Ashes of Love 香蜜沉沉烬如霜 - Episode 11 (Recap)
kakashi: In this episode, Jin Mi gets all the good things.
panda: She does look very happy in the below pic.
JoAnne: That grape's got nothing to feel sad about.
That made me really laugh. But, Lord Puchi is a scamp! Is he trying to shock the pill out of her (Wait, does he know she has a pill? I think NO).
I love that rascal, I really do.
But luckily, there's another place where to have pleasure - the opera house. Only... well, there's a lot of gay activity going on and just like Jin Mi was a bit out of place at the brothel, she's a bit out of place here too, seeing how everybody thinks of her as a man looking for a specific kind of pleasure again.
LOOOOL. The guy below has such a pretty side profile.
I was thinking the SAME. But his fingers...is he demonstrating something to her?
It's here Phoenix finds them. His face.....
DEAD
You know who he reminds me of? A dad. Like he's Ricky Ricardo and she's I Love Lucy. Yes, I call her I Love Lucy. She's not Lucille Ball. She's I Love Lucy, and she has been since I was a tot.
Jin Mi is like: ohhhhh, did you come to have fun? To say he's displeased is an understatement. Him and Lord Puchi get into an argument right away, but Night comes to save the day (by tying up Puchi). Xu Feng is quite unhappy about his elder brother's stunt to hide Jin Mi away. And of Jin Mi being brought to places of "carnal pleasure".
Let Jin Mi have some fun your highness! He was positively livid at Puchi and still, Jin Mi has no clue.
Well clue her IN, Phoenix. Clue her IN.
Jin Mi, discomforted by the thought that she might be handed over to the Flower Aunties soon, suggests they all go drink some osmanthus wine that she has made. Lord Puchi, who ends up upside down on magic ropes (that's a very different drama), tasks Jin Mi with getting the other two Deities drunk so he can escape. It's a plan!
I really dig their friendship but I can't help not trusting him fully and that makes me wary of his intentions.
I trust him. Well, I trust him with her. I wouldn't put it past him to screw over somebody else, though. You don't live that long being a simple goof.
The drinking adventure begins. Xu Feng checks Jin Mi's "immortal root" for purity - no it's NOT what you think (Well in my drama it will be) - and is relieved it's not been tainted by dirty spiritual influence. Hmmmmmmm. I think my immortal root is pitch black. Hmmmmmmmm, I also think Xu Feng's root is in turmoil because he does not like how friendly Night is with Jin Mi at all - this is what Phoenix says when they're briefly alone: "Jin Mi is not someone we both can desire." The knives are out!
I absolutely had no idea things would be stated so quickly. And my baby Night trying so desperately to stake out his territory (still quibbling with what he did in the past episodes, but I feel so sorry for him.)
Right? Why shouldn't he get the girl? I mean, I know he won't but what I'm saying is there's nothing about Phoenix that should mean Night automatically has to lose. So I have no problem with him following his heart. It's not like the little fruity one has indicated a preference.
Jin Mi brings them two more bottles each, that'll do the trick. The first one to pass out is Night.
No stamina, pfffft
But so cute. And he has no stamina because he's always been so focused on being a GOOD boy because he's treated so badly! We should credit him with an extra bottle and act like he's this way because he drank THREE, just to make up for it.
Followed closely (though a bit more gracefully) by Phoenix. Him, Jin Mi drags inside the house despite Puchi's shouting to be untied. Once he is on her bed, Jin Mi starts... well... should we call it harassment?
What exactly is she doing????
She is doing a thorough examination of bodily orifices starting from the top, Panda. After that she will be testing the smoothness of skin and the overall muscle tone of his cheeks. Quite important work - why do you ask?
On top of this, she demands to be paid the spiritual energy he still owes her! Poor boy is so drunk, but he still pulls through. (Out? No, sadly, just through.) He even thinks of giving it to her in ways that will not hurt her. Afterwards, he collapses though. Right into her arms. Jin Mi suspects he might want to have some spiritual cultivation with her. Oh I'm SURE, Jin Mi. She regrets not having read that book she got from Fox Uncle with more attention, but luckily, she saw how to act at the opera house this morning.
I... can't with this girl
Neither can Phoenix, apparently.
Phoenix is out cold, so she blows into his ear and keeps manhandling him until he opens his eyes... and opens her hair. That does it. Phoenix goes into RAWR mode. Oh you poor boy... he remembers the fauxcest, right before their mouths connect. He flees outside. Jin Mi, not understanding what's wrong with him, goes to sleep. Hahahaha.
Yeah, XF please don't kiss your maybe-sister. I know it's the heavens and pretty much anything goes so I am grateful that this at the very least is unacceptable. I can't believe she was completely unfazed by that. Damn you Pill!
Don't worry, Panda. I'm pretty sure Phoenix Penis will win out in the end. I mean, it even rises from fire.
Xu Feng sighs around outside, only to be ridiculed for it by Lord Puchi. But we all know how softhearted Puchi actually is and before long, he tells Phoenix (who unties him) why Jin Mi is so obsessed with spiritual energy. Yup, the Rou Rou story. What we didn't know is that Lord Puchi saved Jin Mi's life afterwards by pouring a lot of energy into her. That she wants to pay back. He also lied about Rou Rou having a chance to be revived again, just to make sure Jin Mi wants to continue living. Xu Feng is very moved by how painful her past is and saddened she never told him about it.
(*Note: Lord Puchi has 80% of his powers sealed nowadays as a form of punishment, but back then, he was able to beat Qiong Qi.)
Okay Puchi, i will trust you. What you did for Jin Mi was incredibly sweet. And holy shit, he was very powerful wasn't he? It was Xu Feng that sealed his powers right?
I thought we did know he saved Jin Mi...but the news that Rou Rou can't be saved is news to me. Anyway, see? Good guy, at least when it comes to Jin Mi.
Night is awake (the night wind sobered him up) and the two brothers discuss Lord Puchi and his strange behavior. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Several things are rather suspicious, pointing to the fact that the attacker who hurt Phoenix after his Nirvana could have been him. Uh-oh.
Well, this we do have to consider. But why would he do that?
The next morning, Jin Mi wakes up. On the side of her bed, she finds a golden hairpin in the shape of a phoenix feather. It's a farewell present from Phoenix who had to go back to the Heavens because of his mother's birthday party. Night, who greets her outside, says he'll have to go soon too though he's clearly in no hurry. His face shows astonishment when he sees the hairpin. In the process of chatting about hairpins, Jin Mi gifts him her old one.
This... hairpin business won't end well.
Look at that sweet boy's smile. WHY CAN'T HE BE THE ONE? He's so lonely and mistreated :(
panda: She does look very happy in the below pic.
JoAnne: That grape's got nothing to feel sad about.
Episode 11
We're obviously not surprised around here to see Lord Puchi headed for a brothel next. He means to pay with the money Jin Mi made with gambling. He's such a scoundrel! But his hopes for a good time are destroyed when Jin Mi runs out of the place as fast as she can when she hears a woman alluded to as Peony... she thinks the Flower Aunties are here! Hahahahahaaaaa.That made me really laugh. But, Lord Puchi is a scamp! Is he trying to shock the pill out of her (Wait, does he know she has a pill? I think NO).
I love that rascal, I really do.
LOOOOL. The guy below has such a pretty side profile.
I was thinking the SAME. But his fingers...is he demonstrating something to her?
DEAD
You know who he reminds me of? A dad. Like he's Ricky Ricardo and she's I Love Lucy. Yes, I call her I Love Lucy. She's not Lucille Ball. She's I Love Lucy, and she has been since I was a tot.
Let Jin Mi have some fun your highness! He was positively livid at Puchi and still, Jin Mi has no clue.
Well clue her IN, Phoenix. Clue her IN.
I really dig their friendship but I can't help not trusting him fully and that makes me wary of his intentions.
I trust him. Well, I trust him with her. I wouldn't put it past him to screw over somebody else, though. You don't live that long being a simple goof.
I absolutely had no idea things would be stated so quickly. And my baby Night trying so desperately to stake out his territory (still quibbling with what he did in the past episodes, but I feel so sorry for him.)
Right? Why shouldn't he get the girl? I mean, I know he won't but what I'm saying is there's nothing about Phoenix that should mean Night automatically has to lose. So I have no problem with him following his heart. It's not like the little fruity one has indicated a preference.
No stamina, pfffft
But so cute. And he has no stamina because he's always been so focused on being a GOOD boy because he's treated so badly! We should credit him with an extra bottle and act like he's this way because he drank THREE, just to make up for it.
What exactly is she doing????
She is doing a thorough examination of bodily orifices starting from the top, Panda. After that she will be testing the smoothness of skin and the overall muscle tone of his cheeks. Quite important work - why do you ask?
I... can't with this girl
Neither can Phoenix, apparently.
Yeah, XF please don't kiss your maybe-sister. I know it's the heavens and pretty much anything goes so I am grateful that this at the very least is unacceptable. I can't believe she was completely unfazed by that. Damn you Pill!
Don't worry, Panda. I'm pretty sure Phoenix Penis will win out in the end. I mean, it even rises from fire.
(*Note: Lord Puchi has 80% of his powers sealed nowadays as a form of punishment, but back then, he was able to beat Qiong Qi.)
Okay Puchi, i will trust you. What you did for Jin Mi was incredibly sweet. And holy shit, he was very powerful wasn't he? It was Xu Feng that sealed his powers right?
I thought we did know he saved Jin Mi...but the news that Rou Rou can't be saved is news to me. Anyway, see? Good guy, at least when it comes to Jin Mi.
Well, this we do have to consider. But why would he do that?
The next morning, Jin Mi wakes up. On the side of her bed, she finds a golden hairpin in the shape of a phoenix feather. It's a farewell present from Phoenix who had to go back to the Heavens because of his mother's birthday party. Night, who greets her outside, says he'll have to go soon too though he's clearly in no hurry. His face shows astonishment when he sees the hairpin. In the process of chatting about hairpins, Jin Mi gifts him her old one.
This... hairpin business won't end well.
Look at that sweet boy's smile. WHY CAN'T HE BE THE ONE? He's so lonely and mistreated :(
The Earth Deity from earlier drops in and is super surprised to see Jin Mi as herself (and no longer disguised as a man) and afterwards, we learn from Night Deity that his mother was a nobody who did not even live in the Heavens, actually, he is thinking she was a mortal. He got taken in by the Heavenly Empress and everything was fine until she started worrying he would want to snatch the throne from her Xu Feng.
Empress Mom is a biyatchhhhhhhhh. I mean we knew already, but she keeps reinforcing it.
But at first that wasn't a consideration for her? What changed?
Jin Mi takes the poor boy out to eat some dumplings afterwards, but she insists: he should really go to his "Mother's" birthday party. Now.
Comments
This drama does many things very right. In this episode, I really liked that mixture between laugh-out-loud humor and tragedy (everybody has a tragedy in their lives, some past, some present). Jin Mi is just so extremely cute and funny and the three boys, each of them, adorable in their own way.
Poor Xu Feng has enough fauxcest guilt to last him a lifetime. Night has come out and told him how he feels, I was not quite expecting that. Things are soon going to get ugly.
But the boys do care about each other. Do they have to get ugly? Can't they just get sad?
There are some hints that we might have to dig into Lord Puchi's background to understand more about him and some more hints that Night Deity's background is also something we will need to learn about. All I can says is: Bring it, drama. Bring it! I like both characters a lot and am quite eager to find out what's up with them.
Puchi intrigues me. I keep vacillating between if he is a good guy or not, but seeing what he did for Jin Mi has made me decide that he IS a good guy even if it's only to Jin Mi and not to Xu feng.
I like him. For all we know he has a legitimate grievance.