Thousand Years For You Episode 27 Recap
> Thousand Years For You Recap
Dengdeng and Dahai were surrounded by countless fireflies, which Dengdeng believed were the spirits of the dead. Dahai hoped the fireflies would lead them out, just as they had supposedly led Sun, who had previously been scared by them in what must be this very underground palace. Dengdeng explained that her father once said spirits could transform into fireflies after death, suggesting these were the deceased trapped here.
Feeling pity for the souls, Dengdeng used her energy to release them from purgatory, causing the clothes on the skeletons to vanish. This act, however, depleted her energy significantly. Just then, ghost vines appeared and attacked them. Dengdeng quickly pushed Dahai out of the way, inadvertently causing him to trigger a hidden exit mechanism. Dahai tried to re-enter, but the secret door wouldn't budge. As Dengdeng fought the vines alone, Paralyzed Yu, her father, suddenly appeared, worried about her.
He assured her he would lead her out of the underground palace and claimed he had already figured out the way, mentioning that Lv Er had gone ahead. He also said they should find Dahai and Lu Yan. As they walked, Dengdeng became increasingly suspicious of "Paralyzed Yu" because he didn't recognize his own unique trail markings and was unfamiliar with her father's common sayings. Confronting him, she held a dagger to his throat, demanding his true identity. "
Paralyzed Yu" then revealed himself to be Zhu Rong. Zhu Rong acknowledged Dengdeng by her former name, Yun Xi. Dengdeng accused him of using her to get to Lu Yan, specifically to obtain the energy pellet. Zhu Rong confirmed his intention was to acquire Lu Yan's energy pellet, dismissing her own limited energy. He challenged her to retrieve it herself if she wanted to "discuss."
He then declared that the energy pellet rightfully belonged to the Spirit Clan and accused Dengdeng, as the former Saintess, of betraying her people by giving it to a human three thousand years ago. Dengdeng retorted, criticizing Zhu Rong for causing the spirit worm riot, killing countless spirits, and rendering many in Yingdu City homeless, questioning his right to be the Spirit Clan leader.
Zhu Rong dismissed her accusations, claiming he had led the Spirit Clan to new lands when their homeland's resources were depleted and they resorted to cannibalism. He blamed Dengdeng for leaving the Spirit Clan vulnerable by giving the energy pellet to a human, who then killed many spirits during decades of human-spirit warfare. Dengdeng maintained that the current Lu Yan only sought peace between humans and spirits, questioning why Zhu Rong was reigniting conflict.
Zhu Rong scoffed at the idea of peace, saying the Spirit Clan lived in hiding, unable to show their true forms. He then reaffirmed his purpose: Dengdeng betrayed their clan three thousand years ago, and now he, Zhu Rong, would lead the Spirit Clan to conquer the Nine Continents. With a swift movement, he flung Dengdeng far away. Dengdeng found herself trapped within a magical formation, which Zhu Rong quickly activated.
She attempted to break it with her own blood, but Zhu Rong effortlessly disarmed her, dissolving her dagger into dust, and then magically bound her, causing her immense pain. Just as her spirit worm was activated and Zhu Rong began to absorb her energy, the real Paralyzed Yu, accompanied by Lv Er and Dahai, burst in to rescue her.
Dahai explained that he had accidentally met Lv Er in the maze-like underground palace, and they followed the flower marks Dengdeng had left earlier. As they tried to leave, Zhu Rong attacked, saying, "You want to leave? It's not that easy." He continued to feed on Dengdeng's energy, causing her great suffering. Suddenly, Lu Yan appeared and immediately challenged Zhu Rong, declaring, "I'm the one you want to deal with. Come at me if you dare."
Zhu Rong, realizing Lu Yan was a formidable opponent, quickly fled the scene. Lu Yan immediately transmitted energy to Dengdeng to stabilize her. As they prepared to leave, Wei Du and his soldiers blocked their path. Dengdeng wryly remarked on Wei Du's unwavering loyalty to Lu Yan. Wei Du then issued an ultimatum, forcing Lu Yan to choose between Dengdeng and his loyal soldiers who had risked their lives for him.
Wei Du warned that without the Dust-proof Bead, Dengdeng would eventually die from energy depletion. Unexpectedly, A Xin appeared with the Dust-proof Bead, revealing that Lu Yan had secretly instructed him to investigate it while pretending to leave, demonstrating Lu Yan's superior foresight. Dengdeng teased Lu Yan for "scheming against his own men" with such elaborate plots. Despite retrieving the bead, Lu Yan prepared to leave, stating he would not pursue Wei Du's past actions.
However, Wei Du vehemently protested, explaining that if Lu Yan took the Dust-proof Bead, all the citizens of the capital would perish. He tearfully confessed to lying, revealing that the city's inhabitants initially survived by testing Spirit Clan medicine and later gained immortality from the Dust-proof Bead, which Zhu Rong had provided. However, the bead required constant replenishment from an external source.
Dengdeng, connecting the pieces of information, accused Wei Du of turning the underground palace into a death trap, using the lives of countless humans from different eras, including the recently missing villagers from Baile Village, to fuel the bead and maintain the city's immortality. Wei Du admitted to this grim truth, lamenting the difficult choices he had to make to save his people.
He implored Lu Yan to stay and rule as their king, threatening collective suicide if he abandoned them. Dengdeng, seeing through Wei Du's emotional manipulation, called his bluff. She dramatically grabbed the Dust-proof Bead, offering Wei Du a new choice: she would either smash the bead, killing everyone and relieving Lu Yan of his dilemma, or Wei Du could lead his people out of the underground palace with them.
In return, Lu Yan would become their king, and she, their queen, promising to bear children to continue his lineage once the spirit worm was expelled from her body by the bead's power. Despite Wei Du's reluctance about her Spirit Clan identity, Lu Yan declared Dengdeng's choice was his own, urging Wei Du to accept. Convinced, Wei Du agreed to lead his people out. Once outside, Wei Du knelt before Lu Yan, admitting his deep transgressions and seeking punishment.
Lu Yan questioned him about the dragon tattoo on Dengdeng's mother's killer, asking if it was related to his army. Wei Du clarified that his people had never left the city and could only exist within the Dust-proof Bead's energy field, explaining why he couldn't have been involved. He expressed profound gratitude for Lu Yan's return, proclaiming him their only hope to venture beyond the city. Lu Yan told him to rise.
Lu Yan and Dengdeng, having both maneuvered to stay in the city for their own reasons, implicitly acknowledged their shared decision. Wei Du, elated by Lu Yan's decision to stay, immediately began planning an elaborate enthronement ceremony. He presented Lu Yan with auspicious dates chosen by a fortune-teller and detailed protocols based on ancient Shu etiquette. Lu Yan, however, was indifferent, telling Wei Du to proceed as planned and not to bother with "old calendars."
He argued that the rightful heir by ancient rules would be his elder brother. Wei Du countered, recalling how the elder prince's reign led to Shu's decline and expressing his long-held belief that only Lu Yan could ensure Shu's prosperity, thus fulfilling a three-thousand-year-old regret. When Wei Du proposed building a new palace, Lu Yan dismissed it as a wasteful display, viewing himself as merely a "puppet emperor" of this isolated city.
Wei Du, deeply loyal, reiterated his commitment to helping Lu Yan restore Shu's territory and admitted his past mistake of trading with Zhu Rong for the Dust-proof Bead to ensure his people's survival. He offered to atone for his sins by stepping down after Lu Yan's coronation, begging Lu Yan not to abandon them again. Lu Yan then ordered Wei Du to cease the cruel practice of sacrificing external humans to the Dust-proof Bead.
He proposed to inject his own energy into the bead, a solution Wei Du welcomed with joy, envisioning a prosperous Shu no longer dependent on human sacrifice or Zhu Rong. Lu Yan visited the underground palace to fulfill his promise, injecting his energy into the Dust-proof Bead, which Wei Du stated would remain in the palace for safety. Later, while walking through the city with Wei Du, Lu Yan witnessed soldiers chasing a distraught Mei from Baile Village.
Mei cried out for help, terrified of "monsters." Lu Yan recognized her and sternly questioned Wei Du about the incident. It became clear that the villagers from Baile Village had been led to the underground palace to be sacrificed to the ghost vines, and Mei had barely escaped, leaving her traumatized and confused. Meanwhile, Gu Beixi was preoccupied with Bai Shiqi.
After having his men search for her, he received a jewelry box containing Bai Shiqi's hairpin and several portraits of himself, depicting both his long-haired and short-haired appearances.
The discovery, coupled with flashbacks of their past encounters—including her asking his name and him instructing her not to tell his family, her brave declaration that he wasn't a bad guy, and a poignant farewell where she used his real name and asked him to forget her—made him realize that Bai Shiqi had known his true identity all along but had chosen to pretend otherwise. Overwhelmed by regret and sorrow, Gu Beixi wept, reflecting on her image and their last embrace.
