[WoH Rewatch] Episode 27

[shadaras]

List of Scenes
WKX playing xiao in the forest and thinking about his found family
YBY arrives; ZZS meets him in the woods
YBY and ZZS talk about WKX’s nature
YBY and ZZS fight; ZZS is losing
WKX joins in the fight; YBY still wins
YBY is convinced to let WKX live and stay at Siji Manor; he leaves
WKX and ZZS help each other up and head back to Siji Manor
GX and CWN receive a letter from WKX and ZZS
CWN talks to Mo Weixu and defends GX’s goodness
WKX (in a bathtub) talks to ZZS about his feelings (re: secrets, Chengling, guilt)
Xie-wang tells Zhao Jing that GX is at Qing Feng Sword Sect
Xie-wang argues with Zhao Jing because he’s realising Zhao Jing only cares that he’s useful
CWN and GX talk a little and look at the rain
Ping’an gives ZZS a letter from YBY; it’s a notice about the upcoming Heroes Conference
ZZS makes some medicine and talks with WKX about future plans


Timeline or Something
We’re shown two separate nights. There is no indication of how many days might have passed between the nights at the beginning and end of this episode, mostly because I can’t tell how far away the Spring Festival is supposed to be at the end of this episode.



Recap



WKX waits in the forest, playing his xiao.

There’s a brief flashback to WKX hanging up QHZ’s restored painting and looking at it with ZZS. They smile at each other, then it transitions to WKX, ZZS, and Chengling eating food together as a family and tying red ribbons around Siji Manor as New Years decorations.



In the forest, YBY arrives, leaping between the treetops. He lands on the road and ZZS grabs his shoulder. They spin away from each other to disengage and face each other.

ZZS says he’s been waiting for YBY, and politely says YBY must be tired. YBY asks if he’s making fun of YBY, then asks why ZZS didn’t ask Wu Xi for help himself. ZZS says he didn’t know YBY was going to talk to Wu Xi, then says he had his reasons for not going to Nanjiang. He politely thanks YBY for his effort; YBY says he doesn’t care, the trip was a favor owed to WKX.



Then YBY asks ZZS if he knows who WKX is. ZZS pauses, then says he does. “[WKX] is the son of Zhen Ruyu, Zhen-daxia, who was the best friend of your [YBY’s] disciple Rong Xuan and my master. He is my previously lost yet recovered er-shidi and my [此生知己] lifetime soulmate.” (Youtube’s translation of his answer.)

YBY calls ZZS an idiot and says he’s been deceived, then tells ZZS that WKX is the chief of Ghost Valley, as well as informing him about the brochure of ghosts. YBY asks if ZZS thinks WKX concealed his identity and followed ZZS out of kindness. ZZS looks away, not answering. YBY continues, saying that he’s surprised ZRY and GMM raised “such a self-depraved beast” and suggests that perhaps WKX isn’t their son at all.

ZZS responds to that by affirming WKX’s lineage. YBY takes that and (correctly) assumes that ZZS has known WKX’s the Valley Master for a while. ZSS says he has known this “Not long enough, but fortunately, not too late”.

YBY’s reaction of “You have associated with that devil?” possibly comes across as more sexually charged in translation than the chinese itself seems to be, but honestly seems about right regardless. Anyway, ZZS doesn’t respond, and YBY laughs and steps away. He says he didn’t expect to be cheated by two brats.

ZZS says he didn’t mean to withhold knowledge, and only after Longyuan Pavillion did he know that WKX was Zhen Yan. He says that WKX was his shidi first, and that if he and QHZ had taken WKX back to Siji Manor then WKX never would’ve been a ghost. Because of this, he can’t stay out of it.

YBY asks if ZZS knows how many innocents have died since Ghost Valley started interfering, and says that ZZS’s only paying attention to his own brotherhood, then asks where justice is. He says ZZS is narrow-minded and muddle-headed and not living up to QHZ’s teachings.

ZZS doesn’t respond to that provocation. He continues to stand in YBY’s way and call him qianbei, but only asks if YBY has learned what kind of person WKX is through spending time with him. He says that WKX has kept his nature and shouldn’t be the only person held responsible for Ghost Valley’s actions.

YBY thinks it’s ridiculous to say WKX’s kept his nature, considering he’s the Valley Master, and that he has responsibility for all his ghosts’ sins. YBY swears on his sword to exterminate Ghost Valley should they bring disasters upon the world.

ZZS responds by respectfully accepting YBY’s challenge to fight. YBY doesn’t attack immediately, instead asking of ZZS’s really going to protect WKX. ZZS says that of course he’s going to protect his shidi; how could he not?

Then they begin to fight. It’s hand-to-hand sparring, as YBY throws ZZS around. ZZS is the first to draw his sword. He stands in YBY’s way, and YBY tells ZZS not to make him draw his sword. ZZS forbids him entry to Siji Manor, and YBY jumps up into the air and draws his sword. He comes down, and ZZS catches the blow on Baiyi; the flexible blade doesn’t break, but it does act as a spring to send ZZS flying.



ZZS uses that spring to jump back at YBY, who dodges his blows until he can disarm ZZS and smack him with the flat of his blade. He even throws Baiyi back to ZZS after ZZS’s on the ground.

WKX keeps playing his xiao in the woods. Then he stands abruptly and begins to walk.

YBY tells ZZS that he’ll let him live for QHZ’s sake, and adds that QHZ would throw ZZS out of the sect for his actions today were he still alive. ZZS laughs and says YBY doesn’t know QHZ at all; he thinks QHZ would stand with him.



Before either YBY or ZZS can make another move, WKX joins in. He whirls past ZZS to strike at YBY. They spar, with YBY mostly using his hands; at one point WKX lands lightly on the flat of YBY’s sword. ZZS really wants to join in, but he’s a bit too injured.



YBY hits WKX with the flat of his blade, and ZZS catches WKX as he’s knocked back. They both end up tumbling to the ground next to each other, blood staining their lips. YBY stares at them and approaches. WKX dares him to keep coming, but can’t stay on his feet. ZZS manages to make it over to WKX so that he can wrap an arm around WKX as YBY points his sword at them.



YBY says he took an oath to destroy ghosts who leave Ghost Valley. However, he lowers his blade and says he feels sorry for WKX, so he’ll let WKX take his own life instead. WKX says he won’t do that, and shouts at YBY that if YBY kills him he’ll just haunt the world.

WKX and ZZS fail once more to stand up. YBY says he’ll give WKX what he wants, and ZZS sticks his arm in front of WKX to block YBY’s way, saying that YBY doesn’t deserve this/isn’t worthy/however you feel like translating 你不配. ZZS continues, saying that ZRY protected Rong Xuan, and that was why WKX became a ghost; he asks YBY if he can truly judge WKX, and if YBY thinks he could do better than WKX in the same circumstances.



YBY lowers his sword again. He agrees that he and his disciple failed the Wen family, but he also swore to eradicate Ghost Valley. YBY says he’ll kill WKX today, eradicate Ghost Valley later, and then “repay [WKX] with his life”, because Ghost Valley should not exist.

ZZS says “The evil world is in people’s hearts”, which is one of the big thematic things of the whole show. “You can eradicate Ghost Valley, but can you eradicate the greed and filth in their hearts?” ZZS continues and says that, were his shifu still alive, QHZ would guide WKX towards kindness to make up for the mistake he made; because of this, ZZS adds, YBY (because of his indiscriminate righteousness) doesn’t deserve to be QHZ’s friend.

And then ZZS tells YBY that if he’s going to kill WKX, he needs to kill ZZS too. WKX looks at ZZS with so much emotion and grabs his wrist tightly because we can’t quite have hand-holding here.



YBY looks at the two of them for a second, swings his sword very dramatically, and then doesn’t strike them; instead he puts his sword behind his back. “Nature treats all things impartially,” he says, and then he tells WKX to stay in Siji Manor and learn manners; if WKX manages this, YBY won’t kill him. But if YBY meets WKX again, outside, he’ll kill him. Then YBY leaves.

WKX immediately turns to ZZS and asks if he’s okay. He apologises for not telling ZZS about being Valley Master, and ZZS says he should feel sorry about that. ZZS asks WKX what he’d been planning on doing when facing YBY. WKX says he wanted to stop him from entering Siji Manor, and was willing to die rather than be exposed in front of ZZS and Chengling.

One of their themes, the one that starts with ZZS’s names, begins to play. ZZS starts laughing, and teases WKX about being a coward. WKX slowly manages to stand up, and then ZZS whines about being badly hurt and tells WKX to give him a hand. They’re both smiling now, as ZZS protests that he can’t stand up on his own. WKX pulls him up, after a couple tries where ZZS isn’t helping at all.



Once they’re both standing, WKX asks if ZZS intentionally sent him away so that he could wait for YBY first, and what ZZS planned to do if he couldn’t stop YBY. ZZS just tells him to guess, because of course his answer is the same as WKX’s.

They smile at each other, and laugh, in perfect understanding. Together, they head back to Siji Manor. ZZS says he’ll tell Chengling that WKX’s the one who hurt him like this. The scene ends.



GX and CWN are sitting in their nice little cottage being domestic. CWN gazes lovingly at GX while she’s sewing, and GX doesn’t seem to know what to do with this. She compares his staring to WKX’s, which confuses CWN. Before they can get further into that, Mo Weixu arrives with a letter for CWN from WKX and ZZS.

MWX asks who those are, and GX calls them friends of CWN’s and says they’re not good guys who she thinks are bad examples for CWN. CWN is confused about this description. MWX asks CWN to come talk to him, while GX holds onto the letter.

MWX and CWN sit outside and have tea. MWX asks CWN if he knows who GX is, and asks if CWN’s met GX’s master. CWN says he has, but doesn’t tell MWX the name; he says he’s promised GX not to reveal her master’s identity.



This does not make MWX any less concerned about GX’s possible identity; he says he finds her somehow evil. CWN does not like that; he calls her “innocent in nature.” MWX says he’s only concerned because of how troubled the world is these days, and then says he shouldn’t have told CNW about this.

CWN changes the subject to ask about the Glazed Armor that Gao Chong entrusted to Mo Huaiyang, which is why the mountain/sect is closed. He uses this to say that their sect is righteous, and that the Glazed Armor is a bigger burden/security risk than GX. CWN is very sweet about GX and talks about how much he trusts and respects her, and promises that she’s a good person at heart.

Back at Siji Manor, ZZS has his arm in a sling (from when YBY injured him) and is making bowls of herbs. WKX is in a bathtub on the other side of a screen. Chengling is being helpful and carrying bowls of “herbal soup”/herb-infused hot water around. We learn that ZZS told Chengling he’d been injured by bandits, which is a hilarious lie, and ZZS says there’s no need for Chengling to get revenge because WKX already killed all those bandits.



And then ZZS gives Chengling a task to grind herbs up and sends him away before he can ask more questions and tangle ZZS’s story even more.

WKX says that ZZS sucks at lying, and he’s lucky his disciple’s a fool. ZZS tells WKX to make up a story instead, then, and WKX says he doesn’t want to lie to Chengling anymore.

When ZZS starts coming around the screen, WKX tells him to stay there and listen; he doesn’t want to have this conversation face-to-face.



WKX says he’s part of the reason Chengling’s family died. ZZS asks if he wiped out his sect, and WKX denies it. WKX talks about the rhyme, and says he composed the second half. He sowed it, and stirred up trouble. He says he can’t figure out why the Five Lakes brothers didn’t try to help Rong Xuan or his father, despite being part of building the Armory. WKX says this revenge is what he’s lived for, and implies he now has regrets. He says he didn’t mean to keep this from ZZS, and that (even if ZZS forgives him) he doesn’t know how to face Chengling.

“What I did to Chengling is no different from what the Five Lakes Alliance did to me,” WKX says. ZZS then asks, “Do you know who exactly wiped out the Mirror Lake Sect?” and WKX says there might be a traitor or someone framing Ghost Valley. ZZS says they’ll find the truth together once Wu Xi cures him of “this shitty wound” and avenge the Zhang family. Then, they can explain it to Chengling, and WKX can face his anger if that’s what Chengling feels.

ZZS then says that WKX is his shidi first and foremost, and that he should make them dinner after his bath. He places WKX’s clothes on a table, carefully/politely not looking at WKX. Then he says, “Life is just about three meals a day. Why do we worry about eternal sorrow? Don’t create trouble for ourselves.” He departs, and WKX stares after him. After a moment, he lets out a breath and smiles.



In Yueyang, Xie-wang comes to Zhao Jing’s room and tells him that Gu Xiang—the Amethyst Fiend—is at Qing Feng Sword Sect with CWN. He’s also learned that after the Heroes Conference, the sect closed the mountain and Sect Leader Mo Huaiyang has been in seclusion for half a year (so: since the Heroes Conference).



Zhao Jing finishes his calligraphy and tells Xie’er that it’ll be a gift for him. Xie-wang is not pleased that Zhao Jing is ignoring his important information. He wants to go inspect Qing Feng Sword Sect. Zhao Jing doesn’t think that’s necessary, since the new Heroes Conference should draw MHY out of seclusion anyway.

Xie-wang continues insisting something’s funky going on, but Zhao Jing waves it off; he’s assumed that MHY has the three pieces of Glazed Armor, so he figures WKX has learned this too and that’s why GX is there. Zhao Jing also explains how he knows this, something which was definitely helpful on my first watch and which relies on points that are pretty evident on a second watch when one already knows what’s happening.

Xie-wang asks why Zhao Jing didn’t tell him, then says he’ll go wipe out Qing Feng Sword Sect tomorrow. Zhao Jing calls him “little barbarian” (小南蛮) and tells him they don’t know how powerful MHY is (he’s been in seclusion for ten years, apparently?) and should be cautious. Xie-wang says he’d cheat, and also use the Drug Men, to win.

Zhao Jing says he’d told Xie-wang to destroy all the Drug Men, and yells at Xie-wang for not obeying him in that. Assassination is already outside the ethical struction of the jianghu, but Xie-wang uses “demon tricks to control people’s minds” [妖蛊邪术, yao gu xieshu, is the bit about “demon tricks”, I’m pretty sure] and turn living people into Drug Men to use as weapons. Zhao Jing says that Xie-wang will be punished by heaven for such unforgivable things. (All of which Xie-wang did for Zhao Jing, at some level or other.)

Xie-wang points out that this helped Zhao Jing take down Gao Chong, and begs his yifu for another chance to prove himself. Zhao Jing yells at him again, because people knowing that Zhao Jing was involved in “demon tricks” would trash his reputation and open him up to attack, so he’d lose everything he worked for.

Xie-wang is surprised Zhao Jing finally said all this. (Youtube says “spilled the beans”, which is accurate I’m pretty sure but feels weird.) Xie-wang realises that he’s only Zhao Jing’s beloved son when he’s useful; when he’s not, he’ll be kicked away. Zhao Jing doesn’t deny this.

He does warn Xie-wang not to ruin all his hard work, though, and calls him by his full name: Xiejieliubo (蝎揭留波). It’s translated as “Scorpion,” same as everything else Zhao Jing calls him, so it’s not noticeable in translation if you aren’t listening for it.



Xie-wang asks if Zhao Jing would kill him, and says that Zhao Jing can take his life back if he wants. Zhao Jing calls him an unfilial son and shoves him away; Xie-wang’s crying a little. Then Zhao Jing reminds him of the Glazed Armor that Xie-wang wears as a necklace, saying it’s his most precious thing, and that Xie-wang’s letting him down. Xie-want takes hold of it, and is definitely thinking about what LFM said last episode as Zhao Jing tells him to get out.



Xie-wang calls himself by full name here, as he leaves, calling himself a gambler. Zhao Jing watches him go. The scene ends.

It’s raining at GX and CWN’s cottage! CWN stares out at the rain as one of their songs plays. GX comes out to join him and asks what MWX asked him about. CWN says it was nothing, just sect business, then asks if WKX and ZZS reached Siji Manor safely. GX says they did, and that the letter had nothing else.



She continues grumbling about how WKX’s a bad example for CWN to follow; he says that people are narrow-minded and only see the surface, so they think WKX and ZZS aren’t decent people. Then CWN says he thinks they’re good people, and “a brilliant couple of soulmates”, just misunderstood. GX accepts this, then asks if CWN’s told anyone who WKX and ZZS are. CWN says he hasn’t, as he promised her he wouldn’t. He also thinks his shifu and shishu wouldn’t believe the rumours or have a negative opinion of GX.

Back in the town near Siji Manor, WKX, ZZS, and Chengling eat. WKX still has some Chengling feelings. He also sneakily gives Chengling some jiu in the guise of saying it’s tea, and when ZZS calls him on it says it’s only fair since WKX was tricked into eating spicy food a few days ago.



Then Ping’an shows up. He says Wu Xi isn’t quite there yet; he’s still working on the medicine. But they should arrive “in time for the spring festival”. ZZS says that he appreciates the help. And then Ping’an gives ZZS a letter from YBY. It says to wipe out the evil ghosts to clean the world, and is stamped with the token of honor (which reads 山河零). Chengling points this out, and is delighted that YBY is leading the Heroes Conference this time.

Chengling wants to join, but ZZS looks to WKX, and WKX looks away.

The scene cuts to ZZS at a table in Siji Manor, a lot of bowls and jars arrayed in front of him as he works on making some medicine. It seems difficult with only one hand. WKX comes to join him and asks why he’s up so late; ZZS says he’s turning drunk-like-a-dream into a powdered medicine WKX can use to sleep better. WKX offers to help. Somehow, this help isn’t taking over the grinding wheel but dropping more herbs into the pestle to be ground.



And then WKX drops the last few into ZZS’s hair and laughs. They’re very cute about it. ZZS then scolds WKX and says he’ll punish WKX if he makes a decision without him again. WKX says he doesn’t dare; he’s been preparing for this confrontation and made GX and some others (presumably the girls of the Department of the Unfaithful) leave already. He says that the righteous wiping out Ghost Valley doesn’t have anything to do with him.

WKX says letting the people of Ghost Valley perish will be good. But ZZS asks why he’s worried, and WKX asks how long he’ll need to keep his secret from Chengling. ZZS says he’s also responsible now, and they don’t have anything they can do but keep it. He repeats his plan from earlier this episode: get cured, find the person who killed Chengling’s family, and then confess the truth together.

WKX nods, and ZZS says they’re in the same boat and can’t leave each other. ZZS then asks (teasingly, I think) how Valley Master WKX, once so merciless, has gone so sentimental that he feels bad about keeping a secret from a kid. Then he’s like “you kept this secret from me for so long, after all” and tosses some herbs at WKX. WKX retreats, saying he feels sleepy from the drunk-like-a-dream, and they’re both smiling and laughing in that moment.



Outside, Chengling is practicing his martial arts. WKX watches him, and his face falls. He thinks about finding his way back to the mortal world, and longing for a life without secrets and with someone to accompany him forever. The episode ends.



General Commentary

I knew a lot happened in this episode, but I still wasn’t expecting quite so much. Perhaps I should budget my time better; then I’d write more analysis instead of just going “oh wow so much”. xD Anyway!

I love that Ye Baiyi and Zhou Zishu are both dressed in white for the fight in the forest; it makes them look like mirrors of each other, distinguishable at a distance more by their swords than their robes. But when you look more closely at their robes, Ye Baiyi’s have more metallic threads, and also embroidery, than Zhou Zishu’s.

Because of that, it feels like there’s this soft implication that the “righteous” are also the rich—think also of Zhao Jing’s whole deal—especially since Zhou Zishu (someone who actively cast away the trappings of nobility to live as a beggar) is framed as being more in the right here (since he’s a protag and we’ve seen the truth of his words).

Ye Baiyi says a lot more nasty stuff about Wen Kexing than I recalled, especially that comment where he says Wen Kexing might be lying about his parentage. I get that they’re all running on emotion, but still!

The conversation that Zhou Zishu (and Wen Kexing, but mostly Zhou Zishu) has with Ye Baiyi lays out a lot of the themes of the show: Righteousness as black-and-white thinking (that dooms people), the need to make up for past wrongs and end the cycle of revenge, and the idea that “The evil world is in people’s hearts” and not something you can see on a person’s face.

That last one comes back in Cao Weining’s conversations, first with Mo Weixu and then with Gu Xiang. He outright says that people who only look at the surface of who Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are (and, implicitly, Gu Xiang as well) will think them bad people; but Cao Weining, looking at their hearts, knows that they’re good and mean well. It’s really lovely mirroring and reinforcement of the thematic push of this show.

I also love that Ye Baiyi says he’ll repay Wen Kexing with his life after eradicating Ghost Valley. He does, in the end, do just that, when he gives/teaches Wen Kexing the Combined Six Cultivation Method.

“What I did to Chengling is no different from what the Five Lakes Alliance did to me,” WKX says, and that’s also part of the whole thing about cycles of vengeance and working to be better than that.

Zhou Zishu saying “Life is just about three meals a day. Why do we worry about eternal sorrow? also makes me think of this twitter thread that was going around recently, about why that user really loves the thematic drive of SHL’s ending.

And then there’s Xie’er and Zhao Jing.

This is the episode where we hear (and learn) Xie’er’s full name. Zhao Jing calls Xie’er a barbarian, too (with words that specifically translate to southern barbarian), just to add another layer to the rejection and othering thrown upon him. Xie’er’s practicing a lot of taboo arts (assassination, the Drug Men, the ‘demonic tricks’ that let him control Deng Kuan) on Zhao Jing’s behalf, and probably never would’ve learned them without Zhao Jing praising him for how useful they were.

But now they’re tied up in him being a barbarian, because adding xenophobia to the pile of reasons why Xie’er isn’t someone Zhao Jing wants publicly associated with him is a great idea.

Mostly I watch this scene being very sad for Xie’er and wondering how Zhao Jing doesn’t see Xie’er’s betrayal coming. But I suppose it’s because Zhao Jing is too busy being caught up in his own plots to think about anyone else now.


Discussion Prompts/Questions

1. There are so many things going on during the first half-ish of this episode (the fight with Ye Baiyi and its immediate aftermath). Tell me about the things that catch your attention now, or that caught your attention the first time around!

2. What do you think of Zhou Zishu’s plan for when he and Wen Kexing should tell Chengling about Wen Kexing’s identity? (Or its reflection: Gu Xiang hiding Wen Kexing’s identity, and thus her true past, from Qing Feng Sword Sect and Cao Weining.)

3. ~Themes~ is not a coherent prompt, but. I’ve got my reads on the thematic elements of this show/episode; do you agree? Disagree? Think I’m missing (or misreading) something?


Next Time:
Jin-wang exists! Remember him? Duan Pengju also exists! He’s talking to Zhao Jing (and, separately, the Scorpions). Han Ying makes some choices he thinks are good and what Zhou Zishu would want. Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu, and Chengling have some nice fancy winter robes for the New Year. Zhao Jing is highly disrespectful to the Five Lakes ancestral tablets. Han Ying arrives at Siji Manor.

(I’ll probably post next week. It’s Christmas Eve, sure, but I don’t think that actually effects how much time I’ll have to write up the next episode? So. Probably!)