The Untamed Episode 44 Recap
> The Untamed Recap
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji unexpectedly encountered Mianmian, whom Wei Wuxian immediately recognized and affectionately called "Lady Luo" and "Mianmian." Mianmian introduced her husband, Qingyang, a former businessman who, though not a cultivator, now accompanies her on night hunts. Wei Wuxian playfully tried to scare Mianmian's young daughter, whom he called "little Mianmian," with tales of the Yiling Patriarch eating children, but the girl showed no fear. Wei Wuxian offered her some "lucky money," which Lan Wangji promptly provided.
The girl thanked Lan Wangji, prompting a playful complaint from Wei Wuxian that she didn't thank him. Mianmian informed them of rumors about puppets causing trouble outside the city, though she had searched fruitlessly. Just then, a startlingly loud yell echoed from nearby. Mianmian's husband, Qingyang, inquired about Wei Wuxian, mentioning Mianmian had previously spoken of Wei Wuxian saving her life, which she downplayed by saying he was "just a good man."
The source of the terrifying yell was none other than Wen Ning, appearing disheveled with his face smeared with mud and dust and disguised with weeds. Wei Wuxian, initially amused and thinking Wen Ning had been robbed, soon learned that Wen Ning had been secretly following them. Wen Ning explained that he had cleared away many puppets along their path, which accounted for his messy state and bloody hands, though he confirmed it was not human blood.
Wei Wuxian sighed, recalling how he had instructed Wen Ning to hide himself and stay out of trouble, but seeing Wen Ning's earnestness and lack of a hiding place, he conceded and invited Wen Ning to travel with them. The trio soon reached Yiling, a town steeped in memories for both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.
Wei Wuxian reminisced about their past encounter there, where he had wanted to treat Lan Wangji to a meal, only for Lan Wangji to end up paying. His thoughts then turned to A-Yuan, wondering if the child were still alive, he would be a teenager by now, a thought that brought a pang of sadness.
Hearing sounds of disturbance from the Burial Mounds, they quickly made their way there, noting that the walls on the mountain had been pulled down, indicating others had already arrived. The Burial Mounds lay in ruins, a stark reminder of the devastating siege years ago. Wei Wuxian reflected on the place being the most agonizing period of his life and that of the Wen remnants, questioning the need to revisit such sorrowful memories.
Wen Ning, however, expressed a desire to see if anything was left. As they surveyed the desolate landscape, puppets suddenly surged forward. Wen Ning engaged them directly, while Lan Wangji handed Suibian to Wei Wuxian for defense. Wei Wuxian, wielding the sword with unfamiliarity and noticeably weak spiritual power, surprised Lan Wangji.
He quickly feigned weakness, explaining that Mo Xuanyu's body lacked the spiritual power to fully utilize Suibian's true potential, jokingly asking Lan Wangji to protect his "fragile feeble man" self. Upon entering the dilapidated Demon-Subdue Place, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and Wen Ning found Sizhui, Jin Ling, and other young cultivators bound and helpless. Some Jin clan disciples immediately accused Wei Wuxian of trapping them, believing he intended to turn them into puppets like in Nevernight.
Jin Ling, unable to bear their accusations, snapped at them to shut up, only to be cruelly mocked for being "without maternal love," a taunt that ignited his fury. Wei Wuxian, observing the escalating tension, handed Suibian to Wen Ning. The sight of Wen Ning, the Ghost General, struck terror into the hearts of the young cultivators, who cried out in fear, but Wen Ning merely cut their bonds efficiently without causing harm.
Wei Wuxian wryly noted that his own intimidating presence seemed to pale in comparison to Wen Ning's. Sizhui, relieved, asked if Wei Wuxian had come to rescue them, confirming he was not the one who had trapped them, a claim Wei Wuxian humorously dismissed by saying he was too poor to hire anyone. Sizhui then described their captors as several ghost-masked figures who had abandoned them.
After considering their options, and despite some fear from the juniors, Wen Ning volunteered to clear a path. However, he quickly returned, having discovered numerous cultivation clans gathered outside. Wei Wuxian instructed Wen Ning to conceal himself, and then he, Lan Wangji, and the released juniors stepped out to face the assembled cultivators. As Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and the juniors emerged, they were immediately met with accusations from the assembled cultivation clans.
Many directed their anger at Lan Wangji, chastising him for standing with Wei Wuxian, whom they labeled a deluder and an enemy. The cultivators claimed Wei Wuxian's blatant creation of puppets and kidnapping of their disciples had forced their presence. Wei Wuxian retorted that he had in fact rescued the disciples, and wryly commented on the "shabby" nature of their current siege, noting the absence of Zewu Jun and Lianfang Zun.
He was informed that Lianfang Zun had been gravely wounded in an assassination attempt at Jinlintai, with Zewu Jun currently tending to him. Wei Wuxian chuckled, remarking on Lianfang Zun's propensity for injury, while Ouyang Zizhen, a junior, interjected that Wei Wuxian had saved them in Coffin Town, suggesting his innocence, only for his father, Clan Leader Ouyang, to quickly silence him.
Wei Wuxian then noticed Nie Huaisang, who, true to form, claimed complete ignorance and merely being there "to make up the number." The confrontation escalated as cultivators with personal grievances stepped forward. Yi Weichun, whose leg had been disabled by Wei Wuxian during the Nevernight events, vowed revenge.
Fang Mengcheng, whose parents he claimed had been killed by Wei Wuxian, declared he would never forget or forgive, asserting that Wei Wuxian, a "criminal against people's benefit," would be eliminated no matter how many times he returned. Another cultivator, whose son was killed by Wen Ning at Qiongqi Road, cried out for vengeance for "three thousand lives." Wei Wuxian vehemently denied their accusations.
He stated that while he lacked evidence for Qiongqi Road and Nevernight at the moment, he was innocent of Red Blade Master's death, Mrs. Jin's suicide, and the puppets encountered on the mountain. He suggested that anyone with the Stygian Tiger Amulet could control puppets, leading him to question who was truly "fond" of it.
He further insinuated that someone had secretly hidden Wen Ning for over a decade while publicly claiming he had been "executed and cremains scattered," challenging the narrative surrounding the Ghost General. A new wave of puppets surged, and as the cultivators prepared to defend themselves, they suddenly found their spiritual power mysteriously dissipating. Realizing they had been ensnared, they retreated into the Demon-Subdue Place, where a large magic circle offered a temporary refuge.
Clan Leader Su, Su Minshan, initially voiced suspicion that the cave was a trap but then paradoxically urged everyone to enter, seeming almost eager for them to face death. Wei Wuxian found their continued distrust of him laughable, pointing out that only he, Lan Wangji, and the young cultivators still possessed spiritual power; if he wished to harm them, their weakened state would offer no resistance. Su Minshan, still under the Silencing Charm, continued to glare defiantly at Lan Wangji.
Wei Wuxian openly questioned Su Minshan's intentions, highlighting his bizarre behavior and apparent desire for the cultivators' demise. He then seized the opportunity to mock the relationship between the Moling Su clan and the Gusu Lan clan.
Lan Jingyi, a young Lan disciple, readily provided context, explaining that the Moling Su clan was a branch that had split from Gusu Lan, noting that Su Minshan had been expelled for betraying their clan and was notoriously sensitive about being accused of imitating Hanguang Jun.
This led to a heated exchange between the disciples of the Lan and Su clans, with Lan disciples asserting Su Minshan's current status was due to Gusu's teachings, while Su's disciples defended their leader's independence. Amidst the bickering, a Lan disciple scornfully remarked on the Moling Su clan's flawed "Demon-Subdue Melody," a comment that sparked a realization in Wei Wuxian.
He declared that their loss of spiritual power was neither from fog nor food, but directly related to the act they had all performed upon reaching the mountain: killing puppets. He clarified that the issue wasn't the puppets themselves, but rather the individuals who fought them.
Turning to Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian confirmed that the Moling Su clan's techniques, though a derivation of Gusu Lan's, were often flawed due to Su Minshan's own lack of mastery, and that Gusu Lan disciples, often disdainful of the Su clan, would likely dismiss such errors as mere incompetence rather than deliberate malice. With a chilling clarity, Wei Wuxian exposed Su Minshan's treachery.
He revealed that while ostensibly playing his guqin to ward off evil during the puppet attacks, Su Minshan had subtly altered a section of the battle music. This modified melody, unknown to the fighting cultivators, was designed to temporarily strip them of their spiritual power. Su Minshan vehemently denied the accusation, claiming he had never accessed forbidden knowledge while a disciple of Gusu Lan.
Wei Wuxian countered by mentioning a "Dongying anthology called Collection of Turmoil," which contained techniques for killing people through altered melodies, and dared them to ask Lan Qiren about its presence in Cloud Recesses' Forbidden Chamber. When Su Minshan again protested his inability to access such a restricted area, Wei Wuxian delivered his final, damning insinuation: "Who said you have to get in there yourself? As long as the man behind you could get in without limitation it'll do. I suppose your way to alter the music was taught by him too, right?"
