Love in Pavilion Episode 23 Recap

Wangquan Hongye and Dongfang Huaizhu overheard the master of Zuimenglou giving orders to subordinates and learned that the demons of Zuimenglou had been sent to retrieve the Xiwu Flower, but none had returned. The demon-fighting competition held by Zuimenglou was also intended to obtain the Xiwu Flower. Moreover, the master of Zuimenglou had ordered someone to track Wangquan Hongye’s whereabouts—clearly, the earlier assassination attempt had been orchestrated by him. Just as the two were about to leave, they were discovered by members of Zuimenglou, but they were highly skilled and escaped with ease.

Li Quzhuo informed Wangquan and Huaizhu of the news from Ruyilou: the current master of Zuimenglou is the Grand Advisor of the Demon-Taming Nation, Ana Yan. To catch the assassin, Wangquan Hongye decided to bait the "Swallow" to lure out the attacker.

Qingmu Yuan had been following Zhang Zheng but was discovered by him. When Qingmu Yuan questioned him, Zhang Zheng refused to answer. So she kept trailing him, pretending to be weak and claiming she had injured her leg. Zhang Zheng believed her and let down his guard, only to be immobilized by a binding talisman Qingmu Yuan had placed on him. She then cast a spell to make him reveal the truth he had been hiding.

Just as Qingmu Yuan had overheard that day, during his conversation with Ana Yan, his real name was Ana Ran. Because he looked identical to Zhang Zheng, he had been bought as a stand-in. The real Zhang Zheng had already died. Qingmu Yuan was devastated and was about to kill Ana Ran, but a single sentence from him made her hesitate. Qingmu Yuan lifted his sleeve, and a scar came into view—he was the one who had led her out of the Nightmare Formation back then.

Realizing things weren’t so simple, Qingmu Yuan demanded Ana Ran tell her the full truth. Years ago, Zhang Zheng had been gravely ill, but out of gratitude to Ana Ran, he took a Yusu Pill—a medicine that grants a final burst of vitality but accelerates death. Using this opportunity, Zhang Zheng passed on the Zhang family headship to Ana Ran and let him continue his life in his place.

It wasn’t Ana Ran who killed Zhang Zheng, but Zhang Zheng died because of him, so Ana Ran claimed he was the one who killed Zhang Zheng. Knowing the truth, Qingmu Yuan no longer resented Ana Ran. She asked if he liked her, but before he could answer, she noticed his hair was scorched. Upon checking, she realized he had been injured—surely during the attempt to assassinate Wangquan, wounded by the sword energy of the Wangquan Sword.

Fortunately, Qingmu Yuan carried a Qiankun Pouch and used it to heal Ana Ran. In fact, Ana Ran also liked Qingmu Yuan, but since she was the person Zhang Zheng loved, he had never dared cross the line and could only stay away. Qingmu Yuan, who also liked him, was delighted and guided him to kiss her. By the time Ana Ran came to his senses, Qingmu Yuan had already left, leaving only a note.

Ana Ran took the note and went to question Qingmu Yuan about what she had done to him—why he couldn’t remember so many things. Qingmu Yuan dodged the question playfully and of course didn’t tell the truth. But there was one thing she said sincerely: those who love you always hope you can live for yourself. And the bond of classmates is also a kind of affection. In her heart, Qingmu Yuan silently vowed to keep his secret until she had cleared all the obstacles in his path.

The Sugar Water Shop was a stronghold for the demon tamers' spies of the Demon-Taming Nation. Li Quzhuo had been watching for a long time, but he still couldn’t figure out which one was the "Swallow." Dongfang Qinlan, who had seen all walks of life, analyzed things clearly for him: the man who drank eight cups of sugar water was likely just a lecher coveting the beauty of the shop owner. Though the shop owner was beautiful, she had never stood up—perhaps she was disabled. The most suspicious people in the Sugar Water Shop were the two shop assistants, so the two of them went down to confront them.