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Parallel World (2023) 西出玉门 Episode 14 Recap & Review

Episode 14: Everyone checks into Honghuashu Nightclub

After Feitang and Ding Liu discussed it together, they unanimously decided to go to the market. They couldn’t enter the customs and return empty-handed. Ye Liuxi looked at Changdong, and when Changdong expressed his intention to go with him, he finally smiled. Then Changdong started to restore the car, and Gao Shen helped repair the tires. Feitang suggested that Lao Zhuan do it, but Ye Liuxi refused, fearing that their hands and feet were dirty.

When the car was almost ready to go on the road, all three maps were handed over. Although Fries couldn’t read much, fortunately, the drawings were more detailed. Changdong compared them repeatedly and formulated the route. Since the road between the market and the market is very desolate, and there are strange animals outside the market at night, Ye Liuxi suggested finding a place to stay before sunset, and Honghuashu Nightclub was the first choice.

After discussing this, Ye Liuxi urged everyone to pack their things and prepare to load the car and told Feitang to move everything in the cellar. Since Ahe and the others can be so ungrateful, they should suffer a little and learn what it means to be self-reliant. Fat Tang was obviously a little bit upset and asked Changdong for help in private. Changdong hinted that he would inevitably leave something behind in his hurry. As soon as these words came out, Fei Tang suddenly realized and handed Ah He two bags of rice before leaving.

The car finally drove away from the deserted village, but beyond the deserted village was the endless Gobi desert. Occasionally, we saw sand mountains but no direction, let alone plants such as red flowers and trees. Just as everyone was gradually losing patience, they suddenly saw an aurora appear in the sky in front of them, and a faint red light could be seen at the end. When they got closer, they discovered that it was actually a red flower tree. In front of them stood an old beggar with a rooster hanging from his waist, sprinkling flowers. None of the rice fell to the ground; it all went into the cock’s mouth.

Long before, Ye Liuxi had heard that someone would come to collect the trees at sunset and lure guests to the nightclub, so everyone guessed that he should be the one who came to collect the trees. The old beggar announced his name as Li Jinao and his identity as a magician who walked in the market and played shadow puppets. He led everyone to follow the stream of light and soon saw the person who opened the bottom cover to greet him.

Although Honghuashu Nightclub is not too big, it is very lively. There are dozens of crowded guest rooms, and the middle part of the ring is a dining room and event venue. Changdong asked Ye Liuxi to put on a mask, fearing that she would meet her enemy in Guan Nei, so the five of them got out of the car and walked directly into the store.

There was a middle-aged woman sitting at the front desk, with dull eyes and a cold tone, reminding them not to move around after eleven o’clock, otherwise they would be held responsible for anything that happened. Changdong chose the large room on the second floor. After all, it would be safer for everyone to live together. Even if there were not enough beds, they could still make beds on the floor. No one would complain hypocritically.

After putting their luggage away, the five of them went downstairs and ordered noodles, listening to Li Jin’ao fawning over the woman at the front desk, hoping that she would let him perform more shadow puppet performances. The woman was a little impatient and said that it was good to let people like Li Jinao live for free, so why would she pay him to perform a show.

However, the speaker has no intention of listening. Changdong and Ye Liuxi looked at each other and asked Li Jin’ao to open the play. The first act was “The Conjuring”. The props prepared by Li Jin’ao were very simple. When he played Tao Xun, a group of fireflies named Xiaojiao that looked like will-o’-the-wisps exchanged and superimposed behind the curtain, gradually turning into two people, namely the general and his wife.

Ye Liuxi saw that Li Jin’ao’s identity was not simple, so he told Ding Liu to add a few more dishes and some wine, and get him drunk later to talk some words. As expected, Li Jin’ao drank to his heart’s content and was flattered by everyone. He talked about how his ancestors had been alchemists in Guan Nei and had controlled the shadow puppet team for generations. In addition, Li Jin’ao also told the truth about the general’s expulsion of alchemists and strange beasts, which was completely different from the stories they had heard.

It turned out that the general missed his wife, and unexpectedly discovered that the lady behind the curtain was actually a shadow puppet made up of Xiaoyao. He became furious on the spot. Later, it was found out that Xiaoyao and the alchemist’s magic came from a strange desert desperate situation. The general was afraid that the alchemists’ mastery of more magic would shake his rule, so he imprisoned the alchemists, their nine tribes, and strange beasts and magic, as well as the Yulin guards responsible for escorting them, into that magical space. The legend of Yumen being haunted by monsters.

Everyone also wanted to ask about the origin of the shadow puppet team, but unfortunately Li Jinao stopped revealing it and was completely drunk. Changdong asked the landlady to send Li Jin’ao back to the room, and they went to the bathroom to take a shower, while Feitang stayed in the room and looked at things. During this period, Changdong always felt that there was a flying shadow, but Gao Shen didn’t notice it. Instead, Ye Liuxi walked back after taking a shower. He was shocked to find that Changdong was following behind silently, showing a strange smile.