American Perspectives: The Aftermath Pt. 1 ("Love and Redemption" Ep. 38)

 

“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 Sect Leaders, Hao Chen, and Aunt Hong find a devastated Xuanji in the forest.  As expected, Hao Chen is in the front, ready to spout out his hidden agenda.

 

"Xuanji!"  Says Hao Chen, with extremely contrived concern.

 

Xuanji's eyes are downcast, and she's trying to pull it together.  She's not in the mood for an Anti-Sifeng rant from anyone, especially Hao Chen.

 

But, of course..."Xuanji, you put your trust in the wrong person," says Hao Chen.  "But now that you realized it, it's still not too late."

 

Xuanji's lips tremble.  She's really not in the mood right now, but she's obligated to listen.

 

First Senior approaches them, out of breath.  "Master, this is bad!"

 

"What happened?"  Asks Sect Leader Chu.

 

"Wu Tong attacked us with the demons of Tianxu Hall.  Linglong and Minyan have been surrounded."

 

"Wu Tong is scum!"  Valley Master Rong growls, in spite of being quick to throw him away when he didn't win the Hairpin Tournament four years ago...

 

Xuanji is distracted by intrusive memories of Sifeng showing his demon form.  His magnificent golden wings, and then his crushing break up.

 

Xuanji's voice deepens.  "Wu Tong.  Tianxu Hall.  I'm going to kill these demons!"  Blue fire lights up in her eyes.  Lightning generates from the Dingkun Sword.  She flies upward into the clouds, and her armor senses her presence.  Piece by piece, the armor flies away, and conforms to her body.  Golden lightning emits from each piece as it becomes a part of her.

 

Memories of her times in the heavens begin to push through.  "God of War defied her superiors and started a rebellion.  Bring her to the Altar of Banishment at once!"  She is surrounded by the Heavenly Realm equivalent of a SWAT Team.

 

Xuanji spins around, blue fire pulsing from her body, and she's taken to a battlefield from her past.  Fire bombs are flying everywhere.

 

"You Asuras have defied the heavens!"  The God of War shouts.  "Die now!"  She spreads her arms, and blue fire explodes from her body.  She presses her finger to her sword, generating even more ice blue fire, and she flies forward, faster than a speeding bullet.

 

Her thoughts return to the present as flies through the cloudy sky.  Wu Tong is still touching Linglong without her consent, and he sees a hot streak of blue piercing through the clouds.  As the streak of blue descends, Xuanji is easier to see.

 

"Xuanji?"  Asks Little Six.

 

As she descends, she firebombs the demons with intense blue flames.  The force makes Wu Tong lose his grip on Linglong, and she rolls to the ground, next to Little Six.

 

Xuanji shoots up in the air, like a bottle rocket, generating a huge, fiery explosion.

 

Little Six helps Linglong sit up.  They look up at a very cold and sociopathic Xuanji.  Xuanji is icily looking down on Wu Tong.

 

"It's you?"  Asks Wu Tong.

 

Xuanji's sword lights up, and she's surrounded by a blue lightning aura.

 

"What happened to Xuanji?"  Asks Linglong.

 

"Her God of War power has awakened," explains Little Six.

 

The Sect Leaders run up to the battlefield, and see Xuanji in the air.

 

"Xuanji," says Dongfang.

 

"At this time?"  Asks Hao Chen.  He was hoping she'd turn into God of War to kill Sifeng.

 

"Those useless demons from Lize Palace can't even defeat you?"  Asks Wu Tong.

 

"Wu Tong," says Xuanji.  "Today, I'm going to turn you into dust!"

 

Purple energy emits from Wu Tong's hand, and Xuanji positions her sword for the dol strike.  She swings her sword, and Wu Tong blocks her with a black steel shield.  The shield projects a spiral of purple energy.

 

Wu Tong smirks.  "I already knew you were the God of War from the heavens.  I put in so much effort  to find the scales of Candle Dragon from Mount Buzhou.  These scales can withstand Holy Power.  It's especially used against it.  Now, I've made them into a shield.  I want to see how powerful you really are."

 

Xuanji snorts derisively.  "Scales of Candle Dragon?  I never thought that the things I used before will be used against me now."

 

Wu Tong laughs confidently.  "Not only the things you've used before are used to fight you, even your lover, Yu Sifeng, is against you."

 

"Fine," says Xuanji.  "Today I'll kill every demon that's here right now.  Ninth Heaven Fire!"  She spins, and the blue flames surrounding her intensify.

 

"Get into your formation!"  Wu Tong commands.

 

The Tianxu demons line up, and Candle Dragon shields appear in their hands.  The shields spin, and generate deep, red energy.  The Demons run forward.

 

Thick blue smoke generates from Xuanji.

 

Wu Tong throws his shield at the wall of blue fire.  The shield pieces separate into scales, and make a spiral that emits purple energy.

 

Xuanji aims thick plumes of smoke into the shield, shattering it into a million pieces, and causing the demons to fall like a house of cards.

 

Wu Tong coughs blood.  He looks up, and sees more blue energy coming indiscriminately for anyone who happens to be on the battlefield.  Everyone starts running in all directions to avoid the deadly blue burn.

 

"There's a cave there.  Let's get in!"  Valley Master Rong says to the Sect Leaders, who are keeping a safe distance.

 

"Follow me!"

 

"Take shelter!"

 

"Xuanji," says Sect Leader Chu.

 

"Master," says Hao Chen.

 

"Let's go."

 

"Let's go now!"  Little Six says to Linglong.

 

"Retreat!" Orders Wu Tong.  He jumps up and flies between the plumes of smoke.

 

The Sect Leaders and Elders run to the cave for cover.

 

"Linglong," says Aunt Hong.

 

Two Dianjing Valley disciples are struck, and incinerated by the Ninth Heaven Fire.

 

Little Six and Linglong watch from the cave with horror.

 

"Xuanji is too powerful, she's a monster!"  Says a disciple.

 

"What nonsense are you talking about?"  Asks Linglong.  "Xuanji is protecting us."

 

"She is the God of War who once killed demons and monsters," says Little Six.  "Haven't you heard of that?"

 

"Xuanji, stop now!"  Commands Sect Leader Chu.

 

Hao Chen runs out of the cave and flies up into the sky.  "Xuanji!"  He shoots energy into her head, but is promptly burned by the Ninth Heaven Fire.  He fires energy into her head once again.  "Enough, Xuanji!  The demons have retreated!  Stop hurting others!"

 

Xuanji becomes sleepy, and falls back into Hao Chen's arms.  They quickly descend to the ground.

 

The sect members promptly exit the cave.  Xuanji remains passed out in Hao Chen's arms.  "Xuanji."

 

"Xuanji!"  Yells Linglong.  "Xuanji!  What's wrong with her?"  Linglong and Little Six kneel beside her.

 

"Sect Leader, I think she's fine," says Hao Chen, "but Ninth Heaven Fire is very powerful.  We have to send her back, and get rid of this pure fire."

 

Sect Leader Chu nods.  "Alright.  Hurry up."

 

"Don't worry," Little Six says to Linglong.  "Xuanji will be fine."  He reaches for Linglong's hand.  Linglong flinches, and he withdraws his hand.  "Linglong, what's wrong?"

 

Linglong shakes her head.  "I'm fine," and walks away.  She is sure Little Six doesn't want to know.

 

 

 

 

Xuanji is dreaming of her younger self walking through a foggy forest.  "Sifeng!" She shouts.  She turns around, trying desperately to find him.  Her heart races.  He appears in front of her, wearing his white hanfu, but his face covered by a mask.

 

"Sifeng!"  Xuanji exclaims with relief.  She runs to him, and grabs his hands.

 

He aggressively recoils.

 

She grabs his arm as he turns away.  "Sifeng, don't go!"

 

"Let go of me!"  Sifeng snaps.

 

She looks down and sees that Sifeng has pierced her torso with his sword, with the sharp end sticking out of her back.

 

"Sifeng," Xuanji sobs.

 

"Sifeng," she tosses and turns in her warm and cozy bed.  "Sifeng, Sifeng."

 

Creepy Hao Chen the instigator is hanging out in her room, standing near her bed.  His ability to stay under the radar while so many of his peers get accused and thrown away so quickly, is absolutely impeccable.  He glares at Xuanji as she continues to call Sifeng's name in her sleep.

 

"Sifeng, didn't you say that you'd take care of yourself, so that you wouldn't get hurt?  Sifeng.  You said that you'd be with me and never leave me.  Sifeng.  Sifeng!"  She sits straight up, eyes wide open.

 

The last thing she needs right now is Hao Chen by her bedside, and an insensitive lecture.

 

Hao Chen approaches her.   "Xuanji, you had a bad dream."

 

"I...I dreamed about Sifeng."

 

Hao Chen sits on the edge of her bed.  "I already told you that demons are cunning.  You can't trust them."

 

Tears stream down Xuanji's face.  Something about Hao Chen's unsolicited lecture doesn't feel right.

 

"In order to revive the Devil Star, and disrupt the three realms," Hao Chen continues, "nothing is too extreme for them.  Pretending to be kind and acting selflessly are just tricks they use to appeal to you."

 

"It's fake," says Xuanji, who isn't convinced, however, she's obligated to listen to Hao Chen.  "Everything is just a trick?"

 

Hao Chen sighs.  "Of course.  Yu Sifeng has never treated you sincerely."

 

It feels like a knife is ripping through Xuanji's heart.

 

"He approached you since the beginning to get close to the forbidden ground to find out what is sealed inside it.  He approached you because you are the daughter of the Shaoyang Sect leader.  He approached you because you are innocent, kind, and put up no defense against others.  When he found out that you can wield the Dingkun Sword, he guessed that you were the God of War."  All of this is speculation presented as absolute truth.  "God of War is the demon clan's biggest enemy.  So, he advanced on you gradually to get close to you and soften you."

 

Xuanji feels like her insides are being torn open, and Hao Chen is secretly enjoying every second of it.  It wouldn't be a stretch to say that it's turning him on.

 

"Then he made you fall in love with him so that you couldn't leave him.  Then, he could easily affect your feelings, so that you'd lose the will to protect the three realms, or even work for the demon clan."  Even Hao Chen is getting caught up in his own work of fiction.  "Everything he did, was to make you waver, and to use you.

 

"I didn't want you to go to the real world for your trial back then because you can't distinguish between good and evil.  I never thought that you'd still fall into the trap of the demon clan.  Now, you've finally realized the truth.  Just think of it as a test for you in this life.  I'll stay by your side, and help you pass this trial in order for you to become a deity."

 

"A deity?"  Xuanji asks.

 

"You are the God of War.  You belong to the heavens.  Of course, you have to go back in the end.  Forget it.  Have a good rest.  I'll go out first."  He exits her room, and she's left alone with his fictitious re-writing of her memories presented as the gospel truth.

 

"Sifeng," Xuanji sobs.  "Sifeng will be fine."  She covers her ears.  She really wants to go outside, find him, and talk to him.  "Sifeng."

 

 

 

Xuanji is leaning against the gazebo post, outside in the warm sun, like a lizard on a hot rock.  Linglong and Little Six approach her.

 

"Xuanji," Linglong gently touches her arm.

 

"Linglong.  Do you still think of me as your younger sister?"

 

"Silly, why wouldn't I?  You'll always be my sister."

 

Xuanji hugs her.

 

"Don't think too much, okay?"  Says Linglong.

 

"Tell me," says Xuanji, searching for whatever crumb of validation she can get, "was Sifeng sincere towards me?"

 

Linglong steps back.  She was really hoping to avoid this shit show of a conversation.  "Xuanji, demons are never sincere.  People from Lize Palace are always wearing masks.  Everything we saw was fake."  Even Linglong, who should know better, as she got to know Sifeng very well, is jumping on the bandwagon, and giving in to prejudices and biases. 

 

"You still remember what happened to Uncle Dongfang, right?"  She touches Xuanji's face.

 

"Sixth Senior?"  Asks Xuanji.  "Sifeng was not sincere towards me?  Is everything fake?"

 

"Sifeng is a demon, and he indeed lied to us.  But he risked his life so many times for us."  Finally, someone who's resisting the urge to ride the bandwagon.  "And he even gave up his life to save you.  So, I think Sifeng must be sincere towards you."

 

"Are you trying to get Xuanji killed?"  Linglong interjects.  "Don't listen to him, Xuanji.  Yu Sifeng is a Twelve Feathers Rose Gold Bird, and the First Disciple of Lize Palace.  He must have known about Lize Palace's plan to attack Dianjing Valley.  If he was sincere towards you, he wouldn't have kept quiet, and just watched our sects bleed to death.  Things have already turned out like this.  Xuanji, stop lying to yourself."

 

Xuanji shakes her head.  "I have to find Sifeng and ask him in person."

 

"You just want to be tricked by him again?"  Linglong snaps.

 

"I don't want to be tricked, but I have to get to the bottom of this.  Whether he was sincere or not, I have to hear it from him."

 

"But everyone saw it very clearly during yesterday's battle," Linglong points out.  "Lize Palace is an accomplice of Tianxu Hall.  Everyone who is in contact with Tianxu Hall will become evil.  Even if Yu Sifeng was not evil in the past, he's a demon now.  He is now Tianxu Hall's accomplice."

 

Xuanji shakes her head.  That logic just doesn't add up.  She knows him better than the rest.  At one point, they even lived together, even if they weren't necessarily sexually active.

 

"I won't let you be in contact with anyone from Tianxu Hall," Linglong adds authoritatively.

 

In spite of her being the God of War, she is still surrounded by people who treat her like she's incompetent, and out of obligation, she goes along with it.

 

Xuanji grabs Linglong's arms.  "Linglong, I know that you are worried about me.  Sifeng is someone I can care for.  I am sincere towards him.  I don't believe that he is a part of Tianxu Hall."

 

"Linglong," Little Six interjects.  "Xuanji's God of War power has awakened.  Tianxu Hall won't be able to hurt her.  Maybe it's better if she can talk to Sifeng in person."

 

"Tianxu Hall can't hurt her, but Yu Sifeng can," says Linglong.  "What if Tianxu Hall made use of Yu Sifeng?  Then, Xuanji will be trapped."

 

Xuanji closes her eyes and sighs.  Even as the God of War, everything about her is still being underestimated.

 

"Have you ever considered Xuanji's safety by suggesting this?"  Asks Linglong.

 

"Those people worked for Tianxu Hall because Tianxu Hall has something on them," Little Six points out.  "Sifeng has always been smart.  He won't become someone's puppet so easily."

 

"May I beg for your audience?"  Two lines of Dianjing Valley sect disciples approach them.  And elder disciple approaches Xuanji at the bottom of the gazebo steps and bows.  "Greetings, God of War."

 

"Greetings God of War!"  The Dianjing Valley disciples repeat.

 

Xuanji feels a bit overwhelmed.

 

"We've committed a grave crime," says the Senior disciple, "by not realizing sooner that you were here, God of War.  Our Valley Master has ordered me to invite you and Lord Teng She to stay in the main hall as a form of apology."

 

"Don't," Xuanji says quickly.  "Just call me Xuanji, Elder Kou.  I...I haven't recovered yet.  Please tell Valley Master that I'll visit him another time."

 

Lord Teng She stealthily sits on the railing at a house catty corner to the gazebo, and listens in.

 

"But Lord Teng She said that you've already fully recovered," says Elder Kou.

 

Xuanji looks up and sees Teng She hanging out on the railing.  "Have you recovered already?"  She asks Teng She.  "Have you done the things I asked you to?"

 

"This injury is nothing to me," Teng She smiles.  "You, too.  You've recovered your power.  Now, you just need to use your power to heal."  He tosses a peach in the air.  He looks at Xuanji, and is about to take a bite out of his snack.  He sees the look on her face, and extends his hand.  "They gave me a peach.  I can't just reject their genorosity, right?  Do you want it?"

 

Xuanji points at him.  "You.."

 

"God of War," Elder Kou bows, "every Sect Leader is waiting for your arrival.  Sect Leader Chu has been waiting a long time for you, too."

 

She really doesn't want to see anyone, especially her father, and especially Hao Chen.  She's not in the mood to listen to any anti-Sifeng tirades, or any attacks on her judgments.  The condescending comments about her being naive, in spite of her great power, are enough to make her want to leave, but she has to nod her head and smile.

 

Little Six and Linglong exchange glances.

 

Xuanji sighs.  "Okay, I'll go with you."

 

Elder Kou bows.  "God of War, after you."

 

She reluctantly descends the steps with Linglong and Little Six following behind.  Their childhood clique is back in action, but it's not the same.

 

Teng She takes a bite of his peach.

 

"Stop right there," a disciple stands in front of Linglong and Little Six.

 

Xuanji stops and turns around.  Just like in childhood, they're back to doing everything together.  Before Xuanji can get a word in, the disciple says, "The Main Hall is a place of discussion.  Only people from a sect can enter.  You have been expelled from Shaoyang.  Don't make things hard for us."

 

"But--" Xuanji interjects.

 

"God of War, after you," says Elder Kou.

 

"Xuanji, we'll wait for you in your room," says Linglong.  "Go."

 

Little Six smiles and nods.

 

Xuanji feels defeated.  So, it's not like childhood.  Everything that had kept her sane so far is slipping away and falling apart.  Yet, she has to keep up this God of War image, when all she wants to do is have some private time with her friends, and process her break up with Sifeng.  She reluctantly leaves with Elder Kou.

 

Teng She tosses his peach in the air, and swings his leg over the rail.

 

"What is the meaning of this?"  Little Six asks the disciple who's keeping them from waiting in Xuanji's room.

 

"This is the God of War's residence," smirks another disciple.  "You can't stay here.  You better wait for her in the courtyard."

 

"I am Xuanji's senior.  She is Xuanji's sister.  We are not outsiders," says Little Six.  His time in Tianxu Hall has heightened his awareness of the rampant hypocrisy and discrimination in all of the sects.

 

"You've been expelled by Shaoyang.  So, you are no longer her senior," the other disciple grins.  "As for her sister, you'll just make Shaoyang look bad by staying in Shaoyang.  You better wait in the courtyard."

 

Two disciples in the back of the group start a loud side-conversation.  "This young lady of Shaoyang had a colorful past with that Wu Tong."

 

Linglong breaks into a cold sweat.

 

"No wonder she can be rescued from Tianxu Hall."

 

"She is not rescued.  She was just saving herself."

 

"What did you say?"  Asks Little Six.  "Don't be so cynical."  He grabs a disciple by the collar.  "Make yourself clear."

 

Linglong touches Little Six's arm.  "Forget it.  Let's go."

 

"Apologize," Little Six demands.  "Or else, don't blame me for what I'll do."

 

The disciple smirks.  "Hero Zhong, tell us, then.  What should I apologize for?  Tell us about it, so that we know what to apologize for."

 

The disciples laugh, as they know the offensive disciple is wanting explicit details for his nightly spank bank.

 

Linglong turns and runs away.  Her current feelings towards men are super unstable, and her trust in Little Six is paper thin.

 

"Linglong," Little Six chases after her.

 

For some reason, if a woman has been sexually traumatized, many men think it means she's wide open for business.  They think it means they can forgo basic decency and say things they would never dare say to a "virtuous" woman.

 

 

...To be continued...