History Recap / GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason3Episode12ReturnToSeclusion

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: When explaining how Lan Wangji protected Wei Wuxian and was whipped 33 times as punishment for attacking his elders after Nightless City, Lan Xichen isn't as harsh towards the latter as he is in the novel (where he blatantly calls him the "only mistake [Lan Wangji's] ever made"). This is due to the different circumstances of this explanation happening -- in the novel he brings it up out of frustration because he thinks Wei Wuxian's playing with his brother's feelings, while here he brings it up because he's afraid Wei Wuxian is going to abandon him.

** The intensity of his argument with Jiang Cheng at Lotus Pier puts a lot of physical strain on Wei Wuxian's body and leads to him coughing up blood while almost passing out.

* BridalCarry: The camera is conveniently zoomed in too much for this to be clear, but Lan Wangji caught the falling Wei Wuxian at the Nightless Immortal Capital and the positioning of his arms/Wei Wuxian's body implies he held him bridal-style while flying on his sword to safety.

* HeroicSacrifice: Downplayed. It turns out that after the burning of Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng risked his life grabbing the Wen soldiers' attention so that they wouldn't see Wei Wuxian, which is what lead to his capture and loss of golden core. Wei Wuxian however ended up pulling a heroic sacrifice of his own by implanting his golden core into his then-martial brother, giving up his life as a talented cultivator.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: The episode shows Lan Wangji's perspective of Wei Wuxian's earlier FlashbackNightmare and what exactly happened. Lan Wangji had escorted him to safety right after the events of the Nightless Immortal Capital, but the out-of-sorts Wei Wuxian kept rejecting his attempts to help and reassure him (hence the "Get lost!" outbursts), much to his distress. Lan Wangji then injured the 33 Gusu Lan Clan elders that found them in order to protect him, and he was punished by being whipped 33 times, one for each elder he had wounded.

** How was Baoshan-sanren able to recover Jiang Cheng's golden core? Actually, she didn't -- "Baoshan-sanren" was actually Wen Qing in disguise, and the golden core she "recovered" for Jiang Cheng is actually Wei Wuxian's which he willingly gave up.

** The scars on Lan Wangji's back that Wei Wuxian first noticed [[Recap/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason2Episode1Reunion way back in the second season]], and the FlashbackNightmare that was shown [[Recap/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason3Episode8Fated after he got stabbed this season]]? Both are a result of Lan Wangji rescuing and protecting Wei Wuxian following the Nightless Immortal Capital incident. He attempted to look after him but was rejected by the mentally-distraught Wei Wuxian, and he injured 33 other Gusu Lan Clan elders when they discovered them -- this was why he was punished by being whipped 33 times.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: TheReveal about the Golden Core occurs before the Guanyin Temple arc in the novel, allowing (or forcing) Jiang Cheng to process his feelings and move on with his life after parting on peaceful albeit neutral terms with Wei Wuxian. Having him find out about his Golden Core afterwards in this adaptation results in his final interaction with Wei Wuxian being more intense and bitter, and he's left so shocked by the revelation that he needs to go into seclusion to heal himself first in the epilogue.

** Events that originally occurred in between the Second Siege and at Guanyin Temple in the novel show up here, such as Wen Ning picking up on Lan Sizhui's identity, the protagonists going on another drunken spree and Jiang Cheng discovering the truth behind his Golden Core.
** Wei Wuxian originally had his flashback of his parents and asked Lan Wangji about the song he played at Xuanwu Cave while they were travelling to Burial Mounds before the Second Siege. Here it occurs in the final scene when they return to their home, the same time he reunites with Wen Yuan aka Lan Sizhui and learns that the song was named after himself and his companion.

** It's revealed Lan Wangji retrieved Lan Sizhui (Wen Yuan at the time) from Burial Mounds following the First Siege, but it's not clarified how the latter was left behind to begin with (as the Jin clan demonstrated that they weren't above imprisoning and torturing a child simply for being a Wen). The novel mentions that Lan Wangji had found him in a tree stump, implying that Wei Wuxian or one of his family members hid him there in a last-ditch effort to protect him.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: When explaining how Lan Wangji protected Wei Wuxian and was whipped 33 times as punishment for attacking his elders after Nevernight, Lan Xichen isn't as harsh towards the latter as he is in the novel (where he blatantly calls him the "only mistake [Lan Wangji's] ever made"). This is due to the different circumstances of this explanation happening -- in the novel he brings it up out of frustration because he thinks Wei Wuxian's playing with his brother's feelings, while here he brings it up because he's afraid Wei Wuxian is going to abandon him.
* AdaptationExpansion: While the Stygian Tiger Amulet is mysteriously missing and has apparently become unusable in the novel's conclusion, here it's still intact and in Wei Wuxian's possession. The episode adds a scene of him and Lan Wangji going out to destroy it once and for all.

** While Wen Ning explains how Jiang Cheng got his new Golden Core, Lan Wangji holds the weakened Wei Wuxian and tenderly holds his cheek when the latter is in pain.

* BewareOfTheNiceOnes: Having had enough of Jiang Cheng's hostile behaviour, Wen Ning abandons his timid and polite nature to confront him and brutally reveal the truth behind his Golden Core.
* BigBrotherInstinct: When Wei Wuxian is about to leave the inn to destroy the Stygian Tiger Amulet, Lan Xichen goes out of his way to tell him first about Lan Wangji's scars. As Wei Wuxian guesses, he did it out of concern for his brother and was worried that Wei Wuxian was planning to abandon him.
* BigShutUp: Jiang Cheng roars at Wen Ning to stop talking as Wen Ning explains in detail just what exactly happened at the day Jiang Cheng had his Golden Core "restored".
* BittersweetEnding: Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling and Lan Xichen are in grief in the epilogue due to the various revelations about their former loved ones, and the cultivation world is still malicious not unlike how it was in Wei Wuxian's first life. The protagonists however can finally be at ease as they pursue a happier life together, Wen Ning is now willing to go his own path, and Lan Sizhui regains his memories and officially reunites with Wei Wuxian as Wen Yuan.

** The intensity of his argument with Jiang Cheng at Lotus Cove puts a lot of physical strain on Wei Wuxian's body and leads to him coughing up blood while almost passing out.

* BreakTheHaughty: Jiang Cheng's pride gets knocked down a peg, or several pegs rather, in this episode. On top of being reminded that he greatly contributed to Wei Wuxian's demise, he also learns that Wei Wuxian practiced demonic cultivation because he already gave up his Golden Core for Jiang Cheng and thus had no other means to cultivate, and then there is how Wei Wuxian has already found his home with other people. All of this leaves Jiang Cheng so gutted that he secludes himself.
* BridalCarry: The camera is conveniently zoomed in too much for this to be clear, but Lan Wangji caught the falling Wei Wuxian at Nevernight and the positioning of his arms/Wei Wuxian's body implies he held him bridal-style while flying on his sword to safety.

* DramaticIrony: As some people gossip about everything that has happened in the past few days, they wonder about the whereabouts of the Stygian Tiger Amulet. The viewers are fully aware at this point that it's already been destroyed thanks to the protagonists dealing with it in just the previous scene.
* DrowningMySorrows: A few empty wine bottles can be seen in the flashback of Lan Wangji coming to terms with Wei Wuxian's death at Cloud Recesses, implying he was drinking his grief away. It was the influence of the alcohol that led Lan Wangji to hurt himself with the Wen branding iron.

* HeroicSacrifice: Downplayed. It turns out that after the burning of Lotus Cove, Jiang Cheng risked his life grabbing the Wen soldiers' attention so that they wouldn't see Wei Wuxian, which is what lead to his capture and loss of Golden Core. Wei Wuxian however ended up pulling a heroic sacrifice of his own by implanting his Golden Core into his then-martial brother, giving up his life as a talented cultivator.
* HomeSweetHome: After confronting the BigBad and destroying the Yin Tiger Tally, the final scene shows Wei Wuxian asking Lan Wangji where they'll head next, and the latter answers back with a simple "Home".

* {{Irony}}: It's revealed that Jiang Cheng willingly drew the Wen soldiers' attention, ultimately leading to his capture and loss of Golden Core, in order to save Wei Wuxian's life. This makes Wei Wuxian's sacrifice for him all the more painful.
* LaughingMad: Jiang Cheng is so perturbed by the truth about "his" Golden Core that he laughs in despair and anger when confronting Wei Wuxian about it.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: The episode shows Lan Wangji's perspective of Wei Wuxian's earlier FlashbackNightmare and what exactly happened. Lan Wangji had escorted him to safety right after the events of Nevernight, but the out-of-sorts Wei Wuxian kept rejecting his attempts to help and reassure him (hence the "Get lost!" outbursts), much to his distress. Lan Wangji then injured the 33 Gusu Lan Clan elders that found them in order to protect him, and he was punished by being whipped 33 times.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The final episode moved scenes not adapted from the chapters between the second siege and the confrontation in the Guanyin Temple and combined it with the ending chapter to wrap up the storyline while still fitting the limited timeslot.

** How was Wanderer Baoshan able to recover Jiang Cheng's Golden Core? Actually, she didn't -- "Wanderer Baoshan" was actually Wen Qing in disguise, and the Golden Core she "recovered" for Jiang Cheng is actually Wei Wuxian's which he willingly gave up.

** The scars on Lan Wangji's back that Wei Wuxian first noticed [[Recap/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason2Episode1Reunion way back in the second season]], and the FlashbackNightmare that was shown [[Recap/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason3Episode8Fated after he got stabbed this season]]? Both are a result of Lan Wangji rescuing and protecting Wei Wuxian following the Nevernight incident. He attempted to look after him but was rejected by the mentally-distraught Wei Wuxian, and he injured 33 other Gusu Lan Clan elders when they discovered them -- this was why he was punished by being whipped 33 times.

** Wei Wuxian's actions and behaviour after telling Jiang Cheng he can restore his Golden Core (such as [[Recap/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason1Episode13DeathZone his worn out state while waiting for him]] and his decision to take up demonic cultivation) makes more sense now that the audience knows exactly what happened offscreen.

** As Wen Ning tells Jiang Cheng that it was Wen Qing who transplanted Wei Wuxian's Golden Core into his body, the audience is treated to a view of Jiang Cheng's mindscape, which begins to shake and crumble as everything around him falls into bottomless water and the light shining over him gradually fades into darkness-- all of which perfectly represent how his world is turned upside down by TheReveal.

* ShutUpHannibal: When Jiang Cheng goes off on Wei Wuxian after learning about the Golden Core transplant and tries to shift the blame on him, Lan Wangji warns him to not say anything that he'll soon regret. His words are unheeded, and when Jiang Cheng's anger reaches its peak, Lan Wangji effectively silences him with a forceful blast that stops Jiang Cheng in his tracks and knocks his headpiece off.

-->'''Wen Ning:''' Because the sword has recognised you as Young Master Wei. Because the Golden Core inside your body is his.
* WhamShot: Whatever sheathed itself and couldn't be used by anyone after its owner's death -- thus Jiang Cheng unsheathing the sword acts as a FiveSecondForeshadowing to the truth behind his Golden Core and sheds new light on Wei Wuxian's actions in his past life.
* YouAreNotAlone: The episode once again emphasises that Wei Wuxian now has Lan Wangji supporting him. Wei Wuxian leaves his sleeping companion's side to go out and destroy the Stygian Tiger Amulet by himself -- something that took his life 13 years ago and may hurt him again. However Lan Wangji soon joins him, helping him to destroy it and reminding him that he doesn't have to shoulder the burden alone anymore.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: TheReveal about the Golden Core occurs before the Guanyin Temple arc in the novel, allowing (or forcing) Jiang Cheng to process his feelings and move on with his life after parting on peaceful albeit neutral terms with Wei Wuxian. Having him find out about his Golden Core afterward in this adaptation results in his final interaction with Wei Wuxian being more intense and bitter, and he's left so shocked by the revelation that he needs to go into seclusion to to heal himself first in in the epilogue.

** It's revealed Lan Wangji retrieved Lan Sizhui (Wen Yuan at the time) from Burial Mounds following the First Siege, but it's not clarified how the latter was left behind to begin with (as the Jin clan demonstrated that they weren't above imprisoning and torturing a child simply for being a Wen). The novel mentions that Lan Wangji had found him in a tree stump, implying that Wei Wuxian or one of his family members hid him there as a last-ditch effort to protect him.
** While this episode doesn't specify how Lan Sizhui lost his memories as Wen Yuan (at best the audience is left to assume it was due to him only being a toddler at the time), the novel states that he was found unconscious with a fever so bad it turned him amnesiac. Similarly, the episode doesn't offer an explanation for how his memories came back, whereas in the novel he explains that seeing Chenqing triggered his memories (although this explanation would not had likely held in this adaptation due to the rearrangement of the Guanyin Temple arc).

* ImpliedDeathThreat: Lan Wangji knocking off Jiang Cheng's guan (his headpiece) may seem random, but knocking off one's guan and letting their hair loose is huge sign of disrespect and a symbol of execution in Ancient China, so Lan Wangji is wordlessly warning the latter that he won't hesitate to execute him if he doesn't stop harrassing Wei Wuxian.

* MythologyGag: The final scene of this episode shows the protagonists returning to a cottage in the mountains, implying they have their own place to live in outside of Gusu. In the novel, Wei Wuxian mentions multiple times his dream of retiring in a house in a secluded area to live a rural life with Lan Wangji.

** How was Wanderer Baoshan able to recover Jiang Cheng's Golden Core? Actually she didn't -- "Wanderer Baoshan" was actually Wen Qing in disguise, and the Golden Core she "recovered" for Jiang Cheng is actually Wei Wuxian's which he willingly gave up.

** The scars on Lan Wangji's back that Wei Wuxian first noticed [[Recap/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason2Episode1Reunion way back in the second season]], and the FlashbackNightmare that was shown [[Recap/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationSeason3Episode8Fated after he got stabbed this season]]? Both are a result of Lan Wangji rescuing and protecting Wei Wuxian following the Nevernight incident. He attempted to look after him but was rejected by the mentally-distraught Wei Wuxian, and he injured 33 other Gusu Lan Clan elders when they discovered them -- this was why he punished by being whipped 33 times.

** When it's revealed that Jiang Cheng was captured by the Wens because he was trying to lead them away from Wei Wuxian, the episode uses four separate cuts where he runs further and further away from latter, who stands still the entire time. This perfectly signifies their relationship and how they drifted apart; while Wei Wuxian stayed rooted to his values and beliefs, Jiang Cheng strayed further and further from them, which eventually resulted to the deterioration of their friendship.
* ShutUpHannibal: When Jiang Cheng goes off on Wei Wuxian after learning about the Golden Core transplant and tries to shift the blame on him, Lan Wangji warns him to not say anything that he'll soon regret. His words are unheeded, and when Jiang Cheng's anger reaches it peak, Lan Wangji effectively silences him with a forceful blast that stops Jiang Cheng in his tracks and knocks his headpiece off.

* WhamShot: Whatever sheathed itself and couldn't be used by anyone after its owner's death -- thus Jiang Cheng unsheathing the sword acts as a FiveSecondForeshadowing to the truth behind his Golden Core and sheds a new light on Wei Wuxian's actions in his past life.