i love the parallels between the four seasons and their motifs, and how they’re reflected in both their romantic and platonic relationships. like how spring is the transitional season between winter and summer and choyeon’s affections shift from uk to danggu. or how summer and fall follow each other and yul and danggu are practically joined at the hip. how uk, who represents winter, the season of darkness and death but also rebirth, falls for naksu, the shadow assassin, who is reborn as mudeok. or how yul is slowly being hurt by the sorcery he removed from mudeok like trees turning red then dying. or how uk and danggu are more emotional and impulsive than their temperate seasonal counterparts, who tend to plan and think things through before acting. i just think it’s neat.
Is someone with great talent inherently dangerous? No. It depends on the guidance OR THE LACK OF IT they get. Jang Wook has great talent, but Naksu is the only one who has ever been willing to teach him - apart from Master Lee, of course.
Alchemy of Souls: Theories and Analysis for Eps 13-14
Hey fellow readers!
If this is your first time reading my blog, I strongly suggest you read all of my other posts before continuing to read this most recent one. They provide a clearer understanding of why I think something will happen. I know my posts can be rather long, but they do provide a comprehensive view of everything that has happen in AOS. Therefore, I will not be answering questions which I’ve already gone over in previous posts nor questions where the answers can easily be found in the episodes. These types of questions will be ignored.
If you have questions which were not already answered in my posts then please feel free to ask them! I felt that if I had spent a great deal of time in organizing and writing these posts, the least you can do is read them before asking questions. I made these posts to be very detailed because I did not want to have to answer the same questions repeatedly.
On a serious note, I would appreciate it if people would quit taking my ideas and/or theories and passing it off as their own on social media and other blogs. If you want to share my theories, then give me credit for it. Again, I spend a great deal of time on these posts. It takes time to conduct research, re-watch episodes, connect the dots, and think through everything.
Ok……. wooshaaaaa……trying to find my inner peace right now!
Anyways, thinking caps on! Let’s analyze and theorize!
Keys and Reminders
Thought I should include this key just in case you all get confused when I mention certain characters’ names. I’m starting to mix up everything because there are so many names, faces, bodies, and souls lol.
Jin Bu Yeon=Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu
Cho Yeong = Mu Deok=Cho Yeong/Mu Deok
The person you see in the show right now is Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu’s soul back in her OG body. Again, Cho Yeong/Mu Deok’s soul went back to her OG body and died. There are no 2 souls/1 body type situation.
How the Hong Sisters Have Created the Perfect Illusion
One of the main themes in AOS is illusions. How do you create an illusion if you were a scriptwriter or director? You can leave out scenes, flash fake memories on the screen, manipulate the order of scenes, include convincing dialogue, etc. This is what the Hong Sisters been doing in AOS, most were just unaware of it. The Hong Sisters did remind everyone through various characters’ dialogue that to see past illusions, you need to read in between the lines.
Most people saw that scene with Soi followed by the scene with the same physical marks on the Mu Deok body as “proof” that Mu Deok is indeed Jin Bu Yeon (well this is Jin Bu Yeon’s body, but most kept getting the soul part wrong lol). Anyways, these same people saw these scenes as another piece of evidence that Mu Deok’s soul is Jin Bu Yeon’s soul and that her soul still resides in the body. Again, these viewers couldn’t see past the illusion the Hong Sisters created. It’s all very surface level thinking.
At the end of Ep 14, the whole being blind, but able to tell when it would snow or rain is just another illusion meant to trick viewers into thinking Mu Deok is Jin Bu Yeon. In actuality, Cho Yeong/Mu Deok’s soul may have been able to do those things because she was swapped with the Ice Stone. There are probably other explanations, but ultimately it has nothing to do with Mu Deok being Jin Bu Yeon. These are just illusions. You should be able to differentiate what is the truth and what is a lie by now. Ignore the illusions and focus on the truth.
What the Hong Sisters have been doing is creating the illusion that Mu Deok is Jin Bu Yeon so that when they drop that bomb that Naksu is Jin Bu Yeon it’s going to shatter your illusion aka blow your mind. Honestly, I’ve grown tired of all these mind games that the Hong Sisters have been playing lol.
More of Jin Mu’s Lies During Jin Bu Yeon’s Brainwashing Is Revealed
I have talked about how the Hong Sisters like to make light of Naksu’s real identity through Jang Uk’s dialogue and this happened again in Ep 13! Naksu was wondering how the constellation ceiling opened. Jang Uk asks Naksu, “Who told you that? Your father?”. Naksu replies, “He said the only way to open the ceiling above the constellation basin is by the energy of a constellation mage”.
Now the Prince recognized the ceiling could only be opened by those who have mastered Chisu which is the truth.
You see, Jin Mu told Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon this lie because he never wanted her to find out her real identity (Jin Bu Yeon). Jin Mu knew Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon would eventually master Chisu and could go to Cheonbugwan to see her constellation. To prevent her from doing that, he told her the little lie about needing the energy of the constellation mage to open the ceiling.
Later in Ep 13, here comes another little piece of info that Jin Mu left out during brainwashing time with Jin Bu Yeon. Maidservant Kim mentioned the names of the constellation mage and his daughter. Notice Naksu’s reaction upon hearing this. She was confused as hell. She was like “Cho Yeong?” ...who's that lol. She tried to soothe herself by telling herself, “That’s my name” like yea that's my name lol. If Naksu was indeed Cho Yeong/Mu Deok, she wouldn’t have that kind of reaction. She’s wouldn’t have any reaction period, but she did which is telling that Naksu is indeed Jin Bu Yeon.
Over and over again, Jin Mu has left out pieces of information (i.e Naksu’s “father” was a soul shifter) as well as lied about many things (i.e needing the energy of constellation mage to open the ceiling) in order to keep Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon in the dark about her real identity so that he could continue to use her to carry out all of his evil plans. He brainwashed Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon pretty severely.
Destroying The Ice Stone
I have told you all that in order to destroy the ice stone, you must have energy that is greater than the Ice Stone. For those who are unaware, the energy of the Ice Stone is the same Hwansu, the Sun, or star. Now, on the day Jin Bu Yeon tried to destroy the Ice Stone, she was unable to because she didn’t have enough energy to (yay looks like I was correct when I said in previous posts Jin Bu Yeon was trying to destroy the Ice Stone). Meaning she only had the energy of the Ice Stone which was not enough. The only way to truly destroy it if you have energy that is greater than the Ice Stone. This fits in line with my theory that the combination of Jin Bu Yeon and Jang Uk’s energies should be more than enough to destroy the Ice Stone. It could also be that Master Lee will add his energy to help those two to destroy the Ice Stone. You need like a lot, and I mean a lot of energy to be able to destroy the Ice Stone. Time for teamwork lol! Uh oh…I feel like Master Lee is going to die.
Connection between Jin Bu Yeon and Naksu
Something worth mentioning is the meaning of Naksu’s name and how it is connected to Jin Bu Yeon. Naksu’s name means “falling water”. What type of precipitation symbolizes “falling water”? Rain. On the day Jin Bu Yeon was last seen with Jin Mu, she was trying to destroy the Ice Stone. Specifically, Jin Bu Yeon was injecting a lot of energy into the Ice Stone to make it rain (please review “The Water Cycle”; post is found at the end of this section). Anyways, the reason why Jin Mu named Jin Bu Yeon, “Naksu”, was because he was naming her after the very thing she was trying to do the day he was with her which was to make falling water/rain happen.
Ice Stone and Soul Ejectors
What is the Ice Stone? It is energy similar to the energy of the Sun or a star or energy of a person who has mas
Master Lee
Before I start this section, I just want to pat myself on the back for correctly predicting Master Lee was a soul shifter!! Woohoo!! Celebration! Can’t wait to see if my theory that Master Lee is Seo Gyeong will also come true! Anyways, let’s talk about Master Lee!
Review Of Hwansu, Ice Stone, Fluffy, and Soul Shifting
As you all can probably tell by now, I have no patience for stupidity and laziness. If something has been explicitly stated in the show or I have extensively explained it in my blog, you all should get it by now. The concepts in AOS are not difficult to grasp. It is not rocket science, ok? In my Phd program, there are many students whom I would categorize as smart. To make up for my lack of intelligence, I work hard. I put in 50x the amount of work just to get to where they are. Therefore, I have no sympathy nor patience for stupid people who are lazy. At that point, they’re just plain stupid.
I’ve seen across multiple platforms how people thought Master Lee was bluffing when he said he was a soul shifter (Group #1). Then I also saw people saying how Master Lee was lying about being a soul shifter because Fluffy didn’t bark at him (Group #2). If you are in either group, start rewatching all the episodes and use your brain to think. Put in some work.
This will be the last time I go over simple concepts from AOS. I’ve done my fair share of work.
Let’s review some things:
A. Soul shifting is the process in which you shift your soul into another person’s body and vice versa. It is the equivalent of the fountain of youth.
B. Souls are immortal, bodies are mortal.
C. What does it mean to run wild? It means there’s a gap between the soul and body where energy can leak out.
D. What does Fluffy do? He detects the energy that leaks out from the gap between the soul and body.
E. What is Hwansu? It is the ability to convert water to fire and fire to water. Water and fire are metaphors for souls and bodies respectively. Hwansu allows one to soul shift without running wild.
F. Who has mastered Hwansu? Master Lee.
G. How old is Master Lee? Over a century old. Review Ep 6 and Ep 14.
H. How can one soul shift without running wild? By mastering Hwansu or using the Ice Stone.
Take all of this information and put it all together.
Let’s first look at Group #1. Master Lee wasn’t freaking bluffing when he said he was a soul shifter. How do you think he has remained so young looking? Go back to points A, B, E, F, and G. Why do you think Master Lee offers to teach Jang Uk Hwansu? Just because? No. It’s because he’s already mastered Hwansu. You can’t teach someone something if you have not mastered it. Again, what is Hwansu? Go back to point E.
Why do you think it was stated that Master Lee only wears a hemp robe? It’s because that’s the only way he can be identified since he changes bodies/faces all the time. Imagine if you were a soul shifter, you can change your body/face as many times as you want, and no one could tell it was you unless you wore something consistently. Master Lee could essentially be invisible if he wanted to be. For example, he could easily change to a different body/face and wear a blue robe and no one would be able to tell it was him.
Now let’s look at Group #2. Why doesn’t Fluffy bark at Master Lee? Go to points C, D, E, F, and H. If you’re really that simple minded, let me spell it out for you. Fluffy doesn’t bark at Master Lee because Master Lee has mastered Hwansu. Master Lee doesn’t run wild because there’s no gap between Master Lee’s soul and the body he is in. What does that mean? No freaking energy leaking out for Fluffy to even detect. Therefore, he doesn’t bark at Master Lee.
Jesus Christ.
So, if you know Shaman Choi had used the Ice Stone to soul shift, do you think Fluffy is going to be able to detect her? No. Fluffy will only be able to detect people who have shifted souls using a Soul Ejector. Then what was the point of Master Lee bringing Fluffy? To psyche Shaman Choi out. Master Lee knows very well that the person who has the Ice Stone will not be able to be detected by Fluffy, but he still wants to psyche her out. Why? Read further down in the next section.
Master Lee's Game of Chess and Tug of War
From push and pull to the ebb and flow of water, everything in AOS is about opposing forces (duality). Now with Master Lee vs Shaman Choi/Jin Mu, it’s all one big game of tug of war or chess. In a game of chess, there are two important pieces: the King and Queen. Master Lee has already made up his mind who his King and Queen pieces will be: Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon.
He needs his King and Queen to be at the top of their game so that he can use them to defeat Shaman Choi/Jin Mu. You see, Master Lee has mostly prepared his King (Jang Uk), but his Queen is still a work in progress. She still hasn’t been able to access her powers mostly because she is suffering from a mental block.
Master Lee is aware of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon’s mental block and knows the only person who can help her bypass her mental block is Jang Uk. This leads me to my next point, why do you think Master Lee had told Jang Uk that story about Seo Yul’s first love? It was because Master Lee was trying to “push” Jang Uk to “pull” Naksu closer to him. Master Lee in an indirect manner was trying get Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to not repress her feelings anymore. I did mentioned that Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's mental block is a result of suppressed emotions and memories. Side note, I thought it was funny that Jang Uk later uses the same tactic on Park Jin by telling him how Master Lee has been saying at the Jang residence as a way to push Park Jin to confess his feelings to Maidservant Kim lol.
Going back to previous post (“Deep Examination”), I'd mentioned Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon would never be able to fully come out from the shadows because Jin Mu made the whole world hate her. He did so by using her to carry out his evil plan as well as forcing her to become a soul shifter. It’s not easy to change the world’s negative perception of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon, but Master Lee has been working behind the scenes to do so. It’s like a multistep process!
Think about Master Lee’s conversation with Park Jin in Ep 12. What was Master Lee trying to do? He was trying to change Park Jin’s perception of Naksu. Why? Park Jin has great power (btw I’m not talking about physical power, I’m talk about power in the sense of influence) as the leader of Songrim. Master Lee knows Naksu’s fake identity as "Mu Deok" is about to come out. Therefore Master Lee wanted Park Jin to be understanding so that he doesn’t immediately kill her once he discovers “Mu Deok” is Naksu. Overall, Master Lee was trying to change Park Jin’s negative view of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon because he wants Park Jin to protect his Queen chess piece until he's ready to use her against Shaman Choi.
So who else’s opinions holds power in the world of AOS beside Park Jin of Songrim? The royals. By revealing himself as a soul shifter, Master Lee is seeking to accomplish three things: 1) Change the negative view people have about soul shifters 2) Change the negative view people have that those with great powers are always bad 3) Pull the person who has the Ice Stone out from the shadows. By accomplishing the first two things, it would allow both Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to finally come out of the shadows and be judged fairly for who they really are as people and not solely judged by how they may appear to others from the outside (i.e abominations, chaos, monsters, etc).
Furthermore, the notion that those with great powers should consider everything before exacting justice could also be applied to Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. Meaning once Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon fully come into their great powers, they will consider everything before punishing someone. It's like that quote from Batman, "With great power, comes great responsibility".
A brief digression. Look at Master Lee, he has great powers, but he doesn't instantly kill Naksu when he saw her. Why? Because he wanted to consider everything before he decides to kill her or not. He wants to know everything about her before making a judgement. It's like how in our the judiciary system, a judge must consider all the facts and evidence before making a judgement. That's how people with great powers should act like. When you're in a position of great power, jumping to a conclusion just based on what see on the surface is not justice, it's prejudice. This all ties back to one of the main themes of AOS: to not pass judgement only based on what someone looks like on the outside (body; outside), but to pass judgement based on who they are as a person (soul; inside).
Anyways, going back to the the third point, Shaman Choi/Jin Mu had been “pushing” things by “shamelessly” hiding the Ice Stone within the palace walls. In response, Master Lee was trying to “pull” Shaman Choi from the shadows by revealing himself as a soul shifter who can see other soul shifters . Remember it’s all about "push" and "pull" when it comes to fighting/war. How can you pull someone out from the shadows? You rattle them.
Master Lee was not planning on exposing Shaman Choi as a soul shifter, he knows she used the Ice Stone to shift her soul. Rather, he was planning to shake her up by exposing other soul shifters surrounding her (those who used soul ejectors to shift souls). Ever heard of psychological warfare? You know what happens when people start to panic and feel like they’re being backed into a corner? They start to make mistakes; they start to make stupid moves. They essentially expose themselves.
What else could cause the evil duo to panic? The arrival of Jang Gang. From Master Lee’s reveal to Jang Gang’s arrival, these things will ultimately cause the evil duo to lose focus and let their guard down….this is when Master Lee will put into play his King and Queen chess pieces ...aka Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon will attack!
Master Lee sure does have his work cut out for him lol. He has to change the minds of two powerful people ( Park Jin and The Royals) to ensure his King (Jang Uk) and Queen (Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon) chess pieces won't be harmed until Master Lee is ready for them to be used against Shaman Choi/Jin Mu.
Chaos and peace are two sides of the same coin, when the coin is flipped, the world holds its breath to see which side the coin will land on. I’m not a betting person, but I’m pretty sure our power couple will bring peace to Daeho.
How Soul, Energy, and Body Go Together
I think there may be confusion about soul energy and the body work together. To it simply, power/energy is not a feature of the body. Rather it is a feature of the soul. Take for example, the conversation between the King and Jang Gang. The King mentioned how Jang Uk was able to place a soul in a deal body and how it lived for over six months. Let’s think about this for a second. Does a dead body have any energy? No, it doesn’t. What gives a body energy is the soul, it is what gives “life” to a body.
Now with regards to the Ice Stone, people keep confusing what it really does. It is like a soul stone, not a body stone. It’s not going to bring back bodies, okay? So please don’t ask me for the hundredth time if GJY is going to come back for Part 2. This show is about souls, not about bodies.
I know this can be a difficult notion to grasp for many, but keep in mind this is Alchemy of Souls, not Alchemy of Bodies. The body is useless, it is something that can easily be reduced to ashes. The body doesn’t matter, the soul does. This has been repeatedly so many times now, yet people are still turning to the body to make theories. If you did, you truly did not understand the foundation of the show to begin with.
For these reasons, I truly think what happen with Jin Bu Yeon while she was in her Mama Jin’s womb is that Jang Gang used the ice stone to bring back her soul and this act inadvertently infused her soul with the energy of the Ice Stone. This act caused for physical changes to her body (i.e physical blindness). Changes to the inside is reflected on the outside. Inside (soul) -> Outside (body), not Outside (body) -> Inside (soul). What this means is changes to the soul is reflected outwardly in the body.
Since I know you all will ask again how the body of Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon can see now, I will explain it one the last time. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon’s soul had been transformed when Jin Mu switched her soul into Mu Deok/Cho Yeon's body. During the time Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon’s soul was in Mu Deok/Cho Yeon’s Body, her gained more energy through mastering many spells. Therefore, when she returned to her original body, her soul was more powerful than it had previously been. She had accumulated more energy which caused her soul to heal her own eyes. Again, changes to the soul are reflected outwardly in the body.
This connects back to what I had previously said that in order for Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to fully access her energy/powers, she must unlock her mind. It’s all in her mind. It’s all a mental thing. Or as I like to see it, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon just needs to go see a psychologist! Baby girl is having an epic identity crisis! Anyways, I hope this makes it clear to everyone. This will be the last time I mention this too!
Why Did Fake Daddy Jin Take A Strand of Blood from Cho Yeon?
To inject it or whatever into Soi so she can open the doors to Jinyowon. Recall that blood and energy go together and energy is connected to one’s soul. When you take someone’s blood, you essentially have a small piece of their energy/soul. Their energy (qi) is like DNA lol. So the doors of Jinyowon is locked by like a DNA molecular lock is the way I like to look at it lol. Again, this has nothing to do with the body.
Jang Gang’s 20 yrs Soul-Searching Journey
In my previous posts, I kept mentioning that Jang Gang had gone on a soul-searching journey for the past 20 years, but it finally dawn on me that he was on a LITERAL soul searching journey haha!!! Continue reading below for my theory on what Jang Gang was doing for the past 20 years! This is how I think the events happened for Jang Gang......
Cho Chung was killed. Jin Mu takes Cho Yeong and keeps her in Danhyaggot. Jang Gang seals the Ice Stone and leaves to find Cho Yeong. Many years passed and Jang Gang still has not found Cho Yeong.
Jin Mu takes Jin Bu Yeon to find the Ice Stone that Jang Gang had sealed. Around the same time, Jang Gang hears that Jin Bu Yeon has also gone missing and suspects Jin Mu took her to find the Ice Stone. Jang Gang goes to where he last sealed the Ice Stone to try and find Jin Bu Yeon. Jang Gang finds Jin Bu Yeon, but he realizes that the soul within that body is not Jin Bu Yeon’s, it’s Cho Yeong’s soul. He recognizes that Jin Mu had swapped their souls. What started out as a journey to find 1 soul/1 body now became a journey to find a second soul and body. Damn what a freaking mess lol. Jang Gang made it his mission to find Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (now in Cho Yeong’s body) so that he can return both Cho Yeong’s and Jin Bu Yeon’s souls to their original bodies.
Jang Gang leaves Cho Yeong in an old lady’s care while he goes out to search for Jin Bu Yeon’s soul. Before he leaves Cho Yeong (now in Jin Bu Yeon’s body), he tells her she must change her name to “Mu Deok” to avoid being found by Jin Mu. Jang Gang resumes his search for Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (in Cho Yeong’s body). He ends up searching for many years because it’s like I said, finding a soul is very difficult because their looks/face/body have changed. Jang Gang hears about a powerful assassin named “Naksu” who uses Tansu. Jang Gang knows Jin Bu Yeon’s soul was powerful since he infused her soul with the Ice Stone before she was born. He puts two and two together and realizes “Naksu” must be Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (in Cho Yeong’s body).
Jang Gang had great difficulty catching up to Naksu because she was a shadow assassin. Meanwhile, the old lady who was taking care of Cho Yeong soul (in Jin Bu Yeon’s body) had died. Jang Gang finally manages to find Naksu, but he was too late. He learned she had tried to shift souls before she died. He knows that when the Alchemy of Souls spell is casted for the 2nd time, souls are returned to their original bodies.
Thus, Jang Gang knows Cho Yeong had return to her original body and died. He goes back to Sari village to retrieve Jin Bu Yeon’s soul (now back in her original body). However, he finds out the old lady died and Jin Bu Yeon was sold off to Chwiseonru Courtesan House. He makes his way from Sari village to Songrim. Cue his arrival to Songrim. Talk about fate and coincidences lol. Jang Gang was out searching for many years only to learn that the one of the surviving souls (Jin Bu Yeon) was at his home and hanging around his son.
Anyways, I do wonder if Jang Gang is trying to find Jin Bu Yeon to kill her or return her to her family. Jang Gang might want to kill Jin Bu Yeon because he’s afraid she would run wild since she had been away from her body for too long. We have seen cases where people who return to their bodies do run wild (i.e Gil Ju). I would like to think better of Jang Gang and say he will return her to family. No…but really though…is this how Naksu’s reveal happens? Jang Gang comes back and reveals Naksu is Jin Bu Yeon. This then exposes Soi as an imposter who was placed in Jinyowon by Jin Mu. Once that happens, Jin Mu is going to start scrambling! This would definitely push Shaman Choi and Jin Mu to come out into the open. Boom! The battle for the Ice Stone begins!! Ohhhh I’m liking this theory of mine!
Who Killed Broker Kim?
The most obvious person would be Jin Mu since he did ask Soi if there was anyone else who would recognize her. Then again, the show is not about the obvious lol. Therefore, I think it Jang Gang was the one that killed Broker Kim. Why? Because Jang Gang has been tracking the last surviving soul (Jin Bu Yeon) and he probably wanted to keep Jin Bu Yeon’s identity safe. The piles of dead bodies we see next week is probably a trail of Jang Gang’s movement towards Jin Bu Yeon. Jin Mu did say Jang Gang does not kill so inconspicuously.
Other Thoughts
I felt like this is a scene is foreshadowing Park Jin and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon will have another face-off. I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT FOR IT!!! I know Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon isn't going to kill Park Jin because that would hurt Jang Uk since he considers Park Jin his father.
Ok I'm done! There's always more I want to write about, but I'm exhausted!
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