Sword Snow Stride Episode 25 Recap
> Sword Snow Stride Recap
More than twenty years ago, something significant transpired in the capital concerning the assassination of Wu Su, the Consort of the Lord of North Liang. Although badly wounded, she, a most talented swordswoman from the Sword Tomb of the Wu Family, managed to escape. This incident was deliberately kept secret because it involved the late emperor.
After Xu Xiao's immense contributions from destroying six states, his power was unrivaled, and when news of Wu Su's pregnancy emerged, many in the royal family became anxious about a potential inheritor for North Liang. The royal family has remained perplexed as to why Xu Xiao did not rebel, given Wu Su's survival.
In the capital, Xu Xiao confided in Yang Taisui, revealing that after Wu Su was ambushed and injured, she never spoke of it upon returning to North Liang. He only learned the full truth when she gave birth to Xu Longxiang (Huangman'er) and her old wound re-emerged. By then, with children, Xu Xiao had many considerations, and Wu Su, knowing he might restart wars, had kept the truth from him until her very last moment.
Xu Xiao had promised her he wouldn't start wars over the matter, but he vowed to relentlessly investigate and take revenge on everyone involved. Yang Taisui then disclosed that Wang Xianzhi had appeared in the capital that night. Xu Xiao found this suspicious, knowing that only a few could match Wang Xianzhi, and if he had truly attacked, Wu Su might not have escaped.
Furthermore, Yang Taisui had received news of Wang Xianzhi's presence in the capital precisely when Xu Fengnian decided to visit Wudi City, suggesting the informant harbored malicious intent, hoping Xu Xiao would confront Wang Xianzhi and be killed. Understanding this, Xu Xiao decided to send a pigeon message to Xu Fengnian, urging him to personally question Wang Xianzhi about his mother's death in Wudi City, despite concerns about Xu Fengnian's domineering nature and Wang Xianzhi's unpredictable temperament.
Xu Xiao knew his son would hate him if he concealed this crucial information. Meanwhile, Zhao Huangchao, acknowledging he couldn't defeat Li Chungang and that Liyang couldn't endure a North Liang rebellion if Xu Fengnian died, devised a plan to destroy Xu Fengnian without killing him. He recognized Xu Fengnian as sharp and a potential threat if he assumed leadership of North Liang.
Zhao Huangchao gave Zhao Kai a "Biography of Wu Su," explaining it was crafted to disrupt Xu Fengnian's mind, as Wu Su was deeply precious to him. The book contained special patterns designed to be deeply imprinted on Xu Fengnian's mind. Later, in his dreams, a "dragon" from these patterns would appear, forcing him to relive his mother's death and severing his emotional reliance on her.
Zhao Huangchao believed this would cause Xu Fengnian to break down, possibly becoming insane, unless he possessed extraordinary mental strength and powerful internal energy. He dismissed Zhao Kai's worries about Xu Fengnian's mental resilience, asserting it was impossible, explaining his long-term plotting was out of loyalty to the Zhao surname and the royal family. At the Lu Mansion, Xu Fengnian gradually recovered from his injuries. He noticed his eldest sister, Xu Zhihu, constantly drinking medicine.
She attributed it to a common "deficiency of spirit," explaining her cold hands and feet and frequent fatigue. She insisted famous doctors had said it was incurable. Xu Fengnian tried to persuade her to return to North Liang with him, but she declined, stating her need to remain. They made a pact: he would personally bring her home to North Liang once he became the Lord of North Liang.
Liu Liting's widow visited the Lu Mansion, seeking revenge for her husband's death. She confronted Xu Fengnian, accusing him of abusing his family's power. Xu Fengnian admitted to killing Liu Liting because he had attempted to harm Xu Zhihu through the manipulation of rites, expressing no regret.
The widow tried to leverage the influence of a powerful consort from her clan in the capital, but Xu Fengnian revealed that the consort had fallen from favor and been sent to the cold palace by the emperor. Though initially disbelieving, the widow acknowledged the truth. Stripped of her backing, she still refused to accept Xu Fengnian's justification for her husband's death and swore vengeance before leaving.
A maid, who had once served the Eldest Master in West Chu, reported to Lu Baijie that two women Xu Fengnian had brought to the mansion resembled a West Chu swordswoman and a young girl with a white cat she had seen years ago. She specifically noted that one of the women now carried a white cat, making the resemblance striking and suggesting they were descendants of West Chu.
Lu Baijie found this alarming, given his family's blood feud with West Chu, a kingdom Xu Xiao had destroyed. Xu Fengnian, anticipating such a discovery, had already arranged for Jiang Ni and Yu Youwei to move out of the Lu Mansion. He surmised that Xu Xiao's intention in bringing them was to test him, prompting him to fall out with the Lu family. Seeing their belongings gone, Lu Baijie concluded something was amiss.
He then sought out Liu Liting's widow, proposing a scheme against Xu Fengnian. He emphasized that while their families were in-laws with North Liang, the Lu family's bottom line had been crossed if these women were indeed from West Chu. Xu Fengnian, now nearly recovered, planned to intentionally provoke a disturbance in Jiangnan before his departure, aiming to ease Xu Zhihu's worries and implicitly fulfill Xu Xiao's supposed desire for him to establish independence.
He instructed his men to inquire about upcoming literary gatherings in the city, intending to crash one and create a scene. Xu Zhihu observed his fondness for Jiang Ni and commented that, as a West Chu princess, Jiang Ni would likely never gain a formal position within the Xu family. Xu Fengnian, historically at odds with his father, firmly stated that Xu Xiao would not dictate his marriage.
In the Crane Cry Pavilion, Wei Shuyang delivered a message from Xu Xiao to Li Chungang and borrowed Li Chungang's Divine Token. Shu Xiu, hidden nearby, attempted to extract information from Wei Shuyang about his conversation, but he cleverly evaded her questions. Elsewhere, at the Liyang city gate, Zhao Kai, on his way to the Lu family with the "Biography of Wu Su," was intercepted by Miss Hehe.
He attempted to enlist her cooperation, offering her substantial monetary rewards, but she refused, asserting that Xu Fengnian was her "prey" and off-limits to others, forcing Zhao Kai to temporarily abandon his plan. Under Lu Baijie's guidance, Liu Liting's widow decided to host a debate on "the reign of kings" at Baoguo Temple in five days. She invited all Jiangnan scholars but deliberately excluded the Lu family, hoping this strategy would draw Xu Fengnian in.
Lu Baijie intended this as a trap specifically for Xu Fengnian. Xu Fengnian learned of the gathering and informed Jiang Ni and others to join him at Baoguo Temple, intending to disrupt the event. Xu Fengnian then spoke privately with Jiang Ni, recalling the day his mother died. He expressed how he had vowed to protect his siblings but ultimately failed, as his family had scattered.
He confided that he had secretly consulted doctors in Yangcheng about Xu Zhihu's constant medicine intake, learning that her "deficiency of spirit" was incurable, describing it as her life force burning out faster than others, like a flame burning too quickly. Recognizing her desire to keep her condition secret, he pretended to be unaware.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhihu, wanting Xu Fengnian to remember her at her best before he left, donned her favorite red dress, expressing her hope to live long enough to see him become the Lord of North Liang. Xu Fengnian mused on the unchanging appearances of Li Chungang and Wang Xianzhi despite their age, wondering if they held a cure, but then dismissed the thought, acknowledging their roles as sword gods, not healers.
