Sword Snow Stride Episode 22 Recap
> Sword Snow Stride Recap
After Lord of Jing'an arrived with his troops and surrounded Xu Fengnian's carriage, Xu Fengnian, though having just survived a fierce battle, remained calm as he approached Lord of Jing'an to speak privately. Lord of Jing'an expressed surprise at Xu Fengnian's bold approach, especially given that the God of Sword, Li Chungang, was in Xu Fengnian's carriage. However, Xu Fengnian showed no fear, confidently stating that Lord of Jing'an had no true intention of killing him.
He asserted that the assassination attempt in the reed marsh, orchestrated by Wang Mingyin, was merely a performance for the capital and the royal family, intended to reassure them about Qingzhou. He highlighted that both North Liang and Qingzhou were powerful vassal towns, and Lord of Jing'an needed to distance himself from North Liang in the eyes of the imperial court.
Xu Fengnian then revealed that he disliked Xu Xiao's original plan for his departure from Qingzhou, so he devised his own escape strategy: publicly flirting with Pei Nanwei, Lord of Jing'an's wife. He explained that Lord of Jing'an's exaggerated public display of affection for Pei Nanwei, which was known throughout Xiangfan and Qingzhou, made her appear as his most beloved "weakness."
However, Xu Fengnian, having studied Lord of Jing'an's cunning and secretive nature during the past imperial succession struggles, deduced that such a deeply scheming individual would never expose a true vulnerability. He concluded that Pei Nanwei was a fabricated weakness, a scapegoat meant to be seen by others. Xu Fengnian further interpreted Lord of Jing'an's message, "See the nephew off," as having two layers of meaning.
The superficial meaning was a threat of death, but the deeper meaning was a "gift" – Pei Nanwei herself. By taking Pei Nanwei, Xu Fengnian would create an irreparable feud with Lord of Jing'an, a "hatred of taking a wife," which would prevent the imperial court from suspecting a secret alliance between Qingzhou and North Liang. This feigned animosity would provide Lord of Jing'an with a legitimate reason to allow Xu Fengnian to leave Qingzhou safely.
Xu Fengnian clarified that the assassination, though a show, was not fake; if he had died, it would have simply proven he was unworthy of being Lord of Jing'an's ally in the future struggle for the throne. Lord of Jing'an, impressed by Xu Fengnian's insight, acknowledged his strategic brilliance, noting the vast difference in intellect and foresight between Xu Fengnian and his own son, Zhao Xun.
Before Xu Fengnian's departure, Lord of Jing'an presented him with two gifts: a blade book obtained from Wudi City, which he believed Xu Fengnian, as a blade user, would find useful, and a wooden box containing half of Mumaniu, Li Chungang's famous broken sword. He admitted that he was aware of Li Chungang's presence, which allowed him to proceed with Wang Mingyin's "real" assassination attempt without fear of truly killing Xu Fengnian, as Xu Xiao's wrath would be too great.
As a final warning, Lord of Jing'an advised Xu Fengnian against taking Pei Nanwei to Wudi City, revealing his suspicion that she had deliberately approached his son, Zhao Xun, which was why he had married her first. Meanwhile, Zhao Kai attempted to form an alliance with Miss Hehe to eliminate Xu Fengnian, offering a thousand taels of gold. Miss Hehe, however, refused his offer and ordered him to leave.
Before Zhao Kai could react, a massive, black-and-white beast, later implied to be Miss Hehe's companion, appeared, startling him into a hasty retreat. Pei Nanwei, left standing on the official road, realized she had been abandoned by Lord of Jing'an. Xu Fengnian approached her, allowing her to voice her questions. She accused him of hypocrisy, questioning his "mercy" for sparing Wang Linquan's family while allowing Fengzi Battalion soldiers to die for his protection.
Xu Fengnian sternly corrected her, explaining that ordinary citizens like the Wang family and soldiers like those in Fengzi Battalion have different identities and duties. He emphasized that the soldiers' purpose was to protect the common people, and while he mourned their sacrifices and kept them in his heart, he would make the same choice again if necessary because he fought alongside them and shared their risks.
Shortly after, Xu Fengnian entered his carriage and began bleeding from his seven orifices, indicating a critical internal injury. Li Chungang, realizing the severity of the situation, explained that Miss Hehe's attack had left Xu Fengnian's internal energy in chaos. He proposed a dangerous method of survival: forcibly absorbing the Dahuangting energy within him.
This process, akin to undergoing thousands of cuts, would be excruciatingly painful but could lead to a complete transformation, potentially allowing Xu Fengnian to absorb over 50% of the Dahuangting, thus not only saving his life but also significantly increasing his power. Xu Fengnian, driven by his desire to avenge his mother and complete Jian Jiuhuang's unfinished fight against Wang Xianzhi, resolved to endure the agony, accepting the life-or-death gamble.
While Xu Fengnian underwent the painful process, Shu Xiu, observing his fading aura, contemplated abandoning him to save herself, as her allegiance to North Liang was for self-preservation and to obtain the White Emperor Esoterica of Simplicity. However, before she could act, Xu Fengnian emerged from the carriage, appearing outwardly normal despite his internal struggle. Shu Xiu, shocked, immediately knelt and apologized.
Xu Fengnian, understanding her motives, readily granted her the White Emperor Esoterica of Simplicity, acknowledging that loyalty did not always necessitate dying for him and that North Liang was vast enough to accommodate her. Later, Xu Fengnian cultivated Dahuangting in a nearby pool, quickly reaching the fourth level. He then persuaded Li Chungang to teach him "Snakes in Sleeves," with the condition that he master it before reaching Wudi City.
Xu Fengnian also questioned Li Chungang's use of a wooden sword, learning that at his level, Li Chungang was the "God of Sword" regardless of the weapon, having discarded Mumaniu after it was broken. Their journey was interrupted by Zhao Xun and his Qingzhou cavalry, who arrived to reclaim Pei Nanwei. Xu Fengnian playfully sought Pei Nanwei's consent, to which she subtly refused. Just as tensions escalated, Chu Lushan made a thunderous entrance.
His notorious reputation for brutality immediately intimidated Zhao Xun, who recognized Chu Lushan and Li Chungang's presence. Chu Lushan dismissed Zhao Xun's attempts to assert authority, hinting at mass slaughter, which forced Zhao Xun to retreat, vowing future revenge. Chu Lushan explained that Xu Xiao had sent him to Qingzhou after receiving a sword tassel via a hawk, instructing him to obey Xu Fengnian's commands.
Xu Fengnian then instructed Chu Lushan to return to North Liang with Pei Nanwei and Qing Niao, also entrusting him with Lv Qiantang's cremains to be laid to rest in the Lin family's ancestral grave, fulfilling Lv Qiantang's wish to "go home." Qing Niao, however, insisted on staying by Xu Fengnian's side, and he reluctantly agreed. Meanwhile, Zhao Kai, frustrated by his repeated failures to kill Xu Fengnian, was approached by Han Diaosi.
Han Diaosi advised him to seek out Zhao Huangchao, a reclusive imperial clan member on Mount Longhu, who would undoubtedly help eliminate Xu Fengnian due to the Xu family being a threat to the imperial family. Han Diaosi planned to use Xu Fengnian's death as a catalyst to provoke Xu Xiao into rebellion, plunging the world into chaos, thereby providing Zhao Kai with an opportunity to seize the throne.
Xu Fengnian, now on his way to Jiangnan to meet his eldest sister, reflected that despite his efforts to forge his own path, his actions still aligned with Xu Xiao's expectations, acknowledging his father's profound understanding of him.
