Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities Episode 5 Recap
> Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities Recap
Su Mo quickly pulled Bai Ying to hide as palace guards patrolled nearby, fearing she would be discovered after secretly leaving Jing Pagoda. Su Mo asked if anyone had seen her leave, and then questioned why she hadn't said goodbye and kept his sachet. He then urged her not to be the Crown Princess but simply "A'Lin," a remark that left Bai Ying at a loss. As more guards approached, they used an invisibility cloak to conceal themselves.
Afterward, Su Mo escorted Bai Ying back to Jing Pagoda. Before parting, he returned a leaf he had kept, giving it to her as a keepsake, wishing her happiness and hoping their wishes would come true. He asked if she truly had to return and, if so, to forget everything else. Bai Ying agreed. As Su Mo left, he noticed Bai Ying's seal was broken.
The High Priest soon learned that the Crown Princess's seal had been breached and ordered guards to apprehend Bai Ying. Though she initially resisted, Bai Ying eventually agreed to return with them, telling the guards to let Su Mo go. Meanwhile, Su Mo was captured by Qing Wangchen.
Su Mo was astonished to discover that the blood pact he had made with Qing Wangchen, which was meant to ensure Bai Ying's safety, had been mysteriously broken by someone, rendering all his spells useless. He hadn't foreseen such a possibility. Back in custody, Bai Ying was bewildered, certain she had committed no transgressions, yet unable to understand why her seal had broken. She wondered about Su Mo's well-being. The High Priest reported the seal's breach to the King.
Qing Wangchen seized the opportunity to add malicious accusations, claiming Bai Ying was impure and that her actions were a reflection of her mother, who he alleged abandoned her family to elope with a Cangliu person. He demanded Bai Ying be punished and even ordered the arrest of Prince Bai for failing to discipline his daughter. At that moment, Crown Prince Zhen Lan intervened, stopping Qing Wangchen's actions.
It was Zhen Lan's first time seeing Bai Ying, and he was struck by her beauty. He diverted the King's attention to the ongoing war in Ye City, criticizing Qing Wangchen for withholding army provisions. He then challenged Qing Wangchen, asserting that Bai Ying was the future queen of Kongsang. Qing Wangchen accused Bai Ying of planning to elope with Su Mo and having relations with him, leading to the seal's breakage.
Su Mo, brought before them, denied the accusations, revealing that Qing Wangchen had forced him to enter Jing Pagoda to break the seal and insisted that Bai Ying had always treated him with respect, never engaging in any deviant behavior. He accused Qing Wangchen of ruining Kongsang's fate with his trickery amidst the Cangliu invasion. Qing Wangchen then ordered Su Mo's execution to silence him, but Zhen Lan intervened again, expressing his belief in their innocence.
Zhen Lan declared that he would await the grand wedding to see how he and Bai Ying would inherit the power of Earth. The King, deciding the fate of Kongsang was critical, decreed that if Bai Ying failed to inherit the power of Earth at the wedding, the entire Bai Clan would be executed. Later, Bai Ying confronted the High Priest, questioning if she could still inherit the power of Earth with a broken seal.
The High Priest explained that while everyone believed the seal bound the physical body, it actually sealed the Crown Princess's heart. He revealed that if the Crown Princess truly fell in love with someone, the seal would break. Knowing that Cangliu was attacking and the unification of Heaven and Earth's powers was crucial, Bai Ying felt immense guilt. Qing Wangchen sent word to Shi Peng that Bai Ying's seal was broken, ordering an immediate attack on Ye City.
Burdened by guilt, Bai Ying decided to end her life by jumping from the Jing Pagoda, believing that her death would allow other women in her family to inherit the power of Earth. Zhen Lan, furious, decided to exile Su Mo from Tianque, wishing for him to suffer a lifetime of pain over Bai Ying's death as the ultimate punishment.
He then ordered the High Priest to spread a fabricated story that the Crown Princess was a goddess who had returned to Heaven, to protect the dignity of the Kongsang royal family and the Bai family's reputation. Zhen Lan declared he would personally lead the army to battle, resolved to live or die with Kongsang. Qing Wangchen's forces, however, continued their attacks, with orders to kill everyone.
A hundred years later, Su Mo, still wandering alone in a vast snowy land, held onto the sachet Bai Ying had left for him. In Yunfu City, Goddess Huijia discussed the state of Yunhuang, now largely controlled by Cangliu, with an attendant. Despite Kongsang's defeat, Goddess Huijia believed that seeds of hope still existed, referring not only to the people living in Wuse City, unable to see daylight, but also to a person returning from traveling the world.
Su Mo, along with a group of people, journeyed back towards Kongsang through the Tianque Snow Mountain. They encountered a young girl named Na Sheng, a fortune teller. She drew a prophecy on the ground for Su Mo: "Every beginning starts with an end. The only way to fight the void is through creation and protection." The final part of the prophecy was swept away by the wind before Su Mo could see it.
As they continued their journey, an argument over a snow poppy triggered a sudden avalanche, burying most of the travelers. Su Mo swiftly carried Na Sheng to the top of a mountain, saving her. He told her that those with greedy hearts often meet their end there. Na Sheng admired the distant Jing Pagoda, but Su Mo dismissed its legendary power.
He instructed her on how to reach Taoyuan Province, part of Yunhuang, by following a stream after descending the mountain before dark. When Na Sheng asked his name, he replied, "Su Mo." Meanwhile, Bai Ying, who had jumped from the Jing Pagoda a century ago, had not died. She was rescued by Zhen Lan's Earth Ring. By the time she awakened from a Still Meditation and rushed to the battlefield, Zhen Lan was fighting alone.
His imperial power of Heaven had been mysteriously sealed by a Cangliu individual, leaving no trace. To protect the Kongsang people after Zhen Lan fell into a deep sleep, the six princes sacrificed half their spiritual powers to open Wuse City, where they could no longer walk in daylight. For a hundred years, Bai Ying searched Yunhuang for the sealed Heavenly Ring and Zhen Lan's imperial power, constantly learning about Kongsang's customs and landscapes.
She regularly returned to Zhen Lan's ice-sealed form, recounting her discoveries. Hong Yuan, another reigning princess, questioned Bai Ying's unwavering search, asking if she truly hadn't forgotten Su Mo and if her quest was solely for the Heavenly Ring and the power of Heaven, noting Bai Ying's frequent visits to Tianque Mountain.
Bai Ying firmly stated her sole ambition was to find the Heavenly Ring, undo Zhen Lan's seal, restore the power of Heaven, and allow the one hundred thousand citizens of Kongsang to see daylight once more.
The High Priest urgently summoned Bai Ying, informing her of a celestial anomaly: a change in the Greedy Wolf Star portended a great misfortune and the arrival of an "invader" through Tianque into Yunhuang, likely to bring turmoil but also an opportunity to break their current situation and see the sun again. The High Priest stressed the importance of finding this person before Cangliu. Bai Ying resolved to go to Tianque after dark to find this individual and help avert crisis, hoping this person would bring hope to Kongsang and Yunhuang.
