Previously…
In Fate Chooses You: Drama Info and Recap Episodes 1 to 4, our Female Lead Xin Mei was pursued by a group of cultivator elite because she wreaked havoc in the Capital, killing the officials responsible for the death of her husband, Lu Huai, aka Lu Qianqiao, our Male Lead.
I really liked the featured image. It’s in sync with the native title, which translates to “A Match Made in Heaven”. Right off the bat, they entered into marriage for the most bizarre reasons, unlike anything we have ever heard.
Recap Episodes 5 to 10
Episode 5
Xin Mei woke up and had to fight a demonic spirit that scared the children. Because of her use of magic, she was detected by the cultivators and had to flee with the children. On the way, she had to fight Jiang Ji, Zuo Yingying, and Nangong Guohong. The Ring given by Lu Huai actually saved her from Jiang Ji’s sword.
Meanwhile, Lu Qianqiao asked Chun Ying to find Xin Mei, and he would deal with Lin Muhan, the most powerful of the lot. Lin Muhan used his powerful formation, which was inescapable even for Golden Core cultivators. Lu Qianqiao easily broke the array, which scared Lin Muhan because he couldn’t figure out what cultivation level Lu Qianqiao was at.
Chun Ying found Xin Mei and secretly helped her fight the cultivators. Although Xin Mei managed to fight back and run away, fighting three powerful cultivators took a toll on her. Just about the time that Lu Qianqiao saw her staggering down the street. He was more in awe seeing the first color in his life, Xin Mei in her red dress.
Xin Mei collapsed on the street, and Lu Qianqiao took her back to the old house. The Orchid he asked her to take last time was a medicinal herb he used to heal her, and to Chu Ying’s surprise, Lu Qianqiao also gave Xin Mei his life-saving elixir to save her.
Jin Lun arrived at the Liang Mansion after the party battle was over, from his detour to follow a beauty. Lin Muhan was embarrassed by being defeated by Lu Qianqiao, so he lied about having an epiphany and returned to his sect for seclusion. The rest stayed at the Liang Mansion, waiting for Xin Mei to appear.
Xin Mei woke up at the old house, and the children told her that they had found her inside the house. She remembered the last time she was walking on the street, so she guessed a mysterious person had rescued her.
Lu Qianqiao’s appearance in the Capital didn’t go unnoticed. Of all people, Emperor Zong Ding invited him to the palace. One of Lu Qianqiao’s identities was a top scholar at that time and was the emperor’s tutor way back then when His Majesty was little. Lu Qianqiao even helped the Emperor to ascend the throne. It turned out that the Emperor himself, with his jealousy of Lu Qianqiao’s youth and cultivation, wanted to kill him. Lu Qianqiao assured that his visit to the Capital at this time was not for revenge, only for a private matter. He would leave in five days.
Episode 6
Minister Liang Wenjing was furious that Xin Mei had escaped, so he ordered a house-to-house search and guard checkpoints. Chu Ying hid Xin Mei in an illusion, so the guards bypassed the rundown temple where Xin Mei was hiding. Lu Qianqiao gave her his elixir labelled “Cure for All Diseases,” since the children threw the medicine away last time, suspecting a poison. They also brought some joss paper and offerings because today was the 37th day since Lu Huai passed away. While burning joss paper, Xin Mei regretted marrying Lu Huai. If not for her jinx, he wouldn’t be executed. They didn’t know that Lu Qianqiao was still alive and watching them.
Everyone at the Liang Mansion grew impatient. Zuo Yingying, who had a crush on Lu Qianqiao, saw him helping Xin Mei many times. She didn’t want to become Lu Qianqiao’s enemy, so she promised him to stay away from Xin Mei. Nangong Guohong wanted to return to his sect. Jiang Ji declared she would follow his decision if Xin Mei didn’t show up in three days.
Xin Mei realized that a mysterious benefactor kept helping her. She provoked the city guards to chase after her, so the mysterious person would show up. Lu Qianqiao, who was following her, started to see more colors. Sensing him following her, she led him to a riverbank and thanked him for his help. However, she said for him not to interfere with her business anymore. She had violated the Tao teaching not to meddle with mortal affairs, so she should bear the responsibility herself.
The next day, Lu Qianqiao and Chu Ying watched and helped Xin Mei leave the Capital with the children. She didn’t intend to escape, though. She gave the children money and supplies and sent them to her home in Wei County. At night, she sneaked back into the Capital to execute Minister Liang. But killing him, she still had to face Jin Lun, Jiang Ji, Nangong Guohong, and Minister Liang’s guards. Zuo Yingying was more cunning, though. Knowing that she couldn’t defeat Lu Qianqiao, she coaxed the leader of the Bishui Branch of Qinghong Sect to avenge the death of Mr. Gui.
Despite her cultivation level increasing from the Orchid, and she was healed by the Elixir, Xin Mei was no match with the gang up. When she was stabbed by Jiang Ji from behind, Lu Qianqiao felt the agony because of the blood pact between him and Xin Mei. He rushed to the arena to rescue Xin Mei. Jiang Ji recognized him from the inn, and Xin Mei also saw her husband’s face before passing out. Lu Qianqiao then took his wife back to the Safe Haven Inn.
Episode 7
The innkeeper, Li Niang, could see that the usually cold Lu Qianqiao was very worried about Xin Mei. She thought that Xin Mei was his lover. Chu Ying lamented that they were not meant to be. Lu Qianqiao didn’t want to leave Xin Mei, although she had seen his face before she fainted.
Emperor Zong Ding used this event to turn the tables in the court politics. His Majesty ordered the Liang family to be searched because Minister Liang Wenjing had misused his power for personal gain. His Majesty also released a decree stating that Lu Huai’s case was overturned, the four officials were corrupt, and Xin Mei was sent by the Imperial Court to kill them. The cultivators were no longer required to intervene. Jiang Ji was furious because the Court was the one who invited them to come.
One elite from Tianyuan Sect, Bai Zongying, arrived late in the cultivator coalition to bring Xin Mei down. Since Emperor Zong Ding already ordered the sects not to interfere, there was nothing they could do, and they shouldn’t fear Xin Mei, a low-level cultivator. However, her benefactor was dangerously powerful. Jin Lun consulted with Bai Zongying privately and suggested that, from the instant regeneration he had seen, the man was a War Demon.
When Xin Mei finally woke up, she was enraged because she had been deceived by Lu Huai, who had faked his death. Lu Qianqiao couldn’t tell her his real reason, but insisted that he never meant to harm her. Xin Mei attacked Lu Qianqiao and wanted to kill him; he had no choice but to restrain her. Xin Mei went from rage to sorrow, and finally she calmed down. She decided to forgive Lu Huai; he had his own reasons. But since she felt betrayed, they would part ways and never meet again.
Xin Mei was so dejected that Lu Qianqiao saw she had lost all color in her. He asked Chu Ying to erase Xin Mei’s memory from before she met Lu Huai, so she would not remember her misery anymore. What the heck? Erasing memories??? So, Xin Mei woke up at the Safe Haven Inn again, and Li Niang lied to her that she had found Xin Mei passed out in the rain after her grandmother’s funeral. Xin Mei couldn’t believe how she could level up her cultivation while she was in a coma.
Xin Mei went her way, and she only remembered that she wanted to find the Immortal Pill for her master in Chongling Valley. She passed by Meishan Jun, who was surprised that she didn’t recognize him. He Zhenbu, the leader of the Bishui Branch of Qinghong Sect, sent someone to secretly cast a spell on Xin Mei to avenge the death of Mr. Gui.
Episode 8
The spell made Xin Mei unable to drink anything, not even swallow juicy fruit. However, neither she nor Meishan Jun, who was not a cultivator, was aware of the spell.
On the way to Chongling Valley, Xin Mei and Meishan Jun rescued Lv Yunsu. She was the daughter of the late General Lyu Jing, a hero who defended the border. Lv Yunsu was mute and suffered from terminal heart failure and needed the Immortality Pill to survive. Lv Yunsu was on her way to Chongling Valley with her guardian Li Si, Dongyou Army Captain. Xin Mei then parted ways with Meishan Jun.
Apparently, the maker of the Immortality Pill, Physician Su Taiyi, had been an apprentice of Lu Qianqiao. To continue with his next mission, to scrape off his bones, Lu Qianqiao and Chu Ying went to Chongling Valley to meet Su Taiyi and Zhu Yu, Chongling Valley Senior Disciple. Zhu Yu took Lu Qianqiao and Chu Ying to see Su Taiyi, who called Lu Qianqiao “Master” and Chu Ying “Uncle”. Both Su Taiyi and Zhu Yu were young when Lu Qianqiao and Chu Ying were there fifty years ago.
While the three had a reunion in the secluded cave, several patients and representatives of the immortal sects gathered in Chongling Valley. The immortal sects were there for the tallying of Gongshan Jade Tablets and the Pill Tasting Competition.
Episode 9
When Bai Zongying, Tianyuan Sect walked into the meeting room, Lv Yunsu noticed that Xin Mei was fangirling Bai Zongying, and teased her that she had a crush on him. In fact, Bai Zongying didn’t even glance at her! Xin Mei sheepishly acknowledged that she saw him several times but he didn’t know.
This was funny because they collaborated in Mysterious Lotus Casebook, a 2023 wuxia drama. There, Wang Herun’s character was obsessed with Xiao Shunyao’s character.
Eventually, all guests of Chongling Valley were settled in. In the evening, Xin Mei wanted to go to the pantry but got lost in the vast place. She saw someone walking by and called him for directions. He was none other than Lu Qianqiao, having walked back from a reunion with Su Taiyi. Lu Qianqiao was shocked seeing Xin Mei, who didn’t recognize him at all and called him “senior”. Later, Chu Ying teased him for being fated with Xin Mei, as they met again.
Because she couldn’t drink water, Xin Mei eventually collapsed from thirst and lack of water. Luckily, it happened in front of Lu Qianqiao. He rushed her back to his room and called Su Taiyi. The funny physician was so happy seeing his Grandmaster with a young woman that he ran, and forgot his shoes, to see what kind of woman Lu Qianqiao attended to.
Physician Su diagnosed the spell right away as the Spell of Utterance. It was a rare and powerful magic that forces the victim to obey a command—in Xin Mei’s case, an order not to drink water. They had to find the spell caster and kill the person. Before he was found, Physician Su suggested Lu Qianqiao use the Fish Drinking Technique to feed Xin Mei water.
Episode 10
The scene where A Sheng caught and tortured Jiang Ji and Nangong Guohong to get the information about her sect sister Xin Mei was so cool. It turned out that Xin Mei had saved her life before from domestic abuse by her father and brothers. Jin Lun came to save the two, not before having a great fight with A Sheng, since both were Golden Core cultivators. Once Jiang Ji and Nangong Guohong were free, Jin Lun realized that they could harm A Sheng, so he took them away from her.
Lu Qianqiao patiently taught Xin Mei the Fish Drinking Technique until she mastered it and no longer felt thirsty. Now she was hungry, though, so he made her flatbread. Well, he never had to cook before because he never ate; everything tasted rotten as he was cursed. So, after several burnt flatbreads, the edible ones came out too thick and too salty. However, Xin Mei ate them gratefully and promised she would make better ones in the future for him.
The next day, Xin Mei took Lu Qianqiao to have lunch with Lv Yunsu and Li Si in the dining hall. Lin Muhan pretended that he and Lu Qianqiao knew each other, but Lu Qianqiao completely ignored him. While Lin Muhan was at their table, Bai Zongying entered with his fellow disciples. A fight broke out between Lin Muhan and Bai Zongying. Bai Zongying threw an energy blast onto their table, but Lu Qianqiao easily blocked it, much to the amazement of the people around them.
Jin Lun kept stalking A Sheng, much to her annoyance. She finally was able to trick him into appearing. When she told him to stop following her, he calmly said that she was his tribulation.
The real reason for Lu Qianqiao and Chu Ying to visit Chongling Vallet was to undergo the grueling process of renewing bones under the guidance of Su Taiyi. After drinking the necessary medicine, Lu Qianqiao became extremely weak. Chu Ying lied to Xin Mei that Lu Qianqiao caught a cold. To show her gratitude for helping her with the Fish Drinking Technique, she offered her help to take care of Lu Qianqiao, which Chu Ying happily accepted. At night, Xin Mei slept close to the proximity and had a nightmare triggered by the Spell of Utterance. Lu Qianqiao woke up because of the noise and realized that they needed to find the spell caster, because the Fish Drinking Technique was only a temporary relief.
TL;DR
- Xin Mei killed every corrupt official to avenge her husband. Lu Qianqiao and Chu Ying rescued Xin Mei from the cultivators’ group attack. The emperor overturned Lu Huai’s case.
- Xin Mei found out that Lu Huai is not dead. She was very shocked/angry/heartbroken. Lu Qianqiao asked Chu Ying to erase Xin Mei’s memory so that they had never met before.
- Lu Qianqiao and Xin Mei met again in Chongling Valley. Xin Mei was cursed by a spell. Lu Qianqiao started the bone scraping process.
- Jin Lun kept following A Sheng because she was his tribulation.
