Ashes of Love Episode 41 Recap, Plot

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Qi Yuan was suffering from the intensifying effects of the Autopsy Wild Silkworms, despairing that he might be doomed. Sui He appeared and temporarily suppressed the poison. Qi Yuan expressed his gratitude but pleaded with Sui He to allow him to retire to a secluded life, explaining that forging the Spirit-Vanishing Arrows had drained him of most of his bones and blood, leaving him debilitated.

Sui He accused him of abandoning them, reminding him that the Heavenly Empress had saved his life. Qi Yuan insisted he would repay the Heavenly Empress's kindness in his next life, but Sui He provocatively asked if he was trying to find Liu Ying, the Princess of Bian City. Qi Yuan denied it, claiming their relationship was long over.

Sui He then offered him a deal: if he forged one more Spirit-Vanishing Arrow for her, she would cure him of the Autopsy Wild Silkworms and grant him freedom to reunite with Liu Ying.

This promise was made possible because not long before, the Heavenly Empress had transferred her lifelong cultivation to Sui He, endowing her with the formidable Glazed Pure Fire and the ability to fulfill her ambition of restoring the Bird Family and helping Xu Feng ascend to the throne. Meanwhile, the Bird Family faced a severe grain shortage, their granaries completely empty. Sui He was preoccupied with this problem when Elder Yin Que arrived to confront her.

He questioned her leadership, accusing her of neglecting the Bird Family while frequently visiting the Heaven Realm, and challenged her ability to protect their clan now that the Heavenly Empress had lost influence. Sui He, asserting her capability, vowed to resolve the grain crisis within three days to prove her worth as the Bird Family leader.

Unbeknownst to Sui He, the Heavenly Emperor had recently transferred the command of the Five-Direction Heaven Troops to Run Yu, citing Xu Feng's recent wayward behavior. Run Yu received Sui He's urgent plea to the Heaven Realm for grain but, instead of processing it, burned the petition in his hearth. Three days later, with no word from the Heaven Realm, Sui He arrived at the Bird Family hall to face the waiting elders, including Yin Que.

Desperate, she publicly blamed Elder Yin Que's recent secret meeting with the Demon Lord for creating distrust with the Heaven Realm, thereby causing the refusal of grain. Sui He asserted that she had intervened to assure the Heavenly Emperor of the Bird Family's loyalty, preventing military intervention.

Yin Que offered to join Sui He in clarifying matters to the Heavenly Emperor, but Sui He continued to press him, demanding proof of his innocence and suggesting he seek grain from the Demon Realm instead. As their argument escalated, Run Yu arrived, personally escorting a shipment of grain to relieve the famine. Run Yu announced that he was acting on the Heavenly Emperor's orders and clarified that the Heavenly Emperor had no intention of suppressing the Bird Family.

Instead, Run Yu exposed Sui He's manipulative tactics, revealing that she had requested heavenly troops to suppress Elder Yin Que and had prioritized undermining him over addressing the famine. He also revealed that Sui He's petition for grain had never reached the Heavenly Emperor, and it was Elder Yin Que who had personally traveled to the Heaven Realm the day before to report the crisis, prompting the Heavenly Emperor's intervention.

Outraged by Sui He's deception, the elders declared her unfit to lead and unanimously nominated Elder Yin Que as the new provisional leader. It was then that Sui He realized Elder Yin Que was not colluding with the Demon Lord but with Run Yu.

After the meeting, Run Yu and Yin Que met privately, confirming that the entire incident was Run Yu's meticulously planned scheme to elevate Yin Que to power within the Bird Family, seeing him as a useful pawn. Run Yu explained his plan to ensure Sui He's grain requests would vanish, forcing Yin Que to seek help, which would then be used to install him as the Bird Family's true power.

Yin Que conceded that he had no choice but to comply, and Run Yu promised him the position of Bird Family Leader if he continued to support him. Meanwhile, Liu Ying relentlessly searched for Mu Ci, vowing to scour all six realms to find him. She eventually located him in the Demon Realm, where he was once again forging a Spirit-Vanishing Arrow using his own bones and blood, a process that had drawn the powerful Nether Fury.

This dark energy confirmed Liu Ying's fears that Mu Ci was planning to harm Jin Mi again. Once the new arrow was completed, Sui He appeared, reviving the now-fainted Mu Ci. She commanded him to go to the Heaven Realm and use the Spirit-Vanishing Arrow to kill Run Yu, furious that Run Yu had orchestrated her downfall.

Mu Ci, however, refused, explaining that the arrow's creation had severely depleted his magic power, leaving him too weak to confront the powerful Run Yu, even with the Spirit-Vanishing Arrow. Sui He then declared she would accompany him. At Xuanji Palace, Yan You confronted Run Yu after learning about the change in Bird Family leadership, correctly deducing Run Yu's involvement. Run Yu admitted he was merely trying to fulfill his mother, Su Li's, long-held wish.

Yan You cautioned him, reminding him that Su Li had made many grave mistakes in pursuit of that very wish. He feared Run Yu would follow a similar destructive path, losing his original self and intentions, emphasizing that one wrong step could lead to complete ruin and that Run Yu could not afford to lose. Yan You also implored Run Yu to consider Jin Mi, arguing that she was innocent and should not be used or harmed in his schemes.

Run Yu, feeling he had already committed too deeply to his path, remained unresponsive to Yan You's pleas. Later, Sui He and Qi Yuan arrived at Xuanji Palace, but Run Yu was not there. Instead, they found Jin Mi, who had come to deliver noble dendrobium, a tonic, to Run Yu as a gesture of gratitude. Seizing the unexpected opportunity, Sui He abruptly ordered Qi Yuan to use the Spirit-Vanishing Arrow to kill Jin Mi.

Qi Yuan hesitated, momentarily envisioning a peaceful life with Liu Ying. Fearing the loss of this rare chance, Sui He struck Jin Mi unconscious with a blast of fire magic. At that critical moment, Qi Yuan turned the Spirit-Vanishing Arrow on Sui He. Just as he released it, Xu Feng arrived, deflecting the arrow and saving Sui He's life. Sui He knocked out the weakened Qi Yuan and fled.

Xu Feng pursued and confronted them, just as Liu Ying also arrived at the scene. Having identified Sui He as the one who used fire magic on Jin Mi, Xu Feng demanded an explanation. A furious Sui He confessed she acted out of jealousy, enraged that Xu Feng's heart belonged only to Jin Mi, who was now showing concern for Run Yu. Liu Ying defended the unconscious Mu Ci, explaining that he was being controlled by the Autopsy Wild Silkworms.

Sui He shot back that Mu Ci had willingly served the Heavenly Empress, calling them all ungrateful. Liu Ying pleaded to take Mu Ci back, offering to atone for his actions. Having heard enough, Xu Feng delivered a final, stern warning to Sui He: Jin Mi's safety was his absolute bottom line, and he would show no mercy if she were harmed again. After Jin Mi regained consciousness, she questioned Run Yu about the attack.

Run Yu falsely claimed he didn't save her, attributing it to Xu Feng, and deflected Jin Mi's concern that she was the target, instead subtly implying Xu Feng's path was causing her danger. Xu Feng, eager to check on Jin Mi, was blocked by Run Yu at the entrance to Xuanji Palace.

Run Yu thanked Xu Feng for saving Jin Mi, then warned him that both the Heavenly Empress and Sui He had attacked Jin Mi because of his connection to her. He urged Xu Feng to recognize the danger he posed to Jin Mi and to distance himself from her, adding that he had already sent his attendant, Kuang Lu, to ask the Water Immortal to take Jin Mi back.

From a distance, Sui He watched, heartbroken, lamenting that despite all her sacrifices and loss of power, Xu Feng's heart still belonged only to Jin Mi. Later, Mu Ci awoke in the King of Bian City's residence, finding Liu Ying faithfully watching over him. She lovingly scolded him for constantly leaving her and for making another Spirit-Vanishing Arrow, fearing he still intended to harm Jin Mi.

Mu Ci confessed that he had initially planned to kill Jin Mi to bargain with the Heavenly Empress for a cure for his Autopsy Wild Silkworms. However, at the last moment, he decided he would rather die than face Liu Ying's disappointment. He also confirmed to her that he had not harmed her friends. Realizing his sincerity, Liu Ying was overjoyed, proclaiming that her true Mu Ci had finally returned, and promised to find a way to cure him.

Episode 40 Recap

Episode 42 Recap