American Perspectives: The Demon Whip Pt. 1 ("Love and Redemption" Ep. 24)

 

 

“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.

 

 

 

It's a huge moment of truth for Sifeng as he's standing in the public square, waiting for three lashes from the Demon Whip.  Theoretically, it prove that he is not a demon, for once and for all.  He is standing, but his wrists have thick chains wrapped around them.  Everyone from every sect is there to watch.

Hao Chen ascends the steps to the platfrom Sifeng is chained to.  He can't wait to get him away from Xuanji, and completely out of his way.  Hao Chen turns to face the crowd, putting on the perfect show of virtue and righteousness.  "The Demon Clan has been running amok with a long list of crimes.  They even attacked Fuyu Island in the light of day.  They killed our fellow disciples and took our treasure.  The world is in a perilous position right now.  As cultivators, we should destroy those demons to uphold justice of the people!"

Deputy Chief is listening raptly, his facial expression neutral, almost apathetic, as he, too, wants Sifeng to get out of his way.

"Am I right, everybody?" asks Hao Chen.

"Yes!" The crowd roars in agreement.  Xuanji, Ruo Yu, and Little Six, however, are noticeably absent.

"But the demon clan is very cunning!" says Hao Chen.  "They can take the shape of humans.  They are impossible to guard against.  If we want to defeat them, we to have to check our own people first, before checking the others."  He turns to look at Sifeng.  "Today, a disciple of Lize Palace, Yu Sifeng, colluded with the demons in Tianxu Hall to bring chaos to the world.  He should be killed.  But we cultivators are always fair and square.  We won't kill an innocent without solid evidence.  So, we'll use the Demon Whip to prove his identity.  If he can take three lashes from the Demon Whip, he can prove his innocence, and he'll be pardoned.  If he reveals his true demonic form under the whip, we'll punish him on the spot without mercy!"

"Punish him on the spot without mercy!" The crowd roars.

Hao Chen flies down to the crowd.  "Demon Whip!" he shouts.

With a circular movement of his palm, Valley Master Rong brings forth the whip in a burst of golden energy.  He throws it to Hao Chen.

Hao Chen grabs the whip by the handle.  Lightning energy is emitting from the whip.

Sifeng doesn't give Hao Chen or Deputy Chief the satisfaction of showing fear.

"Senior!  Senior!" Xuaunji, Ruo Yu, and Little Six come running into the square.  Xuanji regally stands in front of Hao Chen.  "Senior, Sifeng is not a demon.  You can't accuse him wrongly.  Please let him go."

"He sent a spirit beast to kill our disciple in Tianxu Hall.  He was caught red handed," Hao Chen says arrogantly.

Ruo Yu steps forward, but Deputy Chief pulls him back.

"We are here to test his real identity," Hao Chen continues.  "Other things are unimportant right now."

"Sifeng sent Little Silver Flower to Tianxu Hall because of me," says Xuanji.  "He wanted to get the Mirror of Origin to help me restore my six senses.  So, he has nothing to do with Tianxu Hall."

"Whether or not he's colluding with them," says Hao Chen, "you can't vouch for him.  We'll find out after three lashes of the Demon Whip."

Xuanji can't believe what she's hearing.  "Senior!"

"Xuanji!" says Sect Leader Chu.  "Stop fooling around."

Aunt Hong drags her away.

With the Demon Whip, Hao Chen flies up on the platform.

"Sifeng!" Screams Xuanji.  She tries to block the whip with her energy, but Aunt Hong casts a subduing spell.

Hao Chen strikes Sifeng, laying him out on the concrete.  Sifeng immediately bleeds from the mouth.

"Sifeng!  Sifeng!" Screams Xuanji.

"Sifeng," gasps Little Six.

"Sifeng!" Screams Xuanji.

Hao Chen tries to intimidate Xuanji into silence by cracking the ground with his whip right in front of her.

"Aunt Yinghong," yells Xuanji, "let go of me!  Sifeng!"

"Please stop hitting him with the Demon Whip," Ruo Yu bows.

Deputy Chief gives him the side eye.

"Yu Sifeng, tell me!" Demands Hao Chen.  "Are you a demon?"

Sifeng pushes himself up from the concrete, struggling to stand.

Xuanji is struggling to break free from Aunt Hong's paralyzing spell.

Sifeng stands all the way up, looking like he's ready to pass out. "I already said it many times.  This is just the answer that you want.  No matter what I say, it'll be useless.  Two more lashes.  Come on."

Hao Chen scowls at him.  "Okay."

"No!  Sifeng!"  Screams Xuanji.  "Sifeng! No!"

Hao Chen pulls back the whip, and lashes Sifeng in the torso, sending him to the ground.  More blood leaks from his mouth.

"Sifeng!  Sifeng!" Screams Xuanji.  "You already hit him twice.  If he's a demon, he would've shown himself.  If you keep hitting him, he'll die!  Sifeng!  Sifeng!"

"Master, please spare him," says Little Six.

"Yes, Sect Leader," Aunt Hong agrees.  "He has already been beaten twice.  But there's no trace of a demon at all.  How about we stop?  I'm afraid that he'll die if you hit him again."

"My fellow Sect Leaders," says Sect Leader Chu, "what do you say about the third lash"

Sifeng is on the ground, bleeding profusely and convulsing.  He can't stand up.

"We promised to give him three lashes," says Valley Master Rong.  "How can we just stop?  Even if he's not a demon, he's still harboring a demon.  If he doesn't hand in the demon, continue to whip him."

"Since it's already been decided," says Dongfang, "let's not hesitate anymore."

"Deputy Chief, what about you?" asks Sect Leader Chu.

"Lize Palace has never been biased," responds Deputy Chief.  "It'll be bad if others talk behind our back.  If you want to whip him, go ahead."

Ruo Yu is astounded at the blatant disloyalty.

Hao Chen is concealing his giddy delight.  Finally, the boyfriend of Xuanji will be out of the way!

"Tell us," says Hao Chen.  "If you tell us, your life will be spared."

"If I tell them about it," Xuanji remembers Sifeng saying, "they'll know your secret.  Your uncontrollable power, and they'll treat you as a weird person again."

Xuanji balls her hands into fists, emitting ice blue energy.

"One...one more lash," whispers Sifeng.

Hao Chen jumps into the air, ready to whip Sifeng once more.

Xuanji's eyes turn ice blue, and as the whip is about to give the fatal strike...

"Dingkun Sword!" Shouts Xuanji.  Her sword emerges from her body.  She throws the Dingkun Sword, like a knife at a dartboard, and the whip entangles itself around it.  Hao Chen is pulled forward like a stubborn dog on a leash.  He tries to subdue the sword by emitting gold energy from his palm, but it doesn't work.

"Xuanji," Sifeng whispers raspily.  "No."

"Dingkun Sword!" She yells again.  In a massive wave of ice blue energy, the Dingkun Sword shatters the whip to smithereens, and releases Xuanji from Aunt Hong's paralyzing spell.  She flies onto the platform, guarding Sifeng, like an angel of mercy.  Her sword flies to her, handle up, blade down, suspending itself in front of her.  "I won't allow you to hurt Sifeng!"  WIth another huge wave of energy, and like an angry Goddess of the Ocean, she pushes everyone back.

"What happened?"

"Xuanji broke the demon whip."

Hao Chen is screwed.

The Dingkun Sword absorbs back into Xuanji's body.  She falls to her knees.

"Xuanji," whispers Sifeng.

Xuanji begins to bleed from her mouth.

Deputy Chief looks at her carefully.  Chu Xuanji?  Could it really be you?

"Demon Whip, my Demon Whip!"  Valley Master Rong sputters like a child who harrasses everyone on the playground with his fancy toy, and then gets mad and doesn't understand why people are glad when someone is brave enough to destroy it.  "Sect Leader Chu, there must be something wrong with your daughter."

"Valley Master Rong," says Sect Leader Chu, "I'll settle this for you."

"Xuanji, are you looking for death?" asks Sect Leader Chu.  "Come down, now!"

Xuanji looks at Sifeng.  She touches his hand.  She knows he might not make it, and his life is more important than Valley Master Rong's damaged murder toy and ego.  She holds Sifeng's hand.  "Without Sifeng," she whispers, "whether or not I live or die," she squeezes his hand, "it doesn't matter."  She faints beside Sifeng.

Sifeng reaches for her.

Little Six and Aunt Hong carry Xuanji off the platform.

Sifeng is in tears, desperately trying to stand up, but he can't.

Valley Master Rong approaches a battered Sifeng.  "Don't think that you'll be safe just because the Demon Whip is broken.  Let me tell you.  Dream on.  I'm going to interrogate you with Hell's Nails.  I'll torture you for as long as it takes until you admit your crime."

"Master!" Says Little Six.

In a burst of golden energy from his palm, Valley Master Rong bring forth the Hell's Nails.  As he's preparing to attack Sifeng while he's down, an angry voice is heard.

"Who dares touch my disciple?"  Lize Palace Master flies in over the roof tops, and with his own energy, he disables the Hell's Nails, and breaks the binding chains.  Valley Master Rong is thrown into the crowd.  Many Lize Palace elders fly in.  A disciple keeps Valley Master Rong from falling on his back.

Palace Master lands on the platform where Sifeng is lying down.  "Valley Master Rong, you are really determined to attack my disciple."

"We didn't know that you were here," Sect Leader Chu explains (very) lamely.  "Sorry for not welcoming you properly."

"Don't be so pretentious," says Palace Master.  "If I came any later, my disciple would be dead.  Ruo Yu."

"Here," Ruo Yu pipes up.

"Bring Sifeng back first."

"Yes, Palace Master," Ruo Yu runs up to the platform to retrieve Sifeng.  With the aid of another disciple, they get ready to help him up. "Sifeng, Sifeng."

Sifeng is barely conscious.

"Let's go," says Ruo Yu.

"You weren't here.  So you didn't know that your disciple was being suspected of colluding with the Demon Clan," says Dongfang.

Palace Master gives him major side eye, as the scapegoating is glaringly obvious.

"Are you saying that he killed a demon to silence it?"  Asks Palace Master.  "Look at this."  With gold energy emitting from the palm of his hand,  a corpse appears, and black smoke rises from it.  "This demon was trying to escape after killing with this secret weapon.  He ran into me on the island."

Aunt Hong kneels next to the corpse.  She scans over its hand with her light blue energy.  Her eyes widen.  "The poison on the demon's hand is indeed the one used to silence the demon."

Deputy Chief stops waving his fan.

With a movement of his hand, Palace Master makes the demon corpse disappear.  "You are really fantastic.  Do you really think that Lize Palace is useless?"

"Don't be mad," says Hao Chen.  "Even if your disciple isn't responsible for killing that demon, he sent his spirit beast to Tianxu Hall to kill our disciple.  He was caught red handed."

Palace Master looks behind him.  He gestures with his hand.  "Bring him here."

Two Lize Palace disciples escort the disciple from Tianxu Hall that everyone assumed Little Silver Flower killed.

"Is this the dead disciple you're talking about?"  Asks Palace Master.  "Take a good look at him.  Is he dead or alive?"

"Minyan," says Sect Leader Chu, "take a good look at him."

"How is this possible?" asks Little Six.  "Aren't you dead?  I saw it myself."

"That day, I fainted after being stabbed," the disciple explains.  "But I woke up after that, and I was lying on a mass grave behind the mountain."

"This is the secret art of Lize Palace," says Palace Master.  "You can stab the Qi acupoint to fake death.  My disciple taught this to his spirit beast, so that she could escape Tianxu Hall, and save this person's life.  The funny thing is, all of you elders are so ignorant.  You are so self righteous!  You requite kindness with enmity.  You accuse my disciple as a murderer!  Take him away!"  The two disciples escort the Xuanyuan Sect disciple in question, off the platform.

"Valley Master Rong," continues Palace Master.  "Your Hell's Nail is amazing!"

"There's no need to target me," says Valley Master Rong.  "I'm not the only one who suspected Sifeng.  Since the misunderstanding has been resolved, and we didn't kill your disciple, do you want me to atone for it with my life?"

"Palace Master," says Sect Leader Chu, "we wrongly accused Sifeng over a false testimony.  I sincerely apologize to you."  He bows.

"I don't need your apology," says Palace Master.  "I just want to ask.  Who insisted that my disciple was a demon?  Stand out!"

Nobody takes ownership of the destructive accusation.

"What is it?" asks Palace Master.  "Nobody dares to admit it?  Do you think that Lize Palace can be easily bullied?"

The Sect Leaders exchange glances, but still no one has the balls to take ownership.

"Fine," says Palace Master.  "If you won't say it, I'll use Dianjing Valley's Hell's Nail to force all of you to testify."  With his golden energy, he grabs a nail off the ground.

"Dongfang Qing Qi," says Valley Master Rong, "how long are you going to keep quiet about this?

Palace Master withdraws the nail.  He steps forward.  "Master Dongfang, so you know who wrongly accused my disciple."

"Brother Dongfang," says Sect Leader Chu, "since this incident stems from Madam, we need to ask her in detail."

"Bring Madam here," Dongfang says reluctantly.

 

 

 

Madam Dongfang is on the platform, with Dongfang's arm around her shoulder.  She is clearly drunk.  She flirtatiously giggles at Palace Master.

"So, it's Madam Dongfang," says Palace Master.  "Good.  I want to hear your testimony again.  Madam, who is the demon?"

"Who is the demon?"  Madam says drunkenly.  "You are the demon," she points at Palace Master.  "He is the demon," she looks at Dongfang.  "I am a demon.  All of us are demons."

"Qing Rong," Dongfang says with disappointment.  If he could facepalm, he would.

Palace Master laughs bitterly.  "So, all of you tortured my disciple because of a word from this crazy lady?  She said that all of you are demons.  So, should I put all of you in prison?  So that you can have a taste of Hell's Nail?"

"Palace Master," says Dongfang.  "Qing Rong has been quite absent minded lately.  Please don't blame her."

"Don't blame her?"  Palace Master asks incredulously.  "Master Dongfang, your wife almost killed my disciple.  Now, she's acting crazy?  I think she's the most suspicious person to have colluded with the demons.  You don't dare to interrogate her because of Master Dongfang, right?  Fine!  I'll do it!"

"Palace Master, please have mercy on her," Dongfang pleads.

"You had no mercy when you tortured my disciple.  I won't have mercy on your wife, either."

"You..." says Dongfang.  "How dare you."  Dongfang tries to attack Palace Master,  but Palace Master effectively blocks him, sending him flying backwards.

With the golden energy, Palace Master pushes the Hell's Nail into Madam Dongfang's chest.

"Qing Rong!" yells Dongfang.

Madam Dongfang falls forward onto the concrete.

"Qing Rong!" shouts Dongfang.

"Brother Dongfang," Sect Leader Chu grabs his arm.

"I want to see what answer I can get when the Hell's Nail that was used on my disciple is used on Madam Dongfang.  Tell me!  Where is the Demon of Tianxu Hall hiding?"

Madam Dongfang grips her chest in pain.  "Mount Buzhou," she gasps.  "I just know that they are at Mount Buzhou."

Deputy Chief slowly waves his fan.

"Do you hear that?  The answer that you want is inside Madam's head.  And you just tortured my disciple for nothing.  All of you are really a bunch of useless beings!  Let's go!"

"Qing Rong," Dongfang rushes onto the platform.  "Bear with it."

"Why is it so painful?" asks Madam Dongfang.  "Why is it so painful?"

With his golden energy, Dongfang removes the Hell's Nail.  "Look, it's just a nail.  I already took it out.  It won't be painful anymore."

"But I..." says Madam Dongfang.  "But it's really painful.  I beg you.  Please find him and ask him why he lied to me.  I love him so much."

"Qing Rong!" Dongfang feels nauseous.  He can't believe she is still thinking about Wolf at this ungodly hour.

"Why?" asks Madam Dongfang.

"Qing Rong, why do you have to torture yourself?" asks Dongfang.  "Why do you have to be so foolish?"

"I am foolish," Madam Dongfang admits.  "But so are you."  She touches his face.  "You are foolish, too.  Both of us are foolish."  She stabs herself with the Hell's Nail.

"Qing Rong!" Dongfang shouts.  She falls limply into his arms.  He tries shaking her awake.  "Qing Rong!"  He sadly holds her close for one last time.

 

 

 

The doors to Deputy Chief's room violently slide open.

Deputy Chief is laying calmly on his bed, pretending to be apathetic.  Internally, he's fuming.

Palace Master walks in, his presence ominous.

Deputy Chief slowly sits up.  "It's really rare for you to come and find me so late at night."  He stands up.  "Are you here to have tea and catch up with me?"

"Are you feigning ignorance with me?"  Asks Palace Master.  "You know Sifeng's identity better than anyone.  But you just allowed them to torture Sifeng.  Are you trying to go against me?"

"Ah," says Deputy Chief.  "So, you are talking about Yu Sifeng.  You've wrongly accused me.  Those sects are already suspecting Lize Palace.  It was a disaster.  If I sided with him, Lize Palace would have looked too suspicious, right?  Moreover, it is just a Demon Whip.  No matter how they whip him, he won't turn into a demon.  Right?"

Palace Master grabs him by the belt.  "Let me warn you again.  If you destroy Sifeng, I'll destroy you."  With a flip of his hair, he turns away.  As he's walking out the door, Deputy Chief smiles in self satisfaction.

He recalls a battle he had with Xuanji when the Dingkun Sword was ineffective.  He's comparing it to the events he saw today, when Xuanji effectively used the Dingkun Sword to destroy the Demon Whip.

"Chu Xuanji," says Deputy Chief, "are you that person or not?"

 

 

 

Sifeng is sleeping, recuperating from the brutal injuries of the past several days.

Little Six stands over his bed.  He then kneels.  "Sifeng, are you feeling better now?"

Sifeng painfully turns his head to face Little Six.  "Just some minor injuries," he whispers.  "But you look worse than I do."

"I misunderstood you," admits Little Six.  "I feel guilty as your friend."

"This is not your fault," says Sifeng.  "You saw Little Silver Flower hurting someone with your own eyes.  If I were you, I'd be suspicous, too.  Even when you were suspecting me, you still risked your life to save me."

"It's all because of Xuanji," says Little Six.  "She believes in you, and kept on trying to find a way to save you.  She even risked her life for it.  Sifeng, I grew up with Xuanji since young.  There are things that I see more clearly than you do.  Xuanji really treats you differently.  This is the first time I saw her being so violent.  She was even ready to oppose my master.  She never did that before, and it's because of you.  I can see that you are really special to Xuanji.  I just think that you should know about this.  So, I came to tell you about it."  He pulls the blankets over Sifeng.  "I hope that you can recover soon.  I won't disturb you anymore."

Things that Xuanji did are enough to prove everything.  But I was still hung up about those non essentials.  Yu Sifeng, you were really barking at the moon.

 

 

 

"Why were you so foolish? Do you know how upset I would be if I really harmed you with my own hands today?"  Hao Chen is sitting by Xuanji's bed.

Xuanji closes her eyes, as this overbearing man is giving her a headache.

He hands her a bead decorated with flowers.  "This is a very powerful bead.  Keep it with you to help you recover, and as protection.  From now on, don't risk your life for unimportant people anymore."

Xuanji has a hard time concealing her glare.  This self important man cannot be serious.  But because she's obligated to respect him, and due to the power he has exerted over her before, she takes the bead.

"All right now," says Hao Chen.  "Rest earlier."

He looks at her, Xuanji really has no desire to say anything to him.  His control over her is waning, the supposed protection bead is exceedingly questionable.  He quietly exits.

 

 

...To Be Continued...