I liked this chapter because I'm a sucker for angst in between action and comedy. ZCL is great in the novel. Be warned for brief suicidal ideation ahead.
Thanks to Emma P (who also write cool fanfics) for proofreading!
Notes
1. Misquote of 梅花香自苦寒来 idiom, "the plum tree's perfume in the bitter frost blooms". Refers to obtaining the finer things in life through hard work/hardship. CWN is, again, getting his plants wrong.
2. The Iron Fan is a reference to the female demon Princess Iron Fan in Journey to the West. Yu Qiufeng is clearly associated with a female character sarcastically.
3. 知错能改，善莫大焉 quote from Zuo Zhuan. Lit. "There is no greater virtue than to recognize one's fault and correct them" uttered by Court official Shi Ji after admonishing Duke Ling of Jin for committing massacres.
4. 程武门 lit "martial rule gate". Urban planning according to set principles that involves cosmology and what is nowadays known as feng shui is an ancient tradition. The earliest records on grid-plans with fortified gates date back to at least the third century BCE. The archetypical city is a square surrounded by city walls, with three gates on each side.
Although "Chengwu Gate" is a fictional name, I had an interesting discussion with a fellow fan and we agree that the capital city in the tyk-verse has its closest avatar in nowadays Beijing.
Y'all I thought for one second that he was indeed going to strip right there and then 💀
I feel like Zhou Zishu and Zhang Chengling are both making similar mental journeys where they take pride in themselves and fight to live. Also, super cool closing line ZZS!
Thanks for the chapter!