Sword and Beloved Episode 28 Recap
> Sword and Beloved Recap
Quan Rumu brought Long Weiyun back to his home and carefully looked after her. His subordinate reported that the Dragon Clan children had been safely returned. Rumu expressed his concern, stating that he was afraid "this isn't over yet," and ordered an immediate investigation into the Dream Formation to identify the person orchestrating it.
He noted the strangeness of the situation and stressed the urgency of sending a message to his brother, Fugui, while waiting for Long Weiyun to awaken so he could question her further. Receiving Quan Rumu's urgent message, Wangquan Fugui learned about a woman wielding a golden serpent-bone scepter with mind-control abilities, who had been capturing people for sacrifice in the Western Regions, even ensnaring Long Weiyun before Rumu rescued her.
Rumu assured Fugui he would continue the investigation and provide updates. Fugui and the Celestial Master discussed the alarming news, recognizing the scepter from ancient Western Regions' secret histories as belonging to the queen of the long-perished Qianxia Kingdom, which was destroyed by the Dragon Clan a thousand years ago. Puzzled by its reappearance, Fugui instructed Fan Yunfei to immediately return to the Western Regions and thoroughly investigate the matter with Rumu.
Believing the situation was connected to the Black Fox, Fugui decided to journey to Qianji City alone, ensuring they would stay in constant communication. Meanwhile, in Qianji City, Qingcheng, while still seemingly trapped in Asura Hall, confided to a "Little Spider" that Qingtong was Wangquan Fugui's sole weakness. He believed Fugui and the "fools" from the Yiqi Alliance would be ensnared in his scheme, too preoccupied to intervene in the Western Regions.
Qingcheng considered his plan risky but brilliant, confident that everything was unfolding according to his design, as he had set the machinations in motion before his capture. Later, when Qingtong entered Asura Hall, intending to expel the Black Fox from her brother, Qingcheng feigned innocence, asking if she had a way to free him. Qingtong offered to release him if he abandoned the Black Fox, but Qingcheng defiantly refused.
He claimed he needed the Black Fox's power to keep Soldier (Wangquan Fugui) away from her, expressing joy at the discord between Qingtong and Soldier caused by his actions. When Qingtong attempted to force the Black Fox out, the Black Fox was surprised by the "power of the tree seed" but asserted that as long as it resided within Qingcheng's body, Qingtong could not harm it without harming her brother.
The Black Fox then attempted to entice Qingtong to join Madam Black Fox, offering her the supreme Power of Hatred and highlighting Qingtong's unique power that, unlike other Black Foxes, did not feed on hatred. Ultimately, Qingtong declared she would trap the Black Fox, and thus Qingcheng, within Qianji City forever, preventing it from ever achieving its sinister goals. Wangquan Fugui arrived alone at Qianji City, confronting Qingcheng and ordering him to release Qingtong.
Qingcheng, however, seized Qingtong by the throat, menacingly threatening Fugui and challenging him to a contest of speed between his hand and Fugui's sword. Filled with malice, Qingcheng condemned Fugui for abandoning his former life and causing suffering to those around him, calling him an ominous presence. Fugui coldly retorted that Qingcheng had no right to judge his life. Following a fierce struggle, Qingcheng, aided by the Black Fox, managed to transport Fugui to a distant Emotion-Devouring Snow Demon barrier.
There, under Qingcheng's instruction, the Emotion-Devouring Snow Demon prepared to freeze Fugui and absorb his spiritual power, for within her domain, she could seal any life and drain its essence. Back in the Western Regions, Fan Yunfei arrived at the Li Army camp to visit Li Xueyang, bringing her gifts from the mainland. He playfully tested a facial mask on two soldiers before applying it to Xueyang, along with a rare lip balm.
Yunfei informed Xueyang of his successful mission in finding the Master's wife, Qingtong. When Xueyang inquired why the Master and his wife hadn't returned together, Yunfei explained that he was sent back to investigate a woman with a serpent-bone scepter. Xueyang confirmed encountering such a person during a patrol, a woman with a golden scepter inlaid with a gemstone, though she hadn't clearly seen her face.
One of Xueyang's soldiers identified the woman as Gulizan, the leader of a newly established, wealthy sect in the Western Regions, known for recruiting individuals with potent spiritual power. Xueyang ordered her men to monitor Gulizan, and the soldier reported a peculiar detail: despite numerous new recruits, the sect's food consumption and waste disposal rates remained unchanged, suggesting something was amiss.
Yunfei deduced that Gulizan was the person Fugui wanted him to investigate, suspecting a link to the Black Fox and recent demon disappearances. Just then, Quan Rumu arrived with Long Weiyun. After some initial confusion where Long Weiyun was mistaken for the Celestial Master's wife, the true identities of Long Weiyun and Li Xueyang, leaders of historically feuding clans, were revealed. They instantly prepared for battle.
Yunfei and Rumu frantically attempted to mediate, but to their astonishment, the women quickly reconciled. Weiyun complimented Xueyang's new perfume, and Xueyang offered to share it and teach her how to make it. The women explained that the ancient feuds, a thousand years old, were no longer relevant, and the paramount concern was to unite and protect the peace of the Western Regions, humorously dismissing their initial confrontation as merely a "girl's way of greeting each other."
The four then gathered for a meal, continuing their discussions amidst the newfound alliance. Having infiltrated Gulizan's mansion, the four began their investigation. As part of her cover, Li Xueyang posed as a recruit concerned about her monthly salary, which she needed to support her "family." Quan Rumu noted that Gulizan's recruits were all skilled martial artists, confirming her formidable background.
Long Weiyun, having gathered intelligence while disguised in the kitchen, revealed that Gulizan was not genuinely recruiting talent; instead, many powerful demons who had joined the mansion had mysteriously vanished shortly after their arrival. She pointed to a heavily guarded, abandoned warehouse as a highly suspicious location. During his own intelligence-gathering efforts, Fan Yunfei approached the guards, feigning interest in their wages and attempting to sell them a "top-grade fox demon whip." The four then regrouped to devise a plan.
Rumu clarified that Gulizan was using her serpent-bone scepter to transport many powerful demons into an evil formation to absorb their demon power. He warned that a direct assault to seize the scepter would endanger the demons already trapped within the formation. Instead, Rumu proposed a strategic approach, and everyone's gaze fell on Yunfei. After denying it initially, Yunfei reluctantly admitted that Gulizan might have "a little" interest in him.
Rumu then outlined the "honey trap" plan: Yunfei would use his charm to steal the scepter, and then Li Xueyang would disable its teleportation spell. Yunfei was extremely hesitant, but Rumu insisted it was a necessary "sacrifice for the greater good." Rumu and Weiyun, who had already prepared fruits, pastries, and an eavesdropping talisman, pressured him to comply, reminding him that he wasn't engaging in anything "naughty" and simply needed to follow instructions.
Yunfei, sighing about "sacrificing the small self for the greater good," reluctantly agreed. Fan Yunfei reluctantly went to attend to Gulizan, who made him feed her grapes. She questioned his identity, and he nervously confessed to being a "corsac fox demon," confirming he was married and explaining he was there for money, but "sells his skills, not his body." Gulizan then asked him to tell her stories about his wife to "entertain" her.
Later, noticing Yunfei's keen interest in her serpent-bone scepter, Gulizan invited him to examine it closely. He inquired about its value, and she explained it was her potent magic tool, crafted from the complete bone of the Snake Demon King and a red bloodstone from a golden-winged bird demon's heart, capable of maximizing spell power. She then directly challenged Yunfei, asking if he intended to steal it, which he nervously denied.
Gulizan then revealed her knowledge of his true identity as Fan Yunfei, the Second Prince of Corsac Fox State, and informed him that it had required considerable effort to teleport him to the Myriad Blight Formation due to his caution and formidable demon power. Realizing he had been tricked, Yunfei was then teleported away. Immediately, Li Xueyang, Quan Rumu, and Long Weiyun burst into the room, with Xueyang demanding to know where Yunfei had been taken.
Gulizan calmly greeted each of them by their full names and titles—Quan Rumu, Master Quan; Long Weiyun, the last True Dragon; and Li Xueyang, General Li—revealing she had known their identities all along. Meanwhile, Fan Yunfei found himself trapped in the Myriad Blight Formation, realizing it was absorbing his demon power and using him as its core. Gulizan, observing the "endless Power of Hatred" flowing into the Grief Tree, declared that she had long awaited this day.
She then fully revealed her ultimate plan: the Myriad Blight Formation had been activated, and once she regained her full strength, both Wangquan Hongye and Wangquan Fugui would perish. Concurrently, back in Qianji City, Qingcheng, still a captive yet secretly orchestrating events, reassured the "Little Spider" to remain calm, affirming that everything was proceeding according to his intricate plan. He pointed out the weakening power on the spell pillar and the fading magic in the spiritual chain.
Qingcheng revealed that on the day of the new moon, the Grief Tree seed would inevitably backfire, significantly diminishing Qingtong's power and her perception of the outside world. He identified this as Qingtong's critical weakness, declaring that tonight was the optimal moment for them to execute their plan, which involved helping "Little Spider" break free from its chains.
