Bloody Romance Episode 1 Recap
> Bloody Romance Recap
In 907 A. D. , Zhu Wen overthrew the Tang Dynasty and established the Liang state, launching a major assault on the Jin state. However, Li Ke, the King of Jin, refused to acknowledge Zhu Wen's regime. He continued to use the Tang Dynasty's reign name, Tianyou, and rallied forces under the banner of restoring the Tang Dynasty, creating the tumultuous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the darkest era in China's history.
During this time of constant war and widespread suffering, a mysterious assassination organization quietly emerged. They operated between military and political circles, specializing in killing extravagant dignitaries who showed no regard for human life. Rumors circulated that this organization had existed since the Tang Dynasty and was composed entirely of women who wielded red oil-paper umbrellas adorned with golden flowers.
In this chaotic world, a young woman named Su Qi Xue lived with her father, Su Wang from Medicine Valley, and her younger brother, Xiao Ba. Su Qi Xue was known for her intelligence, beauty, resilience, and keen ability to observe and understand people. To earn a living, she took on grueling work burying dead bodies in mass graves.
One day, while re-bagging a body, she inadvertently discovered an orange-yellow bead, glowing with an inner orange light, clutched in the corpse’s hand. After a long day, she returned home to find her father, Su Wang, had prepared a large pot of millet porridge. Yet, instead of offering her food, he instructed her to deliver a "pack of herbs" to Ding Xiang House, a brothel located opposite the Bai Cao Clinic.
Though bewildered about where her impoverished family obtained herbs, Su Qi Xue trusted her father and set out. Upon arriving at Ding Xiang House, a brothel worker immediately recognized her father’s name and revealed the cruel truth: Su Wang had sold her for the price of the millet in their pot, sending her to deliver herself to the establishment. Devastated, Su Qi Xue screamed and struggled to go home, but she was subdued and knocked unconscious.
A pimp then began to extract her virgin blood, which he boasted was as valuable as gold for its life-extending properties. Waking mid-procedure, Qi Xue fought back, injuring the pimp and escaping into the main hall. Her disheveled appearance abruptly interrupted the ongoing entertainment for Commandant Huang Yong, who had been enjoying a performance by the courtesans, including the renowned Fei Tian. Despite the disruption, Huang Yong was captivated by Qi Xue and demanded she be sent to his room.
Madam Yun, the brothel’s madam, fearing Huang Yong’s power, quickly had Qi Xue cleaned and tied up in a room for him. Huang Yong entered, leering and making lewd comments, touching her as he spoke. He then knelt to lift her skirt, openly admiring her legs. Just as he was about to proceed, a mysterious woman entered, carrying a white umbrella with red flowers and dressed in a purple gauze skirt.
Huang Yong, annoyed at first, quickly became intrigued by her captivating beauty. The mysterious woman, addressing Huang Yong, revealed that he was responsible for massacring the Yan Family in the west of the city and slaughtering its inhabitants. She then warned Qi Xue that any girl taken by Huang Yong would be brought to his army camp, where, as experience showed, they would not survive more than three days.
When Huang Yong proposed they all "have fun together," the mysterious woman smiled alluringly, lifting her purple sleeve to reveal a red inscription on her arm. She then uttered the words, "You die quickly like a mayfly," and a swarm of flies materialized, instantly attacking Huang Yong. Within seconds, he writhed in agony and died, the flies vanishing into his mouth.
She clarified to Qi Xue that she was not there to save her but had been hired by someone who spent their entire fortune to see Huang Yong dead. Fearing for her life and being blamed for the death, Qi Xue desperately pleaded for help.
The mysterious woman, finding her "interesting," offered her a single chance: if Qi Xue could escape on her own before sunset and reach the graveyard in the west of town, someone would be waiting to take her to Gui Hua City—a place described as a "wonderland for women and a hell for all emotions."
As Madam Yun approached the room, Qi Xue, in a flash of ingenuity, donned Huang Yong's military uniform and confidently walked past his drunken soldiers in the main hall. They mistook her for the commandant, joking about his new perfume. Madam Yun soon discovered Huang Yong's corpse and raised an alarm, sending soldiers to pursue the supposed killer.
Outside, Qi Xue stole a horse, cleverly dressed a scarecrow in the uniform, and tied it to the horse, sending it galloping down a different path to mislead her pursuers. She then rode towards the graveyard herself. However, weakened from days without food and blood loss, she collapsed from her horse and fell unconscious in a field, missing her sunset deadline. Late that night, a cold rain began to fall, stirring Qi Xue awake.
Her first thought was of the single chance to reach Gui Hua City before sunset. Trembling, she forced herself to continue towards the graveyard. Along the way, she stumbled upon a fierce sword fight. It was an ambush targeting the Master of Gui Hua City, a blind and enigmatic man known for his deep strategies and cold demeanor, whose unique childhood experiences had left him with inner scars and poor health.
His maid, Yue Ying, had been sent to the Qi family to search for "Nine Lives," a potent medicine made from a hundred sorcery worms, which could be detected by firefly worms. The Master, using his firefly worms, confirmed that "Nine Lives" was not present at the graveyard and prepared to leave. Yue Ying, however, noticed Qi Xue nearby.
Though the Master had already sensed Qi Xue’s weak breath and extreme frailty, he initially showed no interest in saving her, remarking that there were too many unfortunate people in the world for him to save them all. Seeing Yue Ying's obvious pity, the Master relented. He told Yue Ying that if Qi Xue managed to survive until the next day, she could bring the girl back to Gui Hua City.
Unbeknownst to them, Qi Xue was caught between a lurking wolf in front and a deep, bottomless cliff behind. Displaying an astonishing will to live, she used her weakened arms to cling to the cliff's edge, holding on until the wolf departed. She then painstakingly pulled herself back to solid ground, also retrieving the orange-yellow bead she had dropped and swallowing it. The following morning, Yue Ying reappeared, holding a familiar umbrella. She introduced herself as one of the "Ghosts in Red" from Gui Hua City. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, Qi Xue immediately fell into a deep sleep.
