#shi mei can rot

[thegreymoon]

Hi. My question is in regards to 2ha. It's 2024 and we still have bad takes. However, one that annoys me the most is people saying that the flower twist happened to excuse mo ran's SA of chu wanning. What do you have to say about this? How can i frame my response in a way that'll shut these people up?

Hey, anon!

Unfortunately, you can't shut people up. People are going to have all kinds of takes and opinions and your best bet is not to get drawn into fandom wank.

With that said, I believe that the flower twist is very important for two reasons. The first reason is that the flower is not there to absolve Mo Ran, but to condemn Hua Binan. Some months ago, I not only didn't follow my own advice about not engaging in fandom wank, I also rolled about in it like a pig in a mire and in the process wrote a very angry rant because someone who had not even read the book was calling it dumb. In it, among other things, I said:

The message of 2ha is that violence breeds more violence and that suffering breeds more suffering. Monsters are created, not born, the world is cruel and unfair, and there is no justice, but no matter what was done to you, when you turn around and inflict that same violence onto others, you transform from a victim into the very monster that you hate. This is why Mo Ran, who was Shi Mei’s first victim, also being a BBBF is thematically so important. By doing what he did to Mo Ran, Shi Mei invalidated his own cause right from the very start. This is Meatbun’s explicit condemnation of Shi Mei’s spree of retribution and quest for power. 

Shi Mei—who was a member of a group of people who were dehumanised, genocided, brutalized and enslaved—proceeded to, for his own benefit, dehumanize, genocide, brutalize and enslave others. What’s worse, he did not turn against those who had wronged him (or at least not immediately), but against those who were weaker than him, unguarded against him, and who would have, if they had known of his bloodline, loved and protected him anyway. Mo Ran, whom he violated to such a horrific extent, turning out to be a BBBF himself is a narrative rebuke of Shi Mei’s actions distilled to its most concentrated form.

The flower is not there to excuse Mo Ran's SA of Chu Wanning, that is just complete nonsense. I feel like a lot of people get too invested in the idea of 2ha having a villain protagonist and cannot reconcile themselves to the fact that he was the victim. Accepting that feels like a loss to them, so it is easier to say that the twist is cheap and nonsensical than to change their perspective of Mo Ran as someone weak and controlled rather than as someone powerful and in control. Then, there is the other group which read "rape" in the trigger warnings list and skimmed through the book just to get on their high horse and flap their mouths about how superior they are for not letting the book trick them into excusing it. If that was the only thing one took away from this twist after all the important messages Meatbun conveyed with the fact that Mo Ran was also the victim here, then they have completely missed the point. People who are so bothered by the non-con to the extent that they are blinded to ANYTHING ELSE written in this book should not have read 2ha to begin with.

The second reason is that 2ha is beautifully composed. it is very cyclical, the plot starts out very vague and broad and then moves inwards, in concentric circles until we finally get to the core and there, we find that Chu Wanning was actually Mo Ran's first love, just like Mo Ran was his. It removes the taint of Mo Ran's idiotic obsession with Shi Mei from the start of the novel which was manufactured and fake. We finally get to see the full picture and that his true love for Chu Wanning was always there, fighting to break out all along, even when he couldn't consciously process it. In fact, that twist is hardly a twist at all once you know it, it is so logical, because even though we love to blame all the misunderstandings and miscommunications in the first half on Mo Ran being "dumb", it is obvious from the start that there is something wrong with his memory and his way of thinking. Suddenly, it all makes sense.

However, one of the most impressive things about this book is the balance and the symmetry between the two leads. One is demonic, the other is divine. One is an extrovert, the other is an introvert. One is neat, the other is messy. One can cook, the other cannot. But they are both powerful, they are both equally obsessed with each other, devoted, jealous and unhinged and as such, they must be equal in all things. Chu Wanning's suffering and sacrifice for Mo Ran were so great, Mo Ran's suffering and sacrifice had to correspond in both gravity and horror. This is where the flower comes in. Taking the flower is Mo Ran's sacrifice and existing as Taxian-jun is his suffering. Because, make no mistake, Mo Ran as Taxian-jun suffered beyond comprehension.

Anyway, if you go through my 2ha, 2ha meta, mo ran and taxian-jun tags I am sure you can find lots and lots of my thoughts on Taxian-jun, Mo Ran's true nature, the cursed flower and him turning out to be a demon in the end.

Anyway, I hope my answer helps! :)

[translations-by-aiimee]

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chapter 11

Original Title:  二哈和他的白猫师尊

Genres: Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 11 - This Venerable One Wants His Family to be Happy

"Yes, it's me!" Madam Chen sobbed, "But I didn't write this spiritual tablet! How could I curse my child? I—"

"You wouldn't have written it while you were awake, but not necessarily while you were asleep."

Chu Wanning said. He raised his hand, picked up the spiritual tablet, spiritual energy pouring out of his palm. Suddenly, a distant and piercing scream erupted from the spiritual tablet, followed by a stream of blood gurgling out of it.

The sharp gleam in Chu Wanning's eyes was bitterly cold, and he harshly said: "The arrogance of this creature; it dares to make trouble!"

Because of the great spiritual power in his palm, the writing on the tablet was forced to retreat little by little amid the screams, becoming fainter until it finally disappeared completely. Chu Wanning's slender and cold white fingers clenched and the whole tablet shattered!!

The Chen family looked stunned from behind him. Not just the Chen family, even Shi Mei was stunned.

He couldn't help sighing: "That's amazing."

Mo Ran also couldn't help but sigh inside; he really was so powerful.

Chu Waning turned his handsome and clear face sideways. There was no expression on his face, only a few spots of blood splashed on the side of his cheek. He raised his hand and carefully examined the bloodstains remaining on his fingertips. He said to the Chen family: "All of you will stay in the courtyard today, don't go anywhere."

At this point, none of them dared disobey and they quickly agreed: "Okay! Okay! Whatever you say!"

Chu Wanning strode out of the temple, unconcerned with wiping away the blood on his face. He gestured at Madam Chen: "Especially you, don't fall asleep. To keep that thing out of your body, even if you get tired, you need to stay awake."

"Yes. . . yes yes!" Madam Chen replied repeatedly. With tears in her tears, she asked in disbelief, "Daoist Master, my son. . . is. . . is he alright?"

"He's fine for now."

Madam Chen was startled: "For now? Not always? Then, how can I save my son's life?"

Chu Wanning said: "Catch the demon."

Mrs. Chen was very anxious and couldn't help but be a little rude. She couldn't care less about being polite and asked urgently: "When does the Daoist master plan to catch it?"

"Immediately."

Chu Wanning said. He glanced at the Chen family and asked: "Who knows where the red coffin was dug? Come and lead the way."

The eldest son’s daughter-in-law was named Yao. Even though she was a woman, she was tall and looked somewhat good-looking Although her face was filled with fear, she was calmer than the others. She spoke up: "My late husband and I picked out the land. I know the location. I'll lead you there."

The three of them followed Chen Yao all the way north and soon arrived at the land the Chen family had bought.

Martial law had been set up there, and there are no one around. The dark hills were overgrown with trees, not a single sound of insects or birds singing.

Climbing up the mountainside, the view widened over the scene. Chen Yao said: "The three Daoist masters are here."

The place where the red coffin was dug out still had a tombstone stuck over it. Mo Ran laughed: "What's this broken stone supposed to be used for? It looks like an amateur put it there. Move it."

Chen Yao was a little flustered: "The gentleman in the town said that the evil creature is being suppressed by it and can't get out."

Mo Ran chuckled: "He must be really capable."

". . ." Chen Yao said, "Move, move, move!"

Chu Wanning remarked icily: "No need." After he said that, he raised his hand, and golden light glowed from his fingertips. Tianwen listened to his command and appeared in his palm. As soon as he flicked the willow vine, the headstone instantly shattered into pieces! Chu Wanning walked over expressionlessly. He stood on the pile of ruins, raised his palm again, and said in a deep voice: "What are you doing hiding in there? Get up!"

There was a strange noise underneath the earth, and suddenly, a 12-foot-high thick wooden coffin broke out of the ground. The sand and mud rained down and dust was flying everywhere.

Shi Mei exclaimed in surprise: "This coffin is surrounded by such evil energy!"

Chu Wanning said: "Stand back."

After that, with a backhand draw, Tianwen slashed across the welded red coffin. Golden sparks shot in all directions. After a few moments of silence, the coffin lid exploded with a bang. The billowing smoke dispersed and the thing inside it was revealed.

Lying in the coffin was a naked man with a straight nose and a handsome face. If it weren't for his pale skin, he would look like he was simply sleeping.

Mo Ran's eyes flicked down to what was under the man's waist: covering his eyes and said: "Oh, don't wear skimpy pants, you skunk."

Shi Mei: ". . ."

Chu Wanning: ". . ."

Chen Yao cried out: "Husband!" She moved forward to rush towards the coffin. Chu Wanning stretched out his hand to stop her. He raised an eyebrow and asked: "This is your husband?"

"Yes! It's my husband!" Chen Yao was devastated. "Why would he be here? He was already buried in the ancestral grave. He was also wearing much nicer funeral clothes. How could he. . ."

Halfway through speaking, the woman began to weep, pounding her chest, "How could this happen! How tragic - so awful! Husband. . . Husband!!"

Shi Mei sighed: "Madam Chen, please keep it together."

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran didn't pay attention to the crying woman. Chu Wanning was not good at comforting people, while Mo Burning was totally compassionless. They stared at the body in the coffin.

Since Mo Ran had lived through this in a previous life, nothing unfolding was a surprise to him, but he still needed to put on an appearance, so he touched his chin thoughtfully: "Shizun, something's wrong with the corpse."

Chu Wanning: "I know."

". . ."

What he had said was exactly what Chu Wanning had said during this conversation in his previous life. In this life, he wanted to use it to shock Chu Wanning. He did well, and yet he only threw out a simple "I know" as a result.

Shouldn't a shizun encourage his disciple to speak his mind and give him praise and reward??

Mo Ran pretended that he hadn't heard him say "I know", and continued: "This corpse has no signs of decay. It's been more than half a month since the accident. Based on the current climate, it should have festered and rotted. A layer of fluids should have built up in the coffin. That's the first strange thing."

Chu Wanning gave him a cold glare with a look of "Are you done fooling around?": ". . ."

"Secondly." Mo Ran was unmoved, continuing to recite Chu Wanning's words from the previous life to solve the puzzle. "Before the coffin was opened, the evil energy around the red coffin was dense, but after it was opened, it dissipated. And there's a minimal evil aura around the corpse, which is also very abnormal."

Chu Wanning: ". . ."

"Thirdly, did you find that from the moment the coffin was opened, there was a sweet smell in the air?"

The scent was so delicate, if you don't pay attention, you wouldn't notice it at all. When Mo Ran pointed it out, Shi Mei and Chen Yao realized that there really was a faint sweetness in the air.

Shi Mei: "Indeed."

Chen Yao's face changed when she smelled it, "This scent. . ."

Shi Mei: "Madam Chen, what's the matter?"

Chen Yao’s scared voice changed: "This scent is my mother-in-law's hundred butterfly fragrance powder!"

No one spoke for a while. The prophetic sign in the ancestral hall that read "Master Yang, Chen Sunshi" appeared in front of him again.

Shi Mei asked: ". . . Could Madam Chen really have done this?"

Mo Ran: "It doesn't look like that."

Chu Wanning: "No."

The two spoke almost at the same time and glanced at each other after speaking. Chu Wanning's face didn't waver: "You speak."

Mo Ran said nonchalantly: "As far as I know, the Chen family made a fortune and relied on the old lady's hundred butterfly fragrance powder. Although the powder's formula is a secret, the finished product isn't difficult to get. Five or six of ten girls in Caidie Town use this fragrance. Not only that, but we investigated before we came here. Mr. Chen himself seems to like his mother's butterfly fragrance powder very much, and he often mixes it in his bathwater so it’s not strange that he has this smell on his body, the strange thing is. . ."

He said, turning his head again to the naked man in the coffin.

"This person has been dead for half a month, and this fragrance smells like it was just applied. Am I right, Shizun?"

Chu Wanning: ". . ."

"Just praise me if I'm right."

Chu Wanning: "Mmm."

Mo Ran laughed: "What a waste of words."

He didn't have a chance to laugh again. Suddenly, his robe flew to the side, Chu Wanning pulled him back a few feet, the golden light of Tianwen in his hand was shining, dancing like flames.

"Watch out."

The smell of the butterfly fragrance powder in the air suddenly grew stronger. As the scent drifted away, a white mist appeared between the grass and trees, which began to diffuse at an alarming speed. Instantly, it turned the entire mountainside into a sea of ​​mist, and all of a sudden, he couldn't even see the hand in front of his face!

Mo Ran's heart lurched.

An illusionary world appeared.

"Ah!!!" In the thick fog, the first thing that rang out was Chen Yao's screams, "Daoist Master, help—"

Before she finished the last word, everything went silent.

Chu Wanning's fingertips lit up with a blue gleam, and he slapped a tracking spell onto Mo Ran's forehead: "Be careful, I'll check it out."

After he spoke, he followed the voice and quickly disappeared into the thick fog.

Mo Ran touched his forehead and chuckled in a low voice: "Well, even the position of the spell is exactly the same as in my previous life. Chu Wanning, you really haven't changed a bit."

The fog came quickly and dispersed just as fast. It didn't take long for the fog to disappear without a trace. However, the scene in front of him was even more surprising than the fog. Mo Ran was really shocked, at least he was in his last life.

After the fog cleared, the originally desolate and overgrown mountainside had disappeared.

Instead, there was a vast and elegant garden, pavilions, waterfalls, curved corridors, rocky gardens and jade trees, and pebble paths as far as the eye could see.

Mo Ran took a look at the surroundings and immediately wanted to roll around in joy.

This rogue hooligan spent all day thinking about this illusion. In his previous life, they were similarly lost in it. First, Mo Ran ran into Shi Mei, and under the compulsion of the illusion, he kissed the other for the first and only time in his life.

It's a pity that Shi Mei was terribly frightened when it happened. He let go of Mo Ran, turned and ran away. He wasn't given the chance to take a second bite of the swan before it was taken off his plate, which was really unfortunate.

After the illusion was broken, Shi Mei never brought it up. The kiss in the illusion was treated as if it hadn't happened, and no one mentioned it again. Sometimes when he dreamt at night, Mo Ran wondered if he was obsessing too deeply over something he imagined.

But whether he imagined it or not, Mo Ran licked his lips. He thought this time he definitely wouldn't let Shi Mei run away from him that easy! One kiss wasn't enough!

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

[princeharukoji]

2HA REVIEW/ THOUGHTS

SPOILERS AHEAD

So where shall I start? I really liked this story. Book 1 and 2 was a slow burn. I didn't mind it. Because we need to see Moran's personality changes, the love blossoming between the 2 main lead. It was slow, but did a great work. Because actually in the beginning (not Taxian Jun, but the reborn Moran) I couldn't stand the MC...well okay maybe I couldn't stand TXJ actually 😂 but the thing is real. I really liked how every character i disliked slowly started to like, love, and then wanted to protecc 🥺 Ok Chu Wanning has my heart from the beginning to the end. But I disliked Moran, Xue Meng, Nangong Si, Nangong Xu, the ghost girl from the start, Jiang Xi, Mei Hanxue. And I love them all. I even wanted a heart breaking Xue Meng and Jiang Xin father and son moment aaaaaaa. But what I got in the end was a knife in my heart by seeing Xue Meng get to know about Jiang Xi's adooted son 😭 So actually every character I was uninterested I became interested.

I get to like Moran more and more, and wanted them to be together. When Chu Wanning died, i cried. Twice, bc first the present Shizun then the previous Shizun life were taken away. But when Moran learned the truth about wontons, when he went to catch CWN's soul to the underworld...when his affection started to bloom again. Oh God, i could see sparkling eyes, and red ears Shizun.

After 5 yrs Shizun wake up. Ok so tbh the thirst they got made me crazy. At least it keot going on like 40 chapters and i was like OMFG HORNY TEENAGERS 😂 I couldn't bear their pain and thirst hahaha it was a long way to get togetheger. But they live was blooming, it got deeper and deeper.

Tho we were half at the story and they get together... Tho CWN didn't know Moran's secrets yet. Definetely it can't be a happy end like this... I started to train my soul, from now on it will be hell. And yes, actually hell happened through the 3rd book.

Nangong Si and Ye Wangxi storyline broke my heart. I wanted them to be happy together so much they would deserve it. Xue Meng's parents were so strong, they amazed me especially the Madam with her sacrifice. There was a lot of time when I thought YES go and get them. When Nangong Xi told his story I wished he could get his revenge. When Sisheng peak fall I wished they would let the world end. The 3rd book was amazing. I didn't mind that i couldn't breath. It was full of actions, it was fast, it was running at full speed, and I liked it. I liked that I couldn't read at one moment because I was hungry reading and scan readed a lot of things to get to the important part so i had to stop but i couldn't.

Until the last 2 chapters. Because the last 2 chapters gave me a headache. Chapter 309 made me cry I cried so hard. The reborn Moran's death was through 3 chapters. I felt my heart was taken out. Seeing CWN care for him and when he died he didn't want to let it go... I cried like a child. The whole situation with the judgments, the humiliating... It was hard to read. CWN came to save him I.... I cried. The same reborn technique can't be used twice on a soul, and Shizu already made him reborn in the previous life. When he gave his spirit to the body and made the same thing like TXJ in previous life to keep his body alive, until they're living the other's body won't rot- i kinda sensed that it will be used. But after his spirit core were fused in TXJ, the emperor met Moran, give his reborn memories to the 10 yrs old dead body and his soul, I was afraid his soul will merge in that body. But Taxian Jun has one soul, and he changed too, saved everybody and saved Shizun. When he was dying I asked my phone "HOW WILL THIS BE HAPPY END ITS OVER HIS BODY WILL TURN TO ASHES".

And then he woke up at a demon palace. Plot armor. Not dead, not alive. In one chapter "the last card" ironically REALLY is a last card. We get to know that not just Shi Mei, but Mo Ran is actually ACTUALLY A SPECIAL BUTTERFLY-BONED BEAUTY like WHAAAAT 😂😂 you... You can't just throw something so special so randomly. It doesn't work like that. It's totally a PLOT ARMOR! I can think that Taxian Jun was made to look like a demon but... It is not enough clue in the story to make me feel that it is a well builded line.

And the other thing.. why I have mixed feelings is the split personality. Like Moran and Taxian Jun exist. Both of them in one person. Mo Ran is too good while Taxian Jun is too agressive and possessive. This is why i would love to see his personality fused, like a normal human. It was a bit meh. I don't really like it. I would like to see a bit more agressive and possessive Moran, who is grey. Not just 3 days good Moran and 1 day his Majesty. But I will see how will this threesome work in the extras...

+1 Chu Xun'a story was really good, i thought it will be more into it, when they met in the underworld too, I really love how everything is connected!! And the thing that Chu Wanning is a divide wood spirit..... And áll the tree puns.... I cry 😂

I have to mention the antagonist too. Well from the start I didn't liked him. Shi Mei was fake. So fake I could see it. I had a feeling he will be the protagonist, and I spoiled it to later too. His story... Did not touch my heart so much. I thought I will like him, but I just like the present and alive Shi Mei! He chosen a different path. But previous shimei, Hua Binan....he was cruel. He didn't care about humans, just demons, and after knowing her mother story... It just didn't hit the right spots. He wasn't that much of a grey character i love.

This is it for now, maybe i will edit it, or write a part 2 when I feel it. I really love this story, I dont know what to do after it, tho i still have the extras fortunately. I can't wait the cdrama from it, Im so excited to see my 2 fav Shizun and disciple!!

PS pls feel free to talk to me, I don't really have ppl near me who read it, so im happy to chat about it with anybody 😭

[hamliet]

I can’t believe you’re reading 2ha too now! I started following u way back when you were posting tg and snk meta and it’s so weird in an amazing way how you started posting mdzs meta at the same time I started reading it! I’d like to ask you for your thoughts on 2ha so far? (Maybe on Nangong Si and Ye Wangxi’s relationship?) Thank you :)

Ahhhh hi Anon!!! Thank you for sticking with me through all my fandom phases! And hooray, my first 2ha ask!! My general thoughts on the story are that it is a highly enjoyable story with fantastic, compelling characters and genuine emotional beats, though it also was thematically contradictory. That said, I really enjoyed it, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the live action even if it’s going to be heavily censored! I love it and want to make more content for it.

But onto the meat of your ask: Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si, the ship that tears our hearts out. *art is from the audio drama* So 2ha's cultivation world is, like the worlds in MXTX’s novels, utterly hypocritical, corrupt, and filled with people desperate for a justice that does not exist; it's also much more cynical than MXTX's novels in its view of humanity. Nangong Si's and Ye Wangxi's arcs are wrapped up in this view of the world, in concepts such as corruption and justice and the like, so I'm going to open by talking a bit about this before delving into their arcs, and keep in mind I will have discuss spoilers from the manual translation.  

I don't think there's a better summary of what 2ha thinks about justice than what Xue Zhengyong says in this scene when a horribly abused child is on trial for terrible things the child, now grown, went on to do: 

Fate...

Some people were born rich. 

It's not fair.

When fate had poured injustice on those at the bottom, a mere price adjustment order could take the lives of the loved ones around them.

Where is justice?

They were all living people. How could they not hate him? How could they feel relieved?

Even if this child had missed it, even if he was not his blood kin, even if his fate played with him … Thinking of this, his heart still ached.

...

Xue raised his face and watched the clouds drift by."Okay, now that his sin has been repaid, he should at least repay the debt he owes this world." 

The wind was blowing .Xue Zheng Yong suddenly choked with sobs.

"But this world owes him … Did someone give it back to him... Has anyone returned it to him … " 

What about the crimes done to this person to make them that way? Does punishing this person bring any justice? How do we live in a world that is--perhaps irretrievably--broken? Every character explores this idea, and Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si are no exception. 

Nangong Si and Ye Wangxi are both obvious foils: they're children used by their parents, tools more than people. They also both--but especially Nangong Si--foil Shi Mei and Mo Ran in this, in terms of something horrible happening to their mother, something that scarred them for the rest of their lives. For example, Nangong Si's last words to his mother were: 

"I don't understand, I don't want to understand, I …I …” Nangong Si raised his tearful eyes and cried out to his mother, who was outside the forbidden spell, "I hate you! I don't have a mother like you! "

Mo Ran’s mother died and he had to drag her rotting corpse for two weeks to get to a place where he could bury her; Shi Mei’s mother was brutally eaten alive for her power. From these incidents, all three boys learn that the world is cruel in a distinct flavor that will influence everything they do from then on: Mo Ran learns no one will help him even if he begs for it, leading to him being both extremely clingy and extremely mistrustful; Nangong Si learns fate can be cruel and that he, too, can be cruel; Shi Mei learns that he can’t protect everyone and that his heritage puts him and his loved ones, all his people really, in huge danger--and that people will do evil things for power. Guess what he ends up doing. 

Ye Wangxi is also a Mo Ran foil: adopting a false persona and different role to please the people who took them in and were kind to them. Mo Ran pretends to be Xue Zhengyong and Madame Wang's nephew, when he really isn't; Ye Wangxi pretends to be a man to please the father who adopted her. That father is gray; I mean, technically he's morally repulsive, but he did genuinely care for Ye Wangxi. However, Ye Wangxi's willingness to sacrifice her life is not entirely a positive thing: clearly, Nangong Si will do whatever he has to in order to protect her, even marry Song Qiutong; his sacrifice there, likewise, leads to unhappiness for them both. 

Ye Wangxi and Song Qiutong are definitively foiled, and I'm going to sound as if I'm saying Ye Wangxi=good and Song Qiutong=bad, when, while that may be how the novel frames it, is certainly not what the novel actually says (it's an objective contradiction) nor is it what I interpreted. But they are distinct foils, which is why they are the two characters romantically linked to Nangong Si, representing to him the two paths he could choose to go down. Ye Wangxi will sacrifice herself to protect others, as seen in the sacrifice of her love for Nangong Si and her sacrifice of her identity and willingness to sacrifice her life.  

In contrast, Song Qiutong will throw others under the bus to save herself. For example, when she is accused of cheating on Nangong Si, she does not trust people to defend her and falsely accuses Ye Wangxi of rape--even though Ye Wangxi had previously risked her safety to save Song Qiutong from an auction. Now, I've an issue with how the novel frames Song Qiutong for this: I don't understand why Song Qiutong is condemned when (as far as we and Mo Ran himself know at the time) Mo Ran is himself a rapist and when she was entrapped into the situation (i.e. if many characters hadn't been put in certain situations, they wouldn't have done terrible things), especially given her past (constantly living under the threat of being killed or raped--let's be honest, if she was deemed at fault, do you really think they'd just let a Butterfly Bone Beauty go?) and given story otherwise stating that people shouldn't be faulted for wanting to live. Who has repaid her for the wrongs done for her? 

I digress. Still, the tl;dr is that Song Qiutong's way of surviving involves hurting others. Song Qiutong also directly foils Nangong Si. Nangong Si starts out as... well, also as a very self-centered person who didn’t care that Song Qiutong was about to meet a fate worse than death in the light of the inconvenience Ye Wangxi saving her caused him. Additionally, he takes his frustrations out on those around him:

However, even after his father is revealed to be like, the literal worst, Nangong Si cannot condemn his father. He could easily abandon him: in fact, in this cruel world, it might be perceived as more righteous for him to do so, but he doesn't. He gives his father a chance, and when they need a sacrifice and the most logical one is his mentally de-aged father: Nangong Si faces a choice: does he want to be like Song Qiutong? Or does he want to be like Ye Wangxi? He chooses to be like Ye Wangxi. This is not, however, a solely beautiful choice, because remember 2ha's world sucks and its suckery infects everything. The world itself is wrong, and so righteousness--true righteousness--is utterly impossible. Nangong Si sacrifices his life to save them all, but that leaves Ye Wangxi alone and many characters (and readers) grieving. It also could be read as highlighting, for Mo Ran at least, where he has yet to go: a few chapters earlier he almost sacrificed his reputation to warn everyone, but panicked and did not in the end. Mo Ran, of course, is related to Nangong Si by blood and could have sacrificed himself (I'm not saying he should have; the circumstances suck), so I suppose you could view it as Mo Ran still slowly developing (and his callous treatment of Rong Jiu and then entrapment of Song Qiutong as him slowly learning, but if so I wish it had been called out as a "well, I handled that hypocritically" moment later on). Or maybe that's reaching on my part. *shrugs* Ye Wangxi is a moral character, perhaps the most righteous in the story. She is the only one who stands by Mo Ran when he's put on trial to be tortured, declaring confidently:

Ye Wangxi fed him some warm water.

Mo Ran said in a low voice, "Why …."

"You helped A-Si." Ye Wangxi did not raise her head. "You helped me too."

"... On Mount Flood Dragon, if I was the one to die, Nangong will …" Ye Wangxi's hand paused slightly. She was trembling, but she still said in the end, "Everyone wants to live. I won't blame you just because you want to live."

"..."

"Drink it." She said, .”..you've been helping me and A-Si by risking our lives. Now, even if no one is willing to help you, I will still help you." Her expression was still dull, but it was firm. “I'm here." As she said 'here', she was indeed standing by the side of Mo Ran.

It's fitting, then, that Ye Wangxi's ending contrasts her with Shi Mei. She rescues refugees before the final battle and then travels the world with Nangong Si's wolf, because she will never forget the one she loves, and to presumably act justly and do righteousness, sow kindness into a world, rescue people despite how rescuing Song Qiutong actually endangered both her and Nangong Si. 

Shi Mei wanted to change the world, quite literally rewriting time, but only made it worse in the end. Ye Wangxi's way of change might be slower, might be less fantastical, but it's not going to hurt people in the meantime. (Side note: I wish the novel would have been more optimistic and come up with some kind of justice for the Butterfly Bone Beauty people, but it really doesn't as far as I understood (this may be wrong; the MTL of the last twenty or so chapters are confusing!))

[dramanovellife]

Listening Snow Tower: Final thoughts

I finished watching Listening Snow Tower yesterday and well while it was nice I have a whole lot of rant accumulated. The first half was quite enjoyable but I somehow lost patience during the second half so I was kind of speed watching a lot.

The main characters Xiao Yi Qing and Shu Jing Rong are truly quite something as a couple... She kept distrusting him and he would just take it without clearing the misunderstanding even when she was asking about it... He’s maybe hurt she doesn’t trust him or maybe he just can’t be bothered but argh that was infuriating. No trust no communication. Even at the end, they did it again and I was seriously questioning her love towards him. In the end, turns out it was actually a show for the bad guys. That was a very convincing show ^^”

I feel so sad for Nan Chu. He was such a good shixiong :( Why did they have to kill him off...

On the other hand, Chi Xiao Tai’s ending is not that bad. Life confinement? Looks like she can still walk around inside the tower if she was just chilling in the armory. She’s been such an infuriating spoiled brat from beginning to end. She’s been in love with the traitor for a very long time and yet because she’s a spoiled stubborn brat who won’t stop until she gets what she wants, she wanted to get her shixiong’s love and ruined everything doing that. She kept going on about how mad she was that she can’t compare to SJR but why do they always love to compare really... It’s not even a matter of who is the most beautiful or the strongest. I really don’t get women in drama sometimes... They either want to kill the rival (like that will help) or destroy everything (cause hate is better than being ignored). I guess her biggest punishment is losing the one who loved her all along due to her stubbornness.

I really don’t feel sorry for Gao Meng Fei/Qing Yu though. He was quite likeable at the very beginning but I lost all hope for him the moment he abandoned his shimei. Selfish ambitious no loyalty. He fell in love with the wrong person and that brought out the worse in him. They do make a good terrible couple though.

Another disaster of a person is Ming He. Seriously drama parents, treat your children with a bit of love. It’s either spoil them until they rot or be so harsh they become psychopaths. She latched onto the poor Qing Lan who showed her kindness and was so handsome...and would never let go. Because ofc love is being together forever with the person you love even if that person might not be willing. She’s the worst case of *I need to kill my rival*. She’s a pitiful love craved person who could have had a chance with Qing Lan if she wasn’t so crazy and vicious.

This show is truly full of foolish people. Another great and infuriating example is Gao Huang & Ye Feng Sha and Ren Fei Yang & Shi Ming Yan. Walking around in the enemy territory? Leisurely shopping? Very good idea. Maybe the first couple didn’t think they would strike in broad daylight but second couple should have learned from it.

The worst is that dark crazy SMY blamed YFS and RFY’s deaths on XYQ... I can kind of understand for RFY cause his death might feel like it was nothing since XYQ didn’t attack the Moon sect. But YFS??? How can that even be blamed on him?? The girl decided to die together with the person the Moon sect was targeting. XYQ told them to leave Moon sect territory fast but what did they do instead? Shopping. No sense of danger here. SMY wants the Tower to rush at Moon sect but she clearly doesn’t understand that rushing with no guarantee or plan is a very bad idea. RFY pretended to be Li Consort’s son for nothing indeed but that was all because of GMF who ruined the plan.

Crazy as she is, SMY even broke her own legs. And for what? I can’t believe SJR gave her the almighty sword at the end lol To be wielded by a righteous person sure. SMY is far from what I would call a righteous person. Besides, she’s a disabled little girl who can’t even wield a sword to begin with.

Best girl in this show is Qian Mei, the girl who was to be married to the Long guy. She’s such a strong person who stuck to her principles. It’s a pity the show seemingly forgot about her until the last few minutes. If anything she’s more worthy of the almighty sword.

Oh well end of my rant xD Complained a lot about this show but it was still pretty nice and visually pleasing. I particularly loved the architecture in the Tower. So elegant. Very good ost as well. And well sickly but badass ML? Yes all the way xD It even had a happy ending :D

EDIT: OMG I almost forgot about XYQ’s mother. I’m honestly surprised at how weak and useless she was all throughout the show. Did they somehow strip her of her martial arts? Or did she just lose her mind after being confined for so long? Her decision to go back to Moon sect was the worst ever. I doubt it helped at all. It just launched her husband and son on a quest to save her.

[thegreymoon]

Hi! Can you explain how exactly does the flower of everlasting hatred works? I know the rules and the stages in the book but I also think it is more complicated than that? Like you said in your previous answer that Mo Ran didn't completely kiII senselessly. Does that mean he had some understanding of things?

Hey, nonny!

Mind you, I read that bit in the MTL quite a while ago, so I am a bit hazy on the details, but the way I understood it, the Flower of Everlasting Hatred was planted into Mo Ran's heart and the way it worked was to wipe all his happy memories and good feelings while intensifying the negative ones and lowering his inhibitions. Over time, there were fewer and fewer happy thoughts (or even sane ones) while the negative ones keep accumulating. Another thing that this flower does is that it casts an infatuation spell with the spell caster. For this to work, Shi Mei had to plant a piece of his own soul into Mo Ran's heart to activate the spell and make him obsessed with his image, which is why we see Mo Ran obsessing with teenage Shi Mei and people who look like him, but does not at all recognise his adult form or has any reaction to him at all. In fact, he finds it "strange". Another reason for this is that in addition to the infatuation, the first timeline's Hua Binan kept wiping and altering his memories (the way we saw him do at that inn after Bugui resurfaced in the second timeline). His attraction to Shi Mei is very superficial and artificially induced, giving Shi Mei a way to control him and force him to do his bidding. This led to all of Mo Ran's hatred and confusion. Mo Ran could not retain any good memories of his times with Chu Wanning and the flower kept fuelling his resentment, even though Chu Wanning loved him and in the latter half of their marriage was very much reciprocating in bed together with him and in other ways, such as comforting him, cooking for him, cuddling when he wanted it and so on.

With that said, the curse could not wipe his love for Chu Wanning, it could only wipe memories associated with it and block him from consciously being aware of it because all this made Mo Ran fundamentally happy and the flower obstructed all happiness and magnified the resentment. Much to Hua Binan's irritation, the curse never removed Mo Ran's love, but without any inhibitions and with his sanity compromised, it was more like an obsession. Nothing Hua Binan did could remove it, which must have been doubly irritating for him because he wanted Chu Wanning for himself but could not dislodge Taxian-jun's obsession with him, no matter how he reinforced the curse or scrambled his mind. Because he needed Taxian-jun to do his bidding, he could not forcibly remove Chu Wanning from his proximity because then Mo Ran would spiral and do nothing of the work he needed him to do.

We have seen that Hua Binan could actually force him to do his bidding through mind control but to do this, he had to exert a lot of energy and couldn't do it with regularity, so his best bet was to coerce him. Once Chu Wanning died, Taxian-jun killed himself and Hua Binan could not prevent this, even though he still needed him to keep building that bridge for him. This is why he resurrected the corpse, which should have been possible to mind control because there would be no consciousness inside, but Taxian-jun had retained a piece of his soul because a piece of Chu Wanning's soul was inside his body and the part of him that loved him could not bear to part with it. Hence, Hua Binan still did not have control over him.

When I say that Taxian-jun's killing was not entirely senseless, I mean it. He killed people for utility, to conquer lands and build that bridge, which was simply a practical matter, and out of jealousy or revenge. He never just killed for the sake of killing. It all had a reason. There are hints throughout the book that this brought him deep suffering because it went against his conscience and everything that he was as a person, but again, he could not consciously access any of it and all he felt was agony, which further fed the flower and reinforced its power over him.

Chu Wanning going back in time and planting a piece of his soul in teenage 1.0 Mo Ran blocked the toxic influence of Shi Mei's soul segment and deactivated the flower, so we see the fog in Mo Ran's mind slowly clearing as the story unfolds, and by book 4, his mind is completely clear, even though a lot of his happiest memories are still missing, namely, of his original love for Chu Wanning, watching the moon and drinking wine together, learning to write (he had to re-learn), making that handkerchief for him and having it accepted, and so on. These were his happiest memories and as such, they were wiped first, before Chu Wanning could disable the spell.

Chu Wanning's full 0.5 soul was fully reassembled by the end of the book, however, Shi Mei's part withered along with the flower when it was extracted, so it is my great hope that, even if second timeline's Shi Mei does manage to repent enough to reenter the cycle of reincarnation, he will be born crippled and deficient in some way for however many lifetimes of suffering, until he somehow manages to restore his missing piece of soul (or not, I honestly care very little). As for the soul of his first timeline's counterpart, I believe that it was fully destroyed when it was smashed by the gates and would not continue to exist in any form, in any world, ever again.

Anyway, I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any additional questions and I'll try to explain to the best of my understanding.

[thegreymoon]

Ugh, rereading 2ha is just all knives 😢

Like, for Mo Ran to say he isn't a 'naturally kind person'? When we already know everything that is revealed about him later? How much relentless evil and injustice he endured while still striving to be good? And him believing this about himself? It's just 🗡🗡🗡

Also, I can't not laugh at how he 'doesn't particularly like kids' when the reformed evil tyrant TXJ regularly goes down into the village post-canon to spend his very limited time babysitting little kids for no reason 🤣🤣

I honestly despise Shi Mei for what he did to Mo Ran. Yeah, he has his reasons for being so twisted, but honestly, he can rot.

I mean, look at this. Just look:

This is who Shi Mei destroyed. Whom he made suffer the way he did. Made him sin in his place. Made him kill and torture the people who had been kind to him. He oppressed someone weaker than him. Honestly, I don't care if he finds his peace and redemption by the end of his life through guilt and suffering of his own, but he does not deserve absolution from Mo Ran and I'm glad the narrative does not force him to give it to him.

[thegreymoon]

Every once in awhile I’m reminded that Shi Mei exist and that I hate him :) like dude had his reasons but 🤷🏻‍♀️ I simply do not care about him at all 🙅🏻‍♀️ he went way past the line of things that I’m willing to forgive with Mo Ran (Who is my favorite baby) and he doesn’t even accept that he’s responsible for all the bullshit that happened in the first world, and is like kind of blaming Mo Ran? And that enrages me so much :)

I mean, I have stanned plenty of villains in my day and yes, as a villain, Shi Mei is very well conceived, but I just don't like him, nor do I find him appealing as a character. While, yeah, his grand plan was horrific, I can get behind wanting to kill your oppressors so that your own people can live well, especially when massive trauma twists any ethics and morals you might have. But I find him so slimy as a person. CWN did everything right by him and Shi Mei supposedly "loved" him, yet his plan to repay him was to rape and mind control him and turn him into a weapon of mass destruction. He directly led to the deaths of XZY and Madam Wang, who also did right by him. What he did end up doing to Mo Ran is so horrific. I love that Mo Ran ended up being one of his own, to drive home the point of just how wrong he was extra hard. I wish Hua Binan had known and I hate that he got to die still feeling self-righteous about his actions. The special cherry on top of it all was his "but it was TXJ who killed them, why are you angry with meeee???" 🙄🙄 At least Shi Mei 2.0 gets to suffer with the full knowledge of what they did for the both of them. And, yeah, I know many people see Shi Mei 2.0 as the less evil and less responsible one (I don't, but that is beside the point), but even so, if he is to find repentance, he must know the full magnitude of what he has done and suffer under its weight.

One thing I love about 2ha is that repentance does not automatically mean forgiveness or absolution. A great example for this is Huaizui. Yeah, he repented, yeah, he tried to make amends, and yeah, in the end he even started to make amends selflessly. But he never got absolution either from Chu Xun or Chu Wanning and his soul was still doomed at the end of it.

I very much believe that victims have the right not to forgive the people who abused them and furthermore, that the expectation of it shouldn't be there to begin with. I don't think either Mo Ran or CWN will forgive Shi Mei simply because he hurt not only them, but the people they loved the most in the most horrific ways. Will he be able to repent and find peace on his own? Maybe, but I honestly don't care care what happens to Shi Mei in the end. If he is able to repent and save his soul? Good. If he is not? That is also good.

[thegreymoon]

Do you think Mo Ran sleeping with Rong Jiu, Song Qiutong and sexuaIIy assauIting Chu Wanning when the flower was in him was non-consensual for him too?

Oh, 100% non-consensual, which is something people don't point out enough. He was literally under the influence of a horrifyingly potent love spell with all his inhibitions removed. It is like drugging someone magnified to the nth degree. Yes, Chu Wanning was a victim, but so was Mo Ran. Shi Mei is doubly a rapist.

[thegreymoon]

The way all of Mo Ran's alarm bells are ringinggggg around Shi Mei now that the curse is deactivated and he's had time and space to heal and put some distance between himself and his tormentor 🚩🚩

There will be other similar scenes, such as the one at dinner later on, and further on in the book, where Shizun goes into seclusion and the latent memory of Mo Ran's great calamity is triggered when Shi Mei shows up at the Red Lotus Pavillion and approaches Chu Wanning in his vulnerable state. Also, he must have known Hua Binan in his previous life, who, even though he was hiding his face and additionally screwing with Mo Ran's brain, was still the adult version of Shi Mei and must have appeared very similar, just like he was familiar to him when he accosted him at that inn earlier on and tried to reactivate the dead curse in his heart.

Mo Ran cannot consciously remember any of it because the slimy freak wiped his mind, but it is still there and his instincts in general are spot on. He just cannot let himself trust them on this, so he tries to rationalise the ick because he still thinks Shi Mei has been 'so kind' to him and Mo Ran not only despises ingratitude, but also still wants to believe in the best of people in spite of everything that he has been put through.

[thegreymoon]

Do you think Shi Mei actually loved Chu Wanning? I was thinking about how when Shi Mei captured Chu Wanning at Mount Longxue, he kept on insisting that CWN forget MR and accept him. Although very different, TXJ too wanted CWN to want him back. Of course, these two feel vastly different (as MR had the flower) but the common factor is that in different ways, both want CWN to choose them which makes me wonder if Shi Mei ever loved Chu Wanning

I don't think that Shi Mei was capable of love, at least not of love towards individual people and certainly not outside of his own race, except maybe for his sister because she was so wholly devoted to his cause. There was simply too much damage there, he was too warped, but I do think there is nuance between 0.5 and 2.0 timelines.

Hua Binan certainly did not love Chu Wanning. He did want Chu Wanning to love him, he wanted all his attention and abilities focused on him and only him, which is inherently selfish and not loving at all. I think he sensed that being loved by Chu Wanning is very beneficial but he didn't understand what love is. Remember, Chu Wanning was his first intended victim for the flower. Where is the love in that? It is selfishness and cruelty, but it would give him the illusion of love, and Shi Mei certainly felt that this was exactly the same as true love, as long as he got to reap the benefits of having sex with him and of Chu Wanning's immense power working for his cause until the moment came when he would sacrifice him the same way he did with Mu Yanli. Everyone who was not a Butterfly Boned Beauty Feast was expandable to him, and even his own people sometimes were too, as we see with Song Qiutong (and Mo Ran, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt there because he didn't actually know). He saw Mo Ran being given everything by Chu Wanning even though he was the absolute worst version of himself, and he wanted that for himself too, but only because it would have given him pleasure and benefits. We saw that he never actually understood the dynamics of real love because, on Mount Longxue, he seemed to think that he and Mo Ran were interchangeable. He felt like Mo Ran had had his turn, they were both disciples, so why couldn't Chu Wanning now sleep with him too, and direct all his energy to his cause? After all, Mo Ran was Taxian-jun, and Chu Wanning was still willing and still ripped space and time for him. In his mind, he saw no difference. He died and he never understood love.

Shi Mei from the second timeline started out pretty much the same, but the horror his other self had wrought snapped something in him and he was able to access some real emotions, including love and respect for Chu Wanning. We can tell, because his final actions there were selfless. He understood he would never be forgiven and that he had nothing to gain but he still released Chu Wanning because you do not inflict unending horrors on someone whom you love and respect and who had been nothing but good to you. IMO, this is still too little too late and while people can head-canon whatever they want, I find the idea of him being forgiven by anyone on Sisheng Peak downright insulting. The only thing Shi Mei is entitled to with this final act of selflessness is a chance to embark on a journey of repentance, far away from his victims, and maybe save his soul from eternal damnation.

[thegreymoon]

Why do you think Shi Mei hates Mo Ran specifically so much ? Do we think he is projecting a little bit ? Is it jealousy only ? Because it really seems like Shi Mei cannot stand Mo Ran.

He simply finds him disgusting and holds him in contempt. When Mo Ran showed up at Sisheng Peak, he was a feral, ravenous orphan and Shi Mei detested everything about him because he had no skills, no manners and no refinement. He simply considered him beneath him. Of course, as they grew older, there was also jealousy involved because Shizun loved him the most, but the utter contempt for his lowly state came first.

[thegreymoon]

THIS EVILDOER 🤬🤬

It was never specified what exactly this artefact was but it's 100% something cursed and evil. Something that would track him or hinder him, and probably really cause a qi deviation. This fake wonton liar who lies was counting on Mo Ran to be either stupid or infatuated enough to take it BUT HE WAS WRONG. HIS DAYS OF CONTROLLING HIM ARE OVER!!! OVER!!! OVER!!! AND THE ENTIRE 2HA NATION CELEBRATES!!! 🎉🎊🎈🎊🎉

[thegreymoon]

This evildoer, crashing their first date 😠😠

[thegreymoon]

I got the same ask, so now I'm paying it forward: Mo Ran/Shi Mei?

Ahahahaha, an evil one! 😅 Can I choose two? I’m choosing two!

Squick / Just nope / A trainwreck you can’t look away from / Mehh but they are bloody everywhere / Not interested but no negative feelings / I need to see how I could make it work / BroTP / Cute / I love them / They rented a room in my mind and are here to stay

Like, would not touch it with a ten-foot-barge pole while wearing a full hazmat suit level of squick, lol. Even Shi Mei/Chu Wanning is lower on the squick list 😅😅 

[thegreymoon]

Imagine Hua Binan's futile rage when Mo Ran's obsession with CWN became apparent, and even more importantly, carnal. This was the man Hua Binan wanted for himself but what could he do at that point? TXJ could not be controlled when it came to CWN. Hua Binan could do nothing against him without compromising his grand plans. He could only suffer in silence and seethe, and this is something I find very satisfying 😋