We get some good OTP moments this week, but really, it is The Scorpion King and his daddy angst that steals the moment. Who doesn’t love a good, bad guy realizing the man he loves is bat crap crazy.

You’re being used

Tragicomic and Glamorous Ghost joined up with The Scorpion King so that he doesn’t kill them. The former, finally coming out of her mental breakdown and telling our bad guy hottie some truths about his “Father.” He uses people, giving them mementos, and then when he destroys them in his rise to power, he keeps those tokens as trophies. Tragicomic Ghost says that he did it to her, to his wife, his brother, and he will do it to the Scorpion King.

Kmuse: Am I the only one that wants a drama all about The Scorpion King finding someone that can love him for the messed up crazy hottie that he is?

Drama Geek: Well… if Wen Kexing can get a redemption arc, why can’t Scorpion King? He has been used by the same stupid people. I vote his love line is NOTHING like Daddy Dearest.

He knew all along

Ye Baiyi rushes back to confront Wen Kexing, the evil Ghost Valley leader, and save Zhou Zishu from his clutches. Only to discover that Zhou Zishu knew his soulmate’s identity this whole time and has no intention of letting him be murdered. Zhou Zishu fights against Baiyi but is no match for the ageless master. Wen Kexing also comes to his love’s side but is quickly defeated by Ye Baiyi. They stay side by side, ready to die together, and are saved only because Ye Baiyi owes Wen Kexing that debt. He declares that they are even, and next time he sees them, he will be coming with the heroes of the pugilistic world to destroy Ghost Valley.

Kmuse: Ugh, one of the things that bug me the most about this type of genre is everyone’s prejudice against other groups and declaring that this one is “bad” or “evil.” In this drama, especially, it seems that there is plenty of guilt to go around, and no one is truly innocent. There is blood on everyone’s hands and Ye Baiyi saying differently is so hypocritical.

Drama Geek: Can we take a moment to remember how hot Zishu was when he was telling Baiyi exactly what Kmuse just said? No one is pure and honorable in this entire ordeal. I’m sad the bickering between the three will end, but I’m happy that these two have finally exposed the secret and Kexing can rest easy that his soulmate will not abandoned him.

To stay or to run

Things are not going to smoothly for Gu Xiang and her attempt to leave the past behind. Due to Cao Weining’s hero streak, she is outed to several of the Five Lakes Clans. Luckily for her, Cao Weining was passed out at the time, and because of her sincerity, they let Gu Xiang go. But now that Wen Kexing’s identity is out to the world, it is only a matter of time before her secret is revealed. Once again, she decides that she will stay with Cao Weining until the very end. A small amount of time with him, then death, is preferable to a life without him.

Kmuse: I really hope that this couple ends up being able to weather this trial. Cao Weining is such a sweet boy that I have to believe that he would see through the prejudice of everyone else to the heart of the matter. Gu Xiang deserves the best.

Drama Geek: I’m worried because I feel like with Cdramas there is always at least one tragic ending. I’ll be honest and if I have to choose between these two and our OTP, I will tearfully bid them farewell. Kidding aside, I am on the fence about what his reaction will be. I hope he can see that the world has built up a false narrative about Ghost Valley and they aren’t any worse than the rest of the sects.

Say it isn’t so

With the new knowledge from Tragicomic Ghost fresh in his mind, The Scorpion King starts to really pay attention to how his “father” is treating him. Instead of being involved with the details of his power consolation, his “father” is keeping him hidden. It has become more and more obvious that he is only using The Scorpion King when he needs something nefarious done. And just like every other abuser, he constantly verbally abuses his pseudo son then apologizes afterward, saying that he was forced to be angry and it won’t happen again. But then it happens again. These two are stuck in a very abusive relationship, and The Scorpion King is finally coming to realize that his love isn’t being returned.

Kmuse: Thank you to the reader who let us know that in the novel, Evil Uncle had a group of boys that he called his sons, but really they were implied to be more of a harem. Although, when you have a younger man looking like this, it is pretty obvious that other non-familial things were going on. I also commend the writer on creating such a good example of emotional abuse. When it comes to fighting talent, there is no beating The Scorpion King, but being strong doesn’t mean you can’t be abused in other ways.

Drama Geek: Oh! I missed the readers comment. That TOTALLY fits with this character. I can understand the changes the show made, since the censors would not let any of that fly. I commend them on still getting the sleazy abusive relationship across with just these two.

Regret and determination

Talking about abuse, we get a deeper glimpse into the trauma that created the angry man we now know. Our soulmates and Chengling go to their Master’s grave, and Wen Kexing silently apologizes for the direction his life went. However, at the same time, he admits that he isn’t sorry because those that caused his parent’s death need to be punished. Once again, we can witness the extreme anger that resides in Wen Kexing, and you just know that he isn’t going to be able to let it go and live peacefully with his newfound family.

Kmuse: Am I the only one that thinks Wen Kexing looks really beautiful in this pink and red ensemble? If you are going to soul search, you might as well do it fashionably.

Drama Geek: Haha. I know the actor had a favorite outfit but I’m not sure which one it was. I feel sorry for him, but I do hope that he’ll allow some of this anger to subside and move on.

Cinnamon Roll versus The Chicken

We didn’t get many lighthearted moments this week, but the one we did get was really cute. Zhou Zishu has an injured arm because of his fight with Ye Baiyi, so it is Chengling and Wen Kexing’s job to cook. Wen Kexing declares that if Chengling is going to become an accomplished martial artist, he needs to be tougher. He then charges the disciple with killing the chicken for dinner. Chengling fails miserably, and the chicken ends up chasing him out of the room.

Kmuse: This was such a fun scene to watch.

Drama Geek: I was really perplexed at how they were getting the chicken to just sit there to be cooked. I think it’s hilarious that Zishu had his arm in a sling while they cooked, but it was perfectly fine when he was drinking.

Secrets revealed

Remember, way back when Zhou Zishu’s assassin underling let them all escape with the Bronze Armor? Well, he is back and seriously injured. He had been betraying the Emperor by trying to discover where all the Bronze Armor was and stealing it back. He reasons that he could get the book that tells them how they could heal his master. Hence healing the nails and giving Zhou Zishu back his life. But he was discovered by the Emperor and was injured while coming back to Zhou Zishu. He also reveals that the person who killed Zhou Zishu’s father was the Emperor (who is Zhou Zishu’s cousin.) It seems that The Emperor wasn’t the loving relative that Zhou Zishu thought he was.

Kmuse: It has been so long I had almost forgotten the Emperor was involved in the story. Also, his trying to make a deal with Evil Uncle puts him firmly in the bad guy box.

Drama Geek: Okay, readers, I need to know if this character existed in the book and if he had an undying love for Zhou Zishu. I was also confused and even asked Kmuse if this Emperor dude was new, but then realized who is was. This last half has been much better in the extra story arcs than the first half so I hope we don’t get too bogged down by these new (old?) players.

Final Thoughts:

Kmuse: I’m starting to worry that we are going to get a very tragic ending to our sweet soulmate romance. EEEEAK!

Drama Geek: From comments in Discord I don’t think this ends tragically for these two, but I’ve stayed away from spoilers so I could be wrong. I’m ready for the ramping up of everything and our lovebirds to take everyone down and then come back here and drink wine in bed and live happily ever after.

Til the next flirty moment,

The Fangirls

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi