Love a Lifetime Episode 24 Recap
> Love a Lifetime Recap
Rong Su discovered Rong Hua by a lake. Rong Hua, still adorned in her wedding gown, held a bloody arrow, lamenting that her father, Rong Jingfeng, had used it to injure Na Lanyue, and that nothing she could do now would atone for his actions. Rong Su tried to reason with her, explaining that threatening Dragon Howl City with death would be futile, as only one faction—either Lingxu Pavilion or Dragon Howl City—could survive this conflict.
Desperate, Rong Hua questioned when the endless struggle would cease and begged Rong Su to ask Rong Jingfeng to stop. With a final, poignant message to Na Lanyue, expressing her intent to wait for him by the bridge to hell but urging him to live a long, full life before joining her, Rong Hua plunged the arrow into her own chest and fell into the lake. Rong Su watched in horror as her sister disappeared beneath the surface.
Inside a cave, Na Lanyue lay lifeless, his body slowly succumbing to the cold. His mother, Lin Ruohan, cradled him, her grief palpable. When his followers pleaded with Mo Huan to use her powerful martial arts to save him, Mo Huan revealed that only Lin Ruohan, with the Chihua Pill within her, could revive him—a life for a life. Lu Yizhou and others vehemently opposed this, fearing Na Lanyue's potential suffering and how he would cope with such a sacrifice.
However, Lin Ruohan was resolute. She asserted her right as his mother to decide his fate, declaring that she could not bear to watch him die and was determined for him to live. Her own health was already failing, and she no longer cared for her life. She instructed Lu Yizhou to tell Na Lanyue that this was the only thing she could do for him and that he should not feel guilty.
Mo Huan reiterated that living, even in a "dead-alive" state, was preferable to death. Lin Ruohan acknowledged that her past "womanly benevolence" had led to Lingxu Pavilion's ruin and that she was ashamed of her failure to protect the Nalan family and seek justice for them.
She resolved to join those who died for Lingxu Pavilion in the afterlife, taking full responsibility for past sins, but implored the survivors to remember this lesson, live on, and ensure the Nalan bloodline would not be extinguished. After transferring the Chihua Pill to Na Lanyue, Lin Ruohan requested to be buried alongside Lingxu Pavilion in the cave, feeling ashamed to face her husband and the Nalan family.
With her last breath, she marveled as the Chihua Pill finally bloomed, then passed away. Lu Yizhou pledged eternal loyalty to Na Lanyue, promising to guard him for life. After days of unconsciousness, Na Lanyue finally awoke to the devastating truth. Lu Yizhou explained that Lin Ruohan, wishing to avoid her body being disturbed, had instructed him and Cang Qi to cremate her and inter her ashes within the cave, a final resting place shared with Lingxu Pavilion.
Overwhelmed with grief, Na Lanyue insisted on burying his mother himself, refusing any help. He dug the grave with his bare hands, his fingers bleeding, consumed by profound regret. He recalled his childhood, when his mother always appeared stern, and how he, in his youthful ignorance, never truly understood her burdens or her deep sorrow of carrying the Nalan family's revenge. He expressed his pain, realizing he would never have the chance to atone for his past actions.
Lu Yizhou urged him to find strength, reminding him of his mother's unwavering concern and her desire for him to live. Na Lanyue, however, lashed out in his anguish, questioning why no one had stopped his mother from sacrificing herself, accusing them of not understanding his pain. Lu Yizhou tearfully admitted his inability to intervene, explaining that had he been in Lin Ruohan's place, he would have made the same sacrifice to save Na Lanyue.
He reminded Na Lanyue that his mother's ultimate wish was for his safety and survival, even above her own vengeance. Na Lanyue, having "died" once and been given life twice by his mother, vowed not to disappoint her again. He declared that he would bury his past sorrows and his mother's unfinished aspirations there, pledging to fulfill her quest for vengeance. With Lingxu Pavilion reduced to ashes, Dragon Howl City sought to solidify its reputation in Jianghu.
Rong Jingfeng tasked Rong Su with finding Rong Hua, dead or alive, commanding that she be brought back for him to personally deal with, as he found it heartbreaking that his daughter would choose death for Na Lanyue over admitting her "mistake." He then ordered his disciples to announce to the world that Lingxu Pavilion no longer existed. Purple Yan, observing Rong Jingfeng's suddenly healed face, questioned how he recovered when her and Bai Weizhi's efforts had failed.
Rong Jingfeng revealed that Mo Huan had not truly poisoned him severely; he had intentionally feigned illness and delayed his recovery with medication to manipulate other sects into targeting the Ling Sect. He also admitted to purposefully keeping Bai Weizhi ignorant and confined, fearing that Bai Weizhi's affection for Rong Hua would lead him to aid Lingxu Pavilion.
Purple Yan grew increasingly disillusioned with Rong Jingfeng, accusing him of trusting no one but himself and of covertly colluding with Mei Ying. She condemned his cruel decision to attack Lingxu Pavilion on Rong Hua's wedding day, which had devastated his daughter, whose whereabouts and survival remained unknown. Rong Jingfeng dismissed her concerns, believing his daughter was protected by fate.
Purple Yan expressed her profound disappointment, feeling Rong Jingfeng had betrayed her trust and had become someone she no longer understood. She argued that while Lingxu Pavilion was destroyed, Dragon Howl City had not truly won, having lost something significant that Rong Jingfeng would eventually realize. Mei Xueman awoke in an unfamiliar place to find her brother, Mei Ying, present.
He informed her that Lingxu Pavilion had been completely destroyed, burned to ashes by Rong Jingfeng's orders, just like their own Mei family. Mei Xueman furiously confronted Mei Ying, accusing him of betrayal, reminding him of Lingxu Pavilion's kindness to their family and to her, even sending men to protect them. Mei Ying defended his actions by claiming Rong Jingfeng had threatened him with a secret toxin, forcing his cooperation.
Unmoved, Mei Xueman denounced him as a coward who tarnished their family's honorable legacy, unlike their parents who died with dignity. She stated her preference for never having been his sister and scorned his ambition, pointing out he had ruined their father's legacy for his own survival. Mei Ying, unrepentant, argued that great ambitions sometimes required difficult choices, viewing Lingxu Pavilion's destruction as an opportunity to rise within Dragon Howl City and rebuild the Mei family's status.
He commanded her to return with him to Dragon Howl City and never speak of Lingxu Pavilion again. Disgusted by his cold-blooded pragmatism, Mei Xueman declared she would rather die than live with such shame and pulled out a dagger, intending to kill herself. In the ensuing struggle, Mei Ying was accidentally wounded.
Mei Xueman then dramatically severed their sibling ties, stating that his pursuit of power was no longer her concern, and challenged him to kill her if he desired revenge for the stab. Mei Ying, heartbroken, watched as she reaffirmed her resolve, stating she would not kill innocent people unlike him, and then left him in tears.
Rong Su visited a wounded Mei Ying, pointedly remarking on the emotional pain of being betrayed by his sister, which she surmised was worse than his physical wound. She noted that Mei Ying hadn't stopped Mei Xueman from leaving, to which he responded that their sibling bond was broken, and he wouldn't stop someone who wished to leave. Mei Ying then inquired about Rong Hua.
Rong Su, understanding Mei Ying's unspoken feelings for her sister, suggested he search for Rong Hua himself. She then revealed her suspicion that Rong Jingfeng's decision to attack Lingxu Pavilion was primarily motivated by his daughter, Rong Hua, though he hadn't explicitly stated it. Rong Su questioned whether Mei Ying's devotion to Rong Hua was truly worth it, given Rong Hua's unwavering loyalty to Na Lanyue, even to the point of death.
Mei Ying, weary, dismissed her, stating that fate determined life and death, and he could not change it. Rong Su advised him to recover, noting that all wounds eventually heal. Despite extensive searches by the Hall of Emptiness, Rong Hua's body remained unfound, enraging Rong Jingfeng, who demanded her return, whether alive or dead. Meanwhile, Xiaoxiao visited Bai Weizhi, who was confined. Unaware of the gravity of recent events, Bai Weizhi light-heartedly shared new recipes he developed during his imprisonment.
Xiaoxiao, distressed, asked if he had any concerns about his prolonged confinement, implying that critical information was being withheld. She tearfully informed him of Rong Hua's disappearance, acknowledging that as Rong Hua's master, he deserved to know. Upon hearing the news, Bai Weizhi immediately escaped his confinement. Xiaoxiao then cleverly created a distraction, directing the guards to pursue Bai Weizhi outside the city while secretly hoping that he would find and protect Rong Hua.
With many of her Snow Union disciples imprisoned, Liuli devised a plan. She disguised herself in a wedding dress, much like Rong Hua's, and staged her own "corpse" by a lake on the outskirts of Tingfeng Town, arranging for villagers to discover her and spread the news to the Hall of Emptiness. When reports of a wedding-dressed woman's body at the lake reached Dragon Howl City, Rong Su decided to investigate personally.
Xuan Ye, wary after days of fruitless searching for Rong Hua, suspected a trap and offered to check the body first, urging caution. As Xuan Ye approached the staged "corpse," Liuli sprung up, revealing her deception. She brazenly confronted Rong Su, rebuking Dragon Howl City for imprisoning Snow Union disciples and asserting that Snow Union feared no one in Jianghu.
Rong Su, angered by Liuli's defiance and disrespect, threatened violence, but Xuan Ye intervened, shielding Liuli and taking responsibility for his past rudeness towards Snow Union. He offered to personally escort Liuli back to her sect, requesting she stay with him for a few days. Initially dismissive, Liuli eventually relented, pleased by Xuan Ye's protection. Rong Su, having found no trace of her sister and recognizing the futility of continued searching, ordered a retreat back to Dragon Howl City.
Seizing the moment, Liuli then revealed that Snow Union possessed information about the whereabouts and fate of the person Dragon Howl City was searching for, and even offered to divulge information about someone else Rong Su cared about, hinting at her knowledge of Na Lanyue's condition.
