The Dauntless Youths Episode 2 Recap
> The Dauntless Youths Recap
Ten days later, Kunwu's carriage arrived at the boundary of Donglu City. He ordered a stop and stared blankly at the boundary marker. A servant reminded him that once they crossed it, he would be E Shun, the heir of the South Bohr State. Kunwu held a wooden token, recalling his deal with the real E Shun. Gravely ill and unable to participate in the upcoming War God's Beast-fighting, E Shun had proposed an identity swap.
Initially, Kunwu was reluctant, asking why he should help. E Shun revealed that Kunwu's long-lost sister was still alive, promising to help him find her—his only surviving family—and return to his homeland. With this promise made, Kunwu, now disguised as E Shun, ordered the carriage to proceed into Donglu City. Meanwhile, Ning Ziyu, visibly nervous, stood outside a screen tent, profusely apologizing to Chong Yibiao for a carriage collision. There was no response from inside.
Xin Jia, passing by, smirked and told Ning Ziyu to stop wasting his effort, jokingly suggesting that Chong Yibiao might be deaf. At that moment, the screen was violently thrown open, and Chong Yibiao, the short-tempered second son of the Duke of Beibo, stormed out, enraged. He raised his fist, intending to strike Xin Jia. Realizing his mistake, Xin Jia quickly put on a fawning smile, bowed, and repeatedly apologized.
Despite their unusual first encounter, Xin Jia and Ning Ziyu felt a kinship. Xin Jia expressed his disdain for arrogant individuals. Ning Ziyu offered to treat Xin Jia to a meal as a thank you, but Xin Jia insisted on paying, and they decided to go to a restaurant. At the restaurant, as Xin Jia and Ning Ziyu settled down for a drink, a nimble woman snatched Ning Ziyu's purse and fled. Both men, shocked and enraged, immediately gave chase.
Jiang Wenhuan happened to be passing by and, with his keen eyesight, recognized the woman and joined the pursuit. The agile woman skillfully weaved through the crowd. Spotting a carriage, she leaped inside, quickly taking Kunwu (still in disguise as E Shun) hostage and covering his mouth to silence him. By the time Jiang Wenhuan reached the carriage, the female thief, A Si, had vanished. He approached cautiously, his brow furrowed.
Kunwu recognized Jiang Wenhuan as the person who had saved him previously but knew he couldn't reveal his true identity. Keeping his composure, Kunwu alighted from the carriage and formally introduced himself as E Shun, the heir of the South Bohr State. Jiang Wenhuan, about to leave, heard a faint sound from inside the carriage and, feeling a surge of suspicion, demanded to inspect it. Kunwu, flustered, tried to stop him, leading to a brief struggle.
At that moment, A Si swiftly emerged from the carriage, tossed the money bag to Jiang Wenhuan, and fled. In his haste, Jiang Wenhuan mistakenly threw a bag of dye at A Si. She couldn't dodge in time and was covered in red dye, causing her to turn around in furious indignation before storming away. Jiang Wenhuan then resumed a brief, questioning conversation with Kunwu, who maintained his E Shun persona, before they both went their separate ways.
Later, Jiang Wenhuan checked his money bag and realized the copper strip he had found earlier was missing, likely stolen by A Si. Meanwhile, A Si arrived at her father's pawn shop to pawn the peculiar copper strip. The shopkeeper, wary of its strange design, was hesitant to accept it. A Si, with an arrogant demeanor, revealed her identity, instantly changing the shopkeeper's attitude to one of profound reverence.
He then informed her that the copper strip was a smuggling certificate, and a black box with a similar pattern was secretly transported into Qiankun Alley every night. A Si's eyes hardened with determination; she resolved to investigate, suspecting the seemingly upright heir, Jiang Wenhuan, was involved in illicit dealings with the Kui State. That evening, princes from various states gathered for a banquet that served as a warm-up for the upcoming duels.
Jiang Wenhuan, having deliberately soiled his court robes, avoided hosting, leaving the duty to General Pan Chi. E Shun (Kunwu in disguise) arrived late, prompting whispers among the guests. Upon seeing E Shun, Chong Yibiao glared with hostility and immediately challenged him to a duel. Kunwu, having been briefed by the real E Shun about his past grievances with Chong Yibiao, knew he couldn't avoid the fight.
Chong Yibiao fought fiercely, clearly intending to inflict serious harm, but Kunwu displayed remarkable agility, dodging every blow without retaliating. Seeing Kunwu in peril, Jiang Wenhuan decisively stepped onto the stage, shielded Kunwu, and ended the duel. He then took "E Shun" back to a room to tend to his injuries. As Jiang Wenhuan meticulously applied medicine to "E Shun," he mused aloud that "E Shun" reminded him of his childhood dog, Dahuang, who had died saving him.
He explained that he had only seen that unique, stubborn look three times in his life: in Dahuang, in a young slave, and now in "E Shun," which was why he felt compelled to help. Kunwu, noticing a drawing of the copper strip on the table, learned that Jiang Wenhuan had found and then lost it to the female thief.
Recognizing the pattern, Kunwu explained that the object was a specialized key used in the Southern Capital to lock up fierce beasts for fighting competitions. Shortly after, a servant informed Jiang Wenhuan that the pattern on the copper strip originated from the Kui State, a nation frequently at war with Donglu. Realizing the key's connection to tomorrow's beast-fighting event and the Kui State, Jiang Wenhuan deduced a sinister plot and immediately began preparing countermeasures.
Elsewhere, A Si's subordinates located the large black box in Qiankun Alley. Their curiosity quickly turned to terror as strange, unsettling sounds emanated from within. Based on this intelligence, Jiang Wenhuan secretly set up iron chains in the beast-fighting arena the night before. The next day, the beast-fighting competition began, with princes from various states, including Xichuan and the Southern Capital, making grand entrances. Unbeknownst to many, the box containing the monstrous creature had been placed in the stable.
A Si had a subordinate distract the stable guard while she stealthily infiltrated, determined to uncover Jiang Wenhuan's alleged dark dealings. Suddenly, one of the arena pillars cracked open, and a gigantic, demonic creature crawled out. Panic erupted as spectators screamed and scattered, but the exits were sealed shut. To save the panicked populace, Jiang Wenhuan bravely used himself as bait to lure the monster towards the trap he had laid. However, the giant's immense strength proved too much for the mechanisms, which failed to restrain it.
