Sword and Beloved Episode 1 Recap
> Sword and Beloved Recap
In the heart of Eastern City, corpses lay scattered across the snowy ground, the only sound the eerie chime of broken wind chimes. Young Master Cheng led his disciples into the city, only to find everyone massacred. As they stood in shock, a swift, dark shadow descended, killing several followers instantly. Despite the danger, Young Master Cheng bravely declared the Cheng family's disciples would not retreat and ordered an attack.
However, the assailant's speed was overwhelming; Young Master Cheng himself vanished amidst the chaos. Back at Wangquan Manor, the headquarters of the Yiqi Alliance, reports flooded in of Eastern City's obliteration by demons and Young Master Cheng's disappearance. Amidst the growing panic, Wangquan Hongye, the Chief of the Yiqi Alliance, remained resolute, assuring everyone that the Soldier had already arrived. Wangquan Fugui, the Soldier of the Yiqi Alliance and Young Master of Wangquan Manor, appeared in Eastern City.
A blood-stained Young Master Cheng, on the verge of death, reached out to him for help, but behind him lurked numerous grotesque demons. With his First-Snow Sword, Wangquan Fugui swiftly dispatched the attacking demons. He then proceeded towards a raging inferno of karmic fire, where the bodies of the deceased fueled a horrifying blaze. A sharp, feminine voice announced the demon's identity: Huodou, the Demon King.
She taunted Wangquan Fugui, but he cut her off, engaging her in a fierce battle. Though Huodou managed to inflict an injury on him, she was shocked when Wangquan Fugui emerged from her seemingly inescapable karmic fire, completely unharmed. The karmic fire, instead of consuming him, recoiled in fear, parting a path. When Huodou demanded to know why her fire feared him, Wangquan Fugui simply stated she didn't need to know, then mercilessly struck her down, reducing her to ashes.
As Wangquan Fugui prepared to leave Eastern City, his attendants discovered a survivor. They reported that someone had used spider silk to stop the bleeding of one of the injured. Wangquan Fugui then found No.12580, a spider demon attempting to flee. Upon learning that she had used her silk to help the injured, Wangquan Fugui, in an unprecedented act, spared her life, breaking his usual rule of demon slaying.
Meanwhile, back at Silk Cave, the Mistress was furious that her spider demons had failed to infiltrate Wangquan Manor. As she punished the other failed demons, threatening No.12581, No.12580 pleaded for his life, referring to him as her brother despite their shared hatching day. No.12580 offered a solution to redeem their failure: on the third day of the month, Wangquan Manor's cargo ship would pass through the perilous Dingling Mountain.
She proposed that if the Mistress helped her board the ship, she could infiltrate the manor and gather intelligence. Impressed by No.12580's wit, the Mistress agreed, promising to spare No.12581's life if she returned with valuable information about the Soldier. Wangquan Fugui reflected on his role as a Soldier: his life was a cycle of cold, emotionless killing, where drawing his sword to slay demons required no reason.
He saw his heart trapped within its sheath, unable to unleash the ultimate Heaven-and-Earth Strike, viewing himself merely as a weapon for Wangquan Manor. Following his quick victory over Huodou, Steward Fei praised his impressive skill, but Wangquan Hongye remained stern, noting Wangquan Fugui's injury as proof his strength had not yet peaked. He criticized his son for failing to master the Heaven-and-Earth Strike and immediately ordered him to return to the Cold Pool for more cultivation, despite his wounds.
Steward Fei expressed concern for Wangquan Fugui's poisoned injuries, suggesting treatment first, but Wangquan Hongye was unyielding. Wangquan Fugui recalled his origins: born of a concubine, his mother, a powerful spiritualist, had reportedly exhausted all her spiritual power giving birth to him. From childhood, he endured eight hours of daily cultivation, secluded from the outside world. By twelve, he was unrivaled by anyone in the family except Wangquan Hongye.
His life soon expanded to include journeys in the Demon-Slaying Palanquin, endlessly slaying demons. He was taught to shed all emotion and warmth. Yet, the Heaven-and-Earth Strike eluded him, making him wonder if his father's only concern for him was this ultimate skill. No.12580 successfully infiltrated Wangquan Manor by stowing away on a cargo ship. However, she was quickly discovered by Feng Tingyun, a disciple of the manor, who detected her demonic aura.
To save herself, No.12580 spun a tale of accidentally falling from a tree and offered to mend Feng Tingyun's patched dress, promising to weave an even more beautiful one from demon silk. Feng Tingyun, pleased with her weaving skills, then presented a portrait of a costume, tasking No.12580 with recreating it. She revealed she intended to wear it for her senior's upcoming birthday, a senior she admired despite his disinterest in celebrations and her annual letters.
No.12580 volunteered to deliver the letter this year. That night, she stealthily entered Wangquan Fugui's room. He recognized her as the spider demon he had spared earlier and ordered her to leave. Desperate, No.12580 pleaded with him to accept Feng Tingyun's letter, even opening it to reveal an invitation to meet by the garden pond the following night. Wangquan Fugui curtly stated he could read and again commanded her to leave.
As she departed, No.12580 wistfully mentioned the beautiful rhododendrons on Mount Baiwu and urged him to attend the meeting. However, Wangquan Fugui did not show up. The next day, Feng Tingyun, wearing heavy makeup for her rendezvous, was subtly told by No.12580 that her makeup was "a bit too much." Feng Tingyun brushed it off, asserting her self-confidence as the chief female disciple of Wangquan Manor.
Later, a crestfallen Feng Tingyun informed No.12580 that her senior had sent someone in his stead, instructing her to simply practice her sword more. Despite her disappointment, Feng Tingyun remained determined, vowing to become the Yiqi Alliance's strongest swordsman to win his approval. Witnessing her unyielding spirit, No.12580 decided she could not remain idle.
On his birthday, Wangquan Fugui held the Jinlan Mask, a gift from his mother, Dongfang Huaizhu, to his father, Wangquan Hongye, a mask no one else was permitted to touch. Steward Fei confirmed its sacred status, noting its perpetual spotless condition as a testament to Wangquan Hongye's enduring love for his late wife. Wangquan Fugui knew his father avoided him on this day because his birthday was also his mother's death anniversary.
He asked Steward Fei if his father truly hated him and sought to learn the mask's history and Wangquan Hongye's past, but Steward Fei cautiously declined to elaborate, merely stating that Wangquan Hongye wished for him to focus on achieving the Heaven-and-Earth Strike. Unseen, Wangquan Hongye stood at Dongfang Huaizhu's grave, lost in memories.
He recounted how Huaizhu had conceived the "Yiqi Alliance Soldier" project: a child, fusing Dongfang spiritual power and Wangquan sword spirit, destined to be the world's strongest swordsman. He remembered Huaizhu's hopes for their child to be kind and intelligent, while he himself envisioned a hero who would "chase the endless night and save all living beings."
Over twenty years, he had aged, and in his relentless pursuit of forging Wangquan Fugui into the ultimate Soldier, he had become a distant father, agonizing over his son's increasing resemblance to his own past self—a fate he desperately wanted to prevent. No.12580, secretly following Wangquan Fugui, watched as he approached his mother's burial site. Wangquan Hongye, sensing his son's presence, harshly chastised him for his momentary distraction, warning that such lapses could be fatal.
Wangquan Fugui retorted that he merely wished to honor his mother. Wangquan Hongye argued that his mother's true wish was for him to master the Heaven-and-Earth Strike, demanding he purge all emotions—soft-heartedness, attachments, and unwillingness—which he deemed weaknesses hindering his ultimate power. Wangquan Fugui defiantly asked if his father would be satisfied if he were to strike him down without hesitation, seeking an answer to his underlying questions.
In an act of profound rebellion, Wangquan Fugui put on the Jinlan Mask. This immediately provoked a violent frenzy in Wangquan Hongye. The mask seemed to trigger memories of a past self—a "Hongye under the Jinlan Mask"—who "lost because of his emotions" and was responsible for "tragedies" and the "tragic, unnatural deaths" of loved ones, dying "under that black Grief Tree."
He furiously knocked the mask off Wangquan Fugui, declaring that he would not allow his son to follow in his footsteps. Wangquan Hongye then dismissed Wangquan Fugui, stating his mother preferred quiet. Alone again, Wangquan Hongye reflected on his actions, acknowledging the joy he had stripped from his son and from himself, all to fulfill Dongfang Huaizhu's vision of the Soldier: a being born solely to slay demons.
