The Dauntless Youths Episode 19 Recap
> The Dauntless Youths Recap
The loyal subordinates of the Kun family, upon seeing their young lord Kunwu alive after so many years, prostrated themselves before him. Kunwu acknowledged them, noting they were his old subordinates. Xin Jia, however, couldn't shake off the memory of their recent encounter, where these same people had behaved like bloodthirsty monsters. He asked Jiang Wenhuan if he had heard correctly, expressing his apprehension about when these "monsters" might go crazy again.
Kunwu, addressing the kneeling figures, asked, "You're E Shun?" to which one man replied, "No, I'm a former subordinate of Kun Wu." This subordinate, General Lin, visibly moved, expressed his joy at seeing Kunwu again, believing that Kunwu's father, General Kun, would now rest in peace. Kunwu asked General Lin to explain the strange events that just occurred. General Lin revealed that seeing strangers enter the cave made him want to scare them away.
After confirming Princess Qingqing's safety, General Lin, acting on General Kun's dying wish, urged Kunwu to take the Princess and leave Zhongli immediately, change their names, and never attempt to overturn the Kun family's case. Kunwu, distressed, questioned why they couldn't seek justice for his family and the fallen Kun Army, asking if they were destined to remain wronged souls forever. Begging for the truth, Kunwu pressed General Lin for details about what truly happened.
General Lin admitted the events were "terrible and strange" and recalled that General Kun was summoned to the palace on New Year's Eve. Kunwu confirmed remembering this. General Lin continued, explaining that General Kun, after being summoned to the palace on New Year's Eve, guarded Zhongli Palace all night but never saw the Prince. In desperation, he led his men into the palace, only to find Kunwu's mother, Holy Maiden Su Ying, not the Prince, locked inside and appearing deranged.
General Kun tried to rouse her, calling her "Ying," reminding her he was her husband. In a brief moment of clarity, Holy Maiden Su Ying spoke of "someone found the thing," warning that "the world will be in chaos" and "divine punishment is coming." She frantically urged General Kun to "kill Qingqing," saying the "Imperial Princess is the medium."
General Lin recounted how General Kun, unable to bear her suffering, had to kill her, an act that the State Preceptor later used to accuse him of murdering the Saintess. Kunwu, heartbroken, wondered why his loving mother would make such a request. General Lin revealed that the cause of their transformation was that everyone present had drunk from the well water, and those who consumed it became bloodthirsty, violent, and "neither alive nor dead," just like himself.
He speculated that something had been put into the well water. Kunwu was shocked to discover that General Lin had no heartbeat, a condition General Lin confirmed was shared by all who had been infected. General Lin reiterated the extreme danger and complexity of the situation, urging Kunwu and Princess Qingqing to leave, as they were General Kun's last hope. Jiang Wenhuan then intervened, asking if General Lin had ever heard of an immortal elixir in the tomb.
General Lin replied he had not. General Lin then led them deeper into the cave, revealing an incorruptible corpse covered in strange crystals. Xin Jia, curious, reached out to touch a crystal but was stopped by General Lin, who realized the crystal was harmless to Xin Jia. General Lin deduced that the crystals only affected those poisoned, suggesting they were specifically designed to suppress the "zombie-people." He explained that many of their brothers had died because of these crystals.
Xin Jia pointed out that the monster was missing its scalp. Kunwu recalled his mother's words about the Holy Maiden needing to be "burned by fire" and her "skin sacrificed to heaven." He concluded that the skin of the Imperial Lady must have another, ominous purpose. General Lin urged them to leave the strange tomb quickly. Elsewhere, the State Preceptor dispatched a secret letter to Mount Shangshan, expressing his confidence in intercepting the princes at Qingluan Mountain.
His generals were ordered to swiftly proceed to Qingluan Mountain to eliminate Jiang Wenhuan and his companions. Meanwhile, the Princes' Guard found themselves lost and trapped within the complicated terrain of Qingluan Mountain, realizing the State Preceptor had tricked them into a death trap. With all roads blocked, Yi Yao, a trusted friend who was with them, suggested hiding in an abandoned old house belonging to the Su family at the back of the mountain, a remote location rarely visited.
Back in the tomb, General Lin pointed out a steep stone wall leading to a courtyard, which served as their exit. He noted it would be easy for the Kun Army to climb but difficult for others. Kunwu, insisting they must try, instructed E Shun to lead the others out first, using a rope, and warned everyone to be careful of the crystals on the ground.
As they climbed, General Lin nearly slipped onto the crystals, but Jiang Wenhuan swiftly caught him, sustaining a scratch from a crystal himself. Initially, Jiang Wenhuan dismissed it as a minor injury. However, when it was his turn to climb, he suddenly felt weak and unable to move. Kunwu immediately noticed Jiang Wenhuan's crystal-covered wound and recognized its significance, recalling that only those poisoned by corpse poison were affected by crystals.
He realized Jiang Wenhuan must have been wounded during their earlier fight with the Kun Army. Despite Jiang Wenhuan's insistence to stay away, Kunwu bravely went back down to save him, tying them tightly together. As they ascended, State Preceptor's archers launched a barrage of arrows from above. Although Kunwu was shot, he still gritted his teeth and persevered. Jiang Wenhuan, seeing the overwhelming number of arrows, urged Kunwu to let him go, believing Kunwu couldn't escape with him.
Kunwu defiantly refused, saying he was happy for Jiang Wenhuan to owe him and to remember his "great kindness forever." Jiang Wenhuan, in a moment of emotional vulnerability, confessed that if Kunwu died, he wouldn't know how to live. Kunwu, with unwavering resolve, declared that if they were to live, they would live together. Jiang Wenhuan, now encouraged, agreed that living together was indeed more interesting.
They successfully climbed out, joining the Kun Army to collectively repel the State Preceptor's forces. After the battle, General Lin, recognizing Kunwu's bravery and leadership, declared that Kunwu was no longer a child needing protection but a man of iron will, embodying the true spirit of the Kun Family Army. He solemnly removed General Kun's token and presented it to Kunwu, pledging his and the Kun Army's unwavering loyalty.
He vowed that whether Kunwu chose a life of seclusion or sought to avenge his family, they would follow him to the ends of the earth and share his fate. The entire Kun Army then knelt, pledging their lives to Kunwu. Upon learning of his men's defeat and the escape of the princes, the State Preceptor was enraged. He furiously rebuked his subordinates for their incompetence and ordered them punished with a hundred military whips.
Despite his memorial already being sent to the capital, accusing King Zhongli of causing the princes' deaths, the State Preceptor refused to recall it, stating, "Once the arrow is drawn, there's no turning back." He was determined that King Zhongli Yuan, whom he called a "fool," would not escape his grasp. He instructed his subordinate to reinforce Qingluan Mountain's defenses, ensuring that the princes would not leave alive.
Soon after, the State Preceptor publicly accused King Zhongli of neglecting state affairs, disloyalty to Mount Shangshan, and having "wolfish ambitions," specifically blaming him for luring the Princes' Guard into Qingluan Mountain and causing the deaths of the envoys. Despite King Zhongli's desperate pleas and denial, the State Preceptor had him confined to the harem and then, proclaiming himself appointed by His Majesty to supervise the state, usurped the throne, declaring himself the new King of Zhongli.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wenhuan, weakened by his injury, woke up in the abandoned Su's old house on Qingluan Mountain, where the other princes and Yi Yao were hiding. He learned from E Shun that the entire mountain was under the control of Zhongli's army, who had orders to kill the Princes' Guard on sight. The group realized Xian Xuanji intended to eliminate them within Qingluan Mountain, a brazen act that clearly pointed to rebellion.
Jiang Wenhuan, discussing the implications with Kunwu, questioned how the State Preceptor planned to explain the princes' deaths to Mount Shangshan and whether he feared retaliation. Kunwu acknowledged that his identity as a Kun family member would eventually be exposed, but affirmed he had no regrets and would take responsibility when that day came. Jiang Wenhuan, in turn, pledged his full support to Kunwu.
E Shun assured Kunwu that he had carefully concealed the true nature of General Lin and the Kun Army's condition from the other princes, merely explaining their injustice and stating that Kunwu had saved them in the Underworld, so no one suspected their monstrous aspect, and they accepted the Kun Army as their new followers.
