American Perspectives: Fox Demon vs. God of War Pt. 1 ("Love and Redemption" Ep. 14)

 

 

“Love and Redemption” can be viewed on Viki or Youtube . Dialogue adapted from English subtitle translations by "Destined Love Team at Viki.com." "Love and Redemption," is based on the novel "   Liu Li Mei Ren Sha," by Shi Si Lang. The writings presented here are based on observations from the television series.

 

The Fox Demon moves close to Sifeng seductively, ready to remove his mask. Xuanji, who has been faking lethargy from the hallucinogenic smoke, immediately springs into action. She summons her umbrella and attempts to stab the Fox Demon with it, but the Fox Demon disappears. The Fox Demon reappears, and immediately puts her hand on Xuanji's neck, pushing her into the floor. “You are still fine after inhaling my Hallucination Smoke?” She examines Xuanji closely. “You are a Woman? You disguised yourself as a man to trick me. Mount Gao will never spare a woman!”

Sifeng immediately summons his sword in a burst of red energy. As he moves in to stab the Fox Demon, she disappears. She reappears right in front of him in a burst of vibrant, purple smoke. “Don't hurt her,” Sifeng says drowsily.

“Interesting,” Fox Demon laughs. “I never thought that both of you were a couple. “I hate lovers the most in my life.”

Xuanji carefully stands up. “Okay, I won’t kill her,” says Fox Demon. "Let's play a game. I'm going to inhale all the Yang Energy out of your lover. I'll make him into my slave completely. Then, he'll forget about you completely." She looks at Xuanji and smirks. "As for you, you can only think and long for him. But you'll never see him again, forever. How about that?"

Xuanji takes a deep breath, which pisses off the Fox Demon, who hurls bright purple energy at her, binding her torso with it. “Let go of me!” Screams Xuanji.  

Xuanji is hurled across the hall, and out the door. “Sifeng! Sifeng!” She starts slapping the door. “Let me in! Sifeng!” Xuanji turns around and decides to try and find another way in. She walks through a hallway, and stumbles upon a mural of a white fox. She sees another mural of the same fox pulling on a man's outer robe of his hanfu. She sees a third mural of the fox playing at his feet, while he's drinking wine. In the middle of the room is a statue of a monkey in chains. She looks at the murals again.

 

Linglong and Little Silver Flower are walking along a trail, killing some time.

“Where have they been taken to?” Linglong asks. "We can't find them anywhere. They are not in any danger, right?" Little Silver Flower puts her head on Linglong's shoulder. “Enough. Stop nagging. You are making my head hurt.”

"I'm worried about them. Unlike you. You are not worried at all. But right now, the most important thing for them is their safety. I can't wait like this any longer."

“What can you do, then?” asks Little Silver Flower.

Linglong pulls out Xuanji's Transmission Bell and rings it.

The ringing of the Transmission Bell cuts through the hollow silence of the hallway within Mount Gao. Xuanji pulls the bell from her belt.

“Xuanji,” says Linglong.

Xuanji smiles. “Linglong.”

“I can hear you,” says Linglong. “How are you now? Have you met Goddess Gao?”

"We've met her. But Sifeng and Sixth Senior have been captured."

“What?” Little Silver Flower and Linglong say in unison.

"That Goddess Gao is actually a thousand year old Fox Demon. She feeds on the energy of humans to increase her power. She already noticed us earlier on, and deliberately tricked us to go to Mount Gao. Moreover, Sifeng and the others are under The influence of Hallucination Smoke I don't know where they are now."

“I knew that Sifeng would get in trouble when he's with you,” says Little Silver Flower. "Let me ask you. Sifeng has been captured. What about you? Why didn't you save them?"

“Don't vent out your anger on my sister,” Linglong says sternly.

“I’m trapped, too,” says Xuanji. "But don't worry. I'll definitely save them."

“Xuanji,” says Linglong, “tell me. Where are you now?”

Xuanji looks around. "I'm not sure. But I remember that the Fox's place is between two mountains, and there's a stream in the middle."

“Stream?” Exclaims Little Silver Flower. She points excitedly. “Isn’t that a stream?” They see a gorgeous stream cutting through gray rocks.

“Xuanji, we got it,” says Linglong. “We’ll go and save you now, okay?”

“Be careful,” says Xuanji.

“You, too,” says Linglong. “Let’s go.”

“Linglong,” says Xuanji. But the call from the Transmission Bell has already been completed. She carefully puts the bell back in her belt. She takes a closer look at the monkey statue. "This Fox Demon is really bad. Why does she love tying things up? She even tied this stone monkey up. She moves her fingers, and emitting green energy, she breaks a chain. One of the murals opens up like a door.

 

Sifeng is lying down on a bed, the smoke of incense flowing over him. Little Six and Ruo Yu are in the same position.

The Fox Demon comes walking in, waving a purple feather fan. She leans in next to Little Six. “You filthy devil,” says Little Six. “Don’t think of seducing me and killing me.”

“Killing you?” Fox Demon laughs. "I can't bear to do that. Isn't it a pity to lose something as handsome as you are?"

She walks toward Sifeng. “Are you just going to let us stare at the ceiling?” asks Sifeng.

She twirls, and then sits down on the edge of his bed. “You are such a killjoy.” She runs her fan along his throat. "Since you're so impatient, how about..." She gets ready to remove his mask. "This mask is such an eyesore. Why can't I take it off? Could it be that this is the Lover's Curse Mask?"

“You know about it?”

She opens her fan. "I have lived for a thousand years. Of course, I know about it. I never thought that you were such an infatuated guy."

"You are a thousand year old demon. Do you still think that you are a young and beautiful lady? You're really shameless."

“Who are you calling old? If you say this kind of nonsense again, II’ll eat you!”

Sifeng rolls his eyes.

“All of you better not make me mad!”

“So what if we make you mad?” asks Little Six. “You flirtatious and shameless fox.”

"You'll be sent to Fenru City to suffer when you die, and you'll never be allowed to become a deity," says Ruo Yu.

Fox Demon waves her fan dismissively. "Are you trying to scare me? Let me tell you. I'm eager to enter Fenru City." She spins around. "Good. Since you want to do it the hard way, I'll let you have a taste of my power." She slides her open fan across the air and disappears, leaving streams of blue and purple smoke. Each stream visits each man.

She materializes over Ruo Yu first, but he doesn't see her. Instead, he sees Little Silver Flower. “Ruo Yu, Gege.” (Gege can mean both older brother, and a term of affection toward a boy that a girl likes).

“Yan Ran?” asks Ruo Yu. She leans in to kiss him.

She materializes as Linglong with Little Six. “Linglong, you’re not angry at me anymore, right?”

“Why would I be angry at you? “I like you so much.”

“Really?”

She nods.

She materializes as Xuanji with Sifeng, but she smiles and doesn't say anything.

 

As Xuanji is exploring, she finds a cave in the mountain with a waterfall and pond. She is surprised to see Ting Nu flying through the air. “Who is it?”

“Xuanji, it’s me,” says Ting Nu. 

She approaches him. “You are that merman?”

“My name is Ting Nu. Xuanji, long time, no see.”

"I never thought I'd see you here. Has your wound healed? Why are you here?"

“Long story,” says Ting Nu. “Let’s talk about you first. “Why are you here?”

“I was caught by that Fox Demon.”

"The Purple Fox is too stubborn. She wouldn't listen to me," says Ting Nu.

“Are you saying that she caught you to help her increase her power, too?”

"She caught me for another purpose. Actually, Purple Fox is doing something out of her capability."

Xuanji looks at him curiously.

“Do you really not remember anything?” he asks.

Xuanji shakes her head.

"Never mind. I used to be a medic from the Heavenly Realm. I was sent to Earth because I was involved in an incident. She wanted to know about an event that happened in the Heavenly Realm 1,000 years ago. So, she caught me. She thought that everyone who had been in the Heavenly Realm would know about it. How would an unimportant official know about that incident? But Purple Fox wouldn't believe me here."

“So, you were once a deity from the Heavenly Realm? What does the Heavenly Realm look like? Is it beautiful?" "There's a lotus pond in the Heavenly Realm. There was once a beautiful general, a goddess of war. And she would talk to the Rose Gold Bird everyday by the pond. It was the most beautiful scene that I'd ever seen. Although, the Heavenly Realm is beautiful, there are disputes between deities, too. Let's not talk about it anymore, just now, you said that your seniors had been taken away by Purple Fox."

“I don't know what that Fox is doing to my seniors now," says Xuanji. “I have to find her. and defeat her. Then, I’ll save everyone.”

“Xuanji, if you want to defeat Purple Fox, you have to find her real body.”

“Her real body? She is now separated from her body. Mortals will not be able to defeat her.”

"No wonder I couldn't score a hit on her. Where is her real body, then?”

“Bring me with you,” says Ting Nu. “I can help you.”

"Huh, but..." she looks down at his Merman's tail, as she can't quite carry him. "This..."

"I'll be fine. Although I can't walk on land, I have a solution." He points to a wooden wheelchair. "Look. But the Purple Fox has concealed this place with a spell. Our tribe has zero attack power. So, I can't break the barrier here.But it should not be hard for you."

 

The Fox Demon, shape shifted as Xuanji, is carressing Sifeng's face. "Sifeng, we haven't seen each other for four years. I missed you a lot. I'm very happy that you are cursed with the Lover's Curse Mask because of me. Actually, I fell in love with you at first sight. "

"Xuanji," Sifeng whispers.

 

Xuanji pushes Ting Nu in his wheelchair through one of the hallways. They stop in front of a fox statue.

“Xuanji, I think it's just around here,” says Ting Nu.

“Where is it?” She runs up the steps leading to the statue. She runs back down the steps. "What should we do? So much time has passed. If we can't find it, Sifeng and the others will be in trouble."

"Xuanji, calm down. Although Purple Fox's real body is in slumber, it's six senses are still opened. Every living thing has a sound they hate the most. Let's give it a try." He reaches into his Hanfu sleeve, “And make it come to us.” He pulls out a small, green conch shell. He blows on it, and waves of colorless energy emit. The platform holding the fox statue slowly rises. Underneath, in a comfortable nest, is a beautiful purple and white fox.

“It is indeed here,” says Xuanji. “I’m going to catch it now.”

"Xuanji, don't be rash. Purple Fox is not an evil demon. Don't kill her."

"But she took my friends. How can I let her go?"

“Threaten her with her true body, and she’ll release your friends.”

“No. She did something bad. I have to kill her.”

Ting Nu sighs. “You are still the same.”

“What do you mean?”

"It's not easy for others to take the form of a human. Actually, she has never hurt anyone before. She just took a wrong turn because she was too anxious. Spare her."

“She has never hurt anyone? “I don’t believe it.”

"Look, she just trapped you just now. She didn't hurt you. Besides, you have the true body of Purple Fox now. Spare her first. If you really find out that she's doing evil, you can kill her then."

“But if so, how am I going to save Sifeng and the others?”

“If you trust me, leave this matter to me. Our tribe has psychic powers. I can use her real body to let you communicate with her for awhile in order to save your seniors.” With a movement of his hands, Ting Nu injects power into the Fox Demon's body, and in Xuanji.

The Shape Shifted Xuanji is attempting to seduce Sifeng, "Are you going to do anything that I ask?"

He begins to smile.

She moves her face close to his, shifting back into the Fox Demon. She begins to take away his energy.

“Sifeng!” Xuanji calls.

The Fox Demon glares. "Who is it? My true body? Who are you? How dare you! Brat!"

“Let Sifeng go!”

“Little Girl, how dare you threaten me!” All three smoke streams disappear.

Xuanji moves toward the fox's body.

“Xuanji, show some mercy,” says Ting Nu.

She begins to move her arms, ready to cast a spell. She ignores Ting Nu as ice blue energy radiates from her hands. She points her left hand at the fox's nest, and fires. The barrier protecting the nest pushes her back.

“Xuanji, are you okay?” asks Ting Nu.

 

The effects of the Hallucination Smoke begin to wear off as Sifeng opens his eyes and looks around. He gets off the bed, and the other men begin to wake up.

Sifeng walks over to Little Six, who is still unconscious. “Minyan? Minyan?” He taps Little Six on the chin.

Little Six grabs his hand. “Linglong. “Linglong,” he says. He opens his eyes, looks over. “Sifeng?” He exclaims. He immediately releases Sifeng's hand, and sits up.

“Are you okay, Ruo Yu?” Sifeng asks.

“I’m fine,” says Ruo Yu.

Little Six clears his throat. “Sifeng, are you okay? That Demon Fox didn’t do anything to you, right?”

“Cut the nonsense,” says Sifeng.

“This is bad,” says Little Six. "That Demon Fox said she liked you the most just now. Disciples of Lize Palce are not allowed to be intimate with women, right? Did she mark you?" he grabs Sifeng's hand. “Hurry up and check.”

Ruo Yu is laughing at them.

"Zhong Minyan, let me tell you. Don't ever tell Xuanji about this," says Sifeng.

“Of course I won't,” says Little Six. “You can’t tell Linglong, either; or else, my reputation will be ruined.”

Sifeng smiles. “It’s a deal, then.”

“You’ll be single forever if you break it,” says Little Six.

Ruo Yu laughs at both of them.  

“Hmm?” Little Six points at Ruo Yu.

“I will not tell anyone about this,” says Ruo Yu.

"Sifeng, what do you mean by don't tell Xuanji about it? Ah...Don't tell me that the one you saw was..."

“Cut the nonsense,” says Sifeng. "We have to leave now. The fox is probably coming back soon. Let's go."

The three men walked through the foggy hallway. They come upon an alter with a drawing of the Fox Demon.

“What kind of place is this?” asks Ruo Yu.

“I remember that we came from this direction,” says Little Six. “Let’s go there and take a look.”

The three walk away from the altar. They walk down the hallway, turn a corner, and are back at the altar again. The three decide to investigate the altar.

“Why are we back at the starting point again?” asks Little Six. "That evil fox. We must have fallen into her maze formation, or what?"

“Fox Demons are good at hallucination spells,” says Sifeng. “This is probably a spell of deceit.”

“Why is there a drawing here, out of the blue?” asks Ruo Yu. “This is fishy.” He moves closer to the painting. “Maybe there’s a mechanism there.” He reaches forward.

“Don't simply touch it,” says Sifeng. Ruo Yu withdraws his arm. “There's a formation on this drawing,” Sifeng explains. “If you simply touch it, it’ll be dangerous.”

“I didn't even realize that,” says Little Six. “Do you know how to break this formation, then?”

“If my guess is right,” says Sifeng, “this must be the eye of the formation.” He drags his index and middle fingers across the air, creating a yellow, fiery trail. His arrow is summoned, and aimed at the drawing. He uncovers the formation, and with a movement of his fingers, he is able to decode it. The formation lowers to the ground. It shoots out yellow energy toward the door.

“I found it,” says Sifeng.

Little Six grins. “Amazing, Sifeng. Now I know why the disciples of Lize Palace have to wear a mask. If someone as handsome and amazing as you travel the world, all the girls would follow you like bees to honey.”

“Now is not the time to joke around,” says Ruo Yu. "This palace is full of danger. I wonder if Xuanji has gone out safely or not. If she has gone out, she'll be with Yan Ran and Linglong now, and they'll wait for us in Zhongli City. That's for the best."

"If she would just leave like that, she couldn't be Chu Xuanji," says Sifeng. "I'm sure that she's just around here, trying to save us. Let's go."

 

“I never thought you would be so weak in this life,” Ting Nu says to Xuanji. "This is bad. You must have angered the Purple Fox when you did that. She must be on her way here. Go now, or else you'll be in danger!"

"No. I can't leave Sifeng and the others behind," says Xuanji. “I have to save them.”

"Xuanji, leave now. She is 1000 years old. She has gone through the thirty six trials. Mortal fire is useless against her. It'll be too late if you don't leave now."

"No. I have to save Sifeng and the others. Today, it'll be either her or us who will die here."

“Xuanji, why do you have to be so extreme? She has never killed anyone before. Spare her life.”

“How is that possible?” asks Xuanji. "She almost killed Sifeng just now. What about the people in Zhongli City? She'll take four men every year, right? Where are they?"

Fox Demon's laughter is heard across the room. A thick streak of purple, blue, and white smoke flies into her fox nest. “You are right!” she claims. She rejoins her fox body, and shifts into human form. "I killed all of them. What can you do to me? Avenge them? By the way, I've already killed your lover in the mask, too."

“Lover in the mask?” asks Xuanji. “No. Impossible. Sifeng will be fine.”

“How is it impossible?” Fox Demon asks. "Who am I? Killing a mortal human is easy for me. Oh. Your lover is called Sifeng? He's really infatuated with you. He kept calling your name before he died."

“Sifeng will not die. You are just spouting nonsense!” Xuanji fires back.

“Purple Fox, stop saying nonsense out of anger,” Ting Nu interjects.

“So what if I’m mad?” asks Fox Demon. "Brat. Come and seek your revenge if you can. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that Sifeng has already become a dry corpse. The other two have died a horrible death, too." She swings her arm, and directs a trail of purple at Xuanji's forehead.

Xuanji immediately sees vivid imagery of the three disciples getting killed by Fox Demon. She is standing over Sifeng, taking away his soul. “No!” Yells Xuanji. "It was not easy for us to meet again. It was not easy to make him come to the human world to train with me. We promised to be together. How dare you hurt him!"

"So what if I hurt him? You are just a powerless little girl. If you don't want to die, get out now!"

“Fine,” Xuanji’s voice deepens. “Then you can try dying, too.” Her energy shifts, and her eyes turn ice blue. The blue radiates from her fists. Blue energy radiates from her entire body.

The Fox Demon's heart beats rapidly.

Ting Nu tenses up. He was very familiar with this scenario in the Heavenly Realm.

Fox Demon gets her arms in position, and moves in to attack.

The intense blue energy radiating from Xuanji's body sends Fox Demon flying backward, landing hard on the ground. Fox Demon notices an ugly scrape on her hand.

Xuanji makes a ball of blue energy, and pushes her palm toward Fox Demon. Fox Demon immediately disappears. She reappears on the rooftop, running for her life.

With a movement of her hands, Xuanji casts a spell, generating more blue.

“The Samadhi Fire?” Ting Nu says incredulously.

She fires at Fox Demon and misses. She attempts again, and sends Fox Demon rolling off the roof. She lands at Xuanji's feet.

 

 

...

To be continued...