kind of doctor, would you?"

[curried-mermaid]

A Review: The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish Vol. 1

Author: Xue Shan Fei Hu Publishers: Seven Seas Entertainment Age Group: Teen Genre: Danmei, Boy Love, Historical Fantasy, Isekai, Drama, Friendship Type: Danmei, Light Novel

Content Warnings: Political Backstabbery, some violence Spoilers ahead

Plot

He’s the perfect catch…or he would be if he wasn’t the pet fish of the future tyrant emperor. 

Li Yu wakes up to find he’s been transmigrated into the body of a fish. The less-than-helpful (even scammy) Moe Pet System tells him he has to change the tyrant’s personality, changing the future. Only… he’s just a pet fish, how the hell is he supposed to do that? 

Li Yu quickly learns that if he doesn’t follow the quests he’ll turn into fish bones and ash. If he accomplishes these quests he’ll be human again. Now, if only he could find a way to catch the tyrant’s attention before this cat eats him! 

I found this plot a great read. The challenges that Li Yu is up against and how he handles them are unique and refreshing. There’s plenty of comedy in this along with seriousness. As shown by these examples taken from the book (some of my favorite lines):

“…someone had stolen both His Highness’s fish and his underwear? There was clearly something wrong with this thief” (187).  “Li Yu continued to act like a cute little squid in the face of Prince Jing’s fish-targeted eye lasers” (250-251). *for reference Li Yu ended up in an ink bowl after they found some ink on him.

This series does an excellent job balancing the comedy and serious story telling, along with some sparks flying (as we expect from a danmei). 

Character Development

Li Yu is an interesting character of a human turned fish. He’s very relatable in that he freaks out about things, worries about others, but always comes up with a plan to accomplish his goals. He tries to be meticulous but he always misses something, creating clues for Prince Jing to put together throughout the novel. Li Yu can be mature and also childish. His character makes for a fun read. 

Prince Jing is mute and technically the heir to the throne, but he doesn’t qualify since he’s mute. He’s cold, doesn’t care about others, is a violence then questions later type of person, but also very intelligent. As he interacts with his pet fish, we see him become softer over the course of the series. It’s very endearing. 

Wang Xi is Prince Jing’s eunuch caretaker. He’s cared for him since he was little and knows what all of his movements and emotions mean. He’s in essence, the translator for Prince Jing and the rest of the world. He’s very loyal to his master and willingly does his job. 

The secondary characters and antagonists are all interesting characters, even if some of them follow typical historical drama cliches. What makes it fascinating to interact with these characters is how they react to Li Yu, his relationship with Prince Jing, and how Li Yu chooses to deal with them. 

World-building

The world-building is subtle at first as we only get descriptions when Li Yu can see. This isn’t very much as he’s kept in a porcelain container until the emperor gifts Prince Jing with a large crystal fish tank. This world is based off a web novel that Li Yu was following before he was transmigrated. He knows what plot points he needs to be aware of and how it’ll affect Prince Jing. The original web novel has Prince Jing fall in love with a delicate concubine, Chu Yanyu. Only that doesn’t happen this round (mostly from Li Yu being in Prince Jing’s life). Li Yu learns from this experience that the major plot will change but sub-plots will still continue. This gives him the drive to help prevent death to secondary characters, especially ones he likes such as Prince Jing’s cousin, Ye Qinghuan, one of the only family members that Prince Jing lets visit him. 

Themes

Everyone needs a companion that can understand them and reach their heart. While this is a semi-serious danmei, I feel like this theme works really well. It’s only after changing the story so Prince Jing has a pet fish that he begins to change. He sees some of himself in this fish, a pet that cannot express itself but with a few gestures and looks, just as he does. 

Observations & Predictions

Li Yu will continue to warn and help Prince Jing navigate the different plots happening around him, while developing a stronger bond with him. We already have hints of sparks flying between the two (at least on Prince Jing’s side). It’ll be interesting to see what happens as Li Yu uses his abilities to transform into his temporary human form. Will he interact with him on purpose or continue to make it seem like accidents? 

I’d love to see their relationship blossom into something more than a bromance. We may get that, but Li Yu will have to go through an emotional arc to realize those feelings and come to terms with it. He may refuse them at first as he was supposed to be with Chu Yanyu according to the plot (even though that plot no longer exists). 

I see Prince Jing developing stronger feelings for him, and maybe even trying to put the moves on Li Yu in his human form. 

I found the writing for this really strong. The unique voice of Li Yu moves the story really well. Anyone who likes Danmei (boy love) should give this a read. 

Recommendations

Similar Plot:

Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System By: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Historical Danmei:

Ballad of Sword and Wine By: Tan Jiu Qing

The Husky and His White Cat By: Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Stars of Chaos By: Priest

Heaven’s Official Blessing By: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation By: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Danmei, but not published in English (have to find translations online)

The Emperor’s Favorite Imperial Concubine is an O By: Gu Zhijun

Transmigrated as the Villain’s Cat By: Su Zening

After Playing the Fool and Marrying the Blind Villain By: Nei Sei

[lcngliive]

"you don't need to apologise - I've never been to anything like this so I don't exactly know how I'll react to it," she'd never been to anything like this before and it was all new - but she was really excited about the idea of wearing a beautiful dress and have fun for a night. "thank you," she smiled at the other. "you look very handsome,"

hwminievent closed starter for @lcngliive (Jing Xi x Cullen)

"First of all I want to apologize that you've been paired with me." Cullen sighed and glanced over at Jing Xi. He was not made for social gatherings like this. He was a soldier. Meant for war and battle. But being who he was he felt he needed to show his face and participate in the whole blind date thing. "But secondly you look beautiful." He managed a smile.

[moondal514]

I need to talk about Wen Kexing’s 1st meeting with Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi in TYK for a sec cuz it’s hilarious. Like Wen Kexing and Wu Xi sorta just make eye contact and silently nod at each other in a “2 creatures staring at each other” kind of way that makes me desperately want to read a fic where they just hang out and vibe together. And then Wen Kexing looks at Jing Beiyuan and goes from “omg this is literally the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life” to “I am 10 seconds away from murdering this pretentious asshole” after like. 5 minutes of interaction with him (or however long it takes Zhou Zishu to take off his face mask and start chatting with Jing Beiyuan) and it’s so funny

[rentrash]

Everyone, I present you a spam of Qi Ye’s quotes that made me smile. I mainly do this for myself, as I won’t keep those screenshots eternally in my phone, but I want to be able to read them and find them when I want. Also, if you’ve been curious about Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi like I have, maybe this can give you the little push needed to start reading the novel, or just quench your curiosity with these few interactions (and other).

I just finished reading Chichi’s translation which you can find here. Many many thanks for allowing me and many more to read this novel.

Without further ado, here are Qi Ye’s quotes that made me smile; in various posts, as I have too many

Part 1

Wu Xi figuring out he likes Jing Beiyuan and saying so to his bodyguards.

They’re just very fond of each other you see…

Wu Xi gifted Jing Beiyuan a ring which was a heirloom that you supposedly only give to your one-true-love… Isn’t that romantic

Wu Xi and his gay panic™️

Them.

I just find this very funny

Loved the translator’s notes

[tlanwen]

what’s a little teasing between old friends || Word of Honor, episode 32

[lcngliive]

jing xi & wei wuxian ( @mvsicinthedvrk )

"this place is so strange," it was nothing like she'd ever experienced before - and the strange looks she had been getting from people unnerved her. "you'd think that people had never seen a cultivator before," not that she had truly seen anyone who wasn't family in years - so it was nice to be out of that house, even if it was under strange circumstances.

[hunxi-after-hours]

slapdash thoughts after finishing 《七爷》

head empty, no thoughts, spoilers in bullet-point form below the cut

interestingly enough I feel like the book to read in conversation with 《七爷》 should be 《琅琊榜》 Lang Ya Bang / The Rankings of Langya / Nirvana in Fire, because both revolve around the themes of morality and personhood amidst political intrigue and sabotage, and while 《琅琊榜》 is much more optimistic about the ability of good to triumph over evil/corruption, I do think that 《七爷》 offers its readers a cast of characters with grayer morality and bloodier hands, and challenges us to believe that, despite the atrocities they’ve committed, they are still the best people for the job

I just think that Helian Yi is such a fascinating case study and argument of a person; the way his character interacts with themes of morality and leadership, rulership and fealty, love and sacrifice is so delightfully complex

because at the end of the day, Helian Yi is a great ruler. and in a weird inverse of that Black Panther quote (“you are a good man, and it is hard for a good man to be king”), Helian Yi is not necessarily pure of heart and method, but he is a damn good ruler

at least, a damn sight better than his brothers

and how the author sends all of that up in smoke, because by the end of the book, Helian Yi, and Zhou Zishu, and Jing Beiyuan all find that their petty stratagems and flashes of cunning and devious little plans are nothing in the face of actual enemies at their gates

so you’ve thrown away your humanity for power, the book says by the final battle. so what? does that make you any more capable of defending your kingdom, when the enemy you must confront is no longer your brother’s smiling face, but literal armies camped on your doorstep, and no reinforcements on the horizon?

and what wins the day in the end? humanity. not even love, because saying that Wu Xi’s love for Jing Beiyuan secured the survival of Da Qing cheapens the immensity of the sacrifice and the depth of the thought involved in the decision

it’s desire mixed with profit mixed with pride mixed with strategy mixed with faith mixed with devotion mixed with furious, bloody-minded violence, that primal logic of fear and hatred and superstition and belief and terror and stubbornness and a healthy dose of “well, fuck it”

likewise, mapping the relationships of knowing between the characters is a fascinating exploration of character dynamics: again and again, we have characters look at each other and, with a start, realize that they never knew the other at all

Jing Beiyuan remarks to Wu Xi at some point that he’s afraid of Helian Yi because he cannot understand the depths of Helian Yi’s thoughts and suspicions, cannot see through Helian Yi and map his motivations and reactions

there’s an extended sequence near the end of the book where Jing Beiyuan and Helian Yi profoundly misunderstand each other: Helian Yi keeps staring at Jing Beiyuan because 1) he’s in love with Jing Beiyuan (awkward) and 2) he is trying to figure out if Jing Beiyuan is secretly his half-brother, and while Jing Beiyuan notices (and keeps his noticing under wraps), he thinks that Helian Yi is suspicious of him, might think that Jing Beiyuan himself is interested in that dragon throne when Jing Beiyuan most profoundly is not

and this confusion never gets resolved, just pushed aside when war comes to their doorstep, and then Jing Beiyuan leaves the capitol without saying goodbye, without even letting Helian Yi know that he’s still alive

there is something so profoundly and quietly heartbreaking about the fact that Jing Beiyuan would rather Helian Yi think that he’s dead than say goodbye

first life!Helian Yi, in the third fanwai, also notes that he doesn’t think he truly understood Jing Beiyuan either, which was actually a reason why first life!Helian Yi was afraid of Jing Beiyuan--here was a man who’d grown up with him since childhood, who could read his slightest glance, a wordless command in the twist of his voice, and yet Helian Yi looked at Jing Beiyuan and could not see beyond the bland smile and its deep shadows

likewise, Wu Xi never truly understands Jing Beiyuan--Jing Beiyuan never ends up telling anyone about the reincarnation business, and the number of times Wu Xi is caught totally flat-footed by Jing Beiyuan’s unexpected laughter, or anger, or actions, far outnumbers the times that they’ve been able to look at each other wordlessly, nod, and move in synchronicity

does that even happen? I actually think it’s quite remarkable that the two of them don’t necessarily get each other; their relationship seems founded, instead, on novelty

Jing Beiyuan, to Wu Xi, blends perfectly that mix of known and unknown, friendly and strange, familiar and foreign. Jing Beiyuan is Wu Xi’s first and only crush, first and only infatuation, first and only love, which speaks more to Wu Xi’s character than to anything about Jing Beiyuan himself

meanwhile, for Jing Beiyuan, who’s been around the block more times than he cares for and is 300 years into this life, literally gives no more fucks about relationships and love, doesn’t care to look for it, doesn’t feel it missing from his life, doesn’t place his hopes and happiness in other people because other people never place his hopes and happiness before their own, so for Wu Xi to surprise him (already quite a feat in and of itself, because again, Jing Beiyuan is 300 years old), for Wu Xi to move Jing Beiyuan with the strength of his passion and the purity of his emotions, is actually incredible

hilariously enough, the one (1) relationship of True Knowing (TM) in this book is actually Zhou Zishu and Jing Beiyuan, as 酒中知己. where is my 30k fanwai of wacky hijinks of these two being dumbasses together. I want it

okay but I’m still thinking about Helian Yi, because the more I think about it, the more I’m coming down on the side of “《山河令》did Helian Yi dirty,” and/or 晋王 in 《山河令》 simply wasn’t Helian Yi at all

I think I prefer the latter, because there are aspects of worldbuilding and characterization in 《山河令》 that suggest that the events of 《七爷》 didn’t occur, or didn’t occur in the same way

look I’m just saying that 《山河令》!Zhou Zishu does not read as someone who has fought in a literal war

not that 《山河令》！Zhou Zishu isn’t familiar with death, and destruction, and carnage

but you really have to read 《七爷》 to get a feel for the vastness of war, the bleakness of long, hopeless months, the yawning maw of defeat and everything they’ve fought for going up in smoke

I’m sure I will have more thoughts (and more well-founded thoughts) on this after finishing 《天涯客》, but for now I think I’m going to walk away from 《七爷》 with many more Helian Yi thoughts and feelings than I expected

[coreofgold]

@lavendaers for Jing Qi

"Would you like to visit the Gems and Minerals with me?" Wu Xi asks. "I think you would like them." And Wu Xi already thinks Jing Qi is the brightest gem so he just wants to compare.

[lavendaers]

@coreofgold jing qi for wu xi 22. though relatively empty the plant life whispers threats and warnings to people in this portion of the maze. It tells them to give up on their progress

jing qi glanced at his husband, regretting pulling the other in because he was curious about what was inside the maze. he should've known better, but he hadn't been able to help himself. "i'm sorry, wu xi. you're stuck in here all because of me." he shook his head, glancing down at the ground, almost positive he could hear someone whispering that they should just give up.

[verycharismaticdragon]

forewarning: this post uses critical tone towards a certain scene in Word of Honor (specifically, ep.9’s “... that you’re actually crazy” scene). If you’re not in the mood for reading such thing, please be kind to yourself and scroll past this post. 

Ok, I think I worked out what bothered me the most about “I didn't realize that you’re actually crazy” scene in SHL – I mean, lots of things about it bother me, but I did know they’d bleach out the grey morality for c-nsorship reasons, so I should’ve been ready for some ridiculous righteousness coming from the mouth of mr.childmurder… but, ok, you see, the truly disturbing thing about this scene is how similar it feels to what happened between Zishu and Jiuxiao in the novels.

Novel Zhou Zishu has always shielded his too-honest, too-righteous shidi from the realities of what he does for the Crown Prince. But then Liang Jiuxiao finds out. Finds out that his shixiong, the person he admired deeply, the person he wanted to travel jianghu with, was the one who exterminated the whole family of a loyal official, including a four-year-old child they all knew and played with and loved. Understandably, Jiuxiao freaks out, and confronts Zhou Zishu – going as far as telling him that murderers should pay with their lives… To put it shortly, Liang Jiuxiao sees Zhou Zishu’s true face for the first time, and is horrified by it.

This is almost beat by beat what happened in SHL – Zhou Zishu sees the extent of hatred Wen Kexing (the person he wanted to travel jianghu with) is capable of, and rejects him over it. 

And even the fallout is similar – in the novel, Zhou Zishu internalizes what Jiuxiao said to the point that it largely informs his decision to use the nails; in the show, it is this rejection that leads to Wen Kexing trying to hide his identity as the Valley Master, and to him internalizing the idea that his life is worth less than Zishu’s.

And look, I think the show didn’t mention Jiuxiao confronting Zhou Zishu over the murder of the Jiang family (unless I missed something in conversation?), so maybe it didn’t happen in the show’s canon – but I certainly didn’t know that when watching the scene, so to see Zhou Zishu inflict on Wen Kexing exactly the kind of emotional damage that made novel Zishu want to stab himself full of nails and go die was… disturbing, to put it mildly.

Anyway, if the confrontation between ZZS and LJX didn’t happen, then... Okay, it’s impossible to tell if the similarity between scenes is coincidental or not, but there are a few other beats in show!wenzhou’s relationship that feel pulled out of qi ye (like, drugging your lover so they’d be safe while you go off to do something incredibly dangerous that will almost certainly kill you? not something novel wenzhou ever did or would do, but jing beiyuan sure did just that to wu xi), so I can’t help but feel like this one is too; and if it isn’t coincidental, if the Zishu and Jiuxiao’s story in Qi Ye was taken as inspiration for something between SHL’s wenzhou… that also feels deeply wrong, because the novel reiterates several times that relationship between Zishu and Jiuxiao and Zishu and Kexing are fundamentally different.

...But, of course, show’s wenzhou is also completely different from novel’s wenzhou. I guess in the grand scheme of things this scene might not even be the biggest divergence from their novel interactions, just the first glaringly obvious one, and maybe that’s part of the reason my brain got so caught up on it – either way, writing this helped me work out some of my feelings regarding it, so I’m going to cut off this stream of consciousness here. 

––––––

- TYK/SHL comparisons masterpost - - tyk meta masterpost -

[akatsuki-shin]

REVIEW: 山河令 Shān Hé Lìng (Word of Honor)

Note(s):

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience.

This review is written by someone who has read the original novel, hence there will be reference and comparison between the two works

Summary:

After the sudden passing of his beloved master, young leader of the famous Four Season Manor, Zhou Zishu, brought his brothers and loyal followers to serve the Prince of Jin whose family had been the master of his predecessors, creating a secret organization of capable spies and assassins known as "Tian Chuang".

His decision later proved to be the downfall of his sect, however, for they were quickly swallowed into ruthless political conflicts and battle for power within the royal families, causing his brothers and followers to die unjustly one after another.

Ten years later, Zhou Zishu, now the sole survivor of the Four Season Manor, resigned from his position as the leader of Tian Chuang. In exchange for freedom, he bestowed upon himself the fatal punishment that is the "Nails of Seven Apertures for Three Autumns", a torture device created by Zhou Zishu himself that would gradually numb one's five senses and ultimately took their life within three years.

After several months passed, the now free Zhou Zishu had disguised himself as a wandering vagrant, enjoying his remaining time sightseeing, drinking, and sunbathing to his heart's content.

As fate would have it, however, his unshackled days abruptly ended when he saved a young boy, the only surviving descendant of the Mirror Lake Sect, one of the renowned Five Lakes Alliance, that was destroyed overnight by the mysterious ghosts of Mount Qingya. He was soon pulled into a conflict of the pugilist world dating back to twenty years ago, revolving around a legendary "Glazed Armor" said to hold the key to a secret armory filled with the secret techniques of martial sects from all over the world.

To further complicate matters, he somehow caught the interest of a strange young man of mysterious origin, Wen Kexing, who pursued him relentlessly with unknown motive.

---------

Before we get into it, I feel that it is worth to mention some of the major differences between the novel and live action because they do affect my impression and judgment over several points in the drama.

While there are always bound to be differences between an adaptation and its original works, most of these differences seem to have been made to avoid censorship, also in order for the drama to be able to become a "stand-alone" story (since the original work is a sequel to another novel).

1. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing

In the drama, they are later revealed to have once been martial brothers of the Four Season Manor due to the fact that Zhou Zishu's master saved Wen Kexing's parents when they were pursued by both the righteous sects of the jianghu and the ghosts of Mount Qingya over the key of the Glazed Armor.

In the original story, they were strangers to each other that have no relationship whatsoever prior to their coincidental meeting at Jiangnan.

2. Prince of Jin and Tian Chuang

Word of Honor is based on the novel "Faraway Wanderers" by Priest, which is a sequel to her previous novel "Lord Seventh".

Originally, the master that Zhou Zishu and his Tian Chuang served should be the Emperor himself, Helian Yi, an important character from Lord Seventh - in which Zhou Zishu also made a major appearance. After Zhou Zishu punished himself with the nails and left Tian Chuang, Helian Yi and the Tian Chuang never pursued him. The story follows Zhou Zishu's journey in the jianghu and he never once went back to the capital city where Helian Yi was.

In the live action, Zhou Zishu and Tian Chuang served the Prince of Jin, a royal family tangled in internal strife for power. From what I understand, Prince Jin seems to have an ambition to overthrow the ruling Emperor to become one himself. After Zhou Zishu left, he kept an eye on him and later managed to capture Zhou Zishu, briefly bringing him back to the Jin as a prisoner.

3. The Scorpions

In Word of Honor, the Scorpion King Xie-er was portrayed as the adopted son of Zhao Jing, the main villain of the story. All the plots he devised, most of them were made with Zhao Jing's interest in his mind. There were also four remarkable assassins working under him (I don't remember their names, but you know who I mean, right?).

Originally, the Scorpions are an independent assassin group. Their relationship with Zhao Jing is that of client and service provider. The Scorpion King had his own plan to benefit himself and his organization with only his own interest in mind. There were no particular members of the Scorpions featured in the story other than him. Specifically, the Phantom Musician Qin Song was an independent assassin hired to kill Zhang Chengling, and he was believed to be dead after being defeated by Zhou Zishu on his very first attempt.

4. The Ten Ghosts of Qingya

Although the novel did mention the existence of the Top Ten Ghosts, only 4 (four) of them actually appeared in the story:

Xue Fang the Hanged Ghost (who was secretly killed by Wen Kexing in the beginning of the story, both in the novel and drama)

The Long-tongued Ghost who was also killed by Wen Kexing when he and Zhou Zishu were trapped underground in the graveyard (Zhao Family's Funeral Home in the drama)

Sun Ding the Delighted Mourning Ghost, one of the strongest ghosts who wanted to overthrow Wen Kexing's position as Ghost Valley Master; he was later killed by the Scorpions

Lao Meng (I forgot his title), also one of the strongest ghosts who wanted to overthrow Wen Kexing, but he was more lowkey and calm; he worked together with the Scorpions to first kill Sun Ding (his rival) and later to kill Wen Kexing when the jianghu heroes came to attack the Ghost Valley (although he didn't know that the Scorpion King had his own plan, hence meeting his demise during the war)

Wu Chang and his two henchmen, the Tragicomic Ghost, the Laughing Ghost, etc do not exist in the novel.

Additionally, Liu Qianqiao is also not part of the ghosts in the novel. She did have an affair with Yu Qiufeng and was manipulated by him until she died horribly in the hands of the two old couple (whose names I also forget).

5. The Ending

I think this is probably the biggest difference between the novel and the live action.

Originally, Zhou Zishu's nail wounds were removed and healed completely by Wu Xi AFTER the final battle at Mount Fengya (yes, the mountain's name is slightly different). He, Wen Kexing, Zhang Chengling, Jing Beiyuan, and Wu Xi lived temporarily at the top of Mount Changming because they need cold temperature for the healing method to work.

Wen Kexing did not sacrifice his life to restore Zhou Zishu's meridian and they did not become immortal.

Also, the Scorpion King was killed by Zhang Chengling and Gao Xiaolian after he got his hand chopped of by Zhou Zishu for trying to murder the already dying Wen Kexing (after he took his revenge on Mo Huaiyang).

There are of course, still many more differences, including when and where Cao Weining died, but the five things I mentioned above are probably the biggest ones because they directly impacted the entire plot.

---------

STORY: 8/10

Despite the changes and adjustments, the main plot of SHL amazingly remains loyal to the original story. The things they could not show, they would include it in the characters' dialog or tried to incorporate it in another way. Some examples:

Cao Weining and Gu Xiang's reincarnation story was included in Cao Weining's dialog (his dream and his wish to grow up together with her in their next life)

Wen Kexing's confession about wanting to build a grave for his parents from the Extra Chapter (where he cried and caused Zhou Zishu to let him top out of sympathy) was included in Wen Kexing's dialog when he got drunk and hugged Zhou Zishu after he defeated Zhao Jing (prior to Cao Weining and Gu Xiang's marriage)

In fact, I feel that most of the adjustments made to the story were able to deliver much better emotional aspects and intensity of the characters and important scenes.

Although more than half of the Ten Ghosts were made up solely for the drama, their existence was able to better portray Wen Kexing's image as the supreme leader of the Ghost Valley and why they all fear him.

Although many interactions between Zhou Zishu, Zhang Chengling, and Wen Kexing were either added or changed from the novel, here we could see them as a real, close family which is so much more heartwarming than the original.

Zhao Jing's pretense, evil deeds, and downfall were all arranged neatly from the beginning. If I hadn't read the novel, I probably would've been (pleasantly) surprised when it was revealed that he was the one plotting everything behind the scene.

The romance and relationship development of the main pairing (Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu, although it was masked as brotherhood as always) and side pairing (Cao Weining/Gu Xiang) were especially well done. It allows me, as the audience, to get to know them, sympathize with them, and ultimately rooting for them (despite already knowing how Cao Weining and Gu Xiang would end up).

Gu Xiang's anguish and fury after Cao Weining died were shown so clearly. Her final fighting scene until her death was particularly moving.

Explanations and plot twists were spread evenly so there was no info dump. The plot development was enjoyable to follow from the beginning, even if the ending felt a bit rushed.

This was a bit difficult to describe, but even if sometimes I feel like "hmm, this character did not do this in the novel", when I was following the drama from the first to the last episode, everything flows smoothly and does not feel out of place. So I realized that even if what the characters did was sometimes different from the original story, it is still loyal to the plot and circumstances of the drama, which is why their adjusted words and actions still felt natural to see.

Also, when reading the novel before, I have one critic about the Glazed Armor and the armory itself being the center of everyone's fight, but in the end they didn't seem to have much importance, especially because the armory was never found and opened. At the very least, although it was due to ending change and pretty much rushed, in SHL the Glazed Armor was actually used and the armory was shown.

Though there were indeed a few things that I do not quite agree(?) with:

Tian Chuang is supposed to be a secret organization that does their job secretly, but why is it that they always light so many lanterns when launching their attack?

The bond shared between Zhou Zishu and Prince Jin was pretty clear, but I don't think it's detailed and deep enough for Prince Jin to consider Zhou Zishu his soulmate. Furthermore, from the beginning we've never been told about Zhou Zishu's family, but in the last few episodes suddenly there were talks about his father being branded a traitor because of some secret hidden in the armory. While the story makes sense, to put new information out of the blue when the plot was about to end feels somewhat strange.

Lastly, I understand that danmei adaptations always face a lot of restrictions, as in they were not allowed to have a blatant happy ending - so most either resort to tragedy or open ending (cmiiw). However, I still feel that Wen Kexing faking his death without telling Zhou Zishu was......kind of silly.

After their life was spared by Ye Baiyi, Zhou Zishu had already warned him not to act without telling him again. When he wanted to fake his death, Wen Kexing told almost everyone except Zhou Zishu, the reason being they shouldn't make Zhou Zishu fight since he was in the middle of recovery.

Zhou Zishu is a rational person, I strongly believe that he would understand if Wen Kexing explained clearly. Him not telling Zhou Zishu led to:

Zhou Zishu actually ended up fighting to save him

Zhou Zishu thinking his soulmate is truly gone and proceeded to choose a suicidal move in order to avenge his (fake) death

Honestly, while I still enjoy following this drama until the end, I feel that the cause of Zhou Zishu dying when he could've been saved by Wu Xi, and Wen Kexing ended up sacrificing his life to save Zhou Zishu, was a bit ridiculous because really, Wen Kexing brought it upon himself.

In regards to this, even if I'm happy the two of them ended up living happily ever after as immortals on the mountain, it makes Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi's existence almost pointless. They were literally included in the story of Faraway Wanderers to save Zhou Zishu's life from the nails. But here, other than providing shelter after the Four Season Manor was burnt down by Duan Pengju, I don't see any reason why they should be there.

CHARACTERS: 9/10

Perfect casts and perfect character portrayals, both from visual aspects and acting. Some may or may not necessarily look 100% similar to their novel description, but they managed to bring out the characters to life so well.

I've said before that most adjustments made to the drama were able to deliver much better emotional aspects and intensity, and this is especially true for the characters.

Honestly, when reading the novel, other than the few main characters, others did not leave a lot of impressions on me. I don't even remember what Zhao Jing was like when he was revealed as the true villain. Gao Chong's introduction was pretty good, but then we didn't hear much about him until he was finally declared dead. Shen Shen appeared only for one chapter and the next time I heard of him, he's already dead, too.

I love the novel, but really do have so many complaints about the characters in there. Fortunately, all of these flaws had been fixed in the drama, and boy they did it so well.

Some that I found amazingly written and shown:

Wen Kexing's emotional instability and his protectiveness whenever Zhou Zishu got hurt (good job, Gong Jun)

Zhou Zishu's rich emotions to those he hold dear (good job, Zhang Zhehan)

Zhang Chengling's character being more detailed and "alive", especially his diligence, growth, and occasional mischief; he was no longer just a useless dumb kid who can't do anything

Cao Weining and Gu Xiang's dynamic is so lovely

Zhao Jing's change from the seemingly weak guy to an ambitious, manipulative mastermind

Gao Chong, Shen Shen, and many other side characters were given enough screen time + sufficient important scenes so they weren't easily forgotten

Special shoutout and kudos to the actor who played Duan Pengju. I heard he was actually the Assistant Director, but because they didn't have much budget, he was casted to play this character and he did great 🥺 Thank you for helping the team to save hundred thousands yuan!

I don't really have any complaints about the character except when Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing have just delivered Zhang Chengling to Zhao Jing, Zhou Zishu clearly didn't want to mention his name (Zhou Xu), but Wen Kexing went ahead and introduced the both of them. Somehow I feel that Wen Kexing's character wouldn't disregard Zhou Zishu's opinion so lightly.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 9/10

Although this drama did not have much budget to start with, literally the only complaints I have about it is so minor, like:

A few scene transitions don't look smooth

Repeated use of sets, e.g. Gao Chong/Zhao Jing's residence is the same as Prince Jin's Palace, the Secret Armory Interior is the same as Tian Chuang's prison - but this has been mentioned in an interview with the Director(?) that they indeed use similar sets for multiple scenes to save budget

Other than that, I only ever have good things to say about this drama.

The fighting scenes should be given million kudos. Save for the flying and gliding part (which still looks kinda awkward, but better than some other Chinese dramas I've seen), the actions were just so cool and intense??? From the angle, the slow motion, to the techniques that are unique and different for each character. They even perfectly showed Zhang Chengling's awkward yet correct implementation of Zhou Zishu's teaching.

Costume designs are top notch. The visual of the seven nails on Zhou Zishu's body looks so real. His disguise was also very well done, I almost couldn't tell it's the same actor.

Some CGI and animations could've done better, but overall everything looks nice. I'm especially amazed at the visual of Longyuan Palace.

OVERALL SCORE: 8.7/10

At this point, I don't even know how to end this post other than saying please watch it, guys. It's a really well done job despite their limitations and restrictions. I've watched several Wuxia/Xianxia dramas before this and Word of Honor surprisingly exceeded every single one of my expectations. I enjoyed watching it so much, and I believe you guys will like it, too.

An additional kudos from me personally, because you can tell how the team creating this drama knows and appreciates the original author's works. It's a pleasant surprise when they incorporated a few things from Priest's other novel:

From Sha Po Lang: Zhi Liujin (the fuels used for the puppets in Longyuan Palace) and the Mechanical Birds used by Tian Chuang + Ping An Manor to deliver letters

From Silent Reading: The puppy that young Zhou Zishu and Zhen Yan played with, it was named after the cat owned by the main character of Silent Reading (also, fun fact, the name of Silent Reading's main character is "Wenzhou")

From Lord Seventh: Wen Kexing faking his death was exactly the same as how Wu Xi fooled the Emperor in order to "kidnap" Jing Beiyuan out of the capital.

Conclusion: Please watch it, guys.

[wisdom-and-such]

“Zhu Xi’s ingenious solution was a two-pronged approach to cultivation that involved nurturing one’s feeling of reverence (jing) while investigating things to discern their defining patterns (li). Reverence, a virtue taught by Confucius (551-479 BCE) and the classics, serves to purify the mind, attune one to the promptings of the original good nature and impel one to act with appropriateness (yi). 

At the same time, by grasping the defining, interactive patterns that constitute the world, society, people and upright conduct, one gains the key to acting appropriately. The mind that is imbued with a feeling of reverence and comprehends these patterns will develop into a good will (zhuzai) dedicated to rectitude and appropriate conduct.”

Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi, 1130—1200) from Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at https://iep.utm.edu/zhu-xi/