#wrh in the background glaring

[xiyao-feels]

which is your favourite sword or spiritual weapon?

The obvious answer is Hensheng and, yep, it's Hensheng!

Back then, when Jin GuangYao worked undercover at Wen RuoHan’s side, he had often hidden the sword at his waist, wreathed the sword around his arm to use during critical moments. Although the blade of Hensheng seemed to be soft to the extremity, attacking with lingering motions, it was in reality both sharp and haunting. Once the blade had wrapped around the opposition, Jin GuangYao would apply it with a bizarre spiritual power, and one would quickly be severed into pieces by the sword, despite its tender appearance. Quite a few famous swords had been battered into piles of scrap iron just like this.

(Exiled Rebels translation, ch 50)

Some random free-association thoughts:

- Walking around with this sword is among other things a reminder that he spied on and killed WRH! I think this can sometimes be viewed with suspicion by fandom but it actually seems to be viewed very positively by the cultivation world in the novel. It's part of the legend of Lianfang-zun—in a sense, the first part. Consider the description of LFZ's history WWX gives when he's watching the kids playing:

In these types of games, the head of all cultivators, LianFang-Zun, who was currently the most successful of all, was of course the most popular character. Although his family background was a bit disgraceful, the fact that he later climbed to such a rank was precisely why people respected him. During the Sunshot Campaign, he skillfully worked undercover for the QishanWen Sect, deceiving all of the Wen Sect’s people to a point that a tremendous amount of information were disclosed, yet they knew nothing. After the Sunshot Campaign, with flattery, wit, and countless other methods, he finally became the Chief Cultivator, fully deserving of the title. Such a life could even be considered a legend. If he was playing, he’d also want to try being Jin GuangYao. Choosing this boy to be the leader would very reasonable choice!

(ER, ch 32)

The background's embarassing, and avoided; but the spying is central, and described in positive terms. The next item on the list is becoming Chief Cultivator! There's really no sense here that the spying is shameful. (Though I'm amused WWX doesn't also mention killing WRH, lol.)

Similarly in the four panels about JGY, the first is about him spying on WRH, and the second is him killing him:

Out of all of them the four most famous sections about the current sect leader—Jin GuangYao—were respectively “disclosure”, “assassination”, “oath”, and “kind austerity”. Of course, the scenes showed how during the Sunshot Campaign Jin GuangYao hid in the QishanWen Sect and reported important information, assassinated the Wen Sect’s leader Wen RuoHan, became sworn brothers with the rest of the Venerated Triad, and rose to the position of Chief Cultivator.

(ER, ch 47)

It's very well-regarded!

- It's interesting that we get the description of Henjun breaking apart other swords where we do, because like five paragraphs later we have this:

Suibian flew out of its sheath and began to battle against Hensheng’s eerie sword glare. Seeing this, shock flashed across Jin GuangYao’s face. He regained his composure at once and nimbly twisted his right wrist. Like a vine, Hensheng wrapped itself around Suibian’s white, straight blade. He immediately let go of it, letting the two swords fight alone.

(ER, ch 50)

And yet he doesn't shatter Suibian. I suspect that although he clearly wasn't expecting WWX like this (shock flashes across his face!) he immediately realizes that he can use Suibian as evidence that WWX is WWX, and therefore Suibian intact is more useful than Suibian shattered. He's so smart 😍

- While there's no doubt that JGY kills people with it, I do think it's interesting that the signature, most famous move is destroying not the person but the sword—that is, destroying the thing that's the sign of the cultivator, this important signal it's necessary to carry, but does not actually hurt the person. Again, I'm sure he's had occasion to shatter someone's sword and then stab them, but it's interesting to me from a narrative perspective!

[big-tiddie-mingjue]

I had the STUPIDEST idea and I have to share it or I will combust.

Ok, so if you haven't seen the comments in NMJ's wiki, I HIGHLY suggest reading them because they're hilarious.

I was thinking of him (as one thirsty bitch with an unquenchable desire for his voluptuous bosom does) and imagined a random disciple that reacts to NMJ like the fandom does. But not just any disciple! A random Wen disciple (or RWD for short).

This random Wen disciple sees NMJ at a discussion one day and it's just heart-eyes. He hears NMJ threaten to beat the shit out of the Wens and he just raises his hand like 'can I go first Mr Chifeng-zun sir please?'

He's always on the verge of being executed because he will not shut up about how hunky NMJ is. WRH will qi deviate if he has to hear about how massive NMJ's thighs are and how he could totally crush a skull between them one more time.

He shows up randomly to Qinghe like 'ahaha, whats up? its ya boi.' and NHS is in Full Suspicion Mode bcus he's afraid they're going to try to kill his da-ge the way they did their dad. So he grills the guy, yknow, thinking he's an assassin and the convo basically goes smth like this:

NHS: What's a Wen doing in Qinghe?

RWD: Oh, nothing much, just sightseeing. (not at all subtly trying to see if NMJ is around, or alt looking at a drawing of NMJ)

NHS, squinting behind his fan: Yeah? Well, don't let Da-ge catch you. He doesn't like Wens sneaking around here.

RWD: For real?

NHS: Oh, yes! He can be ruthless when he's mad.

RWD: Oh no, I sure hope there isn't some giant, beefy Nie sect leader coming to beat my ass :)))

NHS: ...

RWD: So like, on a scale from 1-10, if I sat on his sleeve, how likely would he be to cut it, if yknow what I mean???

NHS: ..are you...did you come here to hit on my brother?

RWD: Maybe. If I were to trip in front of your brother, would he walk all over me like a doormat? Just step right on me?

NHS: ...

RWD: So, is that a yes or--?

NHS: GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE

NMJ is equal parts confused and aggravated bcus 1) it's a Wen and 2) he's CERTAIN it's some type of ploy. Why else would this random ass Wen just keep randomly showing up and tripping in front of him or dropping shit and taking forever to bend over and get it?