The Dauntless Youths Episode 23 Recap
> The Dauntless Youths Recap
Sun Qingqing returned to her hometown, clutching the imperial decree from Zhong Liyuan. The decree officially unsealed her hometown and restored the honor of the Kun and Su clans, bestowing the titles of Loyal and Valiant General upon the late General Kunze and Heroine of Valor upon the late Holy Virgin Su Ying.
With life finally settling into peace, Qingqing expressed to Kunwu that she planned to search for a new place for the You-Su people to live, as their fate had long been burdened by their illusionary powers. Kunwu offered to arrange guards to escort them away from Zhongli for their safety, promising to bring them back once the current troubles subsided.
He also revealed his intention to remain with the Princes Guard to help them deal with the immortal elixir, which had turned out to be a source of evil, and to ensure their safe return to Donglu. Qingqing, while understanding his loyalty, urged him to be cautious. She shared her growing suspicions about the secrets of the Yousu Clan, believing that her mother's dying wish to have her body burned was meant to destroy her Holy Virgin bloodline skin.
Qingqing suspected that the Kuifang people had been making human skin drums for years, specifically waiting for the skin of a Holy Virgin descendant. Given this, she feared that Old Woman Su, being the last Holy Virgin descendant besides herself, might have been targeted to fulfill this purpose.
Later, as the You-Su people began packing, Qingqing wondered if their troubles were truly over, to which Kunwu replied that it might just be the beginning, hinting at hidden secrets within the Zhongli Palace. Meanwhile, Zhong Liyuan met with a masked Kuifang person, who declared that after seven years, the sacred drum was finally complete, bringing them closer to their goal.
Zhong Liyuan questioned if the drum could truly control thousands of troops with its illusionary power, remarking that the masked Kuifang person still seemed to be holding back despite their years of cooperation. The masked Kuifang person, sensing Zhong Liyuan's mistrust, assured him that the drum's full magical capabilities would be revealed once it had conquered the capital.
Until then, the masked Kuifang person needed to borrow the drum to deal with the Princes Guard, as their presence hindered their plans. Zhong Liyuan then inquired how he would ensure immunity from the drum's influence, and the masked Kuifang person offered him an antidote, promising it would allow him to remain temporarily sober while using the drum. Zhong Liyuan also laid down a strict condition: the princes must be eliminated quickly to prevent future trouble.
Gu Xi, unsettled by an ominous divination predicting calamities for Zhongli, was approached by Jiang Wenhuan. Jiang Wenhuan remarked that the world was about to change, a sign often indicated by the behavior of fish and swallows before a storm. He asked Gu Xi to divine Zhongli's fate and challenged her, asking if she had foreseen who would bring Zhongli to ruin, especially in light of the suspicious sacred drum of the You-Su clan.
Jiang Wenhuan confessed that Gu Xi was the only person in Zhongli he couldn't comprehend, as she had alternately hurt, helped, and saved him, yet he believed her nature was not bad because she never avoided his gaze. He contrasted this with Zhong Liyuan, whose innocent facade hid an inscrutable depth. Jiang Wenhuan sought Gu Xi's help in uncovering the truth behind Zhong Liyuan's enigmatic nature, assuming she shared his curiosity. Gu Xi then recounted a story.
Seven years prior, her extraordinary talent to see the past and future had revealed a vision: her entire village would be destroyed by an outsider. Determined to alter this fate, she guarded the village entrance. One day, she encountered Zhong Liyuan, who was lost and fleeing from the murder of his parents. Despite her prophecy, she offered him water and directed him away from the village, pointing him deeper into the mountains.
However, her father, a hunter, later found and rescued Zhong Liyuan, bringing him back to their village. Gu Xi, distraught, warned her father that this boy could not stay, as he posed a great risk to the entire village based on her prophecy. Her father, however, believed it was wrong to abandon someone in despair for their own safety, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing right from wrong and having the courage to act even when facing insurmountable odds.
The tragic prophecy soon came true. The people pursuing Zhong Liyuan launched a brutal attack on the village. Gu Xi's father urged her to run through the back door and protect herself, calling her by her given name as he sacrificed his life to save her. Gu Xi found her parents' bodies amidst the devastation. Consumed by grief and rage, she confronted Zhong Liyuan, accusing him of causing the massacre.
When he offered a dagger for her to take his life, she stabbed him, but the act offered no solace. Overwhelmed, Gu Xi begged him to kill her, wishing to join her parents. Zhong Liyuan then shared his own harrowing ordeal: for a month, he was confined in a carriage with his parents' decomposing bodies, witnessing their decay and realizing how desperately he wanted to live to avenge them.
He promised Gu Xi that within ten years, they would personally kill those responsible for their families' tragedies. From that day, they formed an alliance. Zhong Liyuan returned to Zhongli to act subserviently and lower the State Preceptor's guard, while Gu Xi, using her abilities, joined the Divination Platform to work alongside the State Preceptor. They operated both openly and covertly, supporting each other with the belief that they would one day achieve their revenge and restore peace to Zhongli.
Jiang Wenhuan noted Zhong Liyuan's ruthless character, to which Gu Xi firmly stated that Zhong Liyuan was the only person she trusted and the destined ruler to bring prosperity to Zhongli. Jiang Wenhuan scoffed at her unwavering faith in "destiny," but before leaving, he revealed that while he didn't trust Zhong Liyuan, he trusted Gu Xi. That night, Jiang Wenhuan consulted Gongsun Wuyu about the immortal elixir.
He proposed they cease the search, given its true nature as a poisonous substance. Gongsun Wuyu explained the complexity, noting that the elixir was a source of pride for the Shangshan royal family and that past failures had incurred the Emperor's wrath. She worried that revealing the elixir was poison would not only affect Zhongli but also incur the Emperor's fury upon the Princes Guard and Donglu.
Jiang Wenhuan suggested finding the elixir and presenting evidence to dissuade the Emperor, but Gongsun Wuyu countered that it had vanished without a trace from Zhongli, and she suspected a deeper conspiracy than just Xian Xuanji, potentially involving Zhong Liyuan and the secretive Kuifang people of Su Village. Soon after, an official delivered an invitation from Zhong Liyuan for the princes to attend a banquet in the palace three days later.
The following day, Zhong Liyuan presented Gu Xi with lavish jewelry and new clothes, but she expressed disinterest, stating she only wished for him to be a good ruler who protected the people of Zhongli. Zhong Liyuan then tried to express his feelings for her. Gu Xi seized the moment to ask directly if he was involved in the creation of the human skin drums from the Su clan.
Zhong Liyuan, somewhat defensively, responded that he was surprised she lacked trust after so many years, but affirmed that no matter what transpired, he would never harm her, emphasizing her importance to him. That evening, Gu Xi secretly followed Zhong Liyuan to an underground chamber, only to discover he had deliberately led her there. He then rendered her unconscious, speaking to her slumped form, acknowledging that he had lured her.
He expressed a desire for her not to have come, revealing that after dealing with the Princes Guard, he planned to attack Mt. Shang, after which they would stand together at the peak of the world, their great revenge finally avenged.
