And the Winner Is Love Episode 12 Recap
> And the Winner Is Love Recap
Despite Zhong Xuezhi's coldness and inner sorrow towards Shangguan Tou, he too cared for her deeply, though he kept his feelings hidden, fearing emotional entanglement. The next day, at the Weapon Ranking Convention, the Abbot of Luduan Temple brought forward Hong Sheng, the bell-toller. Hong Sheng confessed to stealing the Nine Moves of Lotus God. He revealed that years ago, he joined the Hall of Flames as a disciple to gain access to the manual.
Five years prior, after the Hall signed a contract with other schools, he devised a plan to secretly leave the Hall and become a monk at Luduan Temple, waiting for the manual to leave the Hall. He successfully stole it but was seen by Wang Yinya.
To silence Wang Yinya, Hong Sheng pursued him to Xiangzhou, killed him, and then framed the Hall of Flames by taking Wang Yinya's badge and silver whip, making everyone believe Zhong Xuezhi was the murderer. He further confessed to devising a trap to make Zhong Xuezhi burn the Nine Moves, so he would be the only master of the technique in the martial world, thus ensuring his safety.
The revelation sparked a debate among the martial arts leaders on how to deal with Hong Sheng. Yuwen Muyuan proposed taking Hong Sheng back to the Hall of Flames for internal handling, but Feng Cheng of the Huashan Sect vehemently opposed this, accusing Yuwen Muyuan of wanting to revive the Nine Moves to once again wreak havoc on the martial world. At this critical moment, Zhong Xuezhi entered the hall, announcing that she was alive, much to the assembly's surprise.
She stated her purpose was to resolve the matter of the Lotus Wing. Acknowledging everyone's fear that the Hall of Flames might repeat past mistakes, she declared her intention to end the possibility of the Lotus Wing ever coming into being. She then swiftly threw the "Hibiscus Heart Sutra", one part of the Lotus Wing, into a brazier, burning it before anyone could react. Enraged, Feng Cheng accused her of ulterior motives and struck her, causing a serious injury.
As Feng Cheng prepared to strike again, Shangguan Tou arrived and blocked him. Yuwen Muyuan quickly entrusted the injured Zhong Xuezhi to Shangguan Tou, telling him to take care of her, while he remained to confront the hostile crowd. Abbess Ciren of the Emei Sect quietly advised Feng Cheng that bullying the Hall of Flames with superior numbers would only make them a laughingstock.
Abbot Shiyan also intervened, vouching for the Hall of Flames' innocence and forbidding any further fighting within Luduan Temple. Seeing that his actions were unpopular, Feng Cheng departed in a huff. Shangguan Tou wanted to treat Zhong Xuezhi's injuries, but she was still upset by his earlier rejection. She insisted, "I know you protect me because of Uncle Lin. . . you’ve done enough to deliver your promise. You can stop from now on."
She explicitly told him that he was not her "guardian star" before her injuries overwhelmed her and she fainted in his arms. Shangguan Tou, filled with concern, embraced her and used his internal energy to heal her. Later, he entrusted her care to Yuwen Muyuan, revealing to his subordinate that he had transferred all his inner energy to Zhong Xuezhi, fulfilling his promise to Senior Lin to protect her. With his task complete, Shangguan Tou decided to depart for Emei.
Upon regaining consciousness, Zhong Xuezhi was disheartened to learn that Shangguan Tou had already left. Meanwhile, Zhu Sha and the other guardians worried about how to explain the destruction of the "Hibiscus Heart Sutra" to Yuwen Zhongsong. Zhong Xuezhi, however, believed that burning the manuals was a form of "redemption" for her father's past errors, as the Nine Moves had caused much suffering.
She also voiced her concern about a traitor still lurking within the Hall of Flames, and Yuwen Muyuan promised to investigate upon their return. Before the group left Luduan Temple, Abbot Shiyan handed Hong Sheng over to them, leaving his fate to the Hall of Flames. Zhong Xuezhi, believing "death will be too easy for you. It’ll be more of a torture to leave you alive in repentance," decided to imprison Hong Sheng indefinitely rather than execute him.
On their journey back to the Hall of Flames, they were ambushed by assassins. Gugu was struck by an arrow and died, Zhu Sha was injured, and Hong Sheng sustained severe arrow wounds. During the fierce fight, Yuwen Muyuan recognized the leader of the assassins as Yu Wan, realizing that his grandfather had sent them. Faced with this painful truth, Yuwen Muyuan allowed Yu Wan to escape.
Yuwen Muyuan managed to protect Zhong Xuezhi and bring her back to the Hall of Flames, but upon their return, Yuwen Zhongsong and other elders opposed Zhong Xuezhi's return to the position of palace lord. Yuwen Muyuan, however, fiercely defended her. He asserted that Zhong Xuezhi had almost died to restore the Hall's reputation, allowing them to walk tall before other sects.
He reminded them that the Hall of Flames bore the Chong name, and their sustenance came from the Chong family, questioning their right to challenge her. He declared that if anyone continued to insist on him being the palace lord, they should leave the Hall immediately. Later, Yuwen Muyuan confronted his grandfather, Yuwen Zhongsong, asking if he had sent Yu Wan to harm Zhong Xuezhi.
Yuwen Zhongsong admitted it and mockingly revealed a shocking truth: Zhong Xuezhi's father, Chong Ye, had killed Yuwen Muyuan's father, Yuwen Yupan. He explained that Chong Ye had gone crazy while cultivating the Nine Moves of Lotus God, and the adoption of Yuwen Muyuan and his appointment as Chief Guardian were not acts of kindness, but Chong Ye's way of atoning for the life he owed their family. Yuwen Zhongsong scorned his grandson for protecting the daughter of his father's murderer.
