Blood River Episode 19 Recap
> Blood River Recap
A commotion arose outside the He-Yu Clinic as a man challenged its authenticity, asking who the master physician was. Bai Hehuai calmly stepped forward, declaring herself the physician. The man, scoffing at her youth, told her to go grind herbs. Undeterred, Bai Hehuai precisely identified his ailments: a faint ache in his Fengmen point every dawn and a throbbing pain in his Baihui point every night. The man, astonished by her accuracy, admitted to doing farm work in his youth.
Bai Hehuai explained that these were internal injuries from the clash of hot and cold after strenuous labor and prescribed a forty-nine-day regimen, promising a full recovery. As the clinic's first official customer, he received a free consultation and medicine. Word quickly spread, and a crowd eager for treatment soon formed. Su Changhe, seizing the opportunity, declared that all consultations for the day would be free, with medicine at half price, quickly drawing many people into the clinic.
Su Zhe, observing, commented that such generosity was "bleeding money," but Su Changhe dismissed it as his strategy. He reminisced about his past as a feared assassin, now reduced to lighting firecrackers for an opening, a sentiment Su Zhe echoed by offering to ceremoniously unveil a red cloth, an idea Su Changhe found "silly."
Later, over a celebratory meal, Bai Hehuai raised a toast to a life of peace, health, friends, and joy as carefree wanderers, which Su Changhe heartily approved of. However, their celebration was interrupted when the "cured" patients returned, demanding money. Su Changhe, who had orchestrated the whole thing by hiring actors, distributed money, acknowledging their "good work" and promising to hire them again.
Bai Hehuai realized then that Su Changhe had a "rotten to the core" nature, just as her father, Su Zhe, had warned. Su Changhe, unbothered, boasted that thanks to his scheme, He-Yu Clinic would soon be renowned throughout Nan'an City, predicting a flood of genuine patients. Su Zhe later spoke with Su Muyu, encouraging him to follow his true path, not as a killer, but as a swordsman with a "questioning heart."
Su Muyu expressed his intention to temporarily adopt a new identity as the young master of No-Sword City to seek an answer, specifically to challenge Wushuang City's claim of being peerless in the Way of the Sword, a title he believed belonged to No-Sword City. Su Zhe understood, acknowledging his desire to "challenge Wushuang City with the sword."
Meanwhile, Song Yanhui, the master of Wushuang City, confided in his disciple, Yushu, that sword practice itself held little meaning, but for him, life without it was meaningless. He recounted his own master's words, that he was born for the sword, yet after decades of training, he remained stagnant while others like Li Hanyi had achieved Sword Deity status.
He then revealed the Peerless Sword Coffer, the most precious treasure of Wushuang City, containing thirteen famed swords, including the Daming Vermilion Bird, ranked second in the Register of Famed Swords. When Yushu questioned why it wasn't first if Wushuang City was "peerless," Song Yanhui explained the first was an Emperor's sword, while Daming Vermilion Bird was the martial world's "peerless" blade.
Song Yanhui attempted to open the coffer but failed, explaining that the coffer had a spirit and would only open for its true master. When Yushu, who had not yet trained in swordsmanship, offered to try, Song Yanhui was hesitant, but Yushu insisted, claiming the coffer might prefer a "blank slate." To Song Yanhui's astonishment, the Peerless Sword Coffer opened for Yushu, revealing the fabled Jade Ruyi sword.
Witnessing this, Liu Yunqi, another figure from Wushuang City, mused that the city could indeed achieve peerlessness. Song Yanhui, recalling how his own master had renamed him "Song Yanhui" after a magnificent sword strike he made in his youth, bestowed upon his disciple the name "Wushuang," declaring that from then on, any mention of "Wushuang" in connection with the Peerless Sword Coffer or Wushuang City would be because of him.
He expressed his belief that Wushuang would accomplish what he could not. Before Su Muyu's departure, Bai Hehuai presented him with a meticulously forged sword named Crane Feather, explaining she had sent people to the Villa of Famed Swords to acquire it. She had spent three months of the clinic's earnings on it, urging him to use it to achieve fame in Wushuang City, thus making a name for her as well.
Su Changhe, joining in, also gifted Su Muyu his "little pet" for protection. Su Zhe, hinting at Su Changhe's own delayed return, prompted him to head back to Blood River. Su Changhe confirmed his departure, lamenting that his Blood River "family" was unreliable compared to the company in Nan'an. Su Muyu continued his journey and arrived at Tianxia House, one of the Four Great Casinos, serving as a gateway to Wushuang City.
He learned that to enter Wushuang City, he needed a Wushuang Token, which could only be won through gambling. The casino master immediately eyed Su Muyu's new sword as a valuable wager, but Su Muyu refused to part with it due to its sentimental value. Instead, he offered a Dragon's Tear Pearl, a rare item known to enhance inner cultivation, which the casino master accepted. Su Muyu then chose a "beast bout," specifically a spider fight.
When presented with two formidable Eight-eyed wolf spiders, Su Muyu proposed a unique wager: his own small spider would fight both of theirs. Despite the casino master's doubts about its chances, Su Muyu insisted. His spider, a legendary White-Ghost Spider, easily defeated both opponents. The casino master, realizing Su Muyu's extraordinary background from his possession of such rare items, attempted to renege on the deal. Su Muyu firmly demanded his Wushuang Token, reminding them to uphold their own rules.
The casino master relented and led him to a hidden room where a masked figure, the true manager, awaited. The masked figure acknowledged Su Muyu's win and his unusual talent, sensing his power when Su Muyu effortlessly shattered a nearby wall with his internal energy. Before Su Muyu left with his Wushuang Token, the casino master advised him to say he was collecting a Soul-Chasing Crossbow from Yuexia Smithy in Wushuang City if questioned at checkpoints.
Meanwhile, Su Changhe was ambushed on the road. He quickly discerned that his trusted subordinates had been poisoned by the traitors. He realized his estranged cousin, Su Luandan, was behind the attack, acknowledging that he had underestimated him. Following the casino master's advice, Su Muyu approached Wushuang City's checkpoints, where guards were laxly feasting on watermelon. He subtly tried to pass, but the guards quickly stopped him.
He presented his Wushuang Token and explained he was there to collect a Soul-Chasing Crossbow. However, a guard claimed he was "out of order" for having passed "three horse-lengths" before showing his token. The guards then demanded three thousand taels for this "offense." Su Muyu argued that the crossbow wasn't worth that much and that a renowned city like Wushuang City shouldn't be resorting to such extortion.
The guard, however, insisted on his payment, citing Su Muyu's veiled face as a reason for suspicion. Su Muyu explained his face was susceptible to red sores in sunlight due to a childhood illness, hence the veil. The guard then lowered the "fine" to three hundred taels, which Su Muyu paid. As he turned to leave, Su Muyu sighed, prompting the guard to ask why.
Su Muyu expressed his deep disappointment in Wushuang City, noting its decline from its former glory as the "No.1 under heaven" to a state where its guards resorted to petty extortion. He challenged their claim to being the top power, pointing out that true martial heroes like the saviour of the realm who surpassed Ye Dingzhi, the Five Sword Deities named after cities, and the No.1 Spear Deity were all outside Wushuang City.
Enraged by this insult, the head disciple, Sitong, confronted Su Muyu. Despite other junior disciples' attempts to stop him, Sitong, wielding his Heavenly Pass Spear, launched an attack. Su Muyu, however, skillfully parried the attack, much to Sitong's surprise.
