Sword and Beloved Episode 25 Recap
> Sword and Beloved Recap
Gulizan questioned Qingcheng about why he had awakened her across a thousand years. Qingcheng explained that he needed her to deploy the Myriad Blight Formation to help Madam Black Fox escape her current predicament, promising to fulfill all of Gulizan's needs. Gulizan warned him to remember his promise, threatening eternal abyss and no reincarnation if he lied to her.
Meanwhile, Fugui realized that sacrificing his lifespan to save others had severely depleted his energy, and he couldn't hold on much longer. He resolved to find Qing Tong as soon as possible to settle his lingering worries. When Rumu brought him medicine, he chided Fugui for recklessly sacrificing his life, suggesting he should be enjoying a quiet life, planting flowers, and looking for Little Spider. Fugui then asked Rumu to help him break the binding spell on him.
Rumu worried this would further damage his body. Just then, Fan Yunfei arrived with Li Xueyang, stating they had come to drink with Fugui and Rumu until they were completely drunk. Fan Yunfei thanked Fugui for saving him and brought some treasured wine. Rumu, initially believing Fugui couldn't drink, offered to drink on his behalf. However, they soon discovered that Fugui was a far heavier drinker than expected, a trait he attributed to his mother.
Rumu proudly served a table full of dishes he had prepared, which even a chef would praise. As Fan Yunfei and Li Xueyang openly displayed their affection, Fugui quietly excused himself, stepping outside. He felt tired, sitting amongst the lanterns he had made, wondering where Qing Tong was at that moment. He reflected on how he was now living an ordinary life and how much he missed her.
Overcome by exhaustion, he drifted off to sleep, knowing his internal injuries were worsening and he needed to find Qing Tong soon. Qing Tong eventually found Fugui sleeping. Noticing his pale, haggard face, she quickly used her spider silk to diagnose him. She discovered his power was less than thirty percent of what it once was, and he had severe internal injuries. Enraged that the Yiqi Alliance had hurt him so grievously, she vowed to seek justice for him.
She picked up a lantern Fugui had made, cherishing it. She realized that the tree seed within her body was inextricably linked to the Black Fox, and Madam Black Fox's true target was Fugui. Therefore, she couldn't reveal herself to him yet, as it would endanger him.
She resolved to protect him from the shadows and promised to return to him and explore the world together once she could control the tree seed and sever its connection to the Black Fox. With a heavy heart, Qing Tong quietly departed without waking him. After awakening Gulizan, Qingcheng did not immediately return to Qianji City. Instead, he boldly sought out Fugui.
Guifeng had previously warned Qingcheng not to provoke Fugui, acknowledging Fugui's formidable strength even after his sword meridian was abolished. Qingcheng, however, was eager to test Fugui's remaining power. Posing as a client, he asked Fugui, a lantern craftsman who also wrote letters, to draft a letter to his beloved sister. Fugui asked Qingcheng to grind the ink himself and noted his ill health.
The letter Qingcheng dictated was full of insults, claiming that the man his sister loved (Fugui) was hypocritical, only cared about his righteousness and achievements, and considered her insignificant. Qingcheng declared that only he truly loved and cherished his sister. When Fugui finished writing and folded the letter, he casually asked about Qing Tong's whereabouts. Qingcheng realized Fugui knew his true identity. Believing Fugui to be severely wounded and vulnerable, Qingcheng launched a sneak attack.
However, Fugui easily parried, striking Qingcheng to the ground. Rumu and Fan Yunfei rushed out upon hearing the commotion. Fan Yunfei, sensing trouble, promptly fled. Fugui informed Rumu that the attacker was Qingcheng, Qingtong's younger brother, and that he sensed the aura of the Black Fox on him. He stressed the urgent need to remove the binding spell so he could find Qing Tong immediately, asking Rumu to help him.
Rumu, though worried about Fugui's health, understood the gravity of the situation after learning about Qingcheng's connection to the Black Fox. He worked with Fugui to channel their internal energy, successfully removing the binding spell. Rumu then offered to accompany Fugui in his search for Qing Tong, expressing regret for not being with Fugui during his previous encounter with a demon and not wanting a similar event to recur.
However, Fugui insisted that Rumu was needed to mediate and stabilize the Western Regions and the Quan family, as the area was close to the outer circle. Fan Yunfei, having recovered from his earlier fright, then volunteered to go with Fugui, jokingly suggesting that Rumu, being newly married, should prioritize his wife, Li Xueyang. Meanwhile, at Wangquan Manor, Feng Tingyun brought medicine to Wangquan Hongye, expressing concern about his declining health.
Wangquan Hongye admitted he felt dizzy and old from the burden of his position, acknowledging his age. He instructed Feng Tingyun to continue recruiting talented young individuals to inject new life into the Yiqi Alliance, announcing his intention to resign as Chief in three months, believing the position should go to the most capable.
Feng Tingyun worried about the future of Wangquan Manor, but Wangquan Hongye asserted that its existence was less important than a strong core for the Yiqi Alliance, citing his own diminishing energy. Feng Tingyun agreed to his resignation but urged him to prioritize his well-being. Back in Qianji City, Qing Tong dispatched Jiang Bo to investigate areas of unrest for any traces of the Little Black Fox. Upon Qingcheng's return, Qing Tong questioned his prolonged absence.
Qingcheng, however, inquired if Qing Tong had met Fugui in the Western Regions. Qing Tong stated it wasn't the right time to reveal herself and that she had more important matters to attend to. Guifeng later admonished Qingcheng for Qing Tong's extensive investigation into Madam Black Fox, mobilizing the entire city. He warned that Qing Tong's connection to the Misery Tree could allow her to uncover Madam Black Fox's plan and reveal it to Fugui, jeopardizing everything.
Guifeng urged Qingcheng to find a way to restrain Qing Tong and remove the tree seed from her body. Qingcheng, however, defiantly declared that Madam Black Fox could use him, but must never harm Qing Tong, or he would fight her to the death. Guifeng then instructed Qingcheng to create a diversion for the Yiqi Alliance to buy time for Gulizan.
Qingcheng proposed a "three-birds-with-one-stone" scheme: to make Wangquan Manor too preoccupied to interfere, stop Qing Tong's investigation of Madam Black Fox, and cause an irreparable rift between Qing Tong and Fugui. Subsequently, Qingcheng approached Master Ximen of the Yiqi Alliance, who harbored deep resentment towards Wangquan Hongye, feeling slighted by his leadership and the perceived favoritism towards others.
Master Ximen was furious that Wangquan Hongye had allowed "a groom's child" to be his equal and valued Dongfang Yuechu so highly, dismissing Wangquan Hongye's talk of abdication and meritocratic selection as mere ploys for control. Qingcheng offered Master Ximen a secret method for demon core refinement, implying that with increased power, he could assassinate Wangquan Hongye and usurp his position.
Master Ximen, desperate for power, asked where to find demons for refinement, to which Qingcheng cryptically suggested the "lawless Qianji City" without revealing his own identity or motives. News soon reached Qianji City that the Ximen family was capturing demons. Guifeng praised Qingcheng for successfully diverting Qing Tong's attention from Madam Black Fox.
Qingcheng confirmed that the Ximen family was merely bait, and his grand strategy for the Western Regions and the Yiqi Alliance was progressing as planned, reaffirming his sole desire to ensure Qing Tong's happiness. Qing Tong, enraged by the abduction of demons from Qianji City, confronted the Ximen family alone. Master Ximen's guards initially dismissed her as a mere demon and ordered her to leave the Yiqi Alliance territory. They attacked, but Qing Tong easily overpowered them.
Master Ximen emerged, arrogantly calling her a "lowly spider" and boasting that the captured demons were in his dungeon, near death. He taunted her, suggesting she join them to experience the pain of having her demon power drained. Qing Tong declared that she would settle both Qianji City's grievances and Fugui's revenge that day. Master Ximen, surprised by her newfound strength, resolved to drain her formidable demon power.
Qing Tong denounced him as despicable for daring to utter Fugui's name, reminding him that Fugui had selflessly protected "despicable people" like him, and that the Wangquan Manor had forced Fugui to abandon his sword meridian not out of principle, but out of fear. She condemned them as selfish, cowardly, and greedy, unworthy of being human. Despite her fury, Qing Tong spared Master Ximen "for Chief Wangquan's sake," ordering him to release all the captured demons before sunset, without exception.
Guifeng observed that Qing Tong had spared Master Ximen, lamenting that her compassion might hinder their plans to sow discord within the Yiqi Alliance. Qingcheng, however, remained confident, stating, "Not necessarily." He then secretly returned to the Ximen family compound. In a brutal act, he killed the remaining, barely conscious Ximen family members, ensuring that the blame would fall squarely on Qing Tong.
Qingcheng's sinister plan was to make the entire world believe that Qing Tong was responsible for the massacre, thereby isolating her, making Qianji City her only refuge, and forever turning the Yiqi Alliance against her, thus ensuring she and Fugui could never reconcile.
