Conservative_Torch:

I think Bu Yeon lives only because there's an ice stone / half of ice stone inside her. After all she was dead inside the womb and Jang Kang somehow revived her. In a recent episode the queen revives the dead Eunuch Kim by placing  ice stone inside him. Maybe Jang Kang did the same with Bu Yeon.  

But  I still don't understand why Bu Yeon's and Naksu's souls can co-exist within Mu Deok.

if you had watched ep 15 (tonight's episode) you sorta get an idea how. Master Lee was said to survive and stayed young forever because of Hwansu.

Then later on during the private meeting at CP's palace, it's said that Naksu had reached Hwansu, it could also be this ability that managed to suppress Mu Deok's identity i.e. she does not have any memory of her life before the switch. Mu Deok/Bu Yeon only surfaces when she is in the soul realm and when she does, Naksu/Mu Deok doesn't recognise her (either when they are facing each other or when Bu Yeon/Mu Deok saves Uk.

In any case, I love that they bring back Sapsali, the cutest soul shifter detector ever! Cutest member of the cast for ep 15, I must say

NOTE: Drafted this up yesterday (had to re-watch and review my notes) and planned to post today.  After watching Ep. 15, I made a few edits, LOL.  Episode 15 SPOILERS ahead]

 This is why I believe it is POSSIBLE am confident that Jin Mu has“Naksu”/Cho Yeong’s body on ice somewhere (together with Gil-ju’s body as well).  First thing to remember:  Jang Gang was transferring souls into dead bodies. Second thing to remember:  Master Lee transferred his soul into a frozen body.

Sequence of events:

Ep. 1 - Gil-ju steals Naksu’s [FROZEN] body.

Ep.2 – (i) JU says “the body was frozen here.  Seeing how there is no rotting smell you body must still be fine. . . . Naksu.”

(ii) Jin Mu says “Naksu’s body may be here but her soul lies on in another body”. [At this point, he believes that a different soul is in her body!] Her body is on the ground in the small building with all of the stupid men who believed Jin Mu’s promise – and then he killed them all.

(iv) Heo says “Jin Mu brought the bodies of Naksu’s men into the palace [no mention of where Naksu’s body is]

(v) The King asks Jin Mu what he wishes and Jin Mu replies: “The people are troubled by this sorcery.  Allow me to burn Naksu’ body in front of Cheonbugwan”.

At this point, Jin Mu believes that Naksu’s body contains the soul of Ae Hyang, the courtesan/giseang.  Why wouldn’t he keep it on ice so that he can transfer another soul into it at a later date?? I think  I'm confident that  jin Mu burned a fake body.

After Master Lee got out of the palace, he said “They revealed themselves after I instilled fear.” With using “they”, he can’t be referring to soul shifter minions, right? That goes without thinking that Jinmu is building his own soul shifter army. Then we have flashbacks of the King’s and Queen’s faces. 

On a side note, it seems like Master Lee knew beforehand that the Queen is a soul shifter. So Master Lee might have gone to the palace to trigger Jinmu and friends and to check someone else’s identity.

It’s pretty unexplainable that the King’s also a soul shifter. But the sequence and dialogues bothered me. 

OR it could be Jinmu who is a soul shifter???

I wasn't impressed with episode 15. Nothing new other than Master Lee explaining how he shifted without using an ice stone. The rest were useless, even the "we should say the same thing" was too predictable.

Now, on to Master Lee's revelation.
-- That is the answer we are all looking for how Nak Su's soul was absorbed by Bu Yeon.

Nak Su used the soul ejector (created through the ice stone). Nak Su, and more likely than not Bu Yeon too, are powerful enough to soul shift without using the ice stone/soul ejector.

There is a high possibility that Nak Su and Bu Yeon both used their natural ability to soul shift which allowed them to occupy the same body -- which was not supposed to be possible.

So …
1. Nak Su can absorb another person's energy because she used a soul ejector.
2. But without knowing it, she accidentally used her natural ability to soul shift (like Master Lee) … her desire to escape probably triggered it.
3. Bu Yeon, being familiar with the power of the ice stone and recognized the power of Nak Su, used her natural ability to soul shift Nak Su into her body … then soul shifted her own soul back into her own body too.

Even if we remove #2, #3 alone is more than enough.

We definitely have two very powerful souls inside one body.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, it would also explain why there is no blue mark tattoo. It was not the soul ejector that did the soul shift, it was their natural ability to soul shift that did it.

Or, because both Nak Su and Bu Yeon soul shifted __naturally__, the side effect of the soul ejector instead showed up on their eyes and eventually faded. The only remaining "side effect" from the soul ejector is the ability to absorb energy from other people.


 wanderee:

After Master Lee got out of the palace, he said “They revealed themselves after I instilled fear.” With using “they”, he can’t be referring to soul shifter minions, right? That goes without thinking that Jinmu is building his own soul shifter army. Then we have flashbacks of the King’s and Queen’s faces. 

On a side note, it seems like Master Lee knew beforehand that the Queen is a soul shifter. So Master Lee might have gone to the palace to trigger Jinmu and friends and to check someone else’s identity.

It’s pretty unexplainable that the King’s also a soul shifter. But the sequence and dialogues bothered me. 

OR it could be Jinmu who is a soul shifter???

Jinmu may not be a soul shifter as yet since he is a well known mage and has a powerful body but that might be his future plan to live on.

When Master Lee said "they", there can be 2 interpretations.

1. They refers to the queen and Jinmu who is practicing alchemy of Souls at the behest of the Queen. Queen being a soul shifter. It might also include the woman serving the queen who I believe is also a soul shifter. The one who consumed the souls of the ladies who knew So-i? Queen was using her to gather the army of soul shifters.

2. They could have been used to hide the fact that he was referring to the queen. Because of her status, he cannot openly accuse her of being a soul shifter. But he did want the king's reaction as well. The king seemed oblivious while the queen was enraged rather than concerned.

I am also fairly certain that Naksu's body is safe. I am not sure who has it. Whether it is Jinmu or Seo Yul. But there is a possibility that Songrim would not want to give Jinmu Naksu's body and moved it and instead gave them someone else's but used magic to deceive them.

@Shael Naksu definitely used the soul ejector and performed the Alchemy of Souls. However, because Jin BuYeon was a powerful priestess, she could protect her own soul and invited Naksu's soul into her body as well. So far they have not said that it is impossible for two souls to exist in one body.

Also the mark on Naksu's body is proof Alchemy of Souls did take place and it wasn't Hwansu. In Mudeok, the mark was in her eyes that faded due to eye drops that Naksu used to dull it. Maybe Naksu wasn't aware that Hwansu can be used to enter a new body. She might use Hwansu to return to her original body by the finale though.

episode 16 gave us so many more clues!!

according to me, @DaisiesOh 's theory that Naksu=Buyeon gets more and more probable each episode. the fact that shamans can change/erase someone's memories seems to be the explanation to why buyeon/naksu doesn't remember her past. @DaisiesOh even predicted that in past posts. (she also explains that maybe BuYeon forgot her memories + got Cho Yeong's own memories ingrained in her to make her believe that she was indeed the Cho daughter)

to add to this, i think there might be something fishy going on with the Jin father. maybe something like the birth of Uk happened to Buyeon/Naksu or to Cho Yeon (with biological = jang gang, soul-gical = old king) ? we know there's the Choi chaman brother in Jin father's body, but he still said that Cho Yeon was his beloved daughter, while Bu Yeon was not his biological one...  I wish the next episode will expand on that.

moreover, as @ircnix pointed out, the names Cho Yeong, Cho Yeon and Bu Yeon are related. korean names for siblings usually contain one same syllable. CHO for Cho Yeong/Cho Yeon, and YEON for Bu Yeon/Cho Yeon. but maybe the Hong sisters are indeed playing with us viewers haha !

also, as many pointed out, there might be more than 1 ice stone, the biggest argument for it being that to revive someone from the dead, you need to insert an ice stone into them. this happened with eunuch kim (and seems to have happened also with buyeon in Jin mother's womb with the help of Jang Gang). in episode 17's preview, we hear the Crown Prince saying  (to Uk probably) "you wish to become a hero with the fate of the king's star by destroying every ice stone and saving the world from chaos ?"
--> this pretty much confirms it, right ?

 julie:
according to me, @DaisiesOh 's theory that Naksu=Buyeon gets more and more probable each episode. the fact that shamans can change/erase someone's memories seems to be the explanation to why buyeon/naksu doesn't remember her past. 

But the next sentence was:  "A Jinyowon priestess is in a different league."  Jin Bu-yeon is in a different league from a shaman and should have been able to counter the shaman.  

The two-soul theory also got some support today as well:  "A really powerful priestess can control people's souls and trap them to be helpless.  If the priestess traps their powers even the most powerful mage is helpless."

Jin Bu-yoen should have stopped Jin Mu long ago - I'm disappointed in my girl.

I have an open mind on the one-soul vs two-soul theory.  In the end, JBY is in her own body and that's what counts.  

Ahhh today's episode had so many cliffhangers. I can't wait 12 more days. I have absolutely no idea what part 2 gives us. First I thought it would be a prequel. But at this point I'm not sure.

But we have learnt quite a few things from today's episode.

1. Bu yeon has definitely trapped Naksu inside her body using her powers. Why thou? Does she needed to stop Naksu's killing?

2. But Naksu has lost Bu Yeon's memories because she soul shifted to into her. Isn't it? Not because of Bu Yeon's shaman like powers. Right? All soul shifter only seem to remember their own past not the body owners.

3. If Bu Yeon was so much powerful. Why didn't she return home? Did she also loose her memories somehow?

4. Who the hell is Bu Yeon's real father? Jang Kang? Who knows? If that's true, that is more than enough reason to make Naksu the FL in part 2. (Just my speculation)

5. Why would Jin Ho Gyeong beg Jang Kang to save Bu Yeon while still inside her womb. What's their relationship?

6. Jin Cho Yeon's father is definitely the queen shaman's brother. How the hell did he married Jin Ho Gyeong? Did he agree to hide the fact that Bu Yeon is not his biological daughter? And she was pregnant before marriage?

7. How did Jinyowon's door open? Was it because of the sorcery used by her so called father or was it because of My Deok's presence? 

8. And why did sapsali was trying to attack Jin Cho Yeon? I kinda have a feeling it wasn't just because of the worm and the tailsman she had. May be she's somehow involved in unknown sorcery just like her sister Bu Yeon?

9. And why did Sapsali dog didn't attack Mu Deok in the den? It  was going to kill her during the first episodes.

10. DID ANYONE UNDERSTAND THE SHAMAN QUEEN'S PLAN TO KILL THE REAL QUEEN AND SOUL SHIFT TO SOI OR SOMETHING?

11. But it's still unclear how Naksu and her father , Jang Kang and Jang Uk have entangled their fates.

12. And Songrim's leader is the biggest love idiot ever. He has no idea Maidservant Kim likes him. 

13. Why would master Lee try to protect Naksu? Because he thinks she's powerless because of her body?  Why handover her sword and tell her not to use it? 

14. Jang Kang is finally here. What is he going to do with Jang Uk? Tel him to stop getting ambitious.

15. I guess Jang Kang wouldn't reveal himself to Jang Uk. May be Jang Uk finds him identity through his portrait painting anyway?

Only time will answer these questions.

replying to some of your very interesting questions !!!

 Conservative_Torch:
8. And why did sapsali was trying to attack Jin Cho Yeon? I kinda have a feeling it wasn't just because of the worm and the tailsman she had. May be she's somehow involved in unknown sorcery just like her sister Bu Yeon?

maybe that was what was implied when the jin father said that buyeon was not his biological daughter ? that the choi shaman brother was soul shifted into the real jin father's body when Cho Yeon was conceived, whereas Bu Yeon's father is the real jin father ? if Cho Yeon was born by a soul-shifter, sorcery could have happened (and seep out of her), alarming sapsali. but then another question arises, why doesn't it bark at Uk when he (following this theory) was born the same way as Cho Yeon ?

 Conservative_Torch:
9. And why did Sapsali dog didn't attack Mu Deok in the den? It was going to kill her during the first episodes.

 @DaisiesOh also pointed that out ! she said this could be explained by the Naksu=Buyeon theory. if this is true, Naksu/Buyeon "returned" to her initial body (Mudeok), so the "sorcery gap" that sapsali detects wouldn't exist or would be different from the one of a real soul shifter that is not in their own body.

 Conservative_Torch:
10. DID ANYONE UNDERSTAND THE SHAMAN QUEEN'S PLAN TO KILL THE REAL QUEEN AND SOUL SHIFT TO SOI OR SOMETHING?

YES I THOUGHT SO TOO !!!! that's maybe why the soul shifters are bowing to her ! and since they will make the "queen" die, Choi shaman's soul has to go somewhere right ? and she wouldn't settle for someone that's not very powerful....

 Conservative_Torch:
13. Why would master Lee try to protect Naksu? Because he thinks she's powerless because of her body? Why handover her sword and tell her not to use it?

probably because Naksu/Buyeon and Uk are the only ones that will be able to destroy the Ice Stone and save Daeho from this sorcery ? and in order to do that, she must get her abilities back. maybe one of the steps for her to regain her powers is to unsheathe her sword ?

 ColourMePurple:
@Shael Naksu definitely used the soul ejector and performed the Alchemy of Souls. However, because Jin BuYeon was a powerful priestess, she could protect her own soul and invited Naksu's soul into her body as well.

What I said. ^_^



 ColourMePurple:
So far they have not said that it is impossible for two souls to exist in one body.

They don't have to. The lack of any reference that it ever happened before is itself proof. As far as the in-universe characters are concerned, they know not of any such case.

If there is no known precedent then as far as the in-universe characters are concerned, it is not possible. This makes the Bu Yeon + Nak Su case a "first" and possibly unique and will never happen again.


 ColourMePurple:
Also the mark on Naksu's body is proof Alchemy of Souls did take place and it wasn't Hwansu.

I never said AoS did not happen.


 ColourMePurple:
Maybe Naksu wasn't aware that Hwansu can be used to enter a new body.

She's not aware. Master Lee had to meditate for 100 days to achieve it so it means transferring souls is a very high level spell.

But she is powerful, she may have accidentally achieved it especially with Bu Yeon around.

Remember, a normal AoS through the use of a soul ejector produces a blue mark on their shoulders not the eyes.

Mu Deok had two blue eyes. It not only signified there are two souls who was AoS-ed into the body, it also meant Bu Yeon's soul was ejected in the process and re-AoS-ed into it. The only logical way that could happen is if both Nak Su and Bu Yeon activated--unknowingly--a Hwansu-style AoS.

What may have happened in episode 1 was something like this:

  1. Soul ejector-style AoS was activated by Nak Su
  2. Bu Yeon detected it and tried to override it
  3. Since a soul ejector-style AoS would mean the other soul should be removed, Bu Yeon activated the Hwansu-style AoS (intentionally or probably unknowingly) when her soul was ejected.
  4. Nak Su's desire to stay alive and not get caught probably resulted in her unknowingly activating Hwansu-style AoS.
  5. The combination of Bu Yeon's and Nak Su's Hwansu-style AoS overrode the soul ejector-style AoS.
  6. And #5 also allowed the two souls to occupy the same body
  7. Which resulted in having two blue eyes instead of one blue tattoo mark.
  8. Then Bu Yeon sealed Nak Su's power (a Jin's specialty) while letting her have control of the body.

#8 is more plausible now after the revelation in episode 16 about the specialty of Jin's powers. It was not an ordinary spell any mage can learn, it is a divine gift.

We can also remove Nak Su in the equation. Bu Yeon alone using Hwansu-style AoS is more than enough after episode 16. Their priestess power is what allowed Bu Yeon to not only seal Nak Su's power but to let her soul also inhabit in her own body without her own soul being ejected.


 ColourMePurple:
She might use Hwansu to return to her original body by the finale though.

Correct.

Or, if Nak Su really have not achieved Hwansu, even accidentally/unknowingly, Bu Yeon can do it.

Although at this point, I'm thinking the two souls will become one. Or, Bu Yeon will leave because she's not supposed to be alive anyway.

For all we know, the "Bu Yeon" soul is not the real Bu Yeon but the soul of the original Jin priestess who summoned magic from heaven. When Jang Gang used the ice stone, it was not the real Bu Yeon that was summoned but the original priestess.

Or, Bu Yeon is the reincarnation of the original priestess. Maybe because Jang Gang used the ice stone to summon back Bu Yeon's soul, she suddenly unlocked her original memories, so she knew she has to return to heaven or destroy the ice stone -- which she failed to do when Jin Moo pushed her to the sea. So now, she has a different plan and found Nak Su to be the perfect candidate.

So in the end, Bu Yeon may leave and let Nak Su own the body completely without any side effects from the soul ejector. Since the body is a Jin body, Nak Su will also inherit the power of the Jin and be the rightful next leader and protector.

(This is assuming Season 2 is actually a prequel.)

 wanderee:
On a side note, it seems like Master Lee knew beforehand that the Queen is a soul shifter.

I'm not sure if he "knew" it was the Queen, but he knew it was from the Royal Palace.  He is in "Asses, Regoup/Adapt, Execute Mode.

Conservative_Torch quote isn’t working…

1. Bu yeon has definitely trapped Naksu inside her body using her powers. Why thou? Does she needed to stop Naksu's killing?

The trapping itself is confusing me. So Naksu is the hostage but she’s in control of the body and her memories are still intact. The only restriction is Naksu losing her strength. I must say Buyeon is very very generous. Up until now, we still don’t know the connection between Naksu and Buyeon, if we’re going with 2 souls/1 body theory.

4. Who the hell is Bu Yeon's real father? Jang Kang? Who knows? If that's true, that is more than enough reason to make Naksu the FL in part 2. (Just my speculation)

I suspect Buyeon’s father is the real Jin Hogyeong’s husband. While Choyeon‘s father is the shaman brother. The brother soul shifted after Buyeon was born and before Choyeon was conceived.

5. Why would Jin Ho Gyeong beg Jang Kang to save Bu Yeon while still inside her womb. What's their relationship?

I guess because Jang Gang was the most powerful mage that time. She also knew he had the ice stone, or at least he knew where it was and can control it.

7. How did Jinyowon's door open? Was it because of the sorcery used by her so called father or was it because of My Deok's presence?

Definitely due to Mudeok’s presence. Jinmu said that Soyi just needs to shake/rattle the door and he’d do the rest of the talking. Probably because Soyi just has a single blood worm in her body, which isn’t enough to open the door. Jinmu‘s excuse to this was probably she was away from home for too long hence her powers are too weak.

8. And why did sapsali was trying to attack Jin Cho Yeon? I kinda have a feeling it wasn't just because of the worm and the tailsman she had. May be she's somehow involved in unknown sorcery just like her sister Bu Yeon?

Fluffy detected something on Choyeon might be because her father used just the soul ejector to switch souls. While Uk’s father used the ice stone. Or maybe when Uk was conceived, the King carried the ice stone within his soul. Thus, purifying (for the lack of better term) Uk’s soul upon conception. 


9. And why did Sapsali dog didn't attack Mu Deok in the den? It  was going to kill her during the first episodes.

Going with @DaisiesOh‘s theory, in the first episodes, Buyeon was still adjusting herself after returning to her original body since she wasn‘t in it for so long. Thus, the blue mark in the eyes was slowly fading out, indicating that her body and soul were in the process of coming together.


10. DID ANYONE UNDERSTAND THE SHAMAN QUEEN'S PLAN TO KILL THE REAL QUEEN AND SOUL SHIFT TO SOI OR SOMETHING?

In the end, Soyi is just an instrument for Shaman Choi to enter the Jin household without experiencing the pain of becoming Buyeon physically. Poor Soyi!! Also because the fake Queen still has unfinished businesses in the palace.

13. Why would master Lee try to protect Naksu? Because he thinks she's powerless because of her body?  Why handover her sword and tell her not to use it?

I think Master Lee is protecting Buyeon who is definitely alive inside, regardless of what theory we’re going with. Buyeon is a genius just like Uk. Master Lee is guiding these two in bringing peace to Daeho. I think this further supports the Naksu = Buyeon theory. Because with 2 souls/1 body theory, Master Lee should be helping Buyeon in regaining her powers and eventually kicking Naksu out of the body. Instead, Master Lee is reforming Naksu’s reputation. He also reclaimed her sword. There was no need to get the sword back if Naksu is just a pitiful assassin. I mean it’s good for the assassin to remain weaponless. In a way, all the things Master Lee did are beneficial to Naksu, but not necessarily to Buyeon. Thus, Naksu is Buyeon, because what Master Lee has been doing is protecting, monitoring and uplifting the two little geniuses. 


I think when Jin Hogyeong said someone in Songrim stole something from the Jinyowon, she’s referring to Naksu’s sword. One of the reasons why Master Lee reclaimed it from the Crown Prince. He can’t give it to the Jin household because they won’t accept it anymore because it was already known as an assassin’s sword. So he gave it to Naksu through Uk since she is the rightful owner and she’s also a Jin. 

On the preview of Mudeok unsheathing the sword,  I think it’s Buyeon acting out. Naksu would unconsciously bring her other persona (Buyeon) out due to the desperation of saving Uk from danger. 

This is my theory about Bu Yeon's biological father. My guess is Jang Gang. When Jang Gang was young, he was kind of the man many women adored (Do-Hwa, Kim Do-Ju, and probably mama Jin too). And he is the typical mess creator in this story. I think for 20 years he has been searching not only for Naksu (his friend Cho Chung's daughter), but he is also searching for his own daughter, Bu Yeon. For shipper of Ukkie-Deokie don't worry. Although Bu Yeon is Jang Gang's daughter, Uk's lover is Naksu. But to avoid awkwardness, Naksu has to return to her original body at part 2 for Uk-Naksu romance to continue. This is also why the part 1 is lack of physical romance between the two, just hugs and a peck kiss. This is just my theory. I could be wrong.