Love on the Turquoise Land Episode 3 Recap
> Love on the Turquoise Land Recap
Nie Jiuluo regained consciousness, finding herself bound in a car that had been towed to a beach. Yan Tuo was present and told her not to be afraid, claiming they were both not good people and therefore the same. Nie Jiuluo demanded to know who he was, and Yan Tuo countered by asking her identity or who was in the trunk.
Nie Jiuluo insisted she was a sculptor, on an outing for inspiration, and that her driver, Sun Zhou, was injured and needed urgent medical attention. She warned Yan Tuo he would be responsible if Sun Zhou died. Yan Tuo was skeptical, questioning why she would put an injured driver in a duffel bag in the trunk if she was trying to save him.
Nie Jiuluo offered him money to let her go, but Yan Tuo took her ID, revealing her name as Nie Jiuluo. He mocked her "sculptor's hands" for being rough and suggested she might be a kidnapper or a "crazy killer." Nie Jiuluo then claimed to be a public figure whose disappearance would be noticed.
Yan Tuo, however, took her phone and posted a message on her behalf, stating she was in "retreat for focused creation" and "cutting off contact" to produce better works. Nie Jiuluo warned him that she was "easy to invite, hard to send away," to which Yan Tuo retorted that he was "good at sending people off" and could even send her to her death. He then alluded to the "shady things" he knew were in her own trunk.
Nie Jiuluo feigned an asthma attack, asking for a steroid spray. When Yan Tuo questioned its whereabouts, she claimed it had fallen out during the car crash and asked for water. As he fetched water, Nie Jiuluo subtly slipped out of her bindings. Yan Tuo, returning, found her standing behind him and was quickly knocked unconscious. Yan Tuo later woke up to find himself bound in the back seat, attempting to feign unconsciousness, but Nie Jiuluo saw through his act.
She drove him to a dock where she met Jiang Baichuan, instructing him to inspect the "three types of goods." Nie Jiuluo tried to engage Jiang in pleasantries, asking about his health, but he expressed annoyance at her cold demeanor, suggesting she could have opened with a warmer greeting. Jiang remarked that he didn't need meticulous accounting between them, but Nie Jiuluo insisted on settling her debts with the South Mountain Hunters so she could leave without emotional baggage.
She declared that after delivering these "goods" and completing one more mission, she would quit entirely. Nie Jiuluo identified Yan Tuo as working for the Earth Fiend and her driver, Sun Zhou, as having been bitten by an Earth Fiend. Jiang examined Sun Zhou, noting that the fiend's influence had already "rooted and sprouted" in him. Jiang then sensed the distinct scent of a Fiend on Yan Tuo, questioning how a human could smell like one.
Nie Jiuluo confirmed that Sun Zhou's wound was from human teeth and the smell Yan Tuo carried was what another hunter had detected earlier. Jiang then made the shocking realization that Gou Ya, the third "good," was a human-form Earth Fiend. Nie Jiuluo admitted she had come to the same "extremely unpleasant conclusion" on her way there.
She urgently requested Jiang to save Sun Zhou, an innocent victim, if possible, despite the cloudy weather preventing the use of natural fire for healing. Jiang agreed they couldn't abandon him, leaving the other two, Yan Tuo and Gou Ya, to Nie Jiuluo’s discretion. Jiang also gave Nie Jiuluo throat lozenges, urging caution given her unique constitution and the unprecedented situation. Nie Jiuluo then encountered Xing Shen, who tried to offer her a "Life-Death Blade" for her successful solo mission.
Nie Jiuluo brushed it off as luck, but Xing Shen lauded it as skill. Xing Shen sensed she was truly leaving and questioned her decision, remarking that he had smelled the Fiend on her when her car arrived. Nie Jiuluo acknowledged his "sharp nose." Xing Shen urged her to stay and assist in the interrogation of the "rich boy," Yan Tuo, emphasizing that a human-form Earth Fiend was an unprecedented threat their ancestors never faced.
Nie Jiuluo refused to be lectured, reminding him that she was merely there to deliver goods. Xing Shen appealed to their shared childhood training and mission to eradicate Earth Fiends, asking why she would leave when the opportunity to do so had finally arrived.
Nie Jiuluo offered three reasons: she no longer wanted to endure separation and death, she wished to live as an ordinary girl, and she feared that their ingrained doctrines and skills were obsolete against this new, human-form Earth Fiend. She admitted to being afraid and wanting to escape. She also told Xing Shen that while he might admire the "Mad Blade" that symbolizes chaotic times and the heroes they produce, she did not.
Nie Jiuluo's thoughts drifted back to her childhood. Her mother and father argued over her mother's "patrol" duties. Her father questioned if their family or the patrol was more important, even suggesting that her mother send young Nie Jiuluo to her uncle's if she was a burden or find a more family-oriented partner.
Her mother defended her duty as a South Mountain Hunter, stating it was to protect their family, and despite her father’s anger, she left, telling young Nie Jiuluo she would return soon. Young Nie Jiuluo tried to give her mother dumplings, but her mother declined, reiterating her commitment and lack of regret. After her father's death, Nie Jiuluo was fostered by her aunt and uncle.
Her aunt often complained about her burning incense and eating cold dumplings, threatening to send her to an orphanage. However, her uncle was kind, assuring her she could stay as long as she wished. Later, Jiang Baichuan took young Nie Jiuluo to the South Mountain Education Center, promising her uncle he would care for her. During her training, young Xing Shen, from the Hound Clan, and young Nie Jiuluo, from the Blade Clan, trained together.
Xing Shen practiced his scent detection, distinguishing various smells, while Nie Jiuluo refined her combat skills. Jiang Baichuan once scolded Xing Shen for failing to detect Fiend bones. Ling, a friend of Nie Jiuluo's mother, welcomed Nie Jiuluo to the center, noting her resemblance to her mother, and offered support beyond training. Jiang Baichuan revealed to Nie Jiuluo that Ling and her mother were at the forefront of the Golden Gate repair mission, saving many hunters.
Ling reiterated her promise to always be there for Nie Jiuluo. Jiang later told Nie Jiuluo that Ling had been gravely injured during her mother's final mission, and although natural fire saved her life, she suffered kidney failure and never fully recovered, eventually passing away. Other South Mountain Hunters mourned Ling's death, questioning the purpose of their patrol duties when they couldn't even be present for her final moments.
Returning to the present, Nie Jiuluo was in her art museum, folding a paper star, feeling "a step closer to freedom." For every Fiend she had captured, she folded such a star as a memento, and a cabinet in her museum was filled with them. Meanwhile, Yan Tuo was brought to an ice cellar for interrogation.
He was told he would have to endure the cold until a fishing boat arrived in two days, as there was only one coat available. Qiang advised the interrogator to stop provoking Yan Tuo, while Mrs. Hua offered Yan Tuo some soup. Yan Tuo challenged the interrogator's authority and decision-making power, asserting that he had more questions than them. He demanded to know, "What is the Earth Fiend?" The interrogator replied they were "sworn enemies."
Yan Tuo then asked what their organization was. The interrogator questioned his relationship with Gou Ya, to which Yan Tuo responded that Gou Ya was an acquaintance he had only met yesterday. Noticing their intense interest, Yan Tuo probed what was so special about Gou Ya. The interrogator warned him against tricks if he desired release.
Yan Tuo deduced that Gou Ya was an Earth Fiend and their organization was against them, asking about the number and origin of such beings. He realized they suspected him of being an Earth Fiend because of his association with Gou Ya, but the interrogator clarified that while Yan Tuo was not a Fiend, he was definitely working with one.
The interrogator then revealed their extensive knowledge of Yan Tuo's identity: Yan Tuo, General Manager of Roushan Group, and even his specific address. Yan Tuo criticized their organization as "despicable" and disunited, concluding that Nie Jiuluo's decision to leave them was an escape from misery. He then asked the interrogator the name of the woman who had brought him in: Nie Jiuluo. Elsewhere, Xiong Hei was undergoing a harsh punishment from Lin Xirou.
Despite the pain, he defiantly promised Lin Xirou that he would find Yan Tuo. He explained that he had located Yan Tuo's car and was diligently searching all potential hiding spots near the highway's toll stations, assuring her he would find him soon.
