Mo Dao Zu Shi rereading commentary || From Dawn to Dusk - MXTX final notes (Patreon)

Special Extra—From Dawn to Dusk

Wei WuXian, “I was outside in the wind for more than half the day! Let me borrow your heat.”

So that was why he was covered in grass and dust. He must have again taken the juniors of the Cloud Recesses to disturb the beasts and monsters of remote mountains.

LISTENNNN I love it so much that the both of them are teachers this is seriously so wholesome, especially if you take into consideration their past, their methods of cultivation, the fact that they are a couple after all this time. the fact that they have shameless sex every day, AND THEY ALSO WANT TO TEACH THE JUNIORS THEIR SKILLS jsldkflsdkjf

Lan QiRen’s residence was not far away from Lan WangJi’s Jingshi. He never liked Wei WuXian in the first place. If they happened to elicit some inappropriate sounds, the very next day he would probably stomp his feet angrily, throwing another fit at Wei WuXian.

Time to add this drawing:

Wei WuXian responded with an “ah”, exclaiming, “HanGuang-Jun!”

Lan WangJi spoke after a while of endurance, “You asked for it.” With a pause, he began to thrust.

You can't joke around with Lan Zhan, the man WILL act.

Seeing Lan WangJi’s fervor that showed no sign of stopping, he felt that it might really happen. And thus, Wei WuXian took the initiative to flip around and sit atop Lan WangJi’s body. He wrapped his arms around Lan WangJi’s neck, riding as he bit Lan WangJi’s earlobe, “Is it deep?”

The low whisper was warm and wet. Lan WangJi reached out and pressed his shoulder down hard.

It was a deep plunge indeed. Wei WuXian exclaimed. Hugging him back, Lan WangJi rubbed the back of his waist, “Is it deep?”

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW *fans herself*

Wei Wuxian reaping what he sowed again and again and again. You just can't surprise Lan Wangji anymore, the man will be ready to respond!

Lan WangJi kissed his forehead, “Bathe, or you might fall ill.”

A very important health advice from Lan Wangji

Fifteen minutes later, Wei WuXian who had almost fallen asleep was picked up and put into the wooden tub. The tub was placed right beside Lan WangJi’s desk. After having soaked for a while, Wei WuXian felt energized again, patting the edge of the tub, “Not gonna join me, HanGuang-Jun?”

Lan WangJi, “Later.”

Ok so this chapter began around 9PM, they had sex for god knows how many hours, and now Wei Wuxian is bathing while Lan Wangji is checking the reports of the juniors. I just want to ask one thing - what happened to the Lan sleeping habit from 9 to 5?! Lan Zhan it's like 2 AM and you're still up!

Lan WangJi glanced at him, as if thinking about something. A moment later, he spoke, “We have been back for four days, and four of the Jingshi’s bathtubs have fallen apart.”

[...]

Wei WuXian splattered a handful of water onto his neck, making the string of red kiss marks even brighter, “Yeah. The one from that time before wasn’t my fault either. Actually, let’s be honest here—you broke them every single time. You haven’t gotten over this habit ever since our first time.”

This is for real now, Lan Wangji has something against wood. First an entire porn book destroyed, each paper ripped to pieces. Then, several trees on the mountain obliterated. And now we realize that Lan Wangji is a systematic bathtub wrecker.

Just what did wood did to you!?

If Wei WuXian extended his arm just a bit longer, he’d be able to scratch Lan WangJi’s chin. And indeed, that was what he did. Lan WangJi took up a few pieces of paper, all covered in words, and began to read them as he wrote down lines that resembled simple comments. Immersed in water, Wei WuXian opened the jar and took a gulp before asking, “What are you looking at?”

I just really wanna draw this!

“Back then, your uncle would comment hundreds of characters after just a couple of lines before doing summaries at the end that were almost a thousand characters long. I don’t even know where he got the time to write those comments. Well, your comments are quite short, aren’t they?”

Lan WangJi, “And is that not good?”

Wei WuXian, “It is! Short and sweet.”

LOOK AT THEM! Asking and giving each other professional advices!

Having flipped through the stack in his hands, he looked across at the one on the desk that hadn’t been marked yet, “You have to look through all of these? Want me to help you with a few?”

Lan WangJi, “Yes.”

I love how Lan Wangji started to be vocal about what he wants. If it were years ago he'd say "no need". But here they're just 2 teachers who need to finish checking the stack of reports and Lan Wangji trusts Wei Wuxian enough to know that he'll do the job well!

Wei WuXian grabbed the Emperor’s Smile again and took a sip, taking up a brush pen, “I’m bathing. It’s not like I have anything else to do. It’s quite fun reading these notes and essays written by the children.”

Lan WangJi, “You have to rest after you bathe.”

Wei WuXian flaunted, “You think I look like I could fall asleep now? I think I’d have no problem with two more rounds, even.”

Wooo! Look at you, Wei Wuxian! By the way something that got me curious ever since the first time reading this is, how exactly did the paper reports stay dry with Wei Wuxian checking them in the bathtub all wet and stuff?

I’m so tired… Stop talking to me, Lan Zhan…”

Lan WangJi, “Yes.”

Wei WuXian, “… I told you to stop talking… Even if you say just one word, I won’t be able to hold myself from responding… Okay, Lan Zhan, let’s sleep. I… can’t anymore… I really have to sleep… See you tomorrow, Lan Zhan…”

He kissed Lan Zhan’s neck, and indeed soon fell heavily asleep.

It was all darkness and silence amidst the Jingshi.

A moment later, Lan WangJi planted a gentle kiss in the center of Wei WuXian’s forehead.

He whispered, “Wei Ying, see you tomorrow.”

SDKHJS:DGKJS:DLKF:SDLRJY:LKJSD:GLSMKVLDKG

Chapter 120: Extra—Intrusion (Part One)

Young Master Qin was still worried, “Isn’t there anything else I’d need to purchase? Like talismans for defense or swords for exorcism? I’d be more than happy to offer great reward. Money isn’t an issue.”

Lan WangJi, “Invest in a new door bolt.”

“…”

The type of people who think they can solve all their problems by buying stuff that are advertised as helpful even if it doesn't suit their situation. He deals with real professionals who won't even take his money and just tell him to make a change in action rather than buy stuff, but he still wants the easier way he can pay money for and forget.

Right now, the two were already half retired. If there was nothing important, they’d roam around aimlessly, from only a few days to almost an entire month. When Wei WuXian heard of Lan WangJi’s reputation for being wherever the chaos was, he didn’t think it’d be too hard, but right now as he tried it in person alongside Lan WangJi, he discovered that it was truly a test of one’s resolution.

What does it mean that they are retired? Like, do they still practice cultivation? Is Lan Wangji still a part of GusuLan Sect? Are the two of them doing other things for a living? "Retirement" has such a modern meaning in my eyes, I would like to know what it means in their world haha

Yet, Wei WuXian burst out with a laugh. He spoke, “SiZhui, to be honest, this isn’t the problem. This time, we came here for you to gain more experience, didn’t we?”

Lan SiZhui paused in surprise. Wei WuXian continued, “Of course I can summon the corpse and directly make it leave. But, can you?”

FATHERS AND TEACHERS!

After having been through a series of events, both he and the other juniors of the GusuLan Sect had begun to rely on Wei WuXian a bit too much. Summoning spirits and controlling corpses were indeed the quickest way, but not everyone was able to use such a means, and it wasn’t as if he cultivated the ghostly path. And thus, to him, it wasn’t the best to study too much of these skills. If this time again, Wei WuXian did whatever he was good at and solved the mystery in just a few tries, how could it be gaining experience?

I really love that in the end Wei Wuxian is able to teach his method to the younger generation of cultivators. I don't know if it's only Lan Wangji who accepts that or if it's more of a general feeling in their world after all of the events that clear his name. But yeah, it's awesome that Wei Wuxian is able to do that and that the juniors are eager to learn his mastery!

Carefully, he went to knock the bedchamber of the two seniors to report. When he saw the already-dressed Lan WangJi open the door soundlessly and shake his head, he knew that Senior Wei wouldn’t be able to wake up anytime soon. Lan SiZhui felt quite cornered. In the end, he still toughened up and violated the sect rule of ‘lying is prohibited’, telling Young Master Qin that his senior was still resting due to having fallen ill. Or else, he couldn’t openly say the big truth of ‘Senior Wei is sleeping, and HanGuang-Jun told you to wait on your own’, could he…

They are actually fucking right next door to Lan Sizhui and the poor kid has to make excuses. *smh*

Wei WuXian slept all the way until the sun was high up in the end. Only after much hugging and caressing from Lan WangJi did he finally manage to crawl up. As he proceeded through his morning routine with closed eyes, he even put on Lan WangJi’s inner-wear by accident. A few inches of white sleeves extended from below his outer robe, rolled up many times. It was quite unbefitting, really. Fortunately, Young Master Qin wasn’t in a state of mind good enough to mind whether or not Wei WuXian was dressed properly. At once, he hauled the three away.

So, it's the equivalent of wearing your boyfriend's underwear or shirt? XD

Chapter 121: Extra—Intrusion (Part Two)

Young Master Qin, “The servant has always served my grandmother by her side. Because he was quick while working and was about the same age as me, my grandmother took quite a liking to him, often praising him for being clever. As a result of this, he also grew somewhat proud, always following the juniors of our clan with no regard to the difference between master and servant. Later, my grandmother even let him go to school with us.

“One day, the teacher left us a difficult problem. Amid the discussion, someone came up with a first answer. Just as the class was expressing their approval, the servant suddenly spoke up and said that it was wrong.”

This reminds me a bit of Wei Wuxian's situation.

He peeled off the talisman still wet with cinnabar from the desk and gave it to Lan SiZhui, “Go bring this to him.”

Lan SiZhui accepted it and scrutinized every angle, despite not being able to understand a single thing. Having never seen on any book such wild, unrestrained runes, he couldn’t help but asked, “Senior Wei… This… Is not just a random scribble, is it?”

Wei WuXian, “Of course it is.”

LMAOOOO

As expected, the next day, when Lan SiZhui was practicing his sword outside of Bamboo Cottage, Young Master Qin came again.

The moment he came, he made it clear, “I don’t care!”

Lan SiZhui hurried, “Please wait, Young Master Qin! My two seniors are still sl-… still cultivating! They are at a crucial point and cannot be disturbed!”

OH MY FUCKING GOD THOSE TWO HAVE NO SHAMEEEEEE!!! TO MAKE YOUR SON PRACTICE OUTSIDE WHILE HE KNOWS PERFECTLY WHAT THE TWO OF YOU ARE DOING AND STILL BE ABLE TO COVER UP FOR YOU LIKE THIS!

Chapter 122: Extra—Intrusion (Part Three)

Young Master Qin, “How could a grown-up man commit suicide simply because of something so insignificant?”

Wei WuXian, “Young Master Qin, assumptions are the most dangerous in our line of work. Each individual has different levels of tolerance and sensitivity. It’s hard to say whether a grown-up man would commit suicide because of ‘something so insignificant’. You have to know—the reason behind a corpse rising could be the hatred of a wife taken or a son killed, but it could also be a small matter like Person A refusing to play with Person B when they were young.”

Wei Wuxian is sooooo right!!!

The one he pointed to was Lan WangJi.

And thus, Wei WuXian was flabbergasted, “Who do you mean? Him?”

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, “Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

Only with Lan WangJi wrapping an arm around his shoulder did Wei WuXian succeed in holding himself up, “No.”

Young Master Qin felt quite displeased by the curt refusal, “Why not?”

Wei WuXian’s face was solemn, “Did you forget what I said? It has to be a virgin.”

“…” Young Master Qin didn’t buy it, “What, he isn’t?”

Long after Lan SiZhui accompanied Young Master Qin out of Bamboo Cottage, Wei WuXian was still splitting his sides with laughter.

Oh, this part is GOLD.

Seated on Lan WangJi’s lap, he continued, “HanGuang-Jun, what a deceitful face you have. Everyone says you’re pure and chaste and ascetic. I feel extremely wronged.”

Lan WangJi lifted him a bit so that Wei WuXian sat higher and the two were closer, “Wronged?”

Wei WuXian, “It’s absolute nonsense. You see, you’re clearly not a virgin anymore, yet when people see your face, they say you are one no matter what. In my previous life, I’ve never touched a girl’s hand except when I’m trying to save someone, but not a single person believed that I was a virgin.” He began to count, “Night-hunting while at school! Everyone gossipped about me playing around with girls. Up on Burial Mound! Everyone gossiped about me being a satyr of anarchy. How bitter is the silence in which I’m doomed to suffer.”

I feel you so much, Wei Wuxian! This is such a great concept of their characters though, that a wild and shameless spirit like Wei Wuxian is rather innocent and naive when it comes to real life experiences in sex, YET LAN WANGJI ON THE OTHER HAND, you'd never guess that this deity looking, elegant, pristine, ascetic and righteous man IS SUCH A PERVERT TOWARDS WEI WUXIAN SDFJSDLKGJSLDK

At this point, Lan WangJi finally couldn’t sit any longer.

He spun around and pressed Wei WuXian onto the bed, “Do you not want it to be me?”

“What are you so anxious for? Hahahahahahahahaha…”

When the time came, Lan SiZhui had been waiting for quite a while, standing in the courtyard with Lil’ Apple reined, when Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi finally sauntered out of the house.

He wanted to tell him, Senior Wei, you accidentally wore HanGuang-Jun’s clothes again. But after some thought, he still swallowed the sentence.

AGAIN!? YOU DID IT AGAIN?!?! WITH POOR SIZHUI RIGHT OUTSIDE WAITING FOR YOU!?

Lan WangJi grabbed the rein of the mad donkey with one hand and with the other took away the apple next to Wei WuXian’s mouth, “Leave it be. We can buy some tomorrow.”

Wei WuXian held his shoulder, finally managing to steady himself, “Well I’m trying to save some money for HanGuang-Jun, am I not?”

Lan WangJi, “That will never be necessary.”

Wei Wuxian: spends Lan Wangji's money on EVERYTHING

Also Wei Wuxian: omg, no, I can't buy an apple, I try to save Lan Zhan's money!

Lan WangJi listened for a moment, “Excessive.”

Wei WuXian understood what he meant. From the sounds of the sword and the footsteps, he could tell that Lan SiZhui’s swordplay was swift and fierce, lacking in firmness. It wasn’t that it was inadequate, but rather that it wasn’t consistent with the GusuLan Sect’s sword way. If his vigor wasn’t in harmony or if he used many different methods, he might reach a dead end once he cultivated to a higher level.

He replied, “He’s pretty good already. SiZhui is still young. He can’t control his attacks. He’ll know after he grows up and gains more experience duelling others.”

Lan WangJi shook his head. He listened some more before suddenly turning to Wei WuXian.

Wei WuXian was also somewhat surprised. He heard it to. Just now, a few of Lan SiZhui’s attacks weren’t of the GusuLan Sect, but instead of the YunmengJiang Sect.

But he’d never taught any of that to the GusuLan Sect’s juniors. He speculated, “SiZhui and the rest of them regularly go on night-hunts with Jin Ling. He probably retained them unconsciously while duelling him.”

Lan WangJi, “It is inappropriate.”

Wei WuXian, “Then are you going to punish him once you get back?”

Lan WangJi, “Yes.”

Absolutely love this part, it's amazing how they can recognize the fighting style just by listening. I love how Lan Wangji expresses displeasure with Lan Sizhui's performance, as if he's being tested right at this moment. (Oh, wait, he is, huh)

BUT WHY PUNISHMENT LAN ZHAN?!

Wei WuXian picked the pear up from the ground and laid it beside his hand once again, “Nothing. Eat something to calm your nerves. Don’t be so nervous.” Right after, he smirked at Lan WangJi, “On the other hand, HanGuang-Jun, you’re absolutely incredible. It’s no wonder that I can tell it’s Yunmeng’s swordplay, but how could you tell?”

As though after a short pause, Lan WangJi finally replied, “I learned them after duelling you so many times.”

WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE SO MUCH YOU EVEN LEARN THEIR FIGHTING STYLE

Chapter 123: Extra—Iron Hook (Part One)

After having poked at the corpse for a long while, Wei WuXian finally lifted his face from inside the coffin, taking his gloves off and tossing them to the side, “Has everyone finished looking?”

“Yes, we have!”

Can we stop for a moment and acknowledge that Wei Wuxian takes the juniors to an educational field trip OF INSPECTING CORPSES?! HE EVEN HAS GLOVES.

Look at the fearsome Yiling Laozu becoming a teacher to cute little ducklings!

Jin Ling yelled, covering his head, “You can’t hit me like this just because Lan WangJi isn’t here!”

Wei WuXian, “If he were here, he’d help me beat you up with just a single word of mine, you believe me?”

Jin Ling didn’t believe him, “But I’m a sect leader!!!”

Wei WuXian smirked, “I’ve beaten up well over eighty sect leaders, possibly even a hundred.”

LMAO WEI WUXIAN

Recalling that this person right here could go as far as to yell in front of a crowd that he wanted to sleep with HanGuang-Jun, Jin Ling realized that he was truly unable to expect what other things would come out of his mouth.

Hahahaha Jin Ling is still traumatized <3

Jin Ling, “I’ve looked at the thief’s corpse a bunch of times.”

Wei WuXian grabbed him and pulled him over, “But you didn’t look carefully enough.”

He patted Jin Ling’s shoulder and suddenly pressed it down. At once, Jin Ling was face to face with the dark-faced, wide-eyed corpse. The stench effused. Wei WuXian spoke, “Look at his eyes.”

I MUST DEFINITELY DRAW THIS!

Chapter 124: Extra—Iron Hook (Part Two)

Wei WuXian rolled with laughter, “What are you so embarrassed for? When humans feel pain or fear, they’d be scared, they’d want someone to help them, they’d want to scream and shout and cry—isn’t that what makes us human? Tell me, yes or no. HanGuang-Jun, look at SiZhui—he’s scared you’ll punish him and he’s peeking at you. Say yes, quick. If you say ‘yes’, it means you also agree with my point of view, which then means you won’t punish him.”

With his elbow, he poked lightly at the stomach of Lan WangJi, who was currently marking the notes, his back straight. Without any change in expression, Lan WangJi replied, “Yes.”

Hahahahahahahahahaha omgggggg 2 teachers with 2 different teaching approaches, but the thing is, that one of them is so smitten over the other, that anything the other says he will do immediately!

Chapter 125: Extra—Lotus Seed Pod

Wei WuXian, “Don’t worry. There’s nothing to be scared of even if he comes. If he does come, you can tell Uncle Jiang to have him sleep with me. I’ll definitely drive him mad in less than a month.”

Jiang Cheng snorted, “You want to sleep with him for an entire month? I say you’d be stabbed to death within a week.”

Teen Wei Wuxian wanted Lan Wangji to visit him in Lotus Pier he was even daydreaming about them sleeping in his room for a month! I SAY THIS MUST BE AN INCENSE BURNER CHAPTER.

Jiang Cheng, “What a shameless ‘friend’ you are. Go ask Lan WangJi and see if he wants you as one.”

Wei WuXian, “Fuck off. If he doesn’t want me, I’ll bother him to the point that he does.” He turned to Jiang YanLi, “Shijie, do you know Lan WangJi?”

"If he doesn’t want me, I’ll bother him to the point that he does."

What a quote.

Madam Yu was even angrier, “How dare you run! Come back right now and kneel!” As she spoke, she let loose her whip with a flip of her wrist. Wei WuXian felt a searing pain slash across his back. He loudly exclaimed, “Ow!” And almost tripped on the ground. Yet, all of a sudden, someone’s quiet voice drifted by Madam Yu’s ear, “Mom, do you want to eat some watermelon…”

Madam Yu was startled by Jiang YanLi, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. With the delay, all of the boys had vanished into thin air. She was so infuriated that she turned to Jiang YanLi and pinched her cheek, “Eat, eat, eat—all you do is eat!”

Nooooo ;_________; Yanli, my sweet sweet child!!!

“How unfair. Nobody else was wearing anything, but why was I the only one who got scolded and beaten up?”

Jiang Cheng, “Because you hurt the eye the most with no clothes on, for sure.”

Jiang Cheng, there's a good chance that right now in Cloud Recess, there's a 15 year old boy who's fapping exactly to this shirtless body.

Soon, the crowd sank into a chaotic water-fight, from the Jab of Justice to the Plant of Poison to the Bolt of Brutality—Wei WuXian gave Jiang Cheng a kick before he finally managed to climb onto the boat. Spitting out a mouthful of the lakewater, he waved his hand, “Let’s stop, let’s stop—I call a truce!”

Are...are all of these names that Wei Wuxian came up with for his water-fight attack techniques? XDDDD

The little boat from Lotus Pier glid into the verdant world. All around it were plump seed pods, hanging low. One person was paddling the boat, while the others got to work. The ample pods dangled from the slender stems, on which grew small, harmless thorns. With just a bit of force, the stems would snap in half. They all broke the pods off along with a long chunk of stem, so that they could get a few bottles when they got back and grow them in the water. Some said that this way, the pods would taste fresh for a few days longer. Wei WuXian only heard this from other people. He didn’t know if it was true or not, either, but he nevertheless told this to others with confidence.

I like this part because it's really something that a child or a young teen would do. They hear random trivia about something, they don't even check if it's true, but they pass it along to their friends with much importance. I did it myself as a child and I see kids nowadays do it too.

What I think is most sweet about this is that later in this chapter, Lan Wangji would actually believe it, cause Wei Wuxian said it, but he doesn't know that even Wei Wuxian doesn't know if it's true or not. I just think it's adorable!

He broke off a few and peeled one open, tossing the round seeds into his mouth. The juice burst on his tongue. He ate as he absentmindedly hummed something along the lines of, “I’ll treat you to lotus pods, so what will you treat me to?” Jiang Cheng happened to hear this, “Who are you treating?”

;sldks;ldgk he's dreaming about treating Lan Wangji!!!

He felt his back, covered in scars both old and new, and still couldn’t hold back the question he’d be thinking about, “How awfully unfair. Why is it that I’m the only one who gets beaten up, whenever something happens?”

One of the shidi replied, “You’re the most handsome.”

Another one, “You have the highest level of cultivation.”

And another, “You look the best with no clothes on.”

Everyone nodded. Wei WuXian, “Thanks for the praise, you guys. I’m even starting to feel some goose bumps.”

Lan Zhan would 100% agree!

Wei WuXian threw the seed pods toward the shore. It was a far distance, but they landed lightly in the women’s hands. He grabbed a few more and stuffed them into Jiang Cheng’s arms, shoving, “What are you doing, just standing there? Hurry up.”

After a few shoves, Jiang Cheng could only accept them, “Hurry up and do what?”

Wei WuXian, “You ate the watermelon too, so you also have to return the gift, don’t you? Here, here, don’t be embarrassed. Start throwing, start throwing.”

Jiang Cheng snorted again, “You must be joking. What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Whatever he said, however, even after all of the shidi began to throw seed pods, he still didn’t start to move. Wei WuXian urged, “Then throw some! If you throw some this time, next time you can ask them if the seed pods tasted good, and you’ll be able to make conversation again!”

The shidi were in awe, “So that’s why! What a lesson. You have so much experience with these things, Shixiong!”

You're so smart, Wei Wuxian!! You did the same tricks with Lan Wangji, right? hahaha

As the boat floated in the water, the maiden chased it in small steps on the shore, catching the green lotus seed pods that the boys in the boat were tossing toward them, laughing as they ran. Wei WuXian put his right hand above his brows, taking in the scenery. Amid the laughter, he let out a sigh. The others asked, “What’s wrong, Da-Shixiong?” “You’re sighing even when girls are chasing after you?”

Wei WuXian swung the paddle onto his shoulder, grinning, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking that I invited Lan Zhan in all sincerity to come visit Yunmeng, yet he still dared to decline the offer.”

The boys all put up their thumbs, “Wow, that’s Lan WangJi, for sure!”

Wei WuXian stated in high spirits, “Shut up! Someday, I’ll drag him here and kick him off the boat. I’ll fool him into stealing lotus seed pods and let the old man beat him up with the bamboo pole and he’ll be chasing after me from behind, hahahaha…”

Oh my fucking god this part! It's like from a musical. You have the main lead with whom all the surrounding characters are in love, yet he's in love with someone else and is sighing about it to his friends, and then he sings a song about how he tries so hard but that person won't notice him, and all his friends sing with him and agree with him. And meanwhile Jiang Cheng is sitting there sulking hahahaha

After a while of laughter, he turned around and looked at Jiang Cheng, who was sitting at the front of the boat eating seed pods with a long face. His smile gradually disappeared as he sighed, “Well, what an unteachable child.”

Jiang Cheng fumed, “So what if I want to eat alone?”

Wei WuXian, “Look at you, Jiang Cheng. Nevermind. You’re hopeless. Just wait to eat alone your whole life!”

Jiang Cheng!!! You're all about scaring away all the ladies, huh >:(

Lan XiChen and Lan WangJi were standing.

Upside-down.

Neither of the two said a thing, as though they were already in a state of meditation. The only sounds that could be heard were the murmurs of water and the trills of birds. In contrast, their surroundings seemed even quieter.

A while later, Lan WangJi suddenly spoke up, “Brother.”

Lan XiChen calmly withdrew from his state of meditation, his eyes unwavering, “Yes?”

After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi asked, “Have you picked lotus seed pods before?”

[...]

Lan WangJi tilted his head downward, “Brother, did you know?”

Lan XiChen, “Know what?”

Lan WangJi, “Lotus seed pods with their stems attached taste better than those without.”

Lan XiChen, “Oh? Now that would be something I have never heard of. Why do you ask, all of a sudden?”

THIS IS JUST TOO CUTE!!! The both of them are such an opposite to what's going on with the other brothers (Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and all their friends). There is a complete chaos of fun and game fights, and here is this tranquility of two brothers who are the definition of perfect kids, straining themselves physically for mediations' sake. Yet still, it seems that one of them can't forget a certain someone who is not as calm and collected as he is. His mind is full of that wild, free spirited boy, who always looked for trouble. Yet somehow he feels that he has to cling to the words that boy told him, cause this is the only way he can allow himself to get close to him.

Lan WangJi spoke to it, “Go back.”

And yet the rabbit didn’t listen. It nipped an end of Lan WangJi’s forehead ribbon and pulled with force, as though it wanted to drag Lan WangJi away just like that.

Lan XiChen commented calmly, “Perhaps it wants you as company.”

The rabbit, unable to move him, hopped around the two in a fury. Lan XiChen was quite amused, “Is this the boisterous one?”

Lan WangJi, “Too much so.”

OH MY GOD it's a Wei Wuxian bunny!!

Lan XiChen, “There is no harm in being boisterous. It is lovely, after all. If I recall correctly, there should be two of them. The two are often together, are they not? Why has only one of them come? Does the other one prefer quietude as opposed to playing outside?”

Lan WangJi, “It will come.”

It seems that Lan Wangji is observing the Lan Wangjesque bunny and knows exactly what it will do, as if it's a self reflection. He knows that the bunny will do something that he himself didn't do, but might have done - to come beside the other, boisterous bunny.

The rabbits snuggled against each other, forming quite an adorable scene even when seen upside-down. Lan XiChen, “What are their names?”

Lan WangJi shook his head, either to say they had no names or simply refusing to say them out loud.

Lan XiChen, however, added, “I heard you call them by their names last time.”

“…”

Sincerely, Lan XiChen commented, “They have lovely names.”

HE GAVE THEM NAMES!!!! To the bunny he sees as himself and Wei Ying!!! I wonder what names they have!!!

A servant presented them iced fruits to relieve the heat. The watermelon had been peeled. The pulp was cut into neat pieces and spread out in the jade plate, their translucent red appealing to the eyes. The two brothers sat kneeling on the mats. After they exchanged a few quiet words, discussing what they learnt after yesterday’s lessons, they finally began to eat.

*facepalm*

CLASSIC GUSULAN TABLE ETIQUETTE.

With no surprise, Lan WangJi spoke up. He called, “Brother.”

Lan XiChen, “What is it?”

Lan WangJi, “Have you had watermelon peel before?”

“…” Lan XiChen, “Is watermelon peel edible?”

After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi replied, “I heard it can be stir-fried.”

Lan XiChen, “Perhaps it can.”

Lan WangJi, “I heard it tastes quite good.”

“I have never tried it.”

“Neither have I.”

The way he just can't stop thinking about Wei Wuxian and the things he said to him, even if it was an insult! (Wei Wuxian said that he'd rather eat stir fried watermelon peel that Gusu's food, and somehow Lan Wangji took it as Wei Wuxian loving stir fried watermelon peel LMAO)

In half a mile, he’d left the market; just a bit further, the buildings grew sparser; after more than a mile, all that was beside him had already turned into fields of green and criss-crossed paths. Only once in a while would he encounter a small, crooked cottage, emitting crooked wafts of smoke from its chimney. A few grimey toddlers wearing high braids were squatting in the field, throwing mud at one another as they giggled. It was such an interesting scene that Lan WangJi paused to look, although he was discovered soon later.

*gasp!*

Lan Wangji stopped to look at toddlers play!

Everyone lending a hand, the farmers carefully carried the wounded man over. Two of them went to hold up the shed, yet even two farmers couldn’t lift the roof. As the others urged them, they used all their strength, their faces flushed red, yet it still didn’t budge an inch. Two more people came, but it still wouldn’t move!

The roof of the shed was had a wooden frame and was covered in tiles, hay, and layers of dirt. It wasn’t light, but it definitely wasn’t so heavy that even four farmers who worked in the fields all year long couldn’t lift.

Even before he approached, Lan WangJi knew what was going on. He walked to the shed, bent down, raised a corner of the roof, and lifted it up with a single hand.

The farmers were shocked speechless.

Stronk Teenji! <3

Seeing that even though his clothes were white, half was soaked by the rain and his boots were covered in mud as well, the woman softened her tone, “You came too late today. Come earlier tomorrow. Where are you from? The rain was so heavy earlier. You child, you didn’t run over here in the rain, did you? Why didn’t you take an umbrella? How far is your home from here?”

Lan WangJi replied honestly, “Ten and a half miles.”

The woman choked as she heard it, “So far?! You took a long time getting here, didn’t you? If you really want to eat lotus seed, you should go buy some in the streets. There are plenty.”

Lan WangJi was just about to turn around when he heard this and stopped, “The lotus seed pods sold on the streets do not have stems on them.”

The woman was amused, “Do they have to have stems on them? It’s not like they taste any different.”

Lan WangJi, “They do.”

“They don’t!”

Lan WangJi insisted, “They do. Somebody told me they do.”

"Somebody told me they do."

THE WAY HE ARGUES WITH SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY WORKS IN THIS FIELD OVER SOME NONSENSE THAT WEI WUXIAN TOLD HIM JUST CAUSE HE'S SO INTERESTED AND IN LOVE WITH THAT BOY!

After he finished, Lan XiChen gazed at the painting for a while before he put it away and forgot about it. He took out Liebing and went to the location where he usually practiced Sound of Lucidity.

Before the small cottage sprouted bushes of soft, violet gentians, their petals adorned dew like stars. Lan XiChen entered through the path. He looked up and paused.

On the wooden hallway before the cottage’s doors was a vase of white jade. Inside the vase were lotus seed pods of varying heights.

The jade vase was slender and the pod stems were slender as well. It was quite a beautiful scene.

Lan XiChen put Liebing away and sat down before the vase. Tilting his head, he looked at it for a while, hesitating.

In the end, with much reservation, he chose not to take one secretly and peel it open to determine just what tasted different about lotus seed pods with their stems attached.

If WangJi looked so happy, they must be quite a delicacy indeed.

HE BROUGHT THEM TO HIS MOTHER'S HOME!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?

Does it mean that for the first time, after the passing of his mother, something that left a big impact on Lan Wangji, he found a certain connection and love for another person? That being Wei Wuxian? Taking the pods with the stems, those that Wei Wuxian talked about, probably as an offhand remark, and bringing them to his mother's home. It's really like making a connection between the two. A thing we also saw probably when Lan Wangji was willing to act towards Wei Wuxian as his father did towards his mother. Take him, hide him, and go into seclusion himself.

Chapter 126: Extra—Dream Come True (END)

At the same time, a formless thread was fixed to the gazes of the children at the side.

And then he heard Wei WuXian count, “One thousand three hundred seventy-two, one thousand three hundred eighty-one…”

Lan WangJi, “…”

Under the shower of the children’s admiration, Wei WuXian cheated just like that.

LMAO this part is gold. Wei Wuxian's interactions with children are so cruel yet so hilarious hahaha

The last kick went the highest, accompanied by a reverberating, “One thousand six hundred!” The children all exclaimed with astonishment, clapping with all their might.

The outcome was clear. A little girl screamed, “One thousand six hundred! He won, you lost!”

In high spirits, Wei WuXian accepted the victory without a sliver of doubt. Lan WangJi lifted his hands as well, letting out a few claps.

LAN WANGJI YOU PLAY ALONG WITH HIS CRIMES?!

Wei WuXian, “How come? If you don’t believe me, let’s ask someone on the streets.”

He looked around for a moment before slapping his leg, “Oh hey, I found one. You, Young Master, who looks extremely reliable. Please wait a moment!”

“…”

And thus, Lan WangJi waited, “What is it?”

Wei WuXian, “Could I, please ask you a question?”

Lan WangJi, “Yes.”

Wei WuXian asked, “Excuse me, but what comes after ninety?”

Lan WangJi, “A hundred.”

Wei WuXian saluted him, “Thank you.”

Lan WangJi nodded, “You are welcome.”

You do!

Wei WuXian laughed out loud, biting off one of the haws. Lan WangJi was about to speak again when something cold touched his lips, leaving a sweet taste on his tongue.

Wei WeiXian had stuffed the remaining stick of haws into his mouth.

Noticing his unusual expression, Wei WuXian asked, “Do you eat sweet things?”

Holding the haws in his mouth, Lan WangJi neither ate it nor spat it out, unable to say anything. Wei WuXian, “If you don’t, I’ll have it.” He grabbed the thin stick of the haws, wanting to take it back, but he couldn’t pull it out even after a few tries. It seemed that Lan WangJi had bit into it with his teeth. Wei WuXian grinned, “So are you going to eat it or not?”

Lan WangJi bit off a haw as well, “I am.”

AHHHH this is so unusual seeing Lan Wangji actually express his desires, and the desires you would not expect he had, like wanting to eat sweet things.

He asked, “You were the one who made them? Such a thing as the kitchen exists in the Cloud Recesses?”

“… Of course.”

“You washed and cut the vegetables? You poured the oil into the pan? You added the seasoning?”

“Mn.”

“You… You…”

Wei WuXian was absolutely speechless. In the end, one hand grabbing Lan WangJi’s collar and another hugging his neck, he gave him a fierce kiss.

I don't blame you, Wei Wuxian, I'd react the same way. OMG he's so overwhelmed and surprised! He's so happy Lan Wangji made food for him <333

Wei WuXian responded, his expression serious this time, “I’m sorry. I was just too happy. Lan Zhan, how come you’re so good at everything? You’re amazing even when it comes to cooking!”

His praise was of utmost sincerity. Lan WangJi had heard countless compliments from when he was a child, but not a single one of them were able to make it so hard to stop the corners of his lips from blooming into a smile. He only pretended to be calm, “It was no difficult task.”

SHUT UP HOW ARE THEY SO SWEET?!!?!?!? T_______________T

Lan Wangji gets praises all the time but only the ones from Wei Wuxian make him smile and feel happy

The more he looked, the more he felt that every one of them was ugly and that he didn’t want any of them, finding the decision difficult. Suddenly, he saw a stuffed donkey that was extremely ugly, so ugly that one wouldn’t even be able to ignore it when glancing across. He beamed, “That one’s good. It looks like Lil’ Apple. There, there—get that one.”

Hahahahahahaha listen I can't explain this but the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Little Apple is something that needs to be talked about. The donkey hates the man, the man constantly annoys, teases and talks bad about the donkey, YET THEY STILL TOLERATE EACH OTHER.

Just as he finished, he shook his head, rejecting his own idea, “The Jingshi is only suitable for playing the guqin and burning incense. Such a peaceful place filled with the scent of sandalwood would look awful with the big turtle.”

When Lan WangJi heard him say that the Jingshi was ‘a peaceful place only suitable for playing the guqin and burning incense,’ he glanced at him, as though he wanted to say something but didn’t.

I can just imagine the expression Lan Wangji had hahahaha

After the lips parted, Wei WuXian raised his hand, continuing what he hadn’t finished, “I’ll admit it. All that was nonsense. Back then, I really just wanted to play with you.”

Lan WangJi lifted him from behind his back, and Wei WuXian was sitting on the boat once more. He turned around to give him a hand, “And so, Lan Zhan, you’re gonna have to be honest too.”

Lan WangJi also went back on the boat. He handed him a red ribbon, “Be honest about what?”

Wei WuXian held the ribbon in between his lips, using both of his hands to retie the hair that had come loose underwater, “Be honest about whether or not you thought about me in the same way.” In a solemn tone, he spoke, “Rejecting me like that so coldly every single time—it really made me lose face, don’t you know?”

Lan WangJi, “You can try, now, to see if I would reject you over anything.”

I JUST LOVE THIS PART SO MUCH because it's really like closing a circle, like, returning to old problems and fixing them. I love how they mentioned their past relationship, and confessed what really was behind their actions.

MY LOVES MAY YOU LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

The sentence so suddenly struck his heart. Wei WuXian choked, yet Lan WangJi was still as calm as ever, as though he didn’t at all realize what he just said. Wei WuXian put his hand to his forehead, “You… HanGuang-Jun, let’s make a deal. Please warn me before you say something so romantic, or else I won’t be able to take it.”

Lan WangJi nodded, “Okay.”

Wei WuXian, “Lan Zhan—what a person you are!”

Tens of thousands of words were left unspoken, in exchange for endless laughter and hugs.

Yup. The current Lan Wangji is different from the one you knew, Wei Wuxian. You always thought you can leave HIM speechless with your nonsense and shameless behaviour, but looks like ever since you came back HE is the one who's leaving YOU speechless with his romantic actions hehehehehe

MO DAO ZU SHI Postscripts

What first drove me to write such a story seemed to be a blurry scene that appeared in my head: in a forest surrounded by rain and darkness, a person in black with a pale complexion and blood on his face snapped in half something in his hand, his expression cold. It was either a flute or an arrow.

I don’t remember how this scene appeared either. There was no logic to support it. I neither knew whom the person was nor why he had such an expression on his face, but I was indeed touched by an inexplicable feeling. And then I suddenly grew interested. I began to think what kind of person he’d be, what kind of journeys he would’ve come through, trying hard to create detailed, logically-complete plots for him, transform everything into words, and then attempt to touch others.

It's not that different from how people make art. I too, had many moments of looking at a scene and imagining a story, a character, a feeling, that I went back and made an art of. Sometimes they turned into an original story with ocs, sometimes they were just left as a one time art pieces.

It's so interesting that MXTX says that this story was first created by a feeling. Can't believe how a tiny spark of emotion can create such a complex and incredible story!

All of their character elements were created in binary opposition. The bold and the principled, the concealed yearning and the flaunting coquetry, the red rose and the white rose, the cold, dignified one and the devilish, untamed one… The more different they were, the better. Still, their core was the same. Which usually means their outlook on life is the same? In any case, this isn’t the point. The point is that I love the chemistry between them!

I absolutely love relationship stories where the two people are opposites. In MDZS's case the contrast was really good, but you can also see how, even though each character sticks to his own personality, and are often times opposing the personality of the other, they are still curious with the other, and still want to adopt (and later do) the other's traits until they turn one.

It's like I always explained my husband (who was my boyfriend then) how I see our relationship. One brings the blue, the other brings the yellow, and together we blend and create a green.

The characters Xiao XingChen and Xue Yang are pretty much old friends of mine. In high school, every evening self-studying session* I’d pay no attention to studying, sneakily writing things down on a notebook. That was when I settled on their names and overall personalities. But back then, there wasn’t a full plot or any context. There were only a few fragments of their interactions, some of which I directly put into the story, such as drawing sticks to determine who to purchase the vegetables. To have characters and pieces of dialogue that previously only existed in my head be seen by everyone and discussed so fervently is a curious feeling indeed.

I was really surprised reading this. Apparently, the secondary arch characters like Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen were the first ones she created. It's really amazing that she thought about incorporating their story into the MDZS one. Meaning, that the two stories were unrelated to each other, yet MXTX felt as if she owed those characters from highschool some respect, and found a way to give them a place in this story.

Also this is so relatable, I was also creating stories and sketching stuff in notebooks in boring classes. It's usually those kids who don't pay attention, to whom the teachers will say that nothing will come out of them, that they turn to be the most successful with their creations. I'm so glad MXTX managed to take her hobby seriously and to get so popular with it! I REALLY HOPE SHE'S GETTING THE TONS OF MONEY SHE DESERVES and that all of her teachers are left with their jaws on the floor hahaha

Before I finished coming up with anything else about Wen Ning, what I first decided on was, “He has to die!” “I’m going to make him die!” The original plan was to make him turn into ash on the boat leaving Lotus Pier, but when I wrote up to that point, I turned around and found that there wasn’t enough foreshadowing. And there wasn’t a reason he had to die, was there? Killing him off would be very abrupt, almost as if I was angsting for the sake of angst. So even though I really wanted him to die, I could do nothing but give up. It was the same with our little princess Jin Ling. He was also supposed to die. In order to defeat the big villain, he turned himself into a fierce corpse to replace Wen Ning. But since Wen Ning didn’t die, he wouldn’t have to replace him either.

The way you know a character has to die from the very beginning you create him hahahahaha that's also very relatable! BUT WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN JIN LING HAD TO DIE!?

Good thing she changed her mind or else we'd have 34095830467809345 uncles who lost their nephew. :(

Like Empathy. The goal of Empathy is simple—to insert the stories of side characters. I was using it like a variation of the point-of-view switch, but the technique is so simple that it’s almost a shortcut.

The simple things are usually the most genius ones! This was an amazing idea because it did give us the much wanted POV of other characters (plus bringing us THE INCREDIBLE story of Yi City arc) AND it also fits the story a lot! Empathy as a method to find out the truth about dead people is a method that fits Wei Wuxian's character so much, because he IS empathetic to them. He is a person who sacrificed himself and his body, and later was willing to do it again, not only for the dead but for the living too. (Mianmian, Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling etc). And he's also a person who is willing to study and learn all layers of society, from the richest and the powerful to the poor and the weak, he READS people. And this is why even if MXTX wanted to create empathy as a useful tool to give her readers another POV, the amazing thing is that it fits the character who uses it A LOT.

And also like the agonizingly long flashbacks that so many criticized. It’s not a favored writing method. Ever since the first section, readers have abandoned the story because of it. More and more happened as time went on, and the controversy got bigger and bigger as well, but I still followed the outline and insert three uber-long flashbacks.

I can't believe people criticized the flashbacks in the middle of the story, they are my most favorite part! Please understand that my first encounter with MDZS was watching the donghua, where all the flashbacks were put together in a chronological order in the first season, and only then the story of Wei Wuxian's second life begin, with his and Lan Wangji's adventure of finding the mystery of the arm.

When I read the novel for the first time, it was so interesting to dive straight into that adventure, because the small talk between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, or between him and other characters, or the things he talked about himself, spark your curiosity and give you random hints about what happened in the past. And then, reading those flashbacks is like a relevant topic for the present day time of the story. Each flashback throws light on things that are mentioned in the present and that's how with time you get to put together the entire puzzle and understand exactly just what happened there and how it affects the present time situation.

If I were to read the entire part of where Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were good friends and loyal brothers, and that part would end and the present time would begin were I would constantly read about Jiang Cheng's animosity towards Wei Wuxian, I doubt that I would grasp the complexity of his character and their relationship as good as it was when I saw first "bad" Jiang Cheng, and then "good" Jiang Cheng.

If I would finish reading the entire history of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in their past life, it would not be as intense and beautiful as seeing it incorporated in present time and finding the big contrast again and again.

I'd love to know your thoughts about this!

When I was writing the outline, I’d also considered if I should disassemble the plot of WWX’s past life and the pieces bit by bit inside the story. My conclusion was that if it were disassembled, the structure and timeline would be even messier and it’d be even harder to read. The completeness of the plot would be destroyed, and the emotions wouldn’t flow smoothly either. Strictly speaking, this story consists of two parallel stories of the past and present lives, of two segments of life. A few minor memories could be fragmented, but the important phases and the transitional events couldn’t be summarized. And in the end, I still decided to use a method I thought could express things the best. When writing, on some things one should take suggestions, but on others it’s best to persist. No matter if others think it was ‘the best’ or ‘the worst’, it was still my attempt.

You are so right, dear author. Thank you so much for thinking this through and giving us the version you did!

MDZS rereading commentary || chapters 114extra-119extra 

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Well! This is it you guys! I'm done with the reading and I enjoyed it so much! Thank you to all of you who read this commentary and commented. Reading it a second time really got me understanding even more things about this novel (of course, that being my own interpretation of it)

Reading the novel again really sparked my motivation to draw more art! I hope you will see better pieces from me in the upcoming time.

Next I will move to watch the donghua and listen to the audio drama, but I will not make commentary about them.

Thank you once again for your patience and you interest and for being in this journey with me <3