Love of Thousand Years Episode 12 Recap
> Love of Thousand Years Recap
Ting Yuan's ruse succeeded, as he tricked the naive Young Master Bai into trying to retrieve the spiritual lamp from an ornate wooden box. Instead of the lamp, a Bundling Immortal Rope emerged and quickly bound him. Observing this remotely through his spiritual mirror, Fu Jiuyun could only sigh at Young Master Bai's foolishness.
Ting Yuan then confronted his captive, explaining how the deception worked: while he casually addressed Steward Zhao by her title, she, aware of the hierarchy, always referred to herself as a subject. Young Master Bai’s clumsy imitation had given him away. Ting Yuan scolded him for being ungrateful for Tan Chuan's past kindness. After initially refusing to talk, Young Master Bai relented under Ting Yuan’s threat of disfigurement and admitted he knew Tan Chuan's location.
Just as Ting Yuan extracted this information, the Crown Prince, Li Yuan, unexpectedly arrived, forcing him to put his plans on hold. Li Yuan, a cunning and suspicious man, believed the rumors that Ting Yuan was secretly harboring martial artists and used the pretense of a banquet to test him. During the event, an "assassin" appeared. After a brief chase, Ting Yuan claimed to have lost the attacker, speculating that the man was after him for gambling debts.
Li Yuan dismissed this theory, asserting the attack was connected to remnants of the Li Kingdom, whom he vowed to eradicate. Noting Ting Yuan's fighting skills, Li Yuan suggested a future sparring match, an offer Ting Yuan modestly deflected by attributing his skills to learning from warlocks. As dusk settled, a worried Tan Chuan, seeing that Young Master Bai had not returned, stealthily made her way to the roof of the mansion.
Peeking through a tile, she saw a man inside who chillingly resembled the one who had massacred her family years ago. A small, involuntary sound escaped her lips, and though barely audible, it was detected by Li Yuan, who swiftly hurled a wine pot in her direction. Tan Chuan dodged and fled, but Li Yuan pursued her relentlessly. Just as she was about to be killed, Ting Yuan intervened, saving her life.
To help her escape Li Yuan's pursuit, Ting Yuan first hid Tan Chuan in a secret compartment in his study. He then staged a convincing act with one of his deadpool soldiers, claiming the assassin had died. Though Li Yuan did not press the issue further, Tan Chuan remained angry and distrustful of Ting Yuan, accusing him of deceiving her and stealing the spiritual lamp.
Her animosity intensified upon learning that Ting Yuan was the Second Prince of Tianyuan, the enemy country. Ting Yuan tried to explain, admitting the situation was dangerous and the ruse had to look real to deceive his brother. He then questioned her intense interest in the spiritual lamp, to which she retorted that it was none of his concern. He countered that he understood her reasons, implying their shared interest might make them allies.
He told her she couldn't take the spiritual lamp back yet, as keeping it would put her in extreme danger from his cunning brother. He proposed she hide in his residence for a few days, promising to find a way to get her out during an upcoming party. He formally introduced himself as Ting Yuan, the Second Prince of Tianyuan, but added she could still call him "Ermeng." Tan Chuan, still wary, declared he wouldn't trick her a second time.
Realizing the depth of the misunderstanding, Ting Yuan ceased further explanations. Instead, he simply instructed Tan Chuan to temporarily disguise herself as a palace dancer, planning to blend her into a group leaving the mansion. Meanwhile, Young Master Bai awoke, visibly terrified and repeatedly muttering, "So frightening!" Tan Chuan initially assumed he was simply scared by the Bundling Immortal Rope.
However, Young Master Bai's terror stemmed from something deeper: during his unconscious state, he had glimpsed Fu Jiuyun and learned of the grave injury he had sustained. Feeling guilty for his predicament, Tan Chuan insisted that he take the bed, but he charmingly refused, opting to transform back into a mirror for the night.
The following day, during a rehearsal, Tan Chuan discovered that all the dancers were not only from the Li Kingdom but also performed the "East Wind Peach Blossom Dance." In a conversation with one of the dancers, Tan Chuan learned that Ting Yuan was genuinely kind-hearted, frequently assisting the poor and offering refuge to Li's people after their kingdom's fall. This revelation softened Tan Chuan's animosity towards him.
Posing as siblings, Tan Chuan and Young Master Bai settled into the dancers' quarters. That night, as Tan Chuan slept, Young Master Bai, now reverted to his mirror form, lay beside her pillow, while Fu Jiuyun watched over her peaceful slumber through his own spiritual mirror. Tan Chuan and Young Master Bai successfully left the mansion. As they wandered through the streets, they were horrified to witness Tianyuan soldiers apprehending the very Li refugees they had previously helped.
From a vendor, they learned the truth: Li Yuan, the Crown Prince, intended to turn all the refugees into "human dishes." Despite Young Master Bai's frantic pleas for caution, Tan Chuan resolved to infiltrate Li Yuan's military camp that night. She went alone, but Young Master Bai, transforming into his mirror form, secretly followed to assist her. Together, they seized the opportunity to release all the imprisoned refugees.
Fu Jiuyun, who had been suppressing a seal within his mirror, sensed Tan Chuan's mortal peril and promptly materialized, swiftly striking down Li Yuan. Tan Chuan collapsed, gravely wounded, but in her blurry vision, she perceived Fu Jiuyun's fond smile, a mix of surprise and joy filling her heart before he gently swept her into his arms and carried her away.
Ting Yuan, who had been observing the entire scene from the cover of the forest, emerged with his subordinate after everyone had departed. He approached the unconscious Li Yuan, intending to use the spiritual lamp on him. However, the lamp suddenly exploded into fragments. Upon inspecting the debris, Ting Yuan discovered that Tan Chuan had long ago replaced the authentic lamp with a fake one. At that moment, an unharmed Li Yuan began to stir.
Once conscious, he pressed Ting Yuan about an immortal who had taken the prisoners, implying Ting Yuan might have been distracted. Ting Yuan feigned ignorance, but Li Yuan scoffed, asserting that no one could truly harm him. He then revealed the lamp was a fake, suspecting the real one was now with the mysterious immortal. Days later, in the bustling Peach Blossom Town, a still-bewildered Tan Chuan followed behind Fu Jiuyun, watching him enthusiastically browse and select various fruits and novelties.
