Love of Thousand Years Episode 21 Recap
> Love of Thousand Years Recap
Guided by information from a paper doll, Tan Chuan, Ting Yuan, and Zuo Zichen arrived at Haotian Hall, seeking Li Yuan. The hall appeared deserted, prompting Ting Yuan to question if Li Yuan was truly there. Zuo Zichen, however, detected the faint sound of a zither. Tan Chuan identified it as an illusion formation and, stopping Ting Yuan from acting rashly, touched a specific spot on a wall. This triggered a mechanism, revealing a hidden secret room which they entered.
Meanwhile, Fu Jiuyun, also in Haotian Hall, reflected on his master's sacrifice for the Spiritual Lamp and vowed revenge. Pushing open a large door, he entered a chamber and inadvertently activated a complex mechanism marked with runes. From it, the Demon King emerged, stating he had been waiting. The Demon King then reabsorbed two layers of power he had previously lost, causing Fu Jiuyun to cough blood.
He gloated that Fu Jiuyun could not stop his plan to unify the Three Realms, but Fu Jiuyun defiantly retorted that he was dreaming. In the secret room, the trio found what appeared to be a bound Li Yuan. Ting Yuan declared his intent to kill him, causing the figure to cower. However, Zuo Zichen noticed Xuanzhu nearby, playing a zither with an eerie stillness. When he reached for her, she vanished, revealing it to be an illusion.
Simultaneously, the bound Li Yuan also disappeared, and the true, unbound Li Yuan emerged. Realizing the deception, Tan Chuan warned Ting Yuan to be careful, but thick vines burst from the ground, ensnaring all three of them. The real Xuanzhu then appeared from behind Li Yuan and looked at Zuo Zichen. The Demon King demanded the location of the Spiritual Lamp from Fu Jiuyun, threatening to interrogate Tan Chuan if he refused.
Fu Jiuyun remained silent, looking toward the trapped Tan Chuan with distress. In the other room, Li Yuan mocked Ting Yuan, revealing he had known Ting Yuan was the Crown Prince of Li and Tan Chuan was Princess Yanyan all along, merely feigning ignorance. He then derided Xuanzhu for her devotion to Zuo Zichen, calling her a laughingstock for the risks she had taken. Li Yuan confronted Tan Chuan, identifying her as his previous would-be assassin.
He searched her and found the Spiritual Lamp. As he turned away, she released a small, cat-like magical creature to attack, but Li Yuan effortlessly destroyed it, dismissing it as a useless trick. Simultaneously, the Demon King prepared to deliver a fatal blow to the weakened Fu Jiuyun. However, as he attacked, a brilliant spiritual light erupted from Fu Jiuyun's chest, engulfing the Demon King and forcing him back. Fu Jiuyun stood up, a glowing symbol on his chest.
A flashback revealed his Suzerain had given him a "Lock Spirit Nail," a powerful artifact made from a beast's bone, as a contingency against the Demon King. Back in the secret room, Li Yuan announced his plan to present Princess Yanyan, whom he called a "hominine dish," as a gift to the Demon King. Horrified, Ting Yuan proclaimed his love for Tan Chuan and begged Li Yuan to kill him instead.
Unbeknownst to Li Yuan, a small paper man, which Tan Chuan had previously planted as a contingency, began cutting the vines binding her. As the paper man freed her, Tan Chuan used a magical artifact to release Ting Yuan. While they regrouped, Zuo Zichen, still bound, struggled to check on Xuanzhu. At that moment, Li Yuan found his powers inexplicably draining as the Demon King was still struggling against the spiritual light from Fu Jiuyun.
Seizing the opportunity, Tan Chuan manifested a bow and arrow, declared herself Princess Yanyan of the Li Kingdom, and vowed that no traitor would escape before firing at Li Yuan. In the chaos, Zuo Zichen was injured while shielding Xuanzhu, urging her to run. Witnessing Li Yuan being struck, the Demon King roared his name and broke free from the spiritual light's confinement.
Tan Chuan activated the Spiritual Lamp to absorb Li Yuan's essence, but the Demon King grabbed the injured Li Yuan and teleported them away just in time. Fu Jiuyun appeared at Tan Chuan's side, commending her efforts. Moments later, Grand Commandant Zhang arrived with soldiers. Tan Chuan wept, distraught that her revenge was incomplete. Ting Yuan tried to console her, but Fu Jiuyun gently took her hand and led her away.
After ensuring guards escorted Xuanzhu to safety, Zuo Zichen went to the palace prison. There, he was stunned to find numerous high-ranking officials imprisoned, including his father, Prime Minister Zuo. The Prime Minister revealed that the Grand Preceptor was the true mastermind; he had imprisoned the real Prime Minister Zuo years ago and used an impersonator to collude with the Demon King. Heartbroken, Zuo Zichen helped his father out of the prison.
Later, a troubled Tan Chuan asked Fu Jiuyun about the Demon King's true strength. Fu Jiuyun somberly revealed that even his own powerful master had been unable to defeat the Demon King in battle, a fight which ultimately led to his master's death.
