Novoland: The Castle in the Sky 2 Episode 2 Recap
> Novoland: The Castle in the Sky 2 Recap
Feng Ruche, severely wounded, lay in Xue Jingkong's embrace, believing she was close to death. She asked him for his name, and he responded, "Xue Jing Kong." She found it a beautiful name and asked if he was a magician, which he denied. Reassuring her not to be afraid because he was there, Xue Jingkong then used his spiritual power to heal her. While she was unconscious during the healing, Feng Ruche murmured about her parents abandoning her.
After her injuries were healed, Xue Jingkong uttered "Ah Che" before erasing all of her memories of the recent events. However, Xue Jingkong's powerful magic drew the attention of a mysterious black-clad man named Xu Yu. Xu Yu, who had killed Xue Jingkong's foster parents and relentlessly pursued him, appeared. Xue Jingkong confronted him, asking why he silently tormented him, but Xu Yu did not speak and immediately attacked.
Unable to defeat Xu Yu in his weakened state, Xue Jingkong cleverly used a smoke bomb that Feng Ruche had dropped earlier to create a diversion and escape. Meanwhile, Feng Ruche woke up, surprised by her perceived ability to effortlessly defeat a new wave of assassins who attacked her. She even noticed petals suspended in the air before falling after she touched them, a subtle sign of Xue Jingkong's hidden intervention.
Soon after, Bai Dangdang arrived, wounded from protecting her earlier. He tried to claim he had "wiped out" the assassins, but Feng Ruche, still astonished by her own perceived prowess, was concerned about his injury. She considered Bai Dangdang her most loyal friend after he took a knife for her. She questioned why they were being attacked if she wasn't an enemy, and Bai Dangdang suggested it was related to the upcoming blood test, implying someone wanted to stop her.
Though she was reluctant to go, Bai Dangdang insisted, stating that His Highness was waiting, and they needed to honor their word. At the palace, officials like Wei Yuanting and Rain Guocong had been waiting for Feng Ruche for a long time. Wei Yuanting expressed suspicion about her absence, hinting at trickery.
When an official suggested postponing the blood test to another day, Wei Yuanting firmly declared that it must be done today, as the next auspicious time wouldn't be until next year. With Feng Ruche still missing, Wei Yuanting instructed Master Kong Sang to proceed with Du Xianyin's blood test. The Life Breath Instrument glowed, affirming Du Xianyin as the descendant of the Winged Clan and the new empress. Wei Yuanting then prepared for her enthronement at Tianhe Altar.
Just as the enthronement music was about to begin, Feng Ruche arrived, startling everyone. Bai Dangdang explained their delay was due to an ambush. Wei Yuanting, feigning concern, declared that any assassination attempt on the Winged Empress was treason punishable by death. Rain Guocong then requested Master Kong Sang to test Feng Ruche's blood, but Wei Yuanting protested, arguing that Du Xianyin was already proven to be the empress.
Feng Ruche, however, insisted on undergoing the test, threatening to leave if they refused. Rain Guocong then urged for her test to proceed, reminding Wei Yuanting that without it, others might not be convinced, especially since Feng Ruche also possessed golden wings. Feng Ruche's blood test yielded no reaction from the Life Breath Instrument, prompting Wei Yuanting to immediately declare her an imposter and order her execution.
Feng Ruche vehemently denied claiming to be the Winged Empress and protested her imminent beheading. Bai Dangdang intervened, calling Wei Yuanting mistaken. Feng Ruche, holding up a Sky Plant Necklace her father had given her, asked if anyone recognized it, but no one did. She then logically argued that if she were truly a fake, no one would bother to assassinate her, suggesting a conspiracy to ensure her failure.
She speculated that since her unexpected arrival foiled their assassination plot, they resorted to rigging the blood test, which must have left a flaw. Feng Ruche then pinpointed a palace maid with blue residue on her finger. The maid claimed it was from trimming blue pine, but Feng Ruche countered that blue pines weren't in bloom.
She accused the maid of placing colorless, odorless ice silk, which turns blue with water, onto the instrument, causing it to fail to detect her blood when her palms began sweating from fright. Pei Jing confirmed the presence of ice silk on the instrument. At that moment, a maid revealed a scale hidden on Du Xianyin's back, near her wing slit. Rain Guocong recognized it as the reason for Du Xianyin's initial positive test.
After the scale was removed, Du Xianyin was re-tested, and the instrument showed no reaction. Du Xianyin then confessed to orchestrating the entire plot, admitting she was a maid from Wuji County who, by chance, developed golden wings and saw an opportunity to rise. She claimed to have used ice silk and bribed the maid to plant the scale. Rain Guocong, however, did not believe she acted alone, suspecting a mastermind behind her.
He ordered Pei Jing to whip Du Xianyin to force her to reveal her accomplice. Unable to bear witnessing Du Xianyin's suffering, and recalling their past friendship, Feng Ruche intervened, declaring that as the newly ascended Winged Empress, she desired no violence on her first day. She commanded Du Xianyin's release, despite Rain Guocong's insistence on finding the true instigator. With the crowd chanting "Long live our empress," Feng Ruche was officially acknowledged as the new Winged Empress.
Meanwhile, Xue Jingkong, suffering severe pain and illness from overusing his spiritual powers to save Feng Ruche, was visited by Xing Shang Li, the Master of Xingchen Pavilion. Xing Shang Li healed him but chastised him for abusing his powers, knowing the repercussions it would bring. Xue Jingkong confessed he acted on impulse to save someone, whom he vaguely described as "very ugly" and an "ugly duckling" when Xing Shang Li questioned if she was pretty.
Xue Jingkong also revealed his illness was worsening, striking more frequently without warning. He then mentioned that Xu Yu, the mute man who killed his foster parents, had also appeared. As the new Empress, Feng Ruche was overwhelmed by the opulence of the palace. She told Bai Dangdang that she thought a drawing of her looked ugly, preferring a photo she had taken with Xue Jingkong.
She had Bai Dangdang make a drawing from that photo, but she kept Xue Jingkong's half for herself, commenting on how handsome he looked. Demonstrating her compassionate nature, Feng Ruche immediately began looking for her friends from her days on the streets, like Xiao You, with whom she shared a warm reunion. She tasked Bai Dangdang with finding all her friends, emphasizing their code of loyalty and sticking together.
She also sought to improve the lives of her people, first asking if she could grant tax exemption. After Bai Dangdang explained that complete exemption was impossible, she ordered a significant reduction in the tax rate, expressing her hope that all her friends outside could live better lives.
On the day of her enthronement, Rain Guocong announced that the restored Castle in the Sky, now a true palace, would ascend to the highest point of Novoland, becoming the unwavering glory of the Winged Clan. Concurrently, Xue Jingkong received a portrait of the new Winged Empress, seeing Feng Ruche's image.
