And the Winner Is Love Episode 16 Recap
> And the Winner Is Love Recap
Lin Fengzi returned to Sword Manor deeply disheartened, locking herself in her room. Lin Zongxing, her father, was worried and tried to check on her, asking if she wanted to eat. Xia Qingmei informed him that Fengzi had been listless and secluded since her return, explaining that she was "hurt by love." Lin Zongxing pressed for details, and Qingmei reluctantly revealed that Fengzi had confronted Shangguan Tou, who rejected her and drove her away.
Angered by Shangguan Tou’s past behavior at Sword Manor and Fengzi’s continued affection for him, Lin Zongxing eventually forced his way into her room, only to discover her unconscious, infected with the Flu. Xia Qingmei immediately recognized the danger and warned others to stay away. Lin Zongxing urged him to call for a doctor, recalling that the Shark Sect possessed a miraculous remedy called the Green Spring Elixir, which could cure the disease.
Meanwhile, Chong Xuezhi asked Shangguan Tou about his whereabouts for the past year. He shared that he had traveled to Emei, where he learned more about his background. Subsequently, he returned to the Imperial Advisor’s Mansion and, after finally letting go of his resentments, found his father to be less cold and unpleasant than he had imagined. He reflected on his father's decisions, stating that he could now understand him.
He then vowed to open his heart, experience the world, and embrace love. Xuezhi pondered aloud whether their paths would have been different had he resolved his inner turmoil sooner. Their conversation was cut short by a messenger from the Hall of Flames, reporting that Yuwen Muyuan had contracted the Flu and was isolating himself in his room. Xuezhi rushed back immediately. Upon her return, Chong Xuezhi found Yuwen Muyuan gravely ill.
She encouraged him to hold on, promising to find a cure for the Flu. Muyuan, seemingly preparing for his end, gave her instructions regarding the Hall's operations, mentioning that Zhusha was in charge of disciple training and Chequ of weapon forging, advising her to consult the elders if needed.
Xuezhi, however, fiercely reminded him of his promise to help restore the Hall of Flames within three years, vowing that neither she nor the Hall would forgive him if he gave up. Moved by her words, Muyuan promised to endure until her return. Zhu Sha and Liu Li reported to Chong Xuezhi that their investigation into the Flu’s origins had uncovered poisonous centipedes in infected poultry in several villages. They suspected the Divine Spirit Temple was behind this man-made epidemic.
Xuezhi, confident in her abilities, decided to journey to the Divine Spirit Temple alone, dismissing concerns about its dangers and its leader, Man Feiyue, as no match for her. She instructed Zhu Sha and Liu Li to remain at the Hall of Flames and care for Yuwen Muyuan. Simultaneously, Xia Qingmei, desperate to save Lin Fengzi, went to the Shark Sect to plead with Tie Xiao for the Green Spring Elixir.
Tie Xiao, however, refused to part with his sect's ancestral elixir unless Lin Zongxing himself came to beg for it, expressing disdain for Lin Zongxing sending a mere disciple. Facing Tie Xiao’s obstinacy, Xia Qingmei broke into his chambers that night to steal the elixir. Tie Xiao, who had anticipated this, confronted him. Qingmei, admitting his plan to save Fengzi out of desperation, was unmoved by Tie Xiao’s threat to expose his dishonorable actions to the martial arts world.
When Tie Xiao refused to yield the elixir, a furious Xia Qingmei used the Nine Moves of Lotus God, beating Tie Xiao to death and seizing the precious medicine. He then rushed back to Sword Manor and administered the Green Spring Elixir to Fengzi. Shangguan Tou, along with Zhongtao and Hongxiu, joined Chong Xuezhi on her perilous journey to the Divine Spirit Temple. Zhongtao playfully teased Shangguan Tou, and Hongxiu jested about the slow progress of his romance with Xuezhi.
Shangguan Tou responded by emphasizing the value of a steadfast, long-developing relationship. At the Divine Spirit Temple, Man Feiyue confronted Feng She, accusing him of sabotaging her plans by destroying the poisonous centipedes meant for Emei. Feng She, after a weak denial, offered a sarcastic excuse about pitying the Emei women. Man Feiyue revealed she had already sent others to complete the task and ordered Feng She to be used for testing her new poisons.
During the testing, Feng She realized he hadn't been poisoned. Man Feiyue confessed she couldn't bring herself to kill him, as she had raised him. However, she deemed him useless and threw him into a dungeon. Feng She, utterly fed up with his life as a poisoner, defiantly urged her to kill him, wishing only to be an ordinary man.
Man Feiyue mocked his wish, revealing his true parentage: the illegitimate son of Feng Cheng, the chief of Huashan Sect, and an unknown village girl. She recounted how Feng Cheng had rejected him, leaving her to raise him, thus denying him the right to an ordinary life. Shocked by this revelation, Feng She swore to make her pay.
As Shangguan Tou, Chong Xuezhi, Zhongtao, and Hongxiu entered the Divine Spirit Temple, Shangguan Tou sensed a trap, and Xuezhi agreed, knowing Man Feiyue's cunning. They were attacked by poison arrows, and Zhongtao was struck in the arm while shielding Hongxiu. Man Feiyue deliberately led them into a dungeon, where they found the imprisoned Feng She.
Feng She, recognizing Chong Xuezhi, claimed he was trapped for refusing Man Feiyue's orders to poison Emei, and warned them that the dungeon was a one-way trap. When Xuezhi explained they sought Man Feiyue for a Flu antidote, Feng She revealed Zhongtao's hidden poison arrow wound, emphasizing its deadliness despite Zhongtao's attempts to dismiss it as minor. Shangguan Tou agreed to release Feng She if he first cured Zhongtao and then led them to Man Feiyue, promising him a reward.
Feng She eagerly accepted. He guided them to the poison workshop, explaining that while they made no antidotes for the Flu, they had a remedy for the common poison that injured Zhongtao, which worked by "curing illness with poison." Zhongtao reluctantly took the foul-smelling antidote, and his condition quickly improved. Feng She then pointed towards Man Feiyue's location and, refusing any reward, fled, stating he wanted no more to do with her. Xuezhi allowed him to go.
The group finally confronted Man Feiyue, with Chong Xuezhi accusing her of causing the widespread Flu and suffering. Man Feiyue openly admitted her culpability, explaining her actions were fueled by resentment at the Divine Spirit Temple being perpetually labeled a cult and blamed for all evil in the martial arts world. She drew a parallel to Chong Xuezhi’s own past humiliation at the Hero Assembly.
When Xuezhi demanded the antidote, Man Feiyue cruelly claimed no cure existed, as she had never intended to create one when developing the centipede poison. Shangguan Tou, losing patience, tried to capture her. Man Feiyue released a barrage of poison arrows, and Zhongtao was hit in the back while protecting Hongxiu. Shangguan Tou and Chong Xuezhi cornered Man Feiyue in the poison workshop, demanding the antidote.
She triggered yet another trap, but in a cruel twist of fate, was impaled by her own arrows and died. Just then, Feng She reappeared, revealing he also knew the antidote formula, having secretly memorized it. He produced the crucial medicine. However, it was too late for Zhongtao, who died in Hongxiu’s arms, professing his love and declaring that meeting her made his life worthwhile. Hongxiu desperately begged him to stay awake, but he slipped away.
With the Divine Spirit Temple destroyed and no longer having a home, Feng She, who knew the antidote formula for the Flu, agreed to return to the Hall of Flames with Chong Xuezhi to help prepare the necessary cures for the widespread epidemic. Back at the Hall of Flames, Yuwen Muyuan, still ill, inquired about Chong Xuezhi’s return and the general affairs of the Hall, including disciple training and weapon forging.
Liu Li reassured him that everything was under control, with Zhusha and Chequ handling their respective duties, and urged him to focus on his recovery. In Sword Manor, Lin Fengzi was slowly recovering after receiving the Green Spring Elixir. Lin Zongxing expressed his profound relief that she was out of danger.
He chided Fengzi for her continued attachment to Shangguan Tou and stressed that it was Xia Qingmei who had saved her life by risking everything to obtain the Green Spring Elixir from the Shark Sect. He urged her to recognize who truly cared for her and to abandon her "unrealistic fantasies." Taking her father's words to heart, Fengzi later sought out Xia Qingmei, who, seeing her, immediately went to check on her recovery with tender concern.
