"Nirvana in Fire"/"Lang Ya Bang" Group Read: Discussion Post for Chapters 17-21

[x_los]

 Week 5 of the "Lang Ya Bang" book club, chapters 17-21. This discussion will draw to a close, and the next session will open, on June 6th.

I'll be doing a weekly post with thoughts on this community. Feel free to join in/discuss. If you'd like to join the Discord, contact superborb for an invite.

Chinese text: https://sj.uukanshu.com/book.aspx?id=17338
English translation: https://merelhyn.tumblr.com/post/641747965727358976/the-langya-list-epubpdf

SPOILER POLICY: I personally don't give a fuck or even like to give unearned credence to the concept, so since I'm writing the post, anything's fair game.

(If anyone is interested in dankodes running further poetry content during or after NiF, please let me know what you'd be keen to discuss. I'm happy to work with you on that. I'll probably ask this again once NiF draws to a close.)

Comments

Chapter 17

[x_los]

- So EVERY time the dad comes home they have to stop what they're doing and go greet him? Sounds like a huge faff. I would not want this, as the dad.

- Oh yeah, I think Changsu DID guess the whole thing last chapter.

- Changsu talks, re 'you were together on deployment', as though this might be Lin Shu’s child. Why the additional run-around? But then he does mention the Eldest Prince—so when were Prince Qi and Jingyan ‘deployed’ together? 

- It really sucks that they just leave the mom in the courtyard.

- This book speeds up when Prince Jing comes into the frame.

- It’s interesting that Changsu makes no effort to seduce Prince Jing here, but then he must know that just won’t work.

- It’s weird in a way that even post-canon, Tingsheng never gets officially recognised. Or adopted.

Re: Chapter 17

[dragonyphoenix]

I'm surprised Mei Changsu brings up Prince Qi so quickly. I didn't expect him to be so straightforward so soon.

Re: Chapter 17

[superborb]

I think the mom is dead?

NIF2 is based around Tingsheng's family, so he gets some status.

Chapter 18

[x_los]

- I guess Dr Xun has some big reputation? 

- 'You will always be my happiest child' almost implies that Changsu has other children. Unexpected ABO in the bagging area.

- The translator hasn't changed, but I had more issues with this chapter than previous ones. Some passages aren’t clear, and phrases like ‘war buddies’ are tonally jarring.

- This chapter has Fei Liu being Right in saying Changsu could just choose life and walk away, and Meng Zhi being Right in that as much as anything, Changsu’s choice of Jing as his candidate for the throne is emotional. Changsu’s reasons, predicated on Jing’s character, are just, but they're also the reasons the two were close as boys under Qi's mentorship. 

Chapter 19

[x_los]

- For all people say Jingyan sucks at schemes, he sure has kept the secret of his brother’s heir close to his chest. No one can prove anything, either.

- Who’s Xiutong?

- Was Tingsheng born to a concubine-servant?

- Oh, Chiyan is Red Flame?

- 'Filled with cherish', eh?

- By the time Feiliu is Meng’s age, Meng will be fuckin; retired.

- Lots of tender caressing and singing. Mei Changsu’s cultivating the MILF path, over here.

Re: Chapter 19

[superborb]

(Just repeating if anyone is DW only?) Xiutong is Prince Qi's concubine and Tingsheng's mother.

Chapter 20

[x_los]

- Gesture translates oddly from Chinese to English texts. Yujin’s stomp reads unacceptable babyish, in English.

- Is ‘sturdy’ quite the right word?

- ‘Don’t freak out’ is an odd choice of register.

- ‘The virtuous doesn’t make judgement based on imagination’ This is oddly translated, but also feels like something Yujin should really tell his uncle.

- Another pointed Changsu aside to an invisible audience as the boys sit here awkwardly. 

Chapter 21

[x_los]

- Mantra is used quite oddly here?

- This bit about grey streak and ‘swept every angle below the stage’ confuses me. The downfall of Yujin’s opponent is very unclear in translation.

- Oh were Yujin and Jingrui not trained by Xia Dong in this?

- Why would Jingrui need to shield the other occupants of the pavilion?

- ‘Three strands of whiskers flowing from his chin’ This look sounds awful.

Re: Chapter 21

[halfcactus]

I was also a bit confused, because I don’t remember the color of their clothes being mentioned in this chapter (unlike previous chapters, where Yujin’s new robes were noted). But my understanding is that Yujin sent his opponent (the gray figure) flying the moment MCS put his hands together; no other details, except for MCS’s comments afterwards that Yujin was being flashy and toying with his opponent.

Re: the sweeping every angle - is pretty much a literal translation of the text, but I assume it just means Yujin sweeping his gaze across the entire arena and taking in the crowd.

Here’s the Chinese text of that scene if you want to run it through a translator:

梅长苏忖掌一笑，就在他双手掌心合拢的那一瞬间，台上一道灰影被击飞，言豫津锦衣香扇，步履盈盈地走到台中，微扬起下巴一笑，一双桃花眼似乎把台下各个角度都扫了一遍。


-

I *COMPLETELY* forgot the show detail about Xia Dong training them!!! We also didn’t have that scene where Nihuang tested them while MCS peeked through the curtains haha. Smart of the show to make use of the characters they did keep.

Re: Chapter 21

[superborb]

I think the whole when MCS put his hands together is to show that MCS predicted when exactly Yujin would defeat the opponent, a little show-off on MCS's part.

I liked that the show tried to increase the presence of the women through those details! Esp since Yujin having the martial arts training from that sect doesn't (at least so far) add much.

Re: Chapter 21

[halfcactus]

Oh thank you! I didn’t connect those dots (about MCS being showy), I thought the book was just being cinematic. XD

I really liked knowing about Yujin being pretty frail/sickly as a kid, and I wonder if it’ll come up again? But I def enjoy the show version more. I’m really appreciating the adaptation choices and changes because of the book.

Re: Chapter 21

[superborb]

I think Jingrui was trying to be protective of the other occupants (I suppose esp MCS)

Chapter 18

[dragonyphoenix]

Wei Zheng is married to Ms. Yun, the woman Jingrui had a crush on?

*singing* It's a small world after all ...

Ch 20

[halfcactus]

- Baili Qi’s martial arts is described as 硬功 (ying gong / hard qigong?), which sent me Googling: https://ymaa.com/articles/two-qigong-categories

- Yujin being savvy and skilled enough to understand that his and Jingrui’s bracket was gamed to be easier was so interesting, especially since this was preceded by his embellished stories of their matches! And his advice about not coddling Jingrui from reality… (I’m glad the gamed match-ups was addressed because I was like “OH HOW CONVENIENT that they are not only on a different bracket from Baili Qi, and also on the same bracket, which means both of them—highly skilled fighters—are expected to get further in the tournament)

- The playfighting and banter in this chapter were SO cute!!!

Re: Ch 20

[superborb]

The book makes Yujin's intelligence very unsubtle!!

Re: Ch 20

[halfcactus]

Yeah I’m not sure I like it 😂 I loved the intro of him sticking around to escort the couple, before joining Jingrui and MCS, though.

(Also in the show I was wayyyyy less cognizant of his status/relationship with the Emperor/Empress. In the novel narration he’s referred by it. 😂)

Ch 19

[halfcactus]

I loved the progression from “MCS referring to Prince Jing as Jingyan” in the previous chapter to “MCS easily and intimately attaching kinship terms to Prince Qi’s household”: Princess Consort saosao (sister-in-law), Xiutong jiejie, and Jingyu gege. He suddenly sounds so young and warm, after 18 chapters of MCS assuming several different personas when talking to different people, I feel like I’m finally hearing his real voice. SO fascinating to hear him be so comfortable with Meng Zhi, who we’ve seen so little of.

I also really liked hearing Meng Zhi’s backstory with Prince Qi and Lin Xie, which I don’t really remember from the drama. AND the fact that he not only gets to hold MCS’s hand, he gets to hug him too!!!!!!!!!!

Book!Feiliu hasn’t really been endearing or interesting, I’m glad they made him cuter and more expressive in the show. He seems like such a placeholder for MCS’s affectionate side so far.