Introduction
In the first part, Love on the Turquoise Land: Drama Info and Recap Episodes 1 to 8, once they clarified each other’s misunderstanding, Yan Tuo and Nie Jiuluo started working together, and what a great partnership they have! Their initial reluctant collaboration and growing trust highlight how their combined skills and shared mission against mysterious forces drive the narrative forward.
Recap Episodes 9 to 16
Episode 9
Lin Ling told Yan Tuo that she had discovered that a group of humanoid Earth Fiends was being secretly summoned to Xicang, indicating a major operation was underway. Indeed, we saw a bunch of new characters showing up at the beginning of the episode. Lin Ling managed to get the list of their info. Yan Tuo told Jiuluo, who in turn told Xing Shen. Xing Shen became the Hunter’s temporary leader after Boss Lin captured Mr. Jiang. They decided to focus on two guys who went separately. Jiuluo followed the two men to a hotel, while Xing Shen and the rest were waiting at that hotel. Alas, the two men spotted Jiuluo. She called Yan Tuo to inform him that she had been spotted, but her call to Xing Shen didn’t go through. The two men diverted Jiuluo to a desolate area, where there was no phone service. Yan Tuo couldn’t reach Jiuluo, so he decided to go find her.
The Earth Fiends led her to a deserted dock, and they fought. Although Jiuluo was highly skilled, the Earth Fiends launched a coordinated attack on her. She wounded one severely, but the other one stabbed her in her back. Luckily, Yan Tuo arrived at the right time, having used his hunch about where he could find her. He gravely injured the Earth Fiends and took her away. He tried to keep her conscious, as Jiuluo was nearly passed out while hallucinating about her parents.
Episode 10
Yan Tuo took Jiuluo to his friend’s clinic, the physician Lv Xian, to do surgery and close her wounds. He warned Lv Xian not to disclose Jiuluo to anyone, especially Boss Lin, especially since they were both Boss Lin’s adoptive sons. However, since Lv Xian’s clinic was under Roadside Chemical’s company, after the surgery Yan Tuo moved Jiuluo to Liu Chang Xi’s place to recover. Mr Liu was his old friend who was like a father to him, and owned a dumpling shop. Haha, Mr. Liu thought that Yan Tuo and Jiuluo was in a relationship, and she had a C-section surgery! Meanwhile, Yan Tuo returned to the dock to take care of the crime scene. He meticulously cleaned up all traces of blood and evidence, then pushed the car and the bodies into the depths of the sea. The Earth Fiend whom Jiuluo injured died, and Yan Tuo captured the other one, who was unconscious.
Episode 11
Luckily, Yan Tuo had removed Jiuluo from Lv Xian’s clinic, because after that, a group of men led by Xiong Hei forcefully dragged a heavily injured Gou Yan to Lv Xian’s clinic, having struggled to capture him. He escaped in Episode 10.
When Yan Tuo returned home after safely hiding Jiuluo at Mr. Liu’s shop, Lin Ling showed him a needle mark on her arm, which she found in Episode 10. That night, the creepy nanny brought Lin Ling her customary glass of milk before bed. It’s creepy indeed, since Lin Ling was no longer a child. Lin Ling had already discerned the sedative mixed into it, but she had to drink it anyway under the careful watch of the nanny. Soon after, Lin Ling drifted into a drugged sleep and had a nightmare. When she woke up the next day, she discovered a fresh needle mark on her arm, which scared her.
Lin Ling recalled a strange, hazy sensation that night and felt someone gently touching her. Yan Tuo suspected that it was Boss Lin doing, but advised her not to confront Boss Lin to arouse her suspicion. He would take care of the matter. Yan Tuo then met Boss Lin, and was introduced to other Earth Fiends who had just come, as Lin Ling told him before. One of them was Feng Mi, who apparently fell for him at first sight. Yan Tuo quickly left after the introduction. Although I watched the actress who played Feng Mi before and liked her, this Feng Mi is creepy and a slut, as we saw her in Episode 10.
Lv Xian called Yan Tuo about Gou Yan being dragged into his clinic. Although Lv Xian tried to keep Gou Yan at his clinic, as per Yan Tuo’s request, Gou Yan woke up anyway and was taken away by Xiong to the farm to see Boss Lin. Yan Tuo followed them, and discovered mysterious experiments were underway at the farm. Hidden, Yan Tuo recorded the gruesome event as Boss Lin executed Gou Yan, because his reckless escape and near exposure of their operations endangered everyone.
Meanwhile, at the Nanshan Hunters’ base, several members wanted to leave, because they feared the humanoid Earth Fiends and Xing Shen secretly kept a live Earth Fiend at the base. Just then, Yu Rong, the successor of the Ghost Whip, arrived. She, together with Xing Shen as Mad Dog, and Jiuluo as Mad Blade, was the powerful trio of the Nanshan Hunter. Yu Rong had been away overseas. I liked Yu Rong, she seemed a no-nonsense girl. Yu Rong directly challenged Xing Shen, accusing him of secretly taming an Earth Fiend. Apparently, the responsibility of taming beasts fell onto the Whip Clan, which was Yu Rong’s. Xing Shen explained he had replicated 70% to 80% of the Earth Fiends’ communication frequency, believing it could be a powerful weapon. Her arrival lifted the spirits of the members, so they decided not to leave the group. The Nanshan Hunters then discussed how to rescue Mr. Jiang.
Yan Tuo was ahead in the mission to rescue Mr. Jiang, after hearing where he was kept, the Rare Stone Garden. Yan Tuo then went there with Lv Xian, who was disguised as a feng shui master. Lv Xian then pretended to be possessed, babbling about omens and his ancestors calling him. Yan Tuo seized the opportunity, loudly calling for help and creating a distraction that allowed him to slip away to the backyard. There, he discovered Mr. Jiang.
Episode 12
Mr. Jiang recognized Jiuluo’s bracelet, which Yan Tuo showed to prove his identity. When Yan Tuo told him about the Nanshan Hunters’ rescue plan, Mr. Jiang firmly refused. He explained that he still held value to his captors and could extract information. He believed that as long as he remained a captive, Boss Lin wouldn’t act recklessly and harm the Nanshan Hunters. Mr. Jiang only told Yan Tuo to tell the Hunters to keep a close watch on Locust.
Speaking of Locust, Xing Shen and Yu Rong went to see the monster. Xing Shen told her that it was captured twenty years ago. As a child, he stumbled upon Locust after getting lost while escaping punishment from Mr. Crip. Mr. Jiang entrusted Locust to his care because they had no Mad Blade to kill it. Yu Rong cautioned Xing Shen that while Locust might be his old friend, it was an enemy to the other Hunters. They then visited Mr. Sun, who was completely transformed into a monster. Yu Rong deemed him untamable, because while beast minds are simple, human minds are unfathomable
Yan Tuo visited the recovering Jiuluo. He was so sweet, bringing Jiuluo clay, sculpting tools, and books to help pass the time. He even washed her hair, since she couldn’t use her hand temporarily. Yan Tuo passed Mr. Jiang’s message to Jiuluo, including Locust. Jiuluo explained that while critical hits could make them unconscious, only a Mad Blade could truly kill them. Since there was no Mad Blade at that time, Mr. Jiang let Xing Shen keep him. Yan Tuo told Jiuluo about Gou Yan’s execution. That means Earth Fiends could kill each other, right? Jiuluo revealed that Gou Yan’s execution was most likely because he ate a human (the female teacher from the orphanage). A taboo that exposed their human disguise, and the Hunters could sense them. To disguise, Earth Fiends always live with humans, not in isolation. That was why Boss Ling lived with Lin Ling. Could it be that Boss Ling sedated Lin Ling with the milk to suck her blood at night???
Speaking of Lin Ling, in Episode 11, Boss Lin constantly urged her adoptive daughter to marry and have “many descendants,” while never pressuring the older Yan Tuo. He and Jiuliuo conclude that humans with specific bloodlines, like Lin Ling, were essential for Earth Fiend reproduction.
Boss Lin matchmade Lin Ling with Lv Xian, so she forced her adoptive daughter to go on a date with him, followed by the creepy nanny. Although Lv Xian seemed to like Lin Ling, he knew she didn’t like him. From their convo, we knew that Lin Ling was adopted by Boss Lin, who has no biological children, while Lv Xian was an orphan whose education was sponsored by Boss Lin’s company, Roadsound Pharmaceutical. Lv Xian assured Lin Ling that while the outing was arranged, his desire to be her friend was genuine, aww! I guessed they would be the secondary couple? I felt bad for Lin Ling, who lived a forced life with Boss Lin, and Lv Xian seemed like a good guy.
Episode 13
Love blossomed between Yan Tuo and Jiuluo, thanks to Mr. Liu, who claimed that he was too tired to care for a patient at night and subtly suggested Yan Tuo stay. The couple found themselves in a romantic situation. Yan Tuo carried Jiuluo to the bathroom, making her heart pound nervously as she tried to mask her unease. Mr. Liu went further by putting a portable bed next to Jiuluo’s bed, ultimately leading Yan Tuo to reluctantly sleep next to Jiuluo. Both Yan Tuo and Jiuluo tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Jiuluo delivered a message to Xing Shen about Mr. Jiang and Yan Tuo. Xing Shen was still suspicious of Yan Tuo, so Jiuluo clarified that Yan Tuo’s biological parents were killed by Earth Fiends and that he had been secretly working to bring them down. In fact, he helped her subdue the Earth Fiends, and now one called Chen Fu was in their capture.
While Jiuluo interrogated Chen Fu, Yan Tuo went home and saw Xiong and the other Earth Fiends checking the surveillance cameras, looking for the missing Chen Fu. They saw Jiuluo’s car, which followed the Earth Fiends, and Yan Tuo lied that he had dumped the car into the sea. However, Feng Mi went to the car rental looking for the specific car. Yan Tuo and Jiuluo rushed to the scene, at the right time when Feng Mi was about to see Jiuluo on screen. In a critical moment, Yan Tuo swiftly pulled the main power switch, causing a blackout, then sneaked in and retrieved the surveillance memory card.
When they returned to Mr. Liu’s shop, they found out that Chen Fu had bitten his own tongue because he didn’t want to reveal any info about Earth Fiends. Checking his phone, Yan Tuo and Jiuluo saw frequent calls from a woman named Xu Anni. The two decided to investigate Anni who lived in Heyang.
Episode 14
Jiuluo pretended to be an event organizer and wanted to book Anni, who was a singer. Anni noticed Jiuluo’ injured arm, and Jiuluo lied that her boyfriend had had a few drinks and got rough. Anni advised Jiuluo to leave her ‘boyfriend’ and shared her own past experiences with a violent ex-boyfriend. She said her current boyfriend, a simple man who treated her with genuine affection. Anni seemed unaware that her boyfriend Chen Fu was a monster!
Another romantically awkward situation between Jiuluo and Yan Tuo. Upon checking into a hotel, they discovered that only one deluxe king suite was available. Upon learning the room also had a sofa and a chaise lounge, they decided to share. Yan Tuo promised to take the lounge and let Jiuluo sleep in bed. However, after a few drinks, he passed out in bed, lol!
Yan Tuo lied to his adoptive mother that he went to Heyang for business to meet a certain Mr. Meng. However, he didn’t meet Mr. Meng on the first day, and the next day, Mr. Meng tried to reach Yan Tuo to reschedule the meeting. Boss Lin found out about it, and Yan Tuo met an online friend and drank too much, so he missed the calls.
The next day, while following Anni, Jiuluo noticed a shady man, pretending to be a tourist, was actually intently watching Anni. Yan Tuo, who also pretended to be a tourist, approached the man and smelled ether in his bag. Yan Tuo acquired the skill to identify chemicals through their smell from his time in the lab, preparing to take over Roadsound Pharmaceutical. Yan Tuo then intentionally bumped into the man, causing his bag to fall and the ether bottle broken.
Anni was still not safe from danger, though; the same man was following her when she walked home after a performance. Just as the suspicious man was about to act on Anni, Yan Tuo and Jiuluo intervened. The man then admitted Anni’s boyfriend had hired him to drug her and then rape her, specifically timing the act during her ovulation, with extra payment if she got pregnant. Jiuluo and Yan Tuo discussed Chen Fu’s motive, and deduced that Chen Fu wanted Anni pregnant (not by him) to turn her into a blood bag for a ritual. They also realized that no wonder Boss Lin forced Lin Ling to marry. Lin Ling had been Boss Lin’s blood bag, and Lin Ling having a child will carry over the ritual.
Episode 15
We got to know more about Boss Lin in this episode. From Yan Tuo’s memory, his mother took him to his father’s mine, where a worker named Li Ergou caused trouble before disappearing into a kiln. His father’s subsequent search was fruitless. Not long after, Lin Xirou arrived at their home, introduced by his father as Li Ergou’s cousin. Jiuluo surmised that Li Ergou was likely Boss Lin’s first blood bag, making him a close relative of Lin Ling, whom Boss Lin later adopted. Jiuluo guessed that Li Ergou must be Lin Ling’s brother.
Jiuluo was worried about Xu Anni, how reliant she was on Chen Fu. She and Yan Tuo needed to fabricate a believable lie for Anni to break up with Chen Fu and move on. Yan Tuo asked Jiuluo if humans injured by humanoid Earth Fiends would get infected due to their close relations. She explained that she had fought and been injured by a few Earth Fiends without succumbing to infection, suggesting that humanoid Earth Fiends, by masking their scent, might have also weakened their ability to infect humans. They then drafted a polite breakup message sent through texting, and went back to Jiuluo’s home. They had a good time at Jiuluo’s home, thanks to the housekeeper’s great food, and Mrs. Lu discreetly prepared a guest room for Yan Tuo. Indeed, he spent the night at Jiuluo’s home, after dinner and making paper stars.
The next day, Jiuluo researched more about Earth Fiends through ancient texts, describing a substance found in Turquoise Land called Yuwang Meat, which could merge two species and grant longevity. Ancient emperors sought it for immortality, leading Qin troops to South Mountain. This text was connected to her recent discoveries about Earth Fiends. She then carefully moved Chen Fu’s body to the Nanshan base, and shared her findings that humanoid Earth Fiends maintain their form by consuming human nutrients from blood bags. They must be direct blood relatives; otherwise, consuming non-relatives would allow Hound Clan members to detect their scent, as happened with Gou Ya in Yan Tuo’s car. To secure a continuous supply, Earth Fiends live as family members with their blood bags, like Chen Fu with Xu Anni.
When Jiuluo credited Yan Tuo for his help in the process, Xing Shen reminded Jiuluo that as Mad Blade, she was mingling with someone from the Earth Fiends’ side and questioned Yan Tuo’s motives. Jiuluo confidently stated that she had her own judgment and Xing Shen shouldn’t worry.
Episode 16
Oh no, Boss Lin’s lackeys found the Earth Fiend’s car in the sea, which also contained a trunk with the dead Earth Fiend’s body. The skull wound clearly indicated the work of the Mad Blade. Boss Lin was angry since Mr. Jiang told her that the last Mad Dog was injured, and she tortured him brutally. Mr. Jiang maintained that the Mad Blade skill was extinct, though the blade itself was in someone else’s hands. Because of the excruciating pain, Mr. Jiang eventually passed out, and Boss Lin circulated the torture video to be seen by the Nanshan Hunters. Jiuluo watched the video with profound regret, blaming herself for not properly disposing of the Earth Fiend’s body. She promptly decided to rescue Mr. Jiang, despite his prior refusal.
That evening, Jiuluo and Xing Shen were stealthily making their way inside the Rare Stone Garden to rescue their leader. Alas, Mr. Jiang had already been moved. Upon learning that the Nanshan Hunters had targeted the Rare Stone Garden, Boss Lin suspected a mole. Knowing that Yan Tuo went to the Garden last time, she interrogated him when he came home from Heyang. At this time, he really went to Heyang to meet Mr. Meng for business.
Boss Lin obtained the hotel surveillance camera, which showed Yan Tuo was with a woman (Jiuluo) at the receptionist area. Seeing himself on the surveillance footage, Yan Tuo candidly admitted to meeting a young woman he met on a dating app. Rather than reprimanding him, Boss Lin encouraged him to be with Feng Mi, who was hot on Yan Tuo. Yan Tuo was initially reluctant, but then received a text message from Jiuluo, alarming him that Mr. Jiang had been tortured and moved from the Rare Stone Garden.
Yan Tuo didn’t have any other escape than agree to have a dinner date with Feng Mi, to exchange coded messages with Jiuluo, who arranged a dinner next table with her artist friend. Through this coded interaction, Jiuluo successfully obtained background information on the other four humanoid Earth Fiends.
Jiuluo promptly forwarded this intelligence to Xing Shen, and asked him to investigate these people. However, Xing Shen was still suspicious of Yan Tuo and wanted to meet him directly, despite Jiuluo’s warning, because Yan Tuo was in a difficult situation now, after being suspected by Boss Lin. Later that night, Yan Tuo managed to call Xing Shen. Yan Tuo couldn’t meet Xing Shen but revealed that his sister, Lin Ling, was being held as Boss Lin’s blood bag, and he needed their help to rescue her. Xing Shen then provided him with a new location, Hanlin, and instructed him to find a way to get there.
Conclusion
I was worried about Yan Tuo with his daring actions against the master villain. He probably thought that, although she was suspicious, she still treated him as a ‘family member’. However, considering that Boss Lin was not a human, how could she possess humanity in treating Yan Tuo? Meanwhile, these Nanshan Hunters drove me crazy with their ineffectiveness. How did I see that so far, only Nie Jiuluo, the reluctant Hunter, and Yan Tuo, who was not even a Hunter, were mostly in the drama spotlights; the other Hunters seem a ragtag of weak ‘army’.
Let’s see how Part 3 would fare: Love on the Turquoise Land: Drama Recap Episodes 17 to 24.
