The Wolf Episode 26 Recap
> The Wolf Recap
Following the previous episode's events, General Ma Fengcheng, gravely ill, succumbed to his anger and died suddenly. A spy for Chu Kui, hidden within the Ma Family Army camp, seized this moment to send a message via carrier pigeon. Although Ji Chong discovered the spy, the pigeon had already departed or was on its way, prompting Ji Chong to realize the news of the Ma Family Army's intention to rebel would soon reach Chu Kui.
To prevent Chu Kui from controlling Ma Zhaixing, Ji Chong resolved to find her first, racing against the clock. Unaware of these developments, Ma Zhaixing had been drinking heavily in Suyang. Chu Youwen carried her back to her room, gazing at her sleeping face with tenderness and adoration. Despite their past affection, he knew they were now destined to be enemies, and their next meeting would be on the battlefield.
The following morning, Ma Zhaixing prepared to depart, feeling a slight disappointment when Chu Youwen did not come to see her off. After her departure, Chu Youwen emerged, watching her leave and declaring that from that moment, he and Ma Zhaixing would go their separate ways, their ties severed. He reflected that if they were to meet on the battlefield, her fate would be left to the heavens.
Meanwhile, Chu Kui, receiving news from his spy that the Ma Family Army had discovered new evidence of his involvement in Ma Ying's assassination and planned to revolt, was enraged. He immediately summoned Chu Youwen to the palace, ordering him to swiftly lead the Night Fiends to intercept Ma Zhaixing and bring her back as a hostage. Chu Youwen informed his father that Yao Ji had secretly ordered her men to poison Ma Zhaixing on her journey.
Chu Kui, prioritizing Ma Zhaixing's survival as a vital hostage, affirmed her safety was paramount and reiterated his command to bring her back alive. Ma Zhaixing and her accompanying guards paused at a tea stall to rest, unknowingly drinking tea poisoned by Yao Ji's men. As Ji Chong and Ma Jing searched for Ma Zhaixing separately, Ma Jing arrived at the tea stall and found Ma Zhaixing.
Before Ma Jing could reveal the truth about Ma Fengcheng's death and the rebellion, they were surrounded by Bo Troop soldiers and several masked figures. Chu Youwen stood with his back to Ma Zhaixing, draped in a black cloak. Though his face was hidden, his voice was chillingly familiar.
As the masked men bound Ma Zhaixing with iron chains, a terrifying memory flashed through her mind: the night her family was massacred, the killers had used similar heavy chains to attack Ma Ying. This haunting similarity sent shivers down her spine, and her last flicker of hope was extinguished when Chu Youwen slowly pulled down his black hood, revealing his face.
He confessed without hesitation that he was indeed responsible for her family's destruction, his every word a stark truth, severing their past affection and confirming her worst fears. He told her that Ma Ying's merits were too great for his own good, and that Chu Kui had sent him to the battlefield to eradicate her and the entire Ma Family Army. He brutally stated that the man she loved was merely a tool for her father's killer.
Ma Zhaixing, weeping, collapsed in despair, understanding that the previous night's tender moments were but an illusion. Chu Youwen was truly Prince of Bo, the one who destroyed her family, and she was irrevocably Ma Ying's daughter. She recalled Yao Ji's words: they were cursed by the heavens, and Wolf Boy and Xing'er had vanished eight years ago.
When Ji Chong and Ma Yehan arrived at the tea stall, they found two Ma Family Army soldiers lying on the ground, confirming Ma Zhaixing had been taken. Ma Yehan wanted to immediately rally troops to storm the capital and rescue her, but Ji Chong cautioned against recklessness, arguing that as long as Ma Zhaixing remained Chu Kui's hostage, she would be safe, as Chu Kui would use her to control the Ma Family Army.
He urged them to return to the camp to strategize. Ma Zhaixing and Ma Jing were separately imprisoned in the royal prison. Unlike the agitated Ma Jing, Ma Zhaixing was eerily quiet, her expression vacant, as if nothing around her mattered anymore. When Ma Jing noticed a large cut on Ma Zhaixing's hand from the shard and expressed concern, Ma Zhaixing insisted it didn't hurt.
Ma Jing, weeping, recognized that Ma Zhaixing was trying to suppress her pain, realizing her deeper emotional torment. Upon hearing that Chu Youwen had brought Ma Zhaixing back, Yao Ji felt a sense of vindication, believing the true Prince of Bo had finally re-emerged. Chu Youwen informed Chu Kui about Yao Ji's attempt to poison Ma Zhaixing.
To ensure Ma Zhaixing remained a viable hostage to control the rebellious Ma Family Army, Chu Kui forced Yao Ji to surrender the "Hantenggu" antidote. Hai Die delivered the antidote, which Chu Youwen had retrieved from Chu Kui, mixed into Ma Zhaixing's meal, but Ma Zhaixing defiantly threw the bowl to the ground. She picked up a sharp shard and held it to her throat, demanding to see Chu Youwen.
Hai Die, startled by Ma Zhaixing's desperation, was at a loss. Seeing the shard cut into Ma Zhaixing's skin, Mo Xiao realized she would not relent until she saw Chu Youwen. He immediately returned to report the situation. Chu Youwen, pondering what identity he should assume to face her—Wolf Boy or the Prince of Bo who had shattered her heart—considered begging Chu Kui to spare her.
He contemplated offering his own life for hers as the ultimate atonement and their only possible ending. Meanwhile, Ji Chong and his companions discussed methods to rescue Ma Zhaixing. Learning that the Fourth Prince, Chu Youzhen, was returning to the capital, Ji Chong decided to use this opportunity to force Chu Kui to release Ma Zhaixing. Chu Youzhen, on his journey back, expressed his desire to impress his third brother, Chu Youwen, with his successful mission.
