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ghost_valley2021-12-03 02:22 pm
shadaras) wrote in ghost_valley2021-12-03 02:22 pm
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[WoH Rewatch] Episode 25
One might think that having a week off means that I worked ahead on these. I thought about it! And then I didn’t. :) I hope that Americans had a good Thanksgiving, and that the rest of you had a good end of November. It’s December now! Wild.
Time for some more Siji Manor Feelings! :D And Xiaolian being rescued!
List of Scenes
ZZS and WKX chat in the middle of the night
WKX tells ZZS what he hallucinated at the coffin house
WKX and ZZS talk about names and Siji Manor as home
GX and CWN spot Lv Liu and Tao Hong
Lv Liu and Tao Hong talk to Huang He
CWN reveals himself, incites Lv Liu and Tao Hong to fight Huang He, and escapes with Xiaolian
Lv Liu and Tao Hong beat CWN up
Shen Shen beats up Lv Liu and Tao Hong
Xiaolian convinces Shen Shen to leave Lv Liu and Tao Hong alive
GX and Shen Shen talk about how GX is a ghost (and Xiaolian convinces Shen Shen to let GX live)
Chengling asks if ZZS will start teaching him martial arts now
Chengling, ZZS, and WKX visit QHZ’s grave
WKX monologues about his trauma to QHZ’s grave
CWN wakes up and GX lies to him about what happened
Timeline or Something
We’re shown two nights during the course of this episode. An unspecified amount of time has passed since the last episode. Probably at least a few days, likely not more than a few weeks.
Recap
Siji Manor is much more put-together, as ZZS is now sleeping on a real bed! He gets up in the middle of the night to join WKX outside, and asks why WKX is awake. Bad dreams, apparently. They talk about the cold weather, seasons, and holidays; WKX says it’d be great if they could live at Siji Manor forever.
ZZS suggests they have wine, since they can’t sleep. Indoors now, they drink heated wine. WKX offers ZZS some Product Placement Nuts and tells him that it’s bad to drink without eating food, not that ZZS cares; he keeps rejecting them.
WKX teases ZZS about how he’s setting a bad example for his disciple, and ZZS grumbles about how hard it is to sleep with the Nails. When WKX comments on how he’s slept well recently, ZZS admits that he’s been taking drunk-like-a-dream to help him sleep.
ZZS then asks WKX what he saw, back in the coffin home, when he was under drunk-like-a-dream’s influence. WKX says he dreamt of being seven years old and going to Siji Manor, with his family starting a clinic at the foot of the hill, so that he would train with QHZ during the day and still return to his parents for dinner. He says the drug men were wild dogs chasing him, and ZZS was sometimes ZZS and sometimes Yiguo (the puppy), protecting him.
WKX then also tells ZZS that he originally followed ZZS because of the swift-moving steps, continued being interested because of the sword Baiyi, and then was certain who ZZS was once ZZS gave his family name. Then he quotes the line of poetry ZZS’s name is taken from, and compliments it.
ZZS asks about Wen Kexing’s name (implicitly, why it isn’t Zhen Yan anymore). WKX says that his father was an orphan named Wen who adopted the name of Healer Valley’s chief, and who took his old name back after being banished. WKX says what’s probably another line of poetry about his own name, saying that it suits him.
ZZS says that meeting WKX and Chengling have given him a new home, or let him re-find this one, instead of wandering the world and drinking until he died. The two of them recite the relevant lines of poetry for each other’s name, then drink.
ZZS says he’s going to stay here in Siji Manor forever, so long as YBY can heal him, and that WKX is welcome to stay as well. WKX doesn’t respond, but he does look very moved.
The scene changes to GX and CWN travelling. GX is with their horses when CWN comes back (from fetching water?) and says that he saw Tao Hong and Lv Liu.
The camera cuts to Lv Liu leading a horse and cart with Tao Hong and Xiaolian on it. GX and CWN are crouched behind a bush, watching. CWN says he’s certain of who they are; he heard Xiaolian’s voice, and knows that she’s been restrained by her acupoints. As well, he says that Tao Hong and Lv Liu each had a single broken arm, just like this couple.
CWN insists that they need to do something to help Xiaolian, but GX is hesitant. CWN reads this as fear, and tries to reassure her that he’ll protect her. GX takes his hand, and says he almost died last time, so couldn’t they let it go? CWN, of course, can’t let it go; even if GX doesn’t follow, he’s going after Tao Hong and Lv Liu because death in a battle is better than cowardice.
GX is mad about this, and worried about him, and tries to keep him with her because of how he promised WKX to protect her. CWN says that he’d never abandon her, but “loyalty is more important than love” and so he can’t let Xiaolian go.
GX changes her tune from “Don’t go” to “Can we trick them instead of confronting them head-on?”, and tells CWN (who apologises for misunderstanding her) to trail Tao Hong and Lv Liu, leaving marks, while she goes to Broken Sword Manor to get backup [even though last episode she didn’t want to stay near them, since they had the ghost manual and were being dicks to one of Gao Chong’s disciples]. CWN is delighted by this plan, praises her brains, and agrees immediately.
Lv Liu and Tao Hong meet Huang He in a clearing. They were supposed to meet him in Great Stone Town [Dashi Zhen], but Huang He was hunted out of there by the Scorpions. He says that they were tricked by Zhao Jing, and are now being sought by all sides to be captured and/or killed.
Huang He asks if Xiaolian knows the relationship between Zhao Jing and the Scorpion, and she says that she’s sure Zhao Jing will rescue her. Huang He laughs and tells her that he tried contacting Zhao Jing about exchanging Xiaolian for the Glazed Armor, but Zhao Jing didn’t care. Huang He posits that Zhao Jing also killed Gao Chong.
Tao Hong is mad about all this. Huang He grumbles because he didn’t expect any of this to go so poorly for them. There’s a lot of shouting about how Xiaolian will get punished, and how the elders want revenge about Mount Qingya and blame the Five Lakes Alliance for it. Huang He tells Xiaolian his version of the story (that people died just for the Five Lakes Alliance’s greed/desire for the Glazed Armor) while CWN sneaks around in the bushes.
Tao Hong suggests killing Xiaolian, since she’s worthless, which draws CWN out of the bushes in defense. CWN says he respected Huang He, and tries to get Huang He to ally with him against Tao Hong and Lv Liu to save Xiaolian. CWN says that everyone’s looking for Xiaolian, too, which makes Tao Hong and Lv Liu think that Huang He has betrayed them already and wants to rescue Xiaolian to save his own skin.
When the elders start fighting, CWN draws Xiaolian off the cart and they run away.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long before Tao Hong and Lv Liu catch up to them, saying they’ve already killed Huang He. CWN tells Xiaolian to run while he holds off Tao Hong and Lv Liu. She doesn’t want to, but he insists. It doesn’t take long for them to beat CWN, either, so she’s still well within eyesight.
Shen Shen chooses that moment to arrive dramatically and places himself between Xiaolian and Tao Hong and Lv Liu. GX comes a moment later, which Xiaolian is happy about, and then immediately GX runs to check on CWN.
Shen Shen fights the grandparents while GX cares for CWN. Shen Shen hits Lv Liu hard enough that he’s coughing up blood, which ends the fight. Lv Liu wants Tao Hong to leave without him, but she won’t. Xiaolian speaks up to save their lives when Shen Shen would kill them, and asks if it’s true that the Five Lakes Alliance cost them their child. Tao Hong says it is, with much vitriol.
Xiaolian begs Shen Shen to let them go, saying that this was all Huang He’s plan and the grandparents were victims too. She asks that the circle of revenge be stopped, and that they return the life the Five Lakes Alliance owes them. Lv Liu says that if they’re spared, the grandparents will quit the jianghu. Tao Hong doesn’t want to agree to this.
Shen Shen sheaths his sword, and says that the resentment of the previous generation shouldn’t involve those (like Xiaolian) who were born after the Battle of Mount Qingya. He tells the grandparents he’ll let them go, and that if they truly still want revenge, they should only come after him. Lv Liu and Tong Hao leave, but Xiaolian hands them their staves back and wishes them well.
Xiaolian asks GX if CWN’s okay, and if they’ve been together all this way. Before GX answers, Xiaolian also asks if GX found Shen Shen. That, along with Shen Shen approaching, gets GX to stand. GX tells Shen Shen that he can kill her now that CWN and Xiaolian are safe, which greatly confuses Xiaolian.
Shen Shen asks GX where WKX is, GX repeats that she doesn’t know. She says that people won’t lie if they’re about to die, so he should believe her.
Xiaolian keeps being confused. GX takes her hands, reminds her that GX’s only ever been good to her, and asks her to promise not to tell CWN. Shen Shen calls Xiaolian away from GX, which still doesn’t answer any of Xiaolian’s questions. Xiaolian thinks there must be some misunderstanding, and Shen Shen finally says that GX is the Ghost Valley Master’s “henchman” [心腹丫头, trusted servant girl might be more literal? I love ‘henchman’, though].
Shen Shen tells Xiaolian to ask GX if it’s true, and questions if GX is even her real name. GX says this is her name, but doesn’t contest anything else. She introduces herself as the Amethyst Fiend, Gu Xiang, and says she feels respected that the brochure of ghosts recorded a small ghost like her.
Shen Shen asks why GX’s with CWN instead of WKX, and she says he won’t believe her. She strokes CWN’s shoulder, and says she doesn’t want to be a lonely ghost; she wants to find a way back to the mortal world and spend her life with him.
Shen Shen asks GX why she went to him even though she knew her identity had been exposed and he might kill her. She says she had no choice, since she has fallen for a righteous man and wants to be with him.
GX asks Shen Shen if she is indeed on the brochure, and Shen Shen says she’s not. GX’s holding back tears as she says that’s good, since then CWN will never know. GX asks that they tell CWN that Huang He killed her, so that CWN will never know she lied.
Xiaolian protests the idea that GX is going to die here, and asks Shen Shen not to kill her. Shen Shen says Xiaolian shouldn’t be a fool like him, who’s “spent half [his] life unable to tell ghosts from men.” And yet, Shen Shen takes Xiaolian’s arm and walks away, telling her to come with him, and leaves GX and CWN alone and unharmed.
Back at Siji Manor, Chengling investigates the training equipment and asks if ZZS’s going to teach him how to fight. ZZS says he hasn’t spent much time on fighting skills since he finished his own training (how much of a lie is this, for an assassin and skilled combatant like him?), but WKX might teach Chengling a thing or two. WKX and ZZS flirt a little about how WKX isn’t “just anyone” teaching ZZS’s disciple, and Chengling asks if he can call WKX ‘shishu’ now. WKX doesn’t directly respond, but doesn’t say ‘no’.
ZZS says he’s going to teach Chengling the most basic part of his martial arts, the Eight Trigram Palm, which is what QHZ first taught him too. Chengling uses this mention to ask if they can first go visit QHZ’s grave and pay their respects, so that ZZS can tell QHZ about how he’s found a good disciple in Chengling and WKX’s back. WKX continues to have a lot of emotions, but agrees that this is a good idea, so ZZS says they’ll go.
At the graves, Chengling and ZZS bow while WKX stands and watches. [Subtitles inform us that the graves are for “Qin Huaizhang and his wife, Yao” and for Qin Jiuxiao.] Chengling formally introduces himself to QHZ as ZZS stands behind him. He promises to learn well, and WKX teases him for how wordy he’s being. Chengling, WKX, and ZZS have a brief debate about how much the dead linger and watch over people, and how necessary it is to speak to them aloud.
ZZS lets Chengling kneel quietly for a little longer before calling him away and saying they’ll visit again later. WKX asks ZZS and Chengling to leave first, because he needs some time alone. Once alone, WKX pours wine for QHZ and sets it on the gravestone. He drinks some himself, and asks if the netherworld exists. He tries three times to figure out what to call QHZ (Shifu, Uncle, Senior), then asks if his parents are there in the afterlife. He hopes they are, but is also scared they’ll think poorly of him because of the path he’s walked.
WKX says he used to pretend that he didn’t exist and that his life was all just a nightmare he could wake from and still be Zhen Yan, either in Healer Valley or Siji Manor. Later, he decided that Zhen Yan was the good dream, an escape from the godless world he lived in. He says that it hasn’t been blood in his veins these last twenty years, but hatred that kept him alive and let him rule Ghost Valley and carry out Zhen Yan’s vengeance.
WKX isn’t satisfied, though, because there are still people to take his revenge on. He wants to reveal all the demons that hurt him and let the whole world burn, even if it’s sinful and results in his death. And yet, he’s staring at the path back to the human world (ZZS and Chengling) and wondering why it exists after all the hell he’s been through.
WKX pours out the rest of the wine, kneels, and bows to QHZ’s grave. He says that “[his] life as Wen Kexing is ruined” and he’s not qualified to call QHZ master, but perhaps he’ll repay QHZ in his next life if there is one. And if not, he’s still grateful for what QHZ has given him.
We return to GX and CWN! It’s night, and GX is heating food over a fire when CWN finally wakes up. CWN’s first question is about Xiaolian, and GX gives him water to drink and reassures him. She says that she brought people from Broken Sword Manor and arrived in time to save CWN’s life, and that Xiaolian fainted and was taken back to the Five Lakes Alliance by Mu Siyuan. This is a lie, but CWN doesn’t question it at all.
CWN’s happy, and GX doesn’t seem to regret this lie. CWN praises GX’s smart plan, and tells GX that she can punish him for his impatience. She doesn’t, saying she’ll keep her hands clean. He takes her hand, and smiles at her. GX wonders if they have conflicting fates, that CWN keeps getting injured when they’re together. CWN says he’s just not good enough at martial arts, but he’ll keep training and getting better so that he can protect GX.
CWN talks about how well his sect treats women, and that his master (and hers) would beat him up if he treated her poorly. GX’s still wondering about if they have conflicting fates, and CWN says it’s impossible. CWN says he’d give his life to her, if that were so, which finally makes GX smile. He then asks for something to eat, and she hands him one of the buns she’s been heating up. He foists some back on her, and she eventually accepts.
We end on them being cute and eating together.
General Commentary
I know that I have the bad habit of forgetting what exactly happens on Gu Xiang and Cao Weining’s side of the plot during this section of the show (there are just so many emotional things happening in Siji Manor!), and it’s really fun doing this rewatch and seeing just how good the GX/CWN side of things really is.
Wen Kexing and Gu Xiang are both thinking a lot about whether it’s possible for them to return to the human world after living as a ghost for so long. Wen Kexing has those feelings bottled up in his chest, only coming out when he’s finally alone and can confess to Qin Huaizhang (who Wen Kexing doesn’t think is listening; even if he is, it’s not like he can reply to Wen Kexing in this universe).
Gu Xiang, on the other hand, gets to have it out with Shen Shen and Gao Xiaolian. (Notably, though, not with Cao Weining—despite being the center of Gu Xiang’s emotions, he’s unconscious during that conversation.) Gu Xiang still returns to the subject later, when saying she wants to keep her hands clean; even if Cao Weining doesn’t know it’s a statement of her intent to leave her ghost-self behind, it’s pretty clear to a viewer.
With Shen Shen, Gu Xiang accepts and admits her identity as the Amethyst Fiend and outright says she’s looking for a way back to the human world. She knows it might get her killed, just as finding Shen Shen and bringing him to save Gao Xiaolian could’ve, but she cares too much (for Cao Weining, who leads her back to humanity; for Gao Xiaolian, who has defended her before and doesn’t deserve to die) to do anything else.
Shen Shen staying his hand and leaving Gu Xiang alone is an admission of her humanity in that moment. She gets this acceptance (both here and, in a few episodes, from Cao Weining). Wen Kexing, who is still stubbornly hiding his true role in Ghost Valley despite having admitted to being from Ghost Valley, doesn’t yet have that certainty. (But he gets it himself, later. First when Ye Baiyi walks away without killing him, and then again when he gathers everyone for his dumbass self-sacrifice plan.)
But it’s nice, I think, that Gu Xiang gets this first. She’s always been a step ahead on the whole “What if I don’t need to be a ghost?” thing, because Wen Kexing keeps pushing her there. (Where he doesn’t think he can go.)
Other things going on during this episode!
Zhou Zishu drugging himself so that he can sleep isn’t really surprising, but it makes me sad for him.
Chengling is so excited about calling Wen Kexing his shishu! Even if Wen Kexing doesn’t think he deserves that name, it’s fun that he can’t outright tell Chengling to stop it.
I like hearing about what Wen Kexing saw at the coffin home. It’s a sweet AU. Also, very interesting that Wen Kexing remembers the dog’s name better than Zhou Zishu does; that whole experience clearly meant much more to him than Zhou Zishu. (Unsurprising, considering how much of a bright spot it was in the midst of terror and death. The last good time he had.)
I think it’s really interesting that Gu Xiang lies about Shen Shen being the one who showed up in time to save Cao Weining’s life. It’s a consistent story with what she suggested the plan was, so of course Cao Weining doesn’t comment, but I’m not sure it was necessary.
It’s nice seeing Zhou Zishu hopeful about his life for once. It happens so rarely. <3
Related to the whole ghosts returning to the human world thing: This episode does a lot with the mutability of righteousness and the ways characters are shown (or said) to change from being on the righteous/”good” side to the unrighteous/”evil” side.
Huang He and Zhao Jing are parts of sects that should be righteous, yet do not act that way. Gao Chong has been framed despite being a righteous man. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing, our protagonists, have moved from being born into righteous sects, to living unrighteous lives, to whatever/wherever they are now. It all comes back to what Shen Shen said about being unable to tell ghosts from [living, therefore good/righteous] people, I think.
Discussion Prompts/Questions
1. Xiaolian as the voice of the Themes there in the middle of this episode! Talking about forgiveness, and how maybe people don’t really need to die! What do you think of her? Is she naive? Is it a surprise that Shen Shen listens to her? Do you agree with her?
2. The concept of ghosts returning to the human world! It keeps coming up in this show. This episode spends a lot of time on Gu Xiang and Wen Kexing’s feelings about it, though, so I’d love to hear yours!
3. I’m always interested in thoughts about Wen Kexing and his past! This episode lets Wen Kexing actively reflect on his past (and think about his future), so I’d be interested to hear what you think about that. :)
Next Time: A bit more WKX flashback! WKX learns about the ghost book! CWN and GX reach Qingfeng Sword Sect! Xie’er wants to step out of the shadows! Zhao Jing tries to keep Xie’er close but lies to him to provoke sympathy. Luo Fumeng wakes up.
Time for some more Siji Manor Feelings! :D And Xiaolian being rescued!
List of Scenes
ZZS and WKX chat in the middle of the night
WKX tells ZZS what he hallucinated at the coffin house
WKX and ZZS talk about names and Siji Manor as home
GX and CWN spot Lv Liu and Tao Hong
Lv Liu and Tao Hong talk to Huang He
CWN reveals himself, incites Lv Liu and Tao Hong to fight Huang He, and escapes with Xiaolian
Lv Liu and Tao Hong beat CWN up
Shen Shen beats up Lv Liu and Tao Hong
Xiaolian convinces Shen Shen to leave Lv Liu and Tao Hong alive
GX and Shen Shen talk about how GX is a ghost (and Xiaolian convinces Shen Shen to let GX live)
Chengling asks if ZZS will start teaching him martial arts now
Chengling, ZZS, and WKX visit QHZ’s grave
WKX monologues about his trauma to QHZ’s grave
CWN wakes up and GX lies to him about what happened
Timeline or Something
We’re shown two nights during the course of this episode. An unspecified amount of time has passed since the last episode. Probably at least a few days, likely not more than a few weeks.
Recap
Siji Manor is much more put-together, as ZZS is now sleeping on a real bed! He gets up in the middle of the night to join WKX outside, and asks why WKX is awake. Bad dreams, apparently. They talk about the cold weather, seasons, and holidays; WKX says it’d be great if they could live at Siji Manor forever.
ZZS suggests they have wine, since they can’t sleep. Indoors now, they drink heated wine. WKX offers ZZS some Product Placement Nuts and tells him that it’s bad to drink without eating food, not that ZZS cares; he keeps rejecting them.
WKX teases ZZS about how he’s setting a bad example for his disciple, and ZZS grumbles about how hard it is to sleep with the Nails. When WKX comments on how he’s slept well recently, ZZS admits that he’s been taking drunk-like-a-dream to help him sleep.
ZZS then asks WKX what he saw, back in the coffin home, when he was under drunk-like-a-dream’s influence. WKX says he dreamt of being seven years old and going to Siji Manor, with his family starting a clinic at the foot of the hill, so that he would train with QHZ during the day and still return to his parents for dinner. He says the drug men were wild dogs chasing him, and ZZS was sometimes ZZS and sometimes Yiguo (the puppy), protecting him.
WKX then also tells ZZS that he originally followed ZZS because of the swift-moving steps, continued being interested because of the sword Baiyi, and then was certain who ZZS was once ZZS gave his family name. Then he quotes the line of poetry ZZS’s name is taken from, and compliments it.
ZZS asks about Wen Kexing’s name (implicitly, why it isn’t Zhen Yan anymore). WKX says that his father was an orphan named Wen who adopted the name of Healer Valley’s chief, and who took his old name back after being banished. WKX says what’s probably another line of poetry about his own name, saying that it suits him.
ZZS says that meeting WKX and Chengling have given him a new home, or let him re-find this one, instead of wandering the world and drinking until he died. The two of them recite the relevant lines of poetry for each other’s name, then drink.
ZZS says he’s going to stay here in Siji Manor forever, so long as YBY can heal him, and that WKX is welcome to stay as well. WKX doesn’t respond, but he does look very moved.
The scene changes to GX and CWN travelling. GX is with their horses when CWN comes back (from fetching water?) and says that he saw Tao Hong and Lv Liu.
The camera cuts to Lv Liu leading a horse and cart with Tao Hong and Xiaolian on it. GX and CWN are crouched behind a bush, watching. CWN says he’s certain of who they are; he heard Xiaolian’s voice, and knows that she’s been restrained by her acupoints. As well, he says that Tao Hong and Lv Liu each had a single broken arm, just like this couple.
CWN insists that they need to do something to help Xiaolian, but GX is hesitant. CWN reads this as fear, and tries to reassure her that he’ll protect her. GX takes his hand, and says he almost died last time, so couldn’t they let it go? CWN, of course, can’t let it go; even if GX doesn’t follow, he’s going after Tao Hong and Lv Liu because death in a battle is better than cowardice.
GX is mad about this, and worried about him, and tries to keep him with her because of how he promised WKX to protect her. CWN says that he’d never abandon her, but “loyalty is more important than love” and so he can’t let Xiaolian go.
GX changes her tune from “Don’t go” to “Can we trick them instead of confronting them head-on?”, and tells CWN (who apologises for misunderstanding her) to trail Tao Hong and Lv Liu, leaving marks, while she goes to Broken Sword Manor to get backup [even though last episode she didn’t want to stay near them, since they had the ghost manual and were being dicks to one of Gao Chong’s disciples]. CWN is delighted by this plan, praises her brains, and agrees immediately.
Lv Liu and Tao Hong meet Huang He in a clearing. They were supposed to meet him in Great Stone Town [Dashi Zhen], but Huang He was hunted out of there by the Scorpions. He says that they were tricked by Zhao Jing, and are now being sought by all sides to be captured and/or killed.
Huang He asks if Xiaolian knows the relationship between Zhao Jing and the Scorpion, and she says that she’s sure Zhao Jing will rescue her. Huang He laughs and tells her that he tried contacting Zhao Jing about exchanging Xiaolian for the Glazed Armor, but Zhao Jing didn’t care. Huang He posits that Zhao Jing also killed Gao Chong.
Tao Hong is mad about all this. Huang He grumbles because he didn’t expect any of this to go so poorly for them. There’s a lot of shouting about how Xiaolian will get punished, and how the elders want revenge about Mount Qingya and blame the Five Lakes Alliance for it. Huang He tells Xiaolian his version of the story (that people died just for the Five Lakes Alliance’s greed/desire for the Glazed Armor) while CWN sneaks around in the bushes.
Tao Hong suggests killing Xiaolian, since she’s worthless, which draws CWN out of the bushes in defense. CWN says he respected Huang He, and tries to get Huang He to ally with him against Tao Hong and Lv Liu to save Xiaolian. CWN says that everyone’s looking for Xiaolian, too, which makes Tao Hong and Lv Liu think that Huang He has betrayed them already and wants to rescue Xiaolian to save his own skin.
When the elders start fighting, CWN draws Xiaolian off the cart and they run away.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long before Tao Hong and Lv Liu catch up to them, saying they’ve already killed Huang He. CWN tells Xiaolian to run while he holds off Tao Hong and Lv Liu. She doesn’t want to, but he insists. It doesn’t take long for them to beat CWN, either, so she’s still well within eyesight.
Shen Shen chooses that moment to arrive dramatically and places himself between Xiaolian and Tao Hong and Lv Liu. GX comes a moment later, which Xiaolian is happy about, and then immediately GX runs to check on CWN.
Shen Shen fights the grandparents while GX cares for CWN. Shen Shen hits Lv Liu hard enough that he’s coughing up blood, which ends the fight. Lv Liu wants Tao Hong to leave without him, but she won’t. Xiaolian speaks up to save their lives when Shen Shen would kill them, and asks if it’s true that the Five Lakes Alliance cost them their child. Tao Hong says it is, with much vitriol.
Xiaolian begs Shen Shen to let them go, saying that this was all Huang He’s plan and the grandparents were victims too. She asks that the circle of revenge be stopped, and that they return the life the Five Lakes Alliance owes them. Lv Liu says that if they’re spared, the grandparents will quit the jianghu. Tao Hong doesn’t want to agree to this.
Shen Shen sheaths his sword, and says that the resentment of the previous generation shouldn’t involve those (like Xiaolian) who were born after the Battle of Mount Qingya. He tells the grandparents he’ll let them go, and that if they truly still want revenge, they should only come after him. Lv Liu and Tong Hao leave, but Xiaolian hands them their staves back and wishes them well.
Xiaolian asks GX if CWN’s okay, and if they’ve been together all this way. Before GX answers, Xiaolian also asks if GX found Shen Shen. That, along with Shen Shen approaching, gets GX to stand. GX tells Shen Shen that he can kill her now that CWN and Xiaolian are safe, which greatly confuses Xiaolian.
Shen Shen asks GX where WKX is, GX repeats that she doesn’t know. She says that people won’t lie if they’re about to die, so he should believe her.
Xiaolian keeps being confused. GX takes her hands, reminds her that GX’s only ever been good to her, and asks her to promise not to tell CWN. Shen Shen calls Xiaolian away from GX, which still doesn’t answer any of Xiaolian’s questions. Xiaolian thinks there must be some misunderstanding, and Shen Shen finally says that GX is the Ghost Valley Master’s “henchman” [心腹丫头, trusted servant girl might be more literal? I love ‘henchman’, though].
Shen Shen tells Xiaolian to ask GX if it’s true, and questions if GX is even her real name. GX says this is her name, but doesn’t contest anything else. She introduces herself as the Amethyst Fiend, Gu Xiang, and says she feels respected that the brochure of ghosts recorded a small ghost like her.
Shen Shen asks why GX’s with CWN instead of WKX, and she says he won’t believe her. She strokes CWN’s shoulder, and says she doesn’t want to be a lonely ghost; she wants to find a way back to the mortal world and spend her life with him.
Shen Shen asks GX why she went to him even though she knew her identity had been exposed and he might kill her. She says she had no choice, since she has fallen for a righteous man and wants to be with him.
GX asks Shen Shen if she is indeed on the brochure, and Shen Shen says she’s not. GX’s holding back tears as she says that’s good, since then CWN will never know. GX asks that they tell CWN that Huang He killed her, so that CWN will never know she lied.
Xiaolian protests the idea that GX is going to die here, and asks Shen Shen not to kill her. Shen Shen says Xiaolian shouldn’t be a fool like him, who’s “spent half [his] life unable to tell ghosts from men.” And yet, Shen Shen takes Xiaolian’s arm and walks away, telling her to come with him, and leaves GX and CWN alone and unharmed.
Back at Siji Manor, Chengling investigates the training equipment and asks if ZZS’s going to teach him how to fight. ZZS says he hasn’t spent much time on fighting skills since he finished his own training (how much of a lie is this, for an assassin and skilled combatant like him?), but WKX might teach Chengling a thing or two. WKX and ZZS flirt a little about how WKX isn’t “just anyone” teaching ZZS’s disciple, and Chengling asks if he can call WKX ‘shishu’ now. WKX doesn’t directly respond, but doesn’t say ‘no’.
ZZS says he’s going to teach Chengling the most basic part of his martial arts, the Eight Trigram Palm, which is what QHZ first taught him too. Chengling uses this mention to ask if they can first go visit QHZ’s grave and pay their respects, so that ZZS can tell QHZ about how he’s found a good disciple in Chengling and WKX’s back. WKX continues to have a lot of emotions, but agrees that this is a good idea, so ZZS says they’ll go.
At the graves, Chengling and ZZS bow while WKX stands and watches. [Subtitles inform us that the graves are for “Qin Huaizhang and his wife, Yao” and for Qin Jiuxiao.] Chengling formally introduces himself to QHZ as ZZS stands behind him. He promises to learn well, and WKX teases him for how wordy he’s being. Chengling, WKX, and ZZS have a brief debate about how much the dead linger and watch over people, and how necessary it is to speak to them aloud.
ZZS lets Chengling kneel quietly for a little longer before calling him away and saying they’ll visit again later. WKX asks ZZS and Chengling to leave first, because he needs some time alone. Once alone, WKX pours wine for QHZ and sets it on the gravestone. He drinks some himself, and asks if the netherworld exists. He tries three times to figure out what to call QHZ (Shifu, Uncle, Senior), then asks if his parents are there in the afterlife. He hopes they are, but is also scared they’ll think poorly of him because of the path he’s walked.
WKX says he used to pretend that he didn’t exist and that his life was all just a nightmare he could wake from and still be Zhen Yan, either in Healer Valley or Siji Manor. Later, he decided that Zhen Yan was the good dream, an escape from the godless world he lived in. He says that it hasn’t been blood in his veins these last twenty years, but hatred that kept him alive and let him rule Ghost Valley and carry out Zhen Yan’s vengeance.
WKX isn’t satisfied, though, because there are still people to take his revenge on. He wants to reveal all the demons that hurt him and let the whole world burn, even if it’s sinful and results in his death. And yet, he’s staring at the path back to the human world (ZZS and Chengling) and wondering why it exists after all the hell he’s been through.
WKX pours out the rest of the wine, kneels, and bows to QHZ’s grave. He says that “[his] life as Wen Kexing is ruined” and he’s not qualified to call QHZ master, but perhaps he’ll repay QHZ in his next life if there is one. And if not, he’s still grateful for what QHZ has given him.
We return to GX and CWN! It’s night, and GX is heating food over a fire when CWN finally wakes up. CWN’s first question is about Xiaolian, and GX gives him water to drink and reassures him. She says that she brought people from Broken Sword Manor and arrived in time to save CWN’s life, and that Xiaolian fainted and was taken back to the Five Lakes Alliance by Mu Siyuan. This is a lie, but CWN doesn’t question it at all.
CWN’s happy, and GX doesn’t seem to regret this lie. CWN praises GX’s smart plan, and tells GX that she can punish him for his impatience. She doesn’t, saying she’ll keep her hands clean. He takes her hand, and smiles at her. GX wonders if they have conflicting fates, that CWN keeps getting injured when they’re together. CWN says he’s just not good enough at martial arts, but he’ll keep training and getting better so that he can protect GX.
CWN talks about how well his sect treats women, and that his master (and hers) would beat him up if he treated her poorly. GX’s still wondering about if they have conflicting fates, and CWN says it’s impossible. CWN says he’d give his life to her, if that were so, which finally makes GX smile. He then asks for something to eat, and she hands him one of the buns she’s been heating up. He foists some back on her, and she eventually accepts.
We end on them being cute and eating together.
General Commentary
I know that I have the bad habit of forgetting what exactly happens on Gu Xiang and Cao Weining’s side of the plot during this section of the show (there are just so many emotional things happening in Siji Manor!), and it’s really fun doing this rewatch and seeing just how good the GX/CWN side of things really is.
Wen Kexing and Gu Xiang are both thinking a lot about whether it’s possible for them to return to the human world after living as a ghost for so long. Wen Kexing has those feelings bottled up in his chest, only coming out when he’s finally alone and can confess to Qin Huaizhang (who Wen Kexing doesn’t think is listening; even if he is, it’s not like he can reply to Wen Kexing in this universe).
Gu Xiang, on the other hand, gets to have it out with Shen Shen and Gao Xiaolian. (Notably, though, not with Cao Weining—despite being the center of Gu Xiang’s emotions, he’s unconscious during that conversation.) Gu Xiang still returns to the subject later, when saying she wants to keep her hands clean; even if Cao Weining doesn’t know it’s a statement of her intent to leave her ghost-self behind, it’s pretty clear to a viewer.
With Shen Shen, Gu Xiang accepts and admits her identity as the Amethyst Fiend and outright says she’s looking for a way back to the human world. She knows it might get her killed, just as finding Shen Shen and bringing him to save Gao Xiaolian could’ve, but she cares too much (for Cao Weining, who leads her back to humanity; for Gao Xiaolian, who has defended her before and doesn’t deserve to die) to do anything else.
Shen Shen staying his hand and leaving Gu Xiang alone is an admission of her humanity in that moment. She gets this acceptance (both here and, in a few episodes, from Cao Weining). Wen Kexing, who is still stubbornly hiding his true role in Ghost Valley despite having admitted to being from Ghost Valley, doesn’t yet have that certainty. (But he gets it himself, later. First when Ye Baiyi walks away without killing him, and then again when he gathers everyone for his dumbass self-sacrifice plan.)
But it’s nice, I think, that Gu Xiang gets this first. She’s always been a step ahead on the whole “What if I don’t need to be a ghost?” thing, because Wen Kexing keeps pushing her there. (Where he doesn’t think he can go.)
Other things going on during this episode!
Zhou Zishu drugging himself so that he can sleep isn’t really surprising, but it makes me sad for him.
Chengling is so excited about calling Wen Kexing his shishu! Even if Wen Kexing doesn’t think he deserves that name, it’s fun that he can’t outright tell Chengling to stop it.
I like hearing about what Wen Kexing saw at the coffin home. It’s a sweet AU. Also, very interesting that Wen Kexing remembers the dog’s name better than Zhou Zishu does; that whole experience clearly meant much more to him than Zhou Zishu. (Unsurprising, considering how much of a bright spot it was in the midst of terror and death. The last good time he had.)
I think it’s really interesting that Gu Xiang lies about Shen Shen being the one who showed up in time to save Cao Weining’s life. It’s a consistent story with what she suggested the plan was, so of course Cao Weining doesn’t comment, but I’m not sure it was necessary.
It’s nice seeing Zhou Zishu hopeful about his life for once. It happens so rarely. <3
Related to the whole ghosts returning to the human world thing: This episode does a lot with the mutability of righteousness and the ways characters are shown (or said) to change from being on the righteous/”good” side to the unrighteous/”evil” side.
Huang He and Zhao Jing are parts of sects that should be righteous, yet do not act that way. Gao Chong has been framed despite being a righteous man. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing, our protagonists, have moved from being born into righteous sects, to living unrighteous lives, to whatever/wherever they are now. It all comes back to what Shen Shen said about being unable to tell ghosts from [living, therefore good/righteous] people, I think.
Discussion Prompts/Questions
1. Xiaolian as the voice of the Themes there in the middle of this episode! Talking about forgiveness, and how maybe people don’t really need to die! What do you think of her? Is she naive? Is it a surprise that Shen Shen listens to her? Do you agree with her?
2. The concept of ghosts returning to the human world! It keeps coming up in this show. This episode spends a lot of time on Gu Xiang and Wen Kexing’s feelings about it, though, so I’d love to hear yours!
3. I’m always interested in thoughts about Wen Kexing and his past! This episode lets Wen Kexing actively reflect on his past (and think about his future), so I’d be interested to hear what you think about that. :)
Next Time: A bit more WKX flashback! WKX learns about the ghost book! CWN and GX reach Qingfeng Sword Sect! Xie’er wants to step out of the shadows! Zhao Jing tries to keep Xie’er close but lies to him to provoke sympathy. Luo Fumeng wakes up.