Heroes Episode 25 Recap
> Heroes Recap
Lei Chun confessed to Bai Choufei that her arrival in River Chu was not merely to reclaim the Pili Sect's power. She revealed that to truly control Six Half Hall, she had to complete a trial for Chancellor Cai and join the Youqiao Group. With few people she could trust, she admitted to using Bai Choufei as he was the only one she could turn to.
Bai Choufei, however, stated that he helped her simply because he wanted to, and his motive would not change regardless of her intentions. Declaring his mission complete, he took his leave, noting that the Vice House Master of House of Sunset Drizzle should not be associated with the Youqiao Group. Lei Chun acknowledged this, and they parted ways, agreeing to meet again in the Capital.
Alone, Wen Rou reflected on her happy memories with Wang Xiaoshi, including a birthday where he lovingly carved figures of their friends and promised more shared moments, fondly recalling her saying, "Two people together is also a life in the martial arts world." Troubled by how drastically he had changed, she resolved that she could not let him continue down the wrong path. Just then, Yang Wuxie rushed in, explaining the gravity of the situation.
He found it suspicious that Wang Xiaoshi suddenly believed Divine Marquis Zhuge was the leader of the Youqiao Group. Yang Wuxie revealed that Zhuge had secretly returned to the Capital half a month ago, a fact their intelligence network had only just discovered. This timing, coupled with Wang Xiaoshi's sudden conviction, led Yang Wuxie to believe someone was manipulating Wang Xiaoshi into assassinating Zhuge. He urged Wen Rou that they must act quickly to stop him.
Though gravely ill, Su Mengzhen confronted Wang Xiaoshi, asking who was coercing him. Wang Xiaoshi insisted the decision was his own and that he was leaving House of Sunset Drizzle, presenting a farewell letter. In the letter, Wang Xiaoshi revealed that the true leader of the Youqiao Group was Chancellor Cai and that he intended to assassinate him, a mission from which he might not return.
He confessed he couldn't bear to say goodbye to Wen Rou for fear of her tears, and he was relieved Bai Choufei was absent, as he would have insisted on joining the perilous task. Wang Xiaoshi had also identified spies from the Youqiao Group within their ranks and asked Su Mengzhen to eliminate them after his departure to prevent leaks.
He explained his formal resignation was to protect the House, affirming that while he was no longer a member, its bonds of friendship would remain in his heart. After Wang Xiaoshi left, Su Mengzhen explained to Beichen that his strange behavior was a counter-plan against the Youqiao Group. He ordered that no one was to interfere with Wang Xiaoshi.
Despite Wang Xiaoshi’s efforts to hide his plans, Wen Rou confronted him, pulling him into a room and demanding to know why he was undertaking such a dangerous mission alone. Wang Xiaoshi explained that while many wanted the deed done, he was the only one suitable for it. Wen Rou refused to let him sacrifice himself, crying that while everyone else wanted a hero, she just wanted him to live. Her desperate pleas swayed Wang Xiaoshi, who promised to stay.
Overwhelmed with relief, Wen Rou fainted in his arms. As he held her, Wang Xiaoshi noticed the faint smell of medicine on her hand, a sign of her own desperate plan to stop him. With a heavy heart, he apologized to the unconscious Wen Rou, admitting she was his greatest weakness and that his recent coldness was a deliberate attempt to protect her.
He lamented that if he died, he hoped she would remember him, but if he survived as a fugitive, she should forget him. On his way back to the Capital, Bai Choufei once again encountered the mysterious storyteller, who warned him not to return, as a great calamity awaited him. Bai Choufei, however, was resolute, stating that one cannot escape a predestined fate and that he must return for his brothers.
The storyteller cryptically added that even if he did return, things would not be as he imagined. Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoshi was led on a series of false trails to find Divine Marquis Zhuge, with locations changing from Qinglong Temple to Qingniu Temple, and several other places. Finally, a man informed him that Fu Zongshu was luring Zhuge to Kongque Restaurant, with a smashed cup as the signal to kill.
Following a waiter's hint about a "lifetime famous dish," Wang Xiaoshi entered a private room and prepared to strike the man inside. However, Fu Zongshu intervened, revealing it was a test. Feigning anger, Wang Xiaoshi chastised Fu Zongshu for depleting his fighting spirit with the deceptions. He then demanded to meet Chancellor Cai directly after the assassination for a personal guarantee of protection, refusing to become a lifelong fugitive.
Fu Zongshu agreed, promising that he and Cai would await him at Plum Blossom Garden with the condition of verifying Zhuge's head. The man who had posed as Zhuge then confirmed he was ordered to test Wang Xiaoshi's skill and resolve.
After eliminating the spies, Su Mengzhen issued three unprecedented orders: first, to disband all branches of House of Sunset Drizzle; second, for all leaders to gather their elite forces; and third, to use the full strength of the House to escort Wang Xiaoshi safely out of the Capital. Elsewhere, Chancellor Cai received word that Wang Xiaoshi was on his way.
He plotted to capture both Wang Xiaoshi and the entirety of House of Sunset Drizzle once Zhuge's head was delivered, calling it "killing two birds with one stone." Wang Xiaoshi arrived at Qinglong Temple and was granted an audience with Divine Marquis Zhuge, whom he respectfully addressed as "Martial Uncle." Over a game of chess, they discussed the different paths of Su Mengzhen and Bai Choufei.
When asked about his own path, Wang Xiaoshi spoke of his desire for a free martial arts world, unmanipulated by those in power, and declared his goal: to kill one person to bring peace to the world. At that moment, a cook named You Shisui served a dish, mentioning the signal phrase, "a lifetime famous dish." Without hesitation, Wang Xiaoshi decapitated the cook and fled. News of his "success" was dispatched to Fu Zongshu.
Su Mengzhen, preparing his forces, reflected that Wang Xiaoshi was now the one guiding the martial arts world's future. He then rode out to wait for Wang Xiaoshi outside the city gates. Chancellor Cai, likening the world to a chessboard he controlled, received reports that Wang Xiaoshi, carrying a bloody bundle, was approaching Plum Blossom Garden while being pursued. Confident of his victory, Cai ordered an elegy to be prepared for Zhuge.
At the garden, Fu Zongshu met Wang Xiaoshi and demanded to see the head. Wang Xiaoshi refused, insisting on seeing Chancellor Cai first for his promised protection. Dropping the pretense, Fu Zongshu ordered his men to seize Wang Xiaoshi, declaring no one could save him now. Wang Xiaoshi calmly stopped them, asking, "Who said this is Divine Marquis' head?"
He tossed the bundle to Fu Zongshu, who opened it to find not Zhuge's head, but that of You Shisui, the cook. Realizing he'd been tricked, an enraged Fu Zongshu ordered his men to attack, and a fierce battle erupted.
