Devy and his father start talking. It soon escalates to a fight. And for once, Orchid steps aside. Not for long though. We get the last piece of information that solves this father-and-son mystery. Devy’s father had to let Devy kill him because it was a required step to vanquish his emotions completely so that he could master Hellfire. He hopes that Devy would never feel again because if he does, the guilt will torture him big time. If you miss anything during this exchange, don’t worry, Orchid gives you a live coverage as the convo goes on.
The father also realizes that Devy’s ability to feel has come back. He tells Devy to get rid of it quickly or it will feel like hell very soon. I don’t think Devy could right now, even if he wanted to.
Devy remains silent from this point on. Orchid pulls out from her sack the old wooden ball and motions for Devy to do something with it. It’s a ball that Devy and his father used to play with when he was little. Orchid obviously wants him to play out that happy memory one last time to make peace with his father.
When Devy doesn’t respond, the father takes that ball and kicks it over to him.
Kick that ball, Orchid reminds Devy. But he is deep in thought.
You won’t have another chance, Orchid chants.
Would somebody just kick that ball already so she can be quiet? You know, sometimes you just have to let silent looks and background music do their job.
Devy doesn’t kick anything, though. When he looks back up, his father’s spirit has vanished.
Back home, it is time for Xunfeng’s punishment. He’s supposed to endure some thunderbolt-beating — basically, you stand in one place and let thunder hit you. It’s a chance for male characters to demonstrate their masculinity with all sorts of painful noises, I guess. Xunfeng seems to be holding up well. But of course, Devy can’t let his baby brother suffer too much, his heart is twice its original size now.
He halts the punishment mid-way, steps into the spotlight, declares that he will take the rest of the bolts, and… takes off his shirt.
Devy’s intention is noble, but the drama’s is not. Looks like the writers wanted to make sure no one upstages their male lead in the lighting-punishment department; probably wanted to rival Yehua and Moyuan too, I can tell you that. Why else would his shirt be off, huh? I don’t see Xunfeng flaunting his abs around.
The beating begins, and so does romantic background music. Because — “listen well, all viewers, fall in love with this man or else,” says the drama.
At night, Devy has a full breakdown in the garden when the weight of his father’s death crashes down on him at once. Probably the best-acted scene in this episode.
Afterward, Xunfeng educates himself on what really happens between Devy and their father. He changes his attitude towards Devy after that and is even willing to greet Devy properly, caressing his ring and all that ceremonial stuff.
Devy wants to show his brother that he cares, but he doesn’t know how. So it falls on Orchid to teach him how to be friendly. An entry-level lesson on smiling and hugging.
I think I prefer a non-smiling Devy, though. Devy’s brother seems to think the same.
Lastly, a bit of wisdom for the day from Orchid: Kick the ball.