Thousand Years For You Episode 8 Recap
> Thousand Years For You Recap
On a beautiful evening filled with fireflies, Yu Dengdeng felt incredibly happy. Lu Yan asked her if she had any unfulfilled wishes. She smiled, telling him that he had already made her wishes come true, and now her greatest wish was for his desires to also be realized. Unbeknownst to her, his wish would come at her expense.
Earlier, Lu Yan had given her brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, which he had offered to keep warm in his arms until she wanted them. However, his subordinate reminded him that the full moon night was fleeting, and the Ying Dragon ashes were depleted, emphasizing that this was their only chance. Lu Yan internally apologized, acknowledging his necessary actions. The swarm of fireflies guided Yu Dengdeng into a Spirit-gathering formation.
Before she could fully comprehend the situation, Lu Yan moved against her. A flood of cherished memories with Lu Yan overwhelmed her, from his past kindness to the hairpin he had given her with a promise to protect her from any harm. Now, these memories felt like a cruel joke. Yet, as her blood dripped, it unexpectedly broke the formation. Yu Dengdeng angrily stepped on the dropped glutinous rice cakes, confronting Lu Yan.
She revealed that her father had taught her that her blood, capable of defeating spirit clans, could also destroy all formations. She realized that the Ying Dragon bones were for this purpose, and his presence in Qingquan Stronghold was solely for this. Distraught, she questioned why he, who had treated her so well, now sought her life, even after she had accepted his Spirit Clan identity.
She gave him a final chance to explain, promising to believe him, but Lu Yan remained silent. With a heavy heart, she pulled out a gun, fired two warning shots beside him, and commanded him to leave Qingquan Town, declaring they would never meet again. She then tore off her hairpin and left without a backward glance. Xin, witnessing the event, was stunned, noting that only the blood of the Golden Crow Saintess could break the formation.
Lu Yan pondered if Yu Dengdeng could truly be Yun Xi. Returning to Qingquan Stronghold, Yu Dengdeng locked herself in her room, refusing to eat or see anyone for days. Her subordinates, including Dahai, worried constantly, bringing her food, which she ignored. Upon hearing of Yu Dengdeng's distress, a concerned Gu Beixi woke up, immediately suspecting Lu Yan.
While his followers advised him to seize the opportunity to win Yu Dengdeng's heart, Gu Beixi dismissed their suggestions, stating his only concern was Yu Dengdeng's happiness, as her suffering pained him deeply. Driven by a desire for revenge, Gu Beixi rallied his men and threatened local merchants, ordering them to cease all business with Xin's Sedan Chair Company, warning that non-compliance would result in expulsion from Qingquan Town. He also arranged for drum singers to spread the news.
When Lu Yan learned of Nanfeng Stronghold's interference, he accepted the situation, acknowledging his initial wrongdoing and deciding not to escalate the conflict. Meanwhile, Zhu Rong, having been informed of Yu Dengdeng's ability to break the formation, also dispatched agents to investigate her origins. Yu Dengdeng eventually emerged from her room, outwardly composed, though a deep anger simmered within.
She admonished her subordinates for their extravagance in preparing special dishes like pork liver, spiced pork intestines, and rabbit heads, reminding them of Qingquan Stronghold's need for frugality. Passing through Gongbao Garden, she impulsively slashed a portrait of a beautiful woman, remarking that she would prefer portraits of handsome men. Entering the room Lu Yan once occupied, she was overwhelmed by memories, clutching the hairpin he had given her and recalling his promises of protection juxtaposed with his recent betrayal.
Struggling to maintain her composure, she ordered all of Lu Yan's belongings to be sold, not burned, to generate funds for the stronghold, declaring her intent to use the money for her own enjoyment. She further commanded his sedan chair to be dismantled. Later, when the Yanhuo Stronghold, a small and impoverished stronghold from the 18 mountain strongholds, sought permission to transport stones through Qingquan Stronghold for an expansion, Yu Dengdeng firmly refused.
Lv Er recounted how Yu Dengdeng had beaten their chief last year for encroaching on farmland, and how they were now trying to curry favor. Daqian suggested granting permission, as Yanhuo Stronghold's growth could threaten Nanfeng Stronghold, and Qingquan could collect tolls. However, Yu Dengdeng rejected the idea, expressing her distaste for the name "Yanhuo" (meaning "flaming fire"), linking it to her current feelings of revulsion towards Lu Yan.
She also recalled that the Yanhuo chief had cursed her mother during their past altercation, a deep insult she had not forgotten. Declaring that "it's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge," she ordered Dahai to assemble dozens of brothers to destroy the stronghold. Daqian supported the decision, arguing that Yanhuo Stronghold's fence-sitting allegiance could be detrimental to Qingquan if they were absorbed by Gu Beixi. Yu Dengdeng then gave Daqian the honor of leading the assault.
Furthermore, she decreed a series of measures to systematically erase Lu Yan's presence: old target practice equipment would be replaced with new targets featuring Lu Yan's face, and special dishes once prepared for him would be given derogatory names such as "Cruel and Unscrupulous Package," "By Hook or By Crook Package," "Black Sheep Package," and "Worse Than a Beast Package." She also banned the name "Xin's Sedan Chair Company" from appearing anywhere in town.
Despite these retaliatory actions, when Lu Yan was informed that Qingquan Stronghold was causing trouble for Xin's Sedan Chair Company, he simply stated that as long as Yu Dengdeng was happy, she could cause all the trouble she wished. Meanwhile, Chang reported that Paralyzed Yu was last sighted in Yingdu, but his exact location remained unknown, and Yingdu had become quite unstable.
Xin revealed he had been secretly monitoring Lv Er, who, after visiting Yu Dengdeng's mother's grave in the back mountain, also paid respects and burned paper at a small, unnamed grave. At this grave, Lv Er tearfully spoke, addressing a "child" who would have been a grown woman by now.
He mentioned placing the child's memorial tablet in the Yu family ancestral temple, intending for the former chieftain to reveal the truth to Yu Dengdeng and add the child's story to the family tree. Finding this suspicious, Lu Yan decided to investigate personally. He followed Lv Er to the Yu family ancestral temple, where he confronted him upon seeing a memorial tablet bearing the name Yu Dengdeng.
Lu Yan demanded an explanation, but Lv Er evasively claimed it was a fake tablet created years ago to fool the King of Hell because the young Yu Dengdeng was frail, and accused Lu Yan of being a liar, urging him to "be conscientious." Lu Yan then pressed for the whereabouts of the Golden Crow Bird that the former chieftain brought back twenty years ago. Lv Er insisted it had been eaten, despite Lu Yan's disbelief.
Their conversation was abruptly cut short by the arrival of Daqian. Lu Yan later returned to his former courtyard, now dilapidated, including his sedan chair which had been torn down as per Yu Dengdeng's orders. He felt a pang of sadness at the sight. Noticing a spiritual butterfly, he crushed it and then reinforced the barrier around Qingquan Stronghold, realizing other Spirit Clan members were secretly monitoring Yu Dengdeng.
He tasked Xin with finding a way to confirm if Yu Dengdeng was indeed Yun Xi, acknowledging that someone had already set their sights on her. Xin visited a library, where the librarian, recognizing him as someone who once stood by the Saintess, directed him to the "Collection of Thousands of Years' Knowledge" by Long Yangzi, a book by a Tang Dynasty spirit-hunter containing extensive records of the Spirit Clan and spirits.
However, the librarian only possessed the first half, lamenting that the crucial second half, which held all the secrets of spirit clans and spirits, was nowhere to be found. The librarian speculated that if General Yan (Lu Yan) himself needed to verify a spirit, it could only be the Saintess, foreshadowing renewed conflict given the turmoil caused by the Saintess giving her energy core to General Yan in the past.
Worried about the impending unrest, the librarian decided to retreat to safety. Xin, observing Lu Yan's relentless efforts to protect Yu Dengdeng, began to question if his master's concern stemmed from more than just her potential identity as the Saintess, pondering why Lu Yan wouldn't return the hairpin to her if her safety was truly his paramount concern.
