"Nirvana in Fire"/"Lang Ya Bang" Group Read: Discussion Post for Chapters 66 - 69

[x_los]

Week 17 of the "Lang Ya Bang" book club, chapters 66 - 69. This discussion will draw to a close, and the next session will open, on August 29th.

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 66

[x_los]

Won’t these dishes be cold and gnarly by the time they get anywhere? Eh, maybe they're designed to be take-out and it’ll be fine.

Auntie Ji has classic wuxia ‘carries the heavy pot easily’ skills.

This really does FEEL very Christmas Episode in its slowing of narrative time, unusually dense descriptions and domesticity.

Chapter 67

[x_los]

Oo, Volume 4!!

Huh, everything with Nihuang’s new boyfriend could be WAY more awkward than it is. She and Changsu are both very chill about this.

Chapter 68

[x_los]

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL MUDER MYSTERY!! The British TV logic this has. This section is serving BBC, it’s giving me “All Creatures Great and Small” spooky secret room episode energies—

The emperor is such a classic shitty boss. How is whipping Meng Zhi going to help?

The end of this chapter is such a frustrating ‘noooo!’ment.

Chapter 69

[x_los]

Yujin comes off especially well here, and it's good that Marquis Yan actually spoke to him properly about something real. I do really want the Yans to know who Changsu is and to get some of their comeuppance via him. I feel like they deserve those reconciliations.