#seven seas translations and their little snippets of random information!

[ninjakk]

Can i throw you a bone for some meta? So there’s a foot note in the seven seas en trans of mdzs that’s been echoing in my brain for the past month (vol 3 pg 56):

[The Four Great Grudges of ancient times are] “murder of one’s father (not patricide), robbery of one’s wife, annihilation of one’s country, and slaughter of one’s clan. A som will not have fulfilled his proper duty until the wrong is avenged, even at the cost of his life.”

Unfortunately I can’t find the Chinese source term (it should be somewhere in chps 51-55, when LWJ shoves some medicinal herbs at WWX’s burn mark despite his leg being bitten by the giant turtle monster.) Anyway, this totally reframed the narrative for me cuz I got thinking about who actually followed through, and the ‘statue of limitations’ on that vengeance. And then a lot about how Jiang Cheng was able to get his revenge, but he specifically didn’t let Jin Ling follow through on his, despite the Ghost General offering up his own head. Does Jiang Cheng actually have any rights to pursue further vengeance against Wei Wuxian after his first death? (And as a side note, how come no one ever calls him Jiang Wanyin except when he introduces himself to Lan Xichen and that final scene at the Jiang family mausoleum? It’s even like that in the donghua.) Then whether Lan Sizhui, after having been formally adopted into the Lan clan, has any right to vengeance at all. Is it like ‘war times, war crimes’ and then in peace times nothing you can do about it?

Food for thought. Would be super awesome if you answered, but no pressure. Have a lovely day :)

Hi Anon,

Thanks for your ask ☺️

I've been sitting on this a while, as I wasn't quite sure how to approach this - so apologies for the late response.

It's a very interesting question! And admittedly, it's not something I paid much attention to during my reading of the 7s version.

I'm not sure how seriously people take the little added extras 7s have 'bestowed' upon us, to be honest. They added a character bio for NHS that stated his weapon as 'crying' - which is hilarious, but not really canon.. well 🤔 They also rather infamously added a character bio for JFM that looked suspiciously like Madam Yu wrote it herself - just to name a few! So personally, I do take everything they add as 'extras' with a pinch of salt.

But, as you took the time to send such a detailed and interesting ask - we can certainly have a look at it! 🤗

These are my own opinions of course, and others may have different ideas. But as I said, this is just for fun.

Personally I don't think JC has any right at revenge against WWX in either lifetime. But since we're referencing the 'Four Great Grudges' as a reason - his apparent claim would be 'slaughter of one's clan'. But WWX did not slaughter the clan. Although the Wen sect gave WWX as the thinly veiled reason for coming to the sect, he was not the real cause and it was not by his own hand. JC even admitted later in the novel that the Wen sect would have eventually attacked either way. If we look at it another way though, JC definitely got revenge for the death of his father and the slaughter of his clan. He contributed in bringing the Wen sect down and (practically) annihilated the entire clan with the rest of the cultivation world. So he's had his revenge, that's for certain - and technically, that is very much thanks to WWX!

As for JL, his reason for revenge, according to the 'Four Great Grudges' would be 'murder of one's father'. This is a tough one. Firstly, his father died during a surprise attack on WWX - where WWX was just trying to defend himself during an ambush. Granted JZX was only there to stop the attack, but WWX wasn't sure if he should trust him. Since JZX was the one who invited him in the first place, it's difficult not to be suspicious! JZX wasn't very fair in asking WWX to back down first, when he was the one who was being attacked either. At this point WWXs trust is broken, so it's a big ask for him to step down first and put his life at risk. Not that it excuses the fact he was killed of course. JZXs death, although tragic, was an accident after all, so it technically wasn't murder as such. Not that anyone thought that at the time, they had already painted WWX as evil no matter what he did. But I guess in JLs eyes it was murder either way.

I'm not sure what JL knows about what happened back then - but considering the rumours and JC being his uncle, it probably had WWX as the devil incarnate. As JL was only a little baby at the time, JC might have exacted revenge for him by proxy after leading the siege at the burial mounds - so does that count? Granted, JC didn't kill WWX - but he did die during the siege.

Eventually, JL does attempt (albeit, perhaps halfheartedly) to exact revenge on WWX, once his identity is publicly revealed. Once he knows MXY is definitely WWX, he subsequently stabs him. Thankfully WWX lives and it seems JL is actually relieved about that!

In the end JL focuses all his hatred and blame on WN - because he's gotten to know WWX and has realised he's not this awful person people say. After all, WWX has saved him and others a number of times now. It's JLs own choice to let the past stay in the past in the end. WN offers JL the opportunity to take his frustration out on him, while they're sailing towards Lotus Pier near the end of the novel - but he doesn't. JL later witnesses WN being punched straight through the heart, just like WN did to his father all those years ago. This all happened while WN was trying to protect JC and JL from the incredibly ripped fierce corps that is NMJ. I think JL does indeed have some of his mother's good traits after all. In the end he lets all this hatred go and moves on. So I guess he doesn't technically fulfil his duty according to the 'Four Great Grudges' - but you know what, I don't think either of his parents would want him to anyway. Yes, even JZX!

Finally, onto LSZ!

I don't think LSZ would take revenge on people for what happened to his clan to be honest. He has the same core values of both WWX and LWJ, because of the way he was brought up. Yes, WWX took revenge back when he escaped the burial mounds, but WWX was not in the right frame of mind at that point in time. He was utterly traumatised and his mental state was incomprehensible. But WWX doesn't take revenge in his second life. He lets the past stay in the past, moving on to have the happily ever after he deserves, with LWJ. He knows full well, no good will come from revenge in the end.

If LSZ was going to take revenge, who would he take it out on? The whole cultivation world participated in the siege that killed his family. Including to a lesser extent, the Lan clan. His deceased relatives even resurrected to help WWX and everyone fighting against the corpses during the second siege. Just like WWX, the Wen remnants saved people who had been there during the first siege, as well as their descendants. People who might have contributed to their deaths. Yet they helped save them. I think even if A-Yuan wanted to seek retribution, this would be going directly against not only his dead relatives wishes and sacrifice - but everything WWX and LWJ have attempted to protect him from. LWJ went to great lengths to cover up LSZs connection to the Wen sect, even giving him the Lan last name - all in order to keep him safe. LSZ would never disregard what either of them have done for him, even if he wanted revenge. At least I don't think so!

.

As for the 'statue of limitations', obviously I'm not sure what the laws and such are in MDZS - but from the fact people are still after revenge on WWX some 13 years later, I'd say there probably isn't any statue of limitations! So I guess it's just a free-for-all!

As one of the cultivators at the second siege said:

"...With the works of karma, it’s never too late for revenge!”....

Chapter 68

It seems to be the general consensus for revenge!

*Your side note on JC's name. Others do use his courtesy name; such as JGY, JGS and LWJ. We don't tend to hear him interact with others that often and when we do it's usually as "Sect Leader Jiang" or something similar. Other than family or friends, when he is directly called by his birth name, this is out of disrespect from people he has usually angered (cultivators on Dafan Mountain and so on). Obviously WWX uses his birth name out of familiarity, as he does with LWJ. But apart from that, people use his courtesy name or honorifics ☺️

Hope you have a lovely day Anon! And thank you again for the ask 🤗