There’s a lot to unpack in this episode so I’ll jot down my notes on a separate thread for quicker access.

Only a handful of lurkers is watching this cdrama with me and @ibisfeather, but I don’t care.

The synopsis from Netflix:

In the Sunken Abyss, Twenty-Seven’s mission goes wrong. Meanwhile, Mu Qibai reveals Ming Yi’s identity and exposes a secret Ji Bozai holds.

My Notes:

1. The prologue

It’s about the close bonds between Ming Yi and her companion beast, 20/7 since she was young.

Noteworthy: for the first time, the young MY voices her discontent about her male disguise. She sighs as she observes that no one will ever recognize her as a boy. “No one knows who I am at all.” Then, when 20/7 calls her “Ming Xian,” she questions if it’s even her name. 20/7 doesn’t understand her rhetorical question, i.e., what she’s getting at. He tries to cheer her up by mentioning her other acclaimed monikers, “The Crown Prince of Yaoguang Mountain,” and “Warrior God Ming Xian.”

To me, all these names merely underscore that she’s been living under false identity. She can’t be the “crown prince” when the succession to the throne is male-only, and she can’t be the “warrior god” when the competitors in the tournament are male-only. She defies the very rules that she’s bound to obey as the future monarch.

Moreover, the prologue is interesting in light of the later scene at the Marriage Stone when JBZ attempts to engrave her name on the stone. Lightning from the skies keeps striking him down because he insists on writing the “wrong name” Ming Yi. She’s Ming Xian, of course. But as she’s now living as a female, which is her original, natural, and true state, it’s just fitting that a) she’s given a new name, and b) JBZ fights against the gods to have her retain that name.

To me, it’s the most heroic thing he has done for her, so far — to emancipate her from her male identity or die trying.

Also noteworthy is 20/7’s advice to her. He says that the most important thing is to be happy every day. He’ll be there for her no matter what. Not only is this moment filmed in an orange-brown hue, but the frame is upside down. The purpose here is to give the audience a bad feeling – or an omen – about the next scene. Her “happy” world is about to turn into a muddle with 20/7’s capture.

2. JBZ’s secret power

I didn’t know that JBZ has the ability to surveil the activity in Wugui Sea while he’s away. Nice! How convenient. Does he have an object like a CCTV attached somewhere or with someone (Grandma Xun’s staff?) or does he have mental telepathy like the evil Sauron from “Lord of the Rings.”

I was thrilled when he swirled himself out of sight (proving how ineffectual Yan Xiao’s arrest was with his troops of guards) and landed with a splash in front of Lord Hanfeng. The CGIs were impressive. I hope they had budget to continue this till the end of production.

3. The betrayal

The tear in JBZ’s eye as he approaches Ming Yi – I’m slow-clapping the actor. How did he manage to keep that tear from falling down his cheek?

Yes, it brought home that the biggest threat to JBZ is not Lord Hanfeng. (Remember now. LH knows that JBZ is slowly eliminating the killers of his master, and he believes he’s the next target. JBZ already took out a) Hou Zhao, the corrupt presider of Judgment Hall and “warden” of the Sunken Abyss prison, and b) Xun Ming, the fox-y general of the army and creator of the netherbeasts. Hence, LH schemes to remove JBZ as a warrior for Jixing Abyss by accusing him of colluding with the enemy, Ming Xian. Ironically, JBZ *is* colluding with Ming Xian but without his knowledge.)

So, JBZ realizes that the biggest threat to him is the one person he wants to trust. MY’s betrayal cuts deep. And yet he protects her.

4. Situ Ling

Without breaking a sweat, SL turns the table on Lord Hanfeng. He switches him:

from the accuser to the accused;
from the defender of Jixing Abyss to the collaborator with Yaogaung Mountain;
from the guardian of the throne to the schemer that he truly is.

Situ Ling even manages to complain about LH’s power grab without offending LH.

SL: How odd! Judgment Hall ought to investigate cases independently, yet you can order my men as you wish. With your support, they even captured the only warrior who defeated Ming Xian in the past seven years. Huh. My title as the chief feels toothless.

Hmmm… I should have questioned Situ Ling’s FAMILY connections when he was appointed chief of the Judgment Hall. Nobody gets that position without powerful backing.

And I like how JBZ and the princess pile on to expose Lord Hanfeng’s nefarious scheme.

JBZ: (mockingly) How interesting. Out of nowhere, you accused a girl of being the Crown Prince of Yaoguang Mountain and even framed me for harboring Ming Xian. All right, I’ll admit it. Ming Xian begged me to collude with him and wanted to serve me so that Yaoguang Mountain would lose its Blessed Rain. He even turned into a girl to marry me. This is such an elaborate ruse. Right?

He gives Ming Yi a pointed look. It amuses me how close he is to the truth without knowing anything.

Princess: Uncle, please tell me who gave you the Search Mirror. That person must be the mastermind who colluded with Yaoguang Mountain. Uncle, you must not be tricked by evil people.

5. The Walk on the Bridge

I’ll copy-and-paste what I told @ibisfeather in the Open Thread.

The only requirement was that the couple were “lovers.”

And by that, I thought the guardians of the bridge excluded:

a. a single person walking on the bridge (e.g., just Situ Long by himself)
b. two individuals who are blood-related (e.g., the princess and the evil uncle)
c. two individuals who are work colleagues (e.g., JBZ and the princess)
d. two individuals of the same sex (we know how the Chinese censors operate, lol)

As for love being a requirement, the guardians of the bridge didn’t:

a. specify “how much” love was necessary to cross the bridge

For sure, JBZ loves her more. But it doesn’t mean that she’s barred from walking the bridge just because her love for him is just in the nascent stage (or in denial stage).

b. disallow the marriage agreement JBZ and MY entered into willingly in Episode 10/11.

The way I see it, MY and JBZ qualified as lovers because:

a. they are a married couple,
b. they do love each other, but in different degrees and varying ways.

6. The Radiant Spirit

Awww. This moment touches me. He called the romantic gesture “tedious” but he did it for her nonetheless. He collected the light from Radiant Spirit (looks like the aurora borealis to me) because Granny Xun said it was a good omen.

Wait! Was Granny Xun the one who explained in the voiceover, “When it comes to weddings in Jixing Abyss, according to tradition, lovers must first pick an auspicious day and a blessed land. They then make a wish to the starlight, to stay together for life. If the Radiant Spirit scatters starlight upon them, that’s the greatest blessing of all! After that, under the witness of the mandarin ducks, they carve their names upon the Marriage Stone”?

I wonder if JBZ and MY were able to fulfill the requirements? From the looks of it, they didn’t. It wasn’t an auspicious day and they didn’t get to make a wish to stay together forever. Oh well.

7. The confession

JBZ: After I left the Sunken Abyss, this is my first time wanting to trust someone. I’m an idiot. Since the beginning, you’ve been lying to me. And now, I can’t abandon you anymore. You got your wish. Are you content now? Every day, you watch as you toy with my feelings. Does it bring you happiness?
MY: No.
JBZ: In your eyes, I’m just a fool.
MY: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Ji Bozai, I…
JBZ: Enough. No matter what it is you want, I’ve made it up to you (pointing at the Marriage Stone) with this ritual. I don’t owe you anymore.

In other words, he tells her that whatever it is that she had hoped to gain from him by deceiving him and attaching herself to him, he has given her more than she deserves. She shouldn’t expect more generosity from him; she can stop pretending already to like him. Their marriage (i.e., binding himself to her against his will) should be more than enough for her.

Sure, this is a moving declaration from JBZ. But what he doesn’t understand is he just signed off on her death warrant. Henceforth, MY can’t directly ask for the antidote (the Grand Millet Dream) from him anymore because to do so is to abuse his generosity and take advantage of his feelings for her. To me, this is the moment when she begins to realize that perhaps holding on to her life/survival/existence is no longer worth it when she’s hurting JBZ in the process.

MY: Ji Bozai, actually, I..
JBZ: (biting her) Ming Yi, whenever I feel pain, I will make you feel it too.

I like that she knows she must confess the truth now about being “mortally” injured, but timing is all wrong. Anything she says will sound self-serving and duplicitous to JBZ. This “cannot spill the beans” trope is a commonly used plot device to prolong the couple’s misunderstanding and heighten the drama. But in this scenario, I don’t mind it because it doesn’t appear unnatural or contrived to me.

It’s totally reasonable that JBZ is still enraged after discovering her betrayal.