The Unclouded Soul Episode Discussion - Episodes 9 - 11
Welcome to another episode discussion of The Unclouded Soul. As usual, spoilers abound so please proceed with caution.
All Discussion Posts | Masterpost | Episodes 1 - 8 |
A Case of Mistaken Identity
In today’s episode of Save by the Bell, Zach Xiao Yao and her friends learn all about the art of deception.
Because all humans are capable is lie, cheat, and steal, it’s important for the minor demons to learn how to deceive others like a human. Xiao Mu says. Which is why he’s making his class learn a spell on how to take on the appearance of other people.
Xiao Yao, of course, takes umbrage at this gross generalization of the human race and contradicts his fear-mongering rhetoric, which earns her a trip to the top of a mountain so she can “reflect on her faults” in solitude. When she still refuses to admit that she did anything wrong, Xiao Mu ties her up with a demon-binding chain, which will not only restrict her movement and spiritual powers, but also make her feel like her internal organs are being squeezed together.
Hum…she doesn’t look like she’s suffering all that much.
What follows is a screw-ball comedy for kindergarteners, as these toddlers take turns at pretending to be other people so they can go visit, rescue, or shoot the breeze with Xiao Yao or whatever. Honestly, their shenanigans are about as funny was watching paint dry. But it does allow Xiao Yao to mistakes Hong Ye for Da Li when he shows up, and to tell him all how she used to celebrate it with her dad by going out for shrimp and eel noodles (so now you remember your dad!). She also tells Da Li/Hong Ye that she doesn’t want to ask for Hong Ye’s help because she would lose face after having refused his protection earlier. So Hong Ye leaves her there on the mountain top, but only so he can give her…
A Birthday to Remember
The rest of episode is such a visual feast that it almost makes up for me having to sit through the juvenile antics of the first 20 minutes…almost. First, I give you…
Hou Ming Hao is human garbage and a high ponytail.
So Hong Ye goes into the human realm, orders a bowl and shrimp and eel noodles, and then spends the entire day watching the cook make the noodles. Once he is confident that he has mastered the art of noodle making by osmosis, he attempts to make the noodles, only to fail again and again. Not to worry though, because he has plenty of silver ingots to buy the noodle shop employees’ time and also plenty of eggs to experiment with. Once has really mastered the art of making shrimp and eel noodles, he invites Xiao Yao out for a night on the town.
Back in the Demon Valley, Xiao Mu (I think he’s the mean one but I am too lazy to look it up) has released Xiao Yao from her vigil on the mountain top. He feeds her some mumble jumble about how she is too unrestrained and he wants to rein her in so she doesn’t end up endangering the 3 realms. I think the writers are trying to give more depth to the annoying feline but I am just not buying it. Part of it could also be because this actor is just…not very good.
Anyhoo. Once Xiao Yao realizes that Hong Ye meant to cook her birthday meal himself, she is suitably touched. We get another montage of Hong Ye making food for his beloved and this lovely shot.
But before Hong Ye and Xiao Yao can conclude their romantic birthday date, Xiao Yao’s father shows up. And we get to see Tang Songyun cry prettily while listening to his father reminisce about her past birthdays with Hong Ye.
I am sorry. Why can’t Xiao Yao acknowledge her dad again?
Either way, Hong Ye tells Xiao Yao to go after her dad and she doesn’t, only to return later because her presence will bring him danger, because she is a demon now.
Ok. Color me confused. But just what exactly it is that makes her a demon? Is it because she’s learned a few demon spells? But wasn’t the purpose of learning these spells so she can hide her demon aura? I feel like the writers are basically just making things up as they go along now.
Xiao Yao’s birthday celebration concludes with Xiao Yao saying that she would like to learn how to fly on a sword, Hong Ye making a lion puppet come to live, and the two floating into the sky on the said lion while fireworks go off behind them.
So, does this officially make them a couple?
The Realm of Mist and Void
Xiao Yao being the popular girl that she is, Hong Ye is not the only one trying to make Xiao Yao’s birthday special. Da Li and Luo Luo’s search for a birthday gift for Xiao Yao led them to four beautiful ladies hawking skin care products. Hum…why do I think that these two are about to get in trouble again?
The ladies tell our moronic minor demons that they are from a place called the Realm of Mist and Void, and that their home is a paradise for women where they are free from the oppression of men and can stay young and beautiful forever. One of the woman gives Da Li a portrait of the Dreamshard Immortal, telling her that if she hangs up the portrait and makes obeisance to it with flowers, she can become the Dreamshard Immortal’s disciple and earn a place in the promised land.
So like a chump, Da Li brings the portrait back to the Demon Valley and inadvertently let the four ill-willed ladies into the valley. Da Li and Luo Luo get captured, AGAIN. And then Xiao Yao also gets captured. In an effort to save them, Hong Ye comes into contact with the Demon-Devouring Poison, which will bring out the evil thoughts that exist in a demon’s nature.
Even though Hong Ye tries to put a brave face on it, it’s clear that the poison is having an effect on him. With his cultivation, he can at most suppress the poison for 10 days. So after giving Xiao Yao a grass bracelet infused with his consciousness, Hong Ye goes in search of the Dreamshard immortal, which may just be exactly what she wants him to do because she needs his help to find the Yulin Spring so she can go back to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Upon finding out that Hong Ye has gone to find the Dreamshard Immortal, Xiao Yao and Da Li decides to go after him. Seriously, what do these two hope to accomplish with their level of cultivation? Oh, nevermind. I guess they are not that stupid after all, not if they intend to ask Bingzhu for help.
The Emperor’s Edict
Oh Bing Zhu. How I’ve missed you.
Bing Zhu and his Feiyu Guards have returned to the capital to report on their success in capturing Ah Li and Jin Muqing. The emperor is excited to hear that Ah Li belong to the Hefeng tribe, and Bing Zhu further adds to the emperor’s glee by telling him that he’s brought back the mud that is part of Ah Li’s remains. Because Ah Li once ingested mud infused with the Yulin Spring, there may still be traces of the spring left in his remains.
For his troubles, the emperor tells him, he is tasked with find the emperor 100 intelligent young woman and escorting them to the Penglang Celestial Mountain to serve as the Exalted Immortal’s attendants. To make sure that these maidens are the crème-de-la-creme of the capital, the emperor wants Bing Zhu to choose from government official’s daughters.
Hum…will the Pingjiang magistrate’s daughters qualify? I wonder.
By this time, Xiao Yao and Da Li have arrived in the capital. They are accosted by a bunch of men at the matchmaker’s temple and are rescued by Bing Zhu, who then treated them for dinner. I must say that the Demon Slayer has mellowed a lot in the past few episodes if now he is buying a demon dinner.
Xiao Yao then convinces Bing Zhu to go after the Dreamshard Immortal. While what she said about Dreamshard Immortal being an evil is true, she doesn’t mention Hong Ye. So is she using Bing Zhu? If so, then I am little disappointed in her. While Bing Zhu may have his own agenda and only agrees to help because Penglang happens to be where he’s going to, he has been nothing but upfront with her. I hope this doesn’t end up being a triangle and I hope that he doesn’t end up being hurt.
Armed with the Dreamshard Immortal’s painting and what Xiao Yao told him of her history, Bing Zhu asks the emperor to let him investigate Dreamshard before sending the 100 maiden but the emperor would not agree. So Bing Zhu has no choice but to carry out his orders. Many fair maidens under 18 are forcibly removed from their homes.
I wonder how far Bing Zhu will go in service of the emperor before he decides that enough is enough? Because surely the writers are not going to be cruel enough to have him do a heel turn? (This being Wang Duo, one can never be sure…)
Bing Zhu also gives Xiao Yao and Da Li money to buy clothes, takes them to the matchmaker’s temple to read their fortune, and just generally be uncharacteristically kind to them. This raises Xiao Yao’s suspicion, and she turns out to be right when Bing Zhu locks them in a room to prevent them from going with him to Penglang.
Honestly, I can’t say that I disagree with him. At this point, neither Xiao Yao or Da Li has proven themselves to be an asset in a fight. They will only end up being his burden.
It is really too bad then that Xiao Yao was prepared and uses a wooden stick she has hidden to break through the ward Bing Zhu placed on the door.
The the two then pretends to be the Pingjiang magistrate’s daughters, and fooled the Feiyu Guard into taking them. The Pingjiang magistrate was only too happy to oblige.
So Bing Zhu sets sail for Penglang with 100 fair maidens. Did he really order all Feiyu Guard off the boat so he can brave the lion’s den by himself?
The Realm of Mist and Void
On Penglang, the women and Bing Zhu are greeted by the Dreamshard Immortal’s disciples. The women are then told that they will need to go through a multi-stage trial to earn the honor of becoming the immortal’s attendant.
One of the immortal’s disciples is veiled. When someone called her by name, and when she removed her veil, Bing Zhu is visibly affected. Who is she, and why did Bing Zhu react so strongly to her name and her face?
A Funny Moment
And the Award for Most Hateful Character Goes to:
So there you have it.
What do you think of these 3 episodes? As usual, the antics of the minor demons in the Demon Valley annoyed me. But once they moved on into the human world, the momentum picked up considerably. I find the newest arc pretty interesting and I am curious to see what happens next in the Realm of Mist and Void and how Bing Zhu, Xiao Yao, and Hong Ye will face and defeat the Dreamshard Immortal. I do wish though, that Xiao Yao would exhibit a bit more growth because as things stand right now, her only function seems to be Hong Ye’s love interest and doesn’t bring much to the table except a little street smarts.
Posted Dec 30, 2025, 8:29 AM UTC