The Dauntless Youths Episode 1 Recap
> The Dauntless Youths Recap
Several millennia ago, the Shangshan Kingdom held supreme power. When the King of Shangshan fell gravely ill, he summoned his trusted diviners and ministers to secure his dynasty's future. The divination revealed a dire omen, indicating that the elixir of immortality could only be found by a destined individual among the princely heirs.
A minister suggested using the upcoming triennial War God's Beast-fighting Festival as a pretext to gather the princes in Donglu, thereby subtly seeking the fated one to find the elixir. However, a figure in the shadows, Yuan Yang, believed the King's desire for immortality would ultimately bring about the downfall of Shangshan. Meanwhile, news of the imperial edict for the War God's Beast-fighting Festival approaching Donglu City reached Jiang Wenfeng, the General of Dongwu Marquisate.
He was exasperated by the absence of his younger brother, Jiang Wenhuan, the heir, who was nowhere to be found. Wenfeng's exasperation was so great that he declared he would "make him pay" upon finding him, calling him a "little brat" who was "always causing trouble" and "disappears when it matters." Unbeknownst to Wenfeng, Jiang Wenhuan was hidden nearby, mimicking his brother's exact words, showing a deep understanding of Wenfeng's predictable complaints about him.
Giving up on waiting for his brother, Jiang Wenfeng went to receive the imperial edict himself. As Jiang Wenfeng respectfully knelt to accept the decree, a sudden attack plunged the ceremony into chaos. Assassins murdered the messenger, stealing the imperial edict. Jiang Wenhuan, witnessing the brazen act, immediately gave chase, urging his men to split up and pursue the culprits, determined to retrieve the edict. During the pursuit, Jiang Wenhuan was wounded, but he pressed on.
The assassin fled through the city gates and blended into a crowd in a refugee camp, where he cleverly swapped clothes with another person to evade capture. Jiang Wenhuan initially apprehended the wrong individual, a masked slave, but with his keen eyesight, he quickly identified and subdued the true assailant. While the real thief was captured, the slave Jiang Wenhuan had mistakenly seized was now being brutally whipped by his owner.
The enraged owner, accusing the slave of causing trouble, even tossed his most prized necklace into a burning brazier. As a pot of hot water teetered precariously above the flames, threatening to fall on the helpless slave, Jiang Wenhuan, without hesitation, rushed forward and rescued him. Feeling a sense of responsibility and apology for the slave's predicament, Jiang Wenhuan purchased the slave for fifty coins.
Back at the Marquisate, Jiang Wenfeng was informed that the messenger, though severely injured, was stable. Reports soon reached him that Jiang Wenhuan had been seen chasing the thief and had even bought a slave. Wenfeng, already stressed by his parents' absence on a distant campaign and the attack on the messenger, was furious. He immediately ordered the entire city of Donglu to be sealed off and for both Jiang Wenhuan and the stolen edict to be brought back.
Meanwhile, the purchased slave proved his worth by identifying "snake ointment" left on the ground. He explained that by following the crimson color and distinctive smell of the ointment, they could trace the thief's escape route. Jiang Wenhuan was pleased, feeling his fifty coins were well spent. Following the slave’s guidance, Jiang Wenhuan located the thief, who defiantly tore the imperial edict to shreds before attempting to escape on horseback.
The slave skillfully blocked the thief’s path, leaped onto the horse, and engaged in a fierce struggle. Although the thief, a formidable fighter, ultimately escaped, he dropped a peculiar copper strip during the skirmish. Jiang Wenhuan picked it up, pondering its significance. Impressed by the slave's bravery and curious about his past, Wenhuan also inspected the slave’s prized necklace and identified it as a military card.
Returning to the city, Jiang Wenhuan offered the slave his freedom, but the slave, touched by Wenhuan's earlier words about training him to be a warrior so he wouldn't have to be a slave, expressed a desire to continue following him.
At that moment, Ding, Jiang Wenhuan’s attendant, rushed to inform him that Jiang Wenfeng was enraged and had issued an order for Wenhuan’s arrest, having also learned about the purchase of the slave – an act Wenfeng, who detested slavery, would surely condemn. Realizing he faced severe punishment, Jiang Wenhuan instructed the slave to look for further clues about the black-clad assailant and promised to return for him the next morning.
Deciding to face his punishment head-on, and in typical Jiang Wenhuan fashion, he made a public spectacle of his return to the Dongwu Marquisate, declaring his apology for his "violations." Inside, a furious Jiang Wenfeng demanded the imperial edict, only to be told by Jiang Wenhuan that the thief had destroyed it. Jiang Wenhuan expressed his suspicion that there was more to the War God's Beast-fighting Festival than met the eye and offered to investigate.
However, Jiang Wenfeng, dismissive of his brother's "meddling" and "useless" nature, forbade him from getting involved and ordered him to kneel. Jiang Wenhuan, frustrated by his brother's perceived lack of trust and his constant efforts to shield him, passionately argued that Wenfeng never truly treated him as an equal or as his brother, and that he too wished to protect Wenfeng. Despite Wenfeng's vehement warnings, Jiang Wenhuan declared his intention to investigate the potential dangers behind the festival.
Enraged, Wenfeng called for the Jiang family discipline to punish his defiant brother. Just as the punishment was about to commence, their master, Gongsun Wuyu, returned, intervening and sparing Jiang Wenhuan a beating. Later, while checking on Jiang Wenhuan's minor injuries, Wenfeng recounted his brother's antics to Gongsun Wuyu. Gongsun Wuyu gently pointed out Wenhuan's good intentions, noting his desire to help his older brother. Wenfeng acknowledged this but reaffirmed his responsibility as the elder brother to bear the burdens.
Wenfeng then inquired about Anashi, a long-unconscious individual for whom he prepared a birthday gift annually, hoping that if Anashi ever awoke, he would know he had never been forgotten. Gongsun Wuyu then revealed the true purpose of his return: a direct handwritten imperial decree from the King, explicitly ordering that the War God's Beast-fighting Festival "must" proceed as scheduled, regardless of the attack or the destroyed edict.
The next day, Jiang Wenhuan, still recovering, anxiously thought of the slave he left behind and rushed out to find him. Meanwhile, the slave discovered another copper strip, which he realized was the other half of the one Wenhuan had found. While searching for clues, he encountered his old master again, who attempted to humiliate him once more.
Recalling Jiang Wenhuan's powerful words, "No one is born to be a slave," the slave courageously fought back, removing his mask to reveal his face and declare his name: Kunwu. Soon after, while Wenhuan was also searching for him, Kunwu was ambushed, knocked unconscious, and taken away in a carriage. He awoke in an unfamiliar place to find a man who looked exactly like him, albeit appearing weak and sickly. This man, who seemed to know Kunwu's name, indicated their striking resemblance and proposed a transaction.
