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ghost_valley2021-10-29 12:52 pm
shadaras) wrote in ghost_valley2021-10-29 12:52 pm
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[WoH Rewatch] Episode 21
List of Scenes
Wuchang Gui and his followers agree (under duress) to help Xie-wang kill the Xianxia Sect
Wuchang Gui and his followers discuss their options and WKX’s ascent to being Valley Lord
ZZS, YBY, and Chengling discuss WKX’s past, his parents’ probable death, and QHZ’s guilt
YBY promises to find a cure for ZZS in order to repay his disciple’s debt to WKX’s parents
YQF attempts to blackmail Zhao Jing about Luo Fumeng
Zhao Jing attempts to keep Xie-wang from immediately killing YQF, and sends Lovelace after LQQ and LFM
WKX sees a ghost sign in a town and sends ZZS and Chengling ahead so he can study it
WKX meets with girls from the Department of the Unfaithful, learns what’s happened, and bans them from returning to Mount Qingya
WKX tells Chengling a bedtime story
LQQ fights Lovelace and loses
Xie-wang arrives and asks Lovelace who LQQ and LFM are
Xie-wang kills Lovelace
LQQ begs Xie-wang to have mercy on LFM
YQF arrives and tries to interfere
Xie-wang, after hearing LQQ’s explanation of what’s up with LFM and her pledge of loyalty to him, tells Du Pusa to take the women back to a Scorpion base
ZZS, WKX, and Chengling learn that Xianxia Sect has been decimated
GX and CWN find the bodies of the Xianxia Sect
WKX and ZZS poke around the dead bodies and discuss the culpability of the Five Lakes brothers
GX and CWN find WKX and ZZS
Timeline or Something
This episode takes place across some time! However long it takes the ghosts and assassins to get to Xianxia Sect from Yueyang, plus another two days. So, say at least a week, but I’m inclined to believe a month or more passes during this episode.
We’re told that the Zhen family were supposed to be hidden away in the village for three months while Qin Huaizhang attended to “important business”. In that brief period, they died.
Recap
Wuchang Gui and his ghosts are in the court of the Scorpion King. Du Pusa enters, greets Xie-wang, and then wonders why the ghosts are angry. Wuchang Gui says that he and his ghosts follow Zhao Jing because they’re tired of fighting and killing, so he doesn’t want to help Xie-wang kill Xianxia/Fairy Ray Sect. But, as Xie-wang says, Zhao Jing likes Wuchang Gui and his people because they’re good at killing. Xie-wang also asks what ghosts would do if they didn’t kill (and it feels like he thinks the idea is a bit of a joke).
Hei Wuchang gets mad at Xie-wang for not being deferential enough to Wuchang Gui, and Du Pusa blows powder into his face to poison him/teach him a lesson. The other ghosts gather and demand the antidote, and Xie-wang scolds Du Pusa for “being rude to their allies” and tells her to give them the antidote. She does, in the least sincere way possible.
Xie-wang tells the ghosts that if they aren’t willing to help kill the Xianxia Sect, they can part ways amicably—but that might make them enemies in the future. Wuchang Gui folds and says he’ll help kill the Xianxia Sect. Xie-wang sends Qiao Luohan with them “just in case”, which annoys Wuchang Gui as much as needing to do this Xie-wang in the first place.
After Wuchang Gui and the ghosts leave, Xie-wang tells Du Pusa to order Qiao Luohan to leave survivors to spread the news of Xianxia Sect’s demise via Ghost Valley to the rest of the jianghu.
The ghosts meet in their own place. Happy Ghost wonders why Wuchang Gui, first among the devils, serves Zhao Jing and Xie-wang. Wuchang Gui brushes it off. Lovelace comments that WKX is in the same boat as them, and points out that if this group sinks, WKX won’t survive either. Hei Wuchang thinks the only way to survive is to return to Ghost Valley, and is worried that there’ll be another battle at Mount Qingya.
Lovelace asks if what Zhao Jing is doing is fundamentally different from what WKX’s done. He then says that Zhao Jing wants Ghost Valley and the righteous clans to kill each other off. Lovelace says that Wuchang Gui might serve Zhao Jing as a “flunky”, but he and Happy Ghost have too much blood on their hands and cannot be anything more than Zhao Jing’s blades. Wuchang Gui wonders why Lovelace even cares now; they betrayed WKX and chose Zhao Jing’s side, and they can’t go back from this choice now.
Wuchang Gui says that Lovelace hasn’t been in the valley long, and might not know how WKX took the throne of Ghost Valley. Happy Ghost adds on that “it’s said” WKX ate the former chief of Ghost Valley alive, in front of everyone. Wuchang Gui says that’s false: He says that WKX skinned the former chief alive.
This fades into a flashback. We see ghosts fighting each other in the great hall where we first met WKX in ep1. A crown is thrown to the ground in the midst of the battle, and Wuchang Gui picks it up, recognising it as the Valley Lord’s crown. He shouts and turns to look at the stone balcony. Up there, that one fake-looking tree is burning and WKX approaches, dressed in white.
The ghosts have all stopped fighting to stare at him. WKX announces that, from this day on, he’s “the supreme” (he says “唯我独尊”, which dictionaries tell me is an idiom). He tosses the old Valley Lord’s head (with some torso skin still attached) down onto the sand.
The ghosts all kneel, Wuchang Gui last of all, as WKX gazes at them in his bloodstained white robes. (They aren’t the undermost layer of his clothing, but they sure do give off the vibe of sleepwear.) WKX looks emotionally fucked up, and—if I’m finally actually reading the visuals right—he’s wearing the armory key hairpin!
This flashback, amusingly, also isn’t what Wuchang Gui said happened: This isn’t “WKX skinned him alive in front of everyone” so much as “WKX made it clear he had at least partially skinned the old valley lord.”
The flashback ends. We come back to a night-time forest, and WKX slowly walking down a path to rejoin ZZS, YBY, and Chengling. He spots them, but stays in the shadows listening and not making himself obvious as the camera’s focus moves to the others. ZZS has apparently been explaining his history with WKX to Chengling, because Chengling asks him why QHZ didn’t take WKX back to Siji Manor with ZZS.
ZZS says that QHZ was “very busy with some important affairs” and couldn’t go with WKX’s injured parents, and thus promised to retrieve WKX in three month’s time and take the whole family to Siji Manor. (Implied, I suppose: QHZ didn’t want to take WKX away from his parents entirely.) When QHZ returned to find WKX and his family, the village had been entirely destroyed. ZZS says that this issue haunted QHZ, and is why Qin Jiuxiao was named the third disciple instead of the second. (Upon coming of age and formally joining the sect. It’s interesting that Jiuxiao had to wait for that when ZZS and WKX were accepted as children; is this because of the much more complicated circumstances around ZZS and WKX’s childhoods?)
WKX listens to ZZS talk about how QHZ regretted what happened to WKX and his family and seems a bit taken aback. Chengling is also sad about ZZS and WKX not having been able to grow up together, and wonders why—since WKX recognised him earlier—WKX didn’t tell ZZS that he was Zhen Yan. YBY explains that Zhen Ruyu was the adopted son of Healer Valley’s lao-Zhen, so Wen might’ve been ZRY’s original name and WKX doesn’t want to hear the name Zhen anymore.
Chengling quickly puts together that it’s about the ways he was expelled from the sect, but still wonders what happened to WKX’s parents. YBY tells Chengling to stop asking and poking at this wound. They wrap around to the probability that WKX’s parents died long ago, and ZZS calls this fact WKX’s hidden scar. ZZS also says that “No matter whether he accepts me as his shixiong or not, I will always take him as my shidi,” which the listening WKX seems to have some sort of feeling about.
Chengling’s also sad that WKX’s parents are dead, and says it seems like “the better the people, the worse they end up. Why?” ZZS replies, saying that destiny/life is hard to predict (while WKX has a lot of feelings) and that all people with emotions suffer.
WKX strides in with a laugh as if he hadn’t been listening to his own history get discussed for the last few minutes. He teases ZZS about how ZZS’s good deeds paid off, but before he can explain how, Chengling stands up, hugs WKX, and asks if he can call him Shishu. WKX smiles, pats his head, and addresses YBY instead, asking why YBY’s still here.
YBY basically tells him it’s none of his business, but that he does still intend to follow them around. WKX grumbles, but since ZZS’s fine with YBY coming along, there’s nothing he can say. YBY wonders how the divine couple of healer valley could give birth to such an annoying kid, but says that Rong Xuan owed ZRY and GMM a debt, and YBY will repay that debt as Rong Xuan’s master to WKX as their son.
“The dead cannot come back to life,” YBY says as WKX thinks about what to ask for; “This is the only thing I can’t do.” (Which is a stretch of the truth itself, but it’s very much how YBY is.) YBY also says “I’m not helping you. This is what you deserve.” (where “deserve” takes on the “what is owed” connotation.) It’s interesting how much YBY is talking here, not shutting up or giving WKX silence to contemplate during, but that’s probably explained by how YBY thinks that he needs to repay this debt to die in peace.
When YBY finally shuts up, WKX looks over to ZZS for a moment and then returns his gaze to YBY. As was inevitable, he says his only wish is for YBY to cure ZZS. That will clear all debts. But WKX specifically wants ZZS’s lifespan and martial arts to remain, which makes this much harder for YBY.
YBY laughs, says this is a headache, but he knows who should have a solution. He tells them to wait for him at Siji Manor, then stands and makes to leave. ZZS asks who he’s looking for, and YBY doesn’t give the name, just “If even he can’t cure you, then I will…” before trailing off, laughing, and disappearing. (Since this is a rewatch, we know he’s talking about Wu Xi, and that he might’ve been saved a different headache if he’d actually told ZZS and known that ZZS and Wu Xi know each other.)
ZZS calls YBY a child, WKX sounds like a child himself in his hope for ZZS to be cured, and ZZS thinks that YBY was just bragging. Chengling takes on WKX’s side of believing in YBY’s skills, and WKX delights in the idea of going home (to Siji Manor). Even ZZS can’t resist smiling at that.
At Yueyang, Zhao Jing is doing calligraphy. Xie’er comes by and praises his yifu’s skills, which Zhao Jing recognises as flattery and is amused by. He does give Xie’er the calligraphy, though, and tells him that “Everything I have is yours”.
This sorta-domestic scene is interrupted by YQF calling for Zhao Jing. Xhao Jing gives Xie’er a Look, and Xie’er silently retreats. Everything Zhao Jing owns might be Xie’er’s, but he still isn’t allowed to appear in public like this.
Once Xie’er disappears, Zhao Jing calls for YQF to enter. YQF, who’s been calling Zhao Jing “gege”, says that he misses Zhao Jing. Zhao Jing doesn’t respond with anywhere near the sort of enthusiastic emotion YQF is expressing. YQF makes himself at home, finding where tea is to pour for himself, and says that everything’s running so differently under Zhao Jing’s leadership.
Zhao Jing comes over to join him, commenting on how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other, and how YQF didn’t even come to the Heroes Conference. YQF says there were many accidents that day, then says that Zhao Jing’s done so many things but hasn’t addressed Xisang Gui being stolen away from the Alliance.
Zhao Jing questions YQF, who offers up some rumours about Xisang Gui’s name and past relationship to Zhao Jing. They are very specific rumours. YQF is all “Of course this can’t be true!”, but it’s still clear this is more blackmail than warning; looks like LQQ wasn’t able to talk him out of this plan.
Zhao Jing wonders to himself where YQF learned these facts, and considers how his own minions died in the attempt to steal Xisang Gui away (because LQQ and YQF killed them, but ZJ doesn’t know that yet). He comes to the (correct) thought that YQF is holding LFM captive.
As the camera comes around Zhao Jing, we see that while he was thinking, YQF has disappeared and Xie’er now sits beside Zhao Jing. It’s a lovely bit of cinematography! Xie’er’s mad about these made-up rumours (he doesn’t know they were truth) and threatens to wipe out YQF and his Mount Hua Sect. Zhao Jing calls YQF a clown (true), then compares him to a mad dog that should be put down. Xie’er agrees to “pull out the mad dog’s tongue”, and departs.
Before he can fully leave, Zhao Jing calls for him to stop and calls him impudent and rash. Zhao Jing tells him to wait, because killing YQF just after he visited Zhao Jing would lead to rumours; they can wait until YQF leaves Yueyang to deal with him. Xie’er doesn’t want to wait, because YQF said very nasty things about Zhao Jing. Zhao Jing again tells Xie’er not to, and then dismisses Xie’er because he has other business to attend to.
Xie’er does not sound particularly convinced as he leaves. Zhao Jing considers what YQF might have done and calls for Wuyang (that other adopted kid of his). Wuyang arrives, and Zhao Jing tells him to send the ghosts a letter. Wuyang tells him that Lovelace is the only ghost around right now; the rest have gone off to kill the Xianxia Sect. That’s enough for Zhao Jing, though, and Wuyang bows and goes off to do as ordered.
We move to ZZS, WKX, and Chengling in a nice little town. (They’re leading a horse. When did they acquire this horse?) WKX tells ZZS and Chengling to go ahead and look for an inn; he’s run out of booze and wants to get some more. ZZS accepts this and just tells ZZS to fill his wine bag too. ZZS complains a little, which just gets ZZS to tell him to fill up his flask too.
Once ZZS and Chengling leave, WKX does indeed get some wine, but he’s really looking at a piece of paper marked with the signs of Ghost Valley. He knows the girls of the Department of the Unfaithful should’ve left those marks, and wonders if GX led those girls here.
The scene cuts sharply to night. WKX is sitting in a room somewhere with two girls from the Department of the Unfaithful. They tell him about hiding after the raid on LFM’s manor, how GX was the only one who met with them, and that Ghoul was very scary and turning cannibalistic again, so they got him drunk and ran away. LQQ later contacted them to let them know that she had LFM.
WKX asks if that’s all the contact they’ve had with Ghost Valley since. The girls say that’s true, and that they’re all quite scared since they don’t have any martial arts of their own to protect themselves. They’ve been hiding, and searching around for WKX ever since GX told them WKX was in the Shu region.
They ask WKX for instructions on where to do and what his orders are. He asks them if they have any ideas or places they want to go. One of them says they’d just go to Mount Qingya and wait for him and/or LFM to return if he doesn’t have other orders. WKX says that the whole world is open to them, and is frustrated at this being their only choice. He’s told that they’re all “ill-fated girls” once forced into a corner, and the place LFM built for them in Ghost Valley is the only place they think of as home.
WKX sighs, stands up, and says “Now that we’ve entered Ghost Valley, we will either hunt or be hunted.” and wonders what the point in them going to Mount Qingya is if they can’t protect themselves. He orders the girls to go anywhere but there, and says that those who disobey him will die. (It’s a really interesting balance he’s playing into here, about the Valley Lord they want to follow and the human person he’s learning how to be.) WKX strides out as the girls agree to obey.
WKX enters their room at the inn, and ZZS demands to know where he’s been. WKX wonders what happened, and ZZS tells him to discipline Chengling for him. Chengling is sitting on a bed, not looking unruly at all. ZZS ignores WKX’s attempts to say that Chengling is ZZS’s disciple, saying that it’s late and he needs to adjust his qi, and then leaves before WKX can try and argue again.
WKX smiles at Chengling, then goes over and sits next to him on the bed. We learn that Chengling’s unruliness was asking ZZS for a bedtime story (and then, implicitly, telling ZZS it was boring/bad). Chengling says GX has told him that WKX tells good bedtime stories, and references a few of the stories that WKX told him in the novel. (Chengling’s also calling him Shishu, and WKX doesn’t seem to mind this at all.)
It doesn’t take long for WKX to fold and agree to tell Chengling a story. He says it’s about a man in a desert finding a dry well full of snakes, but we’re back to being shown flashbacks of when people marched on Healer Valley in search of ZRY. Bees stung the man in the story (more people following the Zhen family), but honey from their combs gave him energy (playing with ZZS). We don’t hear the rest of the story, as the next shot is WKX leaving the room and closing the doors behind him.
The next scene is YQF and LQQ (mostly LQQ) fighting Lovelace at their villa. It’s a really prettily choreographed fight and Lovelace is unsurprisingly staged in ways that make him kinda creepy about LQQ. He even does the “tip your chin up with a knife” thing to her. At the end, he pins her to a table and leans over her, commenting on how this is the first time he’s seen her true appearance (scar and all).
From the other room, we hear LFM muttering to herself. LQQ tells her to run, but she doesn’t listen and Lovelace continues being creepy and disparaging at her. LQQ spits in his face and tells Lovelace that WKX would kill him if he touched her. Lovelace retaliates by cutting open her clothes to bare her chest.
At this point, the shot expands to show LFM walking aimlessly in her room, muttering and calling for Zhao Jing, and Xie-wang striding up the entry path. Xie-wang enters, Du Pusa at his side, and Lovelace gets a lot more respectful/fearful very fast, asking what Xie-wang’s doing here. Xie-wang asks where YQF is, and who these women are. Lovelace stands up, no longer trapping LQQ, and introduces LQQ as the Beauty Ghost. Lovelace says that YQF abandoned her and ran away.
Xie-wang contemplates LQQ, saying that she ranks last of the top ten ghosts. Du Pusa approaches where LQQ is still lying on the table and has a wee bit of a “I’m prettier than you” power play. Nobody interrupts while Du Pusa does weird negging/flirting things, until Xie-wang wonders why people would call her a beauty with such a scarred face. Du Pusa bounces off that with more comments about her own personal beauty that are insulting LQQ.
Lovelace then directs their attention to LFM and how she’s gone mad. But she’s also calling out for “Jing-ah” and Xie-wang hears that and rushes over to her, asking her what she’s saying. LFM can’t really give him a good answer. Lovelace comments on Xie-wang having an “abnormal taste” in women. Without looking away from LFM, Xie-wang throws a scorpion knife/dart into Lovelace’s neck. Lovelace dies immediately. He never stood a chance. Xie-wang is dangerous, when he wants to be, even though he doesn’t usually fight his own battles if he can avoid it.
A nameless ghost scurries up and says Lovelace deserved to die but the rest of them were just following Zhao Jing’s orders. He dies to Du Pusa’s blade. LFM continues running around, looking for “Jing-ah”, and Xie-wang and his people watch. LQQ finally moves off the table. She kneels on the ground, clutching at Xie-wang’s robes and begging him to show LFM mercy in her madness.
Xie-wang looks down at her and tilts her chin up with his fingers so she’s looking at him, then tells her to beg him one more time. LQQ does. Xie-wang rests his fingertips on her throat. Then YQF runs into the room and Xie-wang closes his hand around LQQ’s throat. YQF calls for him to stop, and Du Pusa snidely comments about his return.
YQF asks again for Xie-wang to let LQQ go, and—when asked why he should—says he has a piece of glazed armor. This does get Xie-wang to let LQQ go, and YQF kneels down to try and comfort her, calling himself a despicable coward. Du Pusa gets bored with this around when YQF says he’s definitely not going to run again, and moves forward to put her foot on YQF’s shoulder. When YQF goes for his sword in response, LQQ stops him from drawing it
.Du Pusa calls YQF out for his sweet-talk not being able to cover up his previous cheating. Xie-wang asks what Du Pusa means by this, and Du Pusa explains that LQQ was once called the “Green Siren” (a name we hear more about in TYK, since LQQ isn’t part of Ghost Valley) for her beauty, and then tells the rest of LQQ’s backstory, pointing out how YQF stayed silent through the whole ordeal and even found a new mistress later.
LQQ tells Xie-wang that YQF’s glazed armor is fake, and she’d just wanted to use YQF to save LFM. She turns away from YQF and back to Xie-wang, and again asks his mercy for LFM. This time, LQQ pledges to serve him and be at his command. Xie-wang turns away, and wonders what happened to LFM. LQQ says it’s because of the Meng Po Soup and soul-dissociation.
Xie-wang asks about the Meng Po Soup, so LQQ explains that everyone who joins Ghost Valley must drink it, and that “It enables you to forget your strongest addiction/obsession [最执迷的事情]” (netflix’s “obsession” seems more accurate than youtube’s “addiction”). Xie-wang orders Du Pusa to take LQQ and LFM to the Scorpions’ “branch fort” and not allow anyone to find out. Du Pusa almost questions him, but cuts herself off. Xie-wang tells her “You don’t fail me, and I don’t turn my back on you.” The scene ends.
ZZS, WKX, and Chengling are still travelling, but are currently stopped at a waystation getting food. ZZS comments on how Chengling’s grown taller since they met. Chengling thanks ZZS for all ZZS’s done for him, and WKX comes by to tease them both about how ZZS’s a good person and so helpful.
Then some other travellers, clearly injured members of a sect, come to the waystation. WKX asks the waiter who they are, and is told that they’re from Xianxia Sect. Their sect was set on fire two days ago! Their leader, Bai-daxia, is dead! It’s Ghost Valley’s fault! WKX asks ZZS if they need to go vanquish some monsters.
The scene cuts to more dead Xianxia members lying on the ground. Gu Xiang and Cao Weining stumble across them, and GX is scornful of how the remaining sect members didn’t even bury their sect-siblings’ bodies. CWN is upset at Ghost Valley for being so cruel, and wishes they’d been there when the attack happened. GX thinks that would’ve just left them both dead too, but CWN still wishes he could’ve helped and maybe died honorably.
Chengling is recovering from seeing a lot of dead bodies, a sight he (unlike everyone else) isn’t used to. WKX and ZZS watch over him, and WKX asks ZZS if they’re going back to Siji Manor or not; he doesn’t think Xianxia Sect’s troubles should matter to them. ZZS tells Chengling to calm himself, and then asks WKX to follow him.
They walk a bit away, and WKX asks if ZZS is the god of death, since death follows where he goes. ZZS says WKX is the one with bad luck. WKX tells a brief story about an owl, and a bowl of water, and villages dying, and teases WKX about his bad-mouthing. ZZS tells him to stop interrupting, and points out that the Xianxia Sect was killed by professional assassins (which he should definitely know the signs of!) and thus someone is killing people and framing Ghost Valley. (But also: Ghost Valley was sent after Xianxia Sect! So why does it look more like assassins/the Scorpions did the killing?)
When ZZS asks what purpose this serves, WKX says it’s to benefit themselves. WKX also thinks there’s someone in the Five Lakes Alliance pulling the strings. ZZS says that Shen Shen and Zhao Jing “respectively pretend to be silly and weak”, which is an excellent description of them and how the show originally presents them. ZZS doesn’t think any of them are innocent. WKX says that Gao Chong was killed by his brother, and both Shen Shen and Zhao Jing are villains.
ZZS isn’t so sure they’re both villains. More interestingly, he thinks that if one is loyal, their tragedy is on him and WKX, which is quite a guilt complex. WKX’s still caught up in wondering how someone could be innocent, but returns quickly to asking if they’re going to Siji Manor or not.
Before ZZS can respond, GX and CWN spot them. GX calls out to WKX, WKX turns, and the episode ends on a shot of CWN and GX grinning at the pair of them.
General Commentary
...I keep trying to figure out if I have anything to say that didn’t get woven in up there? And I’m not sure I do? This episode feels like a lot of exposition and set-up to me. xD;
Things to highlight:
- Wen Kexing doesn’t seem to mind Chengling calling him Shishu.
- Absolutely none of the stories we’re told/shown in this episode about Wen Kexing taking the mantle of Valley Lord match up.
- All the antagonists’ alliances are starting to fracture as they start questioning each other.
- Wen Kexing doesn’t want the Department of the Unfaithful to go back to Ghost Valley; presumably he wants them to have the same chance at another life that he’s getting.
- The absolute purity of the childlike enthusiasm and joy Wen Kexing displays when Ye Baiyi says he knows who should be able to cure Zhou Zishu is probably unmatched throughout the show.
- Liu Qianqiao makes it very clear that Luo Fumeng is her priority.
- We get a brief, but clear, explanation of what the Meng Po Soup does.
- Qin Huaizhang was full of guilt after learning that the Zhen family was presumably dead. Probably really didn’t help with Zhou Zishu’s education (or Zhou Zishu’s own guilt complex).
- Du Pusa’s really into showing off her legs.
- I continue to have no idea how the Ghost Valley stamps convey meaning other than “there are ghosts somewhere nearby.”
Discussion Prompts/Questions
1. Because I’m always curious about how much we should trust the narrative we’re shown in flashbacks: It’s pretty clear that Wuchang Gui is the one telling the story we see in the flashback to when Wen Kexing takes leadership of Ghost Valley. How accurate do you think it is? How much do you think he’s being self-aggrandizing? How much do you think he’s making Wen Kexing look crazier than he is?
2. Xie-wang begins to learn his yifu’s past, and that his yifu *gasp* might have lied to him. Any thoughts about how Xie-wang seems to never even have heard rumours about Zhao Jing’s relationship with Luo Fumeng before?
3. What do you think Qin Huaizhang’s “important business” that kept him from bringing the Zhen family back to Siji Manor immediately was?
Next Time: Family reunion! The Scorpion attacks! Shen Shen shows up, which means it’s time for a lot of exposition and his feelings about the Five Lakes extended family. Zhao Jing schemes, but Xie’er starts questioning him. ZZS defends WKX’s name to Shen Shen.
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2. Exactly!! I am always so puzzled about the Zhao Jing/Luo Fumeng relationship's every aspect. How did Zhao Jing manage to bury that the groom who left her on the alter was him, given how notorious LFM became as a Ghost? Shen Shen and Gao Chong must, at the very least, have known that it existed. I can only imagine that the Five Lakes Alliance, in the deceptive way it does, buried all connection to her and forbade it being spoken. LFM's family died, so by the next generation, not many people necessarily knew.
3. My own headcanon is, honestly, that Qin Huaizhang had only very recently saved Zhou Zishu (esp given that Zhen Ruyu had never heard of ZZS, his beloved older brother's beloved disciple), and that they were giving the runaround to royal spies looking to spy on Zhou Zishu, to see if ZZS's father had left him anything. It would match with my other timeline headcanon, wherein QHZ had been away during the Ruon Xuan poisoning incident and the resultant fall-out because he was off rescuing ZZS, having only just learned that ZZS's father had been executed. And therefore he wasn't in a position to help WRY for 2 months while he and ZZS generally wandered around and did harmless things, away from Siji Manor, especially if he for whatever reason might have suspected WRY held the key to the armory. (I had been thinking, saving ZZS from the not official sanctioned royal assassins, but then he wouldn't let ZZS and ZY wander around outside. Unless, of course, he'd just killed some of those assassins and there was a brief moment of opportunity.)
no subject
2. I kind of think that Zhao Jing kept his relationship with Luo Fumeng secret for basically its entire duration. Which is very shitty and a giant red flag and also seems like something Zhao Jing would do. But I think that needs to be true for him to be able to suppress it so well! After the point that Luo Fumeng was dishonored and disgraced and became a ghost, she couldn't even point to him in particular, so he could also spread rumours of other well-known men in the jianghu being the potential reason, and then it'd just all be hearsay and easier to bury... But still, it's impressive!
3. Oooh that's a lovely headcanon! I like that theory a lot. :)
I do think that QHZ could've suspected that ZY's hairpin was the armory key: at the end when WKX undoes the glamour keeping it from looking like a key, the cloud-carved end still looks the same, and QHZ had to know what the key itself looks like. But with no proof, and a lot of distraction (WRY's injuries, hiding that whole family, your headcanon that he was hiding/keeping ZZS safe...), then he might not have thought anyone else would know or care or follow them for it...
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2. It's super impressive because we know for a fact that the Zhen couple helped Luo Femung, and they definitely knew Zhao Jing well. Yet somehow, they didn't even guess what happened. I like your theory about ZJ spreading false rumours, and I really can just see him spreading rumours about LFM going crazy because she led on too many men or something like that.
3. I had been thinking about what could possibly make QHZ just... leave the Wen family alone, given Zhou Zishu's insistence that his shifu would never abandon a friend. (And YBY's initial conviction that QHZ was incredibly righteous too.) It would only make sense if it were something incredibly pressing and actively dangerous for the Wen family. If it had been an issue with the liuli jia, it makes sense that QHZ, who may have been the one to actually locate the tomb, would be concerned that he himself might be spied on too.
ETA: I have edited this so many times with new thoughts lol, but yeah. There is no way QHZ didn't know what the key looked like. He's the one who found it! Along with Zhou Zishu's father.
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I like the headcanon
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2) Maybe because he was focused on Scorpion assassin business rather than ZJ’s public persona? Although considering what YQF says in the previous episode, it sounds like their engagement (and the fallout) got hushed up in the jianghu.
3) I wonder if was related to the previous prince Jin (I can’t remember if they ever said when ZZS’ father was killed – I know QHZ died when ZZS was about 16).
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- ZZS's father is sent to search for the World's Armory
- He finds the Armory and there's nothing in it, tells the emperor
- Presumably gives the keys of QHZ in the mean time, who then shares it with Long Que and Ruon Xuan
- Is executed by the previous Prince Jin. The current Prince Jin is implied to have been young during this point, but we don't know how young, however Beiyuan remembers it well enough to recall with some clarity years later, so he and ZZS couldn't have been that young.
It's not clear even whether he is actually dead before the Ruon Xuan & buddies start to use it, or whether he dies afterwards.