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TL;DR Version
DFQC wants to stay in his dreams, but even though resurrecting Orchid means seeing her marry Chang Heng, he leaves to save her. Chi Di learns the truth and tries to get herself and Rong Hao executed but Yun Zhong is too self-interested. Shang Que realizes Ji Lie lied again. Li Quan reunites his daughters. Chang Heng and DFQC learn from Siming how to resurrect Orchid.
Recap
DFQC has locked himself in a dream and is in danger of burning out his primordial spirit. The sleeping DFQC clutches the Bone Orchid and his Hellfire flares out, making things worse. Despite the potential dangers, Xun Feng, Shang Que, and the Moon Tribe Ministers send their own spirit energy to him.
Chi Di and Rong Hao practice sword fighting in a beautiful bamboo forest. She remarks his technique is a little more murder-y these days. He blames his anger with the Moon Tribe. She tells him warriors must not be blinded by hatred or war will never stop.
Chang Heng is at the real Siming Hall, failing to get the Tianji Mirror to appear for him. Dan Yin shows up with an invite from Yun Zhong to a memorial for the Xishan Goddess. Chang Heng isn’t going, the destiny Dan Yin saw in the Tianji Mirror hasn’t come true yet, so Orchid will be back.
DFQC promises Dream Orchid to never leave while in the throne room his Hellfire is getting out of control. Everyone has to stop feeding him energy. Chang Heng appears and Xun Feng tries to stop him from doing anything because Xun Feng is useless.
Chang Heng goes into the dream to pull DFQC out. DFQC is upset at the vision of Orchid’s marriage he sees in the Tianji Mirror. Chang Heng can’t convince DFQC to leave the dream to save the real Orchid, and gets kicked out. In the throne room the Hellfire gets worse and everyone, including Chang Heng, sends their power to DFQC.
Dream Siming Hall starts to dissolve. Dream Orchid tries to convince DFQC she’s not a dream, but he’s known this whole time. Dream Orchid points out that if he saves her, she’ll marry someone else, and he admits he can’t watch her do that. Then he tells Dream Orchid to wait for him and he’ll save her. She and Siming Hall vanish.
DFQC wakes up.
Rong Hao has, I think, a nightmare about Evil God Tai Sui pointing out how upset Chi Di will be with what Rong Hao did. Rong Hao wakes up, and Chi Di tries to comfort him.
Shang Que learns that it wasn’t Jie Li who caused Orchid’s death. Then he learns that he’s recently gotten over a poisoning no one mentioned. He tries to put the pieces together, knowing that Jie Li saved him but could be the only one to mess with the Bone Orchid.
Chi Di is getting weird vibes from Rong Hao’s flute playing too. He tries to put her off, but she uses her sword to destroy the illusion of the peaceful bamboo forest, showing its true sad and neglected state. Rong Hao confesses it’s been 30,000 years, and Chi Di is haunted by the voices from her past lives.
She brings Rong Hao to Yun Zhong so they can be executed, her for being a bad master and Rong Hao for everything. But Yun Zhong’s self-interests are too strong. He needs her for future war stuff and sends Rong Hao to Karma jail again.
Jie Li is literally digging her own grave when the Haishi henchwoman shows up and doses her. She uses Jie Li to bribe Li Yuan into saving Rong Hao again. Dan Yin isn’t thrilled to meet her sister.
DFQC and Chang Heng are in the Destruction of Heaven, a realm beyond the three realms that has its own Siming Hall. Chang Heng explains that Siming was exiled here for marrying her dragon husband, Chang Yuan. It’s a secret, and he’s not sure if Siming is still alive.
DFQC knows from what Orchid said that Siming had a Soul-Painting Pen that could create anything. Chang Heng references stuff we didn’t see from their voyage over, personal items that prove Siming is alive and waiting for them.
There are a ton of lit candles in this Siming Hall, which seems like a bad idea around flowing robes. Siming says that the future is ever-changing, and Orchid can be resurrected. Back in the Haotian Tower Orchid saved DFQC using her power so her primordial spirit is within him.
Chang Heng wants to know about the Tianji Mirror, and Siming confirms that it is an unavoidable fate. She privately gives DFQC Orchid’s Destiny Book. A glimpse into the past reveals that Siming always knew Orchid was special.
Thoughts
Last episode was amazing, this episode feels like something went a little wrong behind the scenes. While it’s understandable that DFQC would want to retreat to dreamland, it is a little emotionally exhausting to have Orchid die twice, two episodes in a row. I suspect that sequence is in part to ground us back with the Tianji Mirror, Orchid’s fate, Destiny Books, etc, but it doesn’t feel as effective as it could have been.
Then, Chang Heng makes those references to how they got to Destruction of Heaven that are just a huge “yada yada” type situation. Did the writers have that scene written but it was too much to film? Or could they not figure out how to make it work? DFQC and Chang Heng showed up without knowing where they were going and then figured it out, which seems cool, but would have been cooler to see along with more Chang Heng/DFQC bromance. As it is it’s a little confusing.
Destruction of Heaven was great though. Another Siming Hall (the 4th version of Siming if I’m counting right) hanging out in the middle of the galaxy.
Siming and Chang Yuan’s history seems to echo Orchid and DFQC, another forbidden relationship that has continued on despite everything. Also, Siming herself has a nice mythical feeling within our mythical story. We’ve heard so much about her from Orchid and seen her in flashbacks and now we finally meet her! It’s like it was fated.
Touching on the theme of fate, Siming says the destiny in the Tianji Mirror cannot be avoided. But she also says the future is ever-changing. This feels very different from Rong Hao’s declarations of having no choice.