The Husky & His White Cat Shizun
Jul. 28th, 2025 11:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaVolume 5
There was so much happening this volume! I enjoyed it more than the previous one.
+ FINALLY a confession of feelings! It's about time! I was really worried that despite all the circling around it on Flying Flower Isle we would still end the volume without any forward movement on their shared pining, and honestly it was getting to be a bit much. I'm happy that Mo Ran put together all the clues, realised Chu Wanning liked him back and then took the scary step to confesss his feelings in a direct way. I kind of like that Chu Wanning said nothing back, very in character, but that Mo Ran still understood the truth. Yay for no more misunderstandings *fingers crossed*.
+ We also got some major puzzle pieces for the bigger story though, like Mo Ran, I'm still trying to put them together. The reveal that Xu Shuanglin was Nangong Xu and the fake Gouchen (along with Nangong Liu) all as a piece of his very elaborate attempt at revenge against his brother and all those who betrayed and turned their backs on him was interesting. I have questions:
a) In the previous timeline Xu Shuanglin killed Nangong Si to protect Ye Wangxi and then gave his own life to save her. Why? Who is she to him that he's sacrifice his life and vengeance for her? Or was it a fake death?
b) Why did Xu want so mush to resurrect his former Master? It can't just be that he wanted his revenge against him because he got that when he tricked Nangong Liu into murdering him and sending his soul to hell.
c) The fake Gouchen is not in fake the same person who brought Mo Ran from the future? It's clear that someone used the forbidden Space-Time Gate of Life and Death on him in the future. But we still have no clear reason why. Could it actually have been an ally, someone trying to save him and give him the chance to right the wrongs he committed? Could Chu Wanning from beyond the grave somehow managed it? Could it have been Master Huaizui wanting to save Chu Wanning? If it's an ally to Mo Ran who sent him back then it might not necessarily be the same person who is working with Nangong Xu.
d) Or, a thought: the mystery person stated that Mo Ran's purpose was to protect Shi Mei (what else was he good for), so could that person be someone who loves Shi Mei? They turned back time to save Shi Mei and brought Mo Ran with them as a protective dog since he supposedly loved Shi Mei more than anything (not realising his true feelings for Chu Wanning).
+ Poor Chu Wanning. He was put in such a difficult position. He was only 15! I get why he didn't say anything even if I don't think it was the right choice. I wonder if he told Master Huaizui the truth and got told not to say anything and that is the origin of the enmity Chu Wanning feels towards him? Chu Wanning's choice to leave Rufeng Sect in the coldest way was deserved.
+ I am holding everything said against Nangong Xu as a Sect Leader with a grain of salt. Perhaps he went on a petty vengeance killing spree (certainly in line with his later actions) but considering all the rumours and cards stacked against him, and the ways Nangong Liu worked against him (they stole his cultivation techniques!), I think it's entirely possible that he wasn't. Is he another person that was an unfallowed field that at no fault of his own got filled with darkness? You can't help but see some similarities with Mo Ran, I assume on purpose. But like Mo Ran he went way overboard in retaliation. Nangong Xu committed hard to his vengeance. And while I can appreciate the chaos he caused with releasing all the terrible secrets he could find (points for that, well deserved) his penchant for mass murder (literally the 3rd time he's mass murdered an entire sect!!) is going way too far. He may not have started a villain but that's where he ended up by his own choices.
+ Mo Ran getting so distracted by touching Chu Wanning's adam's apple that he crashed them into a tree - LOL. Chu Wanning trying to get away from their confession of feelings so fast that he didn't look where he was going and walked into a tree - LOL. They are ridiculous.
+ I like that Mo Ran wants to atone not just for Chu Wanning but also for all the others he wronged. It's one thing to want to make things better for the one you loved, it's another to extend that desire to others which feels like a big step for Mo Ran (of old) to make.
+ Mo Ran deciding to commit to memory everyone who blamed Chu Wanning so he could take revenge later, lol but also awww. I love Mo Ran's protectiveness.
+ Poor Nangong Si. There was a lot to feel bad for him over this volume but the situation with his mom was the worst for me. For those to be the last words he said to her, for them to part on a fight, ouch. It's the worst and the sequence with little Nangong Si was one of the saddest things I've read in this book.
+ I have to say that I'm a little surprised that Nangong Si holds such high regard for Chu Wanning and doesn't feel like he was abandoned by him. Because even if it wasn't intended or aimed at him, Chu Wanning was essentially abandoning Nangong Si and at a very painful time when he needed Chu Wanning. I'm glad for it but still surprised.
+ I liked the reveal that Ye Wangxi is actually a woman because it's been stated that they're the second strongest cultivator after Mo Ran and the books don't have a lot of prominent powerful female cultivators. I am curious though if they actually do consider themself still a woman? The book doesn't actually answer this. Ye Wangxi has permanently changed into the voice and form of a man out of love and loyalty towards Nangong Si but what that means about their identity isn't clear.
+ "People were won't to shed tears of gratitude over an evil persons single good deed and viciously latch onto a good person's single mistake." Very true.
+ So Nangong Liu is the worst. Genuinely terrible person. His opinions on women ("The lives of women... are worthless... to begin with", the fuck dude), his murders and betrayals, and complete lack of empathy. But all the same the moonlight curse was pretty terrible.
+ The absolute gall of appointing a 13 year old girl as commander of the shadow guard and then to say "women are after all, weak and soft-hearted" WTF, dude?
+ So by everything we've learned from Mo Ran Song Qiutong does appear to be a genuinely bad person who will not just throw others under a bus to save herself but is actively cruel to others for the sake of being cruel. That said I felt sorry for her. Her throwing Ye Wangxi under the bus to save herself wasn't the right thing to do obviously and if she was a good person she wouldn't have done it, and yet I understand her? Considering that she's a Butterfly Boned Beauty and what that all means, her putting her life ahead of others makes a lot of sense. It's probably the only reason she's still alive. This is a deeply harsh world and I can't blame her for that.
+ Continuing the theme of bad people who I end up feeling a little bad for - Qi Liangji getting the worst sex tape release I've ever seen was very :( It was completely unnecessary to have the entirety of them having sex to play out, them conspiring and admittance of crimes would have sufficed.
+ In a change of pace I liked the reveal about Third Lady Sun where we see the greedy, uncaring and rude side of her and then get the reveal about her own dark past and that she is genuinely caring and protective of the Islanders. It was nice. The little orphan girl being grubby and wearing old clothes but being healthy and well-fed was a great way to showcase this.
+ Chu Wanning catching fish by asking them which of them would like to die - and it working (!) was a little silly but I found him apologetically trying to reassure them that life is short when he put them back rather sweet.
+ As everyone became caught up in Nangong Xu's memory reveals I found myself wondering if it was really the best time for this. Yes, the flashback information was interesting and all, but also lava! ghosts escaping! literally other things of import to be dealt with. So when they realised that it was a diversion and that the lava had literally set the whole sect on fire I felt very vindicated (and a little amused and then horrified as it went very badly.)
+ I was a little surprised that Chu Wanning and Mo Ran didn't try and return to Rufeng to save more people but I guess they'd flown so far and the damage was so quick and complete there was no point.
There was so much happening this volume! I enjoyed it more than the previous one.
+ FINALLY a confession of feelings! It's about time! I was really worried that despite all the circling around it on Flying Flower Isle we would still end the volume without any forward movement on their shared pining, and honestly it was getting to be a bit much. I'm happy that Mo Ran put together all the clues, realised Chu Wanning liked him back and then took the scary step to confesss his feelings in a direct way. I kind of like that Chu Wanning said nothing back, very in character, but that Mo Ran still understood the truth. Yay for no more misunderstandings *fingers crossed*.
+ We also got some major puzzle pieces for the bigger story though, like Mo Ran, I'm still trying to put them together. The reveal that Xu Shuanglin was Nangong Xu and the fake Gouchen (along with Nangong Liu) all as a piece of his very elaborate attempt at revenge against his brother and all those who betrayed and turned their backs on him was interesting. I have questions:
a) In the previous timeline Xu Shuanglin killed Nangong Si to protect Ye Wangxi and then gave his own life to save her. Why? Who is she to him that he's sacrifice his life and vengeance for her? Or was it a fake death?
b) Why did Xu want so mush to resurrect his former Master? It can't just be that he wanted his revenge against him because he got that when he tricked Nangong Liu into murdering him and sending his soul to hell.
c) The fake Gouchen is not in fake the same person who brought Mo Ran from the future? It's clear that someone used the forbidden Space-Time Gate of Life and Death on him in the future. But we still have no clear reason why. Could it actually have been an ally, someone trying to save him and give him the chance to right the wrongs he committed? Could Chu Wanning from beyond the grave somehow managed it? Could it have been Master Huaizui wanting to save Chu Wanning? If it's an ally to Mo Ran who sent him back then it might not necessarily be the same person who is working with Nangong Xu.
d) Or, a thought: the mystery person stated that Mo Ran's purpose was to protect Shi Mei (what else was he good for), so could that person be someone who loves Shi Mei? They turned back time to save Shi Mei and brought Mo Ran with them as a protective dog since he supposedly loved Shi Mei more than anything (not realising his true feelings for Chu Wanning).
+ Poor Chu Wanning. He was put in such a difficult position. He was only 15! I get why he didn't say anything even if I don't think it was the right choice. I wonder if he told Master Huaizui the truth and got told not to say anything and that is the origin of the enmity Chu Wanning feels towards him? Chu Wanning's choice to leave Rufeng Sect in the coldest way was deserved.
+ I am holding everything said against Nangong Xu as a Sect Leader with a grain of salt. Perhaps he went on a petty vengeance killing spree (certainly in line with his later actions) but considering all the rumours and cards stacked against him, and the ways Nangong Liu worked against him (they stole his cultivation techniques!), I think it's entirely possible that he wasn't. Is he another person that was an unfallowed field that at no fault of his own got filled with darkness? You can't help but see some similarities with Mo Ran, I assume on purpose. But like Mo Ran he went way overboard in retaliation. Nangong Xu committed hard to his vengeance. And while I can appreciate the chaos he caused with releasing all the terrible secrets he could find (points for that, well deserved) his penchant for mass murder (literally the 3rd time he's mass murdered an entire sect!!) is going way too far. He may not have started a villain but that's where he ended up by his own choices.
+ Mo Ran getting so distracted by touching Chu Wanning's adam's apple that he crashed them into a tree - LOL. Chu Wanning trying to get away from their confession of feelings so fast that he didn't look where he was going and walked into a tree - LOL. They are ridiculous.
+ I like that Mo Ran wants to atone not just for Chu Wanning but also for all the others he wronged. It's one thing to want to make things better for the one you loved, it's another to extend that desire to others which feels like a big step for Mo Ran (of old) to make.
+ Mo Ran deciding to commit to memory everyone who blamed Chu Wanning so he could take revenge later, lol but also awww. I love Mo Ran's protectiveness.
+ Poor Nangong Si. There was a lot to feel bad for him over this volume but the situation with his mom was the worst for me. For those to be the last words he said to her, for them to part on a fight, ouch. It's the worst and the sequence with little Nangong Si was one of the saddest things I've read in this book.
+ I have to say that I'm a little surprised that Nangong Si holds such high regard for Chu Wanning and doesn't feel like he was abandoned by him. Because even if it wasn't intended or aimed at him, Chu Wanning was essentially abandoning Nangong Si and at a very painful time when he needed Chu Wanning. I'm glad for it but still surprised.
+ I liked the reveal that Ye Wangxi is actually a woman because it's been stated that they're the second strongest cultivator after Mo Ran and the books don't have a lot of prominent powerful female cultivators. I am curious though if they actually do consider themself still a woman? The book doesn't actually answer this. Ye Wangxi has permanently changed into the voice and form of a man out of love and loyalty towards Nangong Si but what that means about their identity isn't clear.
+ "People were won't to shed tears of gratitude over an evil persons single good deed and viciously latch onto a good person's single mistake." Very true.
+ So Nangong Liu is the worst. Genuinely terrible person. His opinions on women ("The lives of women... are worthless... to begin with", the fuck dude), his murders and betrayals, and complete lack of empathy. But all the same the moonlight curse was pretty terrible.
+ The absolute gall of appointing a 13 year old girl as commander of the shadow guard and then to say "women are after all, weak and soft-hearted" WTF, dude?
+ So by everything we've learned from Mo Ran Song Qiutong does appear to be a genuinely bad person who will not just throw others under a bus to save herself but is actively cruel to others for the sake of being cruel. That said I felt sorry for her. Her throwing Ye Wangxi under the bus to save herself wasn't the right thing to do obviously and if she was a good person she wouldn't have done it, and yet I understand her? Considering that she's a Butterfly Boned Beauty and what that all means, her putting her life ahead of others makes a lot of sense. It's probably the only reason she's still alive. This is a deeply harsh world and I can't blame her for that.
+ Continuing the theme of bad people who I end up feeling a little bad for - Qi Liangji getting the worst sex tape release I've ever seen was very :( It was completely unnecessary to have the entirety of them having sex to play out, them conspiring and admittance of crimes would have sufficed.
+ In a change of pace I liked the reveal about Third Lady Sun where we see the greedy, uncaring and rude side of her and then get the reveal about her own dark past and that she is genuinely caring and protective of the Islanders. It was nice. The little orphan girl being grubby and wearing old clothes but being healthy and well-fed was a great way to showcase this.
+ Chu Wanning catching fish by asking them which of them would like to die - and it working (!) was a little silly but I found him apologetically trying to reassure them that life is short when he put them back rather sweet.
+ As everyone became caught up in Nangong Xu's memory reveals I found myself wondering if it was really the best time for this. Yes, the flashback information was interesting and all, but also lava! ghosts escaping! literally other things of import to be dealt with. So when they realised that it was a diversion and that the lava had literally set the whole sect on fire I felt very vindicated (and a little amused and then horrified as it went very badly.)
+ I was a little surprised that Chu Wanning and Mo Ran didn't try and return to Rufeng to save more people but I guess they'd flown so far and the damage was so quick and complete there was no point.
