Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 - Episode 44 (Recap)

kakashi: Bai Qian FINALLY realizes that she has feelings for Ye Hua frees the poor man from his anguish - at least the bodily anguish. He still does not believe she loves him. And he is about to do something really, really dangerous. AGAIN. He never learns, does he.
JoAnne: Oh but the smile, the smile. Look at the smile.

Episode 44

Bai Qian is back in her room ... wondering. Suddenly, her 4th Brother appears. He is a bit concerned for her; all her injuries are healed, and yet, she seems drained and pale. He continues probing until she admits - she is mad at Ye Hua over a trivial matter involving Riceball. Well, "mad" ... she just had a flashback to that kiss earlier.
Damn.

She tells 4th Bro about the two sips of wine A-Li had, how she got scolded by Ye Hua for not telling him and how they fought, how she said what she said about "that side consort". 4th Bro just quietly smirks. And tells her Ye Hua was right to be angry. Anyway, this isn't like her at all - she lost her poise over something like this? "Are you jealous?" he asks.
HELLO. YES. Someone finally has a brain about things.

That's impossible! she exclaims. But it's true, she felt uneasy seeing that Su Jin. Okay, maybe ... she is jealous? Hehe! Says 4th Brother, that's what I said! Again, she thinks it's impossible. Ye Hua could be her grandson! And shouldn't she have been moved when he confessed his feelings to her? 4th Bro is happy to hear that he has. As for the age difference: it doesn't matter if you look good together. And they do! Hahahaaaaa. This is also where he says Zhe Yan has been pondering over getting him a wife, which hasn't worked out. Because "he must have felt that no other female deity is good enough for me". Ahahahahaahahahahahahahaa.
Yes, that's it. *coughs*

Anyway, he knows how slow his sister is when it comes to romance. It seems she totally "got used" to having him around her in Qing Qiu - she even forgot what it was like before he came along! 4th Bro is very happy: she has fallen for this man. All will be well! He leaves and all of a sudden, Bai Qian feels quite uneasy about the possibility that Ye Hua might actually take her up on her word to break off their engagement.
Gee, think maybe you shouldn't have said it then?

Dijun is in his favorite spot, drinking (and thinking).
I don't really care a whole lot anymore.

Of Fengjiu? She is back in Qing Qiu. Heartbroken, still. Also, thinking she still might have to repay some debt (NOOOOOOOOO). Dijun is still wondering and discussing with Si Ming why he returned ahead of schedule. There is no answer, but there is a problem: Dijun has lost 90% of his powers. What, too much sex?!
If he's not that powerful anymore then surely he's no longer that important and would be free to do as he pleased? Say, have a relationship with the woman he clearly wishes he could? Who still for some inexplicable reason thinks he makes the sun rise and the moon set?

Fengjiu is getting really annoying again with her whining when her dad appears. Hehe, whoppy time! Before he can start, 4th Bro intervenes though. This is really his episode, isn't it! He tells his older brother that Fengjiu will one day become the Queen of the Fox Tribe, he can't beat her to death. They discuss sons and daughters, including the Crown Prince's son and harem. Haha, the Foxes don't like that at all. And her 2nd brother actually ships her with Mo Yuan, pfft.

Bai Zhen suggests Fengjiu should go keep her aunt some company and Fengjiu gladly takes this opportunity to get away from her dad. Outside, she runs into Yuan Zhen. What a surprise! She needs to clarify she has absolutely NO feelings for him for real - and then realizes his trial has been cut short too (because they executed him down there). Hmmm, I wonder whether this is of any relevance later?
I just think the whole thing was stupid and they'll make it into whatever they want to whether it makes sense or not so I'm not wasting any time thinking about it.

Ohhhhhh, all the Kunlun Boys (minus *sadface* Ninth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth) have returned to the school! The energy has soared. All is ready for you Mo Yuan. Please come back sooooooon! Miss ya heaps. 
I just want to see him and Ye Hua side by side.  Maybe making a Bai Qian sandwich.  No, uh, condiments though.  Just a dry boring sandwich sitting there on the table doing nothing.

It's evening now at the Western Sea and Bai Qian is making her way towards Ye Hua's chambers. To get that Lamp. She finds him on the stairs, with 1, 2, 3, 4 ... 5 bottles of wine. Who said he can't hold his liquor?!
I really love him miserable. How awful is that?

He can still walk. Quite straight, too.
I wonder what else he can do.

She follows him inside, where he leads her to the Lamp and gives her the instructions. Mo Yuan's soul will gather there if she puts the lamp next to Die Yong's body and watches it for three days. She knows all this and promises to take good care of the Lamp ... of course, Ye Hua says, he worries for nothing. This is for Mo Yuan, after all.
Look at the poor sweet baby, he's so miserable and afraid. And yet not spineless or emo. See? it can be done, Kasuo.

Bai Qian stares at the lamp some more and suddenly has Su Su flashbacks! It's an aura of mortals, she exclaims surprised ... and realizes in the same moment whose aura it must be and what it must mean. Or rather, how MUCH it must mean to him.
Duh.

She asks him whether it isn't inappropriate for him to give this sacred object to her so easily. I think it actually might be? She says she thought that borrowing this lamp might make up for all Qing Qiu and the Celestial Tribe owe each other, but now, she isn't so sure anymore. She is really touched. She thinks she has to repay his kindness. O M G
Is she offering...

"What is it you need?" she asks. "There is nothing I want", he says. Really nothing? She asks back. When she turns to go he adds: "All I want has always been just you". And yes, Ye Hua: she was indeed offering.
OMG. I didn't really pick up on that the first time around, that she was OFFERING sex. I thought he just kinda took charge, there, and she was into it.

I particularly like the Mount Junji shag-flashbacks she gets. Be lustful all you want, missy.
There is something about his jawline and throat when he presses forward for those kisses that just... mmm. Of course, you'd never get to see that if you were the one being pressed. Seems a shame.

And the drama's - or rather Ye Hua's - creative way to up the sexy considerably. What a neat little trick there, Crown Prince.
That made me laugh but I also cheered because yay! an acknowledgement that people remove their clothes for sex! I mean the partially dressed kind is good too but it's fast food, drama writers. A SNACK.

Finally, happily reunited. And yet, sad: he sheds a tear, holding her, looking at her, as he thinks this might be the last time he can have her all to himself. Mo Yuan again? Seriously, Ye Hua. She just slept with you and from the looks of it, you both had a great time and are utterly in love. Do you still think all she thinks about is Mo Yuan?! Do you actually think she was just "repaying your kindness" ?????
That's insulting, Ye Hua. Don't ever tell her you thought that. Even if it is partially true.

He looks so, so good here. Awww, look how he furtively wipes away his tear.
I can understand why she doesn't realize his problem is Mo Yuan because he never actually says it out loud.  But I do not get how she does not see that he worships her.

She asks about that time he almost got his spirit vanquished by the Mermaid Blade. When he says he let them hurt him deliberately, she of course wants to know why - and he tells her that he has never envied anybody in his life but his 2nd Uncle. That uncle sought love and found it. That was only possible because he was never made Crown Prince - without such a title, getting away was easy. As for him... even though he has the title, it is fortunate that the woman he loves is Qing Qiu's High Goddess Bai Qian. 
Words are being said but I can't follow them because look.

"Qian Qian", he asks, "if one day, someone took your eyes ... would you forgive him?"
"Who would dare take my eyes", is her answer.
"What if it were me?"
"If you really take my eyes, it will be over between us".
Ouf.
TECHNICALLY, he never took her eyes. He took Su Su's eyes. And we know he won't make that mistake again. My fingers are crossed.

She dreams of Su Su that night, in that hut, being told by her husband not to leave the woods. She even shouts at Su Su in frustration when she tumbles out of the protective barrier. When Bai Qian wakes up, she is in her room. She wants to go find Ye Hua to set things right - since their affection is mutual, calling off the engagement is out of the question!
I really wish she gets to say this to him before he goes off to be noble and dangerous.

But Ye Hua has gone up to the Heavens. The Heavenly Lord (haven't missed you at all, fucker!) declares that the divine fungal grass shouldn't exist in the world anymore. --- WHYYYYY?! It saves people! Imagine there's another Mo Yuan in the future!!!! ---- Anyway, Ye Hua volunteers to do the deed. And he wants to go alone, since he does not want the world to know. The Heavenly Asshat hints at passing the throne to him if he defeats the four mystical beasts.
This is incredibly random. All of a sudden, the MUSHROOMS are bad? Why? Why are the MUSHROOMS bad?

Down at the Western Seas, Die Feng bumps into Bai Qian. He is so confused. He thinks: "Emissary? Si Yin? But she's a woman. How could she be Seventeenth? Could she be Xuan Nu!" Hahaha. Even after she tells him she is indeed 17th, he thinks she is just disguised as a woman.
That made me laugh, that his delusion was so firm that he didn't realize the lie was at the beginning, not the end.

But it all makes sense now that it was Qing Qiu Bai Qian who sealed Qing Cang back into the Bell.
If you say so.
Who else but 17th could have known the spell! 

And then, she starts guarding the Soul-Gathering Lamp, with Fengjiu cooking for her and teasing her about her true love that turns out to be her husband. We end the episode up in the Heavens, where Ye Hua gives instructions to Nai Nai about A-Li's allergies (he tells her every year) and his bodyguard, trying to convince him to take them along. He tells them to make sure nobody can ever again get close to the fungal grass if he does not make it back in three days - especially not Bai Qian.
Well we know why he does that, right? Because he doesn't think she'd survive it. Not because the MUSHROOMS are suddenly bad.

Comments

Ye Hua, I adore you, but you are an IDIOT. Okay, what's new, right?
Love makes us fools.

I think that Mo Yuan as the big obstacle between them is just a smoke-screen at this point. Ye Hua might still tell himself she truly loves the other man, but in that bed, after making love to her, he couldn't have possibly believed she just slept with him because of the Soul-Gathering Lamp, could he? I think he knows it's not the case, but his guilt is so crushing and so desperate, he'd rather think it's because of Mo Yuan they can't be together than to face the bitter truth she even confirms: If she finds out he took her eyes, he will lose her again. This time for good. 
I know, I was just trying to convince myself. Just for a little bit.

What is a man to do? Not much, frankly. Wait for the day the shoe will drop (because drop it will) and make the best out of it? That's not Ye Hua. Ye Hua chooses "self-sacrifice". And he chooses to protect her life with his, because she has no chance against those beasts and he has one. 
I mean, as payback goes, it's pretty good.