To Embers We Return (焚情) Read-Along: Chapters 1 to 10

[douqi]

Ning Yuan (宁远) started serlalising her much-anticipated (especially by me) historical cyberpunk novel To Embers We Return (焚情, pinyin: fen qing, formerly known as Burning Passions but that sounded too much like the kind of historical romance that has a clinch cover with the leads' hair blowing dramatically in the wind) today. Since I know at least one other comm member is reading it as it serialises, I thought I would set up this read-along post.

Here's the updated summary for the novel (I posted about the original summary here):

When Shen Ni returned home covered in glory, the emperor granted her the position of an official of the first rank, as well as the hand in marriage of the woman she had been in love with ever since her youth, Bian Jin.

Bian Jin had once been the empire's sharpest blade — a weapon in human form whose very name filled their enemies' hearts with terror. But after a string of serious battlefield injuries, she could only stand upright with the aid of a mechanical spine.

After their wedding, unresolved conflicts between the two meant that their marriage remained unconsummated, and they continued to address each other as 'shijie' and 'shimei'. Shen Ni kept a record of every single change in the sensitivity readings of every part of Bian Jin's new cybernetic body.

Each time she made adjustments to Bian Jin's body, Shen Ni would wear gloves. She knew her shijie had an obsession with cleanliness, and hated being touched.

Bian Jin: It's just a prosthetic. There's no need for all this fuss.
Shen Ni: The proprieties must be observed.
Bian Jin: Last night, I kept asking you stop, but you didn't. I didn't see you observing the proprieties then.

As Shen Ni was fine-tuning Bian Jin's body, a small mishap resulted in Bian Jin's skin developing a heightened level of sensitivity that only Shen Ni was able to trigger. The temperature in their bridal chamber rose instantly from 'cool' to 'scorching'.

Bian Jin: Are we going to test my body again tonight? Every time my sensitivity readings go up, I'll reward you.

***

Shen Ni straightened her official's hat, and met the 'gaze' of the spybeast hovering in the air. The monster who wanted to destroy the world had finally shown its cold, poisoned claws.

Her human genes summoned her to the aid of the ancient and noble civilisation that had birthed her. She would defend it to her last breath, even if it meant having her guts smeared across the landscape.

Random passerby: Hey, I think the monster who wants to destroy the world might be your wife.
Shen Ni: (nonplussed silence)
Shen Ni: What's there to love about this greedy, corrupt world? Let it be destroyed!

The fall of a degenerate society was close at hand. The land ran red with blood.

Bian Jin, her body now in peak condition thanks to Shen Ni's efforts, placed the point of her sword against Shen Ni's heart. 'Don't you understand?' she said. 'I was just using you.'

Shen Ni, completely drenched in blood, took a step forward. 'And after you're done using me, will you reward me?'

Bian Jin: ...what.

Here is the link to the novel on JJWXC. I'll write a summary of each chapter in separate comments. Please feel free to join in, even if you're not reading the novel but are have questions/reactions. Obviously, there will be spoilers in the comments!

Comments

[neuxue]

It's here it's here it's here!!! I have been so excited for this ever since you first mentioned it in this community, and the intro/summary has been living rent-free in my brain. Time to feast!

[douqi]

YESSSSSSSS JOIN US!!!

[neuxue]

Okay hi hello I have actually read the chapters now, and I need there to be more!!

My main impression so far is that I am, predictably, obsessed with Bian Jin.

I mean, her first appearance is ruthlessly wielding a whip made of bone against her own shimei (but don’t look too closely at how her hand trembles) and her second appearance is as a presumed traitor tortured/beaten to what seems like well beyond ordinary human endurance, and these are my two favourite states for a character to be in, so.

(The fact that her next appearance is casually confident in her ability to do a royal murder, having just plucked a dagger from where it was hidden on someone else's body, only adds to the whole situation).

Also there’s the whole weaponisation aspect, which is a trope I love dearly, and I’m really enjoying what we’ve been given of it so far. The way Bian Jin is the ‘blade of the empire’, with exceptional combat skills and a largely cybernetic body, promised retirement and instead repaired and sent back to war, broken but mending faster than any normal human would, and brushing off any concern for her injuries… and yet also there are so many moments that focus specifically on (Shen Ni perceiving) her flesh-and-blood humanity. The way Shen Ni can tell how much pain she must be in from the quiet whimpers of pain she can’t quite suppress as she’s being carried. The way Shen Ni’s fingerprints linger on her skin and Shen Ni wonders if her skin always marked so easily. The strands of hair clinging to her skin and the way she flushes with exertion as she relearns how to walk. Obviously some of it is just Shen Ni being very physically Aware of her wife shijie, but especially given the setting it feels like something that could be used as a way to play in that deliciously angsty space of weapon-or-human.

Shen Ni is intriguing to me as well, especially in terms of making me curious about what happened in the six or so years between The Whipping Scene and now: how she defeated the virus and earned her reputation as the top mechanist, her relationship with the emperor, and how she went from the somewhat rash and undisciplined girl Bian Jin remembers to the seemingly controlled (though not without a flair for the dramatic, it seems) and charismatic woman she is now. She is clearly also obsessed with Bian Jin, and I’m definitely here to watch how exactly that plays out, beyond just what the preview/intro has given us.

Beyond the two leads, I’m very intrigued by the worldbuilding of course, and what flavour of cyberpunk we end up going for. I’m also interested to see more of both of the lady emperors introduced so far (enemies-to-lovers sideplot? Probably not but a girl can dream). I want to know more about Zeng Qingluo, and who she offended to get herself blacklisted from government office (I love a competent second-in-command who turns out to be easily as unhinged as whoever they’re serving, just quieter about it; too early to say if that’s where we’re going with her but I feel like there’s potential).

Can't wait for more!

[douqi]

I’m also interested to see more of both of the lady emperors introduced so far (enemies-to-lovers sideplot? Probably not but a girl can dream).
Ning Yuan has form for multiple f/f couples — I've read four novels by her so far and each has at least one secondary f/f couple. So I'm hopeful for at least one more couple!

I rarely recommend books to people unless specifically asked, but I would strongly recommend Ning Yuan's The Creator's Grace to you. The love interest in that book, Ran Jin, has similar vibes to Bian Jin — she's strong, she suffers a lot (more mentally/emotionally, but also quite a lot physically), she's deeply in love with the protagonist but must repress it for Reasons. It also has transhumanist themes, and an exploration of, well, not quite weapon/human, but object-created-for-use/human.

[neuxue]

That is a very compelling pitch for The Creator's Grace, not going to lie! (Honestly, you had me at 'she's strong, she suffers a lot', but the weapon-or-otherwise-object-created-for-use in particular is catnip to me). Also for some reason I had assumed this was one of the super long ones, and it's not, so it is now sitting on my ereader waiting for me to finish some of the other books I'm in the middle of. Looking forward to it!

(I do not at all mind unsolicited recommendations btw; I'm not always good about getting to them in a timely fashion because the state of my to-read list is best not mentioned, but if in doubt please do not hesitate).