Blood River Episode 28 Recap
> Blood River Recap
Tang Lingzun, looking at Su Changhe, sensed something was amiss. Su Changhe nonchalantly replied that Su Muyu likely found the food in Jin City unappetizing and might have gone to the Tang Clan in search of lighter fare. Realizing this was a diversion and Su Muyu's true target was the Tang Clan, Tang Lingzun declared the negotiation was off, accusing the Blood River of breaking their agreement first.
Su Changhe scoffed, stating that the Blood River hadn't taken the negotiation seriously to begin with. He then added that with Mu Xuewei's return, the negotiation was no longer necessary. Tang Lingzun was taken aback by the Patriarch of Blood River's cunning. Su Changhe openly stated his goal was to transform the Blood River, implying that the Tang Clan, in its current state, had become an obstacle, much like another dark river itself.
Meanwhile, Tang Lian, seeing Tang Tianlu approach the dungeon, bravely volunteered to create a diversion, reminding everyone that Mu Yumo was his Madam. While Tang Lian successfully lured away the guards, Mu Yumo and Su Muyu quickly entered a room where they found Tang Lianyue completely frozen by a Frostmoon Cocoon. Su Muyu tried to thaw him using an Embermark Spider, but it proved useless against the powerful ice, with an elder mocking their futile attempts.
Elsewhere, as Tang Lingzun engaged Su Changhe in a fierce battle, Su Muyu was struck by a hidden weapon laced with a potent toxin while fighting off assailants. Mu Yumo swiftly silenced the talkative attacker. Just then, Bai Hehuai arrived, much to Su Muyu's relief. After checking his pulse, Bai Hehuai confirmed the toxin was the same as the one found in Mu Xuewei, suggesting Night Crow had extracted it to create new poisons.
She gave Su Muyu a pill to suppress the difficult-to-treat poison and promised to fully cure him once they were safe. Su Muyu then asked Bai Hehuai if she could help Tang Lianyue. Recognizing the Frostmoon Cocoon, Bai Hehuai had an idea. She summoned her Phoenix Flame Serpent, "Ember," to slowly melt the ice.
She noted that while Ember was a powerful fire-attribute snake, it would take at least four hours for Tang Lianyue to return to normal, though he still wouldn't regain consciousness immediately. Suddenly, another elder attacked, scoffing that they wouldn't have time to save Tang Lianyue. However, at that critical moment, Tang Lianyue surprisingly awakened and retaliated, throwing off the elder's attack. Su Muyu and Mu Yumo expressed their surprise and relief.
Tang Lianyue confronted the elder, understanding that he was kept alive because only he, his Senior Brother, and Grand Master Tang knew the location of the Tang Clan's Wanbao Tower, which housed all their heaven-rank hidden weapons crucial for the clan's standing. The elder admitted that Tang Linghuang and Tang Lian were still their captives, threatening to kill them if Tang Lianyue resisted. Mu Yumo denounced the elder as a hypocrite who used righteousness to blackmail others.
The elder then revealed that Mu Qingyang had already found Tang Lianyue's young disciple. He offered Tang Lianyue and Tang Linghuang's safe release in exchange for the Wanbao Tower's location, adding that Grand Master Tang would not return to the clan but would be unharmed. Mu Yumo urged Tang Lianyue not to fall for the elder's deceit.
Tang Lianyue, however, remembered his Senior Brother's advice: to always charge forward without concern for others, because his Senior Brother would never need his worry. Night Crow actively sought out the strongest member of the Tang Clan, perceiving him as a "good vessel" she could control to seize power.
She admitted to being a mere passerby initially tasked with a deal to help a faction within the Tang Clan gain power, in exchange for safety, a secret area, and experimental herbs. However, she now preferred to ally with the strongest. Mu Qingyang, fighting against these assailants, sustained severe injuries and was poisoned, facing imminent death. Fortunately, Li Hanyi, the second city lord of Xueyue City, passed by.
She saved Mu Qingyang, who, in his weakened state, muttered that he wouldn't die and that battling Elder Tang Tianlu was too exhausting, urging someone not to shake him and to let him rest. Li Hanyi, recognizing his Froststeel sword and realizing he was from the Tang Clan, noted his Tang Clan hidden weapon wounds.
She mentioned that her master, the Xuanwu Guardian (Tang Lianyue), was also frozen by the Tang Clan's internal strife and observed that her mother's concerns about chaos in the Tang Clan were indeed true. At this moment, Su Changhe received a signal from Su Muyu, confirming their success. He remarked that the outcome was not what his opponent expected.
Tang Lianyue, now free and in control, addressed the kneeling Tang Clan members, declaring that Tang Fulu was dead and Tang Lingzun would also face consequences. He offered clemency to those who merely followed orders, on the condition that they would only serve their own interests or the Tang Clan from then on, and never again become tools for the faithless.
Upon their assent, he ordered them to reveal the whereabouts of the vice sect leader, who was imprisoned in the Heaven Cell of the Execution Hall, and then commanded them to take him there, along with all the other captives. Mu Yumo offered to return Tang Lianyue's Fingertip Blade, which she had been holding for some time, but he refused, stating that he had spares and that particular blade now belonged to her.
After dealing with the Tang Clan elders, Li Hanyi confronted Su Muyu and Mu Yumo, asking if they were involved in the Tang Clan's upheaval. Su Muyu, in turn, asked Li Hanyi why she was there. Li Hanyi stated that her mother had sent her. Su Muyu then deduced that she was there to rescue the Xuanwu Guardian, recognizing Xueyue City's role in maintaining martial world order.
Li Hanyi confirmed that the Xuanwu Guardian (Tang Lianyue) had been rescued and was heading toward the Execution Hall, suggesting Su Muyu seek him out there. When Su Muyu asked if he could trust her, Li Hanyi replied that it didn't matter, as the Blood River's objectives had been achieved. Soon after, Li Hanyi departed. Su Muyu decided they should leave too, certain that with the Xueyue Sword Deity's arrival, there would be no more chaos in the Tang Clan.
He instructed that they simply wait for Tang Lianyue to find them. Later, as Bai Hehuai and others played chess, Tang Xuan arrived to convey gratitude on behalf of the Tang Clan. Su Muyu inquired about Tang Lianyue, and Tang Xuan reported that Vice Master Tang Linghuang had been taken away before Lianyue could reach the Heaven Cell of the Execution Hall.
Tang Lianyue and Li Hanyi had immediately pursued the abductors, and before leaving, Tang Lianyue had sent Tang Xuan to thank the Blood River. When Tang Xuan offered to negotiate in the leaders' absence, Su Changhe questioned his status. Su Muyu then bluntly dismissed Tang Xuan as unimportant and ordered him to leave, sending a message back to Tang Lianyue: if he ever wished to meet them again, he must personally come to the Blood River.
Meanwhile, Su Changhe observed the Azure Dragon Guardian, noting that the world still regarded the Blood River with hostility. The Azure Dragon Guardian, in turn, acknowledged Blood River's involvement in the Tang Clan uprising, noting they had sided with Tang Lianyue and helped rescue him, which was an act of kindness to their side.
He then revealed that Li Hanyi had found Tang Lianyue, but by then, Tang Linghuang had been abducted by a group of mysterious figures and taken north. Tang Lianyue, still suffering from the Frostmoon Cocoon's lingering poison, was forced to halt his pursuit and lost Tang Linghuang's trail. The Azure Dragon Guardian's scouts also confirmed a group of mysterious individuals had entered Tianqi City but evaded surveillance.
He, along with Tang Lianyue, suspected these individuals took Tang Linghuang to Tianqi City. Li Hanyi, unwilling to get involved in Tianqi's affairs, returned to Xueyue City, while Tang Lianyue and the Azure Dragon Guardian continued their investigation. They now believed they could help the Blood River locate these mysterious figures.
Although Su Changhe's initial instinct was to aggressively confront those who had taken Tang Linghuang, Su Muyu convinced him that this presented a unique opportunity to forge an alliance with Prince of Langya. Grudgingly, Su Changhe agreed to humbly seek an audience with the Prince, even though he personally disdained such a notion.
He then humorously complained that Su Muyu had advised him that it was the Blood River as a whole that needed to befriend Prince of Langya, not just Su Changhe, and that Su Muyu had told him to "shut up." Despite his pride, Su Changhe reluctantly conceded, informing the Azure Dragon Guardian that the Patriarch of the Blood River sought an audience with Prince of Langya to discuss matters in person.
When asked about Su Muyu's whereabouts, Su Changhe stated that Su Muyu was already asleep because he had to wake up early for a house viewing. Indeed, Su Muyu and Bai Hehuai were in Tianqi City looking to rent a place to open an apothecary. The shopkeeper, seeing them together, repeatedly mistook them for a married couple, despite Su Muyu's corrections that they were merely business partners. Bai Hehuai, however, seemed secretly pleased by the assumption.
They inspected a quiet residence, and Bai Hehuai boasted of her medical skills, claiming to be among the top five physicians in the world. When asked about the monthly rent, the shopkeeper insisted on a yearly lease, but after Su Muyu and Bai Hehuai feigned disinterest in staying long-term due to the climate and food, the shopkeeper reluctantly offered a half-year lease for 200 silver taels. Su Muyu protested the high price for such a "lousy place."
Just then, Tu Wan arrived, scolding the shopkeeper for trying to swindle his friends. Tu Wan immediately offered Su Muyu and Bai Hehuai a luxurious mansion in Qile Pleasure House, complete with servants, or a quieter mountain villa on the outskirts. Su Muyu declined, explaining that a smaller, more accessible place was better for an apothecary so patients wouldn't be intimidated.
Tu Wan agreed, then, upon learning the shopkeeper was from "Home of Love" and wanted to befriend him, coerced the shopkeeper into renting the house to Su Muyu and Bai Hehuai for a mere one silver tael. Tu Wan arranged for renovations to be completed in three days for the apothecary's opening. Tu Wan then questioned Su Muyu's sudden return to Tianqi, to which Su Muyu replied he sought to gain favor with Prince of Langya.
Tu Wan immediately jumped to conclusions, asking if they planned a rebellion, a venture he eagerly wished to join. Su Muyu denied any such intention, clarifying they weren't there for rebellion. Tu Wan then shared the latest rumors circulating in Tianqi City: that the Dragonseal Scroll, which Prince of Langya tore years ago, actually contained his name as the heir.
Tu Wan speculated that someone was deliberately spreading these rumors, as the original incident, where Prince of Langya secured the throne for Emperor Mingde after taking the scroll from the late emperor, had always been controversial. The second copy of the scroll and its messenger eunuch had mysteriously vanished, fueling suspicions.
Tu Wan posited that people change, and while Prince of Langya might have supported the Emperor in the past, his current immense military prestige and the fervent desire of his loyal army to crown him emperor could lead him to seek the throne himself. Bai Hehuai playfully accused Tu Wan of talking nonsense, to which he replied it was merely a joke.
Su Muyu, connecting this information with his recent encounters in Sihuai City and the Tang Clan, concluded that the mysterious adversaries they faced likely intended to target Prince of Langya. Tu Wan, in parting, offered his continued help to Su Muyu in Tianqi, stating they were true friends who had hit it off at first sight, a feeling he cherished in the "pretentious" city of Tianqi. He even joked that their initial bond was formed in a pleasure house where they both remained untempted among drunkards.
