Event synopsis: Here a People Sows
| Event | Synopsis | OST | Trivia |
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Since the Yumen incident, Zuo Le was punished for his carelessness under an exile in the remote city of Dahuang where he needs to undergo self-strengthening and meditation. In the mean time, under the Grand Tutor's order, Nian and Dusk arrive there to assist the local garrison soldier, only to find themselves reunited with their elder sister Shu and fallen into the grand scheme of Sui's revival and even a potential threat against the corruption of the Collapsals.
Chayang: Rice-planting
Sacred Farmer
Far in northern Yan, there lies Dahuang, the city of Great Barren that became a major agrarian spot. For thousands of years, the Dahuangers greatly venerated the Shennong, the Divine Farmer, and carried out her will to cultivate rice plant that could grow in Originium-polluted areas. But now, Dahuang finds itself at the frontline against Sui the Feranmut.
As part of the preparation against Sui's revival, the imperial court orders the Ministry of Work with Nian's and Dusk's help to construct the "Twelve Pagodas and Five Fortresses," a mega construction meant to withstand the impact after defeating Sui. The Pagodas act as alternative vessels to ensure the survival of Sui's fragmented avatars as their new "hearts", for their disappearance could spell the end of Yan's prosperity as their creations disintegrate. Nian and Dusk accept the deal so that they could visit Shu, their sixth sibling who has been using her god-like power to ensure Dahuang's agricultural miracle.
On the other hand, the construction also spells the end of Dahuang's agrarian lifestyle as it undergoes conversion to a nomadic city. The local Nongye Tianshi, under the leadership of He Sheng and the city's subperfect Song Wanqing, argue that they are facing another year of poor harvest. Not only the Dahuangers do not wish to abandon their generational mission and their ancestral homeland, but also, this mega-construction could interrupt Dahuang's agricultural activities which in turn affects food supply all across Yan. However, the Assistant Minister of Work, Wan Qincheng, strongly urges the Dahuangers to aid his Tumu Tianshi and accelerate the construction project. Through Ning Ciqiu's mediation, both sides seem to put aside their differences, yet they believe their missions as important.
Zuo Le arrives at Dahuang under the order of his father Zuo Xuanliao to supervise the mega-construction. Yet, deep inside his heart, he knows that the order is just a punishment for his carelessness during the Yumen unrest, and he treats it as an exile from the Sui Regulators. Upon arrival, he is warmly welcomed by Shu, and Shu requests Zuo Le to help the local farmers. Despite being a princeling, he willingly accepts this tedious job as meditation for self-correctness. He befriends He Sheng and Xiao Man the livestock herder who helps him integrate into their lifestyle.
Pollution
It is the Festival of Shennong, an important day to give thanks to the Divine Farmer, and everyone takes a break to enjoy the markets and the religious ceremony. Far away, however, the Tumu Tianshi notices an abnormal increase of Originium granules in the dam, and they detect an encroaching Originium vein deep beneath the dam. All of a sudden, the dam bursts, and a large amount of polluted water gushes out. Everyone quickly returns to protect their farmland, and the Tianshi work together to repair the dam. He Sheng rushes towards the control tower to control the mobile farm plates and expel polluted water.
The damage done is irresistible, much to everyone's disappointment. All the crops are polluted by Originium. The farmers and the Nongye Tianshi lament another year of poor harvest as their machines mercilessly removes those failed crops and Originium shards. In the midst of their sorrow, the Tumu Tianshi urge the Dahuangers to abandon those polluted plows and make way for the dismantling, resulting in a fight between the two sides. Hearing their sorrow, Song urges Wan to slow down the mega-project, but Wan has no will for negotiation.
He Sheng and Xiao Man could only stand by and watch the farmers' achievements dismantled by the Tumu Tianshi. Just then, they encounter a man wearing a fabulous robe who claims himself to be a passing-by merchant. He says he could grant them wishes just by trading with anything. Zuo Le immediately interrupts as he knows who this man is: he is in fact Ji, the seventh avatar of Sui, whose ability could materialize anything, including abstract concepts, through his silk and embroideries. Ji has been on the Sui Regulators' hit list because he is suspected of aiding the prison-breaking of the evil second brother sixty years ago. Ji proclaims that he is simply here to visit Shu, his sister, yet Zuo Le urges him not to make any move. But a mere Candleholder has no chance to take control over the god-like avatar. Before leaving, he reminds Zuo Le that the Tianshi stationed at the Chamber of Heaven's Design have been suffering severe casualties from the "enemies" on the northern side of the river for the past three months.
Meanwhile, the pollution slowly affects everyone in Dahuang. Xiao Man first uncovers a mysterious rice plant with abnormal red grain; she simply plugs it and keeps it for herself. Then, she encounters the mute old lumberjack, a familiar figure whom Xiao Man has been acquainted with. The lumberjack suddenly speaks, the young girl sees strange visions of animals and the lumberjack urging her to leave, and she almost jumps into the dam's channel after seeing "shadows" of her livestock reflected on the surface. Fortunately, a mysterious young girl with hot temper stops her "suicide," and she orders her to hand in the red rice plant in the name of finishing her assignment in the Tianshi Bureau.
On He Shen's side, he sees a vision of Shennong conversing with him, and the young man somehow plows the land until he suddenly turns old. He sees a giant tree at the north of Dahunag's river with numerous red ribbons and plates with names. The soil beneath him becomes barren, yet He Sheng continues to plow until he falls into a shadow before Zuo Le wakes him up. Xiao Man then regroups with the duo and tells them of the presence of a red rice plant. Zuo Le becomes alert and urges He Sheng to check the crops inside the granary. All he sees are piles of rice grains suddenly turning its golden husks into reddish-black. To Zuo Le and other Tianshi, this is the sign of corruption by the northern demons from the other side of the river.
Fengshou: Harvest
Transcending the Rivers and Land
Ji continues his visit regardless of any warning. Shu urges him to quickly leave before Zuo Le finds out, but he still wants to meet Nian and Dusk even though their reunion is considered a heinous crime to the Regulators. Zuo Le catches him up, and with Dusk's help, he and Ji are trapped inside the painted world, a good chance for interrogation. Zuo Le suspects that Ji is responsible for the demonic pollution of Dahuang's crops, yet he rebukes that the pollution is related to him. Rather, he gives him hints as to the reason why Shu has been stationed at Dahuang for a thousand years and is not allowed to leave freely.
He Sheng immediately reports the pollution investigation to Song. Turns out, the polluted water was not caused by the dam, but from beneath the soil; Dahuang has long been polluted by an unknown source from the river's north, yet someone is performing a "miracle" that nullifies the pollution. Song remains speechless, yet she knows the reason behind: the north of the river is one of the sources of the northern Collapsals, and their presence was ironically because of the Great Hunt against Sui when the Tianshi manipulated their shards to defeat It. And now, Shu, an avatar of Sui, has to clean up the mortal's mess by nullifying the demonic pollution with her divine trait. Such is what Ji disagrees on; he wants Dahuang to set Shu completely free and holds bitterness towards the Yanese imperial court who not only forces the "siblings" to serve the dynasty with no reasonable benefits, but also are responsible for the "death" of Jie the fifth sibling a century ago which resulted in Sui's awakening.
On the other hand, Shu herself is not willing to leave Dahuang not because of her role, but also a promise she made to Shennong a thousand years ago. Long ago, Dahuang was just a frigid, hostile, barrenland, but it was the contribution of Shu, Ji, and Shennong who converted the tundra to a hospitable farmland. However, Shennong sacrificed herself to search for Originium-resisting plants up in the north by being heavily polluted by the northern demons, and Shu buried her just beneath the spot where Dahuang was built. Feeling guilty that her "karma" has brought severe consequences to the people, she "ascends to the heavens" by simply disintegrating her physical body and turning it into drizzling rain that suppresses the pollution.
All of a sudden, Shu is "dead." Her memories are erased from the Dahuangers. Ji, upon departing from the painted world, vows to bring her back by activating the Twelve Pagodas, yet he wants to test the mortals of their will if they are strong enough to bring back Shu.
Into the Woven Sceneries
Ji proceeds to the Pagodas to finish his mission, but he is immediately intercepted by Nian and Dusk. The seventh brother easily repeals their attack and even vanishes them by concealing them inside the Pagodas. Upon that moment, the living "heart" of the vessels activates, causing disastrous phenomena across the farmland. Without Shu's miracle, the demonic pollution beneath the soil manifests itself under the blood-red twilight; all the farming devices become alive and fly around like swarms of locusts. Zuo Le groups up the farmers and Tianshi to defeat those rampaging machines.
In the meantime, Ji gives further challenges to the mortals. He creates his Weavlings as manifestations of the demons, yet the farmers bravely face those monsters. Then, he forcefully separates the core city from the mobile farm plates. Wan and the Tumu Tianshi quickly analyze the situation, and Wan uses his Arts to stop the rampage even though it severely wounds his body. Song too works together to face the demons as she too suffers from severe wounds. Xiao Man almost lost her life had not the lumberjack saves her, and just about he is succumbed to the pollution, the hot-tempered girl, revealing herself to be that old Ageless Tianshi who has stationed in the north for centuries, expels the monsters with her fire Arts through her old fan.
Nian, Dusk, and even Shu find themselves inside a chaotic void. Nian and Dusk sees various memories of her past that are filled with regrets, yet the two sisters bravely face them with their long-given answer, "Who am I?" Shu floats around inside the void, only to uncover the Fermanut side of herself, representing Sui's consciousness. With her strong will that binds with the land she loves, she expels her dark self and resists to return to Its consciousness. Her enlightenment not only allows herself to once again return to the mortal world safe and sound, but also, she helps eradicate all the demonic pollution all across Dahuang, much to Zuo Le and the rest's surprise.
Zuo Le now finds himself trapped inside Ji's embroidered world to stop his rebellion against the state. Nian and Dusk too break through his barrier to settle their "family business." There, the trio witness Ji weaving an unimaginable piece of silk—a long silk made of the guozuo, or fate of the nation. In order to challenge Yan's ability to defeat Sui, Ji materializes the empire's mountains and rivers as his threads and weaves them together to form Yan's destiny; Dahuang is the last spool to finish his magnus opium. On the other hand, Zuo Le deems his action as treason against the state, and Ji has to be apprehended immediately.
In the midst of a heated fight, Shu returns and sets her dominion against Ji's embroidered world. Shu knows that someone must have been ordering Ji to carry out the action. A dark familiar figure appears, and the sisters are surprised that it is none other than Wang, the evil second brother. Wang invites the sister to join his grand mission to challenge Yan by revealing his real intention: he will first reawake Sui, then he will kill Its real consciousness and substitute it with his own — becoming the new Sui — to ensure their "siblings'" survival, Yan's future prosperity, and finally revive Jie. But Wang's plan also means to usurp the True Lung and his imperial forces out of vindication which will in turn bring disastrous consequences to both the Yanese commonfolk and all across Terra, so the sister utterly rejects his proposal. Their conversation is immediately interrupted by the angry old Tianshi who burns down Shu's dominion, but Wang and Ji declare that they will meet again someday in their final battle at the imperial capital of Baizao where Sui was seal beneath.
Shu finally returns, but she knows her disappearance will erase the people's precious memories with her. He Sheng feels a déjà vu on her, yet he cannot remember. Nevertheless, Shu is amazed by He Sheng's good news: he finally manages to uncover an Originium-resisting rice plant down the spoiled plow in the aftermath of the demonic pollution, and he proceeds to preserve it in laboratories so that it will be sent to other regions for cultivation. Now that there is hope for the people, Shu could finally free herself from her burdens and wishes good luck to her beloved people.
To Reap What You Sow
The Dahuang pollution crisis brings further alerts to the imperial court. Zuo Le receives news from Leizi to return to his position and head toward Baizao, but first he needs to become the supervisor of Sui's avatars on Rhodes Island. Far away at Tian Yue, the Grand Tutor gets the chance to meet the ill Grand Commandant who has long been on the hawkish side in the Feranmut problem, and the Grand Commandant ruffles by blaming himself for everything that resulted in the current crisis. Even then, both dukes knows that the imperial court has long suffered from fractions among the mandarins, and Wang's treason only accelerates and even exposes the government's internal problem.
With everything prepared, Wang is waiting for the right moment to execute his plan. Ji congratulates his brother by helping him wearing the silk robe of Yan's fate. While both brothers still hold strong ties with the mortal humans, they have to end their business with both the imperial court and finally Sui Itself. Wang declares that Sui will eventually have to face Its ancient humiliation against the mortals, and victory needs to be achieved to free both the people and his "siblings" from Its shadow.