Sword Snow Stride Episode 5 Recap
> Sword Snow Stride Recap
Following the confrontation on the lakeshore, Xu Fengnian took to a boat, accompanied only by Jiang Ni, who was tasked with rowing, and Mr. Lin. As they enjoyed the view, Xu Fengnian questioned Mr. Lin about his origins, confirming he was from the Lin Family in Hedong. Xu Fengnian stated that while he trusted Mr. Lin regarding the previous assassination plot, rumors necessitated some action from the Lin family to reassure North Liang.
Mr. Lin observed Xu Fengnian's sudden change in demeanor, noting a new, commanding presence. Xu Fengnian acknowledged his shifting persona, admitting that he had been acting all along. This admission led Mr. Lin to deduce that the charade was a deliberate attempt to lower his guard and create the opportunity for their solitary encounter. Mr. Lin then confessed his intention was to assassinate Xu Fengnian.
He explained that his meeting with "Miss Fan" was a fortunate coincidence he exploited to further reduce Xu Fengnian's vigilance. Declaring that killing Xu Fengnian would mean the end of the Xu family's power, a sacrifice he was willing to make for his country, Lin prepared to strike. Xu Fengnian questioned if Mr. Lin feared that his other companion on the boat, Jiang Ni, might be a master.
Mr. Lin dismissed her as a "waste," believing he had the upper hand. Xu Fengnian warned that his death would also lead to Mr. Lin's own demise, along with Miss Fan and all his companions. Undeterred, Mr. Lin proclaimed his willingness to die for a great cause. Confident in his swordsmanship, he chillingly remarked that Xu Fengnian's recent smile would be his last.
Xu Fengnian countered that he smiled because he had finally deciphered the true purpose of the three assassination attempts and identified the mastermind. As the boat reached the lake's center, Mr. Lin, a proud swimmer, told Xu Fengnian to die in the water. Without warning, Xu Fengnian plunged into the lake. Lin immediately followed, but to his astonishment, Xu Fengnian swam towards a submerged, cage-like structure where a man bound by iron chains sat in meditation.
The man opened his eyes, and Xu Fengnian motioned for his help, promising him meat in return. Jiang Ni, concerned, also jumped into the lake and witnessed the scene. Before she could react, the mysterious man used his formidable internal energy to propel all three of them back to the shore. Mr. Lin lay unconscious, while Xu Fengnian and Jiang Ni were unharmed. Jiang Ni questioned the identity of the man from the lake bottom.
Xu Fengnian called him the Old Hunk under the Lake, explaining that his high internal force allowed him to survive by breathing the air from the swim bladders of the raw fish he ate. Xu Fengnian revealed that he had first encountered the Old Hunk when he fell into the lake as a child and was saved. Jiang Ni realized Xu Fengnian had meticulously planned the encounter.
She accused him of also testing her, to see if she would side with Mr. Lin. Xu Fengnian swore by his mother's name that he had no such intention. Later, he dove back into the lake and re-emerged with a sword box. He presented it to Old Huang, who had always carried it.
Old Huang, conflicted, remarked that its significance was "in the past," but seeing it as fate that Xu Fengnian found it, he resolved not to discard it again. Mr. Lin awoke in a prison cell. Xu Fengnian informed him that the Lin family was "over." He explained that the charge was not mere assassination but "conspiracy of rebellion," alleging collusion with Chu remnants—a claim Mr. Lin vehemently denied as a frame-up.
To Lin's horror, Xu Fengnian added that Miss Fan was also implicated and being held in the women's cell. Lin protested her innocence, insisting he had only used her, but Xu Fengnian stated it was too late. Xu Fengnian then went to his master, Li Yishan, and laid out his deductions. The mastermind was Zhao Heng, the Lord of Jing'an in Qingzhou, but his true objective was not to kill him.
The three assassination attempts—by Chu remnants, by Yu Youwei, and finally by Mr. Lin—were all subtly orchestrated by Zhao Heng. His goal was to ensnare the Lin family, who controlled Qingzhou's finances, in a treasonous scandal. With the Lin family eliminated, Zhao Heng would gain sole, unchallenged control of Qingzhou's finances and military, consolidating his power base against North Liang.
Li Yishan acknowledged Zhao Heng as a formidable strategist but stated that Xu Fengnian had not yet grasped the true depths of the game. It was Xu Xiao himself who appeared before Mr. Lin in the dungeon. He brought in Shu Xiu, who had posed as Miss Fan, and she admitted she had deceived Lin. Xu Xiao confessed that their "accidental" meeting was entirely orchestrated.
He had two reasons: first, to push the earnest Mr. Lin into making the assassination attempt, and second, because his son, Xu Fengnian, was determined to uncover the identity of the assassin Qingniao, necessitating Shu Xiu's visible involvement.
Xu Xiao then revealed the final layer of his own plot: Zhao Heng was unaware that the "confidant" slated to assume Qingzhou's fiscal power after the Lin family's demise was, in fact, a North Liang loyalist secretly planted long ago within Zhao Heng's circle. He then ordered Shu Xiu, addressing her as Grand Commander, to have their agent Wang Linquan systematically dismantle the Lin family's financial lifelines.
Following Li Yishan's instructions, Xu Fengnian used a warrant to enter the deepest level of the dungeon, where he was shocked to find Ning Emei, a man he believed he had ordered released. Xu Xiao appeared and revealed that North Liang's greatest danger was internal. He explained that Ning Emei was a key figure among a faction within the army that supported Xu Fengnian's younger brother, Xu Longxiang, to lead North Liang.
While Xu Longxiang possessed immense natural strength, his mind was childlike and easily manipulated. If he were to lead, ambitious schemers would use him as a pawn, leading to the Xu family's ruin. Xu Xiao admitted he himself had provided Xu Fengnian's portrait to the Chu assassins, a move designed to fabricate evidence of Ning Emei's collusion with the enemy, thereby justifying his execution to crush the internal faction. Xu Fengnian firmly refused to kill the likely innocent Ning Emei.
Xu Xiao then presented a stark alternative: if Xu Longxiang were sent away from North Liang permanently, the internal power struggles would cease. He gave Xu Fengnian a choice: execute Ning Emei to curb ambition in the military, or exile Xu Longxiang to eliminate the root of the power struggle. Xu Fengnian, however, refused both options. Xu Xiao argued that protecting their domain required bloodshed, but Xu Fengnian retorted that he never desired such a burden. Despite the pressure, Xu Fengnian stood firm, unequivocally stating that Xu Longxiang would not leave and Ning Emei would not be killed.
