Tiger and Crane Episode 14 Recap
> Tiger and Crane Recap
During the Royal Sorcerer Exam, Qi Xiaoxuan's demeanor drastically changed, and he violently attacked Hu Zi, leaving him with no pulse. Amidst the shock, Wang Yuqian quickly used a brick to revive Hu Zi. Following the rules of the examination, Qi Yanran was declared the winner, securing her position as Commander-in-chief, and all candidates from Black Camp were promoted to Royal Sorcerers. Later, Wu Lidan, now promoted to Camp Commander, confronted Qi Yanran.
He questioned her about Qi Xiaoxuan's sudden betrayal, accusing her of using forbidden soul-capturing magic on a colleague, an offense punishable by permanent expulsion under the Fulong Law. Wu Lidan stressed his duty to report such a transgression to Yanluo Hall. Qi Yanran denied using any evil magic, claiming Qi Xiaoxuan's actions were voluntary, part of a "deal" they had made.
She then shrewdly appealed to Wu Lidan's ambition, highlighting his desire to achieve something for the Wu family and congratulating him on his promotion, implying his complicity. Meanwhile, Jiang Xici returned to the Qi family's secret room, discovering that the mirror, which had long confined Yan, Qi Xiaoxuan's other primordial spirit, was shattered.
Qi Yanran appeared, brazenly admitting she had shattered the mirror and had previously used the Spirit Assassination Pill to consume Fei, her own primordial spirit, making her completely disappear. Jiang Xici confronted her, expressing profound disappointment in these despicable acts. Qi Yanran argued she had merely freed Fei from an eternal, dark imprisonment, claiming it was a form of liberation.
She dismissed Jiang Xici's accusations of breaking ancestral rules, asserting she had already suffered retribution (due to the pill's effect on her lineage), and sarcastically questioned when Jiang Xici, who had "indulged" the Qi family's numerous tragedies, would receive her own, even threatening to expose the Qi family's secrets if Jiang Xici continued to interfere. After asserting her role as the true successor to the Qi Sect, she departed.
Separately, Yan, now fully in control of Qi Xiaoxuan's body, was confronted by Jiang Xici, who urged him to return the body to Qian. Yan defiantly refused, stating his determination to always return, recalling his eight years of imprisonment where he endlessly counted the bricks in the secret chamber to affirm his existence. Back at the Sorcerer's Inn, candidates who had failed the exam discussed Qi Xiaoxuan's inexplicable betrayal, questioning his character and motives.
Wu Lidan, acting on Qi Yanran's orders, then arrived and commanded all unselected candidates to vacate the inn immediately, giving them only one day. He sternly dismissed their protests of unfairness, declaring that rules were made by the victors, and warned of imprisonment for any who dared to defy him. Hu Zi sought out Qi Xiaoxuan, demanding to know why he had attacked him.
Yan, still possessing Qi Xiaoxuan's body, coldly stated he had no friends and saw everyone as fake. He then moved to attack Hu Zi again, but Zhao Xintong intervened, realizing Yan's intent to kill. She pulled Hu Zi away, promising to save the real Qi Xiaoxuan. Yan taunted Hu Zi, labeling him a demon and vowing to destroy everything he held dear.
A flashback revealed the inherent nature of Qi Sect members: they are born with twin primordial spirits, but one body cannot sustain two. The ancestral Crane Beast Longevity Lock is given at birth and worn until the Spirit Lock Ritual at age twelve, when one primordial spirit is chosen to fully inherit the body. During Qi Yanran's ritual years ago, Fei was the intended inheritor.
However, the other primordial spirit, Jiang, had secretly consumed the Spirit Assassination Pill, gradually eliminating Fei. During the ritual, Fei failed to open the lock, and Jiang proclaimed her victory, taking over the name Qi Yanran and declaring Fei's fragile spirit was meant to vanish. Jiang later advised a young Qi Xiaoxuan that to survive with two primordial spirits in one body, one must inevitably eliminate the other.
Continuing the flashback, Qi Yanran (the primordial spirit Jiang) encouraged Yan to use the Spirit Assassination Pill on Qian, arguing for the survival of the fittest. Qian, unknowingly consuming the pill from Yan believing it to be healing medicine, soon collapsed as his primordial spirit began to fail. Jiang Xici discovered Qian's critical condition and immediately suspected Yan. Despite Yan's vehement denial and claims of being framed by Qi Yanran, Jiang Xici bound him, accusing him of merciless cruelty.
To save Qian, Jiang Xici placed his weakening primordial spirit in a "spirit well." This act of clear favoritism intensified Yan's resentment towards Jiang Xici. Trapped in the spirit well, Yan pleaded with Qian, attempting to convince him of his innocence. However, Qian, swayed by Jiang Xici's accusations and Qi Yanran's earlier lessons on self-preservation, began to doubt Yan and internalize the idea of relying only on himself.
Witnessing Qian's lost faith and the deteriorating situation, Yan declared he would never again relinquish control of the body. As Jiang Xici attempted to extract Qian from the spirit well, asserting it was Yan's rightful place, Yan defiantly resisted, asserting control over his own destiny even within the spirit mirror world where Jiang Xici's powers were limited. The spirit well began to close, threatening all within.
Back in the present, Jiang Xici successfully repaired the shattered mirror and, using an incantation, returned Yan's primordial spirit to its confinement, allowing Qian to fully regain control of Qi Xiaoxuan's body. Upon regaining consciousness, Qian found a cryptic message left by Yan, presumably written in blood. Following this, Qi Yanran conversed with the re-imprisoned Yan, praising his strength compared to the "cowardly and incompetent" Qian and promising to help him escape again with a new plan.
Hu Zi then confronted Qi Yanran, accusing her of casting a spell on Qi Xiaoxuan. Qi Yanran dismissed his claims, asserting that Qi Xiaoxuan's aggressive behavior was his true nature, merely unmasked. As her guards prepared to deal with Hu Zi, a summons from the Chief Commander for an urgent meeting at Tiangang Hall provided a timely reprieve.
Before leaving, Qi Yanran ominously warned Hu Zi about the "demonic tail" within him and vowed to execute him if they ever met again. Shortly thereafter, Hu Zi encountered Qi Xiaoxuan on the street, who seemed to have returned to his former self. However, Qi Xiaoxuan coldly declared that Hu Zi was a demon and that he, as a Royal Sorcerer, could never be friends with such a being, ordering him to leave the capital.
He confessed that their past friendship, including the red bead and the exam, was a manipulation, and Hu Zi was nothing more than a pawn, then discarded a jade pendant as a symbolic gesture. Despite Zhao Xintong and Wang Yuqian's heartbroken protests and attempts to appeal to their past bond, Qi Xiaoxuan remained unyielding. Deeply wounded by his words and actions, Hu Zi, Zhao Xintong, and Wang Yuqian turned and walked away. Once they were gone, the cold facade on Qi Xiaoxuan's face crumbled, revealing his profound anguish.
