American Perspectives: Seizing the Dingkun Sword Pt. 1 ("Love and Redemption" Ep. 16)

 

“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.

 

Sifeng closely examines his mask.  He hopes that it isn't crying.  He wants it to be a happy mask.  The hideous truth hits him in the face: Xuanji is right. It's a crying mask.

Xuanji is carefully watching Sifeng's reaction.

"Xuanji, did you really remove my mask?"

"Yes."

Sifeng recalls Brother Liu's words, "If the person you love only has eyes for you, that person will be able to remove the mask, and the mask will turn into a smiling mask."

Sifeng wants to throw up.  What's going on? he thinks.  He pulls back his sleeve and sees the feather marks are still on his forearm.  The Mark of Green Feather hasn't disappeared, he thinks anxiously.  And I still have the Lover's Curse within me.

"Sifeng, what's wrong?  Do you feel uncomfortable?"

He's having a hard time breathing.  Their enjoyable psuedo Honeymoon isn't going to last much longer.  He quickly pulls his sleeve back down.  "It's nothing.  Don't worry.  The mask has been removed.  It's not important whether it's smiling or not.  What's more important now is that we should leave this place.  Let's go.  Let's have a look at the staff you talked about."  He starts to walk ahead.

"I..."

He turns around to face Xuanji.  "Let's go, why are you standing there?"  He's trying so hard not to cry.  "Let's go." He grabs her hand.

They come upon the mystery staff.  Xuanji points it out.  "Sifeng, it's this staff.  When I touched it last time, it struck me with lightning."

Sifeng absorbs his mask into his body, and summons his sword.  He hurls the sword at the staff.  The staff turns a brilliant blue, and the sky goes dark.  The clouds shift, and thunder is heard rolling through the sky.

"This barrier is formed according to the Eight Trigrams," Sifeng observes.  "I think the staff is the eye of the formation.  I'll see if I can break the formation from the top."  He levitates, and hurls his sword downward, toward the staff.  He tries using a fiery energy, but the staff won't budge.  The clouds turn black, and Sifeng is struck in the stomach by the brilliant blue energy emitting from the staff.  He remains suspended in the air, but he's struggling.

"Sifeng!  Sifeng!  Are you okay?"

The lightning is striking him squarely in the torso.

"Let go of Sifeng!" she yells at the staff.

The lightning persists.

"Sifeng! Sifeng!" She runs over to the staff.

"Xuanji, don't go over there!"

She pulls on the staff like it's a lever.  "Sifeng, I want to save you!"

Sifeng brings his fingers together, and creates a greenish, circular formation.  He hurls it toward the staff.  It backfires, and hits Sifeng.

"Sifeng!"

He spits blood.

"Sifeng!"  with all her strength, she pulls on the staff.  Cracks begin to form in the rock it's embedded in.  With a surge of blue lightning, she pulls out the staff, shattering the rock.  Thick streams of electric blue and dark blue energy enter her body.

Sifeng falls to the ground.  He tries to cast a spell so this intense force can release Xuanji, but once again, it backfires onto him.  "Xuanji, let go of it!"

"Such impudence!" shouts an unknown voice.  "You never learn your lesson!"

"Xuanji!"

Purple lightning energy emits from the staff.  Xuanji is in a trance.  Flashbacks of being punished as the God of War occurs.  Her hand shakes.  

"I'm not in the wrong!"  The Chained up God of War shouts.  "What did I do wrong?  You were in the wrong!"  She struggles to break free from her chains.  With her chains, she knocks the Heavenly guards over.

Red Lightning forms in the sky over the staff.  Xuanji is still in a trance.

"Dingkun Sword!" Yells Xuanji and the God of War.

Sifeng is watching her in fascination.

Xuanji's eyes open, a brilliant, electric, blue.  A red vortex opens in the sky, and Xuanji levitates.  She is absorbed in a thick cloud of dark blue energy.

She has flashbacks of herself as the God of War generating a wave of electric blue energy, knocking out all the guards below her.

Xuanji, in her God of War mode, throws the staff, and the wood cracks.  She maneuvers her arms, transmitting electric blue energy.  "Dingkun Sword!" she shouts.  The wood shatters, and a very volatile sword is revealed.  With a strong motion of her arm, she summons the Dingkun Sword, and it comes flying to her.  She motions her arm upward, and the sword flies high, breaking the barrier that's holding them in.  It quickly plummets, and it lands a few feet away, stabbed into the ground.

Xuanji closes her eyes, the intensity of the energy abates, and she is lowered towards the ground.

Sifeng flies to her, wraps his arm around her back, and catches her before she can fall.

 

Teng She is fixated on his medallion. Anything to get out of this cell!  It finally begins to glow.  He smiles.  "The barrier surrounding Dingkun Sword is broken.  God of War, I've finally found you."  He snakes his head around with a lot of sass. "Zzz!"  He sassily saunters to the entrance of his cell, with a smirk and a smile, he dangles the medallion in front of him, as if he's caught a huge fish.

The guards exchange pained looks. Their tolerance for this high maintenance drama queen is extremely low.  Undoubtedly, the medallion is glowing.

Teng She looks at them expectantly.

 

An electric blue pillar in the Heavenly Realm is cracked, with broken pieces floating around at the top.  The Elder of Heavenly Realm has an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 

Sifeng is holding a sleeping Xuanji closely.  "Xuanji.  Xuanji!"

She slowly wakes up.  "Sifeng?"  She whispers.  She notices the line of dried blood from his lower lip to the bottom of his chin.  "Why are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Xuanji is trying to think.  "What just happened?"  She scans the area.  "What happened?"

"The earth was trembling just now."  He looks at the Dingkun sword, stabbed into the ground, waiting for Xuanji.  "This is not a staff.  It's a divine sword."

"I saw the general calling it's name within the Mirror of Origin," says Xuanji.  "It's name was...Dingkun Sword."  The sword changes into blue energy, which darts over to Xuanji, and absorbs itself into her body.  Xuanji gasps.  "What's going on?"

"Seems like the barrier was used to seal away the sword.  But you broke the seal by accident, and you became the owner of the divine sword.  This sword is immensely powerful. Seems like it doesn't belong to the Human Realm.  Maybe it's connected to you somehow?"

"Every time when I obtain a shard of the Mirror of Origin, I see a vision of a general dressed in armor.  But this time, when I held the sword in my hand, I saw her face clearly.  She looked just like me.  I always thought this was only a dream.  But now, it seems different from what I expected.  I feel familiar holding the sword  in my hand."  She rubs her right hand.  "And...I felt her experiences were my own experiences.  It seems that she suffered from injustice."  She grabs Sifeng's arm.  "Sifeng, what exactly is going on?  Who's that general?  Why does she look just like me?  And why does she keep appearing in my mind?  I can't figure out any of this."

Sifeng puts his arm around her, and pulls her close to him.  This isn't something he can readily explain.

"Xuanji, don't be afraid.  No matter what happens, you'll always be Chu Xuanji."

"But...Ting Nu said, 'I am me, yet I am not.'  Who exactly am I?"

"Since the Mirror of Origin shows all origins, maybe those visions were you in your past life.  Maybe your lack of six senses has something to do with your past life, as well."  He holds her hand.  "Xuanji, don't worry.  Everything will be explained once we collect all the shards.   Believe me."

"Sifeng!" Little Silver Flower shouts.  An unmasked Ruo Yu is following closely.  "Sifeng!" She sees Sifeng and Xuanji cuddling.

Sifeng and Xuanji abruptly stand up.

"Where's your mask?" asks Ruo Yu.

"It came down by chance."

"Congratulations," Ruo Yu smiles.

"So, we have to congratulate someone when their mask is removed?" asks Xuanji.  "Ruo Yu, I need to congratulate you, as well."

"My mask is different from Sifeng's," Ruo Yu explains.  "Sifeng is..."

"This is not the time," Sifeng interjects.  "We need to leave."

 

The four are walking along a trail in the forest.

"Xuanji, go and check if there are any demons around here," says Sifeng.  "We'll travel to Fuyu Island later."

"Okay."

"Be careful," Sifeng tells her.

"Sifeng, I lost my mask," says Ruo Yu.  "I need to return to Lize Palace and receive my punishment.  I'm afraid I can't accompany you anymore."

"It's lucky that your mask wasn't destroyed," says Sifeng.  "You just lost it.  And you don't have a person you fancy."

Ruo Yu looks down.

"If you go back and apologize," says Sifeng, "maybe you'll be able to avoid the 13 Punishments."

Ruo Yu bows.  "Take care."

Sifeng returns the bow.

"Master," Little Silver Flower says anxiously.

"Little Silver Flower, I need you to do something for me.  You're not a human.  You can sneak into Tianxu Hall and find out about the location of the shards.  You mustn't act rashly if you find anything.  Just return  and report to me."

"Master, are you still trying to help Chu Xuanji find the Mirror of Origin?"  Little Silver Flower asks impatiently.  "I'm not going.  I'm your spirit beast.  I'll follow you wherever you go.  Besides, you may hide the truth from others, but you can't hide it from me."  She grabs his arm.  "Master, Chu Xuanji removed your mask, but she didn't dispel the curse.  What's going on?  This wouldn't have happened if she had you in her heart."

"I don't know what went wrong," says Sifeng, "but the Lover's Curse hasn't acted up yet.  No need to fear."

"Why are you lying to yourself?  If she hurts your heart, or lures you to become emotional, the Lover's Curse will trigger.  When the feather marks disappear from your wrist, and travel to your chest, it'll be too late by then.  Master!"

"Why are you cursing me?" asks Sifeng.  "I'm your master.  If I die, you'll be homeless."

"Master--"

"Don't worry.  This is my body.  I know my body the best.  And I think this has something to do with her lack of six senses.  I asked you to find the shards because of my own interest."

"I have no choice.  She's the one who put the curse on you," Little Silver Flower says resentfully.  "Master, if she dares to hurt you, or betray you, I won't forgive her!"  She clenches her fist.

"Little Silver Flower, I don't like the way you speak."

Little Silver Flower lowers her fist.  "Fine.  I'll go."

"Be careful."

 

Hao Chen is standing quietly by a tree.  A beam of golden energy appears behind him.  "Greetings, King Bailing," the Heavenly Realm Elder bows.

"Didn't I ask you not to look for me in the Human Realm?"  Hao Chen asks impatiently.  "Did something happen in the Heavenly Realm?"

"It's not that.  A moment in the Heavenly Realm is a few decades in the Human Realm.  About your visit to the Human Realm...No one in the Heavenly Realm knows about it yet.  Of course, it's because I was great at hiding things."

"Why are you here, then?" asks Hao Chen.

The Elder pulls a book out of his belt.  "My King, I'm writing a book called 'Tales of the Three Realms.'  But I hadn't obtained new materials ever since you came down here.  I've put it aside for decades.  But today, there are some changes happening."

Hao Chen glares at him.

"I'm here to ask about your thoughts on them so that my story would be more interesting."

"What changes?"

"Ah?"  The Elder says.  "Oh, oh.  I forgot that you can't use your power once you're in the Human Realm.  That's why you're in the dark."  He's about to whisper in Hao Chen's ear, but decides against it.  "She...She escaped your grasp again.  And she managed to unseal the Dingkun sword again."

 

An electric blue beam of light descends in front of the tree where Xuanji reclaimed her sword.  Hao Chen and Heavenly Elder materialize from the beam.  The rock that held the sword in place is completely destroyed.

After such a long time, you managed to find the Dingkun sword again.  Seems like it's fate. 

"This is my script," says the Heavenly Elder.  "My King, do you want to read it?"

Hao Chen looks disheartened.

"My King, you were the one who brought up the God of War.  And she became famous in the Heavenly Realm.  I was thinking that if you two became an item, everyone would be envious.  It's a pity that both you and her are too calm and collected.  I was anxious.  That's why I made the decision to make the story between you and her the most important chapter in  'Tales of the Three Realms.'  But before I wrote my story, the God of War was punished and sent to the Human Realm."

Hao Chen recalls the God of War walking up to him while he's seated on his throne.  "You're awake?" he asks.

"Who are you?" asks the God of War.

"I'm King Bailing."

"Who am I?"

Hao Chen rises from his throne.  "You're my God of War.  I saved you.  I gave you life.  Your entire life belongs to me.  You will fight for me and the Heavenly Realm."  He extends his hand.

A suit of armor comes flying through the entrance.  With a flourish of his hand, the armor conforms to the God of War's body.

The God of War crosses her arms, uncrosses, and electric blue energy emits.

She is sent to fight many wars, defeating many enemies.  She ascends the staircase to the Heavenly Realm.  The Guards part, letting her walk through.

"God of War!" they chant.

She approaches King Bailing.  "I won."

"I told you before," says King Bailing.  "I trust you the most."

 

Hao Chen looks up at the sky.

"My King!" exclaims the elder.  The two disappear, narrowly avoiding a fire ball.

The fireball is none other than Teng She/Lord Flying Snake.  He runs up to the rock, checking for the Dingkun Sword.  He is horrified when he notices the destroyed rock.  "God of War? God of War?  Ee, I'm too late.  I've been guarding the Dingkun Sword for 1000 years.  Yet she took it away, just like that.  She didn't even stay here to fight with me.  She's despicable!  This won't do.  I need to find her.  I need to fight her to my heart's content!"

Someone grabs him from behind, and gives him a tight, bear hug.

"Who are you?" Teng She panics.  He sniffs the air.  "This stench is so familiar.  Green Dragon, let me go!  I have business to attend to."  He breaks away from the hug.  "Someone removed the Dingkun Sword used by the God of War."

Green Dragon snorts derisively.

Teng She flips his hair and paces.  He tries to run away.

"Hey!" Green Dragon catches him in a headlock.

"Green Dragon, let's talk over this."

Green Dragon nods.

"Guarding the Dingkun Sword is my responsibility.  I need to retrieve it."

Green Dragon won't let him go.  "No need for that.  King Bailing has a message for you.  No one is to ever ask about or involve themselves with the God of War."  He wags his finger in Teng She's face.  "You don't have to go."

"But why?" snaps Teng She, still trapped in the headlock.

"How dare you question King Bailings order?"

"Green Dragon, let go of me."

Green Dragon jumps up in the air in a beam of turquoise energy, taking Teng She with him.

"You!" shrieks Teng She.

 

The Heavenly Elder and Hao Chen run back to the tree.  Heavenly Elder is gasping for breath.  "That was close!  It's lucky that you masked yourself with the Mark of Concealment.  Even immortals can't see you.  If not, trouble would arrive if that Flying Snake saw you."

"I've expected Teng She to create trouble," says Hao Chen.  "That's why I locked him up.  I didn't expect him to sneak into the Human Realm."

"That's right," says Heavenly Elder.  "That's Right.  Teng She doesn't even know the God of War.  But he's stubborn in pursuing the God of War.  Does he think he can pursue the God of War?  Does he think he's you?  He's overestimating himself."

"I didn't come down to pursue her," Hao Chen clarifies.  "I'm here for the three realms."

Heavenly Elder nods dismissively.  He writes, "The King descended into the Human Realm for the God of War."

"If you write nonsense like that, I'll burn your book."

Heavenly Elder smiles sheepishly.  He quickly snaps the book shut.  "I mean, for the three realms."  He quickly tucks the book into his hanfu.  "My King, it's a pity.  You've done so much just to come here.  But the God of War still managed to retrieve the Dingkun Sword.  The Dingkun Sword is an ominous sword.  The God of War had slain countless demons using it.  It's filled with anguish.  Seems like your wish will not be granted again."

Hao Chen remembers an occasion during the Heavenly Realm as King Bailing.  Lord Green Dragon is bowing to him.

"My King," says Lord Green Dragon.  "God of War will face another trial today."

King Bailing slowly turns around to face Lord Green Dragon.  "So, what?"

"She has failed the previous nine trials.  This is the tenth trial.  If she fails again, she'll never return to the Heavenly Realm.  I've received other news, as well.  Some demons are trying to locate the God of War."

"You've failed every trial you faced," says King Bailing.  "Why can't you just get over your mental block?"

"My King, you're the ruler of our realm," says Heavenly Elder.  They are walking together over a bridge in the clouds.  "How could you ignore everything and descend into the human realm?"

"If I ignore the God of War any longer, she'll fall on the demonic path forever."

"I knew it," says Heavenly Elder.  "My King, you cherish her so much.  It's impossible for you to ignore her.  You still have her in your heart." He chuckles.  "This is too touching. No, I must write this down in my book."

"I'm not concerned about her," King Bailing says matter of factly.  "I'm just concerned about the three realms."

Heavenly Elder looks up.

"As long as her hatred doesn't overflow," King Bailing continues, "and she leads her life in peace, the three realms will be saved from another disaster.  And I can guide her to become an immortal again so that she can return here."

"But, My King," Heavenly Elder has his book open, "this...immortals mustn't interfere with human affairs.  If you descend into the Human Realm, Heavenly Emperor will find out, and he'll blame you."

"That's why I'm here at the Altar of Banishment."

"To hide your tracks, you're skipping the Path of Reincarnation?  You're trying to become a human by force.  Ay yo.  My King, you're a ruler of the Heavenly Realm!  You'll be punished by Nature's Law if you do so.  Not only will you suffer tremendous pain, you can't use any of your powers, as well.  And it'll be hard for you to practice any spells as a human.  How are you going to protect yourself?"

"I don't care, even if I have to use ten years in the Human Realm to change her destiny.  If I want to do it, I will do it."

"My King," says the Heavenly Elder.  

King Bailing ignores him as he steps to the edge of the Altar of Banishment.

"My King!  My King!"

King Bailing steps down and descends.

 

 

...To Be Continued...