Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Episode 17 Recap
> Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Recap
The Hanhai Sword successor Tuoba Yu, ranked fifth on the Langya List, was a master of martial arts, and with his visit, Xun Feizhan could not suppress his desire to spar. The Emperor of Da Liang gladly agreed to his request, ordering the two to have a match at the palace banquet to entertain. After the two exchanged salutes with their swords, Tuoba Yu made the first move, his figure like the wind.
Xun Feizhan was as steady as a mountain, responding calmly. For a moment, sword light flashed like lightning in the great hall, illuminating all directions. The two moved erratically, their swordplay swift and fierce; they could be described as evenly matched. However, they were only sparring, not fighting to the death, and after a few moves, they simultaneously stopped. This stumped the Emperor of Da Liang; as a layman in martial arts, how could he distinguish victory from defeat?
Princess Chonghua, however, suddenly stood up and impudently requested to fight, also wishing to spar. But she did not intend to take advantage of Xun Feizhan's fatigue from continuous fighting; instead, she designated Xiao Pingjing as her opponent. The Emperor was pleased and granted her permission. Princess Chonghua, confident in her martial arts, provocatively claimed she would not harm Xiao Pingjing. This ignited Xiao Pingjing's competitive spirit. He smiled slightly, rose, and entered the arena.
Princess Chonghua's martial arts were indeed extraordinary, her swordplay fluid and artistic. However, Xiao Pingjing was clearly superior, gradually taking control of the situation. Their steps were graceful, their bodies like swirling dancers, sword blades clashing with sounds like elegant music. Though they were sparring with sharp blades, it gave observers the feeling of watching a beautiful musical dance. The refined steel longswords bore countless nicks from their clash, demonstrating the immense power of their confrontation.
The two fought more and more fiercely. The longswords finally could not withstand the force and suddenly broke in their last clash. However, Xiao Pingjing's broken blade, without deviating, plunged straight into the chest of Prince Hui of Beiyan, leaving everyone stunned on the spot. Xiao Pingjing looked at the broken sword in his hand, unable to believe it.
Princess Chonghua rushed to Prince Hui's side, stating that Prince Hui had come for peace talks, and slandered the Changlin Manor, claiming they were unwilling to negotiate peace and deliberately resorted to such a vicious attack. Tuoba Yu angrily immediately wanted to settle scores with Xiao Pingjing. Fortunately, he was stopped by Xiao Pingzhang, who reminded him to calm down.
Tuoba Yu turned and pleaded with the Emperor to uphold justice, claiming that Beiyan would never forget this blood feud for generations. Xun Baishui suggested that it would be best for the Emperor to pacify them first. The Emperor had no choice but to order Xiao Pingjing, who had caused such a disaster, to be imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's Heavenly Prison for later detailed investigation. Princess Chonghua, however, was relentless.
Xiao Pingzhang could only pacify her and Tuoba Yu, stating that the top priority should be to attend to Prince Hui. Tuoba Yu scanned the people of Da Liang, then looked at Prince Hui, overcome with grief, and burst into tears. When the Empress received the news that Xiao Pingjing had accidentally killed Prince Hui, she was startled. She had originally complained that the Crown Prince couldn't attend the palace banquet, but at this moment, she immediately felt fortunate.
Pu Yangying also learned of the matter immediately. Even he, who was usually confident in his schemes, frankly admitted that he had never expected such a thing to happen. The incident was sudden, so he chose to instruct his subordinates to act cautiously, first gathering information without acting rashly. Xun Feizhan led the army to surround the residence of the Beiyan envoy delegation, preventing them from entering or leaving.
In the imperial court, some, having heard Princess Chonghua's words, thought that the Prince of Changlin truly opposed peace talks. The Emperor sternly reprimanded them. He determined that today's incident was merely an accident. The sudden incident left all ministers in a panic, without any idea how to handle it. Xiao Pingzhang could only apologize to the ministers. However, he believed that this incident was not an accident.
Xiao Pingjing, in the Heavenly Prison, continuously recalled the sparring process with Princess Chonghua. Suddenly, he realized that Princess Chonghua had intentionally guided his moves, causing his broken sword to kill Prince Hui. What he couldn't understand, though, was Princess Chonghua's motive. At this moment, he remembered the message from Langya Pavilion that he hadn't had time to read before.
Seeing the reminder on it that the Beiyan envoy delegation was not united, he regretted why he hadn't checked it earlier, leading to this grave mistake. Xiao Pingzhang came to visit Xiao Pingjing and affirmed Xiao Pingjing's deduction about Princess Chonghua. However, Princess Chonghua's actions were secretive, and even those present would find it hard to believe she acted intentionally.
Xiao Pingzhang felt that the death of Prince Hui would definitely benefit his political enemies at home, and that political enemy would certainly make a big issue out of this matter later. With Prince Hui dead, the peace talks had failed. However, Xiao Pingzhang still comforted his younger brother, telling him not to blame himself too much; after all, no one could have foreseen this. He planned to first appease Beiyan, settle this matter down, and then make further plans.
Xun Baishui came to find Pu Yangying, remarking that Pu Yangying could casually command even a master like Duan Tongzhou. He concluded that Pu Yangying was even more extraordinary than he had imagined, and judged that his involvement in court disputes surely had ulterior motives. He demanded Pu Yangying openly state his purpose, or their cooperation would be severed. Pu Yangying declared that he did this to showcase his talents.
Since the Emperor did not believe in the Bai Shenjiao, he chose the path of supporting a new monarch to achieve his grand ambitions. Xun Baishui speculated that his goal was the position of Imperial Advisor. Pu Yangying did not refute this, and also stated that the Prince of Changlin, not being a believer, would become an obstacle for him, which was why he was opposing him.
Pu Yangying judged that regarding today's incident, although Xiao Pingjing would be protected under the Emperor and the Prince of Changlin's compromise with Beiyan, the losses incurred and potential future wars would all be attributed to Xiao Pingjing, making it difficult for him to recover. However, Xun Baishui believed that Xiao Pingjing was not a cause for concern, because he felt that the future of the Changlin Manor rested on Xiao Pingzhang.
Pu Yangying said cryptically that they could deal with them one by one, slowly. At night, Xiao Pingzhang returned home and told his father that Prince Hui's death, as they had judged, was not an accident, but they could find no evidence. However, Xiao Pingzhang disagreed with the Emperor's rash concession to Beiyan merely to protect Xiao Pingjing, because this would be tantamount to admitting guilt. He also saw that this incident would leave a lifelong mark on Xiao Pingjing. If they simply retreated now and sought peace, it would not be the best strategy.
