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TL;DR Version
When another fairy is punished severely for showing interest in Chang Heng, he protects Orchid by removing her from the list of those to serve him. DFQC suffers Orchid’s broken heart with her, learning more about feelings in the process. Orchid worries DFQC is at risk of being found, and drugs him and sends him off to safety.
Recap
Orchid is gushing to a captive audience, DFQC, about Chang Heng. She thinks the Firefly Stone thinks they’re meant to be. DFQC is not impressed, and storms off.
DFQC tells his own captive audience, Shang Que, that despite the Heart Spell he felt uncomfortable when Orchid was elated about Chang Heng. Shang Que broaches the subject of Orchid’s strength and is surprised by DFQC’s dismissive attitude.
That fairy that’s been lurking around is apparently named Yu Lin. Dan Yin finds the Firefly Stone on her and Yu Lin claims it was given to her. Yun Zhong finds them fighting.
In the big Immortal Court, Yun Zhong questions them. Yu Lin keeps doubling down on Chang Heng giving it to her, even when Chang Heng denies it. Yun Zhong gives her a final chance, but she won’t admit the truth. Her punishment is severe and involves removing her immortal bones and preventing reincarnation.
Chang Heng explains to Rong Hao that if Yu Lin had admitted to stealing it, she’d have been spared. His giving it to her was the bigger problem because he’s not allowed attachment to anyone but the Xishan Goddess. Rong Hao guesses he’s worried about the fairy he truly cares for.
A flashback reveals he erased Orchid’s memory. In a montage of his feelings, we see he deliberately left the Firefly Stone for her and set the Firefly free in Siming Hall. But now he eliminates her from the list of those to serve him, to protect her from a fate like Yu Lin’s.
Orchid sees her name is not on the list for Fountain Palace and that her Firefly Stone is a rock. She asks DFQC why Chang Heng did this, and he takes her to spy on Chang Heng and Yun Zhong. Chang Heng is cruel about Orchid’s low status to put Yun Zhong off. Orchid cries.
At Siming Hall, an obviously sad Orchid tells DFQC she’s happy because she passed the exam. DFQC tells her not to lie and Orchid gives in and cries. She thought Chang Heng at least didn’t think of her as lowly grass and knew she was an orchid.
DFQC starts to cry too but speaks angrily about Chang Heng. He tells her she’s different from the other fairies and is as precious to him as his own life. He wants her to not cry because he will feel sad too and wipes her tears.
Just then, Chang Heng shows up to search for the missing sinful immortal. Orchid stops DFQC from using Hellfire and throws them both off the platform. They plunge through the air and down into the water. Orchid can’t hold her breath and drifts away. DFQC looks annoyed but then pulls her in for a breath-kiss. When she revives and pulls away, he brings her in for more breath-kissing.
Once the search is over and they stand, sopping wet, in Siming Hall, DFQC explains defensively that he was reviving her. Orchids says she knows and leaves DFQC, who touches his own lips.
We see the snow tree and a single green leaf sprouting.
DFQC sees Orchid marrying Chang Heng in the Tianji Mirror. He complains out loud about his chest feeling stuffy and summons Shang Que to berate him for not finding the Heart-Hidden Hairpin yet. He’s also annoyed Orchid hasn’t recovered.
While frolicking in the forest, Orchid learns the immortals have figured out it’s one of the Moon Tribe that escaped from the Haotian Tower and not a sinful immortal. After hearing this, Orchid offers DFQC some poisoned liquor as part of a celebratory meal. Before he drinks it, he asks about the Tianji Mirror. Not realizing both he and Dan Yin have now seen her marry Chang Heng, Orchid complains about their questions and confirms it only tells the truth.
DFQC’s interest in the mirror confuses him until he decides that it’s because if she marries Chang Heng, he’ll be under his control. After Orchid’s urging, he drinks the liquor and passes out.
Orchid has him on a boat in the Memory Loss river, sending him back to the Moon Tribe rather than turning him in. She’s known he was Moon Tribe, but was enjoying his company and thinks not all members of the Moon Tribe are bad as the fairies claim. DFQC points out the danger she’s in by not turning him in and that this is why emotions are bad. She agrees but points out she’d be dead now without him anyway because of what happened in Haishi City.
Saying she’ll miss him, she flies to shore and says goodbye. DFQC sits up in the boat and thinks about her attitude about emotions versus the childhood torture that removed them from him, as he eats pastries.
Chang Heng is sad about Orchid when he gets news of progress regarding the investigation of the Evil Spirit.
Thoughts
I had it wrong last episode when I thought Yu Lin made a rock look like the Firefly Stone. What she actually did was switch a rock with the real one, putting herself in terrible danger. The main importance of the Firefly Stone is that everyone knows it’s Chang Heng, so whoever has it is connected to Chang Heng.
Considering his fears and understanding of what’s going on, it does feel reckless that Chang Heng gave it to Orchid. I guess like Orchid and DFQC, he deludes himself about certain things, and was trying to believe somehow they’d be together. Although, from what we’ve seen in that mirror, somehow they will be together.
Watching DFQC and Orchid interact is truly like watching fantasy creatures, completely divorced from our reality, interact. When DFQC tells Orchid how important she is to him, I know he’s speaking as an all-powerful immortal whose life is in her hands, not as a lover. But he’s oblivious to the way he sounds. Meanwhile, she is in her own world where she thinks DFQC is this loving suitor. I don’t necessarily blame her, I got the warm fuzzies when he said that too, even knowing he didn’t mean it that way.
But clearly, her emotions are starting to affect him. I believe both his discomfort with her loving Chang Heng and his later chest stuffiness at seeing her destiny to marry Chang Heng are the first bubbles of his own emotions.
This show is so clever about giving these couple moments early on without the characters actually being a couple yet. I think this is the third time they’ve kissed, but none of the kisses have been real kisses. The first two were about body swapping and this episode was about not letting Orchid drown. Feelings are funny, aren’t they? Because like when he declared her importance to him, even though these aren’t romantic kisses, I still get feels from them.