UnaSpenser

the translated names cracks me up. On mine, the names all got translated into something Japanese.

I also think that they kept the spy there, so that the Chu dude would think they hadn't figured it out. This allowed them use the spy to communicate what they wanted communicated.

The last scene with the eunuch and the young emperor shows that the eunuch is no in trouble. He served his purpose and the emperor is done with him.

that was sneaky. would have missed it if I didn't see your comment here.

Oh. So there's more. Looking forward to it!

Anyone know why Edward Zhang is dubbed in this? It's so strange to hear a different voice.

I'd like to read the novel and see how the humor is threaded. Wherever Xiu is, there is comedy. Which makes sense, because he's such a jester.

But everywhere else is somber and serious. It's a dark world. Lu Di is not a light character, given what he has done. Given how serious the other dark characters are handled, I've been surprised at how he was turned into a foil.

I get that. It still didn't have to be that they made him comical.

Is Xiu chaotic good or chaotic neutral?

It seems like he's always trying to do the right thing, but, for some reason, I still can't give him the "good" label.

Si Yi Lin has respect for women.

I don't like his subservience, but other than that, his quiet, steady devotion is admirable.

This has been the best acting I've seen Zhang Min En do. I'm so glad he took on this character. (I've liked him in other things, but here, he's clearly a more mature actor.)

I find it a rather odd choice to use Lu Di for comic relief, just after he has slaughtered and enslaved most of Yangzhou. He's brutally genocidal. I can't laugh at his antics. They could have had ZX mess with him and him getting seriously frustrated. It would have made more sense. But, turning him into the comic relief seems very off.

I had completely forgotten that. Thank you!

the early bond with his father did occur to me.

agreed on the question about why ZBW would be able to win him over.

It did occur to me that what the two masters may have planned all along was to groom someone who could take ZBW down. They couldn't do it themselves, but they didn't want ZBW's master plan to work. Since they were both masters of politics and deception, they could have made it appear that they were doing ZBW's bidding, while actually nurturing ZBW's downfall.

I do wish they had given us a little more explanation about why these people owed ZBW their lives. So much that they would groom this young kid, totally gaslighting him the entire time, with no regard for how it would in the end.

Owing someone your life is one thing. Why is it okay for that debt to be paid by harming innocent people? I'll never get that logic. If you're going to turn me into a monster, just let me die in the first place.

seriously. in the very beginning, we see him ruthlessly slaughtering Zh's family. how could he be anything but a villain, in this story?

I thought it was really out of character when he suddenly told ZH that he wouldn't let ZH kill his father. Where did that even come from? Did he no longer care that his father watched as his mother was murdered?

His only real familial bond was with his mother. His only motivation for being anything other than a ne'er-do-well was to avenge his mother. Then, all of a sudden, he's all attached to his father? And willing to turn on the one person who lifted him up in his life?

It made no sense to me.

The other thing that I wondered was where did he get the mask and cloak? I guess we're to assume that there was a lot of time between when the family was killed and when ZBW returned?

I also think I missed how they even knew about the Gui Seal and that ML's dad had found it.

Did you put this reply in the wrong place??

I feel that there has been some foreshadowing about the other two brothers. Di Lin became a bit monstrous in his ways and he seems to be a bit post-traumatic about it. He may be inclined to sacrifice himself, because he doesn't know how to live with what he's become. The loss of his child certainly won't help.

Si Yi Lin is also on a trajectory which seems headed for tragedy. He can't be with his beloved and is forcing himself to be what everyone wants him to be, though he basically has to become an emotional zombie to do so. I certainly hope he's not going to be pitted against the North Clan and end being involved in the death of his own child. Or finding out too late and being stuck with the boring wife he's being forced to marry. Its all a recipe for serious depression and giving up on life.

Unless they can turn these things around for these characters, its hard to see how they good have good endings. Di Lin needs counseling. Si Yi Lin needs to know about his child, so he can make informed choices. (Perhaps if Xiu is able to lead Yuanzhou to independence and force the North Clan to accept peace, he can broker a continent-wide detente and give Si Yi Lin a chance to reconcile with Ka Dan. Otherwise, what joy would he ever find in life, at this point?)

Everything feels ominous right now.