Sword Dynasty Episode 34 (Ending) Recap
> Sword Dynasty Recap
As Yuan Zichu lay dying, Ye Zhen desperately tried to save him. However, the King of Heng, unable to bear his son's suffering, watched as he passed away. With his last breaths, Yuan Zichu apologized to his mother and father, knowing he could no longer attend to them. After Yuan Zichu’s death, the distraught King ordered Zhu Yuan to be torn limb from limb and exiled Yuan Zihan to the frontier to aid Fang Xiumu.
Ye Zhen confronted the King, questioning how he could show such leniency to Yuan Zihan when his servant and master were so similar in their ways, but the King merely replied that it was Yuan Zichu’s dying wish. Meanwhile, Ding Ning, his hair turned white from grief, recalled Zhangsun Qianxue's final words.
She had told him how far they had come, remembering Mr. Xue, Ye Celeng, Miss Xie Rou, and the many disciples of the Bashan Sword Field who had died without regret for him. She urged him not to blame himself, conceding that he could seek revenge if he needed to, but ultimately wishing for him to shed his burdens and live only for himself.
Driven by her own despair and newly ascended to the eighth realm, Ye Zhen confronted Baili Suxue at Minshan, demanding the Life-sustaining Magic Art. Baili Suxue refused, remarking that she had lost her mind and that the art would be useless to her, adding that she would never achieve what she truly desired. Enraged, Ye Zhen killed him.
Later, feigning drunkenness, Ye Zhen went to the King of Heng’s bedchamber, expressing a desire to reconcile and be his queen once more. She then seized the opportunity to inject a poisoned needle into his brain, leaving him paralyzed and speechless. She then issued a false royal decree, taking control of the court.
She announced that the King was indisposed, forbade anyone from entering his chambers without permission, and ordered the palace gates to be opened for all visitors, emphasizing that this was the King's will. As news of the King’s condition spread, rumors filled the city. Chen Xuan, disguised, appeared among the crowds and sought out Lin Zhujiu, revealing that Ding Ning was alive and that the Life-sustaining Magic Art was a fraud.
He explained that the opening of the palace gates was for Ding Ning and urged Lin Zhujiu to help him save the Kingdom of Heng. Together, they covertly made their way into the palace. Concurrently, a fierce battle raged in Liangshan County. Yuan Zihan narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Xian army, saved by Fang Xiumu.
Fang Xiumu, knowing their position was dire with Xian forces breaching Liangshan and all three battle lines lost, urged Yuan Zihan to flee and deliver the urgent war report to the King. Fang Xiumu then declared that the Kingdom of Heng would not yield an inch of its territory, bravely charging back into the enemy lines, where he was met with a volley of arrows and died.
Upon learning of the victory at Liangshan, the King of Xian ordered his army to press their advantage and pursue the retreating Heng forces. Chen Xuan and Lin Zhujiu reached the King's bedchamber, where they were intercepted by Ye Xinhe. She confronted Chen Xuan, questioning his return and refusing to allow Lin Zhujiu entry, fearing his true motive was to avenge Bashan, especially with Xiaozhong’s ambitions threatening the state.
Chen Xuan insisted that this was the only way to save Heng and vowed that no one would pass him. Inside, Lin Zhujiu saw the incapacitated King of Heng. He reflected on how the King had achieved his throne through the "blood of Bashan's disciples," and whether he felt any guilt. Lin Zhujiu contemplated killing the King, believing that not doing so would make him a traitor to Bashan.
However, he recalled past conversations with Ding Ning, recognizing that in a time of national crisis, personal grudges should not supersede the state’s well-being. He concluded that killing the King would make him a sinner against Heng. Choosing the greater good, Lin Zhujiu removed the poisoned needle from the King's head, stating that he spared the King for the sake of the Kingdom of Heng.
With a heavy heart, Lin Zhujiu then apologized for his past crimes as a Bashan disciple and committed suicide with his own sword. Ding Ning, now facing Ye Zhen in the palace, declared his intention to settle their longstanding grudges. Ye Zhen, visibly moved by his presence, welcomed him back, offering him the entire Kingdom of Heng. She proposed that he rule as King and she as Queen, working together to bring prosperity to their people.
Ding Ning questioned her, asking if she truly recognized the errors of her ways. Ye Zhen retorted by asking if he knew why she had killed him, asserting that he had betrayed her. Ding Ning countered that she hadn't just killed him, but annihilated the entire Bashan Sword Field. Ye Zhen defended her actions, claiming she only desired a man who genuinely loved her. Recalling their past, she proposed they "start over," now that Zhangsun Qianxue was gone.
Ding Ning, however, firmly rejected her. He explained that Zhangsun Qianxue, despite never knowing his true identity, had remained steadfast by his side, and his heart would forever remain with her. He declared that any connection between him and Ye Zhen had been severed with the destruction of the Bashan Sword Field. Ye Zhen, heartbroken and enraged, attacked Ding Ning with her sword.
In a moment of desperation, she discarded her Sparkling Comet-tail Sword and impaled herself on Ding Ning's blade, pleading with him to "give me back your love" as she fell. The King of Heng, witnessing Ye Zhen’s tragic death, felt a pang of sorrow. Ding Ning then confronted the King of Heng, reflecting on their past as brothers.
The King attempted to justify his betrayal of Bashan, arguing that while Liang Jingmeng and his disciples were loyal and valiant, their immense achievements threatened his authority. He questioned if he could truly be monarch if he shared power, claiming to have no regrets as the King of Heng, despite the injustice to a brother.
Ding Ning challenged this, asserting that the King was merely protecting his throne, not the stability of Heng, and that true national strength came from the people's well-being, not territorial expansion. The King maintained that peace could only be achieved by ending all wars through conquest.
Ding Ning reminded him of their old agreement: Bashan would help Heng conquer the remaining three states within a decade, forging an unprecedented empire of peace and prosperity, with Liang Jingmeng only asking for the Bashan Sword Field and Ye Zhen for himself. Acknowledging the King’s decade-long thirst for revenge, Ding Ning challenged him to act.
He somberly noted that both of them had blood on their hands and would not find peace, but the innocent common people deserved tranquility, and it was the King's duty to restore it. The King hesitated. Ultimately, Ding Ning chose not to kill him, declaring that as Liang Jingmeng, a brother and subject, he had no regrets.
He expressed his disagreement with the King's imperial philosophy but conceded that only the King could now save Heng from the throes of war, urging him to remember their old agreement. The King's guards questioned whether to let Ding Ning go, and after a moment's pause, the King assented. Following these tumultuous events, Yuan Zihan reported the fall of Liangshan County to the King and implored him to mobilize troops.
The King, looking upon Yuan Zichu’s body, lamented his son’s fate, born into a royal family marked by sibling rivalry. He resolved not to execute Yuan Zihan, recognizing that Heng's future depended on him as the sole remaining heir. The King then personally led his armies to confront Xian. Jiang Li, along with the disciples of White Goat Cave, answered the call to arms, fighting for universal peace.
The Kingdom of Heng achieved a great victory, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for its people. Yuan Zihan, spared from exile, was now destined to become King, though he would forever bear the stain of fratricide and rebellion. Chen Xuan, carrying the Autumn Water Sword, visited Ye Celeng’s tomb, telling her that his master had finally relinquished his hatred, and she should find peace as well.
A decade passed, and the legends of Liang Jingmeng and Ding Ning became intertwined with the history of the realm. Then, from Ding Ning’s former residence deep within the mountains, the Great Torture Sword soared forth, carrying with it the ethereal presence of both Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qianxue, hand in hand, returning together. Their voices resonated, declaring, "Your sword is my sword. Wherever you and I are, that is home."
