Ice Fantasy 幻城 - Episode 17 (Recap)

kakashi: You will be happy to hear that Kasuo stops moping and takes action in this episode. It's quite brave but also incredibly stupid.
SakiVI: Good thing Shi is my true hero in this.
JoAnne: I kinda like Granny.
Yes, I thought she deserved an episode-picture

Episode 17

Shi visits his mother in her chambers. Lian Ji still can't believe her son has grown up to this beautiful man quasi overnight! (me neither, sob.) Right, it's amazing! She realizes that he is hurt ... that fiery whip is quite something! She also realizes that he has immortal powers now. And that it's weird he's trying to protect Yan Da and didn't fight back. Her worry for him quickly takes over though (it stops her from wondering too much) and she asks him to promise not to assist Kasuo in his fight against the Fire King. He kinda does. Well, he doesn't, but he does not not either. And because he already is (helping), he is lying to his mother.
Kids do that.
Plus, she's selfish. Well, not really, I get her feelings, but you know what I mean.
When the rebels next meet in their dreams, Luna, the Poison Lady, is there as well this time, much to Huang Tuo's pleasure. She is all business though and after testing whether Shi has powers, she tells them they need to find out the Fire King/Flame's weak spot asap if they really want to kill him. Shi has new eyes, look!
Wow, Shi!
I thought maybe I was just noticing them for the first time or something. Perhaps it's an aftereffect of the lovesmacks from Yan Da.
Li Luo has gone with the Genius Healer to collect the Genius herb. Oh, but what is that? It seems that the Genius Healer does not want Li Luo with him! He tries to ... ice blast her! So he's from the Ice Tribe? Do tell! (The white hair and whitened skin gave him away.) They fight for a while until Kasuo suddenly arrives. Li Luo is concerned, but Kasuo just smiles - and calls it:
I just assumed he was Ice Tribe from the beginning because of his coloring, but wow, unattractive and bad skin, so that was a bit confusing.
Only his Granny would treat him like a child and pat his hand like that. Plus: he recognized that gem from her staff. Yes. I see it. What trickery! The Genius Healer is no long lost Healer, but Kasuo's grandma!
And the point of all this was?
Some make up artist had a deal.
It's a bitter-sweet reunion: Granny is so, so sad about what happened to Kasuo. You really should have stayed in hiding like Granny told you! Kasuo understands that all of this must have been planned by Shi - who is most likely going against Flame all by himself. Well, Shi ... this backfired, because Kasuo is now more ready than ever to go and fight. At least it seems like he has a plan.
No one can gird Kasuo's loins more than Shi.
Poor Li Luo.
Shuo Gang, the brute, keeps stalking Lan Shang - and because his lust is strong, he grabs hold of her and drags her in front of Fire Daddy. He plans to marry her! Only... Daddy wants to marry her too. Oups, Shuo Gang. You lose.
Ha, and ew.
Are his cheeks the lighting or did they just slap that make up on his face?
Flame gets to say this excellent line: 
Ew, again, but funny.  
Very.
Shuo Gang cannot accept this! It looks like the two men cannot settle this with words, but then, Shi offers a very good solution: Lan Shang should be able to say whom she wants as her husband. That's part of the plan, of course. As we learn from a flashback to our gang of rebels, Flame has an enchantment shield around him, which makes it damn hard to harm him. It needs to be destroyed! They need to find out where on Fire King's body the, let's call it "power button" is. Once destroyed, it will take at least 300 years to restore it. Wow.
How do they know all this?
Lan Shang looks pretty to me for the first time, so I can't think about power buttons.
Aw, she looks really pretty here.
So, Lan Shang says she wants the strongest and most powerful man as her husband. And to find out who the most powerful is, she suggests that father and son have a duel. Flame is magnanimous and lets his son have three goes at him. Of course, Shuo Gang only ever hits that enchantment shield. And then, ta-da! His power button is revealed!
OH, that's the power button? I just thought it was him doing flame magic.
Shi is happy! Mission accomplished!
Good job, Shi! 
I must have gone to sleep right about there.
Because the Fire King - or his fire stick, I guess - is in a rush, the wedding is the next day. Or the same day. Everything is very festive.
Yes, well, festive, but tacky.
Tacky piled on tacky, hard to notice new tack.
Yan Da:
Why hasn't she been married off? 
She's looking good here.
The Groom!
That look promises some fun. Too bad Lan Shang doesn't like him.
He looks awesome. 
 Lava hot.
The Bride!
I really did sleep through all this? Damn.
Dippy.
To get back to the immortal realm in secret, Li Luo leads Kasuo and Granny through some caves only known to the Guardians. (And now to Granny, Kasuo and whoever else found it over the years.) Oh happy days, all her Guardian friends are hiding there! Including the boy who is in love with her, Qin Chu. They know the rough details of Shi's plans and bring our returnees up to speed. No details though.
Details, along with genetics, happen by osmosis for these people.
Awww, cutie pie.
This changes nothing for Kasuo. Brace yourselves, because his plan is this!
So, a reboot of an earlier plan.
Oh dear. I fear that's not a very good idea... No. I seem to be the only one who thinks though because everyone helps Kasuo getting into that bottomless pit, which is heavily guarded by Flame's soldiers. TV people can be so stupid. Inside the cave, they find many dead Fire Soldiers. Killed by the aura of The Deicide's blade, Granny knows. Flame sent them to destroy the sword, but nope, the sword killed them first. I'm on the sword's side, actually.
Me too. 
That makes three of us.

And here it is! So wait, did it rebuild the cave after Little Shi's last visit here? Kasuo walks up to it and touches it ........ nothing happens. How strange.
Maybe it finds Kasuo as dull as I do.
Yes, totally blunt. 
He's not a god anymore, so what does the sword care about him?
But then, Granny catches the sword fairy! It has a cuuuuute voice. It lets them in on a little secret: there is not just one, but many sword fairies. And the sword didn't react to Kasuo just now because all of them are currently outside. If Kasuo wants anything from them, he needs to summon them. How? By being very, very afraid.
So, it's a psycho sword.
I really slept a lot longer than I thought I did.
As the attack on the Fire Soldier's defense posts start, Shi sadly plays the flute, thinking he wants to be reborn as Kasuo's brother. Brother-shrother, you have the hots for him. His mother comes running, telling him to leave the city at this opportune moment. Since he hesitates, she guesses correctly that he plans to assassinate Flame and tries to stop him. He makes her believe he is willing to leave with her after all, but puts her to sleep when she turns her back. 
Wow, Shi! But where would they have gone? If the Fire King is ruler of the three realms, then there's nowhere they could've been safe.
This is where I woke up.

Comments

So, Shi continues to lie to everyone. He always seems a tiny little step away from that place evil people drift to almost naturally. And yet, he is not evil at all. He is just totally obsessed with his brother. Who, in turn, is rather obsessed with saving and protecting Shi. This constellation is ripe for tragedy.
Those two are gay for each other. The girls are just distractions. I'm calling it here.
It has been on my mind for a while too, yes.  
And Shi is Machiavellian, making him interesting to watch (along with the exquisite good looks).
I don't think that's accurate - yet - but only because he seems intent on restoring status quo. I have no sense at this time that he wants power for himself, or revenge for his earlier mistreatment, or any of that. As far as I can see, he's still hell-bent on helping Kasuo succeed in his mission. It's just that the little brother far outstrips the elder in abilities.

I am glad that Kasuo was shaken out of his guilt and self-laceration, but I'm not glad he went to that evil sword. He has no powers left, how on earth does he think he will be able to wield such a powerful object? It's basically suicide. He is the suicidal type, so they really should have stopped him, his lady companions!
He's getting on my nerves now with all his moping and noble idiocy.
I still like Li Luo, and Shi is fun to watch, but the rest of them...
Now come on, Kasuo is a bit of a moper, but I won't let you diss him! He is a good guy, it's just his bad luck he was born as the hope of an entire three realms! Have a bit of compassion!