The Long Ballad Episode 28 Recap
> The Long Ballad Recap
Hao Dou accompanied Leyan to provide aid to the disaster victims. On the way, they saw a little girl chasing after her brother’s body. He had died from a plague and had to be cremated immediately. Leyan hugged the girl tightly. Having lost Xiao Wu, she understood the girl's pain and gently told her to live on, carrying her brother’s hopes with her. In the middle of the night, Changge woke from a nightmare, calling Asher Sun’s name.
Abi, sleeping nearby, came to check on her, urging her not to shut herself away. Abi asked about the “Ah Sun” Changge kept mentioning, thinking it was a pet bird. Changge then revealed Asher Sun was a former companion, but she had wronged him. Now that Asher Sun hadn’t come looking for her, she could at least find some comfort in the fact that he hated her. Xu Feng had already found out Changge’s whereabouts.
When Asher Sun asked for details, Xu Feng refused to speak kindly to him and used harsh words. Elder Qin interjected, reminding Xu Feng that anyone could see Asher Sun's feelings for Changge, and that Xu Feng shouldn't treat him this way. Later, Asher Sun played with Yuan Niang. Xu Feng again spoke harshly and nearly told Yuan Niang that it was Asher Sun who caused Gongsun Heng and his wife’s deaths. Before he could finish, Elder Qin stopped him.
He reminded Xu Feng to mind his words—Asher Sun was not at fault. In the chaos of war, rivers of blood had flowed. Asher Sun had already done his best by promising Gongsun Heng to protect the people of Shuozhou. Though Elder Qin had forgiven him, Asher Sun still felt guilty toward Yuan Niang.
He gave her a wolf whistle, unique to the grasslands, telling her to blow it whenever she needed help, and he would protect her in place of her adoptive parents. The Crown Prince went out to explore the city. A boy named Sheng Xin, under someone’s direction, deliberately approached him. Pretending to save him during a staged refugee riot, he gained the Crown Prince’s trust. Meanwhile, at Liuyun Temple, Changge learned the Crown Prince had arrived in Luoyang.
Knowing his incompetence, she prepared to meet him. Before she could leave, Situ Langlang stopped her and asked her to help at the refugee site in Nanshan. That night, Yuan Niang went missing. Everyone was anxious. Xu Feng blamed Asher Sun. Just as Asher Sun was about to search for her, he heard the sound of the wolf whistle. Following the sound, he found Yuan Niang.
Seeing how much he cared, Xu Feng finally let go of his grudge and was willing to support Asher Sun. The Crown Prince injured his hand during the riot and threw a tantrum, refusing to comfort the refugees. Leyan had to go in his place. No sooner had she left than the Crown Prince got excited and snuck off to visit the lavish Ziwei Palace, which had been built at great cost during the Sui dynasty.
The Nanshan relief site was filled with refugees. Seeing so many displaced people stirred Changge’s heart. Now going by the name A Li, she ran into the girl Wuniang, whom Leyan had once comforted. Following the temple master’s instructions, Wuniang helped Changge familiarize herself with the area and shared her tragic past. Changge offered words of comfort and came to understand that regardless of one’s origins, everyone has their own fate in turbulent times.
She finally overcame her inner demons and decided to stay in Nanshan with Liuyun Temple to help the refugees. Leyan brought medicine to Nanshan accompanied only by her maid. Changge was there too, and the two finally met after many trials. Leyan’s eyes welled with tears upon seeing Changge. Changge had long let go of the past and no longer hated Leyan. Just as they were catching up, Hao Dou arrived.
Leyan hurriedly hid Changge and told her to meet at the marketplace the next day at Shen hour—there was so much more she wanted to say. Hao Dou grew suspicious of the departing figure. As he was about to pursue her, Leyan feigned a stomachache. Concerned, Hao Dou carried her back to the carriage. Asher Sun and Xu Feng had never seen eye to eye. Holding in their frustrations, they finally fought it out. After the bout, Xu Feng finally acknowledged Asher Sun's strength and character.
