While I was grabbing screenshots, I came across this part and had to pause. Shen Qingqiu asks how old Luo Binghe is, and Binghe replies: “弟子虚岁14” （This disciple is the nominal age of 14).
I ran to the book to check and, sure enough, nominal age is specified there, too.
I had to lean back and stare at the wall in front of my desk for a moment. Why does this matter? Well, it doesn't — not really. But it puts some things into perspective.
You see, when counting the nominal age of a person, that person turns one year old the very moment they are born. And usually on the Lunar New Year (though some elders today insist that it happens on the winter solstice, which is today by the way — 冬至快乐🥟 ), everyone ages up another year together.
From the book, we know that Luo Binghe was born on the coldest (though not necessarily longest) night of the year. He could be a one-day old two year old. Or two month old two year old, if we count it by LNY and not Solstice. Either way, this CHILD is (to the West's age-counting system) two years younger than he announces using the NOMINAL age system.
Luo Binghe is twelve (not fourteen) when he meets Shen Yuan as Shen Qingqiu.
Luo Binghe is fifteen (not seventeen) when he's stabbed and pushed down into literal Hell and finds out he can regrow entire limbs.
Luo Binghe is sixteen (not eighteen) when he subjugates the Northern Kingdom and Sha Hualing's holdings under his rule.
Luo Binghe is seventeen (not nineteen) when he arrives at Huan Hua Palace.
And when he meets Shen Qingqiu again in Jin Lan just before the disaster at Hua Yue, he's eighteen (phew), not twenty.
That puts him at 23 (not 25) at Maigu Ridge.
He's still an adult when everything goes down, but no wonder Binghe is so messed up. He was so young!
