Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu Vol. 2 by Tang Jiu Qing: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Ballad of Sword and Wine by Tang Jiu Quing

The second volume picks up where the previous left, i.e. right after the bedroom scene. The book description says the men part as enemies, but that’s not the case. Shen Zechuan simply leaves as if nothing has happened. He’s not affected by what took place between him and Xiao Chiye at all, which irks the latter greatly, prompting him to tempt the first at every opportunity.

But things have changed between them and the men find themselves scheming together. It doesn’t show outward though, and Shen Zechuan even manages to manipulate matters so that Xiao Chiye is suspected of a wrongdoing, with the full knowledge and co-operation of the latter. Shen Zechuan even makes sure that Xiao Chiye doesn’t come to a permanent harm.

There’s abundant of court intrigue going on too. Someone is making several attempts at the emperor’s life, and the heroics of Shen Zechuan in saving him help his star to rise in the court. He can’t become complaisant though, and has to work relentlessly to keep his scheming going.

Both men are busy and it keeps them apart. Whenever they come together, heat begins to build, leading to some of the most erotic non-sex scenes I’ve read in a while. The indifference Shen Zechuan affects is only a show and Xiao Chiye can melt him in moments. The two are brilliant together, in and out of bed, matching each other in scheming and passion.

The story is much more compact than in the first book, taking place during a couple of months. A lot happens during it, and at the end, the men are better off than after the first. And like the first book, this ends in a middle of what promises to be a good bedroom scene. It’s as well written and logical with all the complicated court issues as the first, keeping me entertained throughout. I’ll definitely read more.

There are adaptations and then there’s this

Have you ever watched a TV adaptation of a book that you like, which has changed the entire premise, much of the plot and some of the characters, has a completely different ending and a lousy sound quality, and still somehow manages to be better than the original? I hadn’t either, until I watched a Chinese TV series Guardian - Zhen Hun (2018). Some spoilers ahead, especially about the ending.

Promo photo of Guardian with Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu.

Guardian by Priest is a Chinese boylove web novel from 2012 that’s recently been published in English for the first time. It was in three volumes, and I review them here, here and here. It tells the story of two gods who meet at the creation of the world. One is a soulless creature of the underworld, Ghost King, accidentally created by the god of mountain, Kunlun, with other gui. Kunlun ends up sacrificing himself to keep Chaos, Ghost King’s twin, from getting free from the underworld. Distraught, Ghost King makes a deal with gods: Kunlun gets to reincarnate endlessly while he guards the seal on Chaos and the two will never meet.

Promo banner for Guardian by Priest.

Ten thousand years later in present day China, the two meet. Kunlun is now Zhao Yunlan, director of a Special Investigation Department that investigates supernatural crimes, with no knowledge of his past. Ghost King is Shen Wei, a mild-mannered professor of mythology, who knows who Zhao Yunlan truly is and has met him often in his true form as a Soul-Executing Emissary from the underworld. Romance ensues. But Chaos is about to get free again, and another sacrifice is needed to stop it from happening. This time Ghost King is determined to make sure he’s the one who dies to protect the man he loves.

The TV series has none of that. I can only presume that government censorship and rules about what can be shown on Chinese TV had a huge role in changing the premise. Instead of a fantasy about gods and mythological creatures, it’s sort of sci-fi, at least on the surface. All the gods and supernatural entities are now aliens with psychic powers who came to earth ten thousand years ago. Science is emphasised instead of magic and supernatural. Shen Wei, who is an alien called Black Caped Envoy, battled with his twin, Night King, and sealed all aliens to a subterranean world where they’ve been ten thousand years. In present day, Zhao Yunlan is a head of a department that investigates crimes by escaped subterraneans. Shen Wei is a professor of physics. And Night King is about to get free and challenge humans once again.

Promo photo of Guardian with full cast.

For the same reason, the TV series couldn’t openly be a gay romance either. In the book, Zhao Yunlan pursues Shen Wei relentlessly from the start. There are kisses and bedroom scenes, though behind the doors. Bonus chapters show the two living their normal lives as a couple. Everyone is very accepting, and those who aren’t are communicated with until they are.

Nevertheless, the romance is the backbone of the series as well. And it works perfectly. The director had taken a leaf out of the playbooks of Jane Austen adaptations. Passionate emotions are supressed with ruthless determination and only surface in the characters’ struggle to contain them, perfectly portrayed by the expressive faces of the actors. Fleeting touches get a greater meaning than they would otherwise have.

Promo photo of Guardian with Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu.

In forty episodes, there’s a lot of room for the relationship to develop. We are shown how the men constantly put the other’s safety and wellbeing before their own, often to a detriment of their own health. 

Promo photo of Guardian with Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu.

But instead of declarations of love and happily ever after, we get the only way the two have for expressing their love: self-sacrifice for the other and for the mankind. It only works in fiction (don’t try it in real world), and even though it’s not what I would’ve wanted for them, it’s an amazingly satisfying ending.

Promo photo of Guardian with Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu.

There is also more room for character development. In the book, the side characters weren’t given enough time for their own stories and relationships to develop. In the series all the side characters were given ample screen time and good personal stories that were only hinted at in the book. Zhu Hong, the main woman character who was sidelined in the book, had a good arc from a woman besotted with Zhao Yunlan to a leader of her people, and I was especially happy with how the friendship/relationship of Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi played out. It was portrayed as a found family and brotherhood, but it was the secondary romance in the series that was only hinted at in the book.

Promo photo of Guardian with Xing Peng and Jiang Mingyang.

All of this was done on rather cheap looking sets, with fairly simple CGI and truly bad sound editing where the voices of the actors were dubbed by different people in post-production. Those knowledgeable of the production informed me that the company ran out of money before the series was finished, and it showed. All the money probably went into the clothing of Shen Wei who looked stylish throughout the series, although other characters’ wardrobes improved towards the end too.

Promo photo of Guardian with Gao Yuer.

Nevertheless, the sum grew beyond its parts. A lot of it is thanks to the excellent actors portraying Zhao Yunlan (Bai Yu) and Shen Wei (Zhu Yilong, who portrayed four different characters, even if three were basically the same person), but it’s also because the story was given time to grow. The publishing format of web novels tends to make the stories a tad confusing at times, because there’s no returning to earlier chapters for editing after publishing. Much of the book is taken by Chinese creation mythologies and other stories, which were fine but didn’t really advance the story.

Compilation of Zhu Yilong as Black Caped Envoy, Shen Wei, young Black Caped Envoy and Night King.

The book began as an urban fantasy about supernatural investigations and turned to an epic fantasy, after which the spooky atmosphere of the first book disappeared. The TV series kept the investigations going throughout, even if they were never as scary as in the first book. The chainsmoking of Zhao Yunlan was replaced by constant munching of lollypops, which they managed to turn into a mildly erotic moment at one point. 

Promo photo of Guardian with Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu.

The romance was slightly forceful in the book, whereas the stolen touches and fleeting moments of intimacy in the series truly made an impact. The contrived way the series tried to keep from mentioning anything supernatural got a bit comical at times, but it didn’t lessen the enjoyment. The ending was a bit hasty in both, but both were good. A kiss on screen would’ve been perfect, but it wasn’t to be. And so, in the end, I liked the TV series more. Both are good, but one is better.

Photo of Guardian with Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu.

Books are available through Seven Seas Entertainment and on most retail sites. The TV series is on Youku streaming service with (badly translated) English subtitles.

Here’s a bonus video on YouTube someone has compiled of the best moments between the men.

And for those who are still on X, one of my favourite scenes I couldn’t find anywhere else.

You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post Vol. 1 by Blackegg: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post by Blackegg

There’s been some upset among fandom of Chinese danmei novels for the publication of this book due to negative comments about gays by the author, and many will skip it. I considered the same, even though I haven’t personally read the comments so that I could judge myself, but the premise of the book is so bizarre that I had to read it anyway. And for what it’s worth, there’s no negative attitude to gays in the book itself.

If you’re considering reading, know that this isn’t a typical BL romance heavy on angst, pining, secondary plots and anything else but the romance. This is straight up erotica, or porn even. It goes immediately to business and stays on it the whole book. It’s good porn though, so if you’re looking for that, you won’t be disappointed.

For those of you who like to skip spicy scenes, there’s an actual story too. It’s a melancholy one that makes you want to wrap your arms around the main character and squeeze him until he’s happy. Wu Xingzi lives in a remote village far from the empire’s capital, making a meagre living as a magisterial advisor, which is mainly a secretarial job. He has no family, no property, and no one who he would care for or who would care for him back. And as he’s gay—which is allowed in the empire—there haven’t been any opportunities for him for romance in his small village either. At 39, he’s lost his will to live and has bought a burial plot and has decided to end his life the day he turns 40 in a way that is least inconvenient for the villagers.

Fate intervenes in the form of a young man to whom Wu Xingzi decides to confess his feelings before he dies. The young man tells him about a society for gay men who seek life partners through pigeon post system, and since Wu Xingzi has nothing to lose, he decides to try it. To his bewilderment, when he sends introductory letters for men that he deems suitable for him, he receives pictures of their dicks in return.

For someone who’s been deprived of human contact for all his life, it’s a stunning and energising event. He immediately abandons plans for finding a life partner, or killing himself for that matter. Who would want him anyway, as he’s plain, shy, old, and has no prospects. Instead, he writes to every single member of the society to collect all their dick pictures. But one day, when he goes to collect the latest haul, one of the men shows up in person.

Guan Shanjin is a young general and a hero of the empire after pacifying the southern border. He’s beautiful beyond belief and feared by all for his bad temper. He’s also the owner of Wu Xingzi’s favourite dick. Guan Shanjin spots Wu Xingzi by chance and is stunned by how much he resembles the only person he loves, his teacher Mr. Lu. His teacher is a clever man who keeps Guan Shanjin in a leash but who has no intention of ever starting a relationship with him, not that Guan Shanjin understands it.

All the relationships Guan Shanjin has ever had are with men who look like Mr. Lu. So he takes Wu Xingzi to bed, much to the older man’s bewilderment and delight. Come morning, Wu Xingzi leaves, so as not to bother the important man he’s not worthy of, something that has never happened to Guan Shanjin before. It triggers a need in him to possess the older man, and before they know, they’ve been in a relationship for a month.

But the whole time, Wu Xingzi expects Guan Shanjin to leave, and has no intention of getting attached to the younger man, which Guan Shanjin cannot fathom, as he’s never been rejected. But when Mr. Lu calls, Guan Shanjin rushes off. Wu Xingzi thinks his life will turn back to normal, and he can return to his dick pictures, but Guan Shanjin has other ideas.

This was a good start to the story. It’s straightforward, with no secondary plots or side characters, but sad at times. Wu Xingzi is a delightful MC with his insecurities, single-minded devotion to his dick pictures, and inability to notice the powerplays of the important people around him. Guan Shanjin is brash and selfish, but his devotion to Mr. Lu, and the nice way he treats Wu Xingzi redeem him. For his part, Mr. Lu is reprehensible and I absolutely must see him get his just deserts.

I don’t often mind the translations of these books, but I raised my brows every time a part of human anatomy was described by its Latin name. Maybe it was the author’s choice too, but I found it odd, considering the book takes place in ancient China.

The ending is a bit abrupt, but it’s not a cliffhanger, just more of the same, with Mr. Lu ruining things for Wu Xingzi, not that the latter understands he’s in a fight over a man, because he doesn’t really want the man. I’m rooting for Wu Xingzi to find happiness and lord over everyone who look down at him, and I hope it’ll be with Guan Shanjin. So I may have to continue with the series, regardless of the author’s behaviour. But you won’t miss a life-changing series if you decide to skip it.

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol. 6 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun vol 6 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Volume 6 finally brought Mo Ran and Chu Wanning where they’ve been heading all this time: in the bedroom. There was plenty of hot and heavy action, and it was very good, even if Mo Ran managed to keep himself in tight rein and didn’t go all the way. Chu Wanning didn’t immediately turn into a wanton, and even managed to subdue a lust demon even though he wasn’t pure anymore. His forays into seduction were delightful.

The relationship remained slightly uneven outside bedroom. Chu Wanning is the more senior cultivator and Mo Ran’s teacher, and the two never forget that, even though Mo Ran tries his best to seduce his Shizun in compromising places. And Mo Ran is still torn by guilt about what he did in his previous life, and can’t quite be himself with Chu Wanning.

Outside the romance, the hunt for the enemy intensifies. As he reveals more of himself, Mo Ran recognises some of his own dark spells and makes a stunning revelation. Someone else has reincarnated too. But do they know about Mo Ran, and will they come after him specifically, revealing all his horrible deeds to the world. And what will then happen to his relationship with Chu Wanning?

This was an excellent volume, fairly tight and uncomplicated. Much of it was told from Chu Wanning’s point of view, which was a nice change. Knowing there will be several volumes, I didn’t expect a fast solution here, although I can’t see how much longer the author can drag this storyline. There were also scenes of the previous life about Mo Ran’s first steps towards becoming the evil emperor. His treatment of Chu Wanning felt uncomfortably bad, contrasted with their happiness in this lifetime. He almost confesses everything to Chu Wanning too, only to chicken out at the last moment. At this point of the story, I can’t even predict how Chu Wanning will react when he eventually learns the truth—and where his vivid dreams come from.

Guardian: Zhen Hun Vol. 3 by Priest: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Guardian: Zhen Hun vol. 3 by Priest

Guardian: Zhen Hun comes to a close in this third volume, which is a refreshing change to other Chinese danmei serialisations with their endless lengths. It picks up where the previous volume left, with Zhao Yunlan having learned about his past as the mountain god, and he and Shen Wei, the Ghost King and Soul-Executing Emissary, having become an item.

But it turns out, Zhao Yunlan—and the reader—is in for a surprise. What took place inside the Merit Tree might not have been true; annoying, if you waded through the long chapters memorising everything in case it mattered later. Someone is lying to Zhao Yunlan, but who and why.

His relationship with Shen Wei hits a bad bump almost immediately too. First, his father keeps avoiding Shen Wei when Zhao Yunlan wants to introduce them, which leads to a revelation about the elder Zhao. Then Zhao Yunlan falls ill and Shen Wei takes care of him, but the medicine he uses horrifies Zhao Yunlan. Instead of explaining, Shen Wei disappears.

Zhao Yunlan spends the first half of the book searching for him. When he finally finds Shen Wei, it’s time for the truth to come out. It’s nothing he—or the reader—had expected, and it threatens their relationship. But unlike Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan has a solution.

But before the men can even take a breather, things turn to worse again. The Great Seal that keeps the gui locked up, starts to break with horrifying consequences. It takes the ingenuity of Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei, and the entire Special Investigation Department to put things right again. The solution, however, isn’t what Zhao Yunlan would’ve hoped for.

This was a great conclusion. Things weren’t easy for the pair, but they were constantly there for one another and their romance was wonderful. Action was good and exciting, and the members of SID finally became their own persons here, in good and bad. Zhu Hong was suddenly obsessed with Zhao Yunlan, making bad decisions because of it. And Guo Changcheng, who began the story, finally got to shine. His story was nothing I would’ve expected.

There were several extra stories too. Mostly, they continue where the main story left things, giving the members of SID their moments, as well as showing the life after of Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. There’s also one story set in the men’s past, where we learn how Shen Wei got his family name.

All in all, this was a good, balanced ending for the series. It was the perfect length for the story, but even so, I could’ve read more. The members of SID deserved more page time than they got here, especially Guo Changcheng, and we didn’t get even remotely enough of Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. I could read at least a volume more.