The Dauntless Youths Episode 22 Recap
> The Dauntless Youths Recap
Chong Yibiao, Jiang Wenhuan, E Shun, and others found themselves trapped in a powerful illusion. Inside their minds, Chong Yibiao was haunted by E Shun's knife, while E Shun repeatedly apologized. Jiang Wenhuan saw a mysterious "Beauty" and apologized profusely, while others like Xin Jia called out to familiar figures. Gu Xi and her guards arrived, observing the men trying to strangle themselves.
Gu Xi swiftly splashed water on them, and they slowly regained consciousness, confused by what had just happened. Jiang Wenhuan remarked on how real it felt. Gu Xi, noticing that she and her guards were unaffected, deduced that the drumming they heard while under the spell must have been from Su Popo's hand drum, concluding that Su Popo was a descendant of the Holy Maiden lineage.
Jiang Wenhuan felt an unsettling connection between the divine drum, the Yousu Clan, and their quest for the immortal elixir, believing everything from Donglu to Zhongli was intertwined. Meanwhile, Su Qingqing was at the foot of Qingluan Mountain, trying to rouse unconscious girls. Suddenly, a black-clad figure appeared, and Su Qingqing feigned unconsciousness. The figure began to beat a drum, and the girls, as if controlled by an unseen force, started walking towards the sound.
Su Qingqing secretly woke up and tried to stop them. The black-clad figure then approached her, asking if she remembered the destiny of the Yousu Holy Maiden. Su Qingqing recited the vow: the Yousu clan possessed illusionary power, and the Holy Maiden, blessed with an illusory form, was destined to protect Zhongli's peace. If she failed, she was to be burned alive, sacrificing her body to the heavens.
She realized with horror that the drum surface might be made of human skin. The figure declared that divine punishment had arrived and the Holy Maiden was the medium, attempting to seize her. He proclaimed that with the Holy Maiden becoming the "eye of the Drum," great achievements could be made. Fortunately, Kunwu arrived with his men, rescuing Su Qingqing. She quickly informed Kunwu that the drum was problematic and her clan members were under its spell.
The black-clad figure was prevented from beating the drum again. After ensuring the safety of Su Qingqing, who expressed concern that the rescued girls might be the last of her clan, Gu Xi instructed soldiers to escort her and the girls to the garrison for medical attention. Gu Xi, Jiang Wenhuan, and the others then decided to thoroughly investigate the mysterious cave. During their investigation, they discovered the black-clad figure was from the Gui faction.
Gu Xi revealed that the drum was indeed made of human scalps, all from females, and it had a missing piece the exact size of a scalp, indicating it was unfinished. She noted the scalp size was eerily similar to that of the Yousu ancestors found in the underground city, suggesting a deep, unknown connection. Jiang Wenhuan concluded that the matter was linked to the Yousu ancestors. Other members of the group expressed frustration at the Gui faction's persistent interference.
Jiang Wenhuan speculated that the Gui faction's motive for making the drum was connected to their mission in Zhongli: the search for the immortal elixir. Following Gu Xi, they discovered a hidden copper mechanism. Jiang Wenhuan suggested this secret chamber likely held secrets about the immortal elixir, given its connection to the Yousu ancestors. Inside, ancient murals depicted scenes, including a figure in a Shangshan State crown, identified as Sheng'an ancestor, and another figure bearing the Yousu family crest.
From these murals, Jiang Wenhuan dramatically realized that the immortal elixir was what transformed General Lin and others into their current monstrous state. He explained that the Nine-tailed fox had bestowed the elixir upon Sheng'an, who then passed it to the mysterious Holy Maiden Yousu Clan. Therefore, the Gui faction's actions of harvesting Yousu scalps to create the drum were all part of a larger scheme to activate the elixir.
While some were skeptical, Jiang Wenhuan argued that the elixir's true purpose was not benevolent immortality, but to create an army of "immortal" living dead—a ruthless force needing no supplies and unafraid of death, a "pretext for war" that would make them truly invincible, yet suffering a fate "worse than death." Their path forward was blocked, trapping them in the inner chamber.
Jiang Wenhuan, however, remained confident, asserting that the Yousu ancestors wouldn't build a chamber with no exit, implying the sealed entrance was to prevent something from being taken out. He noticed a solitary oil lamp on the wall and suggested lighting it. Upon doing so, a shadow cast on the wall pointed towards a symbol resembling a drum, which was actually a hidden mechanism. Activating it opened another secret passage, revealing a map of the complex and a clear exit.
Within the chamber, Jiang Wenhuan discovered Sheng'an's imperial edict. The edict detailed how Sheng'an had relied on the elixir and the Drum of Illusion to unify the land, but as these powers turned against him, he returned them to the heavens. The Nine-Tailed Fox clan was then split into two branches: the Yousu, tasked with guarding the illusory power of the Divine Drum in a faraway land, and the Tushan, entrusted with protecting the immortal elixir in Ningzhou.
The edict warned that if the elixir and the divine drum were ever reunited, it would herald great chaos throughout the world. Reflecting on this, Jiang Wenhuan noted the Tushan clan's shared lineage. He deduced that if the elixir was indeed guarded by Tushan, then the Ningzhou incident years ago should have revealed something, implying someone had already acquired the elixir.
He posited that the elixir, capable of turning people into monsters, might have entered Zhongli years prior, possibly causing the downfall of the Kun family. He realized that the reunion of the Drum and the Elixir prophesied in the edict meant chaos was truly imminent. At this point, Su Qingqing reappeared and handed Jiang Wenhuan a blood letter she received from Su Popo.
She recounted her recent encounter with Su Popo, who was being held by guards on suspicion of witchcraft. Su Popo had recognized Su Qingqing as Xiaoying's daughter, ecstatic that the Yousu clan had not been completely wiped out. She revealed how foreign invaders had cruelly massacred her people, and how she had later learned that the Zhongli King intended to sacrifice Qingqing and use her skin to create a divine drum, which was how she knew Qingqing was still alive.
Su Popo had given Su Qingqing the blood letter, which documented the horrors endured by Su Village, including the scalp-cutting. As they spoke, ominous sounds approached, and Su Popo urged Qingqing and the girls to flee, telling them to cover their ears, while she remained to face the new threat alone. Reading Su Popo's letter, Jiang Wenhuan connected the Yousu clan's suffering to Sheng'an's legacy, realizing the illusory power was more of a curse than a blessing.
Su Popo's words echoed in his mind, revealing she too possessed the Holy Maiden's bloodline and had feigned madness for years to survive. She recounted her efforts to destroy the Yousu divine drum to protect her ancestors' promise, only for the Gui faction to invade, slaughter her clan, and attempt to recreate it, knowing its completion would spell the clan's utter destruction.
A new realization struck Jiang Wenhuan: if Su Popo, a local familiar with Qingluan Mountain, couldn't evade Zhongli's guards, how had the Gui faction managed to infiltrate the mountain and operate there for years undetected? He concluded they either knew a secret passage or had powerful backing from within Zhongli itself. All eyes then turned to Gu Xi.
Gu Xi challenged Jiang Wenhuan, who dismissed the idea that State Preceptor Xian Xuanji could be involved, as it offered him no advantage. Gu Xi abruptly told them to cease their speculation and return, stating that Zhongli's affairs were for them to handle. Jiang Wenhuan, however, issued a chilling warning to Gu Xi: "Don't trust the people around you." Unbeknownst to them, a Gui faction member reported to their leader that Jiang Wenhuan had discovered the divine drum.
The leader, unimpressed, confirmed that they had successfully moved the drum and captured the "Old Holy Maiden" (Su Popo), noting the unexpected presence of other Holy Maidens. He ordered preparations, declaring it was time to activate his "two long-set pieces." Meanwhile, E Shun, receiving news of the Gui faction's presence in Zhongli and Su Popo's capture, deduced a larger conspiracy. He realized the Gui faction's target was not the princes themselves, but the immortal elixir they sought.
Despite his recovering health, E Shun, convinced of the magnitude of the threat, decided to journey to Tushan himself, believing crucial clues had been overlooked there. Back with the Gui faction, Su Popo was brought before their leader. Her time was up. She quietly apologized to the "Holy Girl" before the leader brutally took her skin. As the Gui faction leader began to fill the missing piece of the drum with Su Popo's skin, Zhong Liyuan arrived and coolly remarked, "You look happy today."
