Sword Dynasty Episode 12 Recap
> Sword Dynasty Recap
At a palace banquet, Prince Yuan Zichu entertained the court with a sword dance. Court officials celebrated the Prince's breakthrough into the fourth realm. A palace maid, captivated by the performance, brazenly declared that the Prince’s swordsmanship, once tutored by Liang Jingmeng, would soon rival and even surpass the King of Heng, just as Liang Jingmeng did.
Enraged by the maid's audacious words, the King of Heng swiftly executed her with a flick of his ink brush, then calmly raised his goblet as if nothing had happened.
Following an investigation revealing the maid's past association with the Bashan Sword Field and her prior service in the Queen's palace before being transferred to the Prince’s, Queen Ye Zhen commanded Ye Celeng of the Jiantian Si and Chen Xuan of the Shendu Bureau to jointly investigate and uncover the mastermind behind the incident. Meanwhile, Xie Changsheng arrived at Wutongluo to deliver the Sanyang Herbs as promised.
He requested to become Xue Wangxu's disciple, ostensibly to oversee Ding Ning for his sister's sake, referring to Ding Ning as his "brother-in-law." When Ding Ning announced his intention to visit the fish market, Xie Changsheng eagerly asked to accompany him. As they left, Ding Ning sensed they were being followed. Without a change in demeanor, he discreetly instructed Xie Changsheng to return to a specific sword shop they had passed.
Exactly fifty breaths after entering, Xie Changsheng was to quickly inform the owner that an assassination attempt was imminent at Guijianchou Pier in the fish market. True to Ding Ning's prediction, the sword shop owner arrived in time to intervene, helping Ding Ning thwart the assassins and securing one operative alive. Under the introduction of a merchant's daughter, Zhao Si, from the Liejian Lu (Sword Sect of Lie), met with Bai Shanshui at the fish market.
Zhao Si offered to exchange his piece of the Gushan Sword Manual clue for Bai Shanshui's. Zhao Si questioned Bai Shanshui's alliance with Liang Lian, pointing out that the assassins sent to kill Ding Ning were from Yunshui Palace, and noting that the Heng Kingdom had destroyed both the Lie and Qian states. Bai Shanshui retorted that she acted according to her own will and was merely utilizing Liang Lian, not allying with an enemy.
Zhao Si then suggested that Liang Lian was acting for his own interests, not the King of Heng's. Upon combining their two clues, they found them to be jumbled and inconclusive, confirming rumors that a third piece was necessary to unravel the mystery. Zhao Si suggested that Lin Zhujiu, imprisoned in Dafu Water Dungeon, might possess knowledge of this third clue.
Bai Shanshui, confident in Yunshui Palace's water-based techniques, accepted the task of investigating the dungeon, stating a mere water dungeon was nothing to her. Chen Xuan, at the Shendu Bureau, reflected on a series of recent deaths, including Zhao Zhan, Song Shenshu, and Marquis Dugu, alongside the increasing activity of rebellious forces from the Liejian Lu and Yunshui Palace in Fengming. He concluded that the reappearance of the "Nine-death Silkworm" was a deliberate catalyst, instigating turmoil for various factions.
Chen Xuan was then informed that Wang Taixu had delivered the captured fifth-realm practitioner from the fish market, along with two other deceased assassins (one fourth-realm, one fifth-realm). He ordered the captive to be transported to Dafu Water Dungeon the following morning. Ding Ning, anticipating the Shendu Bureau's involvement, waited with Xie Changsheng to meet with Mo Qinggong.
During their discussion, Ding Ning skillfully deflected suspicion from the sword shop owner by having Xie Changsheng recount the events and portraying himself as an "ordinary street boy," despite Mo Qinggong reminding him of his recent high-profile exploits alongside Xue Wangxu. Mo Qinggong revealed that the captured assassin was from Yunshui Palace, speculating that their assistance was exchanged for free passage in Fengming, thereby identifying Liang Lian as the likely contractor.
Back at Wutongluo, Nangong Caishu presented Ding Ning with the "Booklet of Talents of the Swordsmanship Tournament," a compilation by Hongyang Academy ranking Heng's most promising young practitioners. Ding Ning found himself ranked 48th with an estimated third-realm lower-grade cultivation, while Ye Haoran held the top spot at the fourth-realm medium-grade. Xue Wangxu explained that only the top fifty on this list would qualify for the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament, effectively turning the booklet into a challenge list.
He elaborated that the booklet's sudden appearance was a strategic move by the King of Heng, intended to identify and gather skilled individuals for an impending conflict to reclaim lost territories, with the Lushan Alliance Meeting, where four dynasties would sign an alliance, only three months away. During this discussion, Zhangsun Qianxue arrived, prompting Xie Changsheng, Jiang Li, and Nangong Caishu to momentarily halt their conversation, awestruck by her beauty.
Zhangsun Qianxue then pulled Ding Ning aside, chastising him for deliberately seeking out Mo Qinggong and risking his life for Xue Wangxu's reputation. Ding Ning confessed that his true intention in meeting Mo Qinggong was to gain insight into Dafu Water Dungeon, and while he hadn't entered, he now had some leads. He revealed that the assassins' swords in the fish market incident were coated with poison from the Qian Kingdom, suggesting an alliance between Bai Shanshui and Liang Lian.
He asked Zhangsun Qianxue, whom he referred to as his "aunt", to investigate Liang Lian's inner circle. Meanwhile, the Tiger-Wolf strategist Qi Pomo angrily confronted Fan Zhuo about the failed assassination attempt in the fish market and the captured operative now in the Shendu Bureau's hands. He accused Fan Zhuo of recklessness, emphasizing the risks Liang Lian took to ensure their free movement in Fengming.
Fan Zhuo dismissed the criticism, attributing the failure to bad luck and the presence of a grandmaster-level practitioner in the fish market. He reassured Qi Pomo that the captive, even in Dafu Water Dungeon, would not lead back to them or Liang Lian. Nonetheless, he vowed to personally eliminate Ding Ning.
Having tracked Qi Pomo's whereabouts, Zhangsun Qianxue confronted Bai Shanshui, accusing Yunshui Palace of engaging in "dirty business" by aiding a "rebel dog" like Liang Lian, who had betrayed his sect and assisted the King of Heng in killing Liang Jingmeng. Bai Shanshui retorted that she acted according to her own will and was not bound by such labels, declaring Zhangsun Qianxue's concerns irrelevant to Yunshui Palace's affairs. Zhangsun Qianxue warned her to keep her distance from Ding Ning.
Later, back at Wutongluo, Ding Ning was applying whale balm, a potent medicine. Zhangsun Qianxue, still fuming, confirmed that Liang Lian had indeed contracted Bai Shanshui. Ding Ning, sensing her distress, advised her not to worry excessively and to focus on the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament. He also remarked that his current rapid progress was a result of good fortune and Xue Wangxu's guidance.
He expressed his own lack of confidence in winning the Tournament, stating he would at most reach third-realm medium-grade cultivation by then, and that the sword manual of Baiyang Cave was insufficient. He noted that the truly powerful individuals were often not listed in the "Booklet of Talents," a tactic Queen Ye Zhen often employed to keep her strongest assets hidden.
He concluded that such complex matters were overwhelming and he would simply focus on his cultivation, cherishing Zhangsun Qianxue's simple nature. The next day, Xie Changsheng enthusiastically dragged Ding Ning to watch a public duel. A large crowd had gathered, drawn by the "Booklet of Talents," to witness the contest between Chen Liufeng, ranked 37th, and Fan Wuque, ranked 35th. The combatants wielded edgeless profound iron swords, specially crafted for the tournament.
