Sword and Beloved Episode 24 Recap
> Sword and Beloved Recap
Qing Tong overheard a conversation between Madam Black Fox and her clone, revealing that the Soldier, whom she believed to be her Young Master Fugui, was not dead but exiled to the Western Regions. Ignoring Lord Qingcheng's attempts to stop her, Qing Tong left for the Western Regions to find him. Lord Qingcheng dispatched trackers, but they lost her, prompting him to kill them in a fit of rage.
Guifeng, a shadowy entity, mocked Qingcheng for his inability to prevent Qing Tong's departure. Guifeng offered to help Qingcheng retrieve Qing Tong if he assisted Madam Black Fox's plan. This plan, revealed by Quan Jingting, involved awakening Qianxia Kingdom's last queen, Gulizan, to activate the Myriad Blight Formation. Success would give Madam Black Fox a physical body and empower the Black Grief Tree, and if Qingcheng then killed the Soldier, Qing Tong would return to him.
Guifeng, after being asked by Quan Jingting's subordinate to relay Quan Jingting's loyalty, agreed to the plan, intending to showcase his own capabilities to Madam Black Fox. Meanwhile, Fan Yunfei's wedding to Li Xueyang commenced. Li Xueyang, accompanied by her parents, was presented to Fan Yunfei. General Li entrusted his daughter to Fan Yunfei, humorously reminding him of an earlier threat to "skin him alive" if he ever wronged Xueyang, which Fan Yunfei earnestly affirmed.
During the ceremony, Fan Yunfei, referring to himself as "Poor Dog," vowed eternal devotion to Xueyang. The King of Corsac Fox State, Fan Yuanji, presided over the union. After the traditional vows, King Fan Yuanji commanded the Imperial Preceptor to initiate a "blessing." The Imperial Preceptor began chanting with a staff, then King Fan Yuanji suddenly unleashed his power, causing all attendees to faint. He then suspended Li Xueyang above a towering column of fire.
Horrified, Fan Yunfei demanded to know his father's intentions. King Fan Yuanji gloated that Fan Yunfei's innocence made his plan flawless, then threatened to kill Li Xueyang if his son didn't listen. The King then revealed the true history of the Western Regions. A millennium ago, the Dragon Clan, empowered by the Water-Control Orb, became berserk dragons, causing chaos.
Queen Gulizan of Qianxia Kingdom and Fan Yunfei's grandfather, the Corsac Fox leader, planned to use the Myriad Blight Formation to defeat them. However, at the critical moment, Fan Yunfei's grandfather abandoned the human-demon alliance to save his own Corsac Fox cubs, leading to Qianxia Kingdom's downfall and Gulizan's sealing. The surviving humans formed the Li Army, who secretly carried the dragon spine of the Dragon Clan leader, a power now inherited by Li Xueyang.
King Fan Yuanji justified his ancestor's betrayal as necessary for the survival of the Corsac Fox State. He further explained that combining the Dragon Spine, dragon scales, and the Water-Control Orb would grant True Dragon Power, regardless of one's lineage. Seeing his son's marriage to Li Xueyang as a fated opportunity, he declared his intention to extract Li Xueyang's dragon spine and implant it into Fan Yunfei, making him the supreme ruler of the Western Regions.
Fan Yunfei vehemently refused, threatening to die if Li Xueyang was harmed, but King Fan Yuanji dismissed his pleas, asserting it was not his choice, and began the extraction. As King Fan Yuanji began the ritual, Fugui, revealed to be the Soldier, and Rumu intervened. Fugui, unaffected by the King's potent Blood Scorpion Toxin due to his "Dongfang Blood," explained they were prepared.
Despite his surprise, King Fan Yuanji mocked Fugui for not killing him, then used a rare Triple Transfer Talisman to teleport himself, Fan Yunfei, and Li Xueyang to a dungeon. Fugui, having placed a tracking mark on Fan Yunfei, prioritized helping the poisoned guests by catalyzing his spiritual blood with Rumu's help, expressing his faith in Fan Yunfei's pure heart. In the dungeon, King Fan Yuanji revealed the walls were enchanted with a Spirit-Sealing Curse, weakening all but himself.
He forcefully extracted the Dragon Spine from Li Xueyang, ignoring her cries of pain and Fan Yunfei's desperate pleas, and implanted it into Fan Yunfei. The Dragon Spine's influence, combined with the Water-Control Orb, awakened a violent rage within Fan Yunfei. The King then handed him a knife, commanding him to kill Li Xueyang to sever all emotional ties and ensure the Corsac Fox State's supremacy.
Fan Yunfei, struggling against the overwhelming demonic power, defiantly rejected his father's words, crying out that Li Xueyang would not cease to exist. In a fit of rage, he struck his father, knocking him unconscious. As Fan Yunfei raised the knife to deliver a fatal blow, a pained Li Xueyang pleaded with him, calling him "Poor Dog" and reminding him not to succumb to the power and become a berserk dragon.
She urged him to "go home," which brought a flicker of recognition to him. Fugui and Rumu arrived in the dungeon. Fugui guided Fan Yunfei, reminding him of his teachings about a true spirit's invincibility and to trust his own path. Fugui then used the Purest Sun Flame to help Fan Yunfei refine the Water-Control Orb within him, a process that cost Fugui some of his lifespan and caused him immense pain, as observed by King Fan Yuanji.
This purification balanced the water and fire energies in Fan Yunfei, stabilizing his emotions and purifying the Water-Control Orb, ensuring no more berserk dragons would exist. Fugui declared Fan Yunfei the new master of the Orb, urging him to safeguard world peace. Li Xueyang awoke, her spine damaged, and reassured a guilt-ridden Fan Yunfei that she didn't blame him.
She acknowledged the historical betrayal of the Corsac Fox Clan but emphasized that current and future peace in the Western Regions was paramount. General Li burst in with his army, demanding King Fan Yuanji's life for harming his daughter. Fan Yunfei explained that the Corsac Fox elders had already sent his father to Huntian Prison for his greed-driven actions.
Despite General Li's continued anger and refusal to accept Fan Yunfei, Li Xueyang defended him, stating he had proven his devotion by resisting the Breath of Berserk Dragon. To prevent further conflict and ensure peace, Li Xueyang announced that she and Fan Yunfei would leave the Corsac Fox State together. Though heartbroken, General Li eventually conceded, warning Fan Yunfei with a final threat.
Fan Yunfei reassured her that the pain from her father's blow was a small price to pay to be with her. Meanwhile, at the Black Grief Tree, King Fan Yuanji voiced his concern to Madam Black Fox that Fugui might burn away his life to save others, leaving no one to break her seal. Madam Black Fox dismissed his worry, stating that the plan remained unchanged but they should also make other preparations.
She declared that if Qingcheng ("Little Spider") awakened Gulizan and activated the Myriad Blight Formation, she would regain her physical form, the Black Grief Tree would be nourished, and as love faded and hatred grew, their collective powers would surge. She then commanded the Black Grief Tree to prepare to receive the coming torrent of hatred and facilitate her transformation. Following Quan Jingting's intelligence, Qingcheng arrived at the ruins of Qianxia Kingdom in the Western Regions.
Declaring that it was time for the Western Regions to atone for their ancient blood debt to Gulizan, he performed a blood ritual, summoning the power of the night to awaken the sleeping Queen Gulizan. After realizing a millennium had passed, Gulizan asked Qingcheng why he had awakened her. Qingcheng explained that he needed her to activate the Myriad Blight Formation to free Madam Black Fox from her confinement.
Though surprised to hear Madam Black Fox was still alive, Gulizan was told to remember her hatred and fulfill her role, with Qingcheng promising to provide everything she required, as only she could command the Myriad Blight Formation. Gulizan warned him that if he betrayed her, she would condemn him to eternal damnation.
