American Perspectives: Xuanji's Blood Pt. 1 ("Love and Redemption" Ep. 43)

 

“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 is sitting up in her bed, with her head on her knees.  In walks the creepy and predatory Hao Chen.

 

"Xuanji, are you awake?"  Asks Hao Chen.  "You look a lot better now."  He parks his butt on her bed.  "You shut yourself in Mingxia Cave without eating or drinking.  You must be starving.  Here, eat something."  He hands her a green bowl of soup.

 

She shakes her head.  Something about Hao Chen isn't trustworthy.

 

Hao Chen sighs.  Xuanji is not nearly as easy to control as she was when she was the God of War.  "Don't try to think of ways to hurt yourself anymore.  What you are doing will not help at all besides hurting the people who care for you."

 

"Senior Hao Chen, I know you mentioned the engagement only to help me out.  Wait until..."

 

"Xuanji, you are wrong.  Our engagement was not forced at all.  This is what I wanted, too."

 

Xuanji gives him a look.

 

"Xuanji, I'd fallen in love with you early on.  I'm not sure when it started.  Maybe it's getting along with you for four years. Maybe it's our first meeting in the secret ground.  It might be even earlier."

 

Xuanji isn't buying it.  The Four Year training with him felt more like a grooming session, as he went to great lengths to keep her from obtaining her six senses, wanted to keep her socially and mentally disabled, and he prevented her from contacting ALL of her loved ones.  Not just Sifeng.

 

"You have been irreplaceable in my heart for a long time," says Hao Chen.

 

Xuanji really does not know what to say because she doesn't feel the same way about him.

 

He puts her soup on her nightstand.  "Do you know why the Love Stone on Fuyu Island came true on us?  I heard from Minyan that you have been entangling with Yu Sifeng for nine lifetimes.  But what you don't know is that your relationship with me came sooner and was deeper than his."

 

Xuanji really wants this conversation to end, which is why she's being as unresponsive as possible.  Everything about him just feels slimy.

 

He pulls out a Mirror of Origin shard from his hanfu.  "This Mirror of Origin contains our past, as well."

 

Xuanji looks at him warily.  She carefully takes the piece from him.  Because he has been underhanded with Sifeng, there's no reason for her to believe that he won't be underhanded with her.

 

Xuanji looks down at the mirror shard and closes her eyes.  She sees herself as the God of War, dressed all in white.  She approaches the bottom of the wide staircase.  King Bailing is sitting on the throne at the top.  Xuanji, however, doesn't realize he's King Bailing.  She sees him as Hao Chen.  She's not yet making the connection between her perpetrator and her senior, and that's by design.

 

King Bailing steps away from the throne, and with a movement of his hand, The God of War's white hanfu turns into a beautiful blue hanfu.  Her hairstyle is elaborate.  She holds her arms out, and looks at her clothes.  She touches her hair and smiles when she feels the elaborate jewelry.

 

She looks up and sees King Bailing is surrounded by Heavenly Officers.  He smiles at her.

 

King Bailing is at her blue crystal life pillar, and he takes out a red silk cord bracelt with the Love Bead in the center.  It floats to her pillar, and slides onto it.  The God of War had no say in this, she wasn't given any options to choose which man she wants, her six senses were stripped from her (so she can't even determine if he's right for her),  and it's a tool to get her to do his bidding.

 

The God of War walks up to her life pillar in full armor.  She stands in front of it, and looks side to side.  "In the past, I envied the complete pillars of others.  My life pillar was blank instead.  Now that he tied the red rope on my life pillar, I will not be alone anymore."  She holds up a pink bouquet of flowers.  "Right now, I want to give him my Love Flower.  Both of us will not separate anymore."  Which is exactly what he wants her to do, but he has no intention of returning her love.  He just wants to use it to get her to do genocidal things that no sane being, human or spiritual, would ever do.

 

With her finger, she inscribes the worlds "Eternal Love" in the air before pushing it onto the pillar.

 

Xuanji's head begins to ache as she opens her eyes.  The memory feels a little too convenient and contrived, but like her past self, she doesn't want to be alone, so she mentally convinces herself that he's sincere. She looks up at Hao Chen.  "Senior has always been by my side.  You went through troubles with me, as well."  She's still not connecting the dots that he is the evil King Bailing who exploited her.

 

"Now is the time to remind Xuanji of what happened in the heavens," Hao Chen remembers telling Siming just hours before.  However, these memories are very carefully contrived, as Xuanji absolutely cannot know too much.  This puts him on the exact same level as Wu Tong, and calling him "Wu Tong 2.0" would be very appropriate at this point.

 

"You mean..." says Siming.

 

"Me and the God of War," says Hao Chen.

 

Siming gasps.  "You want the God of War to remember her relationship with you to get her back, right?"  He giggles with delight.  "You finally came around.  That's great!  But if the God of War remembers everything, won't your identity be..."

 

Hao Chen looks at Siming.  "I will let her know what she is supposed to know.  What she isn't supposed to know, with that ability of yours to write legendary scrolls, do I still need to teach you what to do?"

 

"Oh!" says Siming.  He giggles.  "I understand.  I will go back and filter all the books, and see what she is supposed to, or not supposed to know."  He bows.  "I will be leaving."

 

"Did you see it?"  Hao Chen asks Xuanji.  He rises from her bed.  "Your roots of love have always been planted on me.  You just forgot about our past, and confused your own heart."

 

Something isn't adding up.  "I'm feeling troubled now," says Xuanji.

 

"It's all right.  I can wait," says Hao Chen.  "I can wait for you to be clear on your own heart.  But there's something that we can't wait on any longer.  After Master passed away, the Heartless Tactics are no longer sufficient to guard the secret ground.  We have to learn the Sentimental Tactics as soon as possible.  The highest level of Sentimental Tactics will allow two connected individuals to share their spritual power.  You are the God of War.  Your power is immense.  If we master this tactic, I can also use your power to defeat the demons.  Xuanji, let's use this tactic, and obey Master's last order to guard the secret ground."

 

Xuanji isn't completely sold.  Him having potential control of her power, in addition to him moving in on her so quickly in spite of her recent breakup with Sifeng, is a bright red flag.

 

 

 

"Young Master!"  The two guards standing at the doors to the Holy Garden announce as Sifeng approaches. 

 

Elder Feng darts in front of him.  "Young Master, the Holy Garden enshrines the Demon Citadel Flower granted by the late King Asura.  You can't enter."

 

"As the Twelve Feathers Rose Gold Bird, I don't need Elder Feng's permission to enter the Holy Garden."  With a movement of his hand, he generates a fiery spiral, and pushes it on the door.  The doors open wide, showing a roomful of candles with the dried up Demon Citadel Flower perched on a pillar in the center.

 

While Sifeng is observing the dried up flower, Yuan Lang is in another room, working the Soul Furnace.  A myriad of formations form before he finally pushes them away in a huge wave of pink.

 

Many corpses are on the floor, and the final victim for the day is levitating, as his soul is being pulled out of his body.  He screams in agony, but Yuan Lang doesn't care.  He rips the soul away, leaving the disciple with nothing.  He is thrown into the pile of corpses, like yesterday's garbage.

 

"Three more paths," says Yuan Lang, "and my Soul Furnace will finally be completed.  God of War, just offer up all your power to me."

 

Ruo Yu is by his side, observing the action indifferently.

 

"Deputy Chief!  Young Master is heading to Holy Garden," says a disciple.  "Elder Feng wants your advice."

 

"Why is he going there?"  Asks Yuan Lang.  "Come with me," he says to Ruo Yu.  He looks at the disciple.  "Get someone to clean this place up."

 

"Yes," Ruo Yu bows.

 

"Yes," the disciple bows.

 

The doors open, and Yuan Lang and Ruo walk past the bowing disciple.

 

A poof of purple smoke emerges from the wall.  Fox Demon materializes.  She watches the men leave, and hides herself again as the doors close.

 

She materializes again, and sees the Soul Furnace, glowing green, levitating over the corpses.  She reaches for it, and as her hand makes contact, the instense green energy throws her back.  She hits the concrete floor and spits blood.

 

The doors slide open, and she disappears.  Ruo Yu runs in, and immediately takes notice of the blood stain on the floor.

 

 

 

 

Sifeng approaches the dried flower.  He touches a petal.

 

"Young Master, be careful," says Elder Feng.

 

The petal disintegrates under Sifeng's touch.

 

"The Demon Citadel Flower is a holy object that helps the Rose Gold Birds' practice.  This is the only one left," Elder Feng continues.  "If you destroy it by accident, the speed of Rose Gold Birds' practice will be slowed down by a lot.  Lize Palace is currently in a lot of trouble.  There can never be any accidents."

 

"It did not receive any nutrients from demon blood for more than 1,000 years," says Sifeng.  "Its demon aura is weak.  This is just withering grass."  He opens his palm, and summons a droplet of his blood.  He turns his palm downward, and the vial of Xuanji's blood hidden in his sleeve shoots out additional droplets, uniting with his.

 

The hybrid blood drips onto the plant.  The plant turns many shades of purple, and begins to bloom.  If Xuanji's blood can revive the Golden Devil's Snare that has been withered for 1,000 years, and reproduce its demonic aura, she is definitely the Devil Star.

 

Yuan Lang and a disciple enter the room, and see the Golden Devil's Snare in full splendor.

 

"Palace Master," the guards bow.

 

"The Demon Citadel Flower has been revived!"  Exclaims Elder Feng.

 

Yuan Lang can't believe what he's seeing.  From what he remembers about the God of War and the Devil Star, "the math isn't mathing."

 

Fox Demon materializes in another room.  She sees Ruo Yu searching for her.  She breathes a sigh of relief when he doesn't detect her presence.

 

She sees a huge swarm of demons heading down the hallway.

 

"It has really been revived," she hears them murmuring.

 

 

 

 

Yuan Lang looks at the revived plant incredulously.  Sifeng keeps his facial expression neutral.

 

Sifeng turns to the crowd of sect members behind him.  "With my blood, I revive you.  Hence, use your life, and obey me to fulfill my wish.  This is a contract that was made by the Asuras with the demons a thousand years ago.  The demon clan has been gone for a long time.  Now that I'm back, will all of you still obey the contract, and pledge your loyalty to me?"

 

All of the sect members who are standing in front of him, kneel.

 

Yu Sifeng is the Devil Star?  Fox Demon isn't completely sold, either.  Something seems really off.

 

"The Rose Gold Birds have been living with the Demon Asuras since ancient times.  Demon Citadel is also the Rose Gold Birds' homeland.  The revival of the demon clan and the Demon Citadel is just what we, the Rose Gold Birds, wanted," says Elder Luo.  "The Rose Gold Birds will never forget a pact.  The demon clan's wishes are the Rose Gold Birds' wishes.  If the Demon Lord is here, all of us will obey and pledge our loyalty to you."

 

"All of us will obey and pledge our loyalty to you!"  The rest of the Sect Members repeat.

 

"Great.  The Rose Gold Birds are still as loyal as they used to be," says Sifeng.  "Now that Lize Palace is so united, Deputy Chief should also be relieved to return the Gold Feather Medallion to me, and resign from the Palace Master's position."

 

Yuan Lang gives him side eye.  "Resign from the Palace Master's position?"

 

"Deputy Chief led Lize Palace temporarily because Young Master might not have been mature enough to convince everyone," says Elder Luo.  "Now that Young Master has become the Demon Lord, and was born as the Twelve Feathers Rose Gold Bird, why shouldn't he lead Lize Palace?  If you still won't hand the position over to him, are you perhaps planning to take the position as your own?"

 

"Elder Luo, you can't wrong Deputy Chief for all he has done," Elder Feng quickly intervenes.  "Since the war from a thousand years ago, we demon clans have lost a place to live.  For thousands of years, we've been living a miserable life.  Didn't Deputy Chief create Tianxu Hall to give us all hope?  The Demon Lord's inner demon has finally returned.  He will lead us, the demon clan, to take back what we lost, and revive the demon clan's cause.  Now that Demon Lord has returned, Deputy Chief is so happy.  Why would he try to hold on to the position?"  Elder Feng turns to Yuan Lang and bows.  "I'm sure Demon Lord understands."

 

"Deputy Chief has always been the Right Lieutenant," says Sifeng.

 

Yuan Lang's stomach clenches.  Very few people know his true identity, the Devil Star being one of them.  The rest of the sect begins to whisper some side conversations.

 

Fox Demon continues to observe from her hiding place.

 

"I've never doubted his loyalty," Sifeng continues.  "Thanks to Right Lieutenant for managing Lize Palace, and leading the demons of Tianxu Hall."

 

Yuan Lang tries to conceal his anxiety.  The leverage he thought he had over Sifeng, and the rest of the sect, is toast.

 

"Now that all four spirit keys are retrieved," says Sifeng, "I'm very happy.  I believe Right Lieutenant will assist me in the future, to help me rescue Left Lieutenant, and aid my great cause."

 

Yuan Lang snaps his fan shut and slaps his hand with it.  He turns to face Sifeng.  "The reappearance of Demon Lord is a blessing for the demon clan.  It is what I had hoped for, as well.  I will now arrange for Demon Lord to take over in three days time.  From now on, I will also be by your side, and obey your every order.  I only hope that you realize the demon clan's ambition to annihilate the cultivator sects and dominate the heavens, leading the demon clan to the top of the three realms again."  He kneels beside Sifeng and bows.  He has the Gold Feather Medallion in his hands.

 

Fox Demon's jaw drops.

 

Sifeng turns to him.  He carefully takes the medallion, and studies it closely.

 

Sifeng puts his hand under Yuan Lang's arm, and Yuan Lang looks up.  Sifeng smirks at him, and helps him stand.  "With the Right Lieutenant by my side, the demon clan will definitely realize our ambition."

 

Ruo Yu feels very, very unsettled.

 

 

 

Yuan Lang reaches for his Soul Furnace.  Ruo Yu watches him touch it lovingly.  Yuan Lang warily looks over at Ruo Yu.  With the palm of his hand, Yuan Lang generates a stream of black energy, wraps it around Ruo Yu's neck, and drags him over.

 

"Trash!"  snaps Yuan Lang.  "You couldn't even do such a small thing.  Do you know?  Yu Sifeng's awakening as the Devil Star has destroyed my plans.  He used that identity to get every demon to easily pledge loyalty to him.  What will I have left?  If I lose the Soul Furnace, and can't absorb the God of War's power to confront the power of the Devil Star, my hard work will be for nothing.  I spent so much effort to bring back the Devil Star to be used by me, not for me to become his subordinate!"

 

"Palace Master, forgive me," Ruo Yu struggles to breathe.

 

Yuan Lang back hands him across the face, releasing the grasp of the black energy, and sending Ruo Yu to the floor.

 

 

 

Sifeng looks at the Demon Citadel flower.  "Why are you the Devil Star?"

 

"The Devil Star is the Asura with the strongest demonic aura," he remembers Hao Chen saying.  "It was sealed for 1,000 years to absorb the hatred and grudges over all these years.  It can endeavor anything, and has become a blood thirsty demon who was only born for vengeance."

 

"I will not let something like that happen," Sifeng whispers.  With a sweep of his hand, he shoots a ball of gold energy toward the wall where Fox Demon is hiding.

 

She shrieks as it hits her, sending her flying backwards, and onto the floor.

 

Sifeng stands over her.

 

Fox Demon chuckles sheepishly.  "Yu Sifeng?  No.  I should call you the Devil Star now.  I even told you the identity of Yuan Lang.  Unexpectedly, you hid everything from us."  She's in too much pain to get up.  "Darn it.  This demonic aura..."  She passes out, and shifts into her purple fox form.

 

 

 

 

Fox Demon is still in her fox form as she lays passed out on Sifeng's bed.  He heals her by scanning over her with his golden energy.  She shifts back into her preferred, human form.

 

She slowly opens her eyes, and looks at Sifeng.  She sits straight up.  "Devil Star?"  She rushes to stand by him.

 

"I wouldn't have saved you if I wanted to harm you," says Sifeng.  "You are a demon.  It shouldn't be easy for you to enter.  Eldest Brother Liu told you about the secret passage, right?  Your companion is hiding in the Lize Palace, as well."

 

"Yes, I did come with Zhong Minyan," Fox Demon admits, "but I don't know where he is hiding in Lize Palace.  Since you are so powerful, why don't you find him yourself?"

 

"Don't try to change the topic," says Sifeng.  "Minyan left Lize Palace early on.  Both of you came for the spirit keys.  Did you find anything?"

 

"See for yourself if I found anything."

 

"You don't have to test me.  I don't know where Yuan Lang hid the spirit keys.  I'm guessing that you didn't find anything, as well."

 

"Seems like the Right Lieutenant's loyalty to you is just an act.  Covering up everything, and not seeming to tell you, the Devil Star, everything."

 

"That's because my goal is different from Yuan Lang's.  I don't want the Divine Weapons."  He sits down.  "I don't want to release the soul of the Devil Star.  I don't even plan to annihilate the cultivator sects to turn the three realms around.  I just want to be Yu Sifeng.  I just don't want the Rose Gold Bird and the other demons to be used by Yuan Lang anymore."

 

"So, I'm guessing that you didn't know about Yuan Lang using Lize Palace disciples' blood and aura to make the Soul Furnace?"

 

No, he did not.  Sifeng looks at her with surprise.  "What did you say?  Yuan Lang...did something so cruel to his own kind?"  He clenches his fist.  "I blame myself for not having the ability to kill him."  He unclenches his fist.  "Tell me.  What is the use of the Soul Furnace that he is making?"

 

"So, you were really in the dark?  I've heard Wu Zhiqi mention such a cruel and weird way to make a furnace.  But I can't remember what its use is."

 

"Wu Zhiqi?"  Asks Sifeng.

 

Fox Demon nods.  "Yu Sifeng, I trust you.  You just want to be yourself, and not the same as Yuan Lang.  You do not want the Juntian Hoop, Cehai Hook on Wu Zhiqi."  She takes a seat next to Sifeng.  "Why don't we work together?  Help me get the spirit keys from Yuan Lang to release Wu Zhiqi.  Wu Zhiqi will get rid of Yuan Lang for you.  Sound good to you?"

 

"Wu Zhiqi gets rid of Yuan Lang for me?  Wu Zhiqi and Yuan Lang are the Lieutenants of the Demon Citadel.  They are close comrades.  Why would he help me get rid of Yuan Lang?"

 

"Wu Zhiqi and Yuan Lang are not the same.  Wu Zhiqi had no interest in getting power, and dominating the three realms.  He chose to help Yuan Lang and King Asura because of their brotherhood.  However, Yuan Lang forced him because of the Juntian Cehai, and held him in Fenru City.  He is still inside.  Yuan Lang thought it was a perfect crime, and Wu Zhiqi knew nothing of it.  Yuan Lang thought that he would still help him when he's released.  He's wrong.  He didn't know that I've been gathering the evidence of his framing Wu Zhiqi for all these years.  When I went to Fenru City, I've already given it to Wu Zhiqi."  She sits back down.  "Although the stupid monkey is reckless and values the bonds of friendship, he knows what is right, and what is wrong.  He hates being betrayed."

 

"So, Wu Zhiqi is coming out to get his revenge on Yuan Lang?" Asks Sifeng.

 

Fox Demon nods.  "Yes.  So, both you and Wu Zhiqi now have a common enemy.  Also, Wu Zhiqi is the person who understands Yuan Lang the most.  Isn't he your perfect ally?  It's just that I'm not sure if you have the confidence to get the spirit keys from Yuan Lang."

 

 

...To be Continued...

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