Ever Night Episode 24 Recap, Plot

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Ning Que safely returned to the Academy, much to the delight of Pippi Chen, who excitedly revealed that Second Brother Jun Mo had intervened to save Ning Que. Pippi Chen detailed that the three groups of killers were the Prince's men, Xia Hou's forces, and a gatekeeper from West Shrine.

Expressing concern that Ning Que might bring significant trouble to the back hill, Pippi Chen quickly adopted a protective, brotherly stance, promising that once Ning Que was part of the back hill, no one would dare bully him. When Ning Que attempted an embrace, Pippi Chen playfully used his unique skill, the Finger of Original Simplicity, sending Ning Que flying. Impressed by the technique's power, Ning Que then obediently followed Pippi Chen to meet the other disciples.

Pippi Chen first introduced Ning Que to Seventh Sister Mu You, who specializes in formations. Mu You casually threw an embroidery needle at Ning Que, who stood calmly, noting that the needle carried no hostile intent. Mu You praised his composure, attributing his successful passage through the dense fog formation on his ascent to this quality, and confirming that she was responsible for maintaining and updating such formations.

Next, Pippi Chen led Ning Que to Ninth Brother Beigong Weiyang, who played the vertical flute, and Tenth Brother Ximen Buhuo, who played a Chinese zither. These two, from the South Sea, were adept at musical rhythm. As they played, Pippi Chen began to dance uncontrollably, begging them to stop. The brothers explained that their cultivation revolved around musical rhythm, a beauty that mere cultivators focused on elemental Qi couldn't appreciate.

They hoped Ning Que, having shown composure on the hill and been identified by Yan Se as a potential master of talisman, might also have an aptitude for music and invited him for future discussions, insisting that art transcends boundaries. Pippi Chen then introduced Ning Que to Eleventh Brother, who was leisurely swinging on a swing.

Eleventh Brother spoke in riddles about the "swing" itself, questioning whether its nature was objective or subjective, and whether it brought enjoyment or disaster depending on one's mindset. Pippi Chen quickly interjected, suggesting they defer their philosophical debate, and led Ning Que away, but Eleventh Brother invited Ning Que to further philosophical discussions whenever he had leisure. The next stop was the domain of Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother.

Pippi Chen pointed out that the uncomfortable "hurting track" Ning Que had endured was Sixth Brother's masterpiece. Sixth Brother, renowned for his skill in crafting armors and weapons, revealed that many generals wore his creations, including the North-Defending General Xia Hou's Bright Armor, which he considered his finest work. The armor's designer, however, was Fourth Brother, who was analyzing its runes.

Fourth Brother explained the armor's "three-star turtle rune" was effective for frontal impact but posed difficulties for activating runes with side pressure if a warrior infused their body with original Qi. He was also trying to create an even more potent armor but had reached a bottleneck. Ning Que's reaction to the mention of Xia Hou's armor was notable, though he dismissed it as merely feeling too hot from Sixth Brother's constantly burning forge.

Before meeting Second Brother, Pippi Chen took Ning Que to his own small hut, offering peculiar snacks made from toads. He mentioned that Fifth Brother and Eighth Brother, both national chess masters from different states, were currently down the hill engaged in one of their ongoing matches.

He also briefly mentioned Third Sister, who diligently copied small regular script in the old library as a task assigned by the Sage, and that First Brother was traveling with the Sage and would be unavailable to meet. Pippi Chen then led Ning Que to meet Second Brother Jun Mo, repeatedly cautioning Ning Que about Jun Mo's serious and upright demeanor. Ning Que, however, launched into effusive praise, thanking Jun Mo for saving his life.

Unimpressed, Jun Mo silenced him with a simple gesture and criticized Ning Que's weakness. He warned Ning Que that entry into the back hill was not easy and that unfaithful disciples would be cast out, a decree he himself would announce. Jun Mo then revealed that Ning Que was the thirteenth pro-disciple chosen by the Sage and presented him with an amber waist tag, forged by the Sage and imbued with his essence.

He explained that this tag symbolized Ning Que's status and, more importantly, placed upon him the solemn responsibility of defending both the Academy and the State of Tang. When Ning Que inquired about his cultivation, Jun Mo stated that Ning Que, only at the No-Doubt stage, lacked sufficient original Qi to learn advanced practices and instructed him to self-study until the Sage and First Brother returned. Later, Eunuch Lin escorted Ning Que for an audience with the Emperor of Tang.

The Emperor expressed his weariness with palace life, lamenting his lack of freedom and reminiscing about his youthful camaraderie with Chao Xiaoshu. Ning Que considered bringing up the injustice of the General Lin's household case but decided against it, not wishing to disrupt the Emperor's mood. The Emperor admired Ning Que's calligraphy, promising a unique palace treasure as a gift once Ning Que truly entered the path of talisman cultivation.

He then questioned Ning Que about his attackers, but Ning Que feigned poor eyesight, claiming he hadn't seen their faces and asserting his belief that the wise Emperor would eventually uncover the truth. The Emperor, amused, jokingly called Ning Que's words "flattery." Returning home, Ning Que casually informed Sang Sang that his calligraphy would soon become very valuable, regretting that he had discarded so many of his practice works.

Sang Sang then revealed that she had saved every single one, bringing him immense joy. Soon after, Ning Que's calligraphy soared in value. Scholar Wang, infuriated that Secretary Jin had received a valuable copy of a work from the Emperor, sought out Yan Se to acquire the Chicken Soup copybook, which Ning Que had left at Red-sleeve House, to outdo his rival. Yan Se negotiated a price, selling the copybook for fifteen thousand taels.

Scholar Wang left satisfied, while Yan Se secretly congratulated himself, knowing he had sold a mere copy of Ning Que's work, not the original. The next morning, Yan Se arrived to take Ning Que for his first lesson in talisman cultivation. No sooner had they left than a crowd besieged the house, eager to purchase Ning Que's calligraphy. Sang Sang barricaded the door, hid the calligraphy, secured Ning Que's private chop, and escaped through the back.

Yan Se began teaching Ning Que, explaining that the path of the talisman was akin to playing "a music that nature can understand," and stressed that the most challenging aspect was the final stroke, which relied on innate talent and a pure, "original heart." Meanwhile, Sang Sang rushed to Red-sleeve House, inquiring about the note Ning Que had left there. She learned that Water Drops had taken it.

Sang Sang found Water Drops being hounded by several young masters bidding up to thirty thousand taels for the Chicken Soup copybook. Just as Water Drops was about to sell, Sang Sang intervened, forbidding her from selling the original. Instead, Sang Sang shrewdly proposed selling rubbings of the copybook for five hundred taels each, guaranteeing them to be personally signed by Master Yan Se and stamped with Ning Que's private chop. The eager nobles readily agreed, purchasing numerous copies.

Episode 23 Recap

Episode 25 Recap