EPISODE 33

The following is a semi recap plus review plus opinion on the specific episodes, emphasising more on the review than the recap. Spoilers alert and highly opinionated. Read at your peril.

HQG is one busy gal. She has to..

1. feed her shifu with her own blood

2. bottle up her blood by the bottle

3. cook for him

4. cook for herself, including drinking awful herbal supplements

5. deal with difficult people who makes her life hell like NMT and Mo Yan

6. dealing with being anemic I think, for the blood she had to bottle

7. find a way to get all magical items

8. persuade shifu to stop having death wish

9. deal with the emotional issues like shifu banishing her

10. frequent trip to ice bed, own bed, fainting, etc etc

And on top of that, she now has to wipe off people's memory, including her shifu's. Did I mention she also had to do the laundry?

How much more can someone take? For someone with the highest EQ of all like HQG, a lot more as we shall see.

Recap begins for a relatively short contents in this episode.

I did not banish Xiaogu because she is my fated calamity. I banished her because of my affection for her - BZH

Ok fans, this is the pivotal moment. All of you waiting and waiting for shifu to say I love you, well he is Prof Higgins and that is the  best he could say. I believe at this point he is so affectionate towards her it is slowly blossoming into love but he doesn't realise it. He did observe she has been with her for 4 years and so she is no longer  a child but now a woman. He recognises that and I believe this is the moment where perhaps his feelings may be different. But there were so many red herrings. I shall point them out as I go along, at the top of my head I can think of only 1 obvious one.

Before I begin, shifu's poisoned stated #5. Wow, 5 episodes already!

He looked terrible. Anyway recap!!

Li Meng walked into the vampire kiss session and HQG stopped him and he swore that either she kills him or he will tell everyone he saw her seducing BZH despite the fact she told him he was poisoned. Well she kidnapped him. She ran to find DFYQ but he was gone and so out of desperation she called on SQM and asked SQM to teach her the hypnosis technique to block someone's memory. He did asked her why she needs to learn that but in the most quoted phrase tonight by HQG herself, she promised to tell SQM everything when the time is right, all he had to do now is to teach her. He asked no more and amazingly she learned in half a day I suppose because next she ran to where she hid Li Meng and erased or rather blocked his memory and then she rushed to her shifu and did the same as she apologised for doing that.

Shifu, this is for the best. All the pain, all the bad memories should be gone.

Poor HQG. Busy busy busy, as she is still bottling her blood by the way.

Shifu woke up at night and he was no fool. He knew someone messed with his memory and he suspected HQG so he summoned her.

Meanwhile Tang Bao rushed to a forlorn looking and pale looking (no one seem to noticed that except Shuo Feng!) HQG and Tang Bao happily said Shiyi confessed his love for her and they kissed. I suppose that scene was also censored because I remember seeing a BTS of them kissing by the pond or something. Is kissing now banned in China? Anyway, HQG was very happy for Tang Bao and wished them well. She felt since Shiyi is taking care of Tang Bao she had no worries. Li Meng came to summon HQG who asked quietly did they meet last night or something and Li Meng said how could they have met since he was the guard in front of BZH's room? So HQG felt safe that the secret is ok. She went to her shifu and excitedly called him shifu and then realised that wasn't what she was supposed to call him but he gently told her she can call him shifu if she wants. The first thing he asked was did she come to Hall Of Emotionless. She stuttered a no although BZH didn't quite  notice that. Anyway BZH told her her plans. He has set her education for the next few years, and arranged for her to be taken care by SXM but HQG cried she only wanted to be his disciple, and BZH at the end said she must return to Shu Shan and do as she promised to do; to revive Shu Shan. Ha! HQG never cared for Shu Shan to tell you the truth. I mean that was never in her agenda and naturally she argued on that point, that she wanted to stay at Changliu and next came the bomb. BZH told her to leave because he planned to leave Changliu and die somewhere. The man with death wish finally will carry out his death wish. He had already decided so HQG had no choice but to say yes but begged to stay for 3 more days because her birthday is coming and he promised to spend her special day with her and so he said yes and allowed her to stay in the Hall for 3 days. HQG happily left and BZH looked... conflicted.

Here is also where he noted that she had stayed with him for almost or nearly 4 years and that she was no longer a child but a woman. True. By my calculation she should be at least 20. 20 in ancient time is like grandma age already. Kidding but you know what I mean.

So she stayed. Cooked for him, being playful with him, last lunch together she fed him and they drink and she even played the Liu Guang Harp for him and recited a sad poem and suddenly, and this is red herring here, he looked like he was about to cry. I was like could it be? Could it be BZH is feeling emotion, like... like.. LOVE?!!! Nope. HQG put some drug in his tea and he just felt the effect and promptly fainted.

Sigh! Eeeesssshhhh!

As he slept, she took all the magical deity items he hid in his stomach which explains why he doesn't need to eat. Must be full! Anyway she broke his trust no doubt. He trusted her enough to let her have free access everywhere, including his stomach so she certainly broke his trust in her. BUT anyone accusing HQG of being malicious in intent is dumb. Why? She had so many chances to kill BZH and she never did. It was so easy to kill him because he lets his guard down whenever with him.

Anyway HQG again apologised to her shifu and promised to return with the antidote and ready for whatever punishment. The problem is she probably never counted on the fact that her shifu will bear half the burden for her mistake. Was saving him a mistake? Probably not, and I shall explain why.

Shuo Feng met with HQG and promptly asked her about her wrist. She won't say a thing but promised again she will explain when things are done. He wasn't an idiot. He deduced something was going on with BZH who kept hiding in retreat since Snow Mountain. He noticed how pale HQG was and he deduced she was using internal power to heal BZH. HQG at last confessed what was going on and Shuo Feng was shocked. He in fact very shocked and in hindsight, knowing what will happen in the next 2 episodes, I understood why he looked shocked. I think he even said to himself that he realised now why he was at Changliu. He asked HQG her plans and he seemed to know the stuff about Flaming Crystal Jade although ZX and SXM don't seem to know. Strange. Anyway he thought for a while and then he said to HQG;

Fine. I will help you.

HQG of course protested, that it was dangerous and the punishment worse than death. But Shuo Feng had his reasons.

Believe me, you will need me, And I want to help you because (BZH) can't die. If he dies, the world will be in absolute chaos. And 2 heads are better than 1.

Now this is where I feel HQG is justified in saving BZH. Not because he is so important that without him the world will be in chaos, but because with or without him life goes on. True! In the end when he lost his immortality and he left Changliu, world didn't go kaput. In fact in part he was to blame for the world almost going kaput by taking HQG as his disciple and getting poisoned and all. Maybe all those world is going kaput if BZH dies is overrated sentiment. Maybe BZH has been conditioned and with these stuff drummed into his inner recesses that he knew no other alternative. That perhaps, if fate plays a large part in life, with or without him, life goes on. You know what I mean?

Anyway so Shuo Feng and HQG made a pact.

Meanwhile HQG knew she had to settle the problem with BZH's poisoned state and so she went to the next person who can help and that was ZX. ZX of course threatened to kill HQG but HQG said after all that she have done what she plans to do, death is certainly on the agenda. She basically told ZX she found a cure but not what, that she will go get it and meanwhile ZX will help to make pills out of her blood.

Pause here.

I am sure you have sensed the peculiarity in the dialogue. The mouth doesn't match the word.

In the dialogue, she said her blood is poison which is du. The mouth says xie which is blood. Why they change it, your guess is as good as mine.

Same with the Fated Calamity. In the dialogue they say Sheng Si Jie which means Life And Death Knot or Life And Death Calamity. The mouth says Po Suo Jie which I suppose means Break The Lock Knot or Break The Lock Calamity. I think that's what Po Suo means or it could be something else. Point is, totally different word. Why change it? I don't know.

Anyway, ZX at the end agreed but not without a threat that she will make HQG suffer a fate worse than death if she failed. Well, HQG will suffer that fate whether she succeeds or now. I feel ZX's threat is really OTT. And so HQG left with no worries as ZX claimed she has always had BZH's interest in her heart. When HQG had left, ZX said bitterly to herself;

I thought for all these years I was the one who loved Zihua the most. HQG, I never thought your love for him could be so deep, so much deeper than I could give. Zihua, why did you accept this disciple?

Is that bitterness? I am not sure. I suppose someone should tell ZX love can't be measured that way. At least the 2 women didn't stop and buy him a coffin. They both never give up even when BZH had already given up.

And so HQG left Changliu after some party time with her fellow friends. NMT tried to make a scene but everyone told her to get lost. Shuo Feng also ignored NMT. Before she go, HQG left Tang Bao to the care of Shiyi and Shiyi promised no matter what he will be with Tang Bao. HQG said if there were too much protests and Shiyi had to leave Changliu, Shu Shan welcomes them. 

So HQG left and Shuo Feng tagged along. If you wonder why, I think in 2 episodes you will know why. 

ZX went to see BZH and was stopped by SXM. But she begged SXM to let her go in as she promised to take care of BZH as HQG will be in search of the antidote. Even SXM was surprised there was an antidote. Don't any one of them know about the Flaming Crystal thing? How does DFYQ know so much? Anyway ZX went down on her knees to beg and SXM melted and allowed her to go in as ZX said all they could do now is to trust HQG and wait for her return. A lot of burden for a young girl I tell ya.

Inside ZX looked at a sleeping BZH and got teary eyed. He woke up and asked for HQG and when SX told her HQG left for Shu Shan, he looked sad and then said perhaps it was for the best. ZX cried, that it was her fault and she apologised but BZH weakly said it was fated. So ZX deduced he banished HQG because of that but BZH said otherwise, which was what he said in my chosen quote. ZX got really angry, that he had always placed others above himself, and now he has placed HQG above his own life.

Pause! PAUSE!!!

What can BZH do now? He is already poisoned so of course he must find a way to settle  HQG's problem, to make sure she is protected and taken care of. What he is doing is normal. Should he abandoned everybody and everyone just because he is dying? Then he is not the great BZH is he? What does ZX expect him to do now? Since he is already dying, he might as well do the next best thing; settle his affairs!

Continue!!

ZX was bitter about everything, but above all else like me, she was bitter than BZH seems to have given up on trying to live. Woman, he has given up since 5 episodes ago. Anyway so she said, and she was crying and begging in tone;

Zihua, you promised to guide me back to the path of righteousness. Have you forgotten your promise?

But BZH sadly said;

I am afraid I don't have much time for that.

Sad isn't it? I don't know which is sadder. That 2 women will be willing to go through hell to save him or that he has accepted his fate. I wonder, if Mo Yan know, would he have done the same? I mean Mo Yan is  a prick with a cactus up his butt but he isn't that evil is he? Is he?

NMT couldn't believe Shuo Feng left with HQG on the pretense that he is escorting HQG back home to Shu Shan. Fellow students teased her to say Shuo Feng was in love with HQG and so left with her. NMT couldn't believe it and so the girl huffed and puffed and tried to blow the whole house down. Isn't she tired of being angry all the time? Shiyi reprimanded those students but they all said NMT deserved it. NMT went to look for Shuo Feng and couldn't believe the one guy who likes her has left the building.

ZX alone and making pills from the cauldron, chanting;

Zihua, I will save you.. I will save you..

She and HQG are so alike. NMT arrived and huffed to ZX to teach her the way to kill HQG once and for all and ZX said angrily;

Don't you think you are letting your jealousy of HQG getting to you? You had to be the centre of attention don't you? Let me warn you. If you hurt HQG, even one strand of her hair, I will make sure you die a terrible death.

I like ZX. Anyone who threatens NMT I like. I wish someone just carry out with their threats.

This is like the in between sort of episode but packed with some insight into various character. Whilst I am bored with the never ending huffing and puffing of NMT or ZX's jealousy, at least there is a deeper level in the relationship between ZX and BZH. They have known each other for 1000 years and she had loved him for 1000 years. I do believe if she had known about the magical deity items, ZX would have gone to steal them herself but she would have failed since she is not that close to BZH to get the rest.

So the next episode will deal with how HQG steals the items and then we shall know Shuo Feng's importance. 

Finally a beauty shot;

Poisoned or not poisoned, BZH is still so beautiful!