arokomaeda

[arokomaeda]

LotDT: Episode 17 Summary

Previous Episode | Masterlist

In this episode, Xue Ranran uncovers Wei Jiu's plot to harm Su Yishui by using Bai Baishan. Su Yishui protects Xue Ranran, but discovers that there is still a drop of Spirit Spring in his heart. We learn more about Tu Jiuyuan and Wei Jiu's past. Xue Ranran confesses her feelings to a drunk Su Yishui. Full summary under the cut.

Ranran asks Liang Wumeng if he can help her return Ling Xiao to its owner. She worries that the separation has affected the soul owner, and Liang Wumeng confirms it by telling her that the owner cannot form a Golden Core or advance in cultivation. However, he says that he has been in seclusion due to a damaged Golden Core, and doesn’t have the ability to return the soul now. He tells Ranran that there is a method for her to restore the soul thanks to her Formless Spirit Root, but it would damage her own cultivation. Ranran says she is willing to pay the price. Liang Wumeng says he’s starting to take a liking to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. Su Yishui uses magic to knock his hand away.

Ranran invites Su Yishui to sit and pours him tea, despite Alcohol Immortal and Liang Wumeng’s clear disdain for him. Su Yishui smiles at Ranran, an expression which Alcohol Immortal finds unfitting. Ranran tries to defend her master against Alcohol Immortal and Liang Wumeng’s accusations. They explain that Mu Qingge could not have been the Demon’s child, because when she tried to seal the Spirit Spring away in the netherworld, she discovered that only the Demon’s child could seal the Spirit Spring. This alarms Su Yishui, who asks if Mu Qingge ran into anything special in the netherworld. Alcohol Immortal says all he knows is that Mu Qingge encountered a formidable enemy there.

Alcohol Immortal demands to know why Su Yishui led Mu Qingge to her death, to which Su Yishui merely clenches his fists and stays silent. He accuses Su Yishui of being ungrateful and dishonest, and advises Ranran to leave him and stay on Mount Cuiwei instead. Ranran makes an excuse to leave and leads Su Yishui away by the hand.

Ranran asks Su Yishui if Mu Qingge really wasn’t the Demon’s child, but Su Yishui is unable to answer because of the Silencing Curse. He asks Ranran if she believes the Demon’s child deserves to die, to which she responds that the Demon’s child is just an ordinary person without the Spirit Spring. She wonders if Mu Qingge felt the same way. Su Yishui tells her that her words are a real comfort.

The disciples walk around town to buy some detoxifying herbs. Xi’er asks if Su Yishui knows about Ranran’s feelings towards him. When the disciples arrive at the herb store, Bai Baishan acts suspiciously and goes off somewhere else. Ranran follows him to figure out what’s going on. She sees Bai Baishan meeting secretly and acting lovey-dovey with the man that sold him a hallucination pill.

After the man sends Bai Baishan to take a bath, Tu Jiuyuan appears and he salutes to her. Ranran learns from their conversation that the Scarlet Sect used an Illusion Spell on Bai Baishan to try and gather information about Su Yishui. She sends a voice message to Xi’er and Gao Cang to get Bai Baishan while she tails Tu Jiuyuan.

Ranran eavesdrops on Tu Jiuyuan and Wei Jiu. Wei Jiu tells Tu Jiuyuan that he has just suppressed the Resentment Liquid for Mu Ranwu, who is resting in the room, but Ranran cannot tell who he is talking about. She learns that Bai Baishan has been poisoned so that if he touches Su Yishui, he will be infected too. Wei Jiu asks about the other Reincarnation Fruit, and Tu Jiuyuan tells him that Su Yishui is very protective of Ranran, who carries a piece of the Reincarnation Tree with her at all times.

Wei Jiu notices Ranran and drags her into the room. Ranran bluffs and pretends that Su Yishui is nearby. When Wei Jiu and Tu Jiuyuan try to look for him, Ranran takes the opportunity to escape. Wei Jiu commands Tu Jiuyuan to chase after her since she might be the other Reincarnation Fruit. Mu Ranwu overhears this.

Ranran, Xi’er, and Gao Cang flee into the woods. Scarlet Sect members chase after them with archers, who manage to graze Ranran’s arm with an arrow. Tu Jiuyuan uses her whip to sense Ranran’s blood and attack the disciples. Ranran uses One Qi to Break the Galaxy to fight back. Mu Ranwu, who is watching from the side, senses her power being drained again, and confirms that Ranran must be Mu Qingge’s reincarnation. She prevents Ranran from draining her power, which causes Ranran to fall to the ground.

Just as Tu Jiuyuan is about to strike again, Su Yishui appears to protect Ranran. Ranran warns Su Yishui about Wei Jiu’s plan to poison him, but Su Yishui tells her to be quiet so he can help her ease the pain. Ranran falls unconscious against his shoulder. Seeing the wound on Ranran’s arm, Su Yishui’s eyes flash red and he starts to give off a demonic aura. He kills the pursuers from Scarlet Sect, with only Tu Jiuyuan able to escape. Su Yishui comes back to his senses. Meanwhile, Mu Ranwu swears to make Su Yishui pay for deceiving her.

Su Yu is inspecting a map of the waterways when his jade pendant begins to glow. He summons Feng, who says “that beast” is running wild again. Su Yu tells him to return to the capital to keep an eye on it. A soldier reports to Su Yu that they’ve lost contact with the soldiers who were sent to Puxin Village. Su Yu decides to prepare a squad to inspect Puxin Village. Su Yu’s shadow guard also comes with a report that he lost track of “Mu Qingge” after she met with Wei Jiu. Su Yu wonders why she would want to meet in secret with Wei Jiu, and decides that she must not be the real Mu Qingge.

After four days, Ranran finally wakes up at Mount Cuiwei. Xi’er tells Ranran about how Su Yishui went on a killing spree after seeing how Scarlet Sect harmed her. She also tells Ranran that Bai Baishan is about to be expelled from the sect. A flashback shows that the poison was removed from Bai Baishan, but it damaged his cultivation and Su Yishui decided to end their master-disciple relationship despite Bai Baishan’s pleas for mercy. After sending people to care for Ranran, Su Yishui went into seclusion.

In the Seclusion Cave, Su Yishui thinks on Zeng Yi’s words to him, scolding him for losing control and frightening Ranran. Su Yishui realizes that there is still a drop of the Spirit Spring in his body, and that it was triggered again because he got closer to the Spirit Spring. He tries to find it and remove it, but is unsuccessful and ends up coughing up blood.

Ranran approaches the cave to ask if Su Yishui is alright, but is ignored. She starts pacing around the entrance and is about to fall over from exhaustion, but Su Yishui arrives to catch her. He scolds her for running around when she hasn’t fully recovered, and carries her away.

The unknown man who has been monitoring Su Yishui says that once he comes in contact with the Spirit Spring again, it will possess his body and “we” will once again own the Demon’s child.

At the Scarlet Sect, Tu Jiuyuan is recovering from her injuries. Wei Jiu berates her for being useless and letting Ranran get away, but when Tu Jiuyuan gets up to try capturing her again, Wei Jiu tells her to rest first. Tu Jiuyuan suggests watching Su Yishui secretly instead of confronting him head-on, but Wei Jiu does not take well to this and storms out.

Tu Jiuyuan thinks back on the past, when the two of them were practicing swordsmanship together. After seeing a beautiful butterfly, Wei Jiu says that when he becomes the sect sovereign in the future, he will make Tu Jiuyuan the Sovereign of the Butterfly Valley. Another flashback shows that Wei Jiu lost in a duel against Tu Jiuyuan ten times in a row, making his father call him a good-for-nothing. He gives half of the Scarlet Sect Token to Tu Jiuyuan, which she reluctantly accepts. He entrusts Tu Jiuyuan to be Wei Jiu’s rival and guide him properly. After some years, Tu Jiuyuan releases Wei Jiu from a punishment from the sovereign and tries to treat his wounds, but Wei Jiu refuses her help.

Su Yishui sits at Ranran’s bedside at Mount Cuiwei. Both of them see Bai Baishan kneeling outside. Su Yishui asks if Ranran wants to plead for him, but Ranran says that she respects Su Yishui’s decision, since Bai Baishan did make a mistake after all. She says that allowing cultivators to do misdeeds and become villains would cause tremendous harm, which makes Su Yishui clench his fist in response. Ranran points out that he has taught the disciples martial arts, but never told them what they can or can’t do. Su Yishui admits that he has made a mistake as a master.

He asks Ranran what she would do if she found out he was an unforgivable villain. Ranran tells him that even so, she would stay with him to face everything together. Su Yishui tells her to just worry about taking care of herself, and gives her a Qi-Nourishing Pill. Ranran calls out, “Master, help” because the pill is too bitter, asking him to fetch some candied fruits for her. Ranran tries to feed some to Su Yishui. She says that she’s noticed that Su Yishui likes sweets and that she wants to get to know him better and update the Collection of Entertainment.

Ranran tries to confess her feelings, but Su Yishui gets up to leave before she can finish. As he puts the candied fruits away, he notices the gift that Su Yu sent her and is reminded of the jade hairpin that Su Yu sent Mu Qingge in the past. Jealous, he tells Ranran to rest and leaves the room.

Bai Baishan admits his mistake and begs Su Yishui not to send him away. Thinking on Ranran’s words, Su Yishui decides to give Bai Baishan a chance to repent by binding one of his arms and following Zeng Yi to learn artifact forging. Bai Baishan promises to follow his order and thanks him for giving him a second chance.

After Bai Baishan walks away, Zeng Yi approaches and talks about how Mu Qingge was always kind-hearted and forgave her disciples, but it doesn’t seem like something Su Yishui would do. Su Yishui agrees that he is not that kind of person, which is exactly why he kept disappointing Mu Qingge. He says that Bai Baishan is like how he was in the past, and that he’s realized what a master’s hardships are like. Zeng Yi gives Su Yishui a bottle of Ranran’s Mistaken Divine and tells him that he should take some time to relax.

Xi’er excitedly tells Ranran that Su Yishui gave Bai Baishan a second chance. Ranran feels happy that Su Yishui was willing to listen to her thoughts, and wonders if he has feelings for her too. She decides that she is going to confess and ask about his feelings soon.

At night, Su Yishui plays the qin under a tree. He thinks about how Mu Qingge once gave him fruit to eat, saying that they would only taste sweetness, not bitterness. Then, he remembers Ranran’s words that Su Yu is more likable, and how she got along so well with Su Yu in both her previous and current life. He drinks some wine and summons a paper lantern, gazing at it and remembering how Mu Qingge lit up the lanterns for him on his birthday.

Ranran approaches, but the drunk Su Yishui sees her as Mu Qingge. He tells her that he’s been waiting for her for many years, but it feels like he didn’t really get her back. The drop of Spirit Spring in his heart starts acting up, and he tells Ranran that he knows she will leave him one day. Ranran insists that she will stay with him, because after all his teachings and protection, he has become the most important person to her. She gifts him a wooden hairpin that she made from a branch of the Reincarnation Tree.

Su Yishui tells her that he has a gift for her too. He says that he made a lantern for her by hand, and that she used to like such things. Ranran finds this statement strange, and questions what he means by “used to”. Su Yishui’s eyes flash red and he pulls Ranran in for a kiss.

Next Episode | Masterlist

[arokomaeda]

fall/hug

requested by @sayornissaya

[arokomaeda]

I'm not sure how many people will see this post, but I really appreciate all these kind comments on my post about Su Yishui's character! Thank you!

Recently I saw a very similar take from a fan on Xiaohongshu that I want to share:

"I feel the same as OP, the female lead just gave Su Yishui a taste of what it feels like to be loved, but the one who truly led Su Yishui out of hatred into love was Su Yishui himself. Caring for the reborn female lead for 18 years is what made him understand that the ultimate core of love is to love others, not to be loved. Loving someone means respecting their choices and letting them be themselves. Deng Wei really understood the essence of Su Yishui."

I'm just really happy to see lots of people giving love to Su Yishui's character! I checked out LotDT out of curiosity (I'm a Zhou Shen fan and wanted to listen to his new song) but unexpectedly, I ended up falling in love with Su Yishui's character and Deng Wei's amazing performance.

I'm planning to continue my LotDT episode summaries soon, and finally compile a list of all the Chinese names and meanings in the show. After that, a Ranran/Qingge meta might be in the works? I just can't get over this show 😭

[arokomaeda]

having long distance friends is so fucked. do you wanna come over to my house and play (it will cost us 1 william dollars)

[arokomaeda]

[Love of the Divine Tree Fanfic] New Year Reunion

AO3 link

T/N: This is a translation of 过年团圆, written by 夏夏. Permission was granted to translate and share this work. It was originally posted in 4 parts on Xiaohongshu (1 2 3 4). If you enjoy the story, please leave a like and/or comment on the original work as well!

A/N: I wrote a bit about the early days with Mu Qingge as the master and Su Yishui as the disciple, and the warm daily life they spent together during the New Year.

---

Su Yishui was emotionally dull in his youth. Over the years, working for Prince Ping had gradually made him numb. Being controlled day after day, only the pain in his body constantly reminded him not to forget his resentment. What he hated the most were precisely those who were related to him by blood—his mother that abandoned him, and his father that saw him as a tool for killing.

Later, he hated Mu Qingge as well. That demoness opposed him at every turn, forcibly binding him with a master-disciple contract and making him her disciple. He hated being controlled by others more than anything, so he wished he could kill Mu Qingge and escape immediately.

But after coming to Mount Wester, Mu Qingge treated his injuries, meticulously provided all his life necessities, and guided him seriously in cultivation. At times, he had to admit that Mu Qingge was taking her role as his master seriously. For three years, day after day, they practiced meditation, swordsmanship, played the qin, and took care of the small animals. Life at Mount Wester fell into this regular monotony, aside from Mu Qingge, who was always coming and going mysteriously.

She always showed up unexpectedly and vanished without a trace. Su Yishui would occasionally ask indirectly about her whereabouts, but no one knew when she would return or where exactly she had gone.

Another autumn came, and Mu Qingge suddenly left Mount Wester. Winter arrived and she still hadn't returned. Snow fell over and over, and although cultivators had spiritual power to protect their bodies, they couldn't help but feel cold. Su Yishui, however, still wore only a single layer of clothing and spent all day practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard. At night, when he saw that only a few of the body-protecting pills that Mu Qingge had left for him remained, he couldn't help but recall how many days she had been gone.

With the end of the year around the corner, everyone on the mountain had taken leave to go home, making the vast Mount Wester even more desolate and quiet. During such tranquil moments, Su Yishui rarely practiced swordsmanship. Instead, he stood on the towering rooftop, gazing at the snowy white Mount Wester. He suddenly couldn't help but wonder if Mu Qingge had also stood here watching the world in the past.

The north wind was piercingly cold, fluttering through his clothes and stinging his face. But Su Yishui felt very calm at this moment, a calm that he had never experienced in the bustling capital, which was prosperous and lively, but also filled with too many complex interests and desires. As he was thinking, he suddenly realized that he hadn't thought of the capital in a long time.

He didn't know how long he had been standing there when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching the mountain in the distance. Su Yishui had excellent hearing and could tell that these footsteps were not the same as those of Mount Wester's disciples. Could it be...?

Su Yishui swiftly descended from the roof and saw that, indeed, it was Mu Qingge entering the courtyard carrying packages of all sizes. When she saw him, she smiled and called out, "Xiao Shui, come quickly and help move these things inside."

Su Yishui approached, hesitated for a moment, then hoisted the packages onto his shoulder. The weight caused him to stagger a bit, and he asked, "What did you buy that's so heavy?"

"These are all goods for the New Year, and also winter clothes that I bought for you. It wasn't easy to carry all of these from the capital to here!"

As Mu Qingge spoke, she went inside to find water to drink, and directed Su Yishui to move the things in and arrange them properly.

Mu Qingge said, "The other disciples have all sent messages saying they're going home for the New Year. Are you going to stay on the mountain again this year?"

Su Yishui was silent for a moment, and simply replied, "Yes."

Mu Qingge didn't ask any more questions and instead changed the topic, speaking in a loud and clear voice, "In that case, let's get ready."

"For what?"

"For the New Year, of course! Today is already the 28th of the 12th lunar month, and we still have a lot of things to prepare. You take care of cleaning up Mount Wester, and I'll write some fortune characters and New Year couplets*."

*福字春联, It's traditional for Chinese New Year to write couplets, as well as papers with the character 福 (fortune, blessing). New Year couplets are pasted on gateposts or door panels conveying one's best wishes for the year.

After cleaning all the halls in Mount Wester, Su Yishui still couldn't understand why he agreed to do such menial labor. Especially with Mu Qingge's advanced spiritual power, she could just use a few spells to complete all the work instead of forcing him through the trouble. In the end though, he didn't complain, just silently pasted fortune characters to every window and lantern on Mount Wester. Meanwhile, Mu Qingge was engrossed in the kitchen, using the pork she brought up the mountain to make sausages and cured meat.

On New Year's Eve, Su Yishui finally finished his tasks and came to the kitchen to find Mu Qingge, only to be roped into doing work again, peeling garlic and preparing vegetables on the side. The two of them stayed busy in the kitchen until dusk. Mu Qingge counted the number of dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner and found that they were one short. "Xiao Shui, go to the back of the mountain to kill a duck. I'll prepare a dish of Eight Treasure Duck*."

*八宝鸭, A dish featuring a duck stuffed with eight stir-fried ingredients. It is traditionally served during Chinese New Year's Eve.

Su Yishui saw all the dishes laid out on the cutting board and tried to advise her, "There are already nine dishes, any more and we won't be able to finish them all."

"If we can't finish, we'll just heat them up tomorrow morning for breakfast. I must have a perfect ten out of ten*."

*十全十美, literally "ten complete, ten beautiful", an idiom meaning "perfect in every way"

Su Yishui had no choice but to go to the back of the mountain to catch an unlucky duck. After another two hours, the two finally set the New Year's Eve meal on the table.

Just as Su Yishui picked up his chopsticks, he noticed Mu Qingge staring at him. He felt a little puzzled, but once he swallowed his food he realized what Mu Qingge was waiting for. He coughed twice and said, "It tastes really good."

"How is it compared to the restaurants in the capital?"

"It's on-par."

With that, Mu Qingge was satisfied and took out a pot of freshly-warmed wine. Mu Qingge loved to drink, and occasions like this called for some Mistaken Divine to liven things up. Su Yishui, on the other hand, couldn't handle alcohol and had to make do with tea. For some reason, Mu Qingge was particularly talkative that day. If it weren't for her complexion looking the same as always, Su Yishui would've thought she was drunk.

"This past year, Xiao Shui has been cultivating diligently and making incredible progress, which really puts me at ease," she said, then clinked her cup of wine against Su Yishui's cup of tea. With a "ding", Su Yishui raised his cup in return. After drinking the tea, he suddenly asked, "I've been focusing on my cultivation this past year, but how about you? Where have you been hiding and what have you been up to?"

Mu Qingge laughed. After finishing her cup of wine, she pretended to be in deep thought and said, "Oh, me? I ate lots of delicious food, drank lots of good wine, and did lots of good deeds. I have no regrets."

Mu Qingge continued to pour her own wine and drink by herself. She hadn't eaten that much food, but she had already finished a pot of wine. As the effects of the alcohol began to wane, she suddenly seemed to remember something. "The mountain is really too quiet with just the two of us, why don't we have fun with some of the New Year customs from the capital?"

However, Su Yishui didn't answer for a long time. It had already been many years since he last celebrated the New Year. He just knew that when he was very young, his mother would give him New Year money* to buy firecrackers or snacks that children loved. But those days were too long ago, and he had no interest anymore.

*压岁钱, Money given at Chinese New Year by the older generation to the younger generation, usually after the New Year's Eve dinner or when paying visits during the Spring Festival period. 岁 (sui, ‘year’) has the same sound as 祟 (ghost), so in the past, copper coins were strung on a red string and hung on a child's chest as a way of driving out evil spirits. Today, money is put into red paper envelopes for luck.

"There's nothing interesting. I just want to go back and get some rest."

As it was approaching midnight, Su Yishui was already in his room. Unable to fall asleep, he got up to play the qin. He couldn't sort out his thoughts. All he knew was that Mu Qingge had been gone for too long, and he didn't know how many more days she would stay this time.

Suddenly, the crackling sound of fireworks exploding came from the front courtyard. Amidst the thunderous noise was the sound of Mu Qingge calling his name, "Xiao Shui, Xiao Shui, get over here!"

Su Yishui couldn't help but open the door and walk out toward the front courtyard, finding Mu Qingge lighting the firecrackers one by one. The firecrackers exploded in the sky in wisps of red light, illuminating Mu Qingge's profile.

Seeing Su Yishui, she called out to him from afar, "Xiao Shui, come quickly, it's so fun!"

Su Yishui couldn't stop himself from walking over, watching as she placed some fire starters in his hands and pushed him to light the nearby fireworks. He had no idea how many Mu Qingge had bought, but Su Yishui felt like the fireworks kept coming one after another, never ending.

Finally, all the fireworks shot up into the sky, and Mu Qingge pulled him to stand under the eaves. A multitude of fireworks bloomed at the same time, lighting up the sky over Mount Wester. The roar of the explosion drowned out all speech. Su Yishui watched the fiery red sky in a daze, his thoughts drifting to the time many years ago when his mother took him to the capital to see the fireworks set off within the palace walls. Thinking on it now, so many years had passed since then.

Suddenly, Su Yishui felt Mu Qingge tug at him. He lowered his head but couldn't hear her voice. In the next moment, Mu Qingge stretched out her hands to cover his ears, and he finally understood Mu Qingge's lip movements, "It's too loud, protect your ears."

Su Yishui's world suddenly fell silent, so much so that he could hear his own heartbeat. He no longer watched the fireworks, only able to look into Mu Qingge's eyes. They were sparkling as always, still full of that all-encompassing warmth, as if it was only fitting for a master to protect her disciple's ears. But Su Yishui suddenly fell into a gloomy mood, wondering how long Mu Qingge would be able to maintain this calm master-disciple relationship.

And so, as if possessed, Su Yishui reached out his hands to cover Mu Qingge's ears as well. A hint of unease flashed across Mu Qingge's eyes, but the next second they returned to normal, as if such a deep bond between master and disciple was nothing out of the ordinary.

On the contrary, it was Su Yishui who felt even more unsettled. He had too many grievances. Why was it always him whose heart was in turmoil, while she kept playing the part of a dedicated and responsible master? Why was it only him who missed her? What about her? Had she ever counted how long it had been since they last met?

The fireworks stopped and Mu Qingge released her hands, but Su Yishui still stood there, unmoving. There were piles of snow in the courtyard that night, and the moonlight was bright, so Mu Qingge could clearly see Su Yishui's expression. She gently took Su Yishui's hands and asked him, "What's wrong? Why aren't you happy?"

"Nothing." That's right, why would he be unhappy? He ate the New Year's Eve dinner, set off fireworks, and had someone to accompany him. No matter how you look at it, it seemed like a good year.

"I know, it must be because this is missing."

Mu Qingge pulled out a string of copper coins from her bosom, which she had already tied together with a red string. She lifted Su Yishui's hand and placed the coins in his palm.

"This is your New Year money. In a few days, go down the mountain to buy some food you like. No need to be stingy. When you've used it all, just let me know."

Su Yishui looked at the copper coins in his hand, the string a dazzling red. He had long since stopped expecting anyone to treat him with unconditional kindness, so why had Mu Qingge been brought to his side?

The coins in his hand felt all the more heavy. His long-numb heart suddenly came back to life, but the first thing he felt was an endless bitterness. At that moment, Su Yishui's throat was choked up and he couldn't say a word. His eyes stung fiercely, so he lowered his head to hide his emotions.

Mu Qingge noticed something amiss and got closer to take a look, but after a long while, Su Yishui managed to say, "The smoke got in my eyes," and immediately used his sleeve to roughly wipe away the tear stains at the corners of his eyes.

It had been so many years since he last cried, but somehow, today, he couldn't hold it back. Su Yishui had a complicated expression—his eyes were full of tears but he tried to hide it with a smile.

Seeing this, Mu Qingge was flustered as well. "Oh my, Xiao Shui, you shouldn't cry on the New Year, otherwise the whole year will be bad. Try to hold it back."

As she spoke, she used her hands to quickly cover Su Yishui's eyes, "Close your eyes."

Mu Qingge's hands were slightly cold, so when they covered his slightly warm eyelids, it caused Su Yishui's heart to tremble uncontrollably again. After a moment, Mu Qingge removed her hands and carefully inspected Su Yishui's slightly red eyes.

"Such beautiful eyes mustn't shed tears, or else it will break my heart too."

Su Yishui smiled softly. "Really?"

"Really. Alright, go back and get some rest. It's going to snow again, and I still need to head out tomorrow."

Something about this sentence seemed to trigger Su Yishui. Right as Mu Qingge turned to leave, he tightened his grip on the coins in his hand and suddenly reached out his arms to hug her from behind.

Mu Qingge froze, but she could feel that Su Yishui was slightly trembling behind her. He asked, "If you head out tomorrow, when will you be back? Spring? Or summer?"

Mu Qingge let out a sigh, gently patted the back of Su Yishui's hand, and replied with a slight smile, "The day after tomorrow."

Even at this moment, Su Yishui didn't understand why he was crying or why he was asking about when she would return. All he knew was that he missed Mu Qingge. He missed her very, very much.

[arokomaeda]

LOVE OF THE DIVINE TREE 仙台有树 — 2025, dir. Yin Tao   

[arokomaeda]

Oh yeah, SYS is still definitely a morally grey character either way, but I suppose in the drama it feels more like he was manipulated by DT from a very young age; he didn't really have a choice but to follow his father's plans, or else he would be tortured. Whereas in the novel it's a bit more ambiguous whether he was forced into carrying the Spirit Spring or not. "I already had the Spirit Spring forced inside me so I might as well use it to take revenge on everyone" vs. "I'm going to seize the power of the Spirit Spring and take over the world just cause I want to". DT also gave SYS the cup of falling water that amplified his negative emotions toward MQG, and showed him how to retrieve the rest of the Spirit Spring from the netherworld. So yeah, it doesn't make SYS less of a bad person per se (he did all those things willingly after all), but I think it mitigates some of the responsibility for his actions.

I really wish the novel had more of their early life too! Huge kudos to the drama screenwriters for putting together so many scenes from scratch. Those few episodes are some of my favorites in the entire show and I've rewatched them like 10 times already 😂

I finally finished reading the novel that Love of the Divine Tree is based on, and I really enjoyed it! Here's my thoughts I have on the novel compared to the drama.

Things they added to the drama that I like:

- More scenes dedicated to how Mu Qingge took in Su Yishui and treated him in the past, showing how he slowly warmed up to her. I especially love the scene where SYS treats MQG's injury, the scene where SYS first calls her "shifu", and the scene where MQG welcomes SYS home on his birthday. They did a great job adding some extra sentimental value to the titular trees. "Where there is a tree, there is home."

- The abuse and abandonment that Su Yishui suffered in his youth, giving an explanation for why he was a cold person obsessed with power and making it easier to sympathize with him.

- Su Yu's obsession with Mu Qingge and rivalry with Su Yushui. SY plays a smaller role in the novel, mostly only relevant for the palace arc, and he is SYS's uncle who has already become emperor. I appreciated the added layers to his character in the drama - the way he met MQG and his subsequent obsession, his scorn for MRW, the betrayal and scheming between him and his brothers, and his eventual decision to sacrifice himself to stop Dun Tian.

- Scenes showing why Tu Jiuyuan had feelings for Wei Jiu and how they eventually made up.

- Wen Hongshan as a love interest that matures and learns how to move on, rather than a schemer who gets herself killed. She's a very respectable side character in the drama, and her budding relationship with Yan Liangyu is pretty cute.

- Demon SYS, because that hairstyle and those clothes are everything.

Things they added to the drama that I have mixed feelings on:

- The Ice Lotus Technique and the Unfeeling Mantra. I prefer SYS's change in behavior after MQG's death to be attributed to his own grief and self-reflection, not as something he HAS to do to maintain his power (though it is for the purpose of fulfilling MQG's wish, so I don't dislike it either). I liked the angst of SYS being unable to control his emotions and getting the ice backlash, but it also ended up causing this back-and-forth behavior where SYS couldn't decide if he wanted to be near Ranran or not, which I know frustrated some viewers. SYS in the novel is a lot less restrained.

- Dun Tian as a big bad that had a hand in teaching MQG and manipulating SYS. I do like this feeling in the drama that he has been orchestrating things from the start, with hints to his plans scattered all throughout the show. But at the same time, it makes some of his actions less explicable. For example, I can buy that he took in MQG and Mu Ranwu on a whim because they reminded him of his daughters, but then the way he feels absolutely no remorse for trying to kill them later makes this plot point feel less meaningful. Also, his role in directly giving SYS the Spirit Spring sort of changes SYS's development, because you can argue SYS was never really a bad person, he was always a victim. In the novel, DT only tries to manipulate SYS near the end to activate the tower and go back in time.

Things in the novel but not in the show that I like:

- The curse on SYS's face is significantly more terrifying. He's described as having indistinguishable features aside from his mouth and chin, with people shrinking back and even fainting from fear upon seeing his face, which he typically hides behind a veil.

- Xue Ranran has adoptive parents that care very deeply about her. The scene where they pressure amnesiac SYS into proposing to XRR is really hilarious. They even check if old man SYS still has the physical fitness to "take care of" Ranran 😂 (SYS then proceeded to keep XRR in the bridal chamber for 8 days... oh my)

- Yu Tong has a family! She struggles between wanting to cultivate and serve SYS, and wanting to leave Mount Wester to get married and take care of her kid. Both her and her brother, Yu Chen, have more personality in the novel.

- SYS suppresses the Spirit Spring directly with his body, not with the Heavenly Bottle. It's decribed like being trapped in a room with a tiger, always vigilant (I guess this is similar to the scene in the drama where young SYS is trapped with a demonic beast). To me, this makes SYS's spiritual power and willpower both seem more formidable. The funny thing is, in the drama the Spirit Spring only makes SYS forcefully kiss XRR a couple times, but in the novel he is apparently all over her every single night... And he is a lot more of an irritable asshole in the novel as well, it's pretty hilarious.

- MQG once made SYS a lantern before, and he broke it on purpose. The drama only shows how XRR broke the lantern SYS gave her. XRR's jealousy over being treated as a "replacement" for MQG feels more pronounced.

- Besides playing the qin, MQG also taught SYS how to play chess! They must have done a lot of recreational activities together.

- SYS and XRR make a plan where he fakes killing her in order to trick DT. This scene is so dramatic, with SYS shedding tears of blood and everything... I would've loved to see the actors perform this scene.

- The subplot about the relationship between Medicine Immortal and the Dragon Goddess.

- The scene where Wei Jiu dresses as a girl to get close to XRR, and SYS comes in and starts punching him to death, comedy gold!

- The one-off line by Bai Baishan about how SYS's good looks were so renowned that he even had some male admirers.

Things in the novel but not in the show that I have mixed feelings on:

- Pretty much everything that has to do with the immortals. They reveal that SYS used to be a high-ranking immortal that was sent to experience tribulations in the mortal world so he could learn what love is, and how XRR was a divine fruit that wanted to save him from a poisonous snake but got him in trouble instead... I don't think this backstory is really necessary, so I don't mind that they removed it from the drama.

- It's funny how XRR and SYS found a loophole to both survive the heavenly lightning, and I like how XRR was able to experience a bit of what SYS did by waiting for him to reincarnate from the tree, but again, I don't mind that this was removed. Just let them have a happy married life!

- Tu Jiuyuan was apparently one of MQG's fellow disciples, and felt jealous of her. I prefer her character in the drama, less petty and more self-respecting.

- In the novel, Zeng Yi (and later Bai Baishan as part of his punishment) didn't just lose one arm, he lost ALL his fingers and crafts things with his feet instead. It's more impressive this way, but also I'm glad I didn't have to see the actors picking up chopsticks with their toes 😂

All in all, I really enjoyed both the novel and the drama and I think that both have their own merits. I ended up liking SYS more in the drama, but I liked XRR/MQG more in the novel. I think XRR's thoughts and emotions are more easily understood through the novel than through Julia Xiang's performance, though I think Julia Xiang did a great job portraying MQG's character.

[arokomaeda]

some crazy good fanfic in my google docs. whatever guy started writing it i hope he finishes it

[arokomaeda]

me when i have to go to my job that i willingly applied for and honestly isn’t even difficult and is on the whole pretty enjoyable

[arokomaeda]

I finally finished reading the novel that Love of the Divine Tree is based on, and I really enjoyed it! Here's my thoughts I have on the novel compared to the drama.

Things they added to the drama that I like:

- More scenes dedicated to how Mu Qingge took in Su Yishui and treated him in the past, showing how he slowly warmed up to her. I especially love the scene where SYS treats MQG's injury, the scene where SYS first calls her "shifu", and the scene where MQG welcomes SYS home on his birthday. They did a great job adding some extra sentimental value to the titular trees. "Where there is a tree, there is home."

- The abuse and abandonment that Su Yishui suffered in his youth, giving an explanation for why he was a cold person obsessed with power and making it easier to sympathize with him.

- Su Yu's obsession with Mu Qingge and rivalry with Su Yushui. SY plays a smaller role in the novel, mostly only relevant for the palace arc, and he is SYS's uncle who has already become emperor. I appreciated the added layers to his character in the drama - the way he met MQG and his subsequent obsession, his scorn for MRW, the betrayal and scheming between him and his brothers, and his eventual decision to sacrifice himself to stop Dun Tian.

- Scenes showing why Tu Jiuyuan had feelings for Wei Jiu and how they eventually made up.

- Wen Hongshan as a love interest that matures and learns how to move on, rather than a schemer who gets herself killed. She's a very respectable side character in the drama, and her budding relationship with Yan Liangyu is pretty cute.

- Demon SYS, because that hairstyle and those clothes are everything.

Things they added to the drama that I have mixed feelings on:

- The Ice Lotus Technique and the Unfeeling Mantra. I prefer SYS's change in behavior after MQG's death to be attributed to his own grief and self-reflection, not as something he HAS to do to maintain his power (though it is for the purpose of fulfilling MQG's wish, so I don't dislike it either). I liked the angst of SYS being unable to control his emotions and getting the ice backlash, but it also ended up causing this back-and-forth behavior where SYS couldn't decide if he wanted to be near Ranran or not, which I know frustrated some viewers. SYS in the novel is a lot less restrained.

- Dun Tian as a big bad that had a hand in teaching MQG and manipulating SYS. I do like this feeling in the drama that he has been orchestrating things from the start, with hints to his plans scattered all throughout the show. But at the same time, it makes some of his actions less explicable. For example, I can buy that he took in MQG and Mu Ranwu on a whim because they reminded him of his daughters, but then the way he feels absolutely no remorse for trying to kill them later makes this plot point feel less meaningful. Also, his role in directly giving SYS the Spirit Spring sort of changes SYS's development, because you can argue SYS was never really a bad person, he was always a victim. In the novel, DT only tries to manipulate SYS near the end to activate the tower and go back in time.

Things in the novel but not in the show that I like:

- The curse on SYS's face is significantly more terrifying. He's described as having indistinguishable features aside from his mouth and chin, with people shrinking back and even fainting from fear upon seeing his face, which he typically hides behind a veil.

- Xue Ranran has adoptive parents that care very deeply about her. The scene where they pressure amnesiac SYS into proposing to XRR is really hilarious. They even check if old man SYS still has the physical fitness to "take care of" Ranran 😂 (SYS then proceeded to keep XRR in the bridal chamber for 8 days... oh my)

- Yu Tong has a family! She struggles between wanting to cultivate and serve SYS, and wanting to leave Mount Wester to get married and take care of her kid. Both her and her brother, Yu Chen, have more personality in the novel.

- SYS suppresses the Spirit Spring directly with his body, not with the Heavenly Bottle. It's decribed like being trapped in a room with a tiger, always vigilant (I guess this is similar to the scene in the drama where young SYS is trapped with a demonic beast). To me, this makes SYS's spiritual power and willpower both seem more formidable. The funny thing is, in the drama the Spirit Spring only makes SYS forcefully kiss XRR a couple times, but in the novel he is apparently all over her every single night... And he is a lot more of an irritable asshole in the novel as well, it's pretty hilarious.

- MQG once made SYS a lantern before, and he broke it on purpose. The drama only shows how XRR broke the lantern SYS gave her. XRR's jealousy over being treated as a "replacement" for MQG feels more pronounced.

- Besides playing the qin, MQG also taught SYS how to play chess! They must have done a lot of recreational activities together.

- SYS and XRR make a plan where he fakes killing her in order to trick DT. This scene is so dramatic, with SYS shedding tears of blood and everything... I would've loved to see the actors perform this scene.

- The subplot about the relationship between Medicine Immortal and the Dragon Goddess.

- The scene where Wei Jiu dresses as a girl to get close to XRR, and SYS comes in and starts punching him to death, comedy gold!

- The one-off line by Bai Baishan about how SYS's good looks were so renowned that he even had some male admirers.

Things in the novel but not in the show that I have mixed feelings on:

- Pretty much everything that has to do with the immortals. They reveal that SYS used to be a high-ranking immortal that was sent to experience tribulations in the mortal world so he could learn what love is, and how XRR was a divine fruit that wanted to save him from a poisonous snake but got him in trouble instead... I don't think this backstory is really necessary, so I don't mind that they removed it from the drama.

- It's funny how XRR and SYS found a loophole to both survive the heavenly lightning, and I like how XRR was able to experience a bit of what SYS did by waiting for him to reincarnate from the tree, but again, I don't mind that this was removed. Just let them have a happy married life!

- Tu Jiuyuan was apparently one of MQG's fellow disciples, and felt jealous of her. I prefer her character in the drama, less petty and more self-respecting.

- In the novel, Zeng Yi (and later Bai Baishan as part of his punishment) didn't just lose one arm, he lost ALL his fingers and crafts things with his feet instead. It's more impressive this way, but also I'm glad I didn't have to see the actors picking up chopsticks with their toes 😂

All in all, I really enjoyed both the novel and the drama and I think that both have their own merits. I ended up liking SYS more in the drama, but I liked XRR/MQG more in the novel. I think XRR's thoughts and emotions are more easily understood through the novel than through Julia Xiang's performance, though I think Julia Xiang did a great job portraying MQG's character.

[arokomaeda]

desperately want to continue my lotdt episode summaries but work + commissions have me in a pickle. i'll have to get back to it in a week or two. genuinely i love writing them tho because when i go over the episodes with a fine comb like this, i keep finding cool details. also strangely i'm starting to appreciate mu ranwu's character?? which i definitely did not on my first watch

[arokomaeda]

LotDT: Episode 16 Summary

Previous Episode | Masterlist

In this episode, Su Yishui decides to embrace his feelings for Xue Ranran. Mu Ranwu teams up with Wei Jiu to get clues from Su Yishui. Su Yu and Xue Ranran have a heart-to-heart talk. Su Yishui takes the disciples to meet Alcohol Immortal and Liang Wumeng, and learns how to find the Spirit Spring. Full summary under the cut.

Su Yishui opens the bag of dried longan and thinks of his memories with his mother. He and Ranran visit his mother’s grave and burn the swaddling cloth as an offering. Su Yishui laments how his mother and Mu Qingge both made decisions to die for him, and wonders if he has no right to decide anything himself. Ranran tells him that when you love someone, you simply want to give the best to that person, and Jiang must have wanted Su Yishui to have a good life. She tells him that this is neither his fault nor his mother’s fault, and that the most important thing is to live in the present without regrets.

Xue Ranran leaves Su Yishui to mourn by himself for a while. The power of the Spirit Dispelling Formation dissipates, and Ranran wonders if Su Yishui will send her back to Mount Wester. Su Yishui repeats Ranran’s words to himself, and approaches her while she sleeps against a tree. Thinking that these good times won’t last, he decides to indulge himself and kisses Ranran on the forehead. Despite the pain from the backlash of the Ice Lotus technique, he smiles.

Su Yishui returns to the inn spitting up blood. Meanwhile, Zeng Yi notices that the Ice Lotuses at Mount Wester are melting. He uses a pendant to teleport to Su Yishui and questions him. Su Yishui says he knows it’s not a wise decision, but he’s willing to sacrifice his life to seal the Spirit Spring instead of using the Ice Lotus technique. He forcefully sends Zeng Yi back to Mount Wester.

Mu Ranwu meditates to prepare herself in case the One Qi to Break the Galaxy technique is used to drain her power again. A flashback shows that the reason Mu Ranwu started coughing up blood when she formed her Golden Core in her previous life is because she used a bunch of quick-and-dirty cultivation techniques that caused a backlash. An immortal doctor tells her that besides getting rid of the techniques, the only other option would be to use another person’s spiritual energy to suppress it. Mu Ranwu received the Spirit-Devouring Lock from Prince Ping’s magician so that she could steal Mu Qingge’s spiritual power and protect her Golden Core.

In the present, the Resentment Liquid starts acting up. Mu Ranwu is confused because she thought Su Yishui had removed it. From outside, Wei Jiu in his bird form tells Mu Ranwu to find him if she wants to stop the pain. He flies away, leading Mu Ranwu to an empty forest. Angry about how Mu Qingge humiliated him in the past, Wei Jiu tortures Mu Ranwu with the Resentment Liquid and tells her to beg for mercy. Mu Ranwu immediately surrenders, and Wei Jiu remarks that “Mu Qingge” has become boring.

Mu Ranwu reveals to Wei Jiu that she has the Soul-Devouring Lock and that the other Reincarnation Fruit has stolen her spiritual power. Wei Jiu suggests that they cooperate and find clues from Su Yishui. Wei Jiu warns Mu Ranwu that Su Yu has doubts about her, then leaves. Afterward, Mu Ranwu notices the shadow guard that Su Yu sent to watch her. She resolves again to kill Mu Qingge.

Xue Ranran approaches Su Yishui, who is standing alone by a pond. She asks if she can join him in searching for the Spirit Spring. Su Yishui tells her that he called her here to enjoy the scenery, and with a wave of his hand, the pool starts sparkling with night mayflies. He remarks that this scenery is similar to the Paired Wings Auspicious Cloud, and thought Ranran might want to see it. He agrees to let Ranran stay with him, which makes her very happy.

Mu Ranwu approaches Ranran asking to see Su Yishui, but Ranran doesn’t want anything to do with her. Wang Suizhi offers some money, and Ranran questions if the old Wester Sect disciples accepted bribes. Mu Ranwu’s new disciple, Lin Yeting, starts yelling at Ranran, but Su Yishui walks out and silences him. He agrees to talk with Mu Ranwu about the Reincarnation Tree. Ranran wonders why Mu Ranwu wants to talk privately with Su Yishui, and Xi’er smells her jealousy.

Su Yishui pretends not to know anything about a second Reincarnation Fruit. Mu Ranwu questions why the Resentment Liquid has started acting up again. Su Yishui tells her that he is only able to suppress it, not completely remove it, and tells her to go to Su Yu instead. Mu Ranwu tries to appeal to Su Yishui’s emotions by telling him that he is the one she cares about. She attempts to hug him, but is pushed away. Su Yishui coldly tells her to find her own solution and walks away. Mu Ranwu wonders if she misunderstood Su Yishui’s feelings for Mu Qingge or if he is deliberately hiding Mu Qingge, and decides that she will team up with Wei Jiu.

While Ranran is looking for fish to buy, she runs into Su Yu. He offers to take her on his boat so she can catch fresh fish, and she agrees. The two chat over some tea. Su Yu confides in Ranran about how he feels despondent despite seeing the old friend that he had been waiting for all this time. Ranran decides to hear him out to help him sort out his thoughts. He tells her about how Mu Qingge made good on her promise to repay him back in the times of famine, and how he visited Mount Absolute every year after she died. He tells Ranran that Mu Qingge seems different now, but Ranran tells him that as long as the two are happy with each other, that’s all that matters. Su Yu thanks Ranran for her advice.

Ranran cooks fish soup for Su Yu while thinking to herself how she’d like to make it for Su Yishui later. She tells Su Yu that she learned the recipe from the Collection of Entertainment, and lets Su Yu take a look at it. Su Yu notices that there are notes about Su Yishui’s past, and finds it strange that Su Yishui would allow Ranran to keep it. He tells Ranran that her master has been kind to her, and Ranran tells him about the ways she has been trying to please Su Yishui by learning from the book, although there are some inaccuracies. For example, Su Yishui doesn’t like dried longan. Su Yu tells Ranran that it is a popular snack among poor people, and Su Yishui probably ate it when he lived with his mother. He suggests that Su Yishui probably holds onto it to remind himself of how his mother betrayed him, but Ranran disagrees, saying Su Yishui cherishes his relationship with his mother.

They decide to drop the subject. Su Yu tastes the fish soup Ranran made, and notes that Ranran’s cooking and wine both taste like Mu Qingge’s. He asks Ranran to tell him more about herself. The two chat and eat together happily. Su Yishui watches them from the docks and huffs in anger. When Ranran finally leaves the boat, one of Su Yu’s guards sends her a gift from Su Yu.

Su Yu returns to the quarters where Mu Ranwu is waiting for him. He asks if she can give him the Health Pill she promised for his father, and she hands it over. Su Yu tells her they will continue to inspect the waterways tomorrow, but Mu Ranwu tells him that she has personal matters to attend to and will find him later.

Su Yu brings the Health Pill to Feng for inspection, and finds that it is extremely low-grade. Fengs tells him that it’s not due to a lack of power, but a lack of talent. Su Yu’s shadow guard reports that someone attempted to cast a curse to kill Zhou Feihua on Mu Qingge’s orders. He also tells Su Yu that “Mu Qingge” has been meeting with Wei Jiu. Su Yu is unsettled, but has to prioritize the waterway situation.

Xi’er gives Gao Cang and Bai Baishan some pills to recover from recent events. Su Yishui takes them to Mount Cuiwei to see a friend who knows about talismans, ignoring Ranran’s request to say goodbye to Su Yu and Qin Xuanjiu. At the entrance of Mount Cuiwei, Su Yishui requests to see Alcohol Immortal, but he refuses, calling Su Yishui a punk. Ranran tries to get Alcohol Immortal to help them by telling him that his wine is not as good as Mistaken Divine. This catches his attention, and he tastes some of the Mistaken Divine that Ranran brewed. Ranran says that she will teach him the recipe as long as he helps Su Yishui.

Su Yishui tells Alcohol Immortal about the clues at Wangxiang Pass that suggest the Spirit Spring is trying to break its seal. Alcohol Immortal confirms that this is a real possibility. He remarks with hostility that since Su Yishui is so smart and good-looking, it’s no wonder Mu Qingge fell for his trap. Su Yishui asks if Alcohol Immortal can tell him how to find the Spirit Spring. Alcohol Immortal tells him that something with Mu Qingge’s spiritual energy can help them track it down.

Ranran walks in and gives a freshly-brewed bottle of Mistaken Divine to Alcohol Immortal. Su Yishui wonders if Ranran will be able to sense the Spirit Spring’s whereabouts. He asks if Alcohol Immortal will let them stay for a few days, and Alcohol Immortal acquiesces at Ranran’s request.

Su Yishui takes Ranran on a walk in the forest. He tells her that since she grew on the same tree as Mu Qingge, she may be able to sense the Spirit Spring. Ranran uses her piece of the Reincarnation Tree to try to detect the Spirit Spring, and Su Yishui helps her release her spiritual power. They determine the direction of the Spirit Spring, but with the disciples still recovering from demonic poison, Su Yishui says that they will rest for a few days before setting off. He tells Ranran not to let the others know about the Spirit Spring for now. Ranran asks if this counts as a secret between the two of them, and Su Yishui says it does. Ranran excitedly tells Ling Xiao about how well Su Yishui has been treating her lately.

Wei Jiu and Mu Ranwu see Bai Baishan walking around by himself. Wei Jiu wants to capture him to find out Su Yishui’s plans, but Mu Ranwu warns him that Su Yishui wouldn’t disclose important information to his disciples. She suggests using Bai Baishan as bait instead, and Wei Jiu remarks on how cunning “Mu Qingge” has become.

Bai Baishan walks around at a market and sees a man trying to sell a Sword Heart Pill, a supposedly top-tier pill for cultivators. Although it’s against Su Yishui’s orders, he buys and eats the pill, causing him to hallucinate and see the salesman as a beautiful girl. Entranced, he lets the “girl” take him by the hand and lead him away.

While Ranran is cooking at Mount Cuiwei, she notices a man secretly stealing her food and stops him using Ling Xiao. The man wonders how the spiritual soul has been sustained for over 20 years, noting that even the Blood Chalcedony shouldn’t be so effective. Alcohol Immortal rushes in to stop them from fighting, and Ranran realizes that the man is Liang Wumeng.

Ranran talks to Liang Wumeng outside, asking for his help. Liang Wumeng says he’s starting to take a liking to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. Su Yishui uses magic to knock his hand away.

Next Episode | Masterlist

[arokomaeda]

Narrative Parallels in LotDT

After watching Love of the Divine Tree a few times now, I feel pretty impressed by the plot made by the screenwriters. There are never any unnecessary details or filler; every single subplot serves some narrative purpose. Here, I will be pointing out some of my favorites.

1. The Ironclad White Tiger and "Ferocious Beast" Su Yishui

Mu Qingge initially fights with the tiger for the ice lotuses, then transforms it into a cute little cat. Having failed its duty and afraid of punishment, the cat decides to go with Mu Qingge, and she happily takes it with her. Sound familiar? Mu Qingge likewise removes Su Yishui from his role as Prince Ping's blade, and takes care of him at Mount Wester.

When Wei Jiu attacks the Wester disciples, Ranran sees the cat in danger and tries to help it, but the cat transforms into a tiger to defend Ranran instead. Su Yishui tells Ranran not to risk herself, the tiger can take care of itself.

On top of all that, Su Yishui possesses the tiger to protect Ranran, and the tiger also temporarily possesses him, leading to the adorable cat Su Yishui scene.

2. The demon cat and the Demon's Child (the cat-coding continues)

Qin Xuanjiu is very fond of his cat, Coal, whom he found as a stray several years ago. Despite the evidence that Coal is a demon, Qin Xuanjiu insists that Coal would never harm anyone.

Bai Baishan is quick to assume that Coal is the cause of the soldiers' deaths at Wangxiang Pass, but Ranran investigates thoroughly and proves that Coal has been trying to save the soldiers, not kill them. In the end, Coal sacrifices itself to protect its most important person — Qin Xuanjiu.

As the Demon's Child, Su Yishui is easily scorned and feared by others, but Mu Qingge knows that being the Demon's Child is not the same as being evil, and believes that he can be a good person. Su Yishui also sacrifices himself to destroy the Spirit Spring and protect Mu Qingge, but thankfully he is saved from death.

3. Liu and the Green Dragon — an insight into "bad end" Su Yishui

The Green Dragon met Liu many years ago and the two fell in love. Later, the Spirit Spring manipulated Liu into using the Nine-Headed Kui'ao to kill innocent people in an attempt to revive the Green Dragon. She petitions Su Yishui to stop Liu from harming more innocents for her sake. As she fades away, Liu chases after her and begs her not to leave him in a manner very reminiscent of Su Yishui's reaction when Mu Qingge died.

It's not hard to imagine that, under the right circumstances, Su Yishui could be driven to kill innocent people to keep Mu Qingge by his side. However, his inherent kindness and willingness for self-sacrifice shine through, and he mostly only hurts himself for Mu Qingge's sake.

The way that Liu and the Green Dragon's souls inhabited the same body was also quite interesting — although they were together, they could never truly meet with each other. Su Yishui feels similarly toward Ranran, saying that it feels like he got Mu Qingge back, yet not really.

4. Mu Ranwu and Wang Suizhi — an alternate insight into "bad end" Su Yishui

Leading up to Wang Suizhi's death, Mu Ranwu loses more and more of her allies and power. In the end, only Wang Suizhi still supports her and wants the best for her, but she only realizes this once it's too late. She begs him not to leave her alone, and becomes an empty shell of herself.

Contrast this with Su Yishui's reaction to Mu Qingge's death. Without the Spirit Spring, his dreams of conquest are dashed, and what remains is his wish to keep Mu Qingge by his side. Unlike Mu Ranwu, however, Su Yishui is a man that is willing to make sacrifices for other people. He immediately makes a plan to bring Mu Qingge back to life and repay the debt he owes her.

5. Motherly love and Su Yishui's family history of arson

When Su Yishui learns that his mother died in a vain attempt to protect him from Prince Ping's control, he likens it to Mu Qingge's sacrifice for him and questions why they both made decisions for him. The pattern is the same: while they were alive, they distanced themselves from Su Yishui, causing him to feel betrayed and full of hatred, but after they die for his sake and he learns the truth, he is overcome with guilt and regret.

A funny detail is that both Su Yishui and his mother commit arson, but for entirely different reasons. Su Yishui burns his mother's house in anger, severing their bond. His mother later burns Prince Ping's lodgings in order to steal the Heavenly Bottle and protect her son.

6. Bai Baishan's rebellion and repentance

I think that Bai Baishan's little character arc is quite charming. He starts off arrogant and is annoyed that Ranran is improving faster than him, so he disobeys his master's orders and puts the disciples in danger as a result.

When Su Yishui expels him from Mount Wester as punishment, Bai Baishan begs for mercy and admits his mistake. Su Yishui sees himself in Bai Baishan, and after talking with Ranran, he gives Bai Baishan another chance. From then on, Bai Baishan corrects his attitude and diligently serves his master.

In some way, I think this is therapeutic for Su Yishui. He was also a rebellious disciple that Mu Qingge banished from Mount Wester, but he didn't get the chance to ask for forgiveness. In fact, Mu Qingge never blamed him for his actions, and Su Yishui strives to become a good master like Mu Qingge was to him.

7. Dun Tian and Mu Qingge's approach to ascension

I mentioned this briefly in another post, but it's interesting that Dun Tian and Mu Qingge essentially had to face the same decision: protect your loved one(s), or defeat "evil" to ascend to immortality.

Dun Tian chose to sacrifice his family in order to defeat the Mortal-Demon King and ascend, but his regret over this decision leads to all the major conflicts in the show. It was remarked by Alcohol Immortal's brother that Dun Tian found godhood boring, and would entertain himself by collecting human memories.

Mu Qingge, on the other hand, knows from the beginning that she finds ascension boring and would rather enjoy a life in the mortal world with the people she loves. Liang Wumeng tells her that the appearance of the Demon's Child is the perfect chance for her to defeat him and ascend, but of course, she falls in love with the Demon's Child instead and teaches him how to share a peaceful life with her.

8. Su Yishui and Xue Ranran — I will teach you and protect you like you once did for me.

Aaaand... we finally get to the meat of this show. The most obvious parallel that everything revolves around. The switch in the master-disciple relationship between our two lovely protagonists.

The callbacks are numerous:

Forcing the other to become their disciple

Arriving at Mount Wester's gate

Training the disciple in Westerly Valley

The disciple seeing the master partially undressed from behind

Mu Qingge / Xue Ranran trapping Su Yishui in the bathtub

The disciple initially trying to escape Mount Wester, but choosing to stay after receiving the master's kindness

Su Yishui playing the qin for Mu Qingge / Xue Ranran

Giving a tree as a gift and calling it home

Sharing food and drink together under the tree

Mu Qingge / Xue Ranran teaching Su Yishui to live in the present

Su Yishui furtively kissing Mu Qingge / Xue Ranran on the forehead

Mu Qingge / Xue Ranran non-consensually touching Su Yishui, and him secretly enjoying it

Preparing lanterns for each other as a gift

Jealousy over the other's perceived interest in a rival (Su Yu / Mu Qingge)

Forgetting and later regaining their memories together

Dying for each other

As you can see, they mostly care for each other in the same way. Really matching each other's freak here. I'd say the main difference is that in both lives, it is Qingge/Ranran who provides more emotional support for Su Yishui, not vice versa. In any case, I love how Su Yishui passes on the love that he initially rejected from Mu Qingge, but now cherishes more than anything.

There are probably lots of other narrative parallels that I didn't touch on here. Feel free to share which ones you like!

[arokomaeda]

LotDT: Episode 15 Summary

Previous Episode | Masterlist

In this episode, Madam Wu reveals herself as the fish demon seeking to avenge her son. Xue Ranran retrieves her son's remains, but Mu Ranwu kills Madam Wu. Xue Ranran advances her cultivation and learns that Madam Wu was likely influenced by the Spirit Spring. Su Yishui reads his mother's last words. Full summary under the cut.

A possessed Qin Xuanjiu walks toward the river. Right as the fish demon lady attacks, Coal runs in and blocks the attack. Su Yishui and the disciples arrive to stop her. Su Yishui lets Ranran take command, and she and the disciples trap the demon in a formation. Wei Jiu watches from afar.

Su Yishui wakes up Qin Xuanjiu. He worries about Coal, who lies dead on the ground. Ranran remarks on how Coal has been trying to save the soldiers, and in the end was able to protect Qin Xuanjiu at least. Qin Xuanjiu admits that he was scared when he discovered Coal was a demon, but wishes it didn’t sacrifice itself for him.

The demon lady reveals herself to be Madam Wu. She reveals that she wanted revenge on the soldiers for her son’s death. Qin Xuanjiu tries to explain that his death was an accident, but Madam Wu says that it was a lie made up by the perpetrators. She talks about how her son lied about his age to join the guard so that he could make money to support her. In the end, the friends he made in the guard left him in the Death Realm so they could save their own lives.

Madam Wu says that she received help from immortals, and claims that the immortals will kill them all. Su Yishui notices a rune on the back of her neck and asks where it came from, but Madam Wu says she won’t tell them anything unless they bring back her son’s remains. Su Yishui wonders if the rune came from the Spirit Spring. Wei Jiu also notices that the Spirit Spring must be nearby.

Madam Wu is brought back to the military camp, and Ranran and Qin Xuanjiu discuss what to do next. Su Yishui drives off a bird creature, which is Wei Jiu in disguise. Ranran tells Su Yishui that she knows this case must be related to the Spirit Spring and tries to convince him to let her investigate with him.

Su Yu arrives at the camp and asks what Ranran and Su Yishui are doing there. Su Yu tries to convince Ranran to help him, but Su Yishui refuses. Mu Ranwu also arrives, and Qin Xuanjiu greets her as his master. She says that since he doesn’t know any immortal arts, he doesn’t count as her disciple. Su Yu’s immortal master, Feng, whispers to Su Yu that the half-human half-demon is the person they’re looking for. Su Yu wants to bring her back to the capital, but Su Yishui refuses again, saying this matter should be handled by the Heavenly Sects. Ranran has them compromise by investigating the matter together. Mu Ranwu decides to torture Madam Wu to force a confession, which bothers Ranran and Qin Xuanjiu, but Madam Wu still refuses to say anything.

Bai Baishan tells Su Yishui that Ranran has gone to the Death Realm to retrieve the remains of Madam Wu’s son. While retrieving them, Ranran is attacked by the giant python that killed him. Ranran successfully kills the monster while Su Yishui looks for her in a panic. Ranran apologizes for going against Su Yishui’s wishes, but says that she would do it again in a heartbeat. Su Yishui is reminded of how Mu Qingge once told him that helping others is better than doing nothing at all, and unexpectedly agrees with Ranran. He tells Ranran that if she ever faces danger in the future, she should call on him for help.

Mu Ranwu overhears Su Yu and Feng talking about wanting to find the origin of Madam Wu’s rune. She decides to torture Madam Wu with a Marrow-Eating Roach. Suddenly, the rune on Madam Wu’s neck activates and she breaks free. She scratches Mu Ranwu, and Mu Ranwu kills her in retaliation. Su Yu walks in and Mu Ranwu explains herself to him.

Su Yishui and Ranran have trouble escaping the Death Realm. Su Yishui explains that because Ranran killed the bone python, it released all the death energy in the realm, making them unable to use their spiritual power. Su Yishui offers his sword for Ranran to hold onto as they find a way out, but Ranran holds him by the hand instead. He protests but doesn’t stop her, and Ranran notices him blushing.

They return to the camp and learn that Madam Wu was killed by Mu Ranwu. Su Yu tells them that “Mu Qingge” acted in self-defense, and doesn’t allow Ranran to ask her about what happened. Ranran protests, saying there should have been a public trial. Su Yu offers to find a good burial place for Madam Wu and her son to put Ranran at ease.

Su Yishui and the disciples arrive at Madam Wu’s inn, where some guests are leaving because they heard the owner was a murderer. Su Yishui decides that they will continue to stay at the inn. In her room, Ranran meditates and sees a memory of Mu Qingge reading about the rune that Madam Wu had. She tells Su Yishui, and he remembers that it is the Seven Evil Transformation Spell. He explains that this spell was used by the Mortal-Demon Lord, and the Spirit Spring must be using it to attempt to break its seal.

Su Yishui helps Ranran stabilize her spiritual power as she advances to the Foundation phase. During this, Ranran enters Su Yishui’s consciousness and notices that the ice walls have melted. She talks to the soul owner about how Su Yishui has been taking care of her, and wonders if he likes her too. She wonders if Su Yishui’s face would be as soft as his hand. Distressed, Su Yishui leaves Ranran alone in the inn room.

Ranran finds a woman at the inn looking for Su Yishui, and brings her to his room. The woman says that she has been to Mount Wester many times in the past ten years to find him. She explains that she is an old friend of Su Yishui’s mother, Jiang, and was asked to deliver a key to him when she passed away in Wangxiang Pass. The key is for his mother’s last home. Su Yishui is upset and asks Ranran to see the woman out, but she insists that he visit the home to fulfill his mother’s last wish. She leaves the key on the table and sees herself out.

As soon as the woman leaves, Su Yishui breaks the key and sends the parts flying out the window into the river. Ranran notices him shaking with anger and leaves to find the pieces of the key. At night, she finally returns with the pieces. Su Yishui demands that she throw them away again, but Ranran refuses. Su Yishui tells her not to interfere with his personal matters, but she tells him that she doesn’t want to see him upset or have any regrets. He tells her to return the key to the house by herself.

Ranran arrives at the house and finds three things on the table: a letter to Shui, a bag of dried longan, and a box that gets colder as Ranran approaches it. She deduces that Jiang wanted Su Yishui to see these things himself, and sends a voice message asking for him to save her. Su Yishui arrives in a hurry and is angry with Ranran for tricking him, but Ranran tells him to investigate the strange box. He opens it and finds the Heavenly Bottle that Prince Ping once used to control him. Ranran wonders if Jiang died due to the effects of this bottle.

Su Yishui reads Jiang’s final letter, which has been spattered with blood from her illness. He learns that she sold him to Prince Ping because she hoped that he would have a better life in the palace. She deliberately mistreated him at Prince Ping’s request so that he would be willing to leave his mother. After Prince Ping’s military defeat, she overheard him talk about using the bottle to force Su Yishui to be his killing blade again. She set a fire to distract Prince Ping and stole the bottle. She wanted to return the bottle to Su Yishui, but fell ill and never recovered. She apologizes for failing Su Yishui, and he cries as he reads her letter.

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[arokomaeda]

LotDT: Episode 14 Summary

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In this episode, Su Yishui and his disciples investigate the soldiers' deaths near Wangxiang Pass. Su Yishui helps Xue Ranran with a performance and with drinking. The disciples confront the fish demon behind the deaths. Full summary under the cut.

The disciples go down the mountain to train for merits, but are confused about what to do since Su Yishui left without giving them instructions. Xi’er mentions that the Paired Wings Auspicious Cloud was around for half a day, which contradicts what Ranran saw. Ranran correctly guesses that Su Yishui deliberately dispersed the clouds to discourage her from confessing her feelings because he was also distracted by his feelings for her. She squeals in excitement, saying she still has a chance with him.

An unknown man inspects a blue crystal while saying that he will let Xue Ranran and Su Yishui get entangled with each other in order to find the Spirit Spring.

A man walks up to the disciples and asks if they can investigate the recent deaths of soldiers near the river. The disciples agree to help, but need to think of a reason they would be allowed into the military camp. They overhear an illusionist troupe talk about how they were invited to the camp, and decide to disguise themselves as the illusionists.

At the military camp, Su Yishui inspects the compass and decides to consult the Earth Immortal in the area about the demonic energy. Meanwhile, the disciples infiltrate the camp and investigate the morgue. They find that the corpses have scratches on them that have demonic energy. Ranran uses the Seeing Sunflower to see what the soldiers saw before death. In the vision, the soldier walks into the river and eats some fish that start bubbling up. A large demonic cat-like creature rushes toward him.

Ranran asks Gao Cang if he knows of any demonic beasts because his hometown is not far from Wangxiang Pass. He explains that a Death Realm formed in the area due to evil energy from the netherworld and constant warfare. As a result, livestock can’t be raised and the only meat available is fish. Therefore, he thinks there shouldn’t be a demonic beast like Ranran described. Ranran notes that the beast seemed like a cat, and might be hiding in the camp.

Su Yishui uses a drop of blood to summon the Earth Immortal. It turns out to be the same Earth Immortal that Su Yishui and Mu Qingge met years ago. He recognizes Su Yishui and tries to run away, but Su Yishui traps him. Meanwhile, Ranran and Xi’er notice the powerful earth energy, and ask some soldiers to come with them to catch the demon. Su Yishui uses the Spirit Dispelling Formation, which has a subordinate position and a master position, to try to force the Earth Immortal to help him. However, Ranran suddenly runs into the formation, and the Earth Immortal swaps the positions so that Ranran is the master and Su Yishui is the subordinate.

The soldiers mistake Su Yishui for a “pretty boy” demon and prepare to capture him, but Ranran clears up the misunderstanding by claiming that he is part of their illusionist troupe. Qin Xuanjiu walks up and dismisses the soldiers. Ranran tells him about their investigation into the murders, but Su Yishui says they should stop investigating and leave. Ranran refuses to leave, and Su Yishui is unexpectedly deferential thanks to the effects of the formation. Ranran takes advantage of this to tease him a bit, which entertains Qin Xuanjiu, so he decides to let her stay.

They compare the demonic energy from the corpses to the energy from the compass and find that it’s the same. Ranran asks Qin Xuanjiu if there are any cats in the camp, and he says that he picked up a stray cat, Coal. Qin Xuanjiu also has scratches on his hand from Coal. Bai Baishan and Gao Cang run up and tell Ranran that they need to perform illusions now.

A crowd of soldiers is eagerly waiting for their illusion performance. Ranran has the soldiers raise their hands, and notices that all of them have cat scratches. She summons a peach blossom branch for her performance, but it stops producing petals because Ranran doesn’t have enough spiritual power. Suddenly, Su Yishui walks over while playing the flute, causing the peach blossom to grow dramatically. The soldiers are all impressed by the performance. Su Yishui and Ranran exchange a happy glance.

At night, a banquet is arranged for the soldiers so that Ranran can talk to them and investigate the case. Ranran plays a round of Immortal Master cards with some soldiers, where they compare the ranks of famous Immortal Masters. One of the soldiers draws a Su Yishui card, and claims that none of the four major Heavenly sects can match him. Ranran turns to see Su Yishui’s reaction. She draws a Mu Qingge card and wins the game.

Ranran asks about any strange occurrences. She learns that all the soldiers on patrol come from the Elite Armored Guard. Some other soldiers come up to Ranran, flirt with her, and invite her to drink with them. Su Yishui angrily knocks them to the ground, and Ranran tries to apologize by having one drink with them. Su Yishui drinks it in her place and falls unconscious against her forehead.

Meanwhile, Wei Jiu watches the camp from afar and notes that Su Yishui came in a rush as soon as he stirred up the Spirit Spring.

After the banquet, Qin Xuanjiu tells the disciples to stay at an inn. Because Su Yishui is still unconscious, Ranran uses a spell to make him walk. Qin Xuanjiu takes them to the inn run by his godmother, Madam Wu. He mentions that Su Yishui left Mount Wester in a hurry.

Inside the inn, Ranran wonders if Su Yishui knows about her feelings and rushed to avoid her. She puts a branch of peach blossoms on him, and he suddenly wakes up. Ranran tries to convince Su Yishui to let her stay and investigate the case. Using the Spirit Dispelling Charm, she forces him to eat the almond crackers she made. She explains that she tried to make it according to his tastes. Su Yishui allows her to stay until the formation loses its effect.

Ranran asks if the Earth Immortal recognized her because of her past life, but Su Yishui refuses to give her any details. She tells Su Yishui that she saw that Ling Xiao’s owner seemed like he was going to kill her, and Su Yishui silently thinks that her memories are starting to be recovered. Ranran asks if she was a bad person in her past life, and Su Yishui insists that she was very good.

Qin Xuanjiu and Xi’er enter the room. Ranran asks Qin Xuanjiu if his cat has an injured paw because she noticed the strange scratch marks on all the soldiers, and he confirms it. She tells him that the dead soldiers also had similar scratch marks, suggesting that the demonic beast also has an injured paw. Qin Xuanjiu is upset and claims Coal would never harm anyone. Su Yishui tells him that becoming a demon and harming people are not the same thing. Ranran gives Qin Xuanjiu a demon-revealing talisman to stick on Coal to check their assumption.

Ranran explains to Xi’er that she used the peach blossom petals during the performance to put a spirit-tracking talisman on all the soldiers so that they can catch the demon if it tries to control any of them. Su Yishui leaves and goes to the riverside. He notices that there is resentment in the river.

Qin Xuanjiu uses the demon-revealing talisman on Coal and discovers that it is indeed the demonic beast that Ranran saw in the dead soldier’s memory. He goes looking for Su Yishui at the inn, but the disciples tell him that their master is out. Madam Wu gives them buns for breakfast, and Qin Xuanjiu says that all the soldiers love to eat her buns. Everyone except for Ranran eats the buns.

Ranran asks why Madam Wu is Qin Xuanjiu’s godmother. He explains that her son was one of his comrades and died on patrol. He asks Ranran about the demon-revealing talisman, and Ranran says that while Coal is definitely a demon, it doesn’t seem like a harmful monster. She says they need to wait for her spirit-tracking talisman to be activated.

After sunset, the spirit-tracking talisman is finally activated and the disciples rush to the riverside. They find the possessed soldier walking toward the water and Bai Baishan knocks him out. Everyone except Ranran starts to hear a strange sound in their heads. The cat demon starts to approach and Bai Baishan tells Ranran to stop it with a formation, but Ranran notices something is off. A bunch of fish rush out of the water toward them, and they use the formation to stop the fish attack. However, everyone but Ranran gets possessed and starts walking toward the river.

Ranran knocks the disciples out and uses her peach blossom branch to stop the fish. She notices that the branch has Su Yishui’s spiritual power, and a brief flashback reveals that he infused it with his power back at the inn. Elsewhere, Su Yishui notices that the resentment went toward Ranran. A fish demon lady comes out of the water and attacks Ranran. Ranran uses the One Qi to Break the Galaxy technique that she saw in Ling Xiao’s memories, causing the demon to retreat.

Meanwhile, Mu Ranwu is sitting in a carriage and suddenly spits up blood. She realizes that someone must have used the One Qi to Break the Galaxy technique to extract her spiritual power, and that Mu Qingge must still be alive.

Su Yishui helps Ranran recover from using the technique. He tells her that before forming a Golden Core, using that technique to borrow external power will hurt herself, and asks her not to tell anyone about the memories she sees from Ling Xiao. The other disciples wake up and ask about what happened. Bai Baishan says that a half-human half-fish demon shouldn’t exist. Su Yishui tells the disciples that the fish monster has resentment, not demonic energy. Ranran confirms that the cat demon was trying to wake up the possessed soldiers to save them.

Su Yishui removes the resentment from the three disciples. They wonder why Ranran wasn’t affected, and realize the only difference is that she didn’t eat Madam Wu’s buns. They wake up the soldier who was possessed and ask him if anyone from the Elite Armored Guard is still alive. He tells them that the only one left is Qin Xuanjiu.

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[arokomaeda]

i've never been married but i've been divorced at least 3 times

[arokomaeda]

LotDT: Episode 13 Summary

Previous Episode | Masterlist

In this episode, Xue Ranran realizes she is in love with Su Yishui despite his efforts to stay away from her for over a year. Meanwhile, Mu Ranwu's behavior rouses Su Yu and Wen Hongshan's suspicion. Wei Jiu's attempt to locate the Spirit Spring causes demonic activity to occur at Wangxiang Pass. Full summary under the cut.

Zeng Yi comes to the Seclusion Cave to check on Su Yishui. In order to focus on sealing the Spirit Spring, Su Yishui decides not to be near Ranran anymore and puts Zeng Yi in charge of her cultivation in his place.

Ranran reflects on her recent feelings. She wonders why she felt jealous about Su Yishui instead of Su Yu, and thinks about how much she liked being near her master while intoxicated. She even tries to remember the Oblivion Spell to clear her thoughts, but she can’t stop thinking about Su Yishui’s face and body (girl… you are down bad). She talks with Ling Xiao and wonders if she’s in love with her master.

The next day, Ranran goes to deliver some food to Su Yishui, but is stopped by Zeng Yi, who says her master is in seclusion. He advises her to focus on her cultivation and gives her a book about the consequences of disciples falling in love with their masters. Instead of being discouraged, Ranran takes it as a sign that she’s not the only one in her predicament.

Again, Ranran tries to deliver some dried longan to Su Yishui, but this time is stopped by Yu Chen. He tells her that Su Yishui doesn’t like dried longan. She leaves it on the table for him.

At the palace, Mu Ranwu is attacked by Zhou Feihua, who uses Mu Qingge’s sword technique. Zhou Feihua was one of Mu Qingge’s friends, and she explains that they had agreed to have a spar so Mu Qingge could assess her technique. Mu Ranwu covers her identity by saying that she lost some of her memories after her rebirth.

Su Yu is surprised to learn that “Mu Qingge” doesn’t remember or get along with Zhou Feihua, as he had hoped that having a friend in the palace would make her happy. We learn that “Mu Qingge” brought some of her old disciples to the palace, including Wang Suizhi. She has also taken a new disciple, Lin Yeting, who has a reputation for being a spoiled good-for-nothing.

Meanwhile, these disciples greet Mu Ranwu at the palace. Mu Ranwu asks if Wang Suizhi is still able to help her find wealth, to which he agrees despite Mu Qingge previously warning him against using his fortune-reading too much. Wang Suizhi asks if she knows about Mu Ranwu’s whereabouts, saying that he has been unable to find her. Mu Ranwu tells him to stop looking, as she has already died.

Mu Ranwu and Su Yu have dinner together. Su Yu tells her that his father’s health has been getting worse. He asks if she can make some Health Pills for his father. Since she has Mu Qingge’s spiritual power now, Mu Ranwu thinks making pills should be easy, so she agrees. She offers Su Yu an expensive gift, the Luminous Pearl. Su Yu had prepared a handmade bird decoration as a gift in return, but hides it away. Instead, he offers a pearl pendant.

After eating and drinking, Su Yu tells Mu Ranwu to go to Zhou Feihua if she ever needs company. However, Mu Ranwu starts speaking badly of Zhou Feihua, and is only focused on getting married to Su Yu as soon as possible. Su Yu remembers how Mu Qingge once spoke fondly of Zhou Feihua and asked him to protect her. He pushes Mu Ranwu aside and leaves.

Su Yu runs into Zhou Feihua cleaning swords in her courtyard. He gives her the bird as a gift. Su Yu would watch Zhou Feihua’s sword performances to reminisce about Mu Qingge, so Zhou Feihua asks why he still wants to see her now that Mu Qingge is back. He says that Mu Qingge used to care about others, but now she’s more focused on herself. Zhou Feihua says they should give Mu Qingge time to adjust to her new life and regain her memories. Mu Ranwu looks on from the shadows angrily.

Zeng Yi takes over the disciples’ training. Ranran goes to see Su Yishui again, but is stopped by  Yu Tong. At the palace, Wang Suizhi watches as Mu Ranwu enjoys fancy food and shows with her new disciple, Lin Yeting. A year passes.

Ranran gets first place on the annual exam, and becomes Mount Wester’s chief disciple. Zeng Yi grants her a jade pendant as proof of her new title. Ranran wonders why Su Yishui won’t even show up for this. Bai Baishan seems to be jealous that Ranran won first place.

Zeng Yi takes Ranran to the Forbidden Valley to help her solidify her foundation. He tells her to cultivate here every day for the next six months. Ranran asks again about Su Yishui, saying that the chief disciple is meant to be guarded by their master during cultivation. Zeng Yi says he will guard Ranran instead.

At the Scarlet Sect, Wei Jiu finally leaves seclusion, swearing to settle the score with Su Yishui. He asks Tu Jiuyuan about the Spirit Spring’s whereabouts, but she hasn’t been able to find it during the past year. Wei Jiu decides to let it slide because she has been guarding him while he was in seclusion.

Wei Jiu uses the Blazing Sword to convert the spiritual power of Scarlet Sect’s mountains into resentment to track down the Spirit Spring. Back at Mount Wester, Su Yishui senses Wei Jiu’s activities.

While Ranran is meditating at the Forbidden Valley, a large rock falls towards her, but is destroyed by someone who flies by. Ranran wonders if the person who saved her was Su Yishui, or if she’s just imagining things. Zeng Yi runs up to check on Ranran’s safety.

Meanwhile, deep underground at Yexin Village, the Spirit Spring sealed by Mu Qingge seems to become more active. A soldier is found dead at the riverside in Wangxiang Pass. At the barracks, a black cat destroys an active Yin Eye Stone compass. The Demon Detector at the Immortal Sect is also activated, and the Heavenly Sect leaders gather to discuss what to do about the Spirit Spring activity. Wen Hongshan is sent to keep an eye on Mu Qingge.

Ranran continues meditating at the Forbidden Valley. Through Ling Xiao’s memories, she sees Mu Qingge use the One Qi to Break the Galaxy technique on the serpent Wei Jiu summoned in the past. She also sees the soul owner walking toward Mu Qingge with a sword in hand. Ranran realizes that the woman in the memories is her previous incarnation, but she doesn’t realize that she is Mu Qingge. She wonders if her previous incarnation was a bad person. Ranran focuses on her cultivation so that she will be able to remember more about the past.

Ranran wanders into Su Yishui’s consciousness again. She tells him that in her memories, it looked like he was going to kill her, but perhaps he was trying to protect her. She wonders what kind of relationship they had. She also tells him that after the past year and a half of cultivating, she understands her feelings better and knows that she is in love with her master. Su Yishui gets teary-eyed as he listens to Ranran talk about her feelings for him. She says that even if those who covet their masters get punished by lightning, she still plans to confess to him.

As Su Yishui looks toward Ranran, he is only able to focus on the icy cage between them. Ranran wonders if his silence and seclusion here is a self-inflicted punishment. She notes that he is aloof and lonesome, just like her master. She asks if there is anyone that he misses, and he silently sheds a tear.

Ranran completes her half year of seclusion and invites Su Yishui to see the Paired Wings Auspicious Cloud with her. She starts to make a wish, but Su Yishui sneakily uses magic to send the cloud away. The cloud reappears and he sends it away again, leaving Ranran looking dejected. Su Yishui finally reveals himself to Ranran. He tells Ranran that she must choose her own path between the Feeling Mantra or Unfeeling Mantra when she builds her Foundation, advising that the hardest part to cultivate is the heart. As he walks away, Ranran regrets not being able to confess her feelings.

At the palace, Mu Ranwu angrily wonders why Su Yu has been seeing her less and less. Wen Hongshan arrives. A flashback shows that Mu Ranwu apologized at Mount Absolute for hurting Wen Hongshan’s face, and offered to heal the scar, but Wen Hongshan declined. Mu Ranwu thinks that she’s back now to take her up on the offer. Wen Hongshan knows she is Mu Ranwu, and tells her to stop pretending to be Mu Qingge. She explains that the scar on her face was not caused by Mu Qingge, and she only claimed so at the time to try and convince Su Yishui to leave Mount Wester. She demands to know where the real Mu Qingge is, otherwise she will reveal Mu Ranwu’s identity to everyone. Mu Ranwu resolves to find Mu Qingge and make sure she dies.

Zeng Yi and Su Yishui discuss Ranran’s progress in cultivation. Su Yishui says that she must build her Foundation quickly before the Spirit-Nourishing Pill in Mu Ranwu’s body runs out. Zeng Yi suggests letting Ranran go down the mountain to train for merits. The two notice the Yin Eye Stone activating in response to the Spirit Spring.

Su Yu receives an edict from his father to oversee river management in response to recent flooding disasters. The Third Prince will take care of ceremonies in Su Yu’s place in the meantime. When Su Yu asks why, the eunuch explains that his household has been gathering riches instead of praying to His Majesty, and Madam Battle has still not made the promised Health Pills for over a year.

At the gate of Mount Wester, a man asks to meet Su Yishui. The man introduces himself as Mu Qingge’s disciple, Qin Xuanjiu, who was asked to find Su Yishui at his master’s command. Zeng Yi and Su Yishui meet with him. Apparently, Mu Qingge was going to bring him to meet the other disciples after the war, but she died before they had the chance. She told him to find Su Yishui if the Yin Eye Stone compass had any unusual movement, and he presents the broken compass. He mentions that some of the men in his military camp have died in bizarre ways recently. Su Yishui detects demonic energy on the compass, and he decides to visit the camp to investigate.

Yu Tong informs Su Yishui that Ranran wants to see him, but he leaves for the camp immediately. Yu Tong tells Ranran that he’s left, much to her dismay.

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