shadaras (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shadaras) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
ghost_valley2021-08-06 02:32 pm
shadaras) wrote in ghost_valley2021-08-06 02:32 pm
Entry tags:
[WoH Rewatch] Episode 9
Fun fact! Summarizing the last 10 minutes of this episode took longer than writing the summary of the first 20, because the Four Sages dying makes me so sad.
Also, some names for the Four Sages, since I was paying attention and they deserve the reference:
Pei-dage and Pei-furen / Pei-laotai - the ones from the same sect; they’re married (she calls him fujin), which means we don’t necessarily know her surname since the names she’s given are in reference to his.
Du-xiong (implicitly: Er-ge) - the scholar-musician
He Yifan (San-ge) - the thief/martial one
List of Scenes
Studying Fang Buzhi’s corpse
GC and CWN on a date
WKX tries to feed ZZS; they talk about caring “for a lifetime” (the first reference to ZZS actively losing his senses is at the beginning of this scene)
WKX plays flute outside ZZS’s room when the nails act up
WKX wakes ZZS up (at noon) to go on a date
Discussing the Four Sages of Anji and zhijiness
Chengling getting beaten up as “training”
Chengling meets Gu Xiang inside Yueyang Manor
ZZS and WKX on the streets; naming sects, hero vs wanderer
WKX drags ZZS out for a moonlight date
Said moonlight date!
Fighting over the fake glazed armor
ZZS discovers the fake glazed armor and is horrified by how funny WKX finds all this
Brief scene of Han Ying with Fang Buzhi’s glazed armor
ZZS breaks up with WKX
Deng Kuan staggers up to Yueyang Manor
WKX tries to serve ZZS breakfast, but ZZS isn’t there
Gao Chong and his sworn brothers discuss the fake glazed armor
Xiaolian tends to the unconscious Deng Kuan
Some Yueyang disciples bully helpless prisoners
The death of the Four Sages of Anji (multiple scenes, but all about this one concept)
Gao Chong mic-drops fake glazed armor to prove how pointless this whole thing was, and promises to reveal secrets of the glazed armor after the conference
Timeline or Something
Two nights clearly pass during this episode; we’re thus shown at least three days.
This is also one of the only episodes that gives a specific date: July 15th is the end of the heroes conference, or right after it, since Gao Chong is promising that “On July 15th, after the heroes conference” he’ll talk about the glazed armor with everyone.
Recap
Yueyang disciples have brought Fang Buzhi’s body to the manor, where Gao Chong, his brothers, Yu Qiufeng and Mu Siyuan [Mu Yunge’s dad], and WKX and ZZS are all there to look at it. ZZS is unsurprised he died after stealing the glazed armor. Gao Chong is doing a bunch of investigation, including with a magnet that pulls some tiny needles out of Fang Buzhi’s throat.
Everyone comments on them (ZJ acting surprised about such tiny and deadly needles, GC wondering who in GV would use such weapons), with ZZS naming them precisely as “Piercing Rain Needles” and saying that only TC uses them; he thinks this death is Han Ying’s doing and so WKX’s glazed armor is now with TC.
ZZS prompts WKX that they should leave (saying “Wen-xiong” out loud despite having just thought “lao-Wen” in his head), since the Five Lakes Alliance has matters to attend to. Gao Chong says he hopes they’ll attend the Heroes Conference, and WKX promises he’ll be there.
GX and CWN are eating food together! They’re very sweet and flirty, no matter how much GX denies that she’s flirting when she pokes at his cheek and calls its squishiness cute.
She tries to deflect from her flirting by telling CWN about Ghoul, who’s a cannibal, and CWN reacts by asking how a person could do such a thing. But they aren’t people, GX says; they’re devils/ghosts. CWN wants to live up to his sect and kill them all, and this leads into a conversation about the Heroes Conference, GV and the Alliance’s relative strengths, and how CWN promises to protect GX.
CWN then stammers his way into trying to ask if GX thinks he’s handsome, and GX doesn’t answer. I’m sure she heard his question, as much as she’s acting like she didn’t because she doesn’t want to admit to herself that she likes him. He changes tacks, now telling her that Fang Buzhi’s body has been found.
GX gets distracted and runs off to talk to the musicians, who she has some spy deal with. They’re supposed to tell her something/find information out for her (including where WKX is?), and she’s gonna ask them to sing at some point as a signal.
That evening, ZZS is in his room wondering what TC (and Prince Jin) want with the armory, contemplating why Chengling has been hidden away, and generally caring a lot more than he wishes he did. WKX knocks on his door and leads in a bunch of servants with trays of food, because WKX has a “feed ZZS agenda” that I fully support.
ZZS is dedicated to his angst, though, and is thinking about how he’s started to lose his senses. WKX gets his attention, flirts with him about how the world can wait “as long as you can have a meal with someone you like”, and draws a slight smile and agreement out of ZZS.
We still just see them drinking, though! ZZS is very contemplative, and WKX draws him out by asking if he’s still worried about Chengling. Which he is; ZZS’s wondering if bringing him to the Alliance was a mistake. WKX flirts more (and says ZZS has a “kind and innocent heart”), but then asks if he wants to take Chengling in as a disciple and protect him forever (followed, of course, with “Nothing lasts forever”, because WKX at this stage can’t believe good things will last).
WKX then tells a story about how he had a dog as a child, “a gift from someone very important,” but his mother warned him about how dogs are very loyal for their one lifetime. “How could an eight-year-old child understand what a lifetime meant?” WKX asks, and I return to thinking about how long and short a lifetime is in this context when this is also talking about the period of time right before his parents die.
WKX trails off then, and ZZS looks over and asks for the rest of the story. WKX says “[And then] I betrayed it” (by letting it die, presumably, along with the rest of his family) with a very sad expression. ZZS comforts him, grasping his arm and reassuring him that it’s okay if things don’t go his way so long as he doesn’t have regrets. (Which is a great contrast/lead-in to how WKX feels about what happens with the fake glazed armor reveal.)
But such sweetness doesn’t last, as ZZS slaps WKX’s arm and says the dog story is mean. WKX laughs, and they return to drinking and ignoring the food on the table (though WKX does urge ZZS to eat).
Later that night, ZZS is alone in his room as the Nails act up again. He’s got his hand up by his ear, glancing around worried in a way that makes me wonder if his hearing went away for a bit.
As ZZS starts meditating, we’re shown WKX outside his room playing flute for him. Someone who knows the soundtrack more actively than I do probably knows exactly which song they’re playing over this, but my head’s just like “yes this one sure does have lyrics normally!”.
The next day (at nearly noon), WKX bursts into ZZS’s room and wonders why he’s still sleeping. He starts bothering ZZS, excitedly telling him he wants to go to Yuefan Tower (on definitely-not-a-date), and ZZS responds by not responding at all for a while (an act, or actually not noticing for a bit and then playing it up as a game?) and then grouchily saying he’ll kill WKX if he keeps doing this.
WKX, of course, doesn’t back down, because he doesn’t want ZZS to be in a depression nap all day.
The scene cuts to the Four Sages of Anji on a boat, being peaceful and lovely together, before panning up to Yuefan Tower. WKX and ZZS are there, standing together and looking out over the town and the water. ZZS brings up the Four Sages of Anji and tells WKX who they are (“A breath of fresh air in the jianghu”) with soft reverence. Apparently they haven’t come out of seclusion for ten years, but here they are now.
I love all the backstory we’re told about them, too. Two of them are from the same sect, one is a scholar/guqin player without any martial arts, and the fourth (the Lonely Thief Master, He Yifan) was a rogue the other three raised up from the gutter. And they’re all zhiji who live in a beautiful bamboo forest and make music and are happy together, and it’s beautiful.
This is a lead-in to WKX and ZZS talking about the importance of zhiji and how finding your zhiji is what matters most in the world. They share a very meaningful look, and ZZS is very sad about how he’s dying and can’t spend all his life like the Sages of Anji, but then he remembers a few years is better than nothing at all.
We cut to Chengling in Yueyang Manor, with a bunch of young Yueyang disciples but still wearing his own very-different outfit. (No matter that he’s been told to join them, he isn’t part of their sect and that’s reflected by these clothes.) The disciples are practicing holding a stance (which I’d call horse stance; dunno if the terms are the same there), but the shixiong teaching them has a whip/flogger of some sort and is hitting them to see if they can maintain posture even while hit. Which seems, y’know, a bit stressful?
Chengling falls over when he’s struck and the disciples laugh. There’s various chatter about how Chengling is apparently older than this group of disciples, and they think it’s hilarious that he’s worse at this basic stuff than they are. The shixiong even joins in, saying that Mirror Lake Sect has its own style and “they don’t care about the basics”, which is honestly way more insulting than just saying that Chengling sucks at martial arts.
Chengling displays remarkable self-control by not saying anything back and just stubbornly returning to the stance they’re supposed to be in. He does this multiple times, as the shixiong keeps hitting him. When he finally breaks, it’s to ask why he’s being hit, to which the shixiong says “I’m not hitting you, I’m testing you.”
This, and further insults about Chengling’s skill, almost make him walk away until the Yueyang disciples keep making fun of him. Then, as if to prove that he’s better than they think, he comes back and takes his place to the side of the Yueyang disciples’ formation. Such a stubborn boy, even as he gets hit again.
The scene cuts to Chengling walking through Yueyang Manor looking sad, and Gu Xiang runs up to him. Chengling doesn’t look up at first, but when he does he’s overcome with emotion and clutches at GX’s arm while she cheerfully teases him about growing taller (as one does with their younger brother). She asks him why he’s crying, and he says he thought he’d never see her again and that maybe ZZS didn’t want him.
Chengling still wants to be ZZS’s disciple, and tells GX about how WKX’s encouraging his stubbornness here. GX recognises WKX’s lines and says that WKX “never teaches you anything good”, which Chengling ignores in favor of asking where ZZS and WKX are. He’s very sad when GX says they aren’t there, but cheers up once she explains she’s there to look after him. He’s also very impressed she got in, and she’s delighted to tell him she was invited in.
The scene changes to Yueyang’s streets, where WKX and ZZS are wandering around talking about the Heroes Conference and WKX’s making ZZS name all the sects they see. WKX wants to know why ZZS knows so much, and also if ZZS can figure out what sect he’s from.
ZZS describes WKX’s martial arts (“complex and constantly changing”) and infers that he must have more than one master. Then, looking straight at a silent WKX, he says, “Lao-Wen, can you change your habit of making me guess? Just tell me what you want to tell me.” He turns away, and WKX laughs a little before changing the topic to the Heroes Conference. Which isn’t exactly unrelated to asking ZZS to figure out the source of his martial arts, once one knows the whole story, but isn’t related in any obvious way if you don’t.
WKX wonders if the people here deserve to be called heroes, and asks ZZS how many true heroes there are in the jianghu. ZZS looks back to him and says “Only inexperienced people yearn to be heroes”; then, at WKX’s prompting, adds, “The experienced know that every character of ‘hero’ is written in blood.” He says he’s passed the age of wanting to be a hero, preferring to be a wanderer, and then asks WKX which he is.
WKX glances away, and says he likes watching the show instead of being in it. With a smile, he adds, “As a wanderer in the world, all I need is you,” and walks dramatically away. ZZS stands there for a moment, and then turns and walks the other direction. It takes about a second for WKX to run back and follow him, asking why he chose to go that way.
The scene cuts, and now it’s nighttime! ZZS is drinking in his room by himself when WKX walks in with two jugs of wine, saying he brought them for ZZS. ZZS says, “Again?” in a way that implies this is becoming a habit, and WKX is like, “You said you couldn’t fall asleep after 1am; if you’re going to be awake anyway, come drink with me and appreciate the moon.”
When ZZS doesn’t respond, WKX grins, picks up one of the jars, and repeats his opinion that the moon looks beautiful tonight before striding off. ZZS smiles and contemplates the wine for a little before the scene cuts to WKX on the roof with gay music. ZZS floats down and joins him there, and they have their lovely rooftop date.
WKX says he’s very happy, and then asks why ZZS doesn’t ask him why he’s happy. ZZS points out that WKX will tell him when he wants to, and “If you don’t want to, then why would I ask?” WKX almost goes to say something, but ZZS shushes him and they return to gazing up at the full moon.
(If I wanted, I think I could judge how long it’s been since the last shot of the moon being not full and have some opinions about time based on that, but tbh I think it’s at most a week’s amount of change and I could believe that being glossed over in this episode...)
This peaceful shot of the moon shifts to a piece of glazed armor falling across the moon and a hand reaching out to snatch it. Two martial artists are fighting in the streets over this!
The sounds of conflict reach the roof where ZZS and WKX are drinking, and ZZS stands up to look. It’s a different pair of martial artists! ZZS disapproves of this death-match on such a peaceful night; it’s ruining the mood.
WKX says it isn’t the only fight, and that the Glazed Armor is everywhere in the city, and looks like a very satisfied cat. He says, “I’m happy because the show has finally begun.” ZZS doesn’t know what to make of this, and WKX leads him off to get a closer look.
We get a bunch of shots of fights! The contrast between WKX and ZZS jumping quietly and gracefully over the rooftops and the fighting is pretty dramatic.
A shot of Wuchang Gui with his minions Bai Wuchang and Hei Wuchang is intercut with the various clips of fighting in the streets as Ghost Valley music plays.
WKX and ZZS land, and WKX comments on how two of the fighters died together and calls it wonderful. ZZS names them (Cyclops Jiang Che and Furious Blademaster Li Heng), and WKX laughs about how famous people died for greed (and that everyone should understand life is necessary to take advantage of things) as ZZS finds the piece of fake glazed armor one of them holds.
ZZS says it’s the glazed armor Fang Buzhi stole, and WKX says “Looks like it”. ZZS repeats his words in disbelief, and WKX tells him to think about it.
The scene cuts to Han Ying with two pieces of identical glazed armor; presumably they’re the ones he got from Fang Buzhi. He wonders about how they’re identical, and the scene ends.
ZZS is storming through the streets, WKX following behind and asking if he thinks this is funny. He does not. He doesn’t say anything until WKX asks what’s wrong, though, at which point he stops and asks WKX “Don’t you think it’s wrong?”, which WKX acts like he doesn’t understand; “These people were all going to get themselves killed anyway,” he says.
“Lao-Wen, I used to think you were pretending to be crazy and dumb,” ZZS says. “ I didn’t realise that you’re actually crazy.”
ZZS turns and walks away, and WKX does not follow him this time. His face falls, and he stands there.
The scene cuts. It’s the next morning, and someone is staggering to the front door of Yueyang Manor. He calls out “Shidi”, but the disciple guarding the door doesn’t recognise him at first, thinking he’s just a beggar. Deng Kuan keeps talking, very ragged, and the disciples recognise him and start rushing around to help him and call for Gao Chong.
Meanwhile, WKX (dressed in some of his prettiest robes, and wearing the Plot Hairpin for the first time!) has a tray of breakfast and looks very nervous as he approaches ZZS’s room.
Unlike every other time this episode, he knocks instead of bursting inside. He asks ZZS to get up, and says, “Don’t be mad anymore,” and tries to say it’s not a big deal. When he does enter, ZZS isn’t there. He seems surprised by this.
The scene changes to glazed armor; Gao Chong and his sworn brothers are examining it. They have multiple pieces as well, and Shen Shen compares them and asks if it’s fake.
Gao Chong confirms, and then Zhao Jing explains how much death happened last night because of this fake glazed armor. Gao Chong says it’s humiliating for the Alliance, especially so close to the Heroes Conference. Shen Shen promises to kill anyone causing trouble, and tries to get Zhao Jing to also promise that.
Then there's a brief scene of Xiaolian tending to Deng Kuan, who’s unconscious in bed. She’s very worried about him, both personally and because he’s such a good assistant for her father.
Yueyang disciples go to a cell where some people are locked up. They give them food, but Gao Shan (a delightfully recurring character) is here and kicks the bowls of food over before the prisoners can take it. He’s upset because these prisoners aren’t talking, and wants to keep beating them up so that maybe at least he can feel better. Contextually, these prisoners are probably part of the circus group where Wei-shidi and Mu Yunge and everyone else’s heads showed up?
Anyway, Gao Shan’s rage is interrupted by more disciples running in and telling them to go to Renyi Hall, because something terrible is happening there.
Something terrible is indeed happening there! Huang He and the beggar gangs are in a standoff with the Four Sages of Anji over yet more fake glazed armor! The hall itself is wrecked! One of the sages is already very injured!
“We don’t want to create trouble,” one of the beggars shouts, as if trouble hasn’t already been created.
The nice married-couple/same-sect members of the Sages are at the back of their hall. The man has a sword in his gut! The woman (who is later called Pei-laotai) is asking if maybe they should give up the glazed armor! (She’s calling him ‘fujin’, which youtube and netflix both translate as “my dear” instead of “husband” for some reason.)
“We must keep our word,” he says, and asks her to give the glazed armor to Gao Chong before he collapses in death. She sobs, and the other two Sages shout out their own grief at their Da-ge’s death. She shouts out to the beggars (and the assorted folk out there as allies) that the glazed armor belongs to no-one, and that they’re using force to get their way.
Huang He, a dick, responds that “If we were using force, would you still be alive right now?” and says that because the World’s Armory includes techniques from the Beggar Gangs, it’s reasonable for them to take back the glazed armor! This is a terrible argument, since it applies to basically everyone, and also makes me wonder how much sneaky stealing was involved vs very good observation skills.
He also says it’s for Pei-laotai’s own good, since so many other people are here and not as reasonable as the Beggar Gangs. One of said other sects challenges him on this, pointing out that if the Beggar Gangs can fight the Sages for it, so can Mount Hua. (Mount Hua, we’ll note, is Yu Qiufeng’s sect! It’s one of his disciples causing trouble in this moment.)
Feng Xiaofeng then butts in to remind everyone that the glazed armor Ao Laizi had was stolen by Ghost Valley, and declares that if the Sages now have it they’re Ghost Valley’s dogs. He Yifan (the most martial of the sages) is understandably upset by this, and insults Feng Xiaofeng, who retaliates by shooting metal pellets at him. He Yifan blocks one right in front of his eyes, and the fragments blind him/knock him back. (Pei-laotai calls him San-ge at this point, which I guess makes the scholar/musician Er-ge?)
Pei-laotai shouts for Feng Xiaofeng to give them the antidote, so I guess there’s also poison in there! Feng Xiaofeng says he’d trade it for the glazed armor, which obviously won’t happen. Tao Hong starts scolding Feng Xiaofeng for getting involved, since he (and his friend Gao Shannu) aren’t associated with sects and so they didn’t have techniques stolen from them. I don’t know what ground Tao Hong has to stand on here, though, since she and Lv Liu also seem to be independents?
Gao Chong and his forces arrive. His disciples surround everyone, while he and Shen Shen (and one of the senior Yueyang disciples) come to the center of the stand-off. Gao Chong is upset that Huang He has been leading his people to cause such trouble, because their sects had previously been on good terms.
Huang He bickers with Gao Chong about who, precisely, is being arrogant and unreasonable here. Pei-laotai and her Er-ge try to support He Yifan.
There’s a lot of bickering, actually, as everyone insults each other. Shen Shen and Tao Hong get into it, too, which is what gets people to edge closer to violence; Shen Shen doesn’t know how to stop talking about killing people as retaliation.
Feng Xiaofeng speaks next (though the cackling, disembodied voice, and musical cues made me think it’s a ghost at first), mostly insulting Gao Chong some more. Pei-laotai shouts at him, desperately telling him to leave the antidote behind. Gao Chong sends Shen Shen off to stop Feng Xiaofeng from leaving, and as Shen Shen runs off we see WKX standing nearby, watching everything go down.
Gao Chong tries to calm everyone by saying the Sages are his guests and he’ll side with them, but unfortunately the poison has gotten to He Yifan. He doesn’t seem particularly in control of himself as he throws Pei-laotai out of the building, and she lands on the ground (unconscious if not dead), and her hand loosens to reveal the glazed armor. One of the beggars picks it up, and Gao Chong recognises what’s going on with it as He Yifan leaps out and starts laying into everyone with his sword.
Tao Hong and Lv Liu retaliate against He Yifan, their final blows landing as Gao Chong calls for them to stop.
It’s a very quick sequence; they knock him to his knees and get his sword out to the side, and their second blows end the conflict. They’re clearly skilled enough that they could’ve pulled those blows if they’d wanted to, but things happened fast enough that there’s easily plausible deniability about if they registered Gao Chong’s words in time.
WKX, watching, seems upset about this. I doubt these emotions are what he was expecting. I doubt he was expecting the Sages to die at all, either.
In the silence, the final Sage (the scholar-musician; Gao Chong calls him Du-xiong in a moment) pulls the blade out of his Da-ge’s body. As he walks out of the hall, he tells everyone that “We’d lived in seclusion for fifteen years and forgotten all our worries” but this conflict destroyed all of that in an instant. He tells Gao Chong that they only came here for him, and “never expected that a loyal friendship between you and me would cause us [the Sages] to die in Yueyang City”, and then adds that Pei-dage got (and then defended) the glazed armor for Gao Chong.
“Was it worth it?” Du-xiong asks, crying. Gao Chong attempts to apologise, and tries to say he’ll avenge them.
Du-xiong tosses his guqin to the ground, smashing it, asks himself what the point is without his zhiji, and then kills himself.
Everyone is upset, including WKX, who looks like his heart is broken by this.
Huang He speaks first, upsetting Gao Chong yet more. Huang He places the blame on Feng Xiaofeng and says this isn’t about the Beggar Gangs, but we’re mostly shown WKX’s face (because this is really all his fault). Gao Chong shouts at Huang He, and then pulls the glazed armor pieces he’d gathered out of his robes and throws them at Huang He, telling him to take them. Huang He and the rest are shocked by seeing these copies.
Gao Chong smacks his hands together to get everyone’s attention, and promises that “On July 15th, after the Heroes Conference, I will clearly explain everything about the Glazed Armor to you all!” and walks out, telling Huang He they’ll settle their matters after the conference.
Huang He picks up the glazed armor, almost crying himself as he realises they’re identical copies, and that the one the Sages had was the same.
The episode ends as he throws all the pieces aside.
General Commentary
I’m having a lot of fun noticing little things about background/minor characters during this rewatch. Like Gao Shan! He’s been around in a bunch of episodes, and seems to be having his own arc happening in the background of all this drama! I also love how Yu Qiufeng and Mu Siyuan are always hanging out together in these scenes; they seem like they’re good buddies, and I bet Ao Laizi was part of their group too when he was alive. It’s just nice seeing them having relationships; it shows how much the production/writing team thought about these things.
I completely forgot that Han Ying’s the one who killed Fang Buzhi. (Or one of his men did, but I’m inclined to believe Han Ying did that himself, in order to keep control of the glazed armor.) Again, it’s just nice seeing him being competent and deadly in the background.
Deng Kuan coming back is a lot easier to understand this time around, too, because I think I might have barely remembered him from ep3 on my first watch. Now, having seen that he was at Mu Yunge’s murder-wedding, it’s a lot more understanable where he was and why he’s now back and so heavily injured.
I feel so bad for Chengling during this whole section of time. I’m also curious how much is outright bullying and how much is just the way the Yueyang Sect is? Like, it’s possible that this sect is just strict and metes out more physical punishment as a matter of course. The verbal stuff is all bullying, and the physical is taken to a level that’s clearly unnecessary, but some of it is probably just the sect…? Still sucks for him, though.
Last episode Wen Kexing brought up the idea of zhiji and Zhou Zishu ran away from it, but now Zhou Zishu is bringing it up through the lens of the Four Sages and thinking about the idea himself. He’s starting to think about living the rest of his life as best he can, starting to imagine what it might be like to wander with Wen Kexing! It’s very sweet.
Zhou Zishu’s losing his senses! I think it’s interesting to have it in this episode. Setting it right before he thinks about living life with a zhiji makes sense to me, since the nails acting up and Wen Kexing playing music to help him soothe his meridians is a very clear “if someone’s with you, they can help take care of you” throughline. And Zhou Zishu’s letting Wen Kexing do that throughout this episode! Wen Kexing’s making sure he has fun, chivvying him to eat, spending time with him when he can’t sleep— It’s really sweet of him!
For all the emotions the fandom has about the rooftop date, the actual scene is very short! I had forgotten that! It gets interrupted surprisingly quickly by the fake glazed armor, and that leads right into one of the Wenzhou breakup arguments!
On the other hand, I forgot how much time was given over to the Four Sages of Anji dying! It’s not surprising that so much time is given to them—they’re new characters whose deaths need to be felt by the audience so that we understand how/why this was a turning point for Wen Kexing—but it all glosses over in my head to “and then the sages died” when I’m thinking about the show’s arc.
I wish I had more to say about the Four Sages of Anji but mostly I’m just really sad about them dying. I also wish we got more of their names.
That said, I feel like there are some really interesting potential parallels between how He Yifan (the only Sage with a full name and a title!) is described and Wen Kexing’s life. The “Lonely Thief Master” who dreamed of stars and was raised out of the gutter and taught how to live a good life? Definitely someone Wen Kexing could look at for parallels to his own life and what he’s beginning to dream of accomplishing.
…but really I just think of the last section of this episode and the beginning of next episode in one mental group, which is making this really difficult. xD I blend together all of Wen Kexing’s grief into his digging of their grave, and the argument that begins the night before continues into Zhou Zishu showing up and arguing with him again there.
Discussion Prompts/Questions
1. Plot hairpin! Wen Kexing’s plans come into full bloom, Zhou Zishu goes “WTF” at him, and he shows up the next morning wearing the disguised key to the world’s armory. Any thoughts about why this is the point in time he starts wearing it? [ETA:narie pointed out, in comments, that it's not that hairpin; it's just a really similar one that is hard to distinguish if you don't have a very good visual memory for details!]
2. Other than the initial description of how the nails work, I believe this is the first mention of Zhou Zishu losing his senses! I had no idea when in the show this was going to start actively showing up, so it was a surprise to me. :) Any thoughts or feelings about its placement here?
3. Zhiji! What do you think Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu are feeling about that concept (or, more broadly, each other/their plans) throughout this episode?
Next Time: Episode 10! ZZS and WKX are Very Sad and also drunk. Han Ying and Gu Xiang attempt to take care of them and make them less angsty. Also, other things, like more preparation for the Heroes Conference and a surprising amount of political shenanigans. Gao Chong begins suspecting Ghost Valley isn’t actually behind everything. Wen Kexing has his meeting with the Devils.
Also, some names for the Four Sages, since I was paying attention and they deserve the reference:
Pei-dage and Pei-furen / Pei-laotai - the ones from the same sect; they’re married (she calls him fujin), which means we don’t necessarily know her surname since the names she’s given are in reference to his.
Du-xiong (implicitly: Er-ge) - the scholar-musician
He Yifan (San-ge) - the thief/martial one
List of Scenes
Studying Fang Buzhi’s corpse
GC and CWN on a date
WKX tries to feed ZZS; they talk about caring “for a lifetime” (the first reference to ZZS actively losing his senses is at the beginning of this scene)
WKX plays flute outside ZZS’s room when the nails act up
WKX wakes ZZS up (at noon) to go on a date
Discussing the Four Sages of Anji and zhijiness
Chengling getting beaten up as “training”
Chengling meets Gu Xiang inside Yueyang Manor
ZZS and WKX on the streets; naming sects, hero vs wanderer
WKX drags ZZS out for a moonlight date
Said moonlight date!
Fighting over the fake glazed armor
ZZS discovers the fake glazed armor and is horrified by how funny WKX finds all this
Brief scene of Han Ying with Fang Buzhi’s glazed armor
ZZS breaks up with WKX
Deng Kuan staggers up to Yueyang Manor
WKX tries to serve ZZS breakfast, but ZZS isn’t there
Gao Chong and his sworn brothers discuss the fake glazed armor
Xiaolian tends to the unconscious Deng Kuan
Some Yueyang disciples bully helpless prisoners
The death of the Four Sages of Anji (multiple scenes, but all about this one concept)
Gao Chong mic-drops fake glazed armor to prove how pointless this whole thing was, and promises to reveal secrets of the glazed armor after the conference
Timeline or Something
Two nights clearly pass during this episode; we’re thus shown at least three days.
This is also one of the only episodes that gives a specific date: July 15th is the end of the heroes conference, or right after it, since Gao Chong is promising that “On July 15th, after the heroes conference” he’ll talk about the glazed armor with everyone.
Recap
Yueyang disciples have brought Fang Buzhi’s body to the manor, where Gao Chong, his brothers, Yu Qiufeng and Mu Siyuan [Mu Yunge’s dad], and WKX and ZZS are all there to look at it. ZZS is unsurprised he died after stealing the glazed armor. Gao Chong is doing a bunch of investigation, including with a magnet that pulls some tiny needles out of Fang Buzhi’s throat.
Everyone comments on them (ZJ acting surprised about such tiny and deadly needles, GC wondering who in GV would use such weapons), with ZZS naming them precisely as “Piercing Rain Needles” and saying that only TC uses them; he thinks this death is Han Ying’s doing and so WKX’s glazed armor is now with TC.
ZZS prompts WKX that they should leave (saying “Wen-xiong” out loud despite having just thought “lao-Wen” in his head), since the Five Lakes Alliance has matters to attend to. Gao Chong says he hopes they’ll attend the Heroes Conference, and WKX promises he’ll be there.
GX and CWN are eating food together! They’re very sweet and flirty, no matter how much GX denies that she’s flirting when she pokes at his cheek and calls its squishiness cute.
She tries to deflect from her flirting by telling CWN about Ghoul, who’s a cannibal, and CWN reacts by asking how a person could do such a thing. But they aren’t people, GX says; they’re devils/ghosts. CWN wants to live up to his sect and kill them all, and this leads into a conversation about the Heroes Conference, GV and the Alliance’s relative strengths, and how CWN promises to protect GX.
CWN then stammers his way into trying to ask if GX thinks he’s handsome, and GX doesn’t answer. I’m sure she heard his question, as much as she’s acting like she didn’t because she doesn’t want to admit to herself that she likes him. He changes tacks, now telling her that Fang Buzhi’s body has been found.
GX gets distracted and runs off to talk to the musicians, who she has some spy deal with. They’re supposed to tell her something/find information out for her (including where WKX is?), and she’s gonna ask them to sing at some point as a signal.
That evening, ZZS is in his room wondering what TC (and Prince Jin) want with the armory, contemplating why Chengling has been hidden away, and generally caring a lot more than he wishes he did. WKX knocks on his door and leads in a bunch of servants with trays of food, because WKX has a “feed ZZS agenda” that I fully support.
ZZS is dedicated to his angst, though, and is thinking about how he’s started to lose his senses. WKX gets his attention, flirts with him about how the world can wait “as long as you can have a meal with someone you like”, and draws a slight smile and agreement out of ZZS.
We still just see them drinking, though! ZZS is very contemplative, and WKX draws him out by asking if he’s still worried about Chengling. Which he is; ZZS’s wondering if bringing him to the Alliance was a mistake. WKX flirts more (and says ZZS has a “kind and innocent heart”), but then asks if he wants to take Chengling in as a disciple and protect him forever (followed, of course, with “Nothing lasts forever”, because WKX at this stage can’t believe good things will last).
WKX then tells a story about how he had a dog as a child, “a gift from someone very important,” but his mother warned him about how dogs are very loyal for their one lifetime. “How could an eight-year-old child understand what a lifetime meant?” WKX asks, and I return to thinking about how long and short a lifetime is in this context when this is also talking about the period of time right before his parents die.
WKX trails off then, and ZZS looks over and asks for the rest of the story. WKX says “[And then] I betrayed it” (by letting it die, presumably, along with the rest of his family) with a very sad expression. ZZS comforts him, grasping his arm and reassuring him that it’s okay if things don’t go his way so long as he doesn’t have regrets. (Which is a great contrast/lead-in to how WKX feels about what happens with the fake glazed armor reveal.)
But such sweetness doesn’t last, as ZZS slaps WKX’s arm and says the dog story is mean. WKX laughs, and they return to drinking and ignoring the food on the table (though WKX does urge ZZS to eat).
Later that night, ZZS is alone in his room as the Nails act up again. He’s got his hand up by his ear, glancing around worried in a way that makes me wonder if his hearing went away for a bit.
As ZZS starts meditating, we’re shown WKX outside his room playing flute for him. Someone who knows the soundtrack more actively than I do probably knows exactly which song they’re playing over this, but my head’s just like “yes this one sure does have lyrics normally!”.
The next day (at nearly noon), WKX bursts into ZZS’s room and wonders why he’s still sleeping. He starts bothering ZZS, excitedly telling him he wants to go to Yuefan Tower (on definitely-not-a-date), and ZZS responds by not responding at all for a while (an act, or actually not noticing for a bit and then playing it up as a game?) and then grouchily saying he’ll kill WKX if he keeps doing this.
WKX, of course, doesn’t back down, because he doesn’t want ZZS to be in a depression nap all day.
The scene cuts to the Four Sages of Anji on a boat, being peaceful and lovely together, before panning up to Yuefan Tower. WKX and ZZS are there, standing together and looking out over the town and the water. ZZS brings up the Four Sages of Anji and tells WKX who they are (“A breath of fresh air in the jianghu”) with soft reverence. Apparently they haven’t come out of seclusion for ten years, but here they are now.
I love all the backstory we’re told about them, too. Two of them are from the same sect, one is a scholar/guqin player without any martial arts, and the fourth (the Lonely Thief Master, He Yifan) was a rogue the other three raised up from the gutter. And they’re all zhiji who live in a beautiful bamboo forest and make music and are happy together, and it’s beautiful.
This is a lead-in to WKX and ZZS talking about the importance of zhiji and how finding your zhiji is what matters most in the world. They share a very meaningful look, and ZZS is very sad about how he’s dying and can’t spend all his life like the Sages of Anji, but then he remembers a few years is better than nothing at all.
We cut to Chengling in Yueyang Manor, with a bunch of young Yueyang disciples but still wearing his own very-different outfit. (No matter that he’s been told to join them, he isn’t part of their sect and that’s reflected by these clothes.) The disciples are practicing holding a stance (which I’d call horse stance; dunno if the terms are the same there), but the shixiong teaching them has a whip/flogger of some sort and is hitting them to see if they can maintain posture even while hit. Which seems, y’know, a bit stressful?
Chengling falls over when he’s struck and the disciples laugh. There’s various chatter about how Chengling is apparently older than this group of disciples, and they think it’s hilarious that he’s worse at this basic stuff than they are. The shixiong even joins in, saying that Mirror Lake Sect has its own style and “they don’t care about the basics”, which is honestly way more insulting than just saying that Chengling sucks at martial arts.
Chengling displays remarkable self-control by not saying anything back and just stubbornly returning to the stance they’re supposed to be in. He does this multiple times, as the shixiong keeps hitting him. When he finally breaks, it’s to ask why he’s being hit, to which the shixiong says “I’m not hitting you, I’m testing you.”
This, and further insults about Chengling’s skill, almost make him walk away until the Yueyang disciples keep making fun of him. Then, as if to prove that he’s better than they think, he comes back and takes his place to the side of the Yueyang disciples’ formation. Such a stubborn boy, even as he gets hit again.
The scene cuts to Chengling walking through Yueyang Manor looking sad, and Gu Xiang runs up to him. Chengling doesn’t look up at first, but when he does he’s overcome with emotion and clutches at GX’s arm while she cheerfully teases him about growing taller (as one does with their younger brother). She asks him why he’s crying, and he says he thought he’d never see her again and that maybe ZZS didn’t want him.
Chengling still wants to be ZZS’s disciple, and tells GX about how WKX’s encouraging his stubbornness here. GX recognises WKX’s lines and says that WKX “never teaches you anything good”, which Chengling ignores in favor of asking where ZZS and WKX are. He’s very sad when GX says they aren’t there, but cheers up once she explains she’s there to look after him. He’s also very impressed she got in, and she’s delighted to tell him she was invited in.
The scene changes to Yueyang’s streets, where WKX and ZZS are wandering around talking about the Heroes Conference and WKX’s making ZZS name all the sects they see. WKX wants to know why ZZS knows so much, and also if ZZS can figure out what sect he’s from.
ZZS describes WKX’s martial arts (“complex and constantly changing”) and infers that he must have more than one master. Then, looking straight at a silent WKX, he says, “Lao-Wen, can you change your habit of making me guess? Just tell me what you want to tell me.” He turns away, and WKX laughs a little before changing the topic to the Heroes Conference. Which isn’t exactly unrelated to asking ZZS to figure out the source of his martial arts, once one knows the whole story, but isn’t related in any obvious way if you don’t.
WKX wonders if the people here deserve to be called heroes, and asks ZZS how many true heroes there are in the jianghu. ZZS looks back to him and says “Only inexperienced people yearn to be heroes”; then, at WKX’s prompting, adds, “The experienced know that every character of ‘hero’ is written in blood.” He says he’s passed the age of wanting to be a hero, preferring to be a wanderer, and then asks WKX which he is.
WKX glances away, and says he likes watching the show instead of being in it. With a smile, he adds, “As a wanderer in the world, all I need is you,” and walks dramatically away. ZZS stands there for a moment, and then turns and walks the other direction. It takes about a second for WKX to run back and follow him, asking why he chose to go that way.
The scene cuts, and now it’s nighttime! ZZS is drinking in his room by himself when WKX walks in with two jugs of wine, saying he brought them for ZZS. ZZS says, “Again?” in a way that implies this is becoming a habit, and WKX is like, “You said you couldn’t fall asleep after 1am; if you’re going to be awake anyway, come drink with me and appreciate the moon.”
When ZZS doesn’t respond, WKX grins, picks up one of the jars, and repeats his opinion that the moon looks beautiful tonight before striding off. ZZS smiles and contemplates the wine for a little before the scene cuts to WKX on the roof with gay music. ZZS floats down and joins him there, and they have their lovely rooftop date.
WKX says he’s very happy, and then asks why ZZS doesn’t ask him why he’s happy. ZZS points out that WKX will tell him when he wants to, and “If you don’t want to, then why would I ask?” WKX almost goes to say something, but ZZS shushes him and they return to gazing up at the full moon.
(If I wanted, I think I could judge how long it’s been since the last shot of the moon being not full and have some opinions about time based on that, but tbh I think it’s at most a week’s amount of change and I could believe that being glossed over in this episode...)
This peaceful shot of the moon shifts to a piece of glazed armor falling across the moon and a hand reaching out to snatch it. Two martial artists are fighting in the streets over this!
The sounds of conflict reach the roof where ZZS and WKX are drinking, and ZZS stands up to look. It’s a different pair of martial artists! ZZS disapproves of this death-match on such a peaceful night; it’s ruining the mood.
WKX says it isn’t the only fight, and that the Glazed Armor is everywhere in the city, and looks like a very satisfied cat. He says, “I’m happy because the show has finally begun.” ZZS doesn’t know what to make of this, and WKX leads him off to get a closer look.
We get a bunch of shots of fights! The contrast between WKX and ZZS jumping quietly and gracefully over the rooftops and the fighting is pretty dramatic.
A shot of Wuchang Gui with his minions Bai Wuchang and Hei Wuchang is intercut with the various clips of fighting in the streets as Ghost Valley music plays.
WKX and ZZS land, and WKX comments on how two of the fighters died together and calls it wonderful. ZZS names them (Cyclops Jiang Che and Furious Blademaster Li Heng), and WKX laughs about how famous people died for greed (and that everyone should understand life is necessary to take advantage of things) as ZZS finds the piece of fake glazed armor one of them holds.
ZZS says it’s the glazed armor Fang Buzhi stole, and WKX says “Looks like it”. ZZS repeats his words in disbelief, and WKX tells him to think about it.
The scene cuts to Han Ying with two pieces of identical glazed armor; presumably they’re the ones he got from Fang Buzhi. He wonders about how they’re identical, and the scene ends.
ZZS is storming through the streets, WKX following behind and asking if he thinks this is funny. He does not. He doesn’t say anything until WKX asks what’s wrong, though, at which point he stops and asks WKX “Don’t you think it’s wrong?”, which WKX acts like he doesn’t understand; “These people were all going to get themselves killed anyway,” he says.
“Lao-Wen, I used to think you were pretending to be crazy and dumb,” ZZS says. “ I didn’t realise that you’re actually crazy.”
ZZS turns and walks away, and WKX does not follow him this time. His face falls, and he stands there.
The scene cuts. It’s the next morning, and someone is staggering to the front door of Yueyang Manor. He calls out “Shidi”, but the disciple guarding the door doesn’t recognise him at first, thinking he’s just a beggar. Deng Kuan keeps talking, very ragged, and the disciples recognise him and start rushing around to help him and call for Gao Chong.
Meanwhile, WKX (dressed in some of his prettiest robes, and wearing the Plot Hairpin for the first time!) has a tray of breakfast and looks very nervous as he approaches ZZS’s room.
Unlike every other time this episode, he knocks instead of bursting inside. He asks ZZS to get up, and says, “Don’t be mad anymore,” and tries to say it’s not a big deal. When he does enter, ZZS isn’t there. He seems surprised by this.
The scene changes to glazed armor; Gao Chong and his sworn brothers are examining it. They have multiple pieces as well, and Shen Shen compares them and asks if it’s fake.
Gao Chong confirms, and then Zhao Jing explains how much death happened last night because of this fake glazed armor. Gao Chong says it’s humiliating for the Alliance, especially so close to the Heroes Conference. Shen Shen promises to kill anyone causing trouble, and tries to get Zhao Jing to also promise that.
Then there's a brief scene of Xiaolian tending to Deng Kuan, who’s unconscious in bed. She’s very worried about him, both personally and because he’s such a good assistant for her father.
Yueyang disciples go to a cell where some people are locked up. They give them food, but Gao Shan (a delightfully recurring character) is here and kicks the bowls of food over before the prisoners can take it. He’s upset because these prisoners aren’t talking, and wants to keep beating them up so that maybe at least he can feel better. Contextually, these prisoners are probably part of the circus group where Wei-shidi and Mu Yunge and everyone else’s heads showed up?
Anyway, Gao Shan’s rage is interrupted by more disciples running in and telling them to go to Renyi Hall, because something terrible is happening there.
Something terrible is indeed happening there! Huang He and the beggar gangs are in a standoff with the Four Sages of Anji over yet more fake glazed armor! The hall itself is wrecked! One of the sages is already very injured!
“We don’t want to create trouble,” one of the beggars shouts, as if trouble hasn’t already been created.
The nice married-couple/same-sect members of the Sages are at the back of their hall. The man has a sword in his gut! The woman (who is later called Pei-laotai) is asking if maybe they should give up the glazed armor! (She’s calling him ‘fujin’, which youtube and netflix both translate as “my dear” instead of “husband” for some reason.)
“We must keep our word,” he says, and asks her to give the glazed armor to Gao Chong before he collapses in death. She sobs, and the other two Sages shout out their own grief at their Da-ge’s death. She shouts out to the beggars (and the assorted folk out there as allies) that the glazed armor belongs to no-one, and that they’re using force to get their way.
Huang He, a dick, responds that “If we were using force, would you still be alive right now?” and says that because the World’s Armory includes techniques from the Beggar Gangs, it’s reasonable for them to take back the glazed armor! This is a terrible argument, since it applies to basically everyone, and also makes me wonder how much sneaky stealing was involved vs very good observation skills.
He also says it’s for Pei-laotai’s own good, since so many other people are here and not as reasonable as the Beggar Gangs. One of said other sects challenges him on this, pointing out that if the Beggar Gangs can fight the Sages for it, so can Mount Hua. (Mount Hua, we’ll note, is Yu Qiufeng’s sect! It’s one of his disciples causing trouble in this moment.)
Feng Xiaofeng then butts in to remind everyone that the glazed armor Ao Laizi had was stolen by Ghost Valley, and declares that if the Sages now have it they’re Ghost Valley’s dogs. He Yifan (the most martial of the sages) is understandably upset by this, and insults Feng Xiaofeng, who retaliates by shooting metal pellets at him. He Yifan blocks one right in front of his eyes, and the fragments blind him/knock him back. (Pei-laotai calls him San-ge at this point, which I guess makes the scholar/musician Er-ge?)
Pei-laotai shouts for Feng Xiaofeng to give them the antidote, so I guess there’s also poison in there! Feng Xiaofeng says he’d trade it for the glazed armor, which obviously won’t happen. Tao Hong starts scolding Feng Xiaofeng for getting involved, since he (and his friend Gao Shannu) aren’t associated with sects and so they didn’t have techniques stolen from them. I don’t know what ground Tao Hong has to stand on here, though, since she and Lv Liu also seem to be independents?
Gao Chong and his forces arrive. His disciples surround everyone, while he and Shen Shen (and one of the senior Yueyang disciples) come to the center of the stand-off. Gao Chong is upset that Huang He has been leading his people to cause such trouble, because their sects had previously been on good terms.
Huang He bickers with Gao Chong about who, precisely, is being arrogant and unreasonable here. Pei-laotai and her Er-ge try to support He Yifan.
There’s a lot of bickering, actually, as everyone insults each other. Shen Shen and Tao Hong get into it, too, which is what gets people to edge closer to violence; Shen Shen doesn’t know how to stop talking about killing people as retaliation.
Feng Xiaofeng speaks next (though the cackling, disembodied voice, and musical cues made me think it’s a ghost at first), mostly insulting Gao Chong some more. Pei-laotai shouts at him, desperately telling him to leave the antidote behind. Gao Chong sends Shen Shen off to stop Feng Xiaofeng from leaving, and as Shen Shen runs off we see WKX standing nearby, watching everything go down.
Gao Chong tries to calm everyone by saying the Sages are his guests and he’ll side with them, but unfortunately the poison has gotten to He Yifan. He doesn’t seem particularly in control of himself as he throws Pei-laotai out of the building, and she lands on the ground (unconscious if not dead), and her hand loosens to reveal the glazed armor. One of the beggars picks it up, and Gao Chong recognises what’s going on with it as He Yifan leaps out and starts laying into everyone with his sword.
Tao Hong and Lv Liu retaliate against He Yifan, their final blows landing as Gao Chong calls for them to stop.
It’s a very quick sequence; they knock him to his knees and get his sword out to the side, and their second blows end the conflict. They’re clearly skilled enough that they could’ve pulled those blows if they’d wanted to, but things happened fast enough that there’s easily plausible deniability about if they registered Gao Chong’s words in time.
WKX, watching, seems upset about this. I doubt these emotions are what he was expecting. I doubt he was expecting the Sages to die at all, either.
In the silence, the final Sage (the scholar-musician; Gao Chong calls him Du-xiong in a moment) pulls the blade out of his Da-ge’s body. As he walks out of the hall, he tells everyone that “We’d lived in seclusion for fifteen years and forgotten all our worries” but this conflict destroyed all of that in an instant. He tells Gao Chong that they only came here for him, and “never expected that a loyal friendship between you and me would cause us [the Sages] to die in Yueyang City”, and then adds that Pei-dage got (and then defended) the glazed armor for Gao Chong.
“Was it worth it?” Du-xiong asks, crying. Gao Chong attempts to apologise, and tries to say he’ll avenge them.
Du-xiong tosses his guqin to the ground, smashing it, asks himself what the point is without his zhiji, and then kills himself.
Everyone is upset, including WKX, who looks like his heart is broken by this.
Huang He speaks first, upsetting Gao Chong yet more. Huang He places the blame on Feng Xiaofeng and says this isn’t about the Beggar Gangs, but we’re mostly shown WKX’s face (because this is really all his fault). Gao Chong shouts at Huang He, and then pulls the glazed armor pieces he’d gathered out of his robes and throws them at Huang He, telling him to take them. Huang He and the rest are shocked by seeing these copies.
Gao Chong smacks his hands together to get everyone’s attention, and promises that “On July 15th, after the Heroes Conference, I will clearly explain everything about the Glazed Armor to you all!” and walks out, telling Huang He they’ll settle their matters after the conference.
Huang He picks up the glazed armor, almost crying himself as he realises they’re identical copies, and that the one the Sages had was the same.
The episode ends as he throws all the pieces aside.
General Commentary
I’m having a lot of fun noticing little things about background/minor characters during this rewatch. Like Gao Shan! He’s been around in a bunch of episodes, and seems to be having his own arc happening in the background of all this drama! I also love how Yu Qiufeng and Mu Siyuan are always hanging out together in these scenes; they seem like they’re good buddies, and I bet Ao Laizi was part of their group too when he was alive. It’s just nice seeing them having relationships; it shows how much the production/writing team thought about these things.
I completely forgot that Han Ying’s the one who killed Fang Buzhi. (Or one of his men did, but I’m inclined to believe Han Ying did that himself, in order to keep control of the glazed armor.) Again, it’s just nice seeing him being competent and deadly in the background.
Deng Kuan coming back is a lot easier to understand this time around, too, because I think I might have barely remembered him from ep3 on my first watch. Now, having seen that he was at Mu Yunge’s murder-wedding, it’s a lot more understanable where he was and why he’s now back and so heavily injured.
I feel so bad for Chengling during this whole section of time. I’m also curious how much is outright bullying and how much is just the way the Yueyang Sect is? Like, it’s possible that this sect is just strict and metes out more physical punishment as a matter of course. The verbal stuff is all bullying, and the physical is taken to a level that’s clearly unnecessary, but some of it is probably just the sect…? Still sucks for him, though.
Last episode Wen Kexing brought up the idea of zhiji and Zhou Zishu ran away from it, but now Zhou Zishu is bringing it up through the lens of the Four Sages and thinking about the idea himself. He’s starting to think about living the rest of his life as best he can, starting to imagine what it might be like to wander with Wen Kexing! It’s very sweet.
Zhou Zishu’s losing his senses! I think it’s interesting to have it in this episode. Setting it right before he thinks about living life with a zhiji makes sense to me, since the nails acting up and Wen Kexing playing music to help him soothe his meridians is a very clear “if someone’s with you, they can help take care of you” throughline. And Zhou Zishu’s letting Wen Kexing do that throughout this episode! Wen Kexing’s making sure he has fun, chivvying him to eat, spending time with him when he can’t sleep— It’s really sweet of him!
For all the emotions the fandom has about the rooftop date, the actual scene is very short! I had forgotten that! It gets interrupted surprisingly quickly by the fake glazed armor, and that leads right into one of the Wenzhou breakup arguments!
On the other hand, I forgot how much time was given over to the Four Sages of Anji dying! It’s not surprising that so much time is given to them—they’re new characters whose deaths need to be felt by the audience so that we understand how/why this was a turning point for Wen Kexing—but it all glosses over in my head to “and then the sages died” when I’m thinking about the show’s arc.
I wish I had more to say about the Four Sages of Anji but mostly I’m just really sad about them dying. I also wish we got more of their names.
That said, I feel like there are some really interesting potential parallels between how He Yifan (the only Sage with a full name and a title!) is described and Wen Kexing’s life. The “Lonely Thief Master” who dreamed of stars and was raised out of the gutter and taught how to live a good life? Definitely someone Wen Kexing could look at for parallels to his own life and what he’s beginning to dream of accomplishing.
…but really I just think of the last section of this episode and the beginning of next episode in one mental group, which is making this really difficult. xD I blend together all of Wen Kexing’s grief into his digging of their grave, and the argument that begins the night before continues into Zhou Zishu showing up and arguing with him again there.
Discussion Prompts/Questions
1. Plot hairpin! Wen Kexing’s plans come into full bloom, Zhou Zishu goes “WTF” at him, and he shows up the next morning wearing the disguised key to the world’s armory. Any thoughts about why this is the point in time he starts wearing it? [ETA:
narie pointed out, in comments, that it's not that hairpin; it's just a really similar one that is hard to distinguish if you don't have a very good visual memory for details!]2. Other than the initial description of how the nails work, I believe this is the first mention of Zhou Zishu losing his senses! I had no idea when in the show this was going to start actively showing up, so it was a surprise to me. :) Any thoughts or feelings about its placement here?
3. Zhiji! What do you think Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu are feeling about that concept (or, more broadly, each other/their plans) throughout this episode?
Next Time: Episode 10! ZZS and WKX are Very Sad and also drunk. Han Ying and Gu Xiang attempt to take care of them and make them less angsty. Also, other things, like more preparation for the Heroes Conference and a surprising amount of political shenanigans. Gao Chong begins suspecting Ghost Valley isn’t actually behind everything. Wen Kexing has his meeting with the Devils.