The Flame's Daughter Episode 5

What is Going On In Yan Xue's head??

Our episode opens up with Ying Yi and Ge'er having a confrontation outside.  It is instigated by Ge'er.

Essentially, Ge'er challenges Ying Yi's 'innocent' mask and calls her out for hiding her martial arts.  She is very polite about it. Finally, Ying Yi drops the act and says very candidly that Ge'er must hate her.  Well she hates her too because she is the reason why Zheng has hesitated to make her mistress of Maple Hall (his residence), presumably because of his desire to inherit the villa.  After this, Ge'er calmly thanks Ying Yi for 1)making it easier for her to move past this because she never thought that he would have picked a woman like her and 2)asks her how long she thinks she can keep this charade of frail woman up.  She then slaps Ying Yi and calls it a gift because it lets her look like a victim.

Next, we go to Yan Xue who is negatively impacted by something called 'the chill' which comes on the 15th of every month.  This is not explained for the entire episode, and it makes this writer wonder if it is his kryptonite.  WHO KNOWS.  It is vague enough to be interesting but relegated to the realm of plot advancement hence we, the viewer, are left guessing.

While Yan Xue has the doors to his villa shut and he goes to meditate, Ge'er wanders by to chat.  She continues to express a level of trust in him that she does not show others, maybe because he is a stranger, and she doesn't feel like she needs to assume a role i.e. the daughter, the junior, the friend, the master etc.  She tells him that the biannual banquet is approaching (I guess that is why all the uncles showed up) and she is afraid to go because she is afraid she will disappoint her father.  Yan Xue tells her that he thinks she is actually afraid of the truth.  BOLD STATEMENT.

After she leaves, he tells his servant that it will come out (presumably that her relationship with Zhen is over) and he sighs and says that Ge'er is the most innocent in all of this. ALL OF WHAT?

Next, we go to Flame Leader a.k.a. Ge'er's dad.  He is praying before the memorial tablets of two people: Anye Ming and Zhan Fei Tian.  He apologizes and says that he did not raise Zhan well and that it will all be revealed tonight.....

We go to the Biannual Banquet and everyone is having a blast.  Flame Leader is worried because Yan Xue has yet to arrive. He finally does--halfway through--and sits down next to Ge'er.  Then Feng'er arrives with his Mistress.  They sit down.  And flame leader prepares to announce the engagement. Ge'er interrupts him--then tells him to continue.  He announces her engagement to Feng'er.

Feng'er shouts 'NO!' and everyone stops toasting.  He is about to say that he doesn'tlove her but Ge'er rises and says that the truth is that she no longer loves him.  NO ONE believes this, she is clearly trying to help him save face, and then Yan Xue steps in and says that honestly its because she has fallen in love with him and they wish to marry.  Everyone is perplexed but accepts it.

After the banquet, we return to Bamboo Hall and Senior Yu expresses feelings of regret over his injury--so I guess that's real--and his servant encourages him to confess his feelings.  But Senior Yu doesn't feel like he would be anything but a burden--so he is stuck in the friend zone.

The following morning Ge'er goes to see Feng'er.  With a box.  She asks him to say it--that he doesn't love her.  Not only can he not do this, but audience, he actually looks like he is barely holding it together and may cry.  She calls him out on this.  He grabs her and forces a kiss and is a huge ass about it, insisting that he just wanted to try it one more time.  She angrily tells him that they are done, she returns the lotus petals she lovingly kept, and leaves.  Incidentally, this is the same day as the Ninth Festival, and he will deem this a day that his villa will NEVER celebrate(he totally still loves her) which begs the question of WHY he is doing this....I am sure he has an epic reason.

Meanwhile, Yan Xue seems to be following Ge'er's movements and is constantly watching her from the shadows, always wearing the same rather amused face. Readers, I usually can figure a character out early on--we all can--but he has had so little screen time that I cannot understand what motivates him at all....which I am sure is part of the point.

So Maids from Blossom Hall arrive bearing gifts. A lot of them.  Housekeeper interprets this as worrisome because Yu Xan may be up to something, perhaps he will cause them to lose face, but it seems he has this planned out wanting it to be a festival that Ge'er never forgets, her father says.  As his servants decorate his Pear Villa Master Lei of the Thunderclap clan is able to narrow down his sister.--but not before Yan Xue plays a prank on him and gets him to blow pepper in Miss D's eyes--and receiving a cryptic drawing and thinking it is somehow connected to Anye Luo--he doesn't seem pleased and can only watch Ge'er.....

Miss D watches this all, and is surprised when the woman believed to be his sister--Die Yi (Ge'er's maid) doesn't possess a mysterious birthmark, she is shocked that he then says that it must be someone else.  

At the party, everyone in the crew is there (Miss D, Master Lei, the servants, Yu Xan and Ge'er.  Yu is not there).   Master Lei is silly earning some laughs but Yu Xan is very in tune to Ge'er and she is clearly pretending to be having a good time.  Ge'er tells him he caused trouble with the gifts, but he states he sees no trouble because they are to be married.  She says that was an excuse. He says he took it very seriously and this confuses her and she admits that she does not know if he is joking or not (I don't either).

Miss D drinks alone.  Master Lei sits beside her. She calls him out for lying about his sister and making that bit up about a birthmark.  He admits he did indeed lie because initially he planned on learning if his sister was a spy for Second Madame, or using her in some way.  He said that she convinced him that she knows nothing, and he did not want to get her involved because Second Madame is utterly ruthless, and he cannot figure out what she plans to do with her.  He figured it would cause her (his sister) problems.  Miss D seems to accept this.

Alone (well, not really her maids watch from afar) she drinks and admits she wants to know more about him. Yu Xan agrees to answer her questions but she must drink some wine for each question (drinking games).  He also admits to her that he earns no money from Blossom House

Here are her questions:
1)How do you make money? From brothels, salt houses, pharmacies, restaurants--basically anything you can think of
2)Who trained you in martial arts? His mentor.  She says that is too vague an answer so he then says Misty Deity Lineage.
3)Misty Deity Lineage is real??  Yes.  Only those who are destined to be in it can well, be in it and see it.

She wonders if he is a god. He does not answer, instead he gives her an amulet to ward away evil.  She accepts it.  She (drunk) asks him to show her something she has never seen.

He shows her a seemingly harmless lantern. What is it she asks.  He tells her that it is flowing fire, and he has an internal monologue : it is the most beautiful--and deadly thing--there is......

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