Bloody Romance Episode 2 Recap
> Bloody Romance Recap
Su Qixue awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by micro-yellow tent drapes and gently swaying fringes in the cool twilight. The bed beneath her felt cold and hard, despite the soft, flowing Yun Luo silk. Confusion mounted as she wondered where she was and who had brought her there. Suddenly, a male voice from beyond the curtains startled Qixue, making her leap from the bed.
She could only glimpse the man's outline, but his voice was calm as he described her rough hands, firm, tough waist, and dry, coarse hair, surmising she came from a poor family that performed heavy labor. He then added that even a beautiful girl struggles to survive in this place, and if she also possessed a bad temper, she might wish for death.
Terrified, Qixue pulled a wooden hairpin from her hair and pointed it at the unseen man, warning him not to come closer. The man found this amusing and vanished. Qixue cautiously approached the curtains, still holding the hairpin, ready to strike, but a warm hand caught her arm. The man, with a thin, handsome face, appeared before her.
He remarked that her hairpin couldn't kill anyone and offered her a new one: a delicate hairpin adorned with a red umbrella and red tassels. He explained its beauty wasn't in wearing it but in its use, as it contained a single drop of deadly poison, which she could use to kill him at any time. Qixue's face drained of color, but she put the hairpin in her hair and requested a mirror, using the opportunity to escape.
As he went to retrieve it, she fled the room, only to see dark, overcast mountains outside. In an instant, the man appeared at the doorway, grasping her wrist and preventing her escape. He asked if anyone was waiting for her, causing Qixue to freeze. He then urged her to become a "junior killer" here, promising she could find the truth of her situation by staying alive.
He wrapped a black velvet cape around her shoulders and introduced himself as Chang An, stating he could serve her if she chose to remain in Gui Hua City. Soon, a messenger announced that all new girls should groom themselves and proceed to Chui Xing Tower. At Yun Jing Mansion, after being thoroughly groomed, Qixue sat before a mirror, where Chang An joined her.
She asked if she truly had to live, to which he replied that this was a place of both death and rebirth, and while he couldn't do everything for her, she had to choose her own path. She then asked if she could call him by name, and he granted her permission. A maid then led Qixue towards Chui Xing Tower. Along the way, Qixue learned that Supreme Killer Yue Ying had saved her.
Upon seeing Yue Ying waiting outside, Qixue eagerly thanked her. However, Yue Ying coldly corrected her, stating that Qixue had saved herself and that she was merely bringing her to someone important. Yue Ying warned Qixue that many things in this world were more terrifying than death, and living was not always the best option.
Inside Chui Xing Tower, the seductive city owner, Cha Luo, lounged on a throne, her pale hand covered by the seemingly diseased, purple-tinged hand of Xing Feng, the head of the Torture Hall. Cha Luo kissed Xing Feng's hand, while he, deeply in love but afflicted by a Gu poison that prevented true intimacy, passively indulged her. Cha Luo proceeded to name the new girls, casually bestowing the name "Wan Mei" upon the first.
The second girl offered Cha Luo a unique wood-scented incense, which Cha Luo praised, naming her "Wan Xiang." Cha Luo’s cheerful demeanor vanished as soon as a report announced Yue Ying's arrival. Yue Ying, a supreme killer, had previously challenged the city owner, creating a deep animosity between them. Cha Luo attempted to use her "Charming Eye Technique," her pupils turning blue, to hypnotize Yue Ying and extract information about the Prince's recent activities and Qixue's origins.
Sensing danger, Qixue quickly stepped forward and covered Yue Ying's eyes, breaking the trance. This act, however, angered Cha Luo. Aware of Yue Ying's allegiance to the Prince, Cha Luo targeted Qixue instead. She struck Qixue, who stumbled but was caught by Xing Feng. He then subtly blocked the enraged Yue Ying, a favor he expected to be repaid. Cha Luo, seeing an opportunity, decreed that Qixue should forget her past and would henceforth be called Wan Mei.
This decision led to the immediate expulsion of the girl who had originally been given the name. When Cha Luo prompted Wan Xiang for confirmation, Wan Xiang, fearing the city owner's wrath, affirmed that no name had truly been given to the previous girl. The expelled girl desperately pleaded, reminding Cha Luo of a promise to let her become a junior killer candidate if she renounced love, but Cha Luo dismissed her without mercy.
Confused, Wan Mei felt a strong need to guard against Wan Xiang and keep her distance from Cha Luo. She followed Yue Ying as she left, but Yue Ying coldly informed her, "You don't have to follow me. I'll call you Wan Mei from now on. You don't know me. I don't care about you, either."
Back inside, Cha Luo, still fuming, instructed Xing Feng to take Wan Mei and Wan Xiang to choose their shadows, then proceeded to violently whip a servant to vent her anger. On their way to select shadows, Wan Xiang confronted Wan Mei, declaring her an enemy. Wan Xiang revealed that Wan Mei had ruined her mission at Ding Xiang House, a mission that was the culmination of almost a year of preparation.
She asserted that only one junior killer quota remained open, and she would undoubtedly win it. Wan Mei, however, did not fully grasp the deadly implications of their competition. When it was time to select their shadows from two rows of men, Wan Mei's eyes immediately fell upon Chang An. Xing Feng explained that Chang An's previous master had died on a mission, and if he didn't find a new master within seven days, he would face death himself.
Today was his seventh and final day, a fact that led Xing Feng to label him a "loser." Out of sympathy, Wan Mei chose Chang An to be her shadow. Back in Chui Xing Tower, Xing Feng returned to Cha Luo, who was still raging about Yue Ying and the Prince.
Cha Luo complained that the Prince had brought a girl in today and she didn't know what he would do tomorrow, lamenting that if it weren't for his identity, she would have already acted. Xing Feng calmly reassured her, advising that it was not yet time. Cha Luo then turned her anger toward Wan Mei for irritating her. She declared that since Wan Mei wanted to be a junior killer, she would ensure Wan Mei had a difficult time.
Xing Feng reminded her that as the city owner, she could punish girls without hesitation. Cha Luo, agreeing, instructed Xing Feng to prepare an exquisite rouge to give to Wan Mei as a "present" at the next day's orientation, adding a secret order to infuse it with poisonous powder from the cold-wing cicada Gu.
Later, in Yun Jing Mansion, Chang An tidied the room while explaining to Wan Mei that Gui Hua City was a place where killers thrived by completing missions, and that a junior killer was the lowest rank. Wan Mei expressed concern about her lack of martial arts skills, but Chang An assured her that her beautiful face and bravery were her greatest weapons, and as her shadow, he would handle the martial arts.
He clarified that she was temporarily living in Yun Jing Mansion and would move to the Junior Killers' House upon becoming one, but warned that if she failed, she would be expelled, or worse. He promised to reveal more after she passed Lady Cha Luo's interview and advised her to take a bath to improve her skin, demonstrating a "water test" for skin quality. Chang An affirmed that he was at her service, wherever she went.
Meanwhile, at Ting Zhu House, the Prince (Gong Zi) played his guqin while Yue Ying stood nearby. Yue Ying relayed the day's events, but Gong Zi remained indifferent to Wan Mei's safety. When Yue Ying suggested he acquire another maid, as she was often on missions, Gong Zi sarcastically questioned if she thought a blind man like him couldn't live without a maid, emphasizing his preference for solitude.
He clarified that he had sent Wan Mei to Cha Luo solely to provoke her and expose her weaknesses, as the less calm Cha Luo was, the more weaknesses she would reveal. The following day, at the city's orientation banquet, Cha Luo welcomed the new girls, emphasizing that Gui Hua City's purpose was to kill and rob. She announced that the girls would be rewarded with a red dab on their foreheads and could compete to become junior killers.
After the other girls received their marks, Cha Luo personally dabbed Wan Mei's, declaring her the prettiest and inviting her to sit on her throne. Chang An quickly knelt and apologized on Wan Mei's behalf, explaining her newness to the city's rules. Wan Mei also apologized. Cha Luo, feigning kindness, dismissed it and ordered Xing Feng to retrieve her best rouge to give to Wan Mei. Wan Mei accepted the gift, unaware of the poison within.
Afterward, Wan Mei asked Chang An to show her around Gui Hua City. She showed him the rouge, but he subtly warned her by questioning if it could last under the hot sun. Wan Mei acknowledged that Cha Luo likely intended to target her but stated she only cared about competing on her own merits. Chang An urged her to remain alert, highlighting the deadly consequences of failure, where her death would also mean his.
He reiterated that he would do anything to ensure their survival, not for her, but for himself, as neither of them had a second chance. Chang An then began to explain the city's structure. Gui Hua City, he revealed, was originally Emperor Wu Ze Tian's secret dark department, which became an unofficial assassination organization. The entire mountain belonged to the city. Wan Mei was in Yun Jing Mansion, the lowest tier.
Above it were the 12 Junior Killers' Houses, for assassins who relied on beauty and wisdom. A junior killer received an umbrella possessed by a blood worm; killing ten targets would make ten golden flowers appear, releasing the blood worm, which, when ingested, would vastly increase their internal energy, allowing them to become a Senior Killer. Four Senior Killers' Houses were located on the hillside, where they could learn martial arts. At the highest level was the Supreme Killers' House.
Though there were two supreme killers, only one house was designated for them. Yue Ying lived separately, beyond Cha Luo's direct control, while Liu Guang resided in the Supreme Killers' House. Chang An also pointed out key locations: Ji Gu Pavilion, managed by Liu Guang for cosmetics and clothes; Suiguzi Pavilion, managed by Xing Feng for medicines; the Torture Room; and the Watchers.
They also passed a dilapidated shrine where tablets of deceased city owners were unceremoniously dumped, a result of the brutal revenge taken by new owners on their predecessors. As they walked, they encountered Senior Killer Yan Qin, who cockily told Wan Mei that she had bad signs on her face and was "almost dying." Chang An quickly intervened. As it grew late, he urged Wan Mei to return and sleep. Wan Mei asked if he was afraid of the dark.
Chang An admitted he wasn't used to it, explaining that Gui Hua City was perpetually dark. He advised her to forget her past and start anew. When Wan Mei expressed her reluctance to kill, Chang An starkly suggested that if she didn't like killing others, she should prepare to be killed herself, perhaps by Wan Xiang.
