Song of the Moon Episode 5 Recap
> Song of the Moon Recap
Following their recent encounter with a spider demon, the White-Clothed Demon King, now disguised as a small fish demon named Ah He, appeared before Liu Shao and Lu Li. Though Lu Li recognized Ah He's true identity, he chose not to expose him, instead observing his intentions. Ah He tearfully recounted how his master, the Demon King in White, abandoned him after a fight, leaving him to fend for himself.
Liu Shao, remembering that the Demon King also stole the King Herb, lashed out, calling him a "scumbag" and a "hypocrite." Lu Li agreed, labeling the Demon King "cowardly and despicable" for running from powerful foes but snatching treasures from others. Ah He began to appear unwell, claiming dehydration, and Lu Li tried to seize the opportunity to "teach him a lesson," provoking Ah He by calling him the Demon King in White.
Ah He then deliberately sprayed water on Lu Li, soaking him. When Lu Li suggested capturing Ah He and turning him in, Liu Shao vehemently objected, insisting Ah He was her demon and that she was kind-hearted, much to Lu Li's irritation, as he suspected Ah He was merely faking his distress. Upon their return to Marquis Wuyang's Mansion, Marquis Wuyang acknowledged their failure to catch any demons and declared a punishment.
Lu Li took full responsibility, leading Marquis Wuyang to sentence him to clean the Pearl Pavilion for a month. Marquis Wuyang then summoned Du Mingchong, expressing deep disappointment. He revealed that Du Mingchong had been tasked with hunting a spider demon but allowed it to escape on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month and failed to report it, suggesting Du Mingchong’s actions were intentional.
Marquis Wuyang dismissed Du Mingchong, hoping not to be disappointed again, while noting his long-held hope for Du Mingchong to become his successor, despite him being the son of an old friend. He then pondered about Lu Li. At the Four Seasons Monument in the Immortal Palace, Bai Feng visited her master, Lu Sheng, bringing medicine for his persistent cough. She mentioned that Lu Li, his junior fellow disciple, used to care for him before going to Marquis Wuyang's Mansion.
When Lu Sheng inquired about Lu Li, Bai Feng subtly suggested that Lu Li had been preoccupied with assisting Liu Shao, a "spoiled young lady" new to the Marquis' Mansion, and therefore hadn't focused on retrieving the Moon Sword. Lu Sheng's displeasure grew, fearing Lu Li was forgetting his crucial mission. Around the same time, Lu Li was with his friends, who offered to share his upcoming punishment of cleaning the Pearl Pavilion.
Lu Li declined, stating he couldn't let them suffer, especially Xiao Xue, who was still recovering. He also mentioned Liu Shao would be accompanying him. Lu Sheng then appeared to Lu Li, questioning whether Lu Li's recent busyness was for the King Herb or Liu Shao. Lu Li justified his care for Liu Shao by reminding his master that they had taken her money and thus had a duty to protect her.
He admitted that his initial dislike for Liu Shao had changed, as he now saw her as hardworking, sincere, and not as spoiled as he first believed. Lu Sheng directly asked if Lu Li had "gotten enamoured," which Lu Li denied. Lu Sheng sternly told Lu Li they could not be together, explaining that their spiritual energies were inherently incompatible, as demonstrated when they obtained the spirit fire together.
He asserted that their fates were also opposed, destined to bring harm to each other through their mutual affection. Lu Sheng revealed that his true purpose in sending Lu Li to the Marquis Wuyang's Mansion was to retrieve the Moon Sword, not to pursue romance.
To enforce this, he implanted a potent "Soul-Devouring Spell" into Lu Li's body, warning that any developing feelings for Liu Shao would activate the spell, causing immense pain and ultimately leading to death as the spell consumed his vitality. Later, in the dilapidated Pearl Pavilion, Liu Shao impatiently waited for Lu Li.
When he finally arrived, Lu Li explained his urgency in finding the King Herb, hoping it would secure Liu Shao's position in the Marquis' Mansion should he ever have to leave. Liu Shao was saddened by the prospect of his departure, threatening him with a hundredfold compensation for her money if he left. Lu Li quickly reassured her he wouldn't go, dismissing her concerns about his master needing money again.
He then summoned the reluctant Ah He to help with the cleaning. Ah He complained about doing all the work while Lu Li did nothing, leading to continuous bickering and playful fighting between them, further disorganizing the books. Liu Shao, exasperated, threatened to turn Ah He into "sugar-stewed pear juice" and Lu Li into "fish fillets."
During their chaotic "cleaning," they accidentally activated an ancient book, the "Magic Plant Code," which Lu Li recognized as a rare artifact from the Immortal Palace capable of growing any plant in the Three Realms, including the King Herb. They decided to enter the book's world to search for it. Concurrently, at the Marquis' Mansion, Marquis Wuyang consulted with an Immortal Master, discussing Liu Shao's unusually strong spiritual power and his own significant power loss from saving Lu Li.
He pondered if Liu Shao's power could be harnessed to combat demons in the mortal world. The Immortal Master advised against rash action, promising the Immortal Palace's support to the mortal world while offering to help Marquis Wuyang restore some of his vitality.
Inside the vibrant world of the "Magic Plant Code," Lu Li, Liu Shao, and Ah He found a bustling market where vendors didn't accept money but instead offered their goods in exchange for correctly identifying herbs from riddles posed in poems. Ah He, displaying surprising literary talent, easily answered most of the riddles, much to Lu Li's chagrin. Lu Li finally managed to surpass Ah He by identifying the obscure fritillary herb, which he knew from his master's cough remedies.
They then encountered a young, lively painter at a stall who proposed to draw their portraits after Liu Shao cleverly solved his riddle about reeds. Though they were seeking the King Herb, the painter insisted. As he drew, they noticed he mainly painted flowers and birds but then revealed a striking portrait of a woman wearing Marquis Wuyang's armor, an image that seemed out of place.
This observation led Lu Li and Liu Shao to deduce that the painter was the true owner and master of the "Magic Plant Code" and its illusion. Confronted, the painter admitted his identity, boasting that all the plant demons within the book were his descendants and he controlled the realm, threatening to trap them. Lu Li and Ah He bluffed by threatening to burn the mysterious painting, forcing the painter to reluctantly release them from the illusion.
Back in the Pearl Pavilion, Lu Li and Ah He continued to bicker, with Lu Li questioning if Ah He, as an aquatic demon, could truly have made fire. He then playfully rewarded Ah He with a large water tank. The painter, now formally introducing himself as Wansui, a 10,000-year-old King Herb who was also the ancestor of plants, reappeared. He stubbornly refused to share any information about the King Herb.
As Lu Li and Liu Shao prepared to leave, Wansui eagerly tried to persuade them to stay, indirectly revealing that he was trapped by a barrier in the Pearl Pavilion and couldn't leave. Meanwhile, Ao Hen confronted the Demon King in White, questioning his true purpose for infiltrating Marquis Wuyang's Mansion, especially after learning that Liu Shao had brought him in as a fish when he was dehydrated.
The Demon King in White admitted that he only needed a single drop of Liu Shao's blood to confirm her true identity. Back with Wansui, he continued to probe Lu Li about his origins. Lu Li deflected by asking Wansui about his childhood and then about his own master. Wansui finally recognized Lu Li's master as Lu Sheng, recalling that Lu Sheng had once mentioned a "good-looking, kind, and intelligent" King Herb who had transformed ten thousand years ago.
Wansui then offered to teach them how to use the "Magic Plant Code" to cultivate the King Herb, but only if they agreed to visit him daily and keep him entertained. Lu Li promptly suggested Ah He as the perfect companion for Wansui, declaring him to be "my demon."
