#qin chuan

[lyselkatz]

- Why is your heart beating so fast?

- Immortals have no heartbeat, that's yours.

🖌Commission

I missed my beloved Fù JiûYún (despite the awful wig and styling that he suffered in the drama).

I came across that picture of dà-Chéng doing a cameo on A Perfect Match 佳偶天成 after I finished Brocade Odyssey 蜀錦人家 so I HAD TO rewatch a few episodes of Love of Thousand Years 三千鴉殺!

I'm also looking forward for his guest appearance in A Moment but Forever 令無雙.

[arytha]

jiang ting jiang ting jiang ting you are still my favourite guy out of all of this. i missed you professor jiang

[wangmiao]

@asiandramanet creator bingo - parallels Qin Chuan & his wife vs. Shi Qiang & Wang Miao

#did yu hewei improvise these lines with three body in mind😲???

YU HEWEI as Qin Chuan in I AM POLICE | 我是刑警 (2024) & Shi Qiang in Tencent's THREE-BODY | 三体 (2023) (Kun's 97/∞ Three-Body gifsets)

[silviakundera]

I know Su Rongqing's drama queen death was eagerly anticipated by drama viewers of The Princess Royal, but PWX letting him escape in the novel leads to an underratedly hilarious element of the epilogue: that SRQ and LC are quarantined to separate ends of Daxia, for the health & safety of everyone 😂😭

"In the third year of De Xu, Li Chuan said he wanted to go to the north.

...In four years, Li Chuan had mapped the entire northern frontier, mapped out the locations and relationships of the northern tribes, and brought back new seeds and spices from the north.

In addition to this, he brought back a child named Li Xuan.

He and Qin Zhenzhen did not stay in Huajing for long, and after leaving the map of the north, the two left with Li Xun. Before leaving, Li Rong and Li Chuan talked all night, hoping to leave Li Xun behind, but Li Chuan only laughed..."

[year 10]

Li Rong received a gift from a distant place, which was sent by Su Rong Hua.

Li Rong opened the box and saw that inside was a book, along with a map.

It was a map of the entire southern waters, as well as notes compiled down from the river management programme, and a copy, a proposal to manage the southern floods and an engineering construction plan.

The contents were incomparably detailed and should have been written by someone who had spent most of his life pouring his heart and soul into it.

Li Rong looked at the familiar handwriting on it, and after a long time, she smiled lightly and closed the map.

[dangermousie]

In support of Hot General Summer (tm)

I realized that my recent poll not only lacked visual support but also left out a lot of my fave cdrama generals. So, in support of my Hot General Summer agenda:

Xiao Qi, Rebel Princess

Wei Wu Ji, Sound of the Desert

Ling Buyi, Love Like the Galaxy

Zhousheng Chen, One and Only

Zhao Yun, God of War Zhao Yun

Sima Yi, Secret of Three Kingdoms

Han De Rang, The Legend of Xiao Chuo

Zhan Beiye, Legend of Fuyao

Gao Chang Gong, Lan Ling Wang

Xiang Yu, Story of Han Dynasty

Cao Pi, The Advisors’ Alliance

Meng Tiang Fang, Ancient Terracotta War Situation

Chu Bei Jie, General and I

Zhu Zan, Jin Jiu Ling

Wolfie, The Wolf

Xiang Yu, Legend of Chu and Han

Cheng Yi, The Promise of Chang’an

Liu Xiu, Singing All Along

Huo Xin, Painted Skin the Resurrection

Meng Qi You, Glamorous Imperial Concubine

Yang Bros, The Young Warriors

Weng Gui, Princess Jieyou

Xiao Ping Zhang, Nirvana in Fire 2

Pei Zhao, Maiden Holmes

Ji Ye, Novoland Eagle Flag

Zhu Qi Zhen, Imperial Doctress (it’s a reach he’s an emperor. But he leads his force in battle and I wanted Wallace Huo there so...)

Yuan Ling, Lost Love in Times

Yi Xiao Chuan, The Myth

Gu Tingye, The Story of Ming Lan

Lu Bu, Three Kingdoms 2010

Xu Lingyi, The Sword and the Brocade

Yue Fei, Patriot Yue Fei

Xiang Yu, The Myth

Ping Zhang, Nirvana in Fire 2

Guo Jing, Legend of Condor Heroes 2008

Xiang Yu, The Legend of Qin

[endlessthoughtsofafangirl]

Qin Chuan being 🥺

[syaal]

Celestial names

I wondered what characters celestial dragons might have for names - Tien Lungs must be 天龍, Jade dragons 玉龍 and so forth but I didn't find meanings for individual dragons in the books, except Lung Tien Ning. Ning meaning tranquility, her name should be written as 龍天寧.

Lung Tien Xiang. For Xiang anything from direction(向) to image(像) could be possible but I think 想 would be a good name for him. To think, to want, to believe. So 龍天想 for Temeraire.

For Lien, though, I can't be confident in my choice. At first I kept reading her name in my mind as Lotus(she would be a perfectly elegant white lotus) because the pronunciation of the character is similar in Korean, and because of course she's the lotus princess. But a character meaning flower wouldn't be quite elegant as to be the name of a Celestial(or a princess in that manner-I think nobles name people after phrases in the Four books and the Five classics like the Analects although I'm not really sure about the Qing dynasty), more of a pretty peasant or a daughter of a lowly government official. And after researching I found that 蓮 is actually pronounced in Chinese as lian? Although that might be similar enough? I DON'T KNOW

So after some consideration I picked out 連 and 練, connection and exercise/learning/white silk respectively, and also 戀 because yearning/love is her gimmick although that wouldn't have been in their minds when they chose her name. Any of these-or none-might work, I'm not from 19th century Qing so sorry in advance?

But Lien always will be the White Lotus Princess in my mind. I love her so much, I hope she writes lots of poems in her exile and someone manages to publish them in the modern age. I bet they would frequent college admission exams and Chinese students would hate her just for that.

(PS I know the characters are bit different from Chinese ones but in Korea these characters aren't simplified bc they aren't used that often anyway, also since Temeraire is set before the simplification of Chinese characters at the 20th century they wouldn't have been written the way they're written nowadays)

Edit: I read Novik's post of QnAs at LJ, and Temeraire's name is canonically 祥 - meaning auspicious. I suppose he really is auspicious to his friends and fellows, and the name creates a neat balance to Lien's inauspiciousness. I'll probably think of him as 想 only in the quiet recess of my mind where Lien resides as my elegant White Lotus princess⋯⋯.

Also, Chuan being 全 makes sense in a poetic tragedy kind of way. To have flawlessness, perfection as a name! No wonder he had to die. The will of Qing couldn't really have perfection as a partner, for perfection does not need outside influence.

And Mei as 'beauty'⋯⋯. Welp. Qin would probably be 欽, so her full name is 龍欽美.

[reinaka42]

Wang Chuan Feng Hua Lu (忘川风华录) Masterpost

Wang Chuan Feng Hua Lu (忘川风华录) is a Vocal synth (Vocaloid and SynthV) music project. It consists of songs themed around different figures throughout Chinese history. The project is a collaboration between different artists and creatives, with music and videos featuring prominent traditional Chinese elements. The project's title translates to "The Records of Magnificence of the Wangchuan" - In Chinese mythology, "Wangchuan" (or River of Forgetting) is a river in the Underworld that can rid one of their past life's memories, similar to the river Lethe.

A mobile game adaptation has also been developed by NetEast. Unfortunately, I haven't played it so I can't give much insight on it. However, I assume that its premise is similar to that of the idea behind the project as a whole: all these historical figures meeting each other in the Underworld after they died. Maybe.

You can find all the songs on Bilibili. The official Weibo can be found here. The game's website, which includes all characters appearing so far in the game, can be found here, and its Weibo can be found here.

(If you prefer YouTube, I've also put together a handy playlist. Please know that most of these videos are reposts though, so please watch the original Bilibili MVs if you can!)

This blog is where I will be posting everything I feel like I need to say about the songs in this project. A lot of it is lifted from my Twitter account but will be in much more detail. Note that I probably won't touch collab songs, or songs that don't focus solely on the project's own characters.

Disclaimer: I do not speak Chinese, nor am I an expert on Chinese history. Therefore, I cannot reliably translate the lyrics to these songs, nor my words should be taken as gospel. I am merely a nerd gushing about my hyperfixation.

Playlist

多情岸 【Duo Qing An】 ➼ B link

洛阳怀 【Luo Yang Huai】 ➼ B link

易水诀 【Yi Shui Jue】 ➼ B link

山河令 【Shan He Ling】 ➼ B link

簪花人间 【Zhan Hua Ren Jian】 ➼ B link

栖�� 【Qi Huang】 ➼ B link

心上秋 【Xin Shang Qiu】 ➼ B link

祖龙吟 【Zu Long Yin】 ➼ B link

如见青山 【Ru Jian Qing Shan】 ➼ B link

竹林间 【Zhu Lin Jian】 ➼ B link

天下局 【Tian Xia Ju】 ➼ B link

青鸟衔风 【Qing Niao Xian Feng】 ➼ B link

木兰行 【Mu Lan Xing】 ➼ B link

好字唯之 【Hao Zi Wei Zhi】 ➼ B link

不可道 【Bu Ke Dao】 ➼ B link

水叙湖风 【Shui Xu Hu Feng】 (collab) ➼ B link

是非 【Shi Fei】 ➼ B link

风起甘露 【Feng Qi Gan Lu】 (collab) ➼ B link

谓剑 【Wei Jian】 ➼ B link

万象霜天 【Wan Xiang Shuang Tian】 (New Year event song) ➼ B link

千秋梦 【Qian Qiu Meng】 ➼ B link

易安难安 【Yi An Nan An】 ➼ B link

惊鹊 【Jing Que】 ➼ B link

高歌破阵 【Gao Ge Po Zhen】 (collab) ➼ B link

不赴 【Bu Fu】 ➼ B link

西行 【Xi Xing】 ➼ B link

大航海家 【Da Hang Hai Jia】 ➼ B link

牡丹乱 【Mu Dan Luan】 (collab) ➼ B link

倾国 【Qing Guo】 (collab) ➼ B link

相虎 【Xiang Hu】 ➼ B link

补天裂 【Bu Tian Lie】 ➼ B link

此期盈期 【Ci Qi Ying Qi】 (1st anniversary song) ➼ B link

破云来 【Po Yun Lai】 ➼ B link

归钓吟 【Gui Diao Yin】 ➼ B link

始见千秋 【Shi Jian Qian Qiu】 ➼ B link

临川浮梦 【Lin Chuan Fu Meng】 ➼ B link

将军行 【Jiang Jun Xing】 ➼ B link

妄语人间 【Wang Yu Ren Jian】 ➼ B link

数风流 【Shu Feng Liu】 (2nd anniversary song) ➼ B link

问剑春秋 【Wen Jian Chun Qiu】 ➼ B link

起战令 【Qi Zhan Ling】 ➼ B link

人间应又雪 【Ren Jian Ying You Xue】 ➼ B link

旷古回响 【Kuang Gu Hui Xiang】 ➼ B link

墨隐侠声 【Mo Yin Xia Sheng】 ➼ B link

桃源故人 【Tao Yuan Gu Ren】 (3rd anniversary song) ➼ B link

燕双归 【Yan Shuang Gui】 ➼ B link

拜云台 【Bai Yun Tai】 ➼ B link

思华年 【Si Hua Nian】 ➼ B link

承天 【Cheng Tian】 ➼ B link

*Note: The anniversary songs are probably for the game's anniversaries, as the project itself is more than 5 years old.

Albums

Vol 1: 溯洄 【Su Hui】 Includes character songs from Duo Qing An to Zhu Lin Jian. Features human vocals.

Vol 2: 踏浪 【Ta Lang】 Includes character songs from Tian Xia Ju to Yi An Nan An + Shui Xu Hu Feng.

Vol 3: 数风流 【Shu Feng Liu】 Includes character songs from Bu Fu to Yan Shuang Gui, and the two anniversary songs.

Visual character guide:

PRE-QIN | QIN | WESTERN CHU | HAN | THREE KINGDOMS | JIN | NORTH & SOUTHERN DYNASTIES | TANG | FIVE DYNASTIES & TEN KINGDOMS | SONG | YUAN | MING | QING | DREAM

[dailyasiandramas]

[memorydragon]

Po Yun characters rated by swag

Yan Xie: 0/10 He thinks he's a natural 20, but actually has none. As one of the characters said, "Don't listen to him. He's a dumbass." This is magnified after cohabitation with Jiang Ting, because he becomes a domesticated dumbass who is completely whipped. The narrative goes on about how he's a stereotypical alpha male, but this man can't survive a blind date to save his life. The author very correctly decided criminal investigators have no swag at all and wrote a novel about it. He grows on you like a fungus, but still has zero swag. That said, do not get in a fight with him. He will win.

Jiang Ting: Could have swag. He's intelligent, able to analyze details in moments, and elegant. Then he starts to eat and any swag he might have had evaporates. He was married to his work and highly stressed and traumatized from being a triple agent and it shows. 3/10, though I'm tempted to bump it to four for the way he straight up murders both Yan Xie and Bu Chonghua via text message. Professor Jiang is growing into swag by virtue of finally having free time and accepting his moronsexuality in the second book. That might be generous though considering he's still terrorized by his mother-in-law. I adore him, but his swag will always be low.

Jin Jie: He's a professional assassin and it shows. That said, he's also a professional lackey. 6/10, defeated by the protag plot halo, and it was honestly hilarious how Jiang Ting was constantly throwing him under the bus.

Qin Chuan: *extremely grudgingly* He has swag. That said, I'm 100% with Jiang Ting on this. Do not listen to Yan Xie. He has swag, but he's also a little bitch (no sexual connotation on this phrase btw, that's entirely directed at his personality). 7/10, someone please punch him in the face.

Wen Shao: Now here we have a man with swag. He oozes swag that Yan Xie wishes he had. He has opinions on ballet, plays Lana Del Ray songs on the violin like an emo child, and murders teenagers to recreate an important childhood memory with Jiang Ting. He grew up a drug lord with money and poker card code names, and kisses the bloody knuckles of his Red Queen reverently. 12/10, probably would be 14 if the manhua had been able to continue and we got more of him with long hair.

Han Xiaomei: Our favorite baby intern has absolutely no swag. She's an intern at the criminal investigation unit. She's the lowest on the totem pole, barely showers and sleeps when there's a case just like the rest of the team, and cowers when superiors yell at her. I watched her grow up to a young police woman who could sass back at Yan Xie in the final arc with tears in my eyes. The character growth was incredibly moving. 1/10, because she still has no swag.

Yang Mei: In front of Jiang Ting, she is a meek and breedable. When Jiang Ting isn't looking at her, she's a police informant who runs her own ktv, is perfectly put together and her wardrobe costs more than a cop could make in their career. She has swag. She can and will bitch Yan Xie out, fight like a hell cat, save her love rival's life (only because it was Jiang Ting asking though, otherwise she'd still probably save Yan Xie, but she'd never let him forget it), and turn the love rival into the greatest brotp of the novel. 9/10, because Jiang Ting canonly swears to never take both her and Yan Xie on errands together again. Unfortunately for her, no amount of swag will make the man she's in love with less gay or moronosexual.

Ma Xiang: Good at his job, comfortable in his masculinity. Is willing to be gay for 10 minutes if Yan Xie shares his dinner. No real swag on his own, but he's a fun comedic aside most times. 1/10, because he throws up at gruesome murder scenes and thought a curling iron was a sex toy.

Bu Chonghua: Now here we finally have a main protagonist with swag. Someone had to have swag in the novel, and he pulls it off. As Yan Xie's straight-laced little cousin, he's got a temper and authority to match. He may be a trauma kitten, but he is very good at his job and earned his position. He will literally walk through fire and water to show his devotion to Wu Yu. 6/10, because he's also a menace (absolutely related to Yan Xie, no doubt) and a bit bitchy at times. I love him, your honor.

Wu Yu: here's where the swag gets complicated. As Wu Yu, he is meek and mild mannered, no ambition, and very little confidence. This trauma kitten has no swag. He throws up at the mere taste of meat. He just wants to earn enough money to run away from life and never be bothered again. He loves reading and just wants books. People want to feed him, he looks that pathetic. 0/10 but he gets a point or two when he enters the illegal boxing ring for extra money.

As Painter, his swag jumps to 7/10. He's in prison, he's inflitrating various drug rings, he's the pretty boy, and if you try to take advantage he will cut your arm off with a machete. He has no nickname, just a number. Do not cross him. Jin Jie even calls him ge.

As REDACTED, this trauma kitten will end you. He will fight you with his bare hands and tear you apart. He can only be calmed and turned back into Wu Yu by a person he has marked as 'safe'. If you see him jump from any story higher than one, you're not the one who will survive the encounter. When not in murder form, he pretends to be slow and meek. He's a lackey, and he just wants to live someplace poppies don't grow. Yes, I'm Normal about that. 4/10, please just wrap this trauma kitten up in a blanket and feed him fish and chocolates.

Shark: After my glowing review of the first book's main villain, you would think Shark has swag. He has negative swag, however. He's a crypto bro who wants to drag Painter into life and death situations but won't commit to the homoerotism of it. The fact his web handle is shark and his dark web site is the Mariana trench is an insult to both. He acts cool and edgy but nothing can change the fact he'd be all over nfts if the book was written today. -5/10, he's got absolutely nothing on the King of Spades.

Liao Gang: like, he tries. He's decent at his job, but he's not amazing. Will need Wu Yu to back him up to solve major cases, which stresses Wu Yu out because that means he has to speak up. 1/10

Meng Zheng: This is a woman with brass balls. She's the only female police officer in the unit, is late 30s, early 40s, and is called their police beauty because she's the only one. Also, because she would totally win if you say she looks over thirty and she decides to take you out. 7/10, very valid for wanting to be a honey pot because the police would fund her looking sexy, even if she twists her ankle because she hasn't worn heels since before she was pregnant. She's a milf and will forcibly drag poor interns to her level.

Song Hui: No swag. She's interning because of her crush and is a terrified kitten. She just wants to marry rich and be cute. Meng-jie forces feminism on her. After REDACTED, she grows to 1/10 because she doesn't want to let Meng-jie down. Saves the protags, the entire operation, and sees at the blood on her hands that has already been washed away. Great character development, but currently still no swag. She might get some eventually, because she has potential, which, honestly, is more than Han Xiaomei can say.

Song Ping: He's the older gen cop who you still don't want to mess with. Not related to Bu Chonghua by blood, but you can tell exactly who raised the trauma kitten after his parents were killed. 8/10, though you won't know why until the very end.

Lin Zheng: So weirdly, he probably has swag in his usual work. Considering 90% of the time we see him is with Wu Yu, however, he has none. He thinks Painter killed his friend and all he did was complain to the higher ups about it. 2/10, if he'd been a bit more proactive half of his plot line could have been avoided. Also, Jiang Ting says he has Chuan vibes, which makes me want to punch him in the face on principle. I trust Jiang Ting's judgment.

Cai Lin: Fills the same comedic relief in Tun Hai as Ma Xiang did in Po Yun. We love him, but 1/10, he's terrified of maggots and eats ice cream that's from the forensic department freezer.

And finally, the old and beautiful Zeng Cui Cui: If you couldn't tell by her title, Mother Yan has swag. When she feels threatened by Wu Yu's swag, her response is to bling like no one has blinged before and terrifies him with how much money she spent. Jiang Ting knows better than to argue with her. She bought "A Study of the Legal Aspects of Gay Marriage" after her son turned 30 and still couldn't find a girl willing to marry him. She also locked Bu Chonghua out and essentially kidnapped Wu Yu in the back of her trunk when she thought Wu Yu was being forced into the relationship. 10/10, because she sends her sons-in-laws long underwear and they better wear it in the winter or they will regret it.

[angieloveshua]

Qin Chuan smiled and said, “Happy wedding, Yan Xie. I wish you and Captain Jiang a happy marriage for a hundred years.” Before Yan Xie could react, Jiang Ting said coldly, “I will remember how you ruined my wedding.”

Jiang Ting will be the first one to handcuffed Qin Chuan.

[arytha]

Yan Xie had no jurisdiction, so he was bored in the office of the head of the criminal investigation unit, holding his mobile phone and talking to his suspected “forged PPSUC diploma” lover on the phone. “Dear, did you have lunch? Did you have lunch? What did you eat? The new combat instructor at your police academy didn’t send you any more pink flowers today …… Don’t worry, I’ve memorized your two notebooks, don’t worry I’ll pass this stupid exam in one go …… What, the bastard who ruined our wedding? I’m not sure if I’ve heard anything from him yet. Don’t worry I’ll be the first to inform you when I catch him, you can hang him up and smoke him 18 times if you want! ……” After chatting for about twenty minutes, Yan Xie hung up the phone with a loving expression.

the tiniest crumb of jiang ting 🥺 yan xie's still as silly as ever with him

[wangmiao]

ep 19 vs. ep 21: when you are busy af

Yu Hewei as Qin Chuan in 我是刑警 | I Am Police / We Are Criminal Police (2024)

[silviakundera]

"But I have my reasons."

"So does every other sinner in the world."

It's been quite obvious from the drama for a while now that the Princess Royal screenwriter feels pity for Su Rongqing and considers him a tragic figure. I recall being asked early on if I thought the writers are trying to redeem him. And I said no, not exactly. And I still stand by that!

They didn't give him any out or excuse for his hand in the bloody end of their original timeline: the dirty secrets reveal scene does not soften his actions in any way or reduce Li Rong's disgust. Ronghua still rejects his grand-standing words and his refusal to see that the noble class can't continue like this. He gets his chance to tell his perception of past events but Pei Wenxuan also gets a chance to share competing observations. Li Rong and Su Rongqing still get their philosophical face-off in the throne room. No one is completely wrong or right. There were no heroes in the original timeline.

"Let's not deceive ourselves or others anymore. I understand your stubbornness. Your heart is with the light, yet you dwell in darkness. You refuse to acknowledge your identity, so you can only disort the truth."

We see Li Rong and his brother reach out a hand to him many times, telling him he can still turn back. Li Rong was never in love with him romantically but he accompanied her for years during a dark period for both of them; she's not a heartless person (that's the whole point!), so ofc she would take his hand and pull him back from the edge if he was just willing to grab it. She wants to reach him: that's what the whole throne room scene is about. But she cannot. His last moments in the drama have both Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong calling out to him.

He may be a poisonous snake, but he doesn't have to bite the frog when crossing the river.

He is given chances but he doesn't take them. That's why he's tragic: Because he is right about this ONE THING (Li Chuan isn't suited to be emperor), feeling desperately certain about it while it seems no one else understands the stakes and his heroic mission. But he's wrong about everything else.

This is a story about time travel and what if you could re-do your youth: better support a troubled sibling, stand up to toxic family, fix your marriage, widen your perspective... And Su Rongqing misses all his opportunities because he's not taking his chance to better connect with others, not using the wisdom of all those extra years to better understand the populace and the people around him, and handle his life & relationships with more grace. He just narrow-mindly focuses on the mission - he can't reset, can't let go of the past life and the current system.

So many other people in this tale have been shifted: Shangguan Ya, Su Ronghua, Li Chuan, Qin Zhen Zhen, even the fail emperor has a revelation about how crap he is.

His inflexibility and inability to seize the opportunity of a do-over in life and be a new Su Rongqing acts as a contrast to measure how much Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan have been growing & changing. And it shows us why they triumph and why they deserve their happy ending.

Tragic doesn't mean innocent. It doesn't mean he didn't have a hand in his own downfall.

I know not all readers found him compelling in the text, but I did think he was a neat character and tbh I think the novel would be diminished without him. I can see what the screenwriter was trying to do with him - all that dramatic music is his POV. We get glimpses of the good times & his good intentions that contrast with his failure to live up to any of it. He's given narrative importance as their foil and the writers wanted him to be a full fledged 3rd time-traveler character that the audience is interested in (hoping, like Li Rong & his brother do, that he can be saved). The promise is there in the essential character, I can see it in the text. But in the drama they failed to create investment from the audience in the right way.

imo a big misstep is that the framing early on made viewers feel he was intended to be a valid love interest. In the drama, his romantic interest in her is overt while in the novel it was ambiguous for the first 60% of the story. Writers even added a couple moments that felt OOC where we are in his head and it seems like he is actually intending to win her back romantically (which is contradicted by his novel-compliant speeches in ep 34 & 40 about how he knows they can't be together because as her betrayer he doesn't deserve it.)(now I'm curious to rewatch them, I am really wondering if it was intended to be a slight of hand where he is meaning her return/freedom/rise to power/the life he owes her and the audience is intended to misread as him saying he will become her bf again 🤔🤔) Regardless, in a romance narrative, this will make many viewers reflexively dislike him, protectively wanting him away from their otp. He is perceived as a real suitor who has a chance -- which hits different to a shipper.

The execution was flawed. I do think that casting a magnetic actor who can portray bottled up emotion & inner turmoil, such as Zhang Wanyi, would have made a big difference in mitigating the earlier mis-cues. But on the other hand, I'm fairly satisfied with his character handling from ep 30-40. And it wasn't really badly done, ep 22 and onward. The real problem in his handling was the first 50%.

[dangermousie]

You know, I really really wanted to get emotionally fucked up.

So, here we go, The Myth (2010), the sole drama where I cried so hard I threw up.

Xiao Chuan (Hu Ge) is a modern day freelance photographer who ends in in Qin Dynasty China. Not as a transmigrator or anything, no he is just plopped down in the middle of the execution in progress. From there on, for 50 episodes he proceeds to have his soul, heart and body taken apart. By the time the drama ended, in one of the most horrifyingly bleak endings from anywhere I've ever seen, I was just numb.

The first few eps (until the plague hits, it's this kind of drama), are actually rather funny and can lure the unwary into thinking this will be a fun romp. Or do they? Here we are at ep 1, long before the slide into grinding, inexorable destruction of everything Xiao Chuan holds to except his integrity and we get a giant sign of what this is going to be like if only we paid attention.

He's in the middle of an execution of some enemies, real or imaginary, of the Qin Dynasty, and the befuddled officials not only immediately jump to the conclusion he's there to interfere, a bad guy etc etc, but they breathe past the questions of how he got there and who he is (and even what he is), to "we should execute him, whoever he is, because we get paid more for each supposed traitor." I mean, think about it - they wonder if he's a god or demon and then decide it doesn't matter, they will just add him to the kill tally for prizes. This is an arbitrary, bloodthirsty theater of cruelty, controlled by nothing by power and greed - the good guys (insofar as there are any, they are few and far between) do not win. A lot of evil is not done out of a grand design or plans to rule the world but petty greed or just boredom or lack of care. The government is portrayed as made in the monstrous image of the monstrous Qin Emperor and inscrutable in anything but bloodthirstiness and self-interest.

The censors would never let any of this fly now - this drama really is a criticism of absolutism as much as anything else (corrupt officials do not get punished; they get rewarded) - but oh God, what a masterpiece it was.

[mistypurplespark]

Chapter 34: Outbreak

Chapter 34: Outbreak

"I'm handing Chi Le Chuan over to you. You're the only one I can trust!"

Translator(s): Elestrea

Editor(s): juurensha

Thus, a big war began. Chen Xing mounted his horse, and behind him, warriors of all tribes poured out in full strength. In a blink of an eye, untold numbers of cavalrymen departed the camp with hands holding long sabres as they advanced into the group of living corpses, hacking and chopping them with their weapons!

"Cut off the head!" shouted Xiang Shu.

Chen Xing urged his horse and rushed over. He had originally wanted to assist Xiang Shu a little bit with the Heart Lamp, but he discovered he was not needed at all. This was his first time seeing Chi Le Chuan's cavalry in combat: every tribe was well-trained, one would advance while the other retreat. Because of Xiang Shu's reminder regarding their hands and legs, they all wore wrist guards and leg guards, and even the warhorses were wearing sets of iron armor. Glares reflected off the sabres were glinting and flashing everywhere. As soon as an enemy was encountered, a sabre would sever its head, and not a long while had passed until the group of living corpses was scattered completely.

Chen Xing found that inside this world covered in ice and snow, the movement speed of these living corpses had indeed slowed down a lot to the point where they might as well been frozen by the ice —— they had indeed fallen short than the nimble movement of the ones inside Chang'an City. And Chi Le Chuan's Hu cavalry, if compared to Guanzhong's Qin armored cavalry, was even fiercer and tougher. In less than a quarter of an hour, the battlefield was already covered with dead corpses lying on the ground with heads separated from the rest of their bodies.

At first, Xiang Shu led the Tieles back and forth to kill some corpses, but seeing that the battlefield situation wasn't critical, he slightly withdrew and

went to direct the army from the outside. "They're running away!" yelled someone.

But even when the group of living corpses had scattered and escaped to the north, their leader still had yet to appear. Chen Xing hurriedly went to the front and doubtfully examined the dead people throughout the battlefield in full detail.

Xiang Shu gave an order to retreat and stopped chasing after them since the outcome of the battle had turned apparent. Using their crushing numbers and strengths, Chi Le Chuan's Hu cavalry had obtained an all-around victory. It was at this time that Che Luofeng arrived at the battlefield bringing along the Rourans' troops.

"Too late, it's over." Xiang Shu took off his helmet and threw it to the ground.

Che Luofeng was riding his horse as he overlooked the dead bodies. Xiang Shu once again spoke, "Let your troops gather the corpses, put them in the same place then burn them all. Don't touch them!"

Chen Xing waved his hand to hint that it didn't matter and began inspecting one of the corpses. Xiang Shu took off a glove made of steel wire and threw it to Chen Xing. Chen Xing put that glove, which weighed several jin, on his hand before turning over the headless corpse. He then took off the corpse's breastplate then examined it carefully in the shade.

Unlike the drought fiends in Chang'an, which, for the most part, had been a combination of the Hu and the Han common people, these corpses outside the Great Wall were all Hus, and nearly all of them were warriors. Are they implementing the idea of 'using materials at hand'?

"Have you seen this kind of armor before?" Chen Xing asked.

Xiang Shu only frowned and didn't reply. King Akele came along with some warriors and said some sentences to Xiang Shu. They took the armor and began to discuss it.

"Xiongnu armor," said Xiang Shu. "These reanimated living corpses, they are all Xiongnu warriors who died hundreds to twenty years ago."

Chen Xing put down the breastplate and became even more suspicious. "Where were these people originally buried after their deaths?"

"In Carosha," Xiang Shu replied. "That place was once the Xiongnus' burial ground."

Chen Xing connected the dots with what the consort had said. That time, although the Akele Prince, Youduo had "returned from the dead," he still departed from his tribe and went further north not long after that. Several years later, when he once again returned, he brought thousands of Xiongnu dead warriors with him… The answer was almost at hand.

In Mt. Carosha, something must've happened.

They all dismounted and turned to the camp. On the side of Chi Le Chuan, the beheaded living corpses' skulls and bodies were placed separately, piling up into a small hill, with firewood stack underneath a lump of lard covering its top. Xiang Shu took the torch and ignited the firewood stack —— the resulting fire immediately soared and rose up to the sky, swallowing the stack of corpses.

Of the various Hus living inside Chi Le Chuan, the largest group was the Xiongnus, the second was the Tieles, followed by the Rourans and the Shiweis. The Xiongnus from all over the plain came and knelt down outside the corpses' burning ground and sang a sorrowful ballad.

"Youduo never appeared," Xiang Shu said. "It must still be around." Chen Xing, "In the end, what were they all doing here?"

A Xiongnu warrior came and said a bunch of words to Xiang Shu. Chen Xing frowned because he didn't understand, but then Xiang Shu explained, "The Xiongnus believed that the reason why the corpses were turning into mountain ghosts, cheating death, and returning to life, was because they still have some unfulfilled wishes from their lives."

Chen Xing pondered the idea for a while, then shook his head and replied, "I doubt that's the case."

"It's just a legend." Xiang Shu obviously also didn't believe it, but he didn't say much and only showed a slightly unnatural look. Chen Xing suddenly had a dreadful thought that the living corpses might have come for himself.

They suppressed the drought fiend chaos in Chang'an, yet the mastermind didn't show up at all. The corpses seemed to make light of traveling a thousand li. Is it so they can eliminate him, to stop him from thwarting their plan? Thinking about this, Chen Xing vaguely felt like there were two eyes watching him from the dark.

"I have to go," Chen Xing said, "I'm afraid they're coming for me."

Xiang Shu naturally knew what Chen Xing was thinking and rejected it flatly, "It's impossible! Kjera went to the prairie three years ago, how do you explain what happened then?"

Che Luofeng, who was listening on the side, suddenly asked, "Do you know where the mountain ghosts come from?"

Xiang Shu said to Che Luofeng, "Tomorrow, I will leave for the North. Anda, I'm leaving Chi Le Chuan in your care."

Chen Xing felt as if he was relieved from a burden.

Xiang Shu once again said to Chen Xing, "The luggage had already been prepared on the day of the Autumn Close Festival. We can leave at any time."

Che Luofeng, since his last dispute with Xiang Shu, had never said a thing to Chen Xing. Now, he used Rouran language to ask Xiang Shu, "Where do you want to go?"

"Carosha," Xiang Shu answered, "where the ancient dragon fell down."

"You can't go!" Che Luofeng said, "I heard from the Akeles that the mountain ghosts will be back again!"

Xiang Shu, "I need to find out what's going on. Chen Xing followed me to Chi Le Chuan precisely because of this matter. You don't know, but drought fiends' upheaval also happened in Chang'an. Because we didn't know the cause, it led to a massacre..."

"I said," Che Luofeng realized something and shot a glance at Chen Xing, "it was you who brought them here!"

"It has nothing to do with him!"

Without waiting for Chen Xing to reply, Xiang Shu quickly said with a rather depressed tone, "Che Luofeng! Forget it..." He reached out his hand for Che Luofeng, yet was blocked by him. It was clear that the other party begrudged Xiang Shu for beating him up.

In front of the royal tent, Chen Xing felt that the situation was a little abnormal. He hurriedly said, "I'll go pack up my things."

"What's the matter with you?!" Xiang Shu knitted his brows.

"I want to ask you that!" Che Luofeng spoke, "You're Chi Le Chuan's Great Chanyu! The enemy still hasn't been eliminated, that monster Youduo is still hiding somewhere, and you're leaving now? Going north with this Han?"

"This place has you!" Xiang Shu's tone was also hardening as he seriously said, "I'm handing Chi Le Chuan over to you. You're the only one I can trust!"

Chen Xing went into the tent. When he heard this, he felt inexplicably touched by Xiang Shu, yet he also felt a little sad. Maybe what he had once imagined was also this kind of life-and-death friendship.

Che Luofeng said, "I'm not the Great Chanyu! I don't care what happens here!"

Xiang Shu sighed tiredly, looking at Che Luofeng.

"Are you a child?" Xiang Shu frowned deeply and looked patiently at Che Luofeng.

"You've changed," Che Luofeng said, "Anda, you've changed. You went into the Central Plains a year ago and vanished without a trace. Then, you came back with this shady Han dog, and now you're head over heels for him. This is improper even for the Great Chanyu, right?!"

Xiang Shu, "You..."

"Who the hell are you calling a Han dog!" Chen Xing was finally at the end of his patience; he threw down the medicine box, grabbed a longbow from the royal tent, readied the bow and nocked an arrow, went outside the tent, drew the longbow, pointed it at Che Luofeng, and snarled, "Han dog? This Han dog saved your life! Is this how you treat a benefactor who saved your life?! You Rouran! You trash! You're worse than a dog!"

Chen Xing, in the end, had had enough, and it was more than he could bear. These days during his stay in Chi Le Chuan, he had always tried to be patient and accommodating. As a guest, he was unwilling to argue with Che Luofeng and usually pretended not to see his jealous eyes. But this time, he finally exploded and didn't want to tolerate Che Luofeng anymore.

The arrow was pointing at Che Luofeng. Silence reigned outside the royal tent, snow fell once again, and snow crystals fluttered about, flying back and forth around the place. Some snowflakes fell on the arrow, Xiang Shu extended his hand and pressed down Chen Xing's bow and arrow. Chen Xing trembled in anger and put down his bow and arrow.

Instead, Che Luofeng laughed and stood up, then said, "Come? Shall we go outside to the plains and compete in equestrian archery to determine who will win and who will lose? One man gets three arrows, a fight of life and death. You dare or not, little Han?"

Speaking of equestrian archery, how could Chen Xing be Che Luofeng's opponent? If they were to meet face-to-face, he would be shot to death. Xiang Shu said angrily, "Che Luofeng! If you keep making such a fuss, don't blame me for being angry!"

"Wait!" A woman's voice said, "I'll go in his place for your fight of life and death!" Unexpectedly, it was the Akeles' Consort.

Chen Xing, "..."

King Akele and the Consort had arrived in front of Xiang Shu's royal tent and had seen Che Luofeng's and Chen Xing's confrontation. The Consort said, "The Divine Doctor saved me and my son's life so that Youduo who died in your hands could have a younger brother, and the Akeles have an offspring to inherit the tribe. I'll take your challenge and act as a substitute for the Divine Doctor. Che Luofeng, do you dare or not?"

Chen Xing hurriedly said, "Hold on, I haven't accepted his challenge yet."

Not to mention that the Consort should be resting at home for at least a month, protecting her body following childbirth. Looking at Xiang Shu, it was also impossible for him to respond to Che Luofeng's challenge. In fact, he wasn't worried about losing his life since his archery skill had always been "shoot-there-hit-there"... But if by any chance he wasn't careful and shot Che Luofeng off the horse, he was still the one who had to treat his injury in the end. Was it not just giving himself more trouble?

Sure enough, Xiang Shu taunted, "Anda, don't underestimate this Han. I have seen him use a crossbow with great precision, shooting down a fully- armored Han general."

Che Luofeng said in anger, "Come on! You accept or not?"

Xiang Shu waved his hand, coldly said, "He won't accept. If you truly want to, why don't you compete with him on saving human lives?"

Che Luofeng sneered, "Compete with a doctor to save people? How could I ever compete?"

Xiang Shu, "So? You want to put a doctor on a horse to compete with a warrior like you on equestrian archery? Do you really want to be this shameless?"

With a sneer on the corners of his mouth, Xiang Shu dissolved the tense atmosphere. Chen Xing hatefully put away his bow, turned around, and entered the royal tent. Xiang Shu then motioned for everyone to follow him. Che Luofeng frowned, "What are you doing?"

Xiang Shu took Che Luofeng, along with King Akele and the Consort, and also every tribe's cavalry leader who had also arrived, to discuss some matters. Before leaving, he once again looked at Chen Xing, "I'll be back in the evening."

Chen Xing said in his heart: Get lost ba, all of you just get lost. Then, he sullenly sat inside the tent, spread out his hands and feet, and lay down on the ground, feeling rather bad in his heart. By the time it was dark, Xiang Shu still hadn't returned. Someone came and deliver the meal, saying, "The Great Chanyu is still discussing some matters and asks you to wait a bit more."

"Got it," Chen Xing said in a bad mood. He already knew that Chi Le Chuan had dispatched cavalry and scouts to cover every area in order to search for Youduo's whereabouts, and that they were discussing what to be done regarding this matter, maybe getting into a quarrel again in the process. Xiang Shu most likely had to find Youduo and burn him first before feeling at ease to accompany him to investigate the North.

Yet the more he delayed, the colder the weather would become. He also didn't know what kinds of events were going to happen next. Hearing what was said this afternoon, Chen Xing couldn't help but feel rather bad. These days, he thought Xiang Shu didn't want to be his Protector, and in fact, it was impossible for him to be one. He was the Great Chanyu; Chi Le Chuan's 300,000 warriors and common people all respected him. If he put down this responsibility, how could he ever feel relief?

Chen Xing thought about it over and over again, and in the end, it would be best for him to go first. In any case, he still had Iuppiter's protection. Even with the 200,000 Qin army outside Xiangyang city, when he said he woul, "break through", he indee, "broke through". Taking with him a map and enough supplies, at most, he was just going to be cold.

Thus, Chen Xing simply packed up some medicine, took a longbow, and put it on his back. He didn't bring any money with him. After all, a place without people also had no use of money. Outside the royal tent, the horse he had purchased had already been loaded with rations and lard, and also

with flint and wool. When he turned around, he saw King Akele standing in the dark with his horse.

"Ah!" Chen Xing was scared out of his wits and said, "It's pitch-black here, why are you standing there, scaring a man?!"

King Akele said a few sentences in Xiongnu and used some gestures to talk to Chen Xing. Chen Xing was puzzled. King Akele mounted his horse and motioned for Chen Xing to follow him.

Chen Xing, "???"

Northern side of Chi Le Chuan, outside the Akeles' camp.

The Consort had prepared three riderless horses. She placed one of the reins into Chen Xing's hands and said, "That small horse of yours isn't able to stand the ruthless cold and will fall into the snow in three days. Ride this one instead, this riderless horse has everything ready."

Chen Xing said, "What's wrong? I'm not trying to find Youduo."

The Consort said, "I know. You're going to the North, right? Let this old man lead the way, having a person to keep you company on the way is also good. Wear these clothes. Additionally, this horse was given to me by Xiang Yuyan a long time ago. It's already 22 years old, an old horse, but still runs well. As the saying goes, 'an old horse knows the way', so you don't need to be afraid of getting lost when you return."

"Take this too... here," she handed over a dagger to Chen Xing. Chen Xing, "..."

Chen Xing looked at the Consort, and then at King Akele. The descendants of the ancient Xiongnu who had prepared all their supplies, no matter the age, all went out one after another and bowed down to Chen Xing and King Akele.

The Consort said, "Go ba, you will certainly come back safe and sound." "

"Jia!" King Akele, a big cloak covering his whole body, was the first to leave Chi Le Chuan.

Chen Xing's eyes became moist. He shook the horse's reins then followed him out. He turned his head and shoute, "Thank you!" and saw that the Consort was standing in the snow, leading the people to bid farewell to the two men. Snowflakes came down, and soon enough, Chi Le Chuan was gently blanketed in a vast snowstorm.

The distance to Barkol Great Lake was four-hundred li. First, towards the north, they had to cross the Xarusgol River. After that, according to the map, they had to turn to the east and pass through an ancient city with moat. Then, after turning again towards the north, they had to run again for another six hundred li. As long as they didn't go in the wrong direction, they would reach Carosha by then.

After the snowstorm, the road had piled up with snow, so it was difficult to walk on and slowed down the horses' speed. Luckily, the heavens pitied them, and there hadn't been anymore snowstorm covering the sky and obstructing the sun. After crossing the Xarusgol River, the weather cleared up, and the winter sun shone brightly. Furthermore, on the white and vast expanse of the snow, wild foxes were preying on birds.

It was obvious that King Akele was very familiar with the wilderness. His clan was well-known for taming and raising horses. He also remembered the terrain very clearly, knowing by heart where to go and where not to go. Chen Xing wasn't really familiar with his language and at first, he feared that this old man, who was already more than 50 years old, wasn't able to support himself. He didn't expect that the other party's physical capability was a lot better than his own and on the road, he often gave him game to be eaten.

A few days later, they finally arrived at their first stop. They stood facing a desolate city, half-buried in the wind and snow, with a few star-like lanterns lighting up from inside the city.

"I can't believe anyone lives here!" Chen Xing was shocked. After coming to the land beyond the Great Wall, this was the second time he saw a

gathering place after Chi Le Chuan. He asked King Akele, "What is this place?"

"Karakorum," King Akele understood and explained.

Chen Xing followed King Akele to go inside the city, looked around, and saw that despite covering a considerably large area, there were only a few hundred small families in the city. Then, he caught sight of a monument in the middle of the city, and written in both Han script and Xiongnu language, was the name of the city: Longcheng.

It was more than 400 years ago since Wei Qing raided the Xiongnus' home. It was once a place for the Xiongnu to worship dragons, and also where all of the divisions' annual meetings had been located. After Wei Qing destroyed Longcheng, this place quickly degraded from greatly flourishing to rapidly declining. The Xiongnus one after another moved to Chi Le Chuan, leaving only merchants and elders in the city wall to live here temporarily and get through the winter.

Translator's Comment:

DOG? NO YOU! CLF YOU B A S T A R D seriously though, my hatred for him just keeps rising and rising while rereading this chapter…. and trust me it won’t go down anytime soon! ALSO CHEN XING NOOOO DON’T LEAVE YOUR PROTECTOR ALONE AH

Anyway, Happy New Year! Dinghai AD Trailer is out and you can check it here: https://www.missevan.com/sound/player?id=1559311