Episode 38: Like Taking Candy from a Freaking Psychopath

[wshaffer]

 Zhanalytics

Brooding Stares: 0 (I must have missed a brooding stare somewhere. Though to be fair, there's not a lot of Lan Zhan in this episode)

Intense Eye Contact: 0

Facial Twitch: 0

Fist Clench: 0

 

Jingyi sasses Jin Ling for having a "lady's temper". This seems odd, because the ladies in this show are not, in general, a fickle and temperamental lot. Then again, have either of these dudes ever spent any significant time with a lady? Probably not. 

 

TEN YEARS AGO

Another flashback. We see our girl Jing being so happy. And pretending to be blind. And using that to get free food and pick pockets. 

 

And then she bumps into Xiao Xingchen. Who really can't see. He makes her return the money that she stole from the first guy. But he won't let her return his moneybag that she stole. So, she decides to follow him. 

 

And then she spots a guy crawling towards the road. She tries to conceal it from Xiao Xingchen but he smells the blood. So they pick up this injured guy and carry him to Coffin Town. Who is that? Is that Xue Yang? Yep, it's Xue Yang. Jing had it right. They should have left him there. Xue Yang probably can't believe his luck that he was found by a blind Xiao Xingchen. 

 

OMG, I don't believe that Xue Yang is doing the "Would you like some candy little girl?" routine. He clearly suspects that she can actually see, but she's doing a really good job of faking. 

 

THREE YEARS LATER

Jing is still stealing purses. Song Lan comes to Coffin Town. 

"He looks pretty nice." That is not a very specific description, but Song Lan seems to accept it as identifying Xiao Xingchen. 

 

And then Song Lan spots Xue Yang. Xue Yang has been hanging around with Xiao Xingchen and Jing in Coffin Town for three years? (At least intermittently - something Jing said makes me think that maybe Xue Yang isn't there all the time.) Still, Xue Yang apparently knows how to play the long game. The long crazy-as-fuck game. 

 

"You curse like a lady." Everybody dissing on the ladies today. 

 

Xiao Xingchen gave his eyes to Song Lan. Oh. I guess that makes sense - when we last saw Song Lan, something had happened to his eyes, but it seemed like he was going to recover. So that was after Xiao Xingchen gave his eyes to Song Lan? Maybe? 

 

Uh oh, the Stygian Tiger Amulet is out. And Xue Yang cuts out Song Lan's tongue. Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Song Lan is dying right there and Xiao Xingchen can't see it. Xue Yang, you asshole!

 

Back in the present, Wen Ning restrains Song Lan and Wei Wuxian pulls another nail out of his head. They're really milking the squick factor there. 

 

Lan Zhan manages to swipe the spiritual cognition bag and toss it to Wei Wuxian. 

 

Wait, so is it Xiao Xingchen's spiritual cognition in the bag? What the heck is Xue Yang up to?