American Perspectives: Rose Gold Bird Demon Revelations Pt. 2 ("Love and Redemption" Ep. 31)

 

“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.

 

 

 

Xuanji has a tray full of food ready for Sifeng.  She adds some porridge into a green bowl.  "Sifeng, Ting Nu said you have recovered well these two days.  You can walk after another couple of days.  I specially cooked fish porridge for you to build up your body, so that you can recover fast."

"What's wrong with your face?"  Asks Sifeng.

"My face?"  Asks Xuanji.  Her nose and cheeks are smudged with ash.  "What's wrong?"

Sifeng smiles.

"Try this first," says Xuanji.  "I learned from the auntie next door.  See if it's tasty."

He tastes a little bit from the spoon.  He nods.  "Not bad.  It's very tasty."

"Really?  It's my first time cooking this."

"It's almost perfect for the first time," says Sifeng.  "You must be talented."

"Sifeng, are you being serious to praise me this way?"  She mixes the porridge in his bowl.  "I can't bear to try such tasty porridge."

She tries to give him another spoonful.

"Try it for yourself, then.  Why would I lie to you?"

She takes a taste.  "Mmm," she smiles.  "It's really delicious.  I know that my Sifeng will never lie to me."

Sifeng says nothing.

She blows on another spoonful, and Sifeng carresses her cheek.

 

 

 

Ruo Yu and Little Six are sitting at a table in the Tianxu Hall kitchen.

"Minyan, are you sure that flower demon is related to Linglong?"  Asks Ruo Yu.

Little Six thoughtfully runs his thumb over his dagger blade.  "Her technique while kicking the jianzi, I actually amended it from Yaohua sword moves, and taught Linglong.  It's impossible to kick the exact same way if she were other people.  Moreover, she can recognize my dagger, too.  Is all this coincidence?"

"I heard there's sorcery in Beizhou which extracts a person's primordial spirit and injects it into another person's body.  If Wu Tong is using this sorcery, the lady that Xuanji brought along wasn't Linglong, then.  The primordial spirit of the real Linglong is inside the flower demon.  I'm just saying, it might not be true."  Says Ruo Yu.

"No," says Little Six thoughtfully.  "What you're saying might be true.  Wu Tong is always cunning."  He immediately stands up.  "Wu Tong, you better watch out!"  He exclaims threateningly.

"Minyan," Ruo Yu grabs his arm.  "We're now under his control.  You're only inviting trouble if you look for Wu Tong now.  We must carefully identify Wu Tong's flaw in order to turn the tables.  Our priority is to check if Linglong's primordial spirit is inside the flower demon."

Little Six reaches into the chest panel of his hanfu, and pulls out his shard of the Mirror of Origin.  "This fragment from the Mirror of Origin might help us.  I'll find a chance to test her."

 

 

 

Hao Chen bows to Heng Yang.  "Thank you for helping me recover.  Master, how has the secret ground been lately?"

"The closer the two stars," says Heng Yang, "the weaker the barrier.  We can't avoid this situation.  However, I can still maintain it.  So, don't worry about this.  You need to slowly clear out the poison in your body.  Don't rush it."

"Yes, Master," Hao Chen bows.

With a movement of his hand, Heng Yang brings forth a disc.  It suspends in the air.  "This is the formation of truth you asked for previously.  Any demons who turned into humans, as long as their skin gets in touch with this formation for some time, they can't help but expose their original form."

"Thank you, Master," Hao Chen bows.

After Heng Yang leaves, Hao Chen summons some strands of Sifeng's hair and exposes it to the formation.  Even the power of the Love Flower can't help your wound.  Unless your body has the energy to oppose the energy of the heavens.  I wonder if it's because of the poison, or if you're actually a demon.  Yu Sifeng, I won't end this matter easily.

 

 

 

Brother Liu approaches Ting Nu, who is happily sitting in front of Sifeng's door, and reading a book.

"You've sent Yu'er safely?"  Asks Ting Nu.  "Why are you back so quickly?"

"I was chased away!"  Brother Liu has a huge grin on his face.  "Yu'er said I nag too much, and disturb her cultivation.  But I can't really help her cultivate."  He looks around awkwardly and rubs his stomach.  "Why haven't we started eating yet?  Where are they?"

"Backyard," says Ting Nu.

Brother Liu looks over and sees Little Silver Flower.  He slaps Ting Nu on the shoulder.  He points at Ting Nu.  "I won't push you anymore, come yourself."

Ting Nu chuckles and operates his wheelchair as Brother Liu walks down the steps.

 

 

 

Xuanji is helping Sifeng walk, as he's feeling a bit weak, but he's also tired of being in bed all day.

"Walk slowly, Sifeng," says Xuanji.  "Be careful of the door sill."  They carefully step over the sill.  "Do you feel better?  Don't put pressure on your wound.  Tell me if you're dizzy, all right?"

Sifeng sighs.  He closes his eyes and slightly tips backwards.  "I seem to be a little dizzy."

"You seem dizzy?  Come here."  She puts his arm over her shoulder.  "Do you feel better resting on me?"

"I can't bear it anymore."

"You can't bear it?  Don't use your strength.  Come on.  Hug me tight, is it all right?"

"Hug tighter," says Sifeng.

"Tighter?"  She squeezes her arms around his waist.  "Is it all right?"

He sneaks a kiss on her forehead.

Xuanji jumps back.  She smiles and blushes.  "Sifeng."

"Xuanji.  I was just kidding.  I'm all good now.  Ting Nu said my condition will be as good as the past after a few days.  We shall stroll around the altar, then."

Xuanji adjusts his hanfu.

"We'll then catch some demons to ask about the situation inside Tianxu Hall.  We'll also snatch some black and white rings before entering Mount Buzhou, okay?"  Says Sifeng.

Xuanji nods.  "But I still feel I'm not strong enough now.  Do you think I should find one spirit beast, too?  You and Little Silver Flower joining hands is so much better than me alone."

Sifeng holds her hands.  "If you're destined to get a skillful beast, you will be like a flying tiger.  But you can't rush this thing.  It's all destined, so do it slowly."

Xuanji nods.  "Sifeng, let's take a look outside."

They walk out to a tree in the forest  that is adorned with red and white decorations.

Sifeng looks up at the tree.  "This is..."

"Is it nice?"  Asks Xuanji.  "This is a way for blessings, taught by the auntie next door.  Hang the wind chime on the tree after making a wish, and it will come true."

Sifeng looks at Xuanji.

"I hope you will be safe in the future," says Xuanji, "without injury and pain."

Sifeng smiles at her.

"She also said we can write on the wind chime if there's anything we're too shy to talk about.  Then, the wind will tell that person.  But I have nothing after thinking about it.  What about you?"

He looks at her, and he looks like an innocent angel in his white hanfu.  "I do have something to tell you," he says cautiously.  "But I can't write it on the wind chime.  Because this is actually a secret I want to keep forever.  I don't want others to see it."

He opens his palm, and in a swish of gold energy, a very textured looking box appears.  "So, I sealed the secret inside this.  Xuanji, if you unlock this Luyong Puzzle, you can see it then."

Xuanji looks at him quizzically, and takes the box.  "Luyong Puzzle?"  She tries to maneuver it like a rubix cube.  "Sifeng, it seems hard to unlock this Luyong Puzzle.  You kept the secret inside, but want me to open it.  Do you actually want me to see it?"

"Forget about it if you don't want to know."  He reaches for the box.

Xuanji backs away.  "No!  Let me try."  She examines and tinkers with the box.

Xuanji, you will eventually unlock it, and see it one day.  At this moment, I'm being timid.  I'm greedy that I can't let go of this moment.

Brother Liu is hidden amongst the trees, watching the happy couple.  Little Silver Flower sullenly joins him.

"Sifeng kept his secret inside a Luyong Puzzle.  He is cutting off all ways for Xuanji," says Little Silver Flower.

Brother Liu smiles.

"Won't you stop him?"  Asks Little Silver Flower.

Brother Liu looks at her awkwardly.  "Why should I stop him?  If so...Xuanji might be the way for Sifeng.  So, let's not do something useless.  Don't think of harming Xuanji."

"How do you know if when Xuanji discovers Sifeng's identity, she won't hurt him?"

Brother Liu's eyes widen.  "There are only two consequences for this matter.  It's either Xuanji accepts him, and his Lover's Curse is cured,  so everyone is happy, or they totally break up, and he will die from the poison.  Which would you choose?"

"Of course, I'm choosing the first one," Little Silver Flower pouts.

"That's right," says Brother Liu.  He looks over at the couple under the tree.  "Little Silver Flower, Little Phoenix's future depends on Xuanji, no matter what.  It doesn't really have anything to do with you."

She gives him a sharp look.

"So, don't be obsessive," Brother Liu continues.  He pats her on the shoulder and smiles.  He leaves before she can offer a rebuttal.

"I am not obsessive, though," she says to herself.

 

 

 

Little Six is pacing Tianxu Hall with his fragment of the Mirror of Origin in hand.

Linglong comes walking through an opening in the wall, and she isn't happy to see Little Six.

He looks up at her, and immediately puts his hands behind his back.

She walks to him quickly.  "What are you doing?  What are you hiding?  Show me your hand!"

"It's nothing," Little Six says awkwardly.

"What do you mean by nothing?"  She tries to reach for his hands, which are firmly clasped behind his back.  "Let go of your hand," she insists as she grabs the mirror fragment.

"Don't look at my thing," says Little Six.

"What is it?  I want to see," says Linglong.  She takes a good look at the reflective surface.

Little Six braces himself.

Linglong studies it carefully and begins to experience flashbacks.  She sees herself getting after Chen Minjue for teasing Xuanji.  The same man she harrasses in Tianxu Hall.  She has a myriad of flashbacks with moments involving Little Six.  How can this be?  It's Wu Tong gege I have in my heart.  She begins to panic, as none of this makes sense.  She closes her eyes and drops the fragment.

"What is this?"  Linglong asks.  "What is Mount Shaoyang?  How do I know you?"

"You saw what happened on Mount Shaoyang?"  Asks Little Six.

He grabs her arm.  "What did you see?"

"Don't touch me!"  She recoils and pushes him away.  She kicks the mirror shard.  "What nonsense is this?  What is Bazhen Cake?  Why do I have such weird memories?"

"Bazhen Cake?"  Whispers Little Six.  "It's really you."

Linglong's head hurts.

"I've found you, Linglong!"  He exclaims.

"Shut up!"  Linglong snaps.  She slaps him across the face.  "I know it's your trick.  Just you wait.  I'll surely tell Wu Tong gege, so that he will teach you a lesson!"  She runs away.

Little Six picks up the shard, and follows after her.

 

 

 

Linglong slows down to a calm walk as she gets closer to Wu Tong's bedroom.  Her inner peace, however, is interrupted when Wolf blocks her path.

"You!"  She exclaims.  In a swirl of energy, he appears right in front of her, and squeezes his hand tightly around her throat.  He slams her into the rock wall.

"I've been waiting for a long time," says Wolf.

"What do you want?"  Asks Linglong.

"Tell me how to open Wu Tong's secret chamber.  I know he told you everything."

"I really don't know," says Linglong.  She tries to slap his hand off her neck.  "Let me go!"

"You won't tell me without suffering," says Wolf.  He pulls her away from the rock wall, and increases the pressure on her neck.

Wolf is startled by the swishing sound of Little Six's dagger flying through the air.  He spins away just in time to avoid being stabbed.

Little Six knocks Wolf back, as he flies through the air.  He grabs Linglong's arm.  "Hurry and go!"

Wolf crosses his arms and aims for Little Six.

"Be careful!"  Yells Linglong.

With tremendous force, Wolf knocks Little Six over.

"Little Six!"  Yells Linglong.  She kneels down beside him.

"What did you call me?"  He asks.

"Go and die!"  Yells Wolf.

A purple flash of lightning stops Wolf in his tracks, and throws him against the wall.  He lands in a kneeling position, and looks up in surprise.  Wu Tong is headed directly to him, his face stone cold.

"Wu Tong gege," gushes Linglong.

Wolf coughs, and he struggles to stand.  "I didn't expect your skill of stripping the soul had improved so much."

"Wolf, our Lord has yet to agree," says Wu Tong.  "You caused trouble.  If I'm unhappy and destroy the spirit keys, is it your fault?"

"Don't forget that when you were lost, our Lord saved you!"  Wolf retorts.

"Gratitude?"  Wu Tong smirks.  "You're nobody to teach me!"

"Just you wait!"  Wolf shoots up and away in a cloud of black smoke.

Wu Tong smirks confidently.  "He's surely fast at escaping."

Linglong runs up to Wu Tong, and they embrace.  "Wu Tong gege, you're here finally.  I was so scared.  Luckily, I was smart."

"Yes, you're so smart," says Wu Tong, pulling her closer.

"This guy is silly," Linglong says in regards to Little Six.  "He has no skills, but he still stood out."

"He put in an effort to save you.  He has done a deed of merit.  You can follow me in the future," he says to Little Six.  "Go and clean your injury."

Little Six walks away, doing his best to hide his disappointment.

"Tong gege," says Linglong.

He holds her closely, and she smiles.

 

 

 

Little Six is sitting at the kitchen table, contemplating.  Ruo Yu takes a seat next to him, and Little Six begins to unload.

"My master specially prepared the Bazhen Cake for Xuanji.  It's a unique birthday cake.  If she isn't Linglong, there's no way she would know about it.  But why doesn't she remember a thing?"

"If you say so," adds Ruo Yu, "I have a wild guess.  Inside the body of the flower demon, it might have half of Linglong's primordial spirit.  Thus, she has a personality like Linglong, but doesn't have Linglong's memory.  She can only see the past through the Mirror of Origin.  What Xuanji and Sifeng brought along with them was the other half of Linglong's primordial spirit."

"I'm afraid this is true," says Little Six.  "After so much hard work, we were still fooled by Wu Tong."

"It's hard to guard against Wu Tong, who is so cunning," Ruo Yu agrees.  "But Linglong has half of the primordial spirit as protection.  She's safe now.  We still have a chance as long as we are in Tianxu Hall.  But we have no idea how to get Linglong's primordial spirit back.  The flower demon must know something.  She has Linglong's personality.  If she's willing to help..."

"But she doesn't remember a thing about Linglong," says Little Six.  "Wu Tong has a great impact on her."

"You understand her the best.  If you can't bring her back, then who else can make it?  Wolf came today.  Although we don't know what happened in Tianxu Hall, there's a clue that is definitely right.  The spirit keys are hidden in Wu Tong's secret chamber.  I'm sure the flower demon knows the secret.  It will be Wu Tong's biggest flaw if she's willing to help us."

"Zhong Minyan!"  They hear a woman say.

Little Six's ears perk up.  "Zhong Minyan!"

He gets up and exits the kitchen.  Linglong is standing to the side of the doorway, concealed in a red cloak and hood.

"How are you?"  Asks Linglong.  "Wu Tong doesn't want me to get close to you.  So, I couldn't thank you just now."

Little Six nods.  Linglong awkwardly looks to the side.

She hands him a green vial.  "Take this medicine.  It's quite good.  Your wound is probably severe.  I saw it.  I didn't expect you to save me."

"Of course, I'll save you," says Little Six.  "Though you don't remember most of our things."

"I don't want to hear this," says Linglong. "I want to repay you since you saved me today."  She awkwardly changes the subject.  "Do you want to see your Second Senior?"

"You're willing to bring me there?"

Linglong sighs.  "You're talking so much.  It's all on you whether to follow me."

 

 

 

They fly into Chen Minjue's cell.  He is chained up and sleeping.  Little Six kneels in front of him.  "Second Senior."

Linglong looks at them curiously.

Little Six feels the blood soaked sleeve where he amputated Chen Minjue's arm.  He touches Minjue's forehead with the back of his hand.  "His wound is infected.  He has a fever."  He pulls Linglong's medicine out of his hanfu.

"That's the medicine I gave you," Linglong protests.

Little Six ignores her, and puts the vial to Minjue's lips.  He takes the medicine, and Little Six holds his hand.

Linglong rolls her eyes.

Minjue wakes up.

"Second Senior," says Little Six.

Minjue sees him, and scoots away in fear.  "You..."

Little Six kneels in front of him.  "Second Senior, it's all my fault.  I am so sorry.  But you must endure it.  I'll surely rescue you.  I'll beg Senior Heng Yang after returning to Shaoyang.  I shall give you my arm by using his attachment skill."

"Silly you," says Minjue.  "Do you really think we can go out?"

"Yes, we can!  Second Senior."

Linglong clears her throat.  "It has been some time here.  You can't stay for long.  Let's go."

"All right," sighs Minjue.  "I trust you."

Little Six squeezes his hand.

"We should go now," Linglong presses.

"Food," says Little Six.

"What?"  Asks Linglong.

"Please get him food," Little Six says sharply.  "My Second Senior is very weak now.  You all didn't even provide food these days."

"It's not me who cares for him," Linglong says defensively.  "How would I know if he eats or not?"  She reaches inside her cloak, and throws Little Six something wrapped in a pink cloth napkin.

Little Six unwraps it.

"This is my favorite glutinous rice cake," says Linglong.  "Give it to him."

"Thank you," says Little Six.

"That's not too bad," says Linglong.

"But your favorite isn't glutinous rice cake," says Little Six.  "It's osmanthus cake."

"Huh?"  Says Linglong.

"Senior."  He holds the cake while Minjue takes a bite.

Linglong watches them, and feels increasingly confused.