Sword Dynasty Episode 29 Recap
> Sword Dynasty Recap
As the vanguard forces pursued them relentlessly, Bai Shanshui fought back fiercely. Jiang Li urged Yuan Zichu to pull himself together, reminding him that the soldiers who died for him would have sacrificed their lives in vain otherwise. Although Yuan Zichu initially wanted to seek revenge immediately, Jiang Li convinced him to prioritize the larger situation and retreat. Yuan Zichu then revealed he knew Zhangsun Qianxue was involved in the prison break.
Feeling indebted to them for his rescue, he requested to travel with them, thus creating an opportunity for them to seek revenge. He also questioned Zhangsun Qianxue why she was involved in pursuing Liang Lian, connecting it to Ye Celeng. Zhangsun Qianxue confirmed that her pursuit was indeed because of Ye Celeng. Yuan Zichu then deduced that Zhangsun Qianxue was also involved in the water dungeon incident.
He reiterated that if he joined them, Liang Lian, who was still hunting him, would inevitably seek them out, thereby providing an opportunity for them to eliminate him. Meanwhile, Yelü Canglang and Wu Lianzi returned to the camp. Wu Lianzi expressed her fear, but Yelü Canglang reassured her, promising to clarify the misunderstanding between her and the Teacher of the Nation to his father.
Upon their return, Zhan Mohe, the Teacher of the Nation, immediately accused Wu Lianzi of destroying Wuchou Town years ago, claiming she was the sole survivor of the Wu clan and presented extensive evidence. He further accused her of having infiltrated Fengwu with the intention of leading the state down the same path of destruction as the Wu clan. Wu Lianzi vehemently denied these accusations, stating she would never harm her own people.
Yelü Canglang defended her, asking his father, the King of Fengwu, to investigate the matter. However, the King appeared unwell, and Zhan Mohe prevented Yelü Canglang from approaching him. Wu Lianzi then cried out that Zhan Mohe had murdered the King. In the ensuing chaos, she managed to escape with Yelü Canglang. Zhan Mohe immediately issued wanted posters, framing Yelü Canglang and Wu Lianzi as regicides and usurpers, ordering anyone assisting them to be killed.
They soon encountered Ding Ning and his companions, who had been following them. Zhan Mohe arrived shortly after, claiming Yelü Canglang and Wu Lianzi were the King's murderers and warning Ding Ning not to interfere. Wu Lianzi quickly clarified that Zhan Mohe was the true killer. Just as the confrontation escalated, Chen Xuan appeared, intervening by stating that Ding Ning was a wanted criminal of Heng and he was there to apprehend him.
This allowed Ding Ning and his group, along with Yelü Canglang and Wu Lianzi, to escape from Zhan Mohe. The group found temporary shelter for the night. Wu Lianzi revealed that Zhan Mohe had feigned escorting them to Mount Zu but was in fact coveting the sacred relic. He relentlessly pursued her clan, killing them all, and she barely escaped due to their sacrifices.
She explained that she is the Sacred Maiden of the Wu clan, tasked with guarding the Great Torture Sword. The outer barrier of Mount Zu's sanctuary could be opened by anyone, but the inner, absolutely sealed sanctuary, where the relic resides, required the pure blood of a Wu clan member as a key. This explained Zhan Mohe's relentless pursuit of her.
She also confirmed that the supposedly haunted Wuchou Town was indeed the sole entrance to Mount Zu's sanctuary, a special passage designed by Tuoba Wuchou, the legendary founder of the Lingxu Sword Sect, only accessible in times of great crisis for the sanctuary. Ding Ning proposed that with Fengwu now riddled with Zhan Mohe's spies, their only option was to enter the sanctuary first, acquire the Great Torture Sword, and then confront him.
Wu Lianzi agreed to lead the way but suggested waiting until morning. Later that night, as Ding Ning and Jiang Li took turns on watch, Jiang Li, gazing at the stars, expressed his sadness, missing his master. Chen Xuan arrived, asking Jiang Li to leave so he could speak with Ding Ning privately. Ding Ning assured Jiang Li that Chen Xuan posed no threat.
Chen Xuan then revealed that Ye Zhen, seeking the Life-sustaining Magic Art, had dispatched him to kill Ding Ning. Meanwhile, Huang Zhenwei's vanguard army entered Fengwu's territory. The King of Heng arrived at Yuan Zihan's camp, finding him heavily drunk amidst the disarray. Yuan Zihan tried to excuse his behavior by citing his sorrow over Yuan Zichu's death. Enraged, the King of Heng asked Huang Zhenwei about the military punishment for a general drinking during wartime, which was death.
Yuan Zihan pleaded for his life, reminding the King that he was his only son. The King, however, harshly ordered Yuan Zihan to be flogged eighty times, expressing his wish that it had been Yuan Zihan, not Yuan Zichu, who had been killed by the enemy. He then sent an envoy to the King of Fengwu, demanding the surrender of Yelü Canglang within three days, threatening to personally lead his army to conquer Fengwu if his demand was not met.
The King of Heng also revealed his suspicion that the "Great Rebellion" responsible for rescuing Lin Zhujiu from the water dungeon were now gathered in Wuchou Town, reinforcing his belief that this entire affair was linked to the Gushan Sword Manual. Separately, a wise advisor to the King of Xian lamented the swift and cunning invasion by Heng, Zhan Mohe's betrayal, and the death of the King of Fengwu, declaring Fengwu's situation hopeless.
He then mentioned that the Kings of Mo and Li had agreed to form an alliance to resist Heng's advance. Liang Lian, tracking Yuan Zichu, Bai Shanshui, and Zhangsun Qianxue, finally caught up to them. He ordered his soldiers to rescue the Crown Prince. Zhangsun Qianxue directly confronted Liang Lian, accusing him of betraying the Bashan Sword Field. Liang Lian retorted that the Bashan Sword Field's stubbornness was what led to their downfall.
A fierce battle ensued as Bai Shanshui and Zhangsun Qianxue fought together to protect Yuan Zichu. Liang Lian inflicted a severe wound on Bai Shanshui, causing her to lose her sword. Though outmatched, Zhangsun Qianxue desperately hurled her Ninth-hell Dark Lord Sword to Bai Shanshui and then used her remaining strength to pin Liang Lian down. Empowered by the Ninth-hell Dark Lord Sword, Bai Shanshui delivered the fatal blow, killing Liang Lian.
Ding Ning's group heard the sounds of the battle and rushed to the scene. They arrived to find Liang Lian dead, and both Bai Shanshui and Zhangsun Qianxue gravely injured. A stunned Yuan Zichu attempted to return Zhangsun Qianxue's Ninth-hell Dark Lord Sword, and then Bai Shanshui's sword.
Having achieved her long-sought revenge, Bai Shanshui declared, "From now on, there will be no Yunshui Palace or Bai Shanshui in this world," before departing by boat, reciting a poignant poem about a sword user's solitary life and dedication. Yuan Zichu confronted Ding Ning with hostility, accusing him of mercilessly killing vanguard soldiers. Ding Ning explained the harsh realities of battlefield survival, while Wu Lianzi clarified Yelü Canglang's current predicament as a wanted criminal.
Seeing Zhangsun Qianxue suffering from a severe resurgence of cold energy, Wu Lianzi suggested they enter Wuchou Town immediately for safety before attempting any healing. As their boat navigated the river, a dense fog enveloped them. Wu Lianzi infused her Wu clan's sacred ring, an object from the sanctuary, with spiritual power and cast it into the water.
The fog gradually dissipated, revealing the dilapidated and deserted Wuchou Town, which she explained was the original appearance of the town, with the Giant Ziyu Tree guarding the sacred sanctuary. She confirmed that no one lived there anymore. Inside Wuchou Town, Zhangsun Qianxue initially resisted Ding Ning's efforts to heal her. Ding Ning insisted, reminding her that her life was in danger and that she was his only remaining family.
He apologized for concealing his true identity for the past decade, admitting he hadn't known how to face her as Liang Jingmeng. He then confessed that through their shared experiences, he had realized that revenge was not the only important thing in his life; she was equally, if not more, important. Deeply moved by his heartfelt confession, Zhangsun Qianxue finally forgave him. While Ding Ning healed Zhangsun Qianxue, Jiang Li and others went to fetch water.
Wu Lianzi, who had gone to the backyard to draw water, mysteriously vanished, leaving only a half-filled, spilled bucket. Ding Ning deduced that she had been abducted. Simultaneously, the King of Heng received intelligence that Liang Lian had been killed and, more importantly, that Crown Prince Yuan Zichu was still alive. He immediately ordered Yuan Zihan to conquer Fengwu before his return, threatening severe consequences if he failed.
The King of Heng, accompanied by Huang Zhenwei, set off directly for Wuchou Town to find Yuan Zichu, his suspicions about the Gushan Sword Manual reinforced by the presence of Lin Zhujiu's rescuers in the same location. Meanwhile, Zhan Mohe, who had captured Wu Lianzi, revealed his family's generational yearning for the Wu clan's sacred relic.
He asserted that Wu Lianzi was essential for him to obtain the relic, dismissing Fengwu's fate at the hands of Heng as irrelevant once he achieved his goal. He then prepared to use her for his nefarious purpose.
