Love a Lifetime Episode 44 Recap
> Love a Lifetime Recap
Mo Huan, having established her sect elsewhere and no longer needing the Ling Sect headquarters in the Northern Wastelands, commanded Guan Buzhuo to completely destroy the area. Guan Buzhuo reported that a new secret passage was discovered in the Ling Sect, and most of the Nalan family had escaped. Mo Huan confidently predicted they would head to Dragon Howl City and sent her people to pursue them.
When Guan Buzhuo asked about the Supreme Master's injury, Mo Huan cryptically replied that he would understand upon their return to Dragon Howl City. She then reiterated her order to burn the Ling Sect grounds, declaring the place useless. Following this, Mo Huan returned to Dragon Howl City with her disciples and felt reassured upon seeing Rong Hua seemingly well-behaved. Following the battle at the Ling Sect headquarters, Lu Yizhou confirmed that he had safely settled the Nalan clansmen.
Bai Weizhi, who had suffered severe injuries from Mo Huan, warned Nalan Yue that Mo Huan's martial arts had dramatically improved, possessing an extremely evil power that surpassed even the Xuanbing Talisman Nalan Yue had once practiced. Nalan Yue expressed his gratitude to Bai Weizhi and arranged for him to recuperate at Black Stone Mountain. Bai Weizhi then urged Nalan Yue to swiftly proceed to Dragon Howl City to rescue Rong Hua.
In Dragon Howl City, Rong Hua covertly examined Rong Su's medicinal herbs, discovering that Mo Huan had tampered with them, removing all medicinal properties and leaving Rong Su weak and paralyzed. Rong Su, feeling despair, questioned why Mo Huan bothered to torment her further. Rong Hua tried to reassure her, but Rong Su noticed a fresh blade wound on Rong Hua's neck. Rong Hua quickly fabricated a story about a "cold air backfire" during her cultivation to deflect suspicion.
Jinque arrived, warning them about numerous watchful eyes in the city and confirming that Mo Huan had instructed her to monitor them, ensuring their survival but little else. Jinque also commented that using golden needles to repair Rong Su's meridians would be a painstakingly long process. Rong Hua agreed with Jinque, but internally recognized a critical loophole: while Mo Huan's physical injuries would transfer to her via the mother-child worm, ingested poisons would not. She decided to exploit this weakness.
For several consecutive days, Rong Hua secretly prepared special, thin, water-resistant paper, impregnating it with a potent toxin called "bairiqing." She folded these into paper cranes, using them to deliver stolen vital information outside the city while simultaneously exposing Mo Huan to the poison. At night, she would also check herself for any signs of poisoning, confirming her hypothesis that the poison would not transfer. Ling Sect patrol disciples discovered several paper cranes floating in the city's drainage ditch.
Guan Buzhuo, while still traveling with Mo Huan, reported this. He explained that these special paper cranes, confirmed to be in Rong Hua's handwriting, were designed to float out of the city and into a creek near Tingfeng Town. Mo Huan, finding Rong Hua's intentions inscrutable, ordered all future paper cranes to be intercepted and sent to her.
Unbeknownst to Mo Huan, Rong Hua continued her daily ritual, feigning concern for the city's safety on the ramparts while internally verifying the poison transfer mechanism. Meanwhile, outside the city, Lu Yizhou and his allies successfully ambushed a Ling Sect disciple carrying one of these paper cranes. The captive revealed that Rong Su had been virtually incapacitated even before entering Dragon Howl City.
Upon examining the paper crane, Lin Jing recognized Rong Hua's unique code: the character "Hua" accompanied by the Big Dipper's handle pointing south. He accurately deduced this meant the Summer Solstice. Furthermore, the position of "Hua" relative to the stars indicated the Hall of Emptiness, pinpointing their location within the city. Bai Weizhi, observing the paper's cyan hue, identified it as soaked in bairiqing, a potent poison he himself had taught Rong Hua to create.
He explained its ability to penetrate the skin and damage meridians and the heart, a detail only experts would discern. This confirmed Rong Hua's intention to weaken Mo Huan. Based on these insights, Nalan Yue calculated that Mo Huan would lose her internal force on the Summer Solstice due to the poison.
He immediately summoned their forces and outlined the plan: he would personally confront Mo Huan, while Lu Yizhou would lead a team into the Hall of Emptiness to rescue Rong Hua and Rong Su. Back in Dragon Howl City, Mo Huan confronted Rong Hua, haughtily declaring that she would never leave the city and that Rong Su's meridian repair would take at least a year.
Rong Hua, maintaining her facade, countered by asking why Mo Huan seemed concerned if Rong Su’s recovery was so distant, to which Mo Huan replied that Nalan Yue would inevitably return.
Mo Huan also questioned Rong Hua about the dots on the paper cranes, to which Rong Hua feigned innocence, claiming they were the Big Dipper constellation, a star-gazing technique Nalan Yue had taught her, and that she was merely sending the cranes out to see the world since she was confined. Later, Rong Su, desperate for an escape from her confinement, insisted on going to the Hall of Emptiness.
Rong Hua, seizing the opportunity, subtly questioned Guan Buzhuo about his future aspirations. He confessed his long-held desire to leave the martial world with Jinque, to find a mine, gamble on stones, and carve jades, revealing his deep yearning for a life of freedom. Recognizing this shared sentiment, Rong Hua convinced Guan Buzhuo to allow her to take Rong Su to the Hall of Emptiness for fresh air on the upcoming Summer Solstice, a request he granted under strict conditions.
Meanwhile, outside the city, Nalan Yue finalized the attack plans with Lu Yizhou and Bai Weizhi. He instructed them to set the entire Dragon Howl City ablaze if he failed to emerge by the appointed time. Bai Weizhi, however, strongly cautioned Nalan Yue to ensure his own safe return, knowing that Rong Hua, given her personality, would otherwise certainly re-enter the perilous city. Lu Yizhou, showing unwavering loyalty, vowed to wait for Nalan Yue's return, no matter what.
On the designated Summer Solstice, Lin Jing infiltrated Dragon Howl City, single-handedly dispatching numerous Ling Sect disciples and successfully opening the city gates for the waiting allied forces. Amidst the chaos and fierce fighting that erupted throughout the city, Lin Jing directed Lu Yizhou to proceed directly to the Hall of Emptiness to rescue Rong Hua and Rong Su. Nearby, Guan Buzhuo and Jinque heard the frantic drumbeats and saw the Hall of Life engulfed in flames.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Guan Buzhuo instinctively moved to aid Mo Huan, but Jinque urgently intercepted him. Rong Hua then revealed that Mo Huan had been poisoned by bairiqing and had temporarily lost her internal force, further explaining that an escape route for them was already prepared and their escorts were imminent.
Jinque reinforced the plea, pointing out that Mo Huan would never forgive their repeated failures, and this was their only chance for the free life they both yearned for. After a moment of profound internal struggle, Guan Buzhuo made his choice, agreeing to leave with Jinque. As Lu Yizhou arrived at the Hall of Life (Shengzitang) to lead Rong Su to safety, Rong Hua made the difficult decision not to leave with them.
Instead, after a heartfelt farewell, she declared her intention to assist Nalan Yue and proceeded towards the Council Hall. Meanwhile, Lu Yizhou led Rong Su and the other Nalan family members through the escape route. They paused for a brief rest, during which Rong Su expressed her concern for Nalan Yue, who was still in the city.
Lu Yizhou decided he must return to aid Nalan Yue, but before he could act, they realized they had walked into a meticulously planned ambush. Ling Sect disciples, under Mo Huan's explicit orders, declared they would kill anyone attempting to leave the city without permission. Guan Buzhuo, having lost his internal force due to the bairiqing, urged Jinque to flee for her safety, but she steadfastly refused to abandon him, vowing to stay by his side.
Amidst the brutal fighting, the Tang School's Second Elder bravely volunteered to hold the line, sacrificing himself to allow the others to retreat. During the chaos, Lu Yizhou shielded Rong Su from a barrage of hidden weapons, suffering severe injuries in the process.
Confronting Nalan Yue in the Council Hall, Mo Huan, now weakened by the bairiqing, raged at the betrayals around her, declaring that if she couldn't unify Jianghu and defend the Nalan family, she would ensure her traitors suffered by losing their loved ones. She taunted Nalan Yue, claiming Rong Hua would never leave Dragon Howl City nor her, fearing Nalan Yue making a grave mistake. To prove her point, Mo Huan deliberately cut her own face with a dagger.
Horrifyingly, the wound instantly vanished from Mo Huan but appeared on Rong Hua's face, revealing the insidious nature of the mother-child worm. After seeing the wound transfer, Mo Huan further revealed to Nalan Yue that every injury he had inflicted upon her in the Ling Sect had, in fact, been transferred to Rong Hua, causing Nalan Yue to finally understand their shared fate.
Seeing Mo Huan about to inflict further harm on herself, Lin Jing desperately disarmed her, but felt utterly helpless to truly protect Rong Hua from the indirect pain. Mo Huan then brutally attacked Lin Jing with her blade. When Lin Jing refused to retaliate, she unleashed a barrage of powerful palm strikes, causing him to stagger and cough blood.
Witnessing Lin Jing's suffering, Rong Hua, despite her own transferred pain, tightly gripped a sharp dagger and plunged it into Mo Huan. The emotional shock of the attack, coupled with her physical injury, caused Mo Huan's dark hair to rapidly turn white as her hairpin fell to the ground.
