Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 - Episode 38 (Recap)

kakashi: Raving mad and yet, pitiful, that is our Xuan Nu. This recap is in honor of her.
JoAnne: I can think of two, maybe three 'villainous' women I've actually liked in a drama - Xuan Nu, damn her, is among that list. I don't like her, actually, but I respect her hustle.

Episode 38

Bai Qian has fallen asleep over a game of Go when a restless Ye Hua seeks out Zhe Yan, who has been expecting the Crown Prince. There even is a cup there for him. Drink lots, guys, it looks freezing in there!
Or go snuggle someone.
I volunteer! 

Ask away, says our Pink High God and Ye Hua does ask the same two things again, all politeness as always. To the question whether Bai Qian really slept for 300 years after the Bell-sealing, Zhe Yan says "of course not" this time and tells Ye Hua she went missing instead. To the question whether she forgot anything, Zhe Yan answers he gave her an amnesia potion because she was in a very bad state when she reappeared in his Peach Tree Wood and asked for it. Zhe Yan confirms with Ye Hua that the Su Su he met in the Heavens was her.
Dun, dun, DUN...

Of course, Ye Hua knew all this. You can see how much it pains him, still, to hear the truth. But since he asked these questions the first time, he has learned a thing or two - so he thinks! - about Bai Qian and her motivation. His heart clearly breaking, he says: "Do you really not know - or are you not telling me for my own good - that she wants to forget me because of Mo Yuan?". And while Zhe Yan is thinking "WTF is he saying", Ye Hua thinks to himself that his and Qian Qian's love might mean nothing to her, that she may just view it as a trial with no significance, even an impediment.
Ye Hua, let 35 billion women try to ease your pain.

While all of this happens, Li Jing is still waiting. Pffffft.
It is distressing to me how LAME this boy is.

Cut to Xuan Nu. She's extremely pitiful in her rags and her broken face. There is this ghost soldier who very kindly brings her good food - and informs her she will be executed tomorrow. She gets him to bring her child to her (they dumped it in the next cell, alone, since everyone thinks it's dead anyway) - and than stabs him when he turns his back.
Of course she does. The whole point of locking a semi-dead baby up in its own cell...come ON.

She then stumbles over to Li Yuan's cell, guided by his voice - and he tells her to kill him. Remember the curse? Yeah, so his death will give Ex Ghost Lord much more power to break out of that Bell. Of course, Xuan Nu is reluctant, but Li Yuan tells her that only his daddy can beat High Goddess Bai Qian. He tells her to go East, to the mortal world, to find Yan Zhi. And then kill her too. Well, she thinks a few seconds about it .... and then kills him. Hahaaaa, she's deliciously insane. Him too, by the way.
Yes but he wasn't nearly as interesting as she was.

In the Bell, Qing Cang has a power surge and realizes Li Yuan has sacrificed himself "for him". He's almost touched and promises to slaughter everyone in the four seas when he gets out, to bury next to his eldest son. Charming.
There's just nothing like the love a parent feels for a child.

The slightly dim earth deity pops out. He is confused, what is going on with that Bell?! He decides the unusual activity is strong enough to warrant a visit to Dijun's Taichen Palace! But as we know well, Dijun ain't home (though back in about 20 days) and the earth god goes back to the riverside, without telling anyone. Especially since the Bell is all quiet when he returns there. 
You've heard the expression 'dumb as dirt?'

After taking a special jade stone from Li Yuan's dead body (it heats up when Yan Zhi is near - made especially for half-blind people!) Yuan Nu flees, clutching her lifeless child to her chest. Instead of going straight to the mortal realm like Li Yuan suggested, she goes to the Fox Realm! To see her dear old mother. Sadly, though, she overhears her sickly mom telling a neighbor she has no daughter anymore - in fact, her biggest regret is giving birth to Xuan Nu. 
Ouchies.

With her hate for Bai Qian skyrocketing after this (suuuuuure, she's to blame .... NOT), she stumbles to the Fox Den, to kill her. There, she almost bumps into her dear husband, Li Jing, who is still waiting for an audience with the Fox Queen. She overhears him tell Mi Gu how he "must" see Bai Qian. This is on the eve before Xuan Nu's execution, mind you. It makes her turn around and go to the mortal realm.
This day is not doing good things for Xuan Nu's mood. Xuan Nu's No Good, Horrible, Terribly Bad Day.

Cut to Dijun and Fengjiu in the mortal realm - it's raining heavily and the infatuated Emperor has planned something special for his new love. To carry her through the rain! So romantic. She told him how her father, normally a serious and old-fashioned man, is so in love with her mother that he carries her when it rains, so her socks and shoes won't get wet. 
Yes but I bet they don't go out into the rain just so he can do that, idiot.

It's a bit of a failure because both a drenched afterwards ... but since it leads to sexy-sexy (despite her catching a cold, KDrama-style), you could also call it a success. The man wants a child with her, helloooo. Apparently, they're sleeping together a lot right now, but he suggests he might have to increase his "activity". I think she's nibbling contraceptive peaches when she's not having sex with him.
I think God said the world didn't need more stupid people.

The Empress tells the other harem-bitches to leave Fengjiu alone. They ARE awfully lovey-dovey though, it's cavities-inducing.

Give me back my old confusing white-haired Dijun.

Fengjiu is happy in love when Si Ming pops by for a visit. Uh-oh. Time to break mortal Dijun's heart! It's been months and Fengjiu's wish has been fulfilled, says Si Ming. She has paid him back, he means! With her body. Yup. She says she can't break his heart. It would break hers to break his.

This is the part that just seems ridiculous to me. Why does his heart have to be broken? There's plenty of other crap that can go wrong that will break his heart without her having to plot to do it. And Si Ming knows that's all bullshit anyway. Dijun isn't there to experience a trial. He's there to act out a love story for HER.

Cut to ... Sixtheenth! SIXTEENTH IN DA HouSE! He looks very dapper in mortal clothing! In case you're wondering what he is doing: searching for Si Yin, of course! Fate wants it that he comes across Yan Zhi, who runs a restaurant in the mortal realm and pretends to be mute. He recognizes her immediately, but she does not recognize him, when he approaches her later.

Commence falling in love with Sixteenth, y'all. *sigh* This story line is so romantic.

He thinks she's his only lead to Si Yin, since it was her brother who claimed he saw him. He then remembers that time with Seventeenth in the mortal realm, when they talked about the heroes (dressed in white) who appear to rescue the damsels in distress ... and witnesses how Yan Zhi is harassed by a drunk customer right then. Perfect!

Look at how cuuuuuuuuuute

She likes him immediately, her "hero"!

She's no dummy, our Princess.

Bai Qian wakes up with a stiff neck the next day (Go table) and learns from Mi Gu (who is teasing her about the situation) that Ye Hua is waiting for her at the cave entrance. She seems quite excited to be going to the Nine Heavens (with him). She's travelling light! All we see her pack is the new fan Zhe Yan gave her.

Why do they just keep leaving her where she drops off? How come no one ever wakes her ass up and says 'go to bed, you'll catch a chill on the floor' ?

They start on their trip and ... bump right into Li Jing who is still there. Seeeeriously. Ye Hua turns to Bai Qian and tells her to end this. If she's the only one who thinks it's over, it's not over. He excuses himself to wait ahead for her and leaves her to it.

Oh, my God, Li Jing, this is so embarrassing, dude. Seriously. Have some pride.

Damn, he brought her the Soul Jade. Silly boy. Too little, too late. He wants to go back to the way they were before, she tells him no chance in hell. She did experience her "first taste of love" because of him 70'000 years ago and even though she did not know how to show it, she was "brimming with affection" for him. She thought for a long time about how to make this work and when she had finally written that letter to her brother, when her feelings were at their strongest, he betrayed her. He left her devastated.

Y'all are both nuts, okay? You had the equivalent of a high school fling that ended about like most high school romances end. Move on.

Comments

I'm glad they're having this talk. It was about time, haha. 

Yeah - I think they're both obsessing a little too hard but in general, it's good to tie up the loose ends.

Xuan Nu was excellent. Zhu Xudan (that's the actress) deserves our special praise for her portrayal of a wacko-psycho who still manages to move me. This woman craves love and she does not get it - so she goes to all kinds of extremes. I can't even be outraged at her, she is punished enough as it is.

Yes, yes, a hundred times yes. I hated her and then grew to pity her, and the actress was spot on with every bit of it. I'd love to see what else she can do.

I was also happy to see Sixteenth coming back in a new story arc involving the beautiful Yan Zhi and very soon, Xuan Nu as well.

Yay, Sixteenth! I love him. I love this story line, too.