Training & Marriage
Episode 6 of Alchemy of Souls starts in the past, with Yul approaching Naksu by the tree. She brandishes a sword and promises that if he returns again, she’ll kill him. Fast forward to the present and Yul takes those same memories with him as he speaks to Naksu in the same spot she so ferociously swung her sword and knocked the flowers out of his hand. This encounter is less hostile though, as Mu-Deok soon despairs when she learns Yul isn’t a very adept cook. He ends up burning the rice up at the cabin. Thankfully, Mu-Deok is there to help out and steer him in the right direction. Jang Uk ends up feeling jealous of the pair, and confronts Mu-Deok afterwards, telling her not to cheat on him with another student. Mu-Deok eventually teases him over the title of “Young Master” and answers Yul enthusiastically by using that exact title. Meanwhile, Master Lee and Yeom examine the corpse they’ve found. They suspect Cheonbugwan is involved, which is confirmed when they learn the body belongs to a low-ranking servant there. As a result, Park Jin decides they should investigate Cheonbugwan discretely. Outside, Master Lee believes that the soul he sensed coming out of Mu-Deok is Naksu and comments how interesting this is. Yul and Dang-Gu head back to Songrim and feed back that Uk is doing well; he’s training and fishing. They also mention his missing Spirit Plaque too. However, the plot thickens when Park Jin learns that the death of a constellation recorder could have contributed toward Cheongbugwan holding that grudge against the other families. And that mage, as we know, was Naksu’s father. Meanwhile, Mu-Deok comments that Jang-Uk is getting stronger. The bracelet has had an unexpected outcome of actually making him a better sword fighter, and he’s swinging the blade about pretty adeptly now. In order to try and prove his worth, Mu-Deok tasks Jang-Uk with slicing water droplets from hanging bags. Jsng Uk comes up short, at least to begin with. He removes his bracelet and lets the energy control him as he swings wildly at the bags. It still doesn’t work. Mu-Deok patiently watches over her student, while Master Lee observes from time to time, commenting how there’s no way he’ll master this, given that’s only possible between student and teacher – not from a maid. Lee warns Mu-Deok that his next move could lead to death if he’s not careful and fails to control his energy. Specifically, he mentions how his arm could burst, which is confirmed if the raw redness is anything to go by. At dinner, Master Lee feeds back the current rumours going around at the palace. It turns out Cho-Yeon is due to get married… to Jang Uk. Despite that initially being called off, it’s actually still going ahead after all. Cho-Yeon is excited for it, although Dang-Gu is quick to temper her expectations. Despite the warning, he does agrees to help her out with her errands. Meanwhile, Mu-Deok warns Jang Uk that if he gets married they can no longer stay at the cabin. Mu-Deok also doesn’t have plans to stay by his side as a maid either should that transpire. Still, they head back to the mainland all the same, given Jang-Uk has a duty to return and see his family regarding this marriage. Mu-Deok is confronted by the mage of Cheongbugwan, who snatch her up, ignoring the Crown Prince’s sachet and taking her to… the Crown Prince. He’s not particularly happy about seeing “Filthy Mu-Deok” right now, especially as those mages dressed her up in silk just prior to their meeting. The Crown Prince soon gets down to brass tacks. He tells Mu-Deok he has no intensions of starting a rivalry with Songrim. It’s a good thing that Uk isn’t here… but his absence would also make him a laughing stock, damaging his pride and family lineage as a result. The Prince urges Mu-Deok to dissuade him from duelling, otherwise Uk could get killed. Meanwhile, Uk heads back to see Kim, who queries why he doesn’t want to get married. When he mentions “another girl”, Miss Kim is not happy. Meanwhile, Cho-Yeon approaches Mu-Deok, pointing out that as she’s Mu-Deok’s maid and as such, will need to serve her soon. This is something borne out of jealousy following an earlier chat where she senses there’s a close connection between her and Jang Uk. Placing a box on the table, she encourages Mu-Deok to take this up to the Jin family’s abode. This is actually all a ruse, given there’s a broken yin-yang jade inside, something Cho-Yeon intends to get Mu-Deok in trouble for. Mu-Deok is led up to the house, where she steps inside and immediately feels a wave of energy, which causes her to stumble slightly. However, she ends up in Jinyowon, where she finds that strange mirror we saw glimpses of earlier in the episode. As she reaches out, Mu-Deok is sucked inside, leaving a big cliffhanger for next week’s follow-up.
The Episode Review
Alchemy of Souls returns with another good episode, albeit one that leans harder into the comedy this time around until right near the end of the chapter. With an upcoming wedding, the duel with the Crown Prince potentially still going ahead and all the drama involving Mu-Deok too, there’s certainly lots to whet the appetite. There’s a good deal of character drama here too, with the potential romantic ties between Yul and Naksu an intriguing addition, something that could potentially blossom into a love triangle with Jang Uk too, who knows! At this point though, Alchemy of Souls leaves everything wide open for what should be a very intriguing set of episodes to come next week.
