The Duel
Jang Gang is forced to bear the truth about his family’s past. He knows that the King’s son will be born, and it’s been written in the stars. Jang Uk must protect the baby, and he knows that he can’t do it alone. He needs the help of his friends, and he’ll find it in the city of Seoul.
Mu-Deok, the young woman who speaks to the dead, is trying to help Jang Uk, a man who is determined to make his father regret banishing him. However, Uk is coming down with a fever and Mu-Deok believes it may be related to his energy. She sets to work pouring cold water over him in the bath but when she returns again she finds that the water has frozen. Jang Uk is now sitting at his desk and he has clenched his fists. ..
Mu-Deok encourages him to breathe slowly, demanding he fight off the cold that he’s feeling. If not, he could freeze to death. Mu-Deok even cuddles up to him in bed too, a way of keeping him warm. Uk though, tells her to take his torrent of energy if it’s too much for him to bear.
Meanwhile, Yul and Dang-Gu try in vain to convince Park Jin to take Uk back in again. He shrugs that off though and tells them to focus on the Soul Shifter case instead.
Heo, a shaman, tells the boys that there are only two people in the world who can perform alchemy with souls: him and his friend. He asks them to watch Cheonbugwan, as he has suspicions about what is going on there. ..
Uk is back to training with Mu-Deok and is still not able to unsheathe the mage’s sword. Mu-Deok claims this is because he needs to master Ryusu first. ..
Prince Uk of Gyeongsang challenges Crown Prince Jang Gang of Jeolla to a duel over the ownership of Gwangju’s sword. Uk refuses to hand it over, even after Jang Gang offers to appoint him as the new Gwangju. The Prince then challenges Uk to a duel for possession of the sword. ..
The Crown Prince, Go Won, is fighting against Jang Uk. With Uk bested, just before Go Won strikes, Mu-Deok comes racing in and splashes the chamber pots all over the floor. However, in jumping back in surprise, he crosses the line and loses the duel. ..
Although he concedes, Go Won is livid that his clothes have been tainted and decides to punish Mu-Deok as a result. Jang Uk suddenly steps forward though to show Gang’s sword, which he’s managed to unsheathe, and slices Go Won’s sword in half. Jang Uk’s arm seems to have a mind of its own, courtesy of too much energy flowing into his arm, and begins slicing wildly at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince leaves without incident after Mu-Deok drops to her knees and begs for forgiveness.
Jang Uk eventually returns to Songrim and unsheathes the sword before them all, showing his power. He’s mastered Ryusu in the blink of an eye and asks Park Jin for a second chance. Jang Uk needs more training but Park Jin notices the band on Uk’s arm and tells him to remove it. This is, of course, holding back his power.
Despite Dang-Gu telling him to stop, Park Jin demands he do this so he can see the boy hold his sword. And just like that, Jang Uk uncontrollably slices straight through the King’s shoulder.
When Park Jin learns that Uk fought with the Crown Prince, smashing the latter’s sword in the process, he’s shocked. He knows of course Uk is there too and he intervenes, pointing out how dangerous this whole ordeal was and how it could have endangered the Prince. Although Park Jin manages to calm the situation, it’s definitely something balancing on a knife-edge.
In private, Park Jin speaks to Uk about his powers. Park Jin admits that he’s truly impressed with his abilities. Uk also admits that the flogging actually helped his energy flow.
Park Jin, a recent immigrant to the United States, is quick to pick up on American customs and suggests he join their trade and learn about the business. Alternatively, he could team up with Heo and learn about the art of medicine. ..
Jang Uk refuses his offer to become a mage and tell his father he intends to avenge his father. Only, Park Jin squashes those dreams and tells him he’s the product of an illegitimate love affair. Jang Uk is shocked, crushed at this revelation, and decides not to train after all. Mu-Deok tries in vain to get through to him, but he shrugs it off and claims he’ll just sell her off if she continues this way.
Jin-Mu continues to lie and deceive his people, deciding that Uk should beheaded for his insolence. Mu-Deok suggests they fight again to show what a fair fight this was, which Jin-mu decides is a good idea. Jin-mu also claims they can’t be responsible for what happens should Uk die as a result of this.
When news of this spreads, Mu-Deok confronts Jang Uk and tells him if he stays he’s likely to lose his arm. So he decides to flee the secret room and escape.
Jang Uk needs to be ready for the next step in his journey. He’s been traveling for months, and he’s not at the point where he can just relax and take it easy. He needs to be sharp and focused, so that he can take on whatever comes his way.
The duel is scheduled to take place in the middle of next month, but if Uk doesn’t show up then he’ll be deprived of his right to become the next Gwangju.
The Episode Review
The Alchemy of Souls episode was another good one, with the deep ties between Uk and the characters shown just how powerful he really is.
Jang Uk and Mu-Deok will start training next week. ..
The duel between the Crown Prince and Jang Uk is a great way to show just how naturally gifted Uk is and how this is his destiny. At the same time, alleviating the tension by using a chamber pot water and then arguing over who should be punished for this insolence, is a really nice way of breaking up the action.
The Alchemy of Souls production team has built a 5 billion won set for this, which is doubtless why it’s such a good looking drama.
Park Jin seems to be more open about his feelings this time around. He talks about how he feels bad for the flogging last episode and wonders if he should give up and start a trading business with Jang Uk. This is a great dialogue scene that shows how much Park Jin cares about Jang Uk. ..
The ending of the novel leaves much to be desired, but it also leaves open the possibility that this may be the most dramatic adventure yet.
