Love & Destiny 三生三世宸汐缘 - Episode 3 (Recap)

kakashi: Much development in this third episode and lots of new characters too - I'll make a character page soon, it's getting confusing. In this episode, the God of War gets serious about finding out who Ling Xi really is, but he isn't exactly successful. Maybe because the little chatty fairy is already sneaking her way into his heavy, burdened heart?
JoAnne: From your lips to GoW's ears, Sensei.  But please, PLEASE, let this not be a love burdened by guilt and resentment like some OTHER couple we can name.
Bunny: Oh god, don't even get me started with them. Can I just say that I'm super happy this is turning out to be a slow burn kind of relationship -- unlike some OTHER couple who fell for each other in under 1 episode. 

Episode 3

Ling Xi fainted and hence gets special treatment... Doctor Lady says she cannot be moved so she gets to sleep in GoW's bed. She clearly likes it, lmao.
What exactly kind of a dream would it need to be for her to be making those facial moves, do you think?
I don't know, but props to babygirl for infiltrating his bed like this. And Doctor Lady also gets props for being a good wing-woman.
GoW is over the worst, but Qing Yao tells him to take warm baths often and have everlasting wood burn in his palace to purge himself off the excess cold qi in his system. She also scolds him for not listening to her and using too much of his powers - if not for Ling Xi, he would most likely have fallen into an everlasting slumber again.
Yes, keep Ling Xi close and have everlasting wood.  Indeed.
Pffffffffffft. Hardy stuff... this everlasting wood.
Yun Feng is eager to fetch the everlasting wood for his senior. (I bet he is.  No, wait. This isn't a Thai drama!) It used to be found at Kunlun - but apparently, Yun Feng flooded a huge area in a drunken stupor after GoW's demise, as the Lady Doctor tells them in a monotone voice, so she's not sure that wood is still of use now. There's another place that has it, a cave, home to the Bi Fang Bird and occupied by thousands of fire crows. Yun Feng doesn't care, he'll go get the wood! Awwww. I like him.
So, Kun Lun Mountain, where all those boys went to that school.  Everlasting wood.  A beloved senior lost to him forever, so he buries the wood - no one can have it anymore ....but we know wood will always pop up! Never fear!
(STAHP IT, JO! i'm crying and my stomach hurts.)
How can Kunlun Mountain just be flooded like that, no respect. 
As soon as they others have left, Ling Xi kicks away the blanket. Hahahahahaaa, girl, you're doing great. GoW feels obliged to get up and put the blanket back - the displeased face he makes... priceless. Yes, thank you for this gif, I've rewinded about a dozen times for that face. And she, as soon as the opportunity arises, grabs his robe murmuring "cold". Yes, he is! And he is in a hurry to leave afterwards. Come on, you ice block! You could have let her hold your robe a little longer with no danger to your virtue.
Nah, I don't think he's being cold here, more like a tired uncle who doesn't know what to do.
Ling Xi wakes up well rested the next morning and quickly (and to her delight!) realizes she slept in the High God Jiu Chen's bed. That little giggle! 
Meanwhile, a worried Thirteenth is looking for Ling Xi - she believes there had to be a Demon Intruder last night! (It was her weapon reacting to Ling Xi). Thirteenth finds her when Ling Xi steps out of High God's chambers ... Questioned why that is, Ling Xi says: "I slept here last night." Classic. LMAO, all the maids are there to hear it and man, they have a most efficient gossip system involving birds.
Right?  What are those?  When they tell them, where do they go?
Tweeting into other people's ears of course. 
The news spreads fast - and next, Ling Xi is flooded with presents from everyone (hypocrites). Han Zhang and Kai Yang come back too, to better appreciate her and bearing gifts too. Are they thinking GoW is going to marry her?! She's super confused. When the GoW appears, she beams at him happily... but he's all sternness as always. He has no idea...
Maybe not marry her, but as a woman he favors, they would do well to earn her favor.
Yuan Tong is back - that's that sister of Yuan Zheng that we already don't like before even seeing her. She has come back to greet the GoW as is her duty as general of the Celestial forces, but her mother Madam Yuan is unhappy about it. She thinks Jiu Chen has no right to the title God of War anymore. She's very bitter... 3,000 of her disciples dead because of that man who is someone who has a heart of stone and is incapable of love, according to her. We already heard that Yuan Tong is engaged... so why does her mother warn her to be careful of the Yuan Family's honor? Does she suspect her daughter may go after GoW? 
You don't get to 3000 disciples by being a fool.
Mother knows best. One glance at that face and I can already tell she's the next Sujin. I'm watching you, lady...
GoW turns up at the Yuan family ancestral shrine but can't bring himself to go in. Yuan Tong finds him standing outside with his eyes closed - he seems overwhelmed by pain and guilt. Once she greets him, he praises her for doing so well, taking her dead brother's place as General. He offers to help her if she ever needs advice (since women have to work so much harder in the military to be accepted). I like that he's been a nice person to pretty much everyone (even this future crazy girl). Really not the typical ice-block from drama land you know. At the end of their conversation, she congratulates him... since she heard he has spent a night with a girl for the first time, which is a sign that he has become more easygoing. OMG THE LEVEL OF GOSSIP UP THERE! I can't!!!!
She didn't seem calculating when she said that...or did she? She didn't! I was kinda surprised too... although that look she had on at the end when he was walking away... it was totally like "lemme get me a piece of that, now that you're easygoing." *wink wink*
Straight away, a fuming Jiu Chen summons Ling Xi to his chambers to interrogate her. Uh oh, scary uncle. Yes, she told people she slept here. She didn't say anything more, so it's all these other people who are at fault, not her! Plus, she doesn't see what the big deal is. As long as she's free of guilt, she doesn't care what other people say. And by the way, she also doesn't think it's that bad to be stuck in a rumor with the God of War. Awwwwww, she's so cute. LMAO, I couldn't believe she said that. Man, he is angry, hahahaaaaa - though I don't even think he cares much for his reputation and more for hers.
Well then, buddy, if her reputation is ruined, you should at least make it worth her while. 
The best part is when she tells him that if he feels wronged, she would go tell people and clear his reputation up FOR him! Bahahahaa. 
She also says he should thank her since she saved him, which makes him smile a cruel little smile and says "alright, then I'll thank you properly now." Nope, she'd rather not have that.
I was not sure what he meant...it couldn't have been sexy or else she'd have been reacting differently.  She might not have DONE it, but she wouldn't reacted the way she did, either.
I like how she stumbles back. I feel ya girl, I wasn't expecting that smile either.
Yu Feng fights fire crows and a large Bi Fang Bird to get to the wood. Surprisingly, Qing Yao also turns up at the Fire Cave after he's done. Without much ado, she takes a single piece of wood since that's all that's needed - even though she told Yu Feng to get as much as possible, which was what made him fight for days in the first place. So... she has a grudge, doesn't she? When he asks her about it, she denies it. The puppy has no clue what's going on. Me neither! But I still like him.
I do too.  I could ship them, truly.  And why is he so familiar to me?
I wonder about them too... seems she has a bone to pick with him but he's only meeting her for the first time. And yep, we've found our new puppppppy. 
Soon, GoW's palace is heated with the miracle wood. Merfolk cannot be near it (Water element) so it's Ling Xi (fire element) who gets tasked to watch the fire. She's visibly happy to be near the God of War. Such a good girl, eager to tend over her master's wood. Yun Feng is totally kinda hoping the rumors are true, but GoW denies being in any way involved with her and assures this Junior that he is still suspicious of her, her closeness to the Beast, and her father's strange behavior when he suggest she should stay in the Heavens with him.
His face is the most perfect representation of 'hmmmm' I have ever seen.
Those eyebrows do things to me.
Eager to solve the "little cinnabar bird's" mystery, the God of War goes to pay her father at the Peach Blossom Grove a visit. And BAM, we see he's already quite affected by her, imagining her doing all kinds of things in and around the house (or maybe that's just his investigative mode?). We notice: that includes her taking off her clothes to take a bath. You lustful man! It also includes looking at a picture she has drawn of him before she ever met him. You're much more handsome, Jiu Chen, don't worry.
That whole scene, with him imagining her doing things there, I was totally smitten.  And laughed hard at the shower.  Block of ice, my ass.
I was confused with this scene... wasn't sure if we were getting a glimpse into his imagination or if some spell was happening. Honestly, I didn't care for it. If this is to show that's he's starting to catch feels, I'm not buying it. It's a bit abrupt, no? Prior to this moment, there hasn't been any instance to show that he's starting to see her in a different light and suddenly he's fantasizing about her image in every square footage? Maybe I'm still stuck rooting for them to take their sweet time and not fall head over heels for each other at a drop of a hat. 
After a short run in with Ling Xi's friend Cheng Yan (he's Qing Yao's younger brother), the God of War drinks some wine with Ling Xi's father and interrogates him about Ling Xi... including who her mother is. Le Bo: "I don't remember!" SUUUUUURE.
We know he knows.  And we know he knows a prophecy about her.  But it can't be bad because he's trying to put them together. Right? (Wait, are you suggesting he's setting them up?)
I swear every scene Le Bo is in is pure GOLD. The sass that comes out of this man... when he says something about Ling Xi "meeting some random bastard and getting seduced by him" and the face that Jiu Chen makes because he knows what's being implied, hahahhaaa.
Cut to the "Mountain Spirit Realm". We meet a man called Jing Xiu. Bi Fang Bird has come to complain about being chased from his cave by Yun Feng. This Jing Xiu is clearly a smart man, realizing quickly why a High God would come get the Everlasting Wood. His subordinate Chi Bi tells him about a certain Zhong Hao, a warrior of the Heavenly Tribe that they are chasing, son of Lie Yi. Lie Yi's entire tribe was exiled to this realm and these men are in charge of keeping them there.
So despite appearances, these are not bad guys? Interesting.
Are we sure? I'm hard-pressed to agree with you the more I look at that embellished scalp... (no offense to anyone with scalp tattoos)
So, this Mountain Spirit Tribe has a Queen. And Jing Xiu is her Counselor. Apparently, he is originally from the Dark Bird Tribe and is loyal to this woman because she helped him avenge his tribe by killing Yuan Du. No idea who that is, but I'm guessing he is of the Heavenly Yuan family? Jing Xiu asks to be brought the Heart Piercing Needle. Hmmmmm... sinister stuff.  With the Heart Piercing Needle, Jing Xiu goes to the Heavens to meet with GoL.
Okay, maybe NOT not. 
Ling Xi who is sent to fetch medicine from her Senior (everybody is scared of Qing Yao) sees him at the Gate and wonders who he is. He sticks out with his tattoos and his black clothing! At the Medicine King's Cave, Ling Xi bumps into Yun Feng who has the silliest grin on his face when he looks at Qing Yao. Uh-oh, boy... that'll be a tough nut to crack!
But crack it he will.  I have faith in his pursuit of everlasting wood.
On her way back, Ling Xi speaks to the Mountain Spirit man who is still waiting at the Gate.  Their little interaction here was kinda cute to me. He doesn't seem too bad. Is he our second lead? Just when she is about to go in through the gate, the God of Lightning appears. Oh no... the silly girl drops the pendant she took from the GoW in the ice cave in her haste to hide from him! Jing Xiu picks it up with his strange half-smile frozen on his face before he is greeted by GoL.
So wait, now she really HAS lost it?  Great.
How important is that thing though? GoW really didn't look like he was in that much of a hurry to get it back so lets just hope she didn't actually let his soul locket/keeper thing fall into bad hands.

Comments

I am much intrigued! First, I totally ship the Doctor Woman with rapscallion Yun Feng. She's cold as ice and thinks he's completely useless - and he is falling for her all the more because of it. It's going to be tragic and hopefully beautiful.
It better not be tragic.  I'm fond of him.
Why would it be tragic? We've already got one giant tragedy lined up. If the synopsis for this drama is even a little accurate, our OTP ship sounds pretty screwed. This drama is gonna gut me and drain all my tears, I just know it. Guzzle up all the cute fluff while it lasts people!
Don't you guys watch the intro song?! 
Never.  I pride myself on picking the exact moment that intro songs segue into the first scene of the episode.  They're too long, too loud, and too spoilery.

Second, those Mountain Spirit people! I like what I'm seeing. This Counselor is not a nice person, but he's smart (I like smart villains if he is one) and loyal towards the Queen (which is a bonus point) and I'm sure he's going to cause much trouble. Ling Xi tells him that the Celestials are snobby - and he knows that from how his realm has been treated by them. Nobody likes snobby people. Ling Xi should be more careful though and not just trust any black clad tattooed men.
Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? 
It'll be interesting if he turns out to be second lead. They're usually always noble and brooding... If we get a true villain I'm gonna be impressed. 

Third, the GoW getting disgruntled about the rumors... hahahaha. Come on man, you know you totally want to. I love that everybody in the Heavens thinks it's a great thing he slept with a woman. Not much privacy in a cramped place with thousands of immortals I guess.
Thank God that clouds should muffle noise, at least.
Yeah, you know it's not good when your lack of a sex life causes people to root for you like this. What is up with all these God of Wars and their damn celibacy? 

Less pleasant: The Yuans. They're going to be trouble, that much is clear. Besides, they're rooting for the GoL to be GoW, boooooo.
Do not like.  If Saki's watching, though, Yuan Tong will be her favorite.
Bad badddddd news. Mom and daughter both. Yuan Tong's fiance though actually looks like a decent guy. I'm sure she's gonna ruin him and then run after you-know-who.