Mo Dao Zu Shi rereading commentary || chapters 11-20 (Patreon)

Chapter 11: Refinement—Part One

Lan XiChen spoke, “Uncle has taken and examined what you brought back from Mo Village.”

Hearing the words “Mo Village”, Wei WuXian automatically started to pay attention. Unexpectedly, he felt his lips part. Lan XiChen had released his silence and spoke to Lan WangJi, “It is not often that you bring somebody home, being in such good spirits. You need to treat your guest with courtesy, unlike this.”

Good spirits? Wei WuXian carefully looked at Lan WangJi’s face.

How could he tell that he was in good spirits?!

After watching Lan XiChen leave, Lan WangJi spoke, “Drag him inside.”

(When Lan Wangji and juniors bring Mo Xuanyu!Wei Wuxian to the Cloud recesses)
This part always kills me, not only because it's so hilarious that only Lan Xichen can read his brother's 😐 expression and find different emotions in it, but also because it's an evidence to the fact that at this moment Lan Wangji is super excited even though he doesn't show it. He's so happy! He finally found Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian finally came back!! And although he tries to act chill, he must be so so so overrun by emotions, and the juniors and Wei Wuxian can't tell it, and there Lan Xichen goes and exposes him hahaha

And finally, the hilarious contrast between the fact that we just realized that Lan Wangji is in good spirits" and how Lan Wangji laconically commands the juniors to do something rather scary like "drag him inside" LMFAO. Imagine being Wei Wuxian who realized that apparently Lan Wangji is happy and excited and at the same time hearing him say such a scary thing that might put him into a dangerous situation lol

Chapter 12: Refinement—Part Two

Seeing from the thirty-or-so scars of the discipline whip, the executor might as well have killed him. As soon as the discipline whip had been delivered, it wouldn’t disappear for the rest of the bearer’s life, so that they would remember it forever and never make the same mistake again.

(Wei Wuxian sees the scars on Lan Wangji's body in the cold spring)

I love how the meaning of the whipping (that Wei Wuxian confirms with him being the one telling us this info through his POV) is to "remember the punishment and never ever attempt to make the same deed for which one was punished again."

Yet, this is not what Wei Wuxian told Lan Wagnji in the Xuanwu cave, when Lan Wangji told him that he would bear the Wen scar for life. Wei Wuxian said that it would make him feel proud that he did a heroic act of saving someone. I bet Lan Wangji took those words to heart, and he has no regrets whatsoever about the 33 scars. He will indeed remember the whipping forever as something that he know he did with the 100% intention of his heart. He got those scars by protecting someone he loves.

Just what in the world happened to Lan Zhan in the past few years, turning him into a person like this?

Was this the same Lan Zhan as before?!

Shouldn’t he have been the person whose body was seized?!?!

Suddenly, as his thoughts were as jumbled as a hurricane, Lan WangJi slightly shifted. Wei WuXian’s spirits lifted, assuming that he finally couldn’t bear it any more. However, Lan WangJi simply waved his hand.

The lights went out.

(In the Jingshi, Lan Wangji put a spell on Wei Wuxian's body to make him lay on top of him).
I think one of my most favorite concepts in this story has to do with the interesting development Lan Wangji went through, especially compared to his 15 year old self.

During the early study in Gusu days, the relationship Wei Wuxian has with Lan Wangji is that of the problematic pupil who constantly teases/bullies the class's most uptight nerd. And Lan Wangji, is also annoying with him being just the same age as the other kids, but already acting so grown up, being the "teacher's pet", telling on others - nobody likes those kinds of kid in school and I see how Wei Wuxian enjoys teasing him just to make him angry and to see that cold static expression change and twist. Again, this is such a realistic representation of the dynamic of a classroom, I've seen it as a pupil myself a dozen times.

Yet here, years later, Wei Wuxian sees the man this boy has become, expecting to tease and annoy the shit out of him again, only to be left speechless, because this uptight proper cold kid suddenly developed an attitude, even throwing out humoristic retorts in his own LAn Wangjesque way. And not only that but apparently Lan Wangji also committed a VERY HORRIBLE CRIME and was severely punished for it. (Like Wei Wuxian said himself, Jiang Cheng was whipped too, but he only had 2 lashes that was horribly painful and left unfaded marks. Lan Wangji got 33, and Wei Wuxian thinks, that with this amount, they might as well just killed him. But no, Wei Wuxian understands at this moment that Lan Wangji did something terribly wrong, but they wanted him to live with the shame of the act, which maybe is even worse than a death sentence. Wei Wuxian returns to a Lan Wangji shrouded in mystery, whose character is VERY different from the one he knew, both with his new attitude that Wei Wuxian experiences through a conversation with him, AND by the realization that this person, who always followed the rules and was a real role model for cultivators around the world, committed the worst crime one could ever imagine.

I simply love this development in Lan Wangji's character, especially since it's being perceived and told through Wei Wuxian's POV. In his first life, it felt as if Wei Wuxian new the entirety of Lan Wangji's character, to the point that he feels dominance over him (he can tease him however he wants, flirt with him, annoy him, always knowing what his reaction would be, and obtaining that reaction was the best price for him). In his second life, Wei Wuxian is left helpless, not knowing what happened to Lan Wangji in those 13 years he was gone, and having absolutely no idea what Lan Wangji's reaction is going to be to his words and actions.

Chapter 13: Refinement—Part Three

This, along with how youths were not as concerned with status and ancestry as elders, they were soon friends. Only a few sentences passed, and everyone started to call others older brothers or younger brothers.

I simply love how MXTX manages to throw such short simple sentences that convey the truths of our world and humanity, that everybody can relate to in each culture and age. Children and teens don't see the differences between them that are seen by adults, mostly because those differences are imaginary and are CREATED by adults in the first place.

Chapter 14: Refinement—Part Four

Wei WuXian smiled, “Such a waste.” He paused, and continued, “It wasn’t that I didn’t know of this answer, I was only thinking of a fourth path.”

Lan QiRen spoke, “I have never heard of any fourth paths.”

Wei WuXian spoke, “Because the executioner died in such a way, it is only natural that he turned into a ferocious corpse. Since he executed more than one hundred people before he died, why not dig up the graves of these people, arouse their energy of resentment, collect the heads of those hundred people, and use them to fight with the ferocious corpse…”

Lan WangJi finally turned around to look at him. His brows were knit, still expressionless. Lan QiRen was so angered that his goatee was quivering. He shouted, “How dare you!”

Everyone in the room was stunned. Lan QiRen sprang to his feet, “The essence of exorcising demons and annihilating ghosts is to liberate! You do not study the methods of liberation, and even think about increasing their energy of resentment! You reverse the natural order, and ignore ethics and morality!”

Reading this the second time, I gotta be honest that the things Wei Wuxian suggests do look immoral to me, like Lan Qiren says. To my eyes, what Wei Wuxian says is to use the bad events people experience to your own cause. Isn't it a bit selfish and immoral, as opposed to what Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren talk about (that you have to calm the dead, even if they have resentment).
It makes me think of a dog whose owner used to beat it up and act cruelly towards it, eventually making the dog full of fear and hate towards humans and wish to attack them. Now you could use such a dog for your own cause of harming other people, or you can treat the dog's trauma and care for it.

Maybe I didn't get Wei Wuxian's words right? Or maybe in the setting of their story what he suggests isn't perceived the way I perceive it as a modern person? Tell me what you think!

Another book came flying from Lan QiRen. He spoke harshly, “Then, let me ask you again! How do you make sure that the resentful energy only listens to you and does not harm others?”

Wei WuXian ducked while speaking, “I haven’t thought of it yet!”

Do you think that with what happened later in the story, Lan Qiren's words came true?

As a result of cheating notes flying everywhere in the air, Lan WangJi suddenly attacked during the test, and caught a few initiators of the commotion. Lan QiRen exploded with anger, writing letters to the prominent clans to tell on them.

Just like I said above, the strict teacher and the annoying tattle tale who's the teacher's pet 😂

Chapter 15: Refinement—Part Five

Lan WangJi’s weak point was that he didn’t know how to argue.

(context: Wei Wuxian made Lan Wangji look at a pron book and the other was furious. Wei Wuxian uses this opportunity to tease the shit out of him and Lan Wangji is left speechless, only able to call Wei Wuxian names and tell him to get lost).

I think that this is interesting that the text tells us that Lan Wangji didn't know how to argue, and this is a complete opposite of Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian never shuts up, and to everything that he's being told he has a hundred more words to say in his defense, he can argue forever and hold his ground. Yet Lan Wangji, even though he's probably the most intelligent and schooled kid in the class, has no  such trait, even if it works against him in this current situation. Because school and well-versed as he might be, he lacks the social experience of dealing with people. He chooses laconic answers and statements, or not to reply at all, but that's because the people around him were NEVER Wei Wuxian. But Wei Wuxian took provoking Lan Wangji's reaction as a challenge, and the poor boy was unprepared! 😂

“Lan Zhan, everything about you is great, except that you like to throw things everywhere. Tell me, how many wads of paper have you thrown onto the ground, in these past few days? Today, you aren’t even satisfied with throwing paper wads anymore, and instead ripped paper. You ripped it, so you clean it up yourself. I’m not gonna help.”

(Wei Wuxian talks about all the paper notes he sent to Lan Wangji while being silenced by him during his punishment hours in the library, that Lan Wangji crumpled and threw away. and now about the porn book that he ripped to pieces with a surge of spiritual energy in his hand)
And I have to add to that: not only does Lan Wangji torture paper, he also tortures the material the papr is made from, cause we will never forget what you did to those trees Lan Zhan!!!

Nie HuaiSang was full of admiration, “I heard it—he told you to get lost! Wei-xiong, it was my first time hearing Lan WangJi tell someone to ‘get lost’! How did you do it?”

Satisfaction was plastered all over Wei WuXian’s face, “Good thing that I helped him achieve this ‘first’. You all saw it, didn’t you? The self-restraint and etiquette that Second Young Master Lan was praised so strongly for were all weak and useless against me.”

Oh Wei Ying, Wei Ying....if only you knew that the words you say jokingly are actually true! THE BOY STRUGGLES. It's a good thing he has the forehead ribbon and the cold springs to remind him to restrain himself because trust me, HE'S ABOUT TO LOSE CONTROL WITH YOU.

Jiang Cheng sneered, “You’ve seriously offended both Lan WangJi and Lan QiRen. Just wait for your death tomorrow! Nobody’s gonna bury your corpse.”

Wei WuXian waved his hands, putting his arm around Jiang Cheng’s shoulders, “Who cares, as long as I tease him first? You’ve already buried my corpse so many times, so what’s wrong with once more?”

Woah..."nobody's gonna bury your corpse". I know it means to figuratively say "nobody is gonna cover for you if you're found out" but...damn. When you think about how Wei Wuxian died that not even a corpse was left to bury?

And also how Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng that he had buried his corpse so many times, so what’s wrong with once more? makes me think both of Jiang Cheng's involvement in Wei Wuxian's death, and how ironic it is compared to the relationship they used to have where Jiang Cheng "buried his corpse" by covering up for him (meaning something that reflected the good relationship and love they had versus the way their relationship worsened and turned into hostile.)

Chapter 16: Refinement—Part Six

Wei WuXian smiled but didn’t respond. Of course, the YunmengJiang Sect used nets as well. But, because he was a good swimmer, he had always jumped into the river and dragged water ghouls out. However, this method was too dangerous; he definitely couldn’t do it in front of the Lan Sect’s people. If it travelled into Lan QiRen’s ears, he would definitely face another lecture. He switched the topic, “It’d be great if there’s something that can attract the water ghouls like a fishing bait. Or something that can point out their directions, like a compass.”

Jiang Cheng spoke, “Look down at the water and concentrate on finding them. You’re letting your imagination run again.”

Wei WuXian, “Cultivation and riding on swords also used to be just imagination!”

I'm not kidding when I say the last sentence quoted here is my most favorite one in this entire novel. It filled me with so much joy and inspiration in the first time I read it and also now.

In this simple sentence Wei Wuxian teaches us that nothing we see in the reality around us is a given fact. Everything is the fruit of somebody's idea, work, creativity, and going outside of the box. The things that are called "imagination" "wild fantasy" "impossible" today, can become the mundane reality tomorrow. Just think of the light bulb, of the airplanes, of spaceships. All of those were someone's crazy ideas that were ridiculed, until they made it, and turned into a real life necessity, into the reality of the next generations.

While Wei Wuxian looks at the problem at hand and his mind starts to think for imaginary optimal solutions (solutions which he later did create, and that are used in the cultivation world just like the flying swords) Jiang Cheng is bringing him back to reality and urges him to fix the problem by the cumbersome methods they all know and have to do, even if it takes more time and effort.

Wei Wuxian looks for efficiency and stepping outside of knows, while Jiang Cheng chooses the known path, to stay within the lines and confines of the norm, refusing to accept that the reality could be different than what he already knows.

This also reflects his character when he always scolds Wei Wuxian for acting freely and in a way that can harm the reputation of his sect. Jiang Cheng thinks about what others may think of them, so he decides to act in the way other expect them to act. But in the end, it's Wei Wuxian who carries out the motto of Jiang Cheng's own sect - to attempt the impossible.

“Cultivation and riding on swords also used to be just imagination!” should be a motivational phrase for all of us.

Hey, don’t ignore me. Why don’t you look at me, Second Young Master Lan?”

The amount of times this boy asks the other to look at him lksdjflskdjglk

Chapter 18: Refinement—Part Eight

Having been shoved for a few times, Wei WuXian spoke drowsily, “Who? Is anyone else up for it?! Jiang Cheng? The fight is on—like I’m scared of you!”

Jiang Cheng drank too much last night, and his head still ached as he lay on the ground with his eyes closed. He randomly grabbed something and hurled it at where Wei WuXian’s voice came from, “Shut up!”

The boys were filled with the thrill of the story, and Wei WuXian was enraptured as he spoke. He forgot the fact that he was still on Jiang Cheng’s back, and gave Jiang Cheng’s shoulder a hard smack, “I said, ‘Fine!’. Then, I stopped dodging, threw myself over, clung to him, and plummeted outside the wall of the Cloud Recesses!”

Jiang Cheng was enraged, “If I don’t carry you, you’d probably stay in their ancestral hall and roll on the ground all day long. I don’t have that thick of a face to lose! Lan WangJi even had fifty more strikes than you, and he even walked by himself. Yet, you have the nerve to pretend that you’re crippled. I don’t want to carry you any more. Get off, now!”

Wei WuXian, “No, I’m wounded.”

Guys I love their relationship so much T^T
At first glance, when I look at their relations as presented in the quotes above and in other places, it seems that they are indeed very brotherly with each other. But looking closer, I think it IS noticeable how Wei Wuxian, even though he loves Jiang Cheng a lot and is loyal to him, has no restraint at all, and how Jiang Cheng, even with his love to Wei Wuxian and how he scolds him jokingly, is still evidently worried about Wei Wuxian's actions and their consequences regarding his sect.

It's a relationship where one boy seems to love the other completely, exactly because his lack of self restraint prevents him from worrying or thinking about problems and consequences, while the second boy has more the feel of "I love him and care for him, but I wish he wasn't like that".

Unlike Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng has a lot on his shoulders. He is the heir to the Sect Leader, and also has the unstoppable pressure of his mother. He loves Wei Wuxian but he can't help but to think that the things his mom warns him about are also true.

I have a friend who married the man she chose out of love, but her family is constantly telling her how good for nothing he is, and she told me that she came to the point that she started to see her husband in the same light and started to love him less.

Jiang Cheng constantly had people tell him that having Wei Wuxian near him was bad for him, starting from his mother and ending with the other sect leaders who were interested in keeping them apart for their own gains. To me it seems that the moments Jiang Cheng scolds Wei Wuxian, although jokingly, is still probably a sort of a plea for Wei Wuxian to start behaving in a way that others will like him, and so that he, Jiang Cheng, could still be friends with him like he wants, and not be cautioned about it.

Hearing the word “fiancee”, Jin ZiXuan’s lips seemed to twitch, showing a slight expression of displeasure. The disciple who asked was quite oblivious, continuing with a cheerful face, “Really? Which sect is she from? She must be extremely talented!”

Jian ZiXuan raised a brow, “Forget it.”

Wei WuXian suddenly spoke, “What do you mean by ‘forget it’?”

Everyone in the room looked at him with surprise. Usually, Wei WuXian was always grinning. He had never really been angered, even when he was scolded or punished. Yet, at the moment, there was an obvious streak of hostility on his face. Jiang Cheng didn’t criticize Wei WuXian, either, for making trouble out of nothing, as he usually did. He simply sat beside him with a dark face.

In the entire Gusu study days saga, Jiang Cheng constantly scolds Wei Wuxian, expect for this instant, where their sister was insulted, and both of them had the same reaction in mind, Jiang Cheng was even about to hit Jin Zixuan himself.

I also like how Wei Wuxian is said to be serious all of a sudden. Too bad Lan Wangji wasn't with them in class to witness that side of Wei Wuxian ohohoho ~

Chapter 19: Contentment – Part One

With the hastily created bamboo flute still by his waist, he went up the stairs in just a few strides. He kicked the mingshi’s door and commanded, “Open!”

I always wondered how he was able to open the locked doors of the Mingshi watch tower. Any ideas?

Their guqin and flute duet actually angered Lan QiRen so much that he woke up and fainted again. This showed how horrible it sounded…

This ended me LMAOOO I love Lan Qiren

Chapter 20: Contentment—Part Two

Lan WangJi spoke, “Do you have the money?”

Wei WuXian replied, “If I don’t, you can give me money.” As he spoke, he extended his hand to search. He didn’t expect to actually find anything, but after a few moments, he did find a delicate, heavy pouch with money in it.

This didn’t seem like something Lan WangJi would carry around at all. Then again, during these past few days, Lan WangJi did quite a lot of things that he could never have imagined. Wei WuXian didn’t even find it strange anymore and took the pouch at once. As he had expected, he could take anything from Lan WangJi if he wanted to, without the other becoming dissatisfied at all.

Guys, am I reading correctly? Did Wei Wuxian start feeling around Lan Wangji's body to look for a money pouch and the other just let him?? Because if yes, a very hilarious image pops up in my mind LMAOOO


Well, that's it for today! Thank you to whomever read this!

MDZS rereading commentary || Chapters 21-30 

MDZS rereading commentary || Chapters 1-10