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TL;DR Version
DFQC reveals himself to save Orchid during the Immortal Exam and Orchid covers for him with the fairies. When she realizes DFQC helped her get first place she tries to cancel her win, only to be told she deserved it by Chang Heng. Rong Hao is revealed to be the Lord of Haishi City, working behind the scenes to resurrect his master, former God of War Chi Di.
Recap
DFQC saves Orchid from Ying Zhao at the last moment. While rock-ish music plays DFQC pulls out his sword to be a heavy-metal hero. Orchid grabs the sword and tosses it.
Orchid heals Ying Zhao, returning him to his adorable pokemon state and capturing him in a pokeball. While she’s doing that a zap from DFQC gets rid of the lurking Haishi City henchwoman.
Afterward, Orchid and DFQC have a philosophical debate about emotions. He feels she should have killed Ying Zhao, emotions make her weak, and being without emotion makes people more rational. Orchid thinks that without emotions you are missing something important, and because of emotions she and the other fairies worked together and were stronger.
DFQC has a grim flashback of suffering horribly.
Orchid urges him to believe in good and then pushes him to hide. Chang Heng shows up concerned for her health. Dan Yin’s father Li Yuan is suspicious of Orchid’s explanations for what just happened, which left out DFQC, but Rong Hao and Chang Heng put him off.
They find the Evil Spirit in the grass. It shouldn’t be in the fairy realm. While they puzzle over that, Rong Hao asks after Orchid’s master and mentions he misses his master too.
Later, Chang Heng discusses his concern about the Evil Spirit, which requires the Soul Transforming Cauldron, with the other two. At Siming Hall, Orchid receives notification about getting first place in the Immortal Exam.
At Liufang Pavillion in Haishi City, Rong Hao sits in fairy garb rather than the Lord of Haishi City mask. He’s angry with his henchwoman’s failure to kill Orchid and they still don’t know who is interfering. He sees her injury and recognizes it as Hellfire.
DFQC is also scolding his henchman, Shang Que, but for failing to protect Orchid. DFQC is curious about the Evil Spirit and Haishi City. Because they were after Orchid, DFQC ties them all together with the former God of War, Chi Di, and her Destiny book. Shang Que explains that the Lord of Haishi City is very powerful and no one knows who he really is. Except us.
Orchid interrupts. She’s worried DFQC is behind the Evil Spirit. His protests that it’s beneath him and he could have killed everyone don’t convince her. She activates the Xilan Holy Spell, bringing him with her to turn himself in. An invisible Shang Que goes after them, pointing out to the distressed DFQC that unless he opens up and explains their plan will be destroyed.
DFQC relents, and tells Orchid he was there to help her pass the Immortal Exam. Orchid remembers the strange strength she showed during the exam. Still misunderstanding but now in a different way, Orchid is touched and tells him not to turn himself in. Now she’s upset because her powers didn’t strengthen, she cheated and needs to cancel her win.
Even though she wants DFQC to repent and go back to Haotian Tower, she doesn’t want to reveal his name to the fairies. She tells him to stop being nice. She’s growing used to his company and once he’s gone it’ll be even harder to be alone. DFQC does not understand.
In Haishi City, Rong Hao kills someone who looks like Chi Di, the master he mentioned missing to Orchid earlier. It’s not really her though, just someone spelled to look like her.
DFQC remembers being instructed to have his emotional root removed as a child so he could be the strongest in the realms, and then Orchid saying emotions are not a burden. There’s a brief flash of Orchid touching the frozen tree when they first met.
Orchid catches a firefly in the Firefly Stone, so she can return it to Chang Heng. She shows up to cancel her Immortal Exam win. Dan Yin feels Orchid deserves it because she saved Dan Yin’s life and all the fairies are grateful. Dan Yin promises to stop being a jerk to Orchid, but still hates her. She won’t explain what she saw in the mirror.
Chang Heng is there, and when Orchid tells him about the cancellation she still leaves DFQC out. Chang Heng says she deserves the win because of her bravery, and he was one of the judges. She tries to give him back the Firefly Stone, but its reactions prove she’s its master.
The fairy that was mean to Orchid during the examination is spying on her and follows her into the forest where she magics a stone into looking like the Firefly Stone. Also in the forest is Rong Hao. He’s realized DFQC escaped and is investigating further. He wants Orchid’s help with a sick plant. When she heals it for him, she confirms that she’s the goddess of Xishan.
Rong Hao stands over the body of Chi Di and talks of both their suffering and his plan to bring her back soon.
Thoughts
There are a few things I’m a little confused about in this episode despite this being my second watch.
Rong Hao and the woman magicked to look like Chi Di, what was that about? To show his cruelty and his obsessiveness? Was she there out of some kind of desperate emotional need of his? And the body that he spoke over later, was that Chi Di’s real body?
Also, the Firefly Stone. There’s some mention that makes it seem like it’s tied to love and destiny, but I’m not sure how.
Other than that though, things are falling into place. It was a big Rong Hao episode. Anyone who couldn’t recognize Rong Hao by his lips alone now knows he’s also the Lord of Haishi City and the one behind the Evil Spirit. His motives have also been revealed, that he wants to resurrect his master, the former God of War Chi Di. Rong Hao has a thing for Gods of War it seems.
So that means bad-good guy Rong Hao and good-bad guy DFQC are the ones most on top of what is going on. Chang Heng and the fairies are behind them, with no idea about DFQC or Chi Di, just starting to put things together with the Evil Spirit. Of course, Orchid might as well still be at the starting line.
Her argument with DFQC about emotion definitely covers one of the core themes of this show though. I personally think many people who claim to be making rational, non-emotional arguments are just deluding themselves and trying to win a fight with wordplay. But I also struggle with my emotions. So I get it. It’s also just fun to watch the weakest Fairy in the realm arguing with the most powerful Moon Tribe in the realm.