Reflection (Twisted Tales, #4)

by Elizabeth Lim

Shan-Yu.

Name Bad guy

Li Shang’s

Name Good guy

rouge

Looked up

precipice,

Looked up

Shan-Yu laughed again and jumped off his horse, blade in his hand. He stabbed it into the snow, wiping it clean of Shang’s blood.

Dramatic

“Khan!”

Name Her horse

Mushu plucked Cri-Kee, their lucky cricket, out of the snow.

I love these 2 mushu cri-kee

Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, and even Chi Fu,

Names

The captain blinked, then let out a labored breath. He turned to Mulan, his thick brows furrowing into an unreadable expression. “Ping,” said Shang, trying to sit up. Mulan straightened, preparing for a rebuke. “Ping, you are the craziest man I’ve ever met.” He paused. “And for that I owe you my life. From now on, you have my trust.” A slow smile broke out on Mulan’s face. “Let’s hear it for Ping!” her friends cheered. “The king of the mountain!”

Cheering “ping”

Kneeling beside him, Mulan gently drew back Shang’s cape. The soldiers gasped, and Mulan stifled a cry. There was a long, deep gash across Shang’s abdomen, below his armor. Blood seeped through his uniform and dripped onto the snow, bright as his scarlet cape.

Some of Shang wounds

Well, she refused to let Shang die. She swore to herself then and there she would do whatever it took to save him.

Her promise

They might have won the impossible battle against Shan-Yu and the Huns, but it was a grim march to the Imperial City. Not one of the soldiers laughed or sang or smiled. Even Chi Fu didn’t wear his usual smirk. A stranger passing by could have mistaken them for a funeral procession.

Gloomy

I’ll never forgive myself if he dies, she thought miserably. If there are any gods listening, please…please spare Captain Li’s life. He’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve to die.

Mulan cry to the gods. ( side note This book is off to a great start!)

The end of the mountain path was near; she could see a forest not too far away. Past the forest, they’d meet the Yellow River, and they’d follow its course north toward the Imperial City. Even from where she stood, she could make out the Emperor’s glittering palace. So near, yet so far.

Mulan mapping out the rest of this i journey so close yet so far

“Whatever battle you’re fighting in there, I’m going to help you.”

Mulan

“That’s it,” Mushu encouraged. “Keep going. Maybe you should give him a little kiss.” “Mushu!” The dragon shrugged. “Hey, it works in all those folktales.”

Popular underline i love this actually

Shang knew his father was dead. Chien-Po had found the general’s helmet on a battlefield, strewn with the slaughtered soldiers of General Li’s army. Shang had taken his father’s helmet and hung it on his sword among the fallen in the snow. They’d all respectfully watched him do it.

Shang dad and troops fate

wry

Looked up

cauterize

Looked up

“If not for you, everyone would be dead. You can’t forget that. You protected your people. You saved your country. You can’t save everybody.” Mulan didn’t reply. Deep down, she feared Mushu was right.

Mushu 🐉 words of encouragement

Fa Li

Name Her mom

nai nai,

Her grandmother

zither

Looked up

Diyu.

Looked up Hell Chinese mythology

King Yama,

God of death Chinese mythology

Not a tree trunk at all, but an immense stone lion! He was as tall as Khan and as wide as her tent. His round eyes were orange as persimmons, and an enormous, elegant jade pendant adorned his neck. He flexed his front paws into the snow, revealing dagger-sharp claws.

The great stone lion

ShiShi,”

Name The stone lions name

“I am the guardian of the Li family, responsible for aiding every Li hero for over twenty generat—”

Shang’s family’s Guardian is the great stone lion

ShiShi frowned. “You didn’t expect to do it alone, did you?” He squinted at her, then sniffed with disdain. “No wonder the general sent for me. You’re punier than I expected. Small and unpunctual, two worrisome traits in a soldier.”

He’s got jokes

Gone was his carved stone, replaced by a rippling coat of fur and a thick, coarse mane. “Yes, yes,” ShiShi interrupted. “This is how I would appear if I were normally your guardian. I know, I’m magnificent. You can thank the magic in this place for letting you see me this way. Otherwise, not being a member of the Li family, you wouldn’t have the honor.” Mulan rolled her eyes in the shadows. Even Mushu wasn’t this arrogant.

Shishi arrogance lol

stalactites

Looked up

Her jaw slackened as she realized she and ShiShi

were most definitely not alone. A horde of monstrous-looking creatures surrounded them. Their eyes bulged like yellow moons studded with blood-red pupils. Some had horns, others scales or fur thick as a bear’s. Not one looked like another. Yet despite their beastly features, they stood on two feet and had two—or four—arms, almost like humans. Demons.

Underworld creatures

vermilion-painted

Looked up

stalactite.

Looked up

A few of the guards hesitated. “He will punish you all,” Mulan agreed. “He’ll…he’ll—” “He’ll throw you into the Mountain of Flames,” ShiShi said diabolically. “Or better yet—the river.”

I’m imagining the river is like the river from Hercules 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

“This is my little soldier,” ShiShi replied. “He’s not…entirely human. There’s a bit of fairy blood in him.” “But he’s so small.” “I’m stronger than I look,” Mulan spoke for herself. She kicked at the closest demon, smashing his wooden spear in two. The blue demon didn’t look convinced, but he withdrew his weapons.

Mulan trying to impress the demons lol

Even in their dark surroundings, the paint on the gates was crisp and bright—a sharp contrast from everything around them. Neither door of the portal had bars or handles—no way of pushing or sliding them open—and round bronze casts of demon faces decorated the wooden panels. The eyes on the bronze medallions flickered with fire. Mulan could have sworn they were all watching her. Some faces smiled, a few frowned, and more than a few snarled. “Behold,” murmured ShiShi at her side, “the Gates of Diyu. The entrance to the Underworld.”

The description of the gate

“The Bridge of Helplessness,” ShiShi marveled. “Few have crossed it and been permitted to return to the other side. From here there’s no turning back, little soldier.”

The bridge of helplessness , Shishi warning

No structure such as the Bridge of Helplessness could have existed outside of Diyu. Mulan recognized the impossibility of it even before taking her first step. No ropes suspended it, and no poles supported it. Yet the bridge was so long Mulan couldn’t see its end.

Description of the bridge

There was too much emptiness ahead—and below. The railing was way too low for comfort. Mulan wasn’t afraid of heights, but a glimpse of what lay beneath the bridge made the muscles in her legs tighten. It was impossible to gauge how high the bridge was, given that below were levels upon levels of harsh ridges and cliffs, stone deserts, and villages overrun with ghosts and demons. Somewhere far down, she thought she spotted the Mountain of Flames ShiShi had mentioned to the demons.

More of The bridge description

And she’d been right about the river. Its black waters surged, winding in a serpentine path across the craggy terrain below.

River is black

Mulan lowered her gaze back to the demons, whose march had synchronized behind her and now slowed because there was something blocking their path. Not something, Mulan realized as she got closer. Someone. Ghosts. Four of them sat cross-legged on the bridge, looking bored and playing a game of mah-jongg.

lol they are playing mah-jongg

Languai.”

Name Blue demon in charge

“Jiao,

Name

Every now and then she felt as though she were actually sprinting across the back of some stone-scaled dragon that kept growing and growing to keep her from reaching its tail.

I love this comparison

She looked up, surprised to see the sky. I guess we’re no longer underground, she thought, her eyes skimming the silvery clouds for traces of the moon. There was something peaceful—and beautiful—about the sky here. The stars appeared closer; they shone brighter than any she’d ever seen. She wasn’t sure if it was the same blue sky that blanketed the world above or a different one stitched especially for Diyu. She suspected the latter.

The sky

“These are the recent dead,” ShiShi murmured. The ghosts’ expressions were long and grave or surprised, as if they’d only just discovered that they had died. A good number had arrows in their chests or other terrible wounds of combat; some looked to have been poisoned, and many were very old.

The dead

“Xiaobo?”

Name

“Yes, and it’s the worst.” Xing shuddered. “I was pretty good when I was alive—I think. I never overate my share of rice, never gave my ma any trouble, and didn’t cry or curse when I got conscripted. Or when Captain Li Shang slapped my knuckles during training.” He winced. “That really hurt.” Lei rolled his eyes. “I just hope I won’t have to stay too long in Diyu. I’d rather go back to Earth as a cockroach than wait in line any longer.”

The after life belief