Qing Luo Episode 12 Recap
> Qing Luo Recap
Gu Yebai played a mesmerizing tune in the courtyard, and Yu Qingluo found herself deeply immersed, feeling her blood flow accelerate. She praised the music, and Gu Yebai explained that it was a culmination of his years of learning string instruments, aiming to connect emotions through tonality and make the listener feel present. He revealed he composed the piece for Nan Nan, intending it as a surprise for his upcoming birthday party. Yu Qingluo expressed her gratitude.
Suddenly, a subordinate arrived with urgent news for Gu Yebai. He quickly excused himself from Yu Qingluo, stating there was an issue with Nan Nan's birthday gift that he needed to personally inspect. He assured her he would return swiftly, and Yu Qingluo, feeling uneasy, secretly followed him. She arrived at Prince Ye's Mansion and witnessed Ye Xiudu strike Gu Yebai. Rushing forward, Yu Qingluo furiously confronted Ye Xiudu, accusing him of violence.
Ye Xiudu urged her to understand the situation before blaming him, but Gu Yebai interjected, claiming it was merely his own carelessness. Yu Qingluo, having seen the initial blow, stood her ground, telling Ye Xiudu to direct his anger at her and not involve innocent people. Ye Xiudu, hurt by her immediate assumption, asked if she truly saw him as such an unreasonable person.
Yu Qingluo, however, declared their relationship severed and instructed him not to attend Nan Nan's birthday celebration. She then led Gu Yebai away. Back at her residence, Yu Qingluo questioned Gu Yebai about his visit to Prince Ye's Mansion. Gu Yebai claimed that Ye Xiudu had invited him alone and belittled him, asserting that as a mere musician without martial arts or power, he could not provide true happiness to Yu Qingluo and Nan Nan, regardless of his pure heart.
Gu Yebai further lamented that his current lowly status made him unworthy of Yu Qingluo, and that Nan Nan would likely be ashamed of a father like him. Yu Qingluo, believing his story, reassured him that power and status were secondary to a sincere heart, and neither she nor Nan Nan cared about his background. She urged him to focus on preparing Nan Nan's birthday gift, promising to handle all other matters.
Gu Yebai then suggested holding Nan Nan's birthday party at Qin Restaurant. On Nan Nan's birthday, Ye Xiudu was noticeably absent. When Nan Nan eagerly asked for "Ye," Yu Qingluo explained that he had other commitments and might not be able to attend, leaving Nan Nan visibly disappointed. Gu Yebai then presented Nan Nan with several paintings and began to play a composition he titled "Records of Hero Nan."
As he played, the music had a strange effect, and soon, everyone present appeared to fall unconscious at their tables. Yu Zuolin, along with his men, then entered Qin Restaurant. Yu Zuolin had previously discussed his plans with Gu Yebai, who had assured him of Yu Qingluo's trust and his intention to deliver both her and the medical book in three days.
Yu Zuolin had made it clear he aimed to publicly defeat Ye Xiudu at the Four-Kingdom Contest, not secretly eliminate him, to solidify his position as the premier general. Now, seeing Yu Qingluo seemingly incapacitated, Yu Zuolin drew his blade, ready to strike. At that moment, Ye Xiudu's men swiftly covered all the windows with dark curtains.
In the ensuing darkness, Ye Xiudu single-handedly fought off ten of Yu Zuolin's men, ultimately pinning Yu Zuolin with a blade to his neck. As the lights returned, Yu Qingluo and the others stood up, much to the confusion of Yu Zuolin and Gu Yebai. Yu Qingluo revealed that their plan had been exposed, sarcastically thanking Gu Yebai for his "self-cleverness" in involving Ye Xiudu, which ultimately led to his undoing.
She recounted how the "strike" from Ye Xiudu, which she had witnessed, caused Gu Yebai to involuntarily use his inner force to deflect the blow, exposing his earlier lie about possessing no martial arts. When Gu Yebai accused them of colluding, Yu Qingluo revealed that they had investigated his gifts and found that the ink in his paintings contained Qingmo, a colorless and odorless narcotic/sedative.
She explained that Gu Yebai had used his music to vibrate and disperse the powdered ink into the air, while his two henchmen's music accelerated the victims' blood circulation, intending to cause a silent demise for everyone. However, everyone had taken antidotes and were merely feigning unconsciousness. Nan Nan had been given preserved fruit containing a tranquilizer to ensure he remained safely asleep during the ensuing confrontation. Gu Yebai, outmaneuvered, conceded that it was a clever trap.
Yu Qingluo then declared that Yu Zuolin would face judgment from the Emperor. Amidst the chaos, a mysterious assassin shot an arrow into the room, injuring Ye Haoran as he shielded Jin Liuli. Seizing the opportunity, Yu Zuolin managed to escape with the Shennong Pharmacopoeia. Gu Yebai, left behind, begged Yu Qingluo for mercy, invoking the time they had spent together.
Yu Qingluo feigned agreement, only to swiftly kill him, stating chillingly that she would spare no one who dared to harm Nan Nan. After the incident, Jin Liuli suggested that she, Ye Xiudu, and others should team up to kill Yu Zuolin immediately. However, Ye Xiudu warned that Yu Zuolin was extremely cautious and heavily guarded, making a covert assassination nearly impossible.
Li Zifan deduced that Yu Zuolin's primary motive for stealing the Shennong Pharmacopoeia was to concoct medicine to use against Ye Xiudu in the upcoming Four-Kingdom Contest. Yu Qingluo, combining information about amber grass and sawgrass that Yu Zuolin had inadvertently mentioned to her (when she was disguised as Li Ranran) with details about Yuqiu grass and Guizhi grass that the Night Guard uncovered, concluded that Yu Zuolin intended to create Sisha cream.
She described Sisha cream as a highly toxic substance that would make its victims appear to have a common cold, suffering from chills, fever, dizziness, and extreme weakness, rendering them completely incapable of combat for seven days. Moreover, if mixed into food or drink, it would poison victims silently, undetectable even by skilled physicians. Ye Haoran expressed concern that Yu Zuolin might use Sisha cream during the Four-Kingdom Contest to defeat Ye Xiudu, claim victory, and suppress the Ye family.
In response, Ye Xiudu ordered Mo Xian to immediately seal off the martial training field for closed training and heightened precautions to thwart Yu Zuolin's plans. Elsewhere, Yu Zuolin entrusted the Shennong Pharmacopoeia to a subordinate, instructing them to produce "five-grass powder" to aid his grand scheme. Nan Nan, still upset from his "ruined" birthday, complained to Yu Qingluo that it was the worst one he had ever experienced.
Monkfruit had informed him that Gu Yebai was responsible for his broken tooth and inability to eat roast chicken because of all the preserved fruit Gu Yebai had given him (which also contained tranquilizer). To cheer him up, Ye Xiudu released Kongming lanterns.
When Nan Nan expressed a wish to fly higher and see them up close, Ye Xiudu surprised them by launching a "Flying Mushroom," a type of hot air balloon created by the divine craftsman, Mr. Excellence, Meng Ban. Nan Nan and Yu Qingluo were thrilled as they soared above the city, even higher than the lanterns. Nan Nan, ecstatic, declared it the best birthday he had experienced in six years.
Ye Xiudu encouraged him to make a wish, reminding him of a legend where throwing one's first fallen tooth at the moon could make wishes come true. Nan Nan made his wish. Later, Nan Nan shared his wish with Yu Qingluo: to grow up quickly and protect his mom. He recounted how Monkfruit had told him about Gu Yebai impersonating his father and mistreating Yu Qingluo.
Nan Nan had decided he didn't need a father, as he was perfectly happy with his mom, Aunt Jin, Monkfruit, and now "Ye" (Ye Xiudu) by his side. He vowed to protect Yu Qingluo and ensure her happiness. After Nan Nan was asleep, Yu Qingluo and Ye Xiudu had a candid conversation. Yu Qingluo thanked him for bringing a blanket, noting the cold at such a high altitude.
She then playfully asked how they would land, to which Ye Xiudu admitted he wasn't entirely sure, but reassured her, based on his study of the "Flying Mushroom's" mechanics, that it would descend when its fuel ran out, or he could use his Qing Kung to fly them down. Yu Qingluo playfully scolded him for joking. They then discussed Nan Nan's earlier statement about not needing a father.
Yu Qingluo told Ye Xiudu that if he still wished to help Nan Nan find his biological father, she would support him, but she personally would no longer compete for that position. Ye Xiudu clarified that his feelings for her were separate from Nan Nan's search for a father, and that these two emotions should not be conflated.
He then returned the jade pendant he had given her, but Yu Qingluo insisted he keep it as a keepsake, should they be separated. Ye Xiudu urged her to be honest about her feelings and give them a chance, especially since Nan Nan had let go of his obsession to find his biological father. He suggested they become a couple first and tell Nan Nan when he was ready to accept it.
Yu Qingluo, quoting a poem from the Book of Songs, teased him about his "impersonal" and direct declaration of love. Ye Xiudu, unfazed, promised to demonstrate his sincerity by arranging a "perfect date" that would make even the stars dim in comparison. That evening, Jin Liuli was seen scolding Ye Haoran for drinking while his injury (sustained protecting her earlier) had not fully healed. Yu Qingluo and Ye Xiudu arrived, finding them eating hotpot.
Ye Xiudu took the opportunity to ask Yu Qingluo on a date for the following day, as he would soon begin his closed training. Just then, Nan Nan, awakened by the commotion, overheard the word "date" and asked if his mom was going out with someone again. To divert his suspicion, Yu Qingluo, with a subtle nod from Ye Xiudu, quickly stated that the date was for Jin Liuli and Ye Haoran.
Jin Liuli was delighted by this unexpected announcement, while Ye Haoran looked utterly surprised. Later, Ye Haoran complained to Ye Xiudu about being used as a "shield" to lie to Nan Nan. Ye Xiudu dismissed it as a "two birds with one stone" strategy, benefiting both of them. He then lectured Ye Haoran on the "unity of knowing and doing," urging him to "feel happiness" and "forget evil" by engaging Jin Liuli with genuine emotion, rather than just intellectual persuasion.
He further advised Ye Haoran not to be caught up on the word "date," as friends could also go on dates. Despite Ye Haoran's continued reluctance to deceive Nan Nan, Ye Xiudu insisted he simply cooperate, implying his date with Yu Qingluo was a foregone conclusion. The next morning, Nan Nan, in the backyard, was seen interacting with a little girl, engaging in playful banter about adopting a puppy he found and suggesting they become its parents.
He even spoke of having a baby and going to school together next year. Jin Liuli, however, intervened, telling Nan Nan by his full name, Yu Qingnan, to "let go of that girl." Observing Yu Qingluo and Jin Liuli dressed elegantly for the day, Jin Liuli commented that Ye Xiudu was deeply smitten with Yu Qingluo, and not even "little devil king Nan Nan" would be able to disrupt their plans this time.
Yu Qingluo sensed Jin Liuli's deeper meaning, and Jin Liuli revealed their "inside-out" strategy was a ruse to "divert the tiger from its mountain" (distract Nan Nan). Nan Nan, still confused by their elaborate attire, asked if they were going to perform in an opera, specifically "Zhu Yingtai chasing Liang Shanbo." He then questioned why Yu Qingluo was so dressed up if Jin Liuli was the one going on the date.
Yu Qingluo simply replied that she was just "acting" alongside Jin Liuli, implying their elegant appearance was meant to impress Ye Haoran. Nan Nan, however, still couldn't grasp the true nature of their deception.
