Guardian Episode 22 Recap
> Guardian Recap
After an initial failed attempt to secure treatment for Zhao Yunlan, where an offended Doctor Feng ordered them out, Shen Wei was moved by Professor Ouyang’s praise for the doctor’s miraculous abilities. Returning to the clinic alone, Shen Wei apologized for their previous intrusion. To test his sincerity, Doctor Feng demanded he kneel outside. Shen Wei complied, remaining on his knees from morning through a heavy downpour at night. His unwavering resolve finally convinced the eccentric doctor to help.
Inside the clinic, without any advanced equipment, Doctor Feng seemingly used a mysterious power to restore Zhao Yunlan's eyesight; however, Shen Wei, waiting outside, could not detect any trace of Dark Energy. Unbeknownst to them, as Zhao Yunlan's sight returned, a young man in a restaurant a block away aged into an old man in seconds. This was the latest in a string of bizarre "aging disease" cases that the Marine Administration transferred to the Special Investigation Department.
The team discovered that all victims worked in the same building, just a street away from Doctor Feng's clinic. Zhao Yunlan deduced that the victims' life energy was not disappearing but being transferred, similar to the function of the hallow, the Longevity Sundial. Confronted by Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei with lists of his patients and the aging victims, Doctor Feng confessed.
He admitted he had been a quack until a mysterious man in a black hooded cloak gave him a strange brush, promising it would awaken his true medical talents. The brush granted him extraordinary healing abilities, but he was horrified to learn that he was inadvertently stealing life from innocent people to cure his patients. Determined to atone, Doctor Feng, with Zhao Yunlan’s consent, reversed the process.
He extracted the energy from Zhao Yunlan's eyes, merged it with his own life essence, and dispersed it back to the victims. Zhao Yunlan was left blind once more, while Doctor Feng, having sacrificed his own life force, was left near death. The SID identified the weapon as the Karma Brush, one of the four hallows, and realized a mastermind was manipulating events.
Their investigation was further complicated when they received a challenge letter from the Karma Brush's owner, following a Subterranean invasion of the Marine Administration. Shortly after, Lin Jing received an anonymous email detailing how to cure Zhao Yunlan using the Longevity Sundial. Knowing it would severely deplete his own energy, Shen Wei performed the ritual without hesitation, restoring Zhao Yunlan's sight while hiding his immense pain behind a warm smile.
Meanwhile, Da Qing underwent hypnosis with Doctor Cheng to recover his lost memories. He saw an ancient version of himself in a barren wasteland searching for someone named Kunlun. He then saw a figure enveloped in black, ink-like energy, whose face he recognized as Shen Wei's. Da Qing awoke with a new, hostile resolve. The Regent suggested that records about the Karma Brush might exist in the Palace of Lord Earth.
Shen Wei planned to go alone, but Zhao Yunlan insisted on accompanying him. At the entrance to Subterrane, they were met by Da Qing, who, now filled with palpable hatred for Shen Wei, forced his way into their party. Their plan for a quick trip was thwarted upon arrival, as they found the palace archives closed for the general election of a new Lord Earth, an event requiring the presence of the Black-Robed Envoy and the Guardian. They were forced to stay until the election concluded the next day.
