If you’re feeling lost on a person, place or thing check out the Glossary for a spoiler-free reminder.
TL;DR Version
Orchid is determined to understand DFQC and his father and goes to the chambers of the old Moon Supreme. There they learn the torture that DFQC was put through, but Orchid thinks there’s still more to the story. She journey’s to the Ream of Return to Ruin to talk to the dead spirit of the old Moon Supreme. DFQC goes after her and confronts his father’s spirit.
Recap
Shang Que can’t tell Orchid much about the old Moon Supreme’s death, except it has to do with the forbidden ritual for removing love. The information on that ritual is located in a book that is burned to ashes in the old Moon Supreme’s chambers.
It’s forbidden to go into those old chambers, but Orchid goes anyway. The chambers are overgrown with weeds and cobwebs. Shang Que warns that he’s never seen DFQC this upset and this may push him too far. Orchid says this is why she has to figure out what’s going on. Jie Li points out that Orchid is supposed to be timid and wants Shang Que to stop her, but instead he joins Orchid.
Jie Li, recently nearly killed twice by DFQC, is understandably the last to join. She figures if they die she’s dead anyway.
DFQC struggles with his feelings. Around his love tree the ice cracks and melts revealing a grassy green island. DFQC tries to use Hellfire to destroy the tree but exhausts himself.
As a kid, DFQC created a zither and learned to play it as a gift to his father. But his father broke it. For wasting DFQC’s time with these things he executed the woman who took care of him. The woman wipes DFQC’s tear before she’s taken away.
DFQC tries to attack his father but can’t hurt him. His father beats him to push him to learn Hellfire. In the present, DFQC enters the Fuju Cave where he was tortured. He uses some kind of magic to get it to that red state and enters the statue of torture.
In the old Moon Supreme’s chambers, Orchid finds the burnt-up book hidden in the old throne. The book is made of wood, so Orchid repairs it.
As a child, DFQC was tortured until he wanted to die. His father questions him, determining that all DFQC knows now is a desire to destroy the fairy realm and restore the Moon Tribe. In front of his advisors, he attacks DFQC and is impaled on his son’s sword. Present-day DFQC yells as he is tortured in the statue.
Thanks to the repaired book, Orchid and the others see this. Orchid is crying and sad. Shang Que believes the restoration of the Love Tree is bringing these painful childhood memories back. Jie Li thinks DFQC must hate his father.
Orchid thinks there’s still more to the story and refuses to leave. She finds the broken zither, now repaired, and the wooden ball, both signs of a father’s love for his son. They find a scroll that tells of when DFQC’s talents were discovered and kept secret. It was after this that the horrible treatment started.
DFQC had told Orchid that when his father discovered his talent he said, “Why him?” DFQC felt it was because his father hated him. Orchid thinks it’s because his father loved him and knew what he’d have to do. Jie Li points out this is just Orchid’s guess, and Orchid gets excited.
Orchid wants to journey into Memory Loss River and down to the Realm of Return to Ruin, where it’s possible to talk to the dead spirits. The problem is the Ranxi flower needed to make this happen is extinct. There is a withered one, Xun Feng found it to try and use and Jie Li stole it from the treasury. After some cajoling, she gives it to Orchid.
Orchid works to revive it until she’s bleeding onto the flower. Jie Li gets her to stop, but the blood revives the flower. Jie Li and Orchid then go to a scary, whirlpool area of Memory Loss River. Jie Li makes a last-ditch effort to stop Orchid because of the danger but claims it’s because of the debt she’s owed. She gives Orchid the Cloud Shadow Mirror, which is needed to remember what happened.
DFQC is about to go to Xun Feng’s execution when he gets a new cut on his arm. He instead appears at the edge of Memory Loss River and goes after Orchid.
Orchid reaches the Realm of Return to Ruin and finds the glowing spirit of the old Moon Supreme. DFQC appears right after her, and angrily tells her to go back. They fight over whether his father cared about him. Orchid shows him the repaired zither and ignores him to revive his father’s spirit.
The old Moon Supreme immediately wants to know if DFQC killed the fairies and restored the moon tribe, to DFQC’s disgust. Orchid asks him about the zither, and the old Moon Supreme confirms he repaired it because his son made it for him. DFQC is further disgusted that his father would both destroy and repair his gift.
The old Moon Supreme then notices DFQC for the first time.
Thoughts
To me this is all the Beauty and the Beast section of Love Between Fairy and Devil. DFQC is obviously the Beast, and Orchid is prowling around his castle trying to learn the truth about his past. The look of the old Moon Supreme’s chambers, with the dense growth of plants covering the ground and the junk everywhere, is one of my favorite set’s in the show. It looks abandoned and sad and strange.
Credit to Orchid. She has feelings and instincts, but she doesn’t stop there, she goes to look for the proof. I’ve seen plenty of shows where characters just argue from the goodness of their heart, but Orchid puts in the work to find out if her feelings are correct. She’s determined to save DFQC from himself and knows it’ll take actions and not just words.
The Realm of Return to Ruin is a great name. I like that it exists but that it’s nearly impossible to use. There’s something satisfying about that kind of world-building. It’s also satisfying in that there’s really no way anyone else could do this for DFQC. Weak as she is, Orchid has the power to repair plants and plant materials, so she’s the only one that can fix the book and the Ranxin flower and actually help DFQC.
Poor Chang Heng, last seen getting thwarted yet again on Memory Loss River episodes ago. I know we’ll see him again sometime soon.
Note: I am uncertain exactly what stringed instrument DFQC made for his father, the subs are calling it a zither so that’s what I’ve used here, but they could be wrong.