Summary
A really exciting episode that heightens the drama through unexpected moments of tension.
We recap the Netflix K-Drama Alchemy of Souls season 1, episode 14, which contains spoilers.
Recaps, news, and reviews for Alchemy of Souls.
Alchemy of Souls season 1, episode 14 recap
After watching a scene showing Jang Uk’s mastering of Chisu, we see Park Jin question Master Lee about the guidance he’s giving the young master. However, the wise teacher rejects the notion of being the one to give Jang Uk such a thing, before we cut to the Crown Prince explaining to Jin Mu that nobody is teaching the Jeongjingak mage spells, as confirmed by Mu-deok. However, we see that the royal is also reflecting on just how much the maid means to her ally.
Elsewhere, Seo Yul notices that Dang-gu is aware of Jang Uk always listening to Mu-deok, deciphering through that that his friend is aware of just who she is, and also wishes to protect her. Not liking the fact the pairing are close, the genius mage is unhappy that if they go down the wrong path, there is nothing he is able to do. Concurrently, we hear Park Jin explain that Jang Uk is someone able to bring chaos to the world, cautious over the young master learning about the King’s Star which could broaden the horizons of the trainee greatly.
With Master Lee detailing that while some people take over a decade to control energy, others are able to do it from birth, we see Jang Uk’s success in reaching Chisu, even if we hear over this feat that the world view people like him as “reckless, unreliable and even dangerous at times” due to his differences from the crowd. Lee continues by stating that some could be jealous, with others worried, all because nobody knows how the powers held by these people will be used.
Unable to tell whether Jang Uk can save the world like Seo Gyeong, or do the opposite, Master Lee wishes to continue watching the young master, and get rid of the mage’s powers with his own hands if needs be. At that point, we move forward to Jang Uk’s return to Jeongjingak, where he manages to successfully get under the skin of Cha Beom ahead of what was meant to be their duel.
Understanding that the battles were used for training, the Crown Prince also wonders if the yin-yang jade was part of a manipulative plan enacted by Mu-deok. So he informs the maid that he will destroy the item should Jang Uk lose his final duel, hoping to do away with the love the pairing share. However, Naksu is unflinching, leading to an angry Crown Prince throwing away the jade on the spot.
Noticing an apparent lack of care for the item, the royal continues to express his anger towards Mu-deok by explaining that if she really is apathetic towards the discarding of the jade, she has lied. Resulting in the maid officially being put up as the prize for the final duel, we soon see Cha Beom drop out of the battle, but recommend Seo Yul for the job. What follows is a scene of swift convincing, with the genius mage happy to help his cousin given the stakes.
Now at the point we left off at, the fight between friends begins in intense fashion. However, even after Jang Uk mimics spells learnt from his previous duels and gains the upper hand, Seo Yul ends up winning. Though it’s still the young master who wins the plaudits due to his display of reaching Chisu, with Dang-gu particularly impressed.
Once more frustrated, this time over the fact that he knows why Mu-deok was happy to put herself up as the prize for the tenth duel, the Crown Prince signals the start of the maid’s tenure serving Seo Yul. Meanwhile, Jang Uk has his injuries tended to by Heo Yeom, exciting the elder mage with his display of Chisu.
Wanting to pretend to keep to his promise, Seo Yul is fine with Mu-deok seeing Jang Uk whenever she pleases, but does subtly request that she follows him to Seoho Fortress when he returns there under the guise of it being help. At the same time, Park Jin finds out that the young master has reached Chisu, baffled by the mage’s rapid progress. When confronting Jang Uk, Songrim’s leader only ends up embarrassed, as he finds out that it’s Master Lee who is trying to woo Maidservant Kim. Jealous, Park Jin later claims to know his love interest best, even if Heo Yeom deems him slow-witted.
As Park Jin walks away from interrupting a meeting between Master Lee and Maidservant Kim, we watch as an invite is extended for the teacher to stay as long as he wishes, one which isn’t afforded an answer when it becomes evident that Kim holds a flame for Songrim’s leader. Elsewhere, Jang Uk vocalises his worries about the fact that he cannot visit Mu-deok to Dang-gu, while Seo Yul shows the maid a bird he used to send letters. There’s a tender moment in this scene involving another bird whistle, showing the closeness the two could still have. In the background, Jang Uk watches on, deflated.
With that in mind, we do see that the reason Mu-deok hasn’t visited Jang Uk is due to her wanting to find the missing jade first. Though when she heads out that night to look for it, we do not see just yet whether it’s uncovered.
The next day, rumours begin about Jang Uk’s potential chastity, and his relationship with Master Lee, who is deemed to be his teacher by the young master’s contemporaries. Concurrently, the King is referred to Seo Gyeong’s pupil for his anxiety regarding soul shifters, while Ho-gyeong shouts at servants over their lack of care for Bu-yeon’s room.
Gifting Cho-yeon jewellery as an early birthday present, Woo-tak uses his moment of kindness as an opportunity to retrieve something from his daughter with a purposeful prick of her neck. Following that, Mu-deok spots the arrow she was shot with, wishing to have a rematch with Park Jin once her strength returns. Then, Songrim’s leader walks in to inform the maid to be careful, with a back-and-forth following that sees Naksu labelled as “daring.”
Prying into how her and Jang Uk first met, Park Jin orders a background check into Mu-deok to figure out the type of person she is. He puts this down to mere curiosity, but it’s clear there is something else at stake too.
After thugs are shown to be pursuing So-i further, we move to Cheonbugwan’s secret room, where the people who had items stolen by the trickster are killed in front of the future Bu-yeon stand-in. “Betray me or get your cover blown, and you will meet the same fate,” Jin Mu then says, hoping to strike fear into So-i as he asks to be told if there is anyone else that could recognise her so they too can be gotten rid of.
When the Crown Prince and Mu-deok finish discussing the jade that has been found by the maid, we witness the harsh rumours surrounding Jang Uk spread further. It irritates Naksu, who confronts Cha Beom’s group over their obnoxiousness, and is backed up by the royal (here, he explains that she must tell him if people mistreat her while he’s not around).
Rushing over with the jade to see Jang Uk, Mu-deok stops in her tracks when spotting the young master act affectionately towards Lady Heo. Hiding the precious item when greeted, the maid approaches silently, only able to muster words when the Sejukwon worker leaves. Shockingly, a kiss follows a jealous request from Mu-deok that her student embraces Lady Heo should he want to prove he’s not Master Lee’s pupil, flustering the former assassin who later coyly presents the jade she has found.
Preparing to head to the palace to make his move for the ice stone, Master Lee enlists the help of Dang-gu, Seo Yul and Jang Uk for his trip. Meanwhile, Park Jin calls in Mu-deok to expose her when discovering that she is meant to be blind, although her former associate manages to take enough responsibility to prevent any real suspicions for now.
Outside, the man explains to Mu-deok that he always found it odd that she was meant to be blind given she could see whoever was in front of her, knew whether it would rain or snow, and invited ignorance from others. Then, he asks whether the servant has met with So-i, who had robbed from Mu-deok in the past.
At the palace, Jang Uk wonders if the Queen could be shaman Choi, while Mu-deok is warned again about So-i being a potential danger to her, and Park Jin continues to suspect lies in the former assassin’s stories. Following that, the Songrim servant heads to the Ferry Inn for further help with covering her tracks, only to find her former associate dead.
The ending
Confessing that he has switched bodies, which startles the Queen, Master Lee calls himself a soul shifter in front of the royals, shocking everyone else around him. Claiming to be able to recognise soil shifters, Jang Uk surmises that he knew exactly who Mu-deok was from the beginning, as the episode ends with Park Jin alleging that the maid at the Ferry Inn killed her former boss.
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