Tiger and Crane Episode 12 Recap
> Tiger and Crane Recap
Qi Xiaoxuan returned to his residence in the capital, where he carefully planted the roots of Mu Dan, hoping that one day she would blossom again. While a maid brought back Xiaowu, a bird, Qi Yanran arrived to confront Qi Xiaoxuan. She scorned him for tending to flowers and birds amidst the significant events unfolding in the capital.
Qi Yanran blamed him for killing the Horse Demon, which severed crucial clues and caused the Council of Elders to become enraged with the Qi family, deeming him a disgrace to the Qi Sect. She also reminded him of the past, accusing him of taking control of his body and asserting that he would never achieve the position of commander as long as she was around.
It was revealed that Qi Xiaoxuan’s body harbored two distinct personalities: Yan, who was cool and composed, and Qian, who was kind and gentle. They were aware of each other’s existence, coexisted harmoniously, and considered themselves good brothers, with Qian being particularly skilled in healing and having previously helped the parrot Xiaowu. Meanwhile, at the Sorcerer's Inn, Hu Zi, enraged, grabbed Cheng Jinian by the collar.
Ximen Miaomiao, the Captain of Tiangang Hall Team 11, interrupted, asking if anyone had seen her small white cat, Xiaoyao. Cheng Jinian quickly instructed others to search for it, and Xiaoyao was eventually found. Ximen Miaomiao then announced that the details for the Royal Sorcerer preliminary exam would be revealed the following morning at the lecture stage, urging everyone to spread the word and attend on time.
Later, as Zhao Xintong expressed her desire to join Tiangang Hall to focus on capturing demons, Wang Yuqian declared his intention to follow Hu Zi wherever he went. Hu Zi revealed his goal was to enter Yanluo Hall, explaining it was the only way to find clues about his mother, even if it meant dealing with what others considered a boring administrative role involving the collection and organization of centuries-old demon information.
He stressed that regardless of the chosen hall, martial arts training was essential for the exam’s combat segment. In preparation for the exam, Hu Zi needed a suitable weapon. Eldest Master and Yi Mei Fairy discussed the Phurba within Hu Zi. Yi Mei Fairy explained that the Phurba could not indefinitely suppress the demonic tail in his body. If Hu Zi failed to control its power, he risked being consumed by it.
She stressed that activating the Phurba was the only way to fully remove the demonic tail. Eldest Master agreed, revealing his plan to guide Hu Zi in controlling the Phurba. He clarified that only the "shell" of the Phurba would be removed from Hu Zi for training, while its "body" would remain within him to continue suppressing the demonic tail. He noted that if the shell was separated for too long, it would automatically return to its body.
Eldest Master then proceeded to remove the Phurba from Hu Zi's body to begin his training. Concurrently, Qi Xiaoxuan searched the Ghost Market for demons from the Demon Burning Pagoda, but his efforts were fruitless. All the demons from the pagoda bore distinctive marks, and he found none. Since Mu Dan's transformation into a demon, Tiangang Hall had intensified its scrutiny of the Ghost Market, making it difficult to find any suitable demons.
Qi Xiaoxuan pondered whether demons had escaped from Tiangang Hall, as no other demons had made any discernible moves, leaving him without clues. Back at the exam preparations, Mo Guzi, the Captain of Tiangang Hall Team 12, appeared, initially displaying a stern demeanor that softened upon seeing Ximen Miaomiao. Ximen Miaomiao, serving as the preliminary exam supervisor, outlined the rules: the exam would commence in three days at Baihua Mountain.
Contestants were free to form teams, and the first team to collect one hundred Demon Pearls from the Bee Demons would directly qualify for the next round. Cheng Jinian attempted to form a team with Zhao Xintong, but she rejected him, choosing instead to team up with Hu Zi and Wang Yuqian.
Meanwhile, Yi Mei Fairy, unconcerned by the increased personnel at the Sorcerer's Inn, mentioned she had tasked Eldest Master with enlightening Hu Zi and teaching him to control Phurba, aiming to activate its first stage. She subtly implied that their operations would benefit from being discreet while others were in the open. Eldest Master began Hu Zi's training to control Phurba. Hu Zi initially struggled to even hold the heavy weapon, as it required channeling spirit essences.
During this time, Ximen Miaomiao observed and conversed with Mo Guzi, noting his reserved nature and pondering if being a cat would be better. Eldest Master explained that Phurba was a sentient magic artifact, not merely a tool, and Hu Zi needed to treat it as an extension of his own body, aligning his spirit essences with its "breathing."
He instructed Hu Zi and Zhao Xintong to perform a horse stance while holding water buckets, emphasizing the use of spirit essences over brute physical strength. Remarkably, once Hu Zi's golden spirit essence was depleted, holding the Phurba became effortless. Eldest Master explained that exhausting the spirit essence allowed for a better perception of the weapon, akin to muscle training after physical exertion. He mandated that Hu Zi carry the Phurba even while sleeping to fully master its control.
Qi Xiaoxuan continued his diligent search, yet he still could not find any demons bearing the distinctive mark of the Demon Burning Pagoda. All the demons he had encountered and eliminated thus far bore no such branding. On the day of the preliminary exam, Eldest Master advised the examinees to eat meat skewers and save the wooden sticks, suggesting they would be useful against the Bee Demons.
However, due to Cheng Jinian's sabotage, Hu Zi's group received a tampered map, leading them to Xiangnian Shan instead of Baihua Mountain. Upon realizing Cheng Jinian's deception, they understood the main entrance to Baihua Mountain was sealed by a protective formation designed to prevent Bee Demons from harming the populace, rendering it inaccessible. Zhao Xintong, however, devised an alternative, suggesting an old, abandoned path down a cliff face, previously used for descending the mountain.
Despite Wang Yuqian's fear of heights, they resolved to use this perilous route to enter Baihua Mountain. Inside Baihua Mountain, they soon located the Bee Demon's hive, which appeared to contain an abundance of Demon Pearls. When confronted by a swarm of Bee Demons, Hu Zi, remembering Eldest Master's advice, used the saved wooden skewers as effective weapons. At this location, Ximen Miaomiao was monitoring the situation.
Simultaneously, Yi Mei Fairy, with the intention of testing Hu Zi’s progress, released a Thousand-year Bee Demon. Ximen Miaomiao witnessed this act, prompting Yi Mei Fairy to conclude that she could not allow Ximen Miaomiao to leave. At the same time, investigators from Disha Hall, who were tracking demons, discovered that Yi Mei Fairy had illicitly imprisoned demons in Babao Town, including the Black Wind Demon Lord. They immediately dispatched a message bird to inform the Chief of this critical development.
