It’s here! I really love this chapter, not only for the obvious reason of it focusing on my favorite character, but also because it’s something we didn’t get to see in the donghua, since the timeline there is different and we don’t meet Cui Bei until later.

He’s truly one unlucky lad… I think the donghua kind of downplays the exact destructive power of his bad luck, especially when it concerns others.

Master of records - is often translated as “recorder”. Literally “someone in charge of records”, a person handling the flow of documents. I suppose “archivist” would also have a similar meaning. I don’t think drawing portraits is technically part of his job, but Cui Bei is a good artist. A very, very good artist as extras would suggest!

“Be out of luck” - the original phrase is an idiom, literally something like “cold water gets stuck in the teeth”. Not really something that would happen unless you’re really, really unlucky.

Wang Cai - his name literally means “abundant wealth”. I just found that interesting. The meaning of names is extremely important in Chinese culture, and good names are supposed to bring good fortune. Wang Cai is a bit on the nose (I think people usually prefer to use names that are more subtly connected with the desired qualities), but I believe putting a name of a random character we don’t even see is meant to show he was supposed to have good luck - until Cui Bei passed by.

Leaves nothing unscathed - lit. “not even a blade of grass grows”