The Unclouded Soul Episode Discussion - Episodes 21 - 23
Welcome to another episodic discussion of The Unclouded Soul. Now that we are more than half way through the drama, I am really hoping that the writers up the stakes.
All Discussion Posts | Masterpost | Episodes 1 - 8 | Episodes 9 - 11 | Episodes 12 - 14 | Episode 15 - 20 |
Bing Zhu becomes a duke
Pian Pian appears as an immortal in the emperor’s dream and convinces the emperor to release Bing Zhu. She tells him that he’s not destined for immortality if his heart is not sincere, but that Bing Zhu’s heart is pure and may be the key if he wants to find the Yulin Spring.
So the emperor sends a pardon to the jail in the nick of time, just as Bing Zhu is about to…pass out?…die?…from being waterboarded.
I don’t understand why Ji Yan doesn’t just put a knife through Bing Zhu’s heart if he is so afraid of Pian Pian coming for Bing Zhu before he can execute him.
In either case, not only did emperor pardon Bing Zhu, he also makes Bing Zhu a duke and grant him 100 acres of land and 1000 stones of grain. And before before one can even say schadenfreude, Commander Ji is on his knees begging for his life while trying to justify his actions and all but blaming Bing Zhu for forcing the Feiyu Guards to turn on him.
Commander Ji tells Bing Zhu about their arrangement to have Hei Wu deliver minor demons to placate the emperor. He says that no one wants the world entirely rid of demons (how else will Feiyu Guard continue to exist?) and that the people under his command shouldn’t be asked to risk their lives for others…Uh…you do know that no one forced you to join the Feiyu Guard, right?
Between Commander Ji’s rhetoric and the human garbage he is serving, Bing Zhu has got to be questioning the purpose of his existence and what he’s doing with his life, correct? How can someone like Bing Zhu continue to feel any degree of loyalty for the emperor? It just doesn’t make sense.
Wait…he’s just going to let the guards off without any kind of punishment? At least re-assign them for toilet scrubbing duty or something.
Pian Pian Becomes a Spirit
Silly me. I should have known that Pian Pian’s heroics came with a price. For how else could she have invaded the emperor’s dreams but replacing her own heart with Dreamshard’s crystal heart and becoming a spirit herself?
That Bing Zhu is an astute one. As soon as the emperor mentions that the immortal in his dreams showed favor for Bing Zhu, he knows exactly what Pian Pian has done. After finding Pian Pian on a rooftop, he laments that he hasn’t been able to protect her, and tells her that there are good spirits and bad spirits just like people (is that really you, Bing Zhu?). Pian Pian, for her part, is afraid that they will one day become enemies. She asks him to promise that he will kill her if that ever happens.
So the sister ends up on the exact same path as her brother before her. What is happening to Pian Pian will probably be another much-needed blow to Bing Zhu’s convictions, I hope.
Xiao Yao and Hong Ye returns to Demon Valley.
But first, they perform a second round of I-am-leaving-you-behind-for-your-own-good and why-did-you-leave-me-behind song and dance.
I like the way Luo Luo slinks off and covers his ears when Xiao Yao shows up and gives Hong Ye hell for leaving without saying goodbye, again. She gives him an ultimatum: Either they never see either again, or from now on, they will go through thick and thing together, moving forward hand-in-hand.
Hong Ye chooses the 2nd option of course: “To me, my answer is only you.” Normally, this is the type of scene that would pull on my heartstrings and makes me squeal like a giddy little girl. But because of the lack of build up many of you have pointed out, this scene feels weirdly hollow.
The Demon King’s Bluff
After entering Demon Valley, our trio comes across the bamboo demon (what’s his name?) being pursued by Wu Huan, Hei Wu’s sidekick, and a bunch of Feiyu Guards.
Actually, they also hear lots of demons screaming in the distance. But because they can’t afford to hire extras or because our heroes don’t give a hoot about anyone else, bam bam is the only one they save, by having Hong Ye act like he still has his spiritual powers. In short, Hong Ye bluffed.
So Wu Huan and the guards flee the scene. Only to come back later when one of the guards realizes that Hong Ye has lost his powers. This time though, Xiao Yao and Hong Ye are prepared. After gliding down a bamboo tree in a very pretty pose (Yelena Belova would like to have a word…), Xiao Yao talks to Wu Huan as if he is in cahoots with our heroes. Her plan causes the Feiyu guards to turn on Wu Huan and just like that, Wu Huan and the guards are all conveniently afflicted with a sudden onset of amnesia, as they turn around and flee from the big bad demon king who has completely lost his powers.
Wu Huan then goes back to Hei Wu to report his failure: “Hong Ye is back. And his powers have increased. We are no match for him.”
SAY WHAT?
Hong Ye Takes Back Demon Valley
With a series of moves that would have felt right at home in a Disney after school special, Hong Ye, with Xiao Yao’s help, manages to take back Demon Valley.
🐱They find Xiao Ming/Xiao Mu by sending out a wooden mouse to find him, cooking a fish to lure him out with the smell, and hanging catnips all over the valley.
🎆They buy a bunch of human weapons (demon-repelling fireworks!) and use those to injure Wu Huan.
🟢Then, in the boldest move of them all, Hong Ye pretends to collect a few thousand megawatts of energy in his hands, scaring Hei Wu into fleeing from the valley.
And just like that, the Demon Valley is back in Hong Ye’s control. Their first order of business is to read through the ancient texts stored in Youning Cave to see if they can find a way to get Hong Ye his powers back.
Stars Falling into Chaos
While watching the night sky one day, Hong Ye remarks that stars are falling into chaos, and a great catastrophe is coming.
Back in Tiansheng Kingdom, Bing Zhu notes the same thing while hunting for a thousand-year-old mountain demon. Just as the demon is getting away, Pian Pian shows and…takes away his heart? It was hard to tell.
Either way, one of the Feiyu Guards mentions that it has been easy capturing dangerous demons lately. Many of them would collapse in front of them for no reason. And it is because Pian Pian is secretly helping Bing Zhu. And she has been living at his place…And she asks him to brush her hair…And, did these two also become a couple without us noticing?
But this Pian Pian is not the Pian Pian we saw just few short episodes ago. This Pian Pian is brittle, bitter, and insecure. Spirits that don’t harvest human hearts consume their own essence, so Pian Pian is dealing with the fear of getting old as well as the fear of not receiving love from the man she cares about.
Um…I do not like where this is going. Pian Pian is going to drag Bing Zhu down with him. I just know it. And with the emperor also demanding that he capture more and more demons to make pills, and asking him constantly what the exalted immortal has told him about where to find the Yulin Spring, pressure is building and time is running out. It is only a matter of time before Bing Zhu breaks, methinks. I hope his observation about the sky falling into chaos does not prove to be prophetic for him.
Just Ji Yan being Ji Yan
In a surprise move that I did not see coming, Ji Yan turns on his former ally Hei Wu. When Hei Wu shows up at Commander Ji’s doorstep demanding that he help Hei Wu kill Hong Ye, Jin Yan has had enough. Suggesting that Hei Wu allies himself with the emperor to kill Hong Ye, Ji Yan takes Hei Wu to the palace for an audience with the emperor. Only that is a lie. Upon reaching the palace, Ji Yan leaves Hei Wu in a room to wait for the emperor. And before one can say “buckle your seatbelts”, Hei Wu has dropped into the furnace that they use to forge the emperor’s happy pills.
So is that the end of Hei Wu? If so, that is definitely something I do not have on my The Unclouded Soul bingo card. Did the nemesis that has plagued Hong Ye for so many years get done in by…Ji Yan?
Other Tidbits
🧽Luo Luo does something stupid, again. And I roll my eyes. And then I remember the lesson we are supposed to have learned with the vengeful spirit arc, and I feel bad. But Luo Luo…
Anyhoo. Luo Luo inadvertently releasing Wu Huan and causing Hong Ye to get injured is supposed to showcase Hong Ye’s benevolence and teach Wu Huan a lesson about how good rulers care about everyone equally. We’ll see if Wu Huan can get that through his thick head.
🧽Xiao Yao gets mad at Hong Ye for getting injured. Why? It’s not like he charged heedless into battle. He had to save Luo Luo…Hum…🤨
Their little lovers spat does lead to some pretty visuals.
Up Next…
A trip to the West Coast to find the Sky Stone that may help Hong Ye get his powers back. I am definitely looking forward to starting a new arc away from the Demon Valley.
What about you? Did you like these 3 episodes? Bored by it as I was? Once again, I think the more interesting development belonged to Bing Zhu and Pian Pian in the human realm. The shenanigans that went on in the Demon Valley is another level of juvenile. Feel free to agree or disagree me in the comments below.
Posted Jan 3, 2026, 7:32 AM UTC