Love a Lifetime Episode 25 Recap
> Love a Lifetime Recap
At Lin Ruohan's grave, Lu Yizhou lamented her sacrifice, wishing it could have been him instead. Nalan Yue, overcome with grief, reflected on the past. He recalled a time when he and his mother set up a tombstone for their ancestors in a cave, promising annual visits. It was then that Lin Ruohan expressed her wish to be buried with Nalan Yue's father if Lingxu Pavilion could thrive.
Nalan Yue, in his youth, had dismissed her words, promising she would live a long life and see her descendants grow. However, Lin Ruohan had forewarned him about the martial world's unpredictability, where loved ones might part forever without a chance to say goodbye. She urged him not to feel guilty but to remember her love, calling him the most important light in her life. Now, Lin Ruohan was gone, leaving Nalan Yue heartbroken.
Lu Yizhou reported that there was still no news of Rong Hua and suggested they couldn't wait any longer. Nalan Yue, however, clung to the hope that no news was good news, knowing Rong Jingfeng would not give up easily. Standing before his mother's tomb, Nalan Yue vowed to avenge Lingxu Pavilion and his family, promising that the entire martial world would witness Rong Jingfeng's confession of guilt.
Rong Hua, having recovered under Jingyuan's meticulous care, lit a sky lantern daily, wishing for Nalan Yue's safe return. The lantern she released drifted down into a forest where Nalan Yue and Lu Yizhou were passing. Lu Yizhou suggested they add their own wish and release it again, but a grief-stricken Nalan Yue dismissed it as a trifle, and they moved on, missing the chance to see her message.
Jingyuan, despite his hatred for Dragon Howl City, recognized Rong Hua's kind heart, distinct from her father Rong Jingfeng's cruelty. He challenged her piety, arguing that prayers couldn't revive the dead, but Rong Hua maintained that belief depended on one's heart, hoping her wish would come true. She revealed her past attempt to commit suicide to stop her father, having lost all will to live, but Jingyuan saved her.
Understanding his animosity towards Dragon Howl City, she offered her life, but Jingyuan refused. He stated that Providence had saved her because as Rong Jingfeng's daughter, she was fated to survive and was responsible for repaying Lingxu Pavilion's grievances. Rong Hua, accepting this, vowed not to live in vain and promised to settle the scores between Dragon Howl City and Lingxu Pavilion.
Jingyuan also stressed that she must learn to stand on her own, reminding her that her cold illness and arrow wound still needed time to heal, and that saving her life was his greatest act of leniency. Mei Xueman, having severed ties with her brother Mei Ying, fled Dragon Howl City. She encountered Bai Weizhi, initially mistaking him for a pursuer sent by her brother.
Upon realizing he wasn't from Dragon Howl City, she expressed her heartbreak over Mei Ying's disregard for others' lives for personal gain. Bai Weizhi, who had also left Dragon Howl City, agreed that such a brother was better off gone. Recognizing her vulnerability without martial arts skills, he offered to accompany her. Mei Xueman then identified him as the renowned Bai Weizhi, the former master of the Hall of Oldness in Dragon Howl City and Rong Hua's master.
The two traveled together, enjoying local delicacies. As their funds dwindled due to Bai Weizhi's lavish spending, Mei Xueman recalled a rumor about an extraordinary martial artist living on Black Rock Mountain who suffered from an intractable illness and was offering a substantial reward for a cure. She suggested Bai Weizhi, known for his medical expertise, attempt to heal him, seeing it as a way to both help and replenish their travel funds.
Bai Weizhi concurred, realizing the importance of money in the martial world. Mo Huan gave Nalan Yue five days to decide whether to join her Ling Sect. Nalan Yue accused her of orchestrating events, knowing he would return empty-handed from his search for Lingxu Pavilion survivors, just to make him indebted to her. Mo Huan admitted her intelligence but asserted Nalan Yue had no choice.
Nalan Yue vehemently rejected her offer, declaring his intent to exact revenge on Dragon Howl City by his own strength, making Rong Jingfeng kneel and apologize for Lingxu Pavilion's and the Nalan family's suffering. He vowed never to be part of the Ling Sect. Mo Huan warned him of the severe consequences of his defiance.
Guan Buzhuo criticized Nalan Yue's stubbornness, likening it to his mother's, and questioned how he would survive without the Ling Sect's protection once Dragon Howl City discovered he was alive. Lu Yizhou urged Nalan Yue to accept, seeing their situation as a checkmate. Suddenly, Jinque announced that Nalan Yue's wife, Rong Hua, had arrived. At the mention of Rong Hua, Nalan Yue was overcome by pain as the Chihua Pill within him violently counterattacked.
Guan Buzhuo and Lu Yizhou frantically pleaded with Mo Huan to save him, reminding her of her promise to Lin Ruohan. Mo Huan revealed the true, terrifying nature of the Chihua Pill: after undergoing "three lives and three deaths," it transforms into something unique, requiring the user to master the Command to the Dark Soldiers Skill to avoid its devastating, torturous poison. Otherwise, Nalan Yue would suffer daily, half-human, half-ghost, before dying a prolonged death.
She declared this to be his true "desperate situation," far worse than the fall of Lingxu Pavilion. Nalan Yue, horrified, asked if Mo Huan had forced his mother's sacrifice for him to become this way. Mo Huan coldly confirmed she had kept Lin Ruohan alive precisely to acquire Nalan Yue, stating he was her ultimate goal. Lu Yizhou confessed he hadn't known the full extent of Mo Huan's plan, only that she claimed it would save Nalan Yue's life.
Rong Hua, with Jingyuan, presented herself before Mo Huan at the Snow Union, asking for information on any Lingxu Pavilion survivors, promising to pay any price. Mo Huan acknowledged Rong Hua's miraculous survival and mocked her for not possessing her father's cunning, suggesting she could have prevented Lingxu Pavilion's downfall if she had. She then exposed Rong Jingfeng's elaborate deception, how he orchestrated a colossal lie and a massive trap, even against his own sister-in-arms, to annihilate Lingxu Pavilion.
Mo Huan challenged Rong Hua, asking if she would personally confront Rong Jingfeng and avenge Lingxu Pavilion. Rong Hua, aware of her family's deep transgressions, vowed to settle the score but reiterated her own approach. Mo Huan declared that all members of Lingxu Pavilion had perished in the massacre, with no survivors, their bodies burned to ashes by Rong Jingfeng's relentless ambush.
Rong Hua, however, remained resolute, stating she would persevere and still requested any information, promising to meet their price. Mo Huan then warned her that her father had ordered her capture, dead or alive, and that the Snow Union could easily sell her location to Dragon Howl City for a higher reward. Rong Hua defiantly embraced this possibility, hoping that if any Lingxu Pavilion members were alive, they would come for her in Dragon Howl City.
As Rong Hua was about to leave, she noticed the mirror beside her tremble. Behind it, Nalan Yue, watching her, was overcome with silent, tearful grief. As she reached out to touch the reflective surface, the mirror separating them like life and death, the Chihua Pill's effects surged, causing him to convulse in agony. Lu Yizhou quickly restrained him, urging him to endure and reminding him that Rong Hua's survival was his greatest desire.
As Rong Hua prepared to leave, Jinque informed Mo Huan that Xuan Ye had returned, escorting Liuli to the Snow Union. Mo Huan, testing Rong Hua, offered her an escort, noting Dragon Howl City's pervasive reach. Rong Hua, however, refused, asserting that if she couldn't even step out of the door unassisted, she had no hope of establishing herself in the martial world. Meanwhile, Xuan Ye relentlessly apologized to Liuli for past offenses, irritating her.
Just as Liuli was about to lash out, she spotted Rong Hua in the courtyard. Quick-witted, Liuli diverted Xuan Ye's attention, preventing him from noticing Rong Hua. Jingyuan seized the moment, discreetly throwing a silver needle to incapacitate Xuan Ye, rendering him unconscious. After Rong Hua and Jingyuan gratefully departed, Liuli dragged Xuan Ye back to his room. Rong Jingfeng was furious that Dragon Howl City's Hall of Emptiness had failed to locate Bai Weizhi, despite extensive searching.
Rong Su suggested they track down Bai Weizhi's former master from his youth. However, Rong Jingfeng dismissed this as naive, revealing that Bai Weizhi's old master was a formidable martial artist, whose power rivaled Mo Huan's, making it dangerous to even approach him. The master of the Hall of Life, Mei Ying, attempted to placate Rong Jingfeng, suggesting Bai Weizhi was merely letting off steam and would return if not pressured. But Rong Jingfeng was unyielding, demanding extraordinary measures.
When the Hall of Life Master offered his own forces to retrieve Bai Weizhi, Rong Jingfeng curtly told him to focus on finding his own missing sister, Mei Xueman, before taking on other tasks. Ultimately, Rong Jingfeng reaffirmed that the Hall of Emptiness would continue the search but warned them to keep the matter strictly internal.
The Hall of Emptiness master then privately assured the Hall of Life master that they would also try to bring his sister back if the opportunity arose. Rong Hua sent Jingyuan to Black Rock Mountain to investigate a renowned martial artist, Bai Su, Bai Weizhi's master, who was reportedly suffering from an intractable illness.
Rong Hua, recalling Nalan Yue had mentioned Bai Su's fame equaled Mo Huan's, and noting Bai Su was her master's master, saw an opportunity to leverage this connection to establish herself in the martial world. She believed that by gaining standing, she could then effectively negotiate with the Snow Union, who had previously shown her little respect, to get information about Lingxu Pavilion survivors. She decided to conceal her identity, cure Bai Su, and then make further plans.
Meanwhile, Nalan Yue, having learned of Rong Hua's probable location on Black Rock Mountain, decided to go there. Lu Yizhou accompanied him, describing Bai Su as an aloof and ill-tempered individual whom many physicians had failed to cure. On their way, they encountered Mei Xueman and Bai Weizhi attempting to seek an audience with Bai Su. Bai Weizhi introduced himself, offering his medical expertise to Bai Su, who immediately recognized and rudely dismissed him.
Mei Xueman was surprised that Bai Weizhi hadn't known his master's full name, and Bai Weizhi explained the local respect for Bai Su meant no one dared utter it directly. He recounted his past: expelled by Bai Su for being "greedy for food" as a boy, his continued rivalry with Rong Jingfeng led him to join Bai Su's school, only to later join Rong Jingfeng in Dragon Howl City after his expulsion, severing ties with his master.
Recognizing their current plan for money was thwarted, Mei Xueman suggested he reconcile with Bai Su, but Bai Weizhi claimed he no longer possessed the "thick skin" of his youth and resolved to find another solution.
