Sword Dynasty Episode 14 Recap
> Sword Dynasty Recap
Ding Ning carefully examined the crescent-shaped image on the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual. Zhou Rongmo, the Zhou family patriarch, explained that he had spent over a century studying the scroll, which contained powerful sword scriptures and methods for cultivating True Vitality. Ding Ning pointed out that while the moon waxes and wanes, the missing piece of the crescent might hold the key.
He questioned why it depicted a cold moon instead of a rising sun, suggesting that a cold moon in a context that should be bright was inherently wrong. Ding Ning theorized that the extremely cold essence of the crescent indicated the martial arts in this fragment were meant for female practitioners, as the yin energy could be naturally expelled during their menstrual cycles, thus preventing any internal harm and preventing the qi from congealing in the abdomen.
Zhou Rongmo realized the truth, confirming that after practicing the martial art, his True Vitality began to congeal, and his condition had worsened, causing his lower abdomen to swell and feel heavy. He asked if there was any way to remedy it. Ding Ning suggested that since the problem stemmed from extreme yin energy, it could only be counteracted by an elixir of extreme yang, integrated with the qi of the five internal organs.
Zhou Rongmo, acknowledging Ding Ning's profound insight, offered to share his understanding of the fragment's cultivation methods. He mentioned that while the martial arts might be for women, their power was immense and would not cause significant harm if not practiced for too long or to an advanced degree.
Recognizing Ding Ning's place on the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament's Booklet of Talents, Zhou Rongmo offered the knowledge as a remarkable advantage for the tournament and asked for Ding Ning's help in the future. Ding Ning expressed his gratitude, understanding Zhou Rongmo's underlying motives but choosing to cooperate.
Observing Zhou Rongmo transmitting vital energy to Ding Ning, Xue Wangxu cautioned Ding Ning to be wary, noting that Zhou Rongmo, a practitioner of the medium grade of the seventh realm, was a formidable opponent even for him in his prime. Jiang Li thought it disrespectful to speak ill of their hosts, especially given Zhou Rongmo's hospitality and his instruction to Ding Ning.
However, Xie Changsheng revealed that Zhou Rongmo had a notorious past, including kidnapping women and children to lure others into a trap, and was once believed to be dead after suffering a severe sword wound to the gut, with his intestines spilling out. Xue Wangxu advised Ding Ning, with his street upbringing, to discern people's true intentions more clearly than his peers.
He also admitted his own declining health, constantly feeling sleepy and in low spirits, and asked Ding Ning to bring him some of the nutritious supplements provided by marquises and dignitaries. In the Prince's Manor, Maidservant Rong noticed Yuan Zichu's growing interest in the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament. She suggested that the royal palace's cultivation scriptures were superior and that his parents, the King and Queen, the world's most powerful practitioners, would guide him.
She questioned why he would bother with an admission test, asserting his inherent nobility and superiority over other talents in Fengming. Yuan Zichu expressed frustration, feeling isolated and confined, like a caged bird, bearing grievances and enduring humiliation. He lamented that everyone avoided or feared him after a previous incident where someone died because of him, and despite Maidservant Rong's reassurances of his parents' care, he dismissed her, reflecting on his need to change.
Queen Ye Zhen learned of Yuan Zichu's desire to participate in the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament. While she found his enthusiasm characteristic of youth, unable to bear loneliness, she saw no harm in it if the King consented, as it could broaden his horizons. However, she was informed that the King of Heng had already issued decrees for the Lushan Alliance Meeting, designating Marquis Fang and Chancellor Li as his companions.
Furthermore, he had ordered the King of Xian to bring Yuan Zihan along, apparently after Yuan Zihan personally wrote a letter. Ye Zhen concluded that the King's decisions were deliberate, believing that the palace maid's earlier fabricated remarks about her and Yuan Zichu had indeed created a lasting distrust with the King.
Later, at a wine shop, patrons gossiped about the recent murder of Nangong Shang, allegedly by "That Man's disciple," with a drunkard claiming a beggar at a deserted temple in the west of the city had witnessed the killer. Zhangsun Qianxue overheard this conversation and, worried about the trouble it would cause, immediately went to the deserted temple to silence the witness.
Shortly after, Mo Qinggong arrived at the Wutongluo wine shop, stating he was ordered by Director Chen Xuan to take Ding Ning to the Dafu Water Dungeon for an investigation. Ding Ning was forcefully apprehended before he could inform Zhangsun Qianxue. At the Dafu Water Dungeon, Chen Xuan interrogated Ding Ning, questioning his identity as either Ding Ning or Liang Jingmeng's disciple.
Chen Xuan asserted that while appearance could be altered, bones could not, then subjected Ding Ning to the Bone-scrutinizing Hypnosis. However, Ding Ning successfully resisted the torture and hypnosis by using the Nine-death Silkworm martial art to seal his mind, maintaining his true identity as Ding Ning, a worker at the Wutongluo wine shop. Chen Xuan later questioned the beggar from the temple under hypnosis, who did not identify Ding Ning as the killer.
Unexpectedly, Ye Celeng was already waiting at the temple. Convinced by Ding Ning's ability to resist the Bone-scrutinizing Hypnosis—a feat only Liang Jingmeng and his direct disciples could achieve—Ye Celeng took Ding Ning from the dungeon to a secluded area outside the city, where Zhangsun Qianxue was waiting. Ye Celeng confirmed Ding Ning's resilience to Chen Xuan's technique. In return, Zhangsun Qianxue revealed her true identity as Zhangsun Qianxue and affirmed Ding Ning as Liang Jingmeng's disciple.
Ye Celeng admitted to orchestrating the trap to verify their identities, but chose not to harm Zhangsun Qianxue due to her enduring respect for Liang Jingmeng's past kindness. With mutual trust established, the three formed an alliance to challenge the Heng Kingdom. Ye Celeng recounted her decade of suffering, living under the guise of a traitor, constantly under the suspicion of Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen, and carrying Liang Jingmeng's memorial tablet to sustain her will for vengeance.
She expressed deep regret for not dying alongside him, lamenting that if she had been able to block just one sword strike for him, he might not have died. Ding Ning, moved by her anguish, gently touched her shoulder and reassured her that it was not her fault, reminding her that Liang Jingmeng himself had ordered her departure from Fengming.
Recognizing his increasing prominence in Fengming, Ding Ning decided to leave for a while to avoid unwanted attention and to seek the Manglong Rudraksha through Zhou Rongmo. He explained to Zhangsun Qianxue that he had deliberately misled Zhou Rongmo with a flawed cultivation method, then suggested that only an elixir of extreme yang could counteract the resulting cold poison.
His true aim was to acquire the Manglong Rudraksha to aid Xue Wangxu, whose health was rapidly failing and could only be sustained by medicine. When Zhangsun Qianxue offered to accompany him, Ding Ning playfully remarked that her many admirers at the wine shop would be heartbroken, prompting her to playfully pull his ear. Concurrently, Bai Shanshui met with Liang Lian, proposing to hand over Ding Ning in exchange for a map of the Dafu Water Dungeon.
Liang Lian agreed, viewing Ding Ning's continued presence as a threat to Fengming, an opportunity to gain favor with the King and other factions by eliminating him, and believing it would be like saving the country. Bai Shanshui promised to lure Ding Ning into an inescapable trap, like catching a turtle in a jar.
The following morning, as Ding Ning prepared breakfast, Bai Shanshui unexpectedly appeared in the wine shop, informing him that Zhangsun Qianxue had been taken by Liang Lian. Although suspicious, Ding Ning felt he had no choice but to follow Bai Shanshui to the fish market. Along the way, his suspicions grew as he noticed their circuitous route, reasoning that speed was key for a rescue, and that a military person would not bring Zhangsun Qianxue to the fish market.
Upon reaching a bridge, before Ding Ning could make a move, Bai Shanshui drew her sword, holding Ding Ning captive. She admitted her admiration for his intelligence but stated that it was less valuable than her objective. At the bridge, Liang Lian arrived, intending for his attendant to assassinate Bai Shanshui during the map exchange. However, Zhao Si suddenly appeared, killing Liang Lian's attendant and cutting the bridge's ropes, allowing Bai Shanshui to secure the map.
This elaborate maneuver was part of a pre-established plan orchestrated by Ye Celeng, who had earlier gathered Ding Ning, Zhangsun Qianxue, Zhao Si, and Bai Shanshui. Their objective was to use this ruse to obtain the Dafu Water Dungeon map from Liang Lian, thereby enabling them to rescue Lin Zhujiu and retrieve the remaining clues to the Gushan Sword Manual, believed to be hidden within the dungeon. Liang Lian, however, was not genuinely angered by the loss of the map.
This was because he had secretly pledged allegiance to the King of Heng before this event. His apparent collaboration with Ye Zhen's faction and his display of rebellious intent were all part of a deeper scheme to draw out the mastermind and eliminate the Yunshui Palace, acting as a pawn and double agent for the Heng Kingdom. Meanwhile, Ye Celeng, also present at the fish market, intercepted a soldier attempting to send a message to reinforcements, ensuring that their intricate plan remained concealed.
