Blood River Episode 5 Recap
> Blood River Recap
As night fell, candles brightly illuminated the room where Bai Hehuai, with a solemn expression, prepared to perform the Soul-Swap Technique to heal the severely injured Patriarch. The Patriarch inquired if she was ready, to which she affirmed. As she began, Bai Hehuai noted the Patriarch's condition was "already this bad." Simultaneously, elite youths from the Mu and Xie families surged towards the lair like a relentless tide.
Inside, the Twelve Zodiacs of Spider Shadow engaged in a brutal battle against the invading youths. During the chaos, a Mu family member, Mu Bai, was confronted about killing Chou the Ox, which he brazenly admitted to, prompting a vow of revenge from a Spider Shadow member. Xie Huxiao of the Xie family was also active, with a Spider Shadow member observing that the Xie family had produced a "killer sharper than us," referring to Buxie.
Buxie, recognizing the Spider Shadow member as the one who first taught him blade techniques, declared he had long awaited this fight. Amidst the fighting, a Mu family member expressed frustration about not knowing Su Muyu's whereabouts, being reminded by another that they were there "on business" and not to dwell on her "dream boy."
A "fake diviner" from the Mu family humorously performed a quick reading, declaring "the blossom side's up, a sign of good luck," which was met with scorn. Su Muyu, like a steadfast god of war, stood guard outside the Patriarch's door. Mu Kewen arrived, his heart stirred by the sight of the Patriarch's poisoned and precarious state. He questioned Su Muyu if the attackers could breach their defenses, to which Su Muyu replied they were well-prepared and had an insider.
Mu Kewen, reflecting on his long disconnection from Blood River headquarters, pondered if he had already sided with the enemy. Su Muyu expressed his unwavering trust in Mu Kewen, believing he would remain loyal to the Patriarch even if he himself betrayed the Spider Shadow. Deeply moved by Su Muyu's loyalty, Mu Kewen declared that such words were "so moving that I should die for it," resolving to fight alongside the Patriarch against the three families.
Within the Patriarch's mind, Bai Hehuai continued her exploration, finding herself in a horrifying purgatory. She saw the tormented souls of those the Patriarch had killed, manifesting as demonic figures. She mused that the Patriarch's inner world was "literal hell." During her deep dive, she unexpectedly witnessed a memory of the Patriarch and Su Zhe on a mission.
The Patriarch, facing death, had promised Su Zhe that if they survived, he would allow him to temporarily leave Blood River to see his wife and daughter. Su Zhe had declared his hatred for his role as Kui and his desire to leave Blood River to live happily with his family.
Bai Hehuai then saw a memory of her own mother poisoning Su Zhe and leaving a distinctive claw mark on his neck, which her mother had described as a permanent reminder. It was at this moment Bai Hehuai realized with a shock that Su Zhe was her long-sought father. However, the Patriarch's self-awareness within the illusion suddenly awakened.
He saw Bai Hehuai, mistaking her for a spy who had betrayed him, especially after she inadvertently used the Phantom Step, a Su family technique. Terrified, Bai Hehuai tried to explain that she was the miracle physician attempting to cure him and was simply seeking a solution.
But the Patriarch, enraged by her perceived betrayal and use of Su family arts, accused her of trying to "pry into my mind's secrets" and attacked her with his sword, warning that "some secrets kill faster the more you know." Stabbed in the illusion, Bai Hehuai was instantly expelled, waking up in the physical world drenched in cold sweat. Seeing the Patriarch about to fully awaken, she knew it was too late to escape unnoticed.
The awakened Patriarch again demanded to know her identity, then attacked her with sword energy, splitting the door. Meanwhile, Su Changhe remained leisurely at an inn. Su Zhe observed him, noting a "messenger dagger" from the "old master," signifying an urgent summons. Su Changhe, however, dismissed it, preferring to nap.
Su Zhe, realizing Su Changhe was orchestrating a larger scheme, remarked on his cleverness, and Su Changhe confirmed that everyone was merely part of his "setup," awaiting his final move to "reap the reward." Outside the Patriarch's chamber, Buxie confronted Su Muyu, stating he had not seen him before and that the Xie family had hidden "a fine blade."
Buxie proudly spoke of his master, Xie Qidao, who called him the strongest bladesman of his generation, but still far from "Su Muyu, the top swordsman." He demanded a fight, seeking to prove himself. Mu Xuewei arrived, pleading with Su Muyu to stop, but Buxie threatened to kill her if she interfered, insisting he wanted to fight Su Muyu's sword, not his umbrella, and challenged him to use his Eighteen-Sword Array.
Su Muyu accepted, telling Buxie to use his blade to witness his sword. Buxie launched his "Still-Arms Technique," a powerful Xie family secret art. Su Muyu cautioned Buxie that clinging too hard to the sword itself could make him its slave, a lesson learned from No-Sword City's walls, and asked why Buxie felt he "must beat" him. Buxie declared that "Winning or losing, that's what gives meaning to me."
Su Muyu then unleashed his own unique technique, "Flying blades scattered, like evening rain," which he named "Muyu." Defeated, Buxie, filled with admiration and a tinge of unwillingness, vowed to create a technique named "Buxie." Su Muyu advised Buxie to find a truly meaningful cause to fight for, beyond just strength, acknowledging Buxie's pure devotion to the blade. Buxie, though not fully comprehending, promised to search for such a reason to eventually defeat Su Muyu.
As Buxie departed, Mu Xuewei approached Su Muyu, offering him medicine for a wound. Su Muyu declined, mentioning his own "miracle physician" and jokingly referring to Mu Xuewei's medicine as "cow-killing poison." Mu Xuewei then taunted Su Muyu about the miracle physician's potential demise, challenging him to break her poison array to save her. Following her escape, Bai Hehuai was confronted by Mu Xuewei, who attacked her with what Bai Hehuai identified as the "Su family's Three-Needle Threading."
Bai Hehuai, surprised by the attack, questioned Mu Xuewei's identity, demanding to know who she truly was. Suddenly, a trap was triggered, and Su Muyu, to protect Bai Hehuai, jumped into the falling pit with her. Mu Xuewei, determined to kill Bai Hehuai, ordered the deadliest poison to be thrown into the pit, revealing that Su Muyu had an antidote in his sword hilt, but the physician "must die today."
In the pit, Bai Hehuai, a miracle physician from Medicine King Valley and granddaughter of the Wen family head, demonstrated her fearlessness towards the poison, scoffing at the idea that she would be scared. After observing Mu Xuewei, she deduced that Mu Xuewei had suffered qi deviation while practicing the Poison-Sand Palm, causing venom to spread throughout her body. Although her life was miraculously saved, the poison remained, making her touch deadly.
Su Muyu, upon hearing this, pleaded with Bai Hehuai to cure Mu Xuewei, describing her as gentle and usually reserved, likely forced by family orders to attack. Bai Hehuai, though initially unwilling to help someone who just tried to kill her, eventually softened under Su Muyu's sincere pleas. She agreed to help Mu Xuewei on the condition that both Mu Xuewei and herself survived this ordeal, were no longer enemies, and that she be paid "enough" for her services.
Su Muyu then ingeniously located the escape mechanism. Having rested, Su Changhe, now awake, knew the time was right to make his move. Elsewhere, the Su family head received news that the Xie and Mu families had breached the Spider's Nest defenses but failed to secure the Dormant Dragon Sword.
Angered that his messenger dagger ordering Su Changhe to act had been rejected, the head nonetheless acknowledged that only Su Changhe could contend with Su Muyu and that controlling both was crucial for the Su family's ambitions. Just then, word arrived that Su Changhe and Su Zhe had already departed from the inn.
In the secret passage, Bai Hehuai inquired about Su Zhe from Su Muyu, revealing what she had learned in the Patriarch's memory about his promise to grant Su Zhe freedom. Su Changhe, orchestrating his next move, instructed Su Zhe to proceed to Sanli Pavilion to kill Bai Hehuai, while he himself headed for the Spider's Nest to seize the Dormant Dragon Sword.
Su Zhe complained about always being the one running errands, but Su Changhe playfully encouraged him not to die, expressing his admiration. Meanwhile, Xie Fanhua, having barely escaped the Spider's Nest, encountered Su Changhe on his way. A tense exchange followed, with Xie Fanhua calling Su Changhe an "Undertaker."
As they prepared to fight, one of Xie Fanhua's companions revealed that he had been observing a flaw in Su Changhe's "Inch Sword" technique and asked Xie Fanhua to create an opening for him, indicating a looming battle.
