The Sun in the Dark Episode 15 Recap
> The Sun in the Dark Recap
As a teacher, Yi Xi found Seventh Prince Zhaolie, Wan Guchen, to be an idle student, frequently late and leaving early, setting a poor example. Despite her initial negative impression, she was surprised and intrigued by his unconventional answers in class.
One day, during a lesson on filial piety, Wan Guchen questioned whether parents who abandon their children truly deserve such devotion, suggesting that heartfelt love between parents and children, and even between teachers and students, is more valuable than forced duty. Yi Xi found his perspective novel and worthy of contemplation. After class, as other students departed, Wan Guchen stopped Yi Xi. He intrusively observed her scent, noting it resembled women's perfume, and stated his suspicion about her identity.
Yi Xi angrily denied it, but Wan Guchen countered by pointing out that her disguise as a man, a crime of deception against the Emperor, would incur far greater wrath than any misconduct on his part. Exposed, Yi Xi defiantly admitted she was a woman, asking what her gender had to do with her ambitions or his Jin Kingdom. Wan Guchen then apologized, explaining he merely wished to confirm his suspicions.
He expressed admiration for her profound knowledge, which surpassed that of men, and promised to keep her secret. His only condition was that she tutor him privately every day, claiming it was born of his desire to fulfill his vow of loving his teacher and his hope that she would love her student in return. Reluctantly, Yi Xi agreed, telling him to come to her study hall after class, allowing him to be with her "properly."
During their private tutoring sessions, Yi Xi quickly discovered that Prince Wan Guchen was unaccustomed to even simple tasks, such as grinding ink. She patiently taught him, demonstrating the correct technique. However, Wan Guchen's interactions became increasingly intimate, prompting Yi Xi to reprimand him sternly, reminding him of the boundaries between teacher and student.
She warned him that she would not be lenient if it happened again and suspended him from classes for a few days to reflect on his actions. Wan Guchen questioned if that was truly what she desired. Shortly after, Yi Xi was unjustly imprisoned by the First Prince, who accused her of sedition based on a poem written by one of her students, a work she had personally approved.
Despite her protests and pleas for further investigation, she was locked away alongside her student. The First Prince then visited her in her cell, proposing a deal: if Yi Xi, also known as Bai Jinshu, would aid him in his ascent to the throne, he would conceal her alleged crime from the Emperor and release her. Yi Xi fiercely refused to participate in such tyranny, prepared to face her death rather than compromise her principles.
As she lamented that she would never fulfill her ambitions, Wan Guchen suddenly appeared, using magic to rescue her. Once they reached safety, Yi Xi questioned Wan Guchen's true identity. He revealed himself to be Wan Guchen, the Nine Heavens' Sword Master, who had been disguised as Seventh Prince Zhaolie while journeying in the Mortal Realm. Yi Xi, now aware of his immortal status, begged him to also save her innocent students.
Wan Guchen, however, refused, stating that he could not interfere in mortal political struggles or alter their predetermined fates. Yi Xi challenged him, arguing that saving her was also an interference. Wan Guchen simply replied that she was different to him. Desperate, Yi Xi accused him of heartlessly watching her students die, asserting that it was no different from killing her.
She declared her intent to rescue them, vowing that if he stood in her way, they would be strangers forever. However, it was too late. The new Emperor, the First Prince, had already ordered the execution of all the other princes, as well as her students, as punishment for Bai Jinshu's escape.
Watching her students die before her eyes, Yi Xi was tormented by a malevolent voice that taunted her powerlessness and urged her to kill the Emperor to avenge them. Overwhelmed by grief and uncontrolled fury, Yi Xi stormed the palace, accusing the Emperor of fratricide. The Emperor, recognizing her, ordered her capture, but Yi Xi unleashed a devastating attack, brutally killing him despite his pleas for mercy as his former teacher.
In the aftermath, Yi Xi was horrified by her actions, acknowledging her unforgivable sins. She could feel a dark, uncontrollable energy surging within her. As her teacher, she assigned Wan Guchen one final task: to kill her. Wan Guchen was in agony, questioning why their story always ended in such a tragic manner and why his destiny was so cruel. He hesitated, unable to strike the woman he loved.
Seeing his torment, Yi Xi chose to take her own life, impaling herself on the sword, begging him to grant her release. Wan Guchen cried out her name in despair. In her fifth life, Yi Xi was reborn as a cheerful fox spirit, living contentedly with her master, Wan Guchen, in Fallen Snow Valley.
One day, two haughty immortals from the Nine Heavens arrived, sent by the Immortal Lord to summon Wan Guchen, the War God, back to the immortal sect. Yi Xi, the little fox, confronted them, boldly stating that her master had warned her about hypocritical immortals and would not see them. Annoyed by her insolence, the immortals attempted to harm her.
Wan Guchen appeared, enraged that they had injured his beloved little immortal beast, who had been with him for centuries and was like family. He firmly declared his resolve never to return to the immortal sect, offering to relinquish his title if they had objections. Before dismissing them, Wan Guchen magically bound the two immortals and forced them to apologize profusely to Yi Xi. Satisfied, Yi Xi asked her master to let them go.
Wan Guchen lovingly complied, playfully warning her not to act so recklessly again, to which she replied she feared nothing with him by her side. Life continued peacefully, with Wan Guchen doting on Yi Xi, feeding her and gently chiding her for drinking too much. One day, Yi Xi, eager to distract Wan Guchen from his sword practice and enjoy the plum blossoms, playfully tried to snatch his sword.
In the ensuing playful struggle, Yi Xi was accidentally cut, and they were both pulled into the Divine Sword. Inside, they found themselves in a breathtaking, otherworldly landscape, where visions of their past lives unfolded before them. Yi Xi saw herself in another form, abandoned and deemed cursed, much like she felt in her current life.
She witnessed Wan Guchen's past vows to become the Sword Master to protect her, only to be tasked with killing her, Bai Yixi, to contain the Night Deity within her. She relived her own pleas for him to end her suffering to prevent the Night Deity from consuming her.
She also glimpsed a life where she, as Bai Chuli, fearlessly expressed her love and acceptance of him, even allowing him to love another if her time ran short, and stating that if she was destined to be killed every three hundred years, she would rather it be by his hand. Witnessing these intertwined destinies, Yi Xi finally understood the profound and tragic reasons behind their recurring fates.
