Thousand Years For You Episode 17 Recap
> Thousand Years For You Recap
Dengdeng, still confined in handcuffs, swiftly unlocks them with a silver needle. As the police recoil in fear, believing she has used magic, she holds up her hairpin and silently calls upon Lu Yan for assistance. Objects on the table begin to float in the air, sending Chief Bai scrambling behind his officers.
Dengdeng then boldly addresses Chief Bai, claiming she had intervened to stop the Spirit Clan from harming the Bai family, asserting that without her, their home would have been "filled with white bones." Unconvinced, Chief Bai dismisses her story as fanciful. Dengdeng proposes a deal: she will take on the task of solving the city's missing persons cases and confronting the Spirit Clan, asking for no credit if successful, but accepting full responsibility if she fails.
Initially skeptical and dismissive of her youth, Chief Bai is persuaded by one of his officers, who suggests that Dengdeng could be an asset in solving the elusive cases and gaining favor with the County Magistrate. Relenting, Chief Bai orders his men to lower their weapons, acknowledging Dengdeng as a "heroine" and "a woman who is not inferior to any man."
He agrees to her terms but insists on a seven-day deadline for her to solve the case, promising to release Dahai afterward. He then invites her to stay at the Bai Mansion, a gesture Dengdeng recognizes as a thinly veiled attempt to keep her under surveillance. She accepts, but not before demanding that Dahai be treated well, free from torture, and provided with good food, including roast chickens.
When Dahai feigns an injury, Chief Bai promptly complies, and Dengdeng offers Dahai some of his favorite pastries. Later, as Dengdeng rides in the carriage, she calls out to Lu Yan. He suddenly appears, startling her. She asks him how he managed to help her at the police station. Lu Yan explains that she is the reunited spirit of Yun Xi, nurtured by his Energy Core for many years, and therefore possesses intrinsic "energy".
He demonstrates by gently touching her hand, causing her energy to visibly manifest. Amazed, Dengdeng eagerly requests further instruction. However, Lu Yan reminds her of her own rule: "one help, ten times repayment." He hints that he will consider teaching her more once she has paid him for his assistance that day, then disappears. Dengdeng, frustrated, mutters about his "petty" nature. Upon her arrival at the Bai Mansion, Dengdeng notes the extensive security, realizing she is effectively a prisoner.
She muses that even with wings, it would be "hard to fly out." That night, she again uses her hairpin to speak with Lu Yan, thanking him for his help at the police station and forgiving him for previously tracking her. Reiterating her "one help, ten times repayment" rule, she asks what reward he desires. Lu Yan responds, "I want to see you."
When she casually suggests he can do so anytime, he clarifies, "I want to see you ten times." Flustered, Dengdeng deems him "improper" and quickly puts the hairpin away, wondering why he has become "so proactive." Meanwhile, a maid finds an accessory in the yard and gives it to Bai Shiqi, who recognizes it as Gu Beixi's. The maid also mentions Dengdeng's arrival in the heavily guarded Western Garden.
Bai Shiqi then visits her father, Chief Bai, offering him mung bean soup and subtly inquiring about Gu Beixi. Chief Bai confirms he gave Dengdeng a chance to prove herself. He then scolds Bai Shiqi for meeting a male classmate and reminds her of her childhood engagement to Gu Beixi from Nanfeng Stronghold, stressing the importance of upholding their family's honor and how he's been sending "wedding urging letters" to the Gu family.
Relieved by her father's approval of the marriage, Bai Shiqi asks how he would treat Gu Beixi if he were to arrive in Yingdu. Chief Bai playfully threatens to "beat him" for his past unresponsiveness but ultimately declares he would ensure Gu Beixi treats his daughter well. Inspired, Bai Shiqi dresses elaborately, telling her maid she hopes to "meet the person you want to see." She then secretly leaves to meet Gu Beixi.
However, she is ambushed by a group of criminals who harbor an old vendetta against Chief Bai for interfering with one of their weddings. Gu Beixi arrives just in time to rescue her. As police officers approach, Bai Shiqi insists on fleeing with Gu Beixi. After they successfully escape, she thanks him for saving her.
Gu Beixi informs her that Dengdeng is his friend, currently living at the Bai Mansion, and asks Bai Shiqi to look after her, expressing concern for Dengdeng's safety. He openly admits his deep affection for Dengdeng, stating, "She's the one I like. . . she will be my woman sooner or later." A conflicted Bai Shiqi reminds him of his fiancée.
Gu Beixi confirms he has one but intends to break off the engagement, emphasizing that true marriage must be based on love; otherwise, it would be akin to "being buried alive." Though uneasy, Bai Shiqi agrees to care for Dengdeng but warns Gu Beixi that she will not tolerate any actions that could harm the Bai Mansion. Gu Beixi reassures her that their shared goal is to investigate the city's missing persons cases.
Elsewhere, Lu Yan forcibly extracts a memory from a dying illusory spirit, revealing that Zhu Rong is still alive and plans to capture Dengdeng, the incarnation of Saintess Yun Xi, to retrieve the Energy Core. Realizing Dengdeng is in extreme danger, Lu Yan confronts Gu Beixi. He explains Dengdeng's efforts to free Dahai and urges Gu Beixi to avoid further risks.
He tells Gu Beixi to "get out of town soon" and let him handle the city's complex Spirit Clan-related issues. Gu Beixi, however, dismisses Lu Yan as a "malicious monster" and questions his right to interfere. Lu Yan reveals that the disappearances are indeed linked to the Spirit Clan and that a Spirit Clan member is targeting Dengdeng's life.
He offers to resolve all of Gu Beixi's problems, including the false accusations in the missing persons case and the search for his father, if Gu Beixi would leave. Gu Beixi, confident in his "own ways," refuses, defiantly stating, "We'll see who ends up standing next to Yu Dengdeng." Dengdeng begins her investigation by visiting the homes of the disappeared.
At the bun shop owner Cao Dafa's residence, she notes the sealed windows and the discarded clothes, ruling out escape or kidnapping. She identifies a goose in the courtyard as Cao Dafa, and later a "big fat pig with black ears" from another alley, ordering both animals to be brought back to her courtyard, declaring them her "victims." She confidently asserts her skill at solving cases.
Back at the Bai Mansion, a maid informs Dengdeng that her "husband" has arrived with new bedding, a gesture from Bai Shiqi. Dengdeng, confused and momentarily thinking of the Rooster, denies having a husband. To her surprise, Lu Yan walks into the room. The maid, misinterpreting the situation, leaves them for their "reunion." Lu Yan explains that the masked man who attacked her in the Mysterious Market, Zhu Rong, now knows her true identity.
Since she refused his guards, he intends to provide "all-day protection" himself. Dengdeng resists, asserting her capabilities as the "Chief of Qingquan Stronghold," equipped with kung fu, weapons, and Lu Yan's hairpin. She tells him he doesn't need to "stick with me all the time." Lu Yan insists "everything must be on my terms."
Dengdeng calls him "unreasonable" and questions their supposed "marriage," but Lu Yan retorts that she didn't consider his "honor and chastity" when she brought him to Qingquan Stronghold. When she attempts to physically make him leave, he threatens that her magical abilities, which rely on his assistance, might "not work so well" next time. Dengdeng, trying to use a past tactic where he avoided her touch, reaches for his hand, but he unexpectedly pulls her onto the bed.
Startled, she quickly agrees to let him stay "as long as you want." Lu Yan then declares that "a gentleman doesn't seek advantage," and agrees to let her sleep in the bed while he takes the floor. Privately, Dengdeng chides herself for her "uselessness" and wonders if Lu Yan's powers have grown.
Lu Yan clarifies that the animals Dengdeng brought back are, in fact, low-energy Spirit Clan members who have taken on the attributes of various species and cannot revert to their human or Spirit Clan forms. Dengdeng wonders if the last concubine is also a Spirit Clan member and if Chief Bai is aware. Lu Yan explains that while inter-species marriages are common, few Spirit Clan members openly reveal their identities due to their status as "aliens."
Dengdeng expresses sympathy for their predicament and questions the cause of their transformation. Lu Yan then reveals that traces of "energy" were found in the last concubine's carriage, suggesting her disappearance was not due to an external attack but rather "some kind of change has occurred from the inside." They decide to search the last concubine's room for clues, specifically looking for items that Spirit Clan members might avoid.
