- Title: Immortal Samsara
- Original Title: 沉香如屑(Chénxiāng rú xiè)
- Year: 2022
- Number of Episodes: 38
- Genre: Romance, Wuxia, Fantasy, Drama
- Country: China
- Where to Watch: Youku, Viki
List of Recap:
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 1-2 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 3-4 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 5-6 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 7-8 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 9-10 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 11-12 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 13-14 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 15-16 Recap)
- Immortal Samsara (Episode 17-18 Recap)
In the previous Immortal Samsara episode recap, we see Ying Yuan being greeted by the Pixiang Hall’s supervisor. In this episode 5-6 recap, Huangqin (Star Deity Jidu) then was surprised to find Ying Yuan was now taking an interest in plays.
Episode Recap
Episode 5
After Huangqin left to deal with his task in the Demon Realm, the Pixiang Hall’s supervisor continued her greetings with Ying Yuan. Realizing that Yan Dan was his celestial attendant, she praised Yan Dan’s talent for writing the War of Genesis play. Ying Yuan then secretly requested for the script from the supervisor. He made many comments and additional information which Yan Dan was not able to find from her research.
Yan Dan discussed the comments found on her script with Yumo. They were surprised to find the information added so detailed as if the writer was actually there during the War of Genesis itself. Since this matter concerned his Nine Fins Clan, Yumo decided to find the person who has been helping them with the script.
Yumo successfully infiltrated into Ying Yuan’s study by attaching a talisman onto the script. However, Ying Yuan did not allow him to see his face. From behind the screens, Yumo asked Ying Yuan how the Nine Fins clan came to their demise. But Ying Yuan told him during the War of Genesis he was dispatched in a different location than the Nine Fins Clan, so he did not know how they were defeated.
After Yumo left, Ying Yuan was going to start revising Yan Dan’s new script. He was in the middle of amending the part where Yan Dan wrote that the Sovereign Lord Ying Yuan flipped over a turtle. He rolled his eyes and was marking the sentences with red ink, when suddenly Yan Dan rushed in and announced that Marshal Huo De has arrived.
Marshal Huo De came to challenge Ying Yuan to a fight. If he could defeat Ying Yuan, he would be allowed to borrow Ying Yuan’s book, Art of War. He has tried several times before but was still unable to defeat Ying Yuan. And every time he loses, he would destroy Ying Yuan’s yard.
Ying Yuan has poured all his efforts and energy into this book, thus he was reluctant to lend it to Huo De. But he also did not care for Huo De to destroy his place. He then devised a plan with Yan Dan to fake sickness.
Loudly wailing over Ying Yuan’s sickness, Yan Dan used this opportunity to pound on his chest hard multiple times, causing him to wince in pain. Through her sobs, she was mourning the fact that Ying Yuan has worked so hard lately that he fell ill. He may not regain his health within the year!
Seeing this wonderful play, the other celestial attendants gave Yan Dan thumbs up. She was so shameless, yet the trick worked!
Unfortunately, Huo De was not entirely convinced, so he concocted his own ‘healthy soup’ recipe for Ying Yuan. He also made Yan Dan personally feed it to him. This episode was hilarious, the still pics do not do it justice.
After downing the horrible soup, shoved lovingly by Yan Dan, Huo De placed 10 burning braziers into Ying Yuan’s room making sure the temperature is pleasantly oven hot. Poor Ying Yuan was dejected, sweaty, and hungry. He then signaled Yan Dan to secretly pass him a chicken drumstick from the nearby dining table where Huo De was comfortably having his lunch. Albeit taunting Ying Yuan in the process as well.
Sadly, Yan Dan’s act was caught by Huo De. Huo De then used this opportunity to punish Yan Dan on the basis of feeding her superior unhealthy food when he was sick. He cunningly threatened Yan Dan with 80 thunder lashes as punishment. Seeing the situation transgressed as such, Ying Yuan decided to begrudgingly lend the book to Huo De.
Ying Yuan was a stickler to rules, he would avoid conflict with others as it would break the rules in the Heavenly Realm. However, he was not averse to slyly taking vengeance if he could get away with it.
He came to Huo De’s palace together with Yan Dan. Under the flimsy cover of sending a basket of chicken drumsticks for Marshall Huo De to try, the celestial attendants were helpless to stop them from barging in.
Huo De was currently slumped at the table after finishing a jar of wine. Ying Yuan used the opportunity to bully him and cast a spell on him so that he would repulse his favorite chicken drumsticks after he woke up.
Ying Yuan then asked Yan Dan to retrieve the Art of War from Huo De’s study. Yan Dan picked up the book that was tossed to the floor, and she realized that the Art of War was actually a weiqi (chess) game strategies.
After completing their mischievous mission, Yan Dan and Ying Yuan went back to Yanxu Palace and played the weiqi game from the book. At the last chapter, Yan Dan found the pages were still blank. Ying Yuan told her that he was still unable to complete the remaining chapters as the strategy he created did not seem to have a key to break it. It always ended up in a draw.
Ying Yuan offered Yan Dan that if she could break it, he would reward her. At the prospect of being able to be released from Yanxu Palace, Yan Dan was excited to try. After several rounds, she was able to win the game by one and a half chess piece.
However, instead of her original request of being sent back to Xuan Xin Cliff, without revealing the reason why, she requested to be allowed to collect the starts blessing at the Heavenly Corner instead. Ying Yuan then took her on a ride on a giant mystical whale, Kun, to allow her to catch the stars of blessing floating in the sky.
Yan Dan caught the stars inside a crystal bottle she brought with her. Ying Yuan then felt reluctant to allow Yan Dan to give the stars blessing to someone, thinking it was for someone she fell in love with. He told her that falling in love is forbidden. But Yan Dan told him it was for Zhixi, to which Ying Yuan gave the bottle back to Yan Dan.
Yan Dan continued that the immortals’ rules of forbidding love was ridiculous. Because when they went down the Mortal World for their trials, no one could stop them from falling in love anyway. To this, Ying Yuan responded that love is a part of the bitter hardship one has to face. Tsk tsk tsk. Yan Dan rolled her eyes at this comment, after he himself has admitted having never fallen in love.
As they were walking back to Yanxu Palace, they passed by Tianji Palace’s gate which was being assaulted by several dodgy looking people. Knowing it was pointless to try and run, they attacked Ying Yuan but of course they failed. But unexpectedly, they killed themselves to avoid interrogation.
As it turned out this attack was the result of the successful ruse planted by Ying Yuan. The rumor that was spread was that the demon spies surrendered and divulged information regarding the Demon Clan. This caused the Demon Clan to attack.
Ying Yuan then went to the Supreme Majesty to report the matter. Although the barrier through the Unparalleled Mirror that was opened by Sixuan has now been closed, they were afraid the Demon Clan will break through the barrier by finding a new breach.
As they were discussing the serious issue, the Supreme Majesty saw Yan Dan was asleep outside, waiting for Ying Yuan. The Supreme Majesty then commented that it was rare for Ying Yuan to have any female celestial attendant, alluding to his suspicion that Ying Yuan and Yan Dan may have been sharing a romantic relationship.
Hearing the Supreme Majesty’s accusation, Yan Dan came up with a plan. She mustered her skills to fake her tears then she knelt in front of the Supreme Majesty and begged to be removed from the Yanxu Heavenly Palace. She then howled that Ying Yuan had been vengeful and worked her to the bone.
Perhaps seeing so much nonsense from Yan Dan, the Supreme Majesty still found her endearing (perhaps). So, he still warned Ying Yuan to learn from Sixuan’s mistake. Because she has fallen in love with one of the Demon Clan’s Elders. He then punished Yan Dan to make 100 copies of the Heavenly rules using the Heavenly Pivot Brush. Yan Dan seemed to be excited to be receiving the brush.
However, back at Yanxu Palace, Yan Dan figured out that the brush weighs thousands of pounds and it cannot be lifted using her celestial power. It could be imagined that she would lose her arm before she finished copying the Heavenly Rules 100 times.
At this time, Yan Dan noticed that Ying Yuan has been distracted since coming back from the Supreme Majesty’s Yuqing Palace. She then asked him whether something was bothering him. Could it be that Lord Sovereign Ying Yuan has broken the love abstinence rule? Perhaps it was with Sixuan whom the Supreme Majesty mentioned.
Ying Yuan smacked her head when he heard her nonsense.
Ying Yuan then told her that Sixuan was someone who has broken the love abstinence rule. She was punished for her crime, and he was the one who excuted her. Yan Dan was shocked.
This was quite a fun episode. Seeing both Yan Dan and Ying Yuan make stupid faces was refreshing hahaa.
Episode 6
Seeing Yan Dan’s shocked face, Ying Yuan pulled out the ice cone to explain how Sixuan was executed.
It was an agonizing death in which she was tormented by the coldness of the ice cone bit by bit until she died. Yan Dan doubted the wisdom behind the heavenly laws for enacting such a cruel punishment for someone who has been loyal to the Heavenly Realm. All for merely committing the sin of falling in love.
But according to Ying Yuan, the heavenly laws was the foundation for all celestials. It was a necessity, and it has never been broken. Yan Dan then asked if Ying Yuan would kill her if one day she ever fell in love, to which he confirmed.
Yan Dan seemed to be shocked to her core by this revelation.
After experiencing attacks from the Demon Clan to the Tianji Pavillion gates, Ying Yuan rounded up the armies in charge of patrolling the palaces and commanded stricter control around Tianji Pavillion.
One of the soldier then expressed his anxiety for situation where the Demon Clan would attack them from all directions when they were changing shifts. Ying Yuan then showed them the weiqi strategy book (Art of War) and said that it would not be a problem as he has the counterattack written in the book.
Another soldier recognized the weiqi strategy as the Longevity Attack. No one has been able to solve it in thousands of years. He wondered who was smart enough to solve it now.
But Ying Yuan only gave them useless clue by saying that if that person ever become a deity, then the Heavenly Realm would be a very noisy place.
The soldiers left the palace feeling confused, but they all agreed who ever solved the riddle must be a genius.
At night, Ying Yuan was pacing around in front of Yan Dan’s room. He knocked and asked if she has finished copying the Heavenly Rules 100 times. He even added that out of her loyalty to him, he would be willing to help her with 10 copies.
Out of guilt, Ying Yuan continued that what he said before about killing her for breaking the love abstinence rule, was only to scare her. His goal was so that she would follow the rule.
Thinking that Yan Dan must be feeling down working so hard to copy the Heavenly Rules, Ying Yuan decided to let himself in. But he was treated with the sight of Yan Dan sprawled on the floor sleeping while clutching the brush in her mouth. The punishment was of course nowhere near completion.
At this point, Ying Yuan thought he has exaggerated when he thought Yan Dan will be a superior deity one day.
He then carried her to the bedroom. Even lovingly erased the ink smears on her face. Was he not aware with what he was doing??? Heart thumping scenes then ensued.
After flipping over the celestial turtle, Ying Yuan then also helped her to copy the Heavenly Rules book while she slept. I tell you, he is such a two face (≧▽≦)
The next morning, Yan Dan woke up in a panic thinking she has not finished her punishment. But when she saw the stack of finished copies on the table, she was confused. Could it be she has completed the copies while she was in a daze the day before? But upon seeing the flipped turtle, she realized it was Ying Yuan who helped her.
Back in the Magical Pavilion, a notice written by the Supreme Majesty was put up, informing everyone of Yan Dan’s heroic effort at Qianyun Palace. Now everyone knows that Yan Dan almost single handedly apprehended the Demon Clan spies.
All the celestial immortal attendants were pleasantly surprised of Yan Dan’s heroic deed. But they also added that Yan Dan was better than Zhixi and Zhixi will have to rely on Yan Dan in the future. Needless to say, Zhixi was unhappy when she heard this.
Overcome by anger, Zhixi took down the notice and berated everyone who were making malicious comments about her. At this time, the insidious woman Ying Deng (this should be her formal title from now on haha) came and incite Zhixi further. She also punished Zhixi to kneel for 6 hours while holding up the notice which she has taken down.
This incident caused Zhixi to have a misplaced disappointment and accusation towards Yan Dan. She began to think that Yan Dan has been spreading rumors about how Zhixi was the useless twin. Unfortunately, none of the blithering attendants were willing to clarify the misunderstanding, thinking they might make the situation worse.
At the Pavilion of Books, Yan Dan found Yumo drowning his sorrow by drinking jars of wine. Confused, she went up to Yumo to ask the reason for his sadness. Yumo then mumbled that he did not wish for anyone to remember the Nine Fins Clan, but he also did not want them to be forgotten. He wept that he could no longer meet his father.
The scene then flashed to an army camp at what seemed like the War of Genesis. The queen of the Nine Fins Clan was seen to be holding up a little flying black fish on her palm. A female army commander came to her to report that provisions that was supposed to come three days earlier, has not yet arrived. The queen responded that, if the situation forced them to, then they would not hesitate to fight to the death.
The queen coaxed the little black fish that his parents’ sacrifice was for the creation of a peaceful world. The commander suspected that someone was deliberately trying to deplete their forces. Unfortunately, they did not have the time to deal with this scheme.
The queen continued to say that she would entrust the black fish to Celestial Deity Bei Ming (the small black fish seems to be Yumo!), in case she will not be able to make it.
The scene then went back to Yumo who was crying at the Pavilion of Books. In his drunkenness, he revealed his true form in front of Yan Dan. She now realized that Yumo was actually the little black fish which she has fed for the last 800 years. She suddenly felt heavily responsible for Yumo.
At Yanxu Heavenly Palace, Ying Yuan was currently transferring his energy to seal a crack in the sky. But after some time, the crack did not seem to get smaller. The Supreme Majesty came to prevent Ying Yuan from continuing, lest his power will deplete, and his life would be jeopardized.
However, Ying Yuan was stubborn, so the Supreme Majesty could only guide him on how to focus his energy. During this time, Ying Yuan seemed to be shaken and the Asura seal on his forehead reemerged. He was vomiting blood (which I think Cheng Yi is very talented at) and lost his conciousness, which quickly alarmed the Supreme Majesty.
The Supreme Majesty then transferred his own power to help with the crack in the sky. Then he used his celestial power to stabilize Ying Yuan’s condition. With the demon inside Ying Yuan almost breaking through, the Supreme Majesty wondered whether Ying Yuan was a blessing or a curse to the six realms.
Ying Yuan was seen recuperating in the Supreme Majesty’s room. When he was awake, the Supreme Majesty told him that he must not deplete his celestial power to close the seal which was the barrier between the Demon and Heavenly realm, otherwise the demon inside him would break free.
But Ying Yuan, feeling guilty for the sin of his clan, expressed his willingness to give all his power to close the seal. He then requested the Supreme Majesty to kill him once his demon took over. The Supreme Majesty did not agree, since he has poured his primordial spirit inside Ying Yuan. He promised Ying Yuan to give him an explanation once the six realms were no longer in danger.
Pondering by himself in the outer yard, the Supreme Majesty thought of Lord Ran Qing, supposedly a very powerful lord among them all who was no longer alive. The Supreme Majesty promised that he will not let calamity repeat itself. So mysterious.
Meanwhile in the Demon Realm, Elder Shuo Hua said to himself that it was time for them to act. Dum dum dum.
In the Pavilion of Books, Yumo was apologizing to Yan Dan for being drunk the night before and if he had acted brashly. Yan Dan said that she was also drunk, hence she did not remember anything that he said. But she was willing to accept his apology as long as he became her follower.
Yumo was happy and felt grateful for Yan Dan and so he hugged her. Yan Dan accepted his hug but afterwards she told him not to do it again, lest he will be caught by the celestial guards and punished at the Heavenly Gallows.
After that, Yan Dan suddenly remembered about the celestial turtle who has been without appetite lately. Since Yumo was able to cure it last time, she showed the turtle again to Yumo and asked him to find out what was wrong with the turtle.
Yumo seemed to be listening to the turtle, then he said that the turtle was upset because Ying Yuan has flipped him again. The turtle felt he did not want to live in the Celestial Realm and wished to go to the Mortal Realm instead.
Yan Dan said this would be breaking the rules, but she was willing to break it.
The scene then showed Yan Dan cunningly slipped into Ying Yuan’s room to steal a token.
At Nan Tian Gate which was the way to enter the Mortal Realm, Star Deity Tai You was denied passage even though he had a token on him. In the middle of his argument with the celestial guard, the Demon Clan army attacked the gate.
Ying Yuan came to the rescue and obliterated the entire group of Demon Clan army. From the arrow shot by the Demon Clan, Ying Yuan received the message which led him to believe that their next target is the Yanxu Heavenly Palace.
At this time, Yan Dan was seen walking outside of the palace while reprimanding a turtle. As it turned out, Yan Dan changed her mind to help the turtle going to the Mortal Realm after seeing how small and helpless the turtle looked.
Suddenly, a group of Demon Clan army came rushing around the corner. They tried to capture Yan Dan and make her a hostage after seeing the Yanxu Heavenly Palace token on her person.
Yan Dan tried to distract the soldier in order to gather her power and deliver a surprise attack. Unfortunately, her attack did not succeed, and she was hit by the God Slayer sword in his hand. Fortunately, Ying Yuan immediately came to the rescue and subdued the group of soldiers, even though he suffered a minor slash to his shoulder.
Ying Yuan tried to interrogate the soldiers, but they destroyed themselves using the death curse. Needless to say, he was not able to get any information on them except that they were heading North. This made him curious since nothing was at the North side.
By now, he noticed the wound on Yan Dan’s arm. He then gave his cloak to her and asked her to go to Yanxu Palace to treat her wound.
Back at Yanxu Palace, Yan Dan secretly returned the token she stole back to Ying Yuan’s room. She also carried a tray of medicine as a cover. But among Ying Yuan’s documents on the table, she found her script. She realized that the one who has been helping her with information on War of Genesis on her script was Ying Yuan.
Ying Yuan stepped into his study at this time. Yan Dan then thanked him and excitedly invited him to see the play. She was so enthusiastic that she tapped Ying Yuan’s shoulder. He winced which made Yan Dan remember his wound.
She then offered to give the medication for him. Ying Yuan behaved like a prude at this moment, but he slowly took this opportunity to explain to Yan Dan that the Demon Clan has declared war with the Heavenly Realm. Tao Ziqi was killed and was made as an offering. Huanqin has also confirmed the Demon Clan’s rebellion and informed that they have millions of supporters.
As such, Ying Yuan will have to go to war and probably would not be able to watch Yan Dan’s play.
He then removed the jade bracelet on Yan Dan’s wrist and told her that she could regain her freedom with him no longer around the Palace. Yan Dan expressed that she believed Ying Yuan will be able to come back from the war because he was so strong. But Ying Yuan said that today’s incident should be a reminder for Yan Dan to avoid danger and protect herself well.
It seems Yan Dan is slowly realizing how good Ying Yuan is to her.
