Love Better than Immortality (天雷一部之春花秋月): Episode 2

~ Shang Guan Qiu Yue, leader of the evil sect Qian Yue Cave…is Chun Hua’s brother? ~

Synopsis:

After checking that she did have the birthmark, Chun Hua retorts that he should’ve just told her instead of doing what he did because Ye Xing Zhu was watching. Qiu Yue then suggested digging out her eyes and a horrified Chun Hua runs to stand in front of her, saying that that was too violent and pleading with him. In a desperate bid to please him, she promised to help him to steal the Xin Fa if he forgave Ye Xing Zhu. Qiu Yue concedes, stepping closer to Chun Hua and caressing the side of her face as he told her to be careful not to let Xiao Bai find out her identity or else she’ll have to forgive him for being ruthless. Qiu Yue soon sensed another presence and quickly disappears, leaving Chun Hua hollering after him.

Back at Qian Yue Cave, Qiu Yue asked Ye Xing Zhu if she was satisfied with her new helper and she congratulated him for successfully tricking Hua Xiao Lei once more, asking why he lied about being her brother. He replies that since she had forgotten everything and mistook him to be her brother, they’ll start all over again and she would continue to help him steal the Xin Fa. Qiu Yue then instructs her to tell their men to steal the other sect’s Xin Fa because “they shouldn’t be petty and good things should be shared”.

Back at Feng Ming Manor, Chun Hua lay in bed as she contemplated her current situation. On one hand, she had Xiao Bai, her fated one and young master of the good sect. On the other hand, she had Qiu Yue, her older brother and leader of half of the evil sect. She seeks out Xiao Bai to clarify things with him but before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by one of his subordinate that had something to report – Heng Shan Sect had it’s Xin Fa stolen by Qian Yue Cave. Xiao Bai commented that this was already the third Xin Fa that Qian Yue Cave had stolen and vowed to stop them. Xiao Bai then refocuses his attention on Chun Hua but she hesitated and changed her question mid-sentence to ask if there was anyone he liked. Flustered, he comments that she was an indecent lady before leaving to tend to more urgent matters. Chun Hua waited around until he was done with work to ask if he needed a personal maidservant, specifically the kind that stayed by his side at all times.

Lu Xiu then brings Chun Hua to the kitchen and instructs her to chop firewood. The firewood should fill up the whole wall, be of even thickness, have a smooth surface and be neat. Chun Hua tries to get out of it by saying that she’s just a weak girl but she ended up sulking as she carried the firewood on her back while she walked through a bamboo forest. She chances upon Xiao Bai practicing his sword in a clearing and a small smile crept onto her face as an idea came to her. She tells Xiao Bai that she will accompany him and laid out a stack of wood, telling him to try cutting them with a swipe, making sure that they were even and neat. Xiao Bai does this easily and Chun Hua applauds excitedly before hurrying to keep the pieces. Xiao Bai points at certain pieces, commenting that they weren’t even but she rebuffs him, saying that he had done well. When Xiao Bai questioned why she was keeping the pieces of wood, Chun Hua replied that it was important to keep his practice ground clean and he thanked her for her hard work. It was soon time for Xiao Bai to leave and Chun Hua made sure to remind him to return the next day.

Night fell and upon entering her room, a candle extinguishes, causing Chun Hua to look around her room in confusion. Seeing that the coast was clear, she quickly closes the door and turns around, only to have her pressure points locked before losing consciousness. Chun Hua awakens to see Qiu Yue who asked her how she had been doing. She complains to him about being made to chop firewood, adding that he treated her the best. She then asked him that since she was named Chun Hua (Spring Flowers) because of the petal shaped birthmark she had, did he also have a birthmark relating to his name? Qiu Yue told her that she could take a look for herself and she reached out a hand towards him before deciding against it. Seeing her hesitation, Qiu Yue stepped towards her, assuring her that it was okay, that he’s allowing her to act frivolously with him. Chun Hua retreated until she could go no further, clearing her throat and sidestepping him as she told him that it wasn’t appropriate and he replies that there wasn’t anything to be afraid of since they were family. The conversation is soon steered back to the Xin Fa and Chun Hua tries to persuade him not to go head to head with the good sects. When he replied that she could stay with him at Qian Yue Cave, she panicked at the thought of not seeing Xiao Bai and she quickly retracted her statement, saying that she would try to steal the Xin Fa for him, making sure to let him know that she couldn’t guarantee her success.

With instructions from Qiu Yue to bring Chun Hua back to Feng Ming Manor, Gu Xing Zhu slings her over his shoulder and scoffed when she complained that it was uncomfortable and that they should choose a more refined mode of transport. After he put her down, she asked him if her and Qiu Yue had the same parents but before he could reply, Qiu Yue appeared and called his name, effectively silencing him. Qiu Yue then orders Gu Xing Zhu to prepare a horse-drawn carriage for her. After Gu Xing Zhu left, Chun Hua asked Qiu Yue if she really was his biological younger sister because her request wasn’t too much, yet Gu Xing Zhu had refused to comply. After a second of thought, Qiu Yue replies that that could be the case – “Maybe our parents had remembered wrongly. Chun Hua could be Qiu Yue’s older sister.” Chun Hua coughs in embarrassment and looked up only to see Qiu Yue untying his belt. She questioned his actions with slight alarm and he started advancing towards her, saying that since she was suspicious of their blood relations, he would show her his birthmark. Chun Hua backed away from Qiu Yue until she was pinned between him and the cave’s wall, with him telling her that there was nothing to be afraid of since they were family. Chun Hua’s panicked eyes darted around the cave before she suddenly pointed behind Qiu Yue and shouted “Xiao Bai!”. Qiu Yue turned around to see nothing and Chun Hua started to laugh but stopped as soon as she saw the glare that he was shooting her. She then asked him whether he looked like their mother or their father, complaining that their parents must have passed all their good genes to him because they looked nothing alike. With a gentle smile, Qiu Yue asked how he compared against Xiao Bai and she replied that he was her family, cleverly changing the subject by commenting that if only she had half of his good looks, she would’ve gotten the Xin Fa already. Qiu Yue’s serious gaze never left her face as he turned to face her fully, telling her that she wasn’t allowed to use the honey trap because it would be disgraceful. She retorts that she didn’t need his reminder before turning on her heels and Qiu Yue gazed upon her retreating back with a warm smile.

After Chun Hua was sent back to Feng Ming Manor, Gu Xing Zhu reported back to Qiu Yue and made known his conjecture that Chun Hua was Hua Xiao Lei. Qiu Yue asked him why he was nervous about whether Chun Hua was Hua Xiao Lei and he immediately fell to his knees, asking for forgiveness and questioning if sending Chun Hua to steal the Xin Fa had anything to do with the fact that Xiao Bai had yet to master the Feng Ming Sword’s last form. Qiu Yue was angered by his questions and sensing the danger, Ye Xing Zhu pleaded for mercy on his behalf.

The next day at Feng Ming Manor, Chun Hua and Xiao Bai meet at the bamboo clearing again. A glum looking Chun Hua asked what he would do if he met someone from the evil sect. He replied that good and evil cannot coexist and that it was his duty as the young master of Feng Ming Manor to eradicate evil for the people’s good. Unsatisfied with his reply, Chun Hua asked what he would do if that person from the evil sect was his friend, which he scoffs at, saying that he doesn’t and would never have such a friend. She quickly changed the subject, commenting on the beauty of the sunset glow and Xiao Bai agrees with her, adding that he had never noticed it before. Chun Hua then invited him to watch the sunset with her but he refused, saying that she could leave if she was bored. Frustrated, Chun Hua called him an emotionless block of wood before walking away. Xiao Bai proceeds to chop the wood into circular pieces and Chun Hua stalked back towards him angrily, asking how was she supposed to burn the firewood now? As the realisation dawned on Xiao Bai, she tried to explain herself but he told her that the Xiao family’s Feng Ming Sword upholds virtue and condemns evil and was world-renowned – How she could defile it like that? She retorts that cutting firewood or bamboo was the same but if he was worried that it will blunt his sword, she could find a normal sword for him to use next time. Besides, the purpose of learning martial arts was to use it and it even saved time because he could practice and get work done at the same time. He then stalked away angrily and a surprised Chun Hua ran after him to ask if he could teach her some martial arts moves. He told her that she didn’t have the strength needed to wield a sword and asked if she wanted to learn the sabre instead. Chun Hua then piped that she was just looking to learn a few moves…a few firewood chopping moves. Xiao Bai left in a huff after shooting her a glare and she was left alone in the bamboo forest as she lamented the fact that her male lead was insensitive and inflexible.

Back at Feng Ming Manor, Chun Hua bumps into Lu Xiu who tells her that she didn’t have to chop firewood anymore and Xiao Bai didn’t need someone by his side so she should stop wasting her time. Chun Hua huffs as she called Xiao Bai a brainless block of wood, taking her frustration out on a sunflower along the path. At that moment, a voice spoke up, asking if she was practising her martial arts with the flower and she looked up to see a young man. The young man continued, saying that if his assumption was correct, she was the delicate young lady that the young master had brought back from the Medical Sage’s house, and introduced himself as Qin Liu Feng, the young master of East Mountain Sect. After asking for her name, he complimented that it matched her simple-minded personality and produced a flower out of thin air, presenting it to her with a flourish. Chun Hua returns the flower to him, commenting that he suited his name (Feng Liu – meaning ‘amorous’). At that moment, Xiao Bai arrives and Chun Hua quickly snatched the flower back, fiddling with it shyly as Qin Liu Feng looked on with amusement. After that, Qin Liu Feng followed Xiao Bai to his room and Xiao Bai asked him to cut to the chase and make known his purpose for coming to Feng Ming Manor.

Thoughts:

Firstly, I’d like to say that I’d initially been quite worried for the main leads because Chun Hua was staying with Xiao Bai, which meant that she wouldn’t get to see Qiu Yue that often, which means that we wouldn’t get to see them interact as much. However, it seems like I was worried for nothing because Qiu Yue brings (kidnaps) Chun Hua to Qian Yue Cave. That however, also brings up another point, which is – how that was accomplished?! Either Feng Ming Manor has weak defenses or Qian Yue Cave is just stronger. Not that I’m complaining 😂

At the part of the episode when Chun Hua and Qiu Yue were conversing in the cave while waiting for Gu Xing Zhu to prepare the carriage I was like –> Omg Kyahhh!!! Like…why does it matter to him whether she uses a honey trap? He’s the great leader of the evil sect, a ruthless man. Why does the method she uses to obtain the Xin Fa matter to him? *wink wink* I say he’s totally jealous and was hitting on her! He can see that Chun Hua likes Xiao Bai plus the fact that Hua Xiao Lei previously allegedly betrayed him for Xiao Bai so he has his guard up towards him. It’s also his jealousy that made him ask her how he compared against Xiao Bai. Think about it, he’s supposedly using her to gain the Xin Fa. Who she likes or thinks is better shouldn’t matter to him as long as he got what he wanted. He was also unnecessarily close to her, practically pinning her against the cave walls and justifying his actions by saying that it’s fine because they’re family. He also tried to strip to show her his birthmark, causing Chun Hua to freak out. I’m certain that he’s just doing that to tease her because he loves her reaction. The scriptwriter has made it pretty obvious that they aren’t siblings so we can pretty much assume that what Qiu Yue said about them having birthmarks that matched their names is untrue.

Xiao Bai’s horror upon finding out that he had been chopping firewood with his precious Feng Ming Sword is hilarious. Because up to this point, even though he is the “good guy” in this story, he is aloof and expressionless, which is usually the “bad boy’s” character. Another fun point to watch is Xiao Bai being furious with her but because he is a gentleman and it has been built into his character, he lets Chun Hua off with just a few words. Moreover, when she chases up to him to ask him to teach her martial arts, he was still very polite with her and didn’t show any malice, even suggesting that she would be better suited for a sabre. I’ll also have to say that even though I agree with Chun Hua in saying that Xiao Bai is a heartless block of wood, Chun Hua herself also has a major lack of awareness of the situation. I mean, she already knows that he is angry about being tricked into chopping firewood with his Feng Ming Sword and what does she say? Teach me some moves…to chop firewood. *facepalms in utter devastation*

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