Novoland: The Castle in the Sky 2 Episode 10 Recap
> Novoland: The Castle in the Sky 2 Recap
Xue Jingkong played a tune for Feng Ruche each night, but she wished to hear a story instead. Though he had never read common market novels, Xue Jingkong made an exception, borrowing several from Xing Shangli, who initially dismissed titles like "Bossy Winged Emperor Falls In Love With Me" and "Prince Regent's Romantic History" as nonsense.
When Xue Jingkong began to read a love story to Feng Ruche, he became shy at the part where the protagonists confessed their feelings and left, much to Feng Ruche's amusement when she later read it herself. Despite outwardly criticizing the market novels as "full of grammatical errors, nonsense, made-up stories, and ridiculous," Xue Jingkong found himself unable to stop reading and spent the entire night engrossed in them. Du Xianyin endured the painful process of refining her Golden Wings.
Madam Xuan Ji visited her, expressing sadness at Du Xianyin's suffering but emphasizing that without continuous training, the wings would fade, exposing them, and her skin would fester. Xuan Ji offered an elixir she had specially made to ease the pain. However, she noticed a bite mark on Du Xianyin's wrist from a noxious insect, immediately suspecting it was due to Yun Muyang. Du Xianyin admitted she had done it solely to gain Yun Muyang's trust.
Xuan Ji reminded her of their past instructions to kill Wei Zhao and blame Pei Jing after Yun Muyang saved her, and to follow Yun Muyang to gather more intelligence. When Xuan Ji questioned if she had developed feelings for Yun Muyang, Du Xianyin asserted that she could not, fearing only that his death would jeopardize their plan to use the Silver Wings army.
Xuan Ji wanted to arrange the enthronement ceremony immediately, but Du Xianyin argued that their primary enemy was Wei Yuan Ting, who held military power, and they needed the Silver Wings Cavalry's aid to truly conquer the world. Xuan Ji warned her that men were heartless, reminding Du Xianyin of their own plight. Du Xianyin firmly promised to kill Yun Muyang without hesitation if he discovered her true identity, and Xuan Ji hoped she meant it.
Feng Ruche discovered the pear blossom crisp Xue Jingkong had bought for her, all broken. Xing Shangli revealed that Xue Jingkong, who was unaccustomed to such tasks, had queued for them, hinting at the effort he put in. Feng Ruche realized that Xue Jingkong's spiritual power had likely diminished because he had used it to save her.
Later, in the marketplace, she saw an official announcement from Madam Xuan Ji declaring Feng Ruche a criminal who had impersonated the Winged Empress and had now been executed, notifying the world. People in the crowd, having suffered from increased taxes under the "fake Empress," recognized Feng Ruche's striking resemblance to the portrait on the notice. As they began to attack her, Xue Jingkong swiftly appeared, shielding Feng Ruche.
He sternly warned the mob about the severe legal and martial arts consequences for their actions, condemning their blind judgment. He then escorted Feng Ruche safely back to the academy. Du Xianyin and Madam Xuan Ji orchestrated a scenario, allowing Yun Muyang to "rescue" Du Xianyin, thereby reinforcing his belief in her as the Golden Winged Empress. As Du Xianyin flew away with Yun Muyang, she visibly struggled, her face contorted in pain.
This was because her Golden Wings were unnaturally formed through rigorous training, making flight feel like knives piercing her bones. She quickly fabricated an excuse, telling Yun Muyang that her Golden Wings were destined to bring calamity and that she had always thought of severing them, having even harmed herself in childhood to try and change her fate. Yun Muyang, moved by her story, believed her completely.
A flashback showed a young Du Xianyin trying to cut her own wings, wishing to be human like her mother and not have an "evil father." Xuan Ji had then comforted her, explaining that these wings would enable her to protect them both. Du Xianyin confided in Yun Muyang that she had not lied previously when she appeared willing to die, as she was sick of living and would have considered dying by his hand a fortunate end.
Yun Muyang then decided they would rest while he informed his Lord of their discovery, and Du Xianyin readily agreed to follow his lead. Meanwhile, a historical account narrated the rise of the Silver Wings Cavalry. In the early Qianyuan years, northern Lanzhou suffered severe drought and crop failure for months. The Jinwuwei of Nan Yu City brutally conscripted military provisions, leading to three members of the Qi family in Daze Village committing suicide.
Qi San, returning from his travels, cried over his family's bodies, proclaiming, "the world is dying, Silver Wings should appear," and called for justice against tyranny, rallying his fellow villagers to revolt. Over five years, the Silver Wings Cavalry rapidly emerged as the premier rebel army in northern Lanzhou, becoming a major threat to the Winged Clan emperor.
Qi San, who changed his name to Zhen Xian, was known for his humility and eagerness to recruit talented individuals, earning him the title of Lord Silver Wings. The Silver Wings Cavalry recently faced an ambush, resulting in heavy casualties. Zhen Xian personally visited the front lines, treating each wounded soldier as his own kin, even knowing their personal histories, which solidified their unwavering loyalty. He then received a letter from Yun Muyang, informing him of finding Du Xianyin.
Thrilled, Zhen Xian declared that "Whoever gets Golden Wings can rule the world" and immediately instructed Yun Muyang to bring Ms. Du back to the Silver Wings Cavalry. Upon hearing of Zhen Xian's approval, Yun Muyang informed Du Xianyin that she was to accompany him back to the Silver Wings Cavalry.
Du Xianyin, after some hesitation, declared that if she were to be a pawn, she would rather be his, and they agreed to forego apologies and thanks between them moving forward. Xue Jingkong's body began to exhibit strange symptoms. Xing Shangli noticed the flower on Xue Jingkong's back was nearing full bloom, warning of another onset of cryo sickness. This was due to the divine wood Xue Jingkong had placed within Feng Ruche.
Their conditions were inversely linked: when Feng Ruche laughed, he cried; when she ate, he vomited. Xing Shangli suggested extracting the divine wood and sending Feng Ruche away. However, Xue Jingkong refused, claiming his power restored quicker when she was by his side, and he had even begun to recover some memories. Xing Shangli dismissed this as a lie.
Later, Xue Jingkong found Feng Ruche buying dubious "regeneration pills" from a street charlatan in a desperate attempt to regrow her wings. He exposed the fraud, then led her into a beautiful illusion filled with floating flower petals, hoping to lift her spirits. Yet, Feng Ruche looked at the still petals and expressed her sadness, lamenting that she couldn't catch them even with wings, and now it was even more impossible.
