Love Better Than Immortality Episode 12 Recap
> Love Better Than Immortality Recap
Xiao Bai presents Chun Hua with The Xiao family's mental cultivation method, prompting Chun Hua to ask if this is his proposal ceremony. Xiao Bai affirms, explaining that learning martial arts is for her own protection in the dangerous martial arts world. Chun Hua initially refuses, claiming she's too tired after her bath and fears she can't master it due to lacking a foundation and being unable to memorize it, stating that having him by her side is enough.
Xiao Bai insists that the method is universal and can even increase internal strength for those without martial arts foundation. Seeing her reluctance, he meticulously copies the formula for her, advising her to copy and meditate on it daily to master it over time. Chun Hua accepts the copied method, secretly noting Xiao Bai's naivety and realizing this would make Shangguan Qiuyue's task of acquiring the method much easier, allowing him to simply reap the benefits.
While attempting to memorize the copied mental cultivation method, Chun Hua overhears Leng Ning and Feng Caicai discussing her. Leng Ning subtly compares two mismatched earrings to people, then tells Feng Caicai that while Chunhua and Feng Caicai both have their merits in appearance—one lively, one serene—Chunhua lacks inner quality.
Leng Ning describes Feng Caicai as "beautiful and intelligent" (inside and out) but Chunhua as merely having "a good look only," further stating that Chunhua, who knows no martial arts and acts recklessly, is like "middle-quality jade" or "jade with impurities," in contrast to a "good jade" like Feng Caicai, and that Chunhua is even involved in the art of imitation voice.
Chunhua, enraged by this comparison and Leng Ning's assertion that the Young Master is blind to the good jade around him, directly confronts them. Leng Ning, seizing the opportunity, advises Chunhua that as a future Young Master's wife, she needs to cultivate her behavior, speech, and demeanor, even if she doesn't know martial arts. She urges Chunhua to learn martial arts, behave appropriately, prioritize the martial arts circles' justice, and even sacrifice herself to win reputation for Fengming Manor.
When Chunhua sarcastically asks if she would be disqualified if she couldn't meet these standards, Leng Ning confirms it. Chunhua, defiant, states that Xiao Bai likes her just the way she is, leaving Leng Ning to exasperatedly call her "hopeless." Chunhua then departs in anger. Returning to her room, Chun Hua discovers Shangguan Qiuyue already there, examining The Xiao family's mental cultivation method.
She attempts to seize it, but Shangguan Qiuyue notes that she has copied the method onto her palm, understanding her loyalty to Xiao Bai and instantly becoming displeased. He reminds her of their three-day deadline and threatens consequences if he doesn't receive the full method. As he threatens her, Qin Liufeng unexpectedly arrives, asking Chun Hua if she is satisfied with the proposal ceremony. To get rid of him quickly, Chun Hua enthusiastically confirms her satisfaction.
Qin Liufeng then asks if she has agreed to the marriage. Chun Hua, seeing Shangguan Qiuyue's deepening frown, tells Qin Liufeng to have Xiao Bai speak to her directly, dismissing him. The moment Qin Liufeng leaves, Shangguan Qiuyue's demeanor sharpens as he sternly forbids her from marrying Xiao Bai. Chun Hua, unfazed, declares that she'd rather be killed by him, believing it would move Xiao Bai.
Shangguan Qiuyue, realizing this tactic is ineffective, then subtly threatens to expose their past relationship to Xiao Bai. This causes Chun Hua to immediately beg him not to, offering to continue stealing the mental cultivation method for him if he promises to leave her alone. Shangguan Qiuyue mockingly agrees, only to immediately retract his promise, teasing her about the unpredictable nature of women's hearts.
Qin Liufeng, feeling utterly defeated after his encounter with Chun Hua, is approached by Xiao Bai, who notices his unusually frustrated demeanor. Qin Liufeng laments the difficulty of understanding women's thoughts, using an analogy of mistaking a pineapple for a durian, and expresses his preference for straightforward people like Xiao Bai as it saves effort.
He then directly tells Xiao Bai that Chun Hua was evidently not satisfied with the proposal ceremony and suggests Xiao Bai needs to express his feelings more. When Xiao Bai asks what kind of expression he means, Qin Liufeng lists various possibilities, including sweet words, gifts like garments or bracelets, or even just an exchange of glances if two people are deeply in love. Xiao Bai absorbs this advice.
Chun Hua diligently practices copying the mental cultivation method, worried that Xiao Bai might test her knowledge. Suddenly, she remembers that it is the third day, the deadline Shangguan Qiuyue set for her to obtain the full method.
Panicked and unwilling to hand over the real method, especially since he has already seen the first half, she devises a cunning plan: she will create a fake version of the mental cultivation method, deliberately riddled with mistakes, so that Shangguan Qiuyue will be unable to practice it effectively. She laughs imagining Shangguan Qiuyue's frustration when trying to practice the fake method. Following Qin Liufeng's advice, Xiao Bai visits Chun Hua.
Believing he's there to check on her progress with the mental cultivation method, Chun Hua insists she's been diligently reciting it despite its difficulty. Xiao Bai, however, presents her with a beautiful jade bracelet, revealing it to be an ancestral item of the Xiao family, a token of love from his father to his mother, who cherished it until her death.
Chun Hua is deeply touched by this gesture, perceiving it as a proposal without a ring, and asks Xiao Bai to help her put it on. After he carefully places the bracelet on her wrist, Xiao Bai, in his characteristic rigid manner, simply advises her to earnestly recite the mental cultivation method and then leaves, much to Chun Hua's disappointment as she wishes he had stayed for a more intimate moment or at least praised her.
As Chun Hua quietly admires her new bracelet, Shangguan Qiuyue suddenly appears, sarcastically remarking that she has a new bracelet but has neglected the Icy Silkworm Beads he gave her. He then demands the mental cultivation method. Chun Hua, misunderstanding that he wants the bracelet, pretends it's stuck on her wrist, playfully suggesting he'd have to take her hand too. Shangguan Qiuyue, however, pushes her hand away, reiterating his demand for the mental cultivation method.
Chun Hua then reluctantly hands him the fake, error-filled copy she prepared earlier, asking him to leave her alone permanently. Feeling her aversion, Shangguan Qiuyue expresses sadness and questions her apparent dislike, which Chun Hua nervously denies. He then attempts to undermine her confidence, telling her that with her "ugly appearance," finding true love is "wishful thinking" and that Xiao Bai will eventually use her. Chun Hua outwardly feigns agreement but inwardly refutes his words.
Shangguan Qiuyue then recounts a cautionary tale of a beautiful woman who fell in love with someone who used her, leading to immense suffering, implying Chun Hua could suffer a similar fate. He insists that she doesn't need to know the identities of these people, only that he is the only one who truly cares for her in the world.
Chun Hua tries to usher him out, fearing discovery, but Shangguan Qiuyue only agrees to leave after she puts on the Icy Silkworm Beads, which she promptly does, remarking on her good fortune to have two hands to wear both gifts. After Shangguan Qiuyue departs, Chun Hua intends to destroy the remaining portion of the fake mental cultivation method.
As she is about to do so, she unexpectedly sees Alliance Leader Xiao by the withered lotus pond at night, secretly pouring out medicine from a bottle, seemingly lost in thought and sorrow. Chun Hua approaches him and points out the cold weather and his act of discarding medicine. Alliance Leader Xiao responds by asking her which is more bitter: lotus seeds, which are yielded by withered lotus flowers, or his medicine, implying a shared bitterness.
Chun Hua agrees both are bitter and expresses surprise that he fears bitterness. He then asks her to keep his secret. Chun Hua finds his actions strange. Xiao Bai informs his father, Alliance Leader Xiao, that he has finally mastered the last movement of the Fengming Swordsmanship, living up to his expectations. Soon after, Chun Hua, still worried about Alliance Leader Xiao, finds Xiao Bai and urges him to check on his father.
Meanwhile, Alliance Leader Xiao reveals to Xiao Bai that he himself mastered the last movement of the Fengming Swordsmanship more than two decades ago, thanks to a stone lotus gifted by a friend, which unblocked his channels. He then bestows this very stone lotus upon Xiao Bai, instructing him to take it, assuring him that with it, he will soon master the final movement.
However, he gives a crucial warning: once mastered, the practitioner, the sword, and the stone will become one, and "none of these can be separated." Xiao Bai, recalling his father's earlier teachings that the three must never be separated, suddenly realizes the implications of his father giving away the stone. With a dawning sense of alarm, he cuts short his conversation with Chun Hua, telling her to return and rest while he rushes to find his father.
Inside Alliance Leader Xiao's room, a black-clad man with a scar appears. He directly questions Alliance Leader Xiao, asking if he has ever regretted his past actions, to which the Alliance Leader stoically replies that he would do it again if given another chance, as it was his mission. The black-clad man then scathingly asks what Shangguan Hui did wrong, accusing Alliance Leader Xiao of pouring off his medicine to seek death.
He vehemently questions why Alliance Leader Xiao provoked Shangguan Hui in the first place, only to condemn her to hell. Shangguan Qiuyue then reappears, expressing his profound sadness at Chun Hua's deception with the fake mental cultivation method. Chun Hua, caught off guard, feigns innocence and initially denies it, then attempts to shift the blame to Xiao Bai, accusing him of guarding against her and giving her a fake method instead.
Shangguan Qiuyue tests her by offering to kill Xiao Bai; Chun Hua initially agrees but quickly retracts, realizing killing Xiao Bai would prevent him from getting the real method. Shangguan Qiuyue then asks if she remembers his original reason for wanting her to steal the method. Chun Hua replies that his reasons change daily, so she couldn't possibly remember.
Shangguan Qiuyue reveals it was due to a woman who harbored deep hatred for the Xiao family and forced him to inherit this animosity. Chun Hua shrewdly guesses that the woman in question is their mother. Shangguan Qiuyue, dismissing the dead woman's lingering hatred, declares that he no longer needs Chun Hua to steal the mental cultivation method, much to her surprise and delight.
However, his subsequent words become cryptic: he states that her meeting him and her arrival at Fengming Manor occurred at "just the right time," contributing to a "wonderful play." He then invites her to come with him to watch this "wonderful show," leaving Chun Hua with an unsettling premonition.
