No Boundary Season 1 Episode 12 Recap
> No Boundary Season 1 Recap
Duanmu Cui observed the red thread connecting Zhan Yan and Li Qiong Xiang, which prompted her to seek out the God of Matchmaking. She was frustrated when he evaded her, leading her to draw a mole on his statue. Later, when people came to worship, they commented on the altered statue, believing an "old woman who failed to get married" must have defaced it.
Duanmu Cui, overhearing, declared herself a high immortal with no interest in marriage, and further complained about the God of Matchmaking and his followers. The God of Matchmaking later confronted Yang Jian, demanding he control his sister for vandalizing his temple and humiliating him with a "matchmaker's mole."
Yang Jian playfully retorted that the God of Matchmaking was indeed a matchmaker and defended Duanmu Cui, asserting she was always in the right and that the God of Matchmaking must have erred first. Exasperated, the God of Matchmaking threatened to assign Yang Jian the ugliest wife if immortals could marry, to which Yang Jian questioned if any ugly fairies existed in Penglai, effectively ending the argument.
Unable to find the God of Matchmaking, Duanmu Cui then attempted to borrow a path from the God of Land. Instead, the Earth Granny appeared, admonishing Duanmu Cui, an unmarried Penglai immortal, for frequently seeking her husband. Earth Granny revealed that Duanmu Cui’s constant travel through land and water had even caused the River God and his wife to divorce.
She warned Duanmu Cui that immortals cannot marry, citing her own marriage to the God of Land from before their ascension, and ordered her to leave, threatening force and even to break her own husband's legs if he aided Duanmu Cui. Duanmu Cui left, bewildered by the Earth Granny's intense reaction, musing that the minor immortals must be jealous of her excellence in capturing demons while they received worship for doing nothing.
Back at her residence, Duanmu Cui found Little Medicine Vase scolding Xiao Qing Hua for sneaking out to see the moon with Die'er, enforcing a punishment despite Duanmu Cui's pleas. Duanmu Cui expressed her confusion to Hong Luan about everyone's recent anger, from Little Medicine Vase to the Earth Granny and the River God's divorce, wondering if she was experiencing bad luck. Hong Luan explained that both Little Medicine Vase and the Earth Granny were displaying jealousy.
Duanmu Cui, initially confused about the concept of "eating jealousy," learned that jealousy could lead to broken legs, divorce, or, for ordinary women, anger, finding fault, unreasonable tantrums, and mood swings. Duanmu Cui vehemently denied being jealous of Zhan Yan, as she was a high immortal.
Hong Luan pressed, telling a story about the Seventh Fairy, a powerful and beautiful immortal friend of Duanmu Cui’s, who became elated by a Heavenly Soldier's praise but deeply saddened by his proximity to other fairies. Hong Luan concluded that the Seventh Fairy had fallen in love. Duanmu Cui dismissed this, stating immortals have no marriage threads, but Hong Luan countered that immortals can indeed fall in love, though their unions seldom end well.
To ascertain if Duanmu Cui harbored feelings, Hong Luan suggested a test: refrain from meeting or contacting Zhan Yan. If Duanmu Cui found herself missing him intensely and unable to resist reaching out, then she was in love. Duanmu Cui, confident in her millennia of emotional stability, agreed, believing a few days apart from Zhan Yan would prove nothing. That night, Zhan Yan discovered inexplicable silk in his room, suspecting further complications in the Liu Xi Mei case.
He attempted to send a message via messenger butterfly to Duanmu Cui, but she cut off the communication. Noting Duanmu Cui's increasing unpredictability, Zhan Yan resolved to visit her the next day. The following morning, Duanmu Cui paced outside Qifeng Prefecture, grappling with her desire to see Zhan Yan and the fear of confirming Hong Luan’s theory.
She rationalized that as a high immortal, she shouldn't fall for a mortal, and if anyone were to fall, it should be Zhan Yan first. Wengu observed her, and feeling deep sadness, asked if she was seeking Zhan Yan. Duanmu Cui denied it, claiming she was merely patrolling to prevent demon mischief. Wengu offered to patrol with her, stating Hong Luan could manage the medical hall.
As they patrolled, Duanmu Cui realized they were circling back to the Qifeng Prefecture entrance, blaming the winding roads for getting lost. Meanwhile, Hong Luan, under the Elder's command, used the 'Reel Silk from the Cocoon' technique to probe Zhan Yan’s memories, searching for signs of him being a reincarnated immortal. Her investigation only revealed that the Ju Que sword was a gift from Jiang Wenqing, with no other unusual findings.
Duanmu Cui soon spotted Li Qiong Xiang entering Qifeng Prefecture and followed her, only to hear Li Qiong Xiang’s cries for help. She discovered Zhan Yan encased in silk. Wengu, who was also present, warned her against using Samadhi Fire, as mortals could not withstand its burning of the primordial spirit. Duanmu Cui, however, insisted on saving Zhan Yan. Realizing there was no time to separate the cocoon, Duanmu Cui used her Samadhi Fire to burn the silk away.
Zhan Yan lay unconscious and not breathing. Duanmu Cui, stopping Li Qiong Xiang from attempting acupuncture, confessed her love to Zhan Yan and gave him air through a kiss. At that moment, Duanmu Cui's Love Debt Box rope snapped. Yang Jian and Tian descended from the heavens. Yang Jian angrily questioned the God of Matchmaking about Zhan Yan’s broken red thread and his sister’s broken "love lock," blaming him for causing chaos in mortal marriages.
The God of Matchmaking prioritized Yang Jian's sister’s well-being. Yang Jian declared his intent to descend, and Tian reminded him they needed a valid reason to avoid scrutiny from other immortals. Zhan Yan eventually awoke, finding both Li Qiong Xiang and Duanmu Cui by his bedside. Li Qiong Xiang offered him snacks, but Duanmu Cui, using her powers, conjured food instantly, which Zhan Yan devoured, requesting more. Li Qiong Xiang then excused herself.
Duanmu Cui embraced Zhan Yan, their emotions deepening. Duanmu Cui inquired about the previous night. Zhan Yan suspected missing clues in the Liu Xi Mei case and blamed his own carelessness. Duanmu Cui expressed regret over his suffering, and implored him not to die, listing all the ways she would miss him. Zhan Yan, in turn, promised not to die without her permission, jokingly adding that her temper would prevent him from resting in peace.
After thanking her for saving him, Duanmu Cui noted his strange propensity for attracting demons. Zhan Yan explained the cocoon had merely probed his memories, revealing only his foster father Jiang Wenqing giving him the Ju Que sword, and a faint smell of trees. Duanmu Cui deduced the tree smell was from the silkworm’s diet but regretted that the burned silk meant the mastermind could not be traced.
She ordered Zhan Yan to rest and recover, promising to protect Qifeng while she investigated. Wengu was deeply troubled by Duanmu Cui’s actions, questioning why she would risk herself for a mortal and pondering if she had truly fallen for Zhan Yan, despite her sealed love debt. Hong Luan attempted to console him, dismissing Zhan Yan's importance to her and assuring Wengu of her sole concern for him.
She subtly inquired about Jiang Wenqing's family, including his lack of biological children, and his origins. Wengu, sensing her ulterior motives, confronted her, and Hong Luan claimed she was merely making polite conversation before Wengu dismissed her. Duanmu Cui, plucking flower petals while musing on "loves me, loves me not," asked Hong Luan how her friend, Seventh Fairy, could determine the Heavenly Soldier's feelings, especially if he had another lover.
Hong Luan replied that if his heart belonged to someone else, Seventh Fairy's efforts would be in vain. Duanmu Cui, unwilling to concede, declared no man could resist a fairy, and no man could escape her. Following Hong Luan’s advice, they visited a bookstore, seeking books on love. Duanmu Cui criticized the unrealistic love stories, while Hong Luan highlighted the gentle, considerate, kind, helpful, and animal-loving traits of the female protagonists. They decided to emulate these traits by helping others.
Duanmu Cui's attempts at helpfulness were comically disastrous. She tried to lead a lost child home but got lost herself, with the child eventually returning home with someone else, mentioning he lost his "fairy sister." Unable to use her usual earth-tunnelling ability due to the Earth Granny's ongoing quarrel with the God of Land (a secret Duanmu Cui wished to keep), she and Xiao Qing Hua walked to Qifeng Prefecture.
Duanmu Cui then orchestrated a scene where Xiao Qing Hua faked a leg injury, hoping Zhan Yan would help. When she called Zhan Yan "darling," he questioned her, prompting her to quickly switch to "Brother Zhan." Zhan Yan, sensing something amiss, checked her for fever, suggesting she was stressed and offered to have Wengu prepare medicine, to which Duanmu Cui retorted that he needed medicine himself. Xiao Qing Hua later commiserated with Zhan Yan about Duanmu Cui’s worsening temper.
Hong Luan advised Duanmu Cui to directly influence Zhan Yan through his associates, by being kind to them and learning his preferences, thereby winning him over. Duanmu Cui, though skeptical, agreed to try. She followed Shangguan Ce, offering to carry his documents, which he declined, stating they weren't heavy. Duanmu Cui insisted, drawing a subtle rebuke from Shangguan Ce about her lack of strength and the confidential nature of the documents.
Undeterred, Duanmu Cui offered to grind ink for him, which he politely declined. She then sliced apples for the guards, who praised her unexpected culinary skills. She tried to assist Zhan Yan’s men with heavy boxes, but Zhan Yan insisted they continue their training. Duanmu Cui then brought bird’s nest porridge to Shangguan Ce, who was working late, but he refused it, begging her to stop caring for him.
Meanwhile, Wengu, concerned about Duanmu Cui's late returns, asked Hong Luan about her activities. Hong Luan, after some hesitation, revealed that Duanmu Cui had fallen for Zhan Yan and was actively pursuing him, admitting Duanmu Cui had asked her to keep it a secret. Wengu, furious, ordered Hong Luan to leave. Hong Luan subsequently reported to the Demon Clan Elder, admitting she failed to retrieve the cocoon.
She explained that the "Reel Silk from the Cocoon" spell made it irretrievable once used, and Duanmu Cui had taken it. She promised to recover it. The Elder then pressed her about Wengu. Hong Luan disclosed that Wengu was the Dragon King’s son but had become an immortal and disagreed with the Ninth Hell’s actions, making him impossible to persuade. She had lied earlier out of fear.
The Elder, dismissing her excuse, warned that if she could not persuade Wengu to return to Ninth Hell to unlock the seal in Chong City, he would become an enemy of Ninth Hell. Hong Luan vowed to persuade him. A black cat observed their entire conversation. Duanmu Cui then set off fireworks at Qifeng Prefecture, causing a near-fire. The guards and Zhan Yan investigated, noting the absence of gunpowder or remnants, concluding it was not human-made.
They speculated it was Duanmu Cui’s "demon fire." Zhan Yan, finding Duanmu Cui hiding, deduced she was embarrassed by her failed fireworks display. Duanmu Cui, indignant, felt Zhan Yan was slandering her. Hong Luan commented that Zhan Yan looked terrified, not surprised, by the fireworks. Duanmu Cui, surprised by Qifeng Prefecture's flammability, asked Hong Luan for a safer method.
Consulting a bestseller about rich gentlemen winning over women with expensive gifts, Hong Luan advised Duanmu Cui to shower Zhan Yan with lavish presents to show her affections. Duanmu Cui questioned if this applied to men, but Hong Luan insisted giving gifts to express love was universal. They decided to try it.
Hong Luan cautioned Duanmu Cui not to reveal to Wengu that she was teaching her how to please Zhan Yan, but Duanmu Cui retorted that she was merely "applying what she’d learned." The next day, Qifeng Prefecture was inundated with gifts for Zhan Yan, including an imperial jade seal, leaving the guards baffled and concerned that someone was trying to frame him.
