Tiger and Crane Episode 16 Recap
> Tiger and Crane Recap
Over two days, a fifth sorcerer-related incident of violence occurred in the capital. Upon receiving the report, Qi Xiaoxuan immediately rushed to the scene. There, his subordinate, Wang Wen, suddenly went mad without warning, killing people in the street. To protect the citizens, Qi Xiaoxuan was forced to personally kill him. As Wang Wen perished, he repeatedly muttered, "Sacrificing souls, it will never end." Later, Hu Zi complained that his clothes kept tearing.
Zhao Xintong, who claimed her father had trained her in needlework, offered to mend them, but she ended up stitching the sleeves together, much to Hu Zi and Wang Yuqian's amusement. Wang Yuqian returned with a large basket of wild mushrooms, but Hu Zi immediately declared them poisonous, jokingly warning that eating them would lead to a funeral. Hu Zi then confidently offered to cook, boasting of his "Divine Tiger's private dishes," the best from Ruyun Village.
However, his cooking was so unappetizing that Wang Yuqian and Zhao Xintong struggled to eat, eventually making excuses about being full and needing to digest, quickly escaping the scene. Outside, they encountered Yu Qian and the Jinhua sisters trio, who had been directed by Xiao Yunzi to find them.
From their friends, Hu Zi, Zhao Xintong, and Wang Yuqian learned that the demons from the Demon Burning Pagoda had gone missing, and sorcerers were mysteriously losing their minds and killing people. They also discovered that the official reason for the city's lockdown – ensuring the smooth running of the Royal Sorcerer Exam – was a cover for the Three Main Halls secretly hunting down these escaped demons, a fact the Council of Elders was suppressing.
The friends relayed that Qi Xiaoxuan was suffering, having been forced to kill Wang Wen, his loyal subordinate of many years, who had suddenly gone mad. They also mentioned that Commander-in-chief Qi Yanran, upon her ascension, had transferred many of Qi Xiaoxuan's subordinates and assigned key cases to Uli Dan, causing Qi Xiaoxuan to repeatedly challenge the Council of Elders.
Despite their outward appearance of indifference, particularly given Qi Xiaoxuan had once exiled Hu Zi and stabbed him, both Hu Zi and Zhao Xintong privately expressed concern for him, acknowledging that Qi Xiaoxuan might have been trying to protect Hu Zi from Qi Yanran's temper. Meanwhile, in Tiangang Hall, Qi Xiaoxuan, still reeling from Wang Wen's death, was consoled by his grandmother, the First Master, who affirmed he did the right thing.
The Second Master returned to report that despite searching extensively within a ten-mile radius of Fulong Capital, no trace of Yi Mei had been found. The First Master, understanding Yi Mei was a highly skilled demonologist of treasures, acknowledged that finding her would be difficult if she wished to remain hidden. Qi Xiaoxuan suggested visiting Senior Zhi Xie in prison, believing that as the long-time head of Yanluo Hall, he might possess crucial information about past events.
The First Master agreed but reminded her grandson to treat Zhi Xie with utmost respect, given his venerable status and past heroism in saving countless lives during the Netherworld Sea spread. The First Master and Qi Xiaoxuan met Zhi Xie in his prison cell, who welcomed them politely but was direct. The First Master explained the strange occurrences in the capital and the evidence found at Yi Mei's Sikong Pavilion, indicating she was raising demons from the Demon Burning Pagoda.
Zhi Xie admitted his poor judgment in recruiting Old Zhang, but claimed he had reported everything and suspected a hidden mastermind behind Yi Mei, as she alone couldn't have released all the demons. He suggested they investigate the Three Main Halls and the Council of Elders privately.
Upon hearing about the sorcerers' sudden madness, Zhi Xie recalled an ancient "Netherworld Sea Resentful Spirit Black Magic" from about two hundred years ago, a spell capable of taking control of a person's mind. He asserted that the skill was thought to be extinct, and now only Yi Mei, who ironically had helped defeat the original practitioner of this very magic, would know it.
Zhi Xie concluded that Yi Mei was likely orchestrating all these events, including Old Zhang's actions and the sorcerers' possession. However, Qi Xiaoxuan expressed skepticism, questioning how Zhi Xie, being in prison, could be so certain. The First Master, knowing Zhi Xie for years, agreed, noting his uncharacteristic decisiveness. They both deduced that with all clues pointing to Yi Mei, finding her was the key to unraveling the mystery.
Around this time, Commander-in-chief Yanran sent orders for Qi Xiaoxuan to search for Captain Mo Guzi, seemingly to redirect him from the current sorcerer investigation. Recognizing Yanran's true intent to sideline Qi Xiaoxuan, the First Master intervened, instructing Qi Xiaoxuan to continue his current investigation while she personally undertook the search for Mo Guzi. On the streets, one of Qi Xiaoxuan's subordinates found himself surrounded by an enraged mob, who blamed him for the sorcerers' killings.
Just as the situation threatened to turn violent, Hu Zi, Zhao Xintong, and Wang Yuqian appeared. Hu Zi stepped forward to calm the crowd, explaining that the killings were too strange and likely the work of a demon, urging them not to be manipulated into fighting the Royal Sorcerers who had protected the city for centuries. He even offered to fight them himself to prevent bloodshed, causing the crowd to disperse.
The grateful subordinate later reported the incident to Qi Xiaoxuan, who felt a pang of guilt. Still haunted by Wang Wen's dying words, "It will never end," Qi Xiaoxuan spent the night pondering their meaning, secretly watching Hu Zi from outside his bamboo hut, nearly giving himself away by stepping on a dry branch.
With the Royal Sorcerers in Fulong City preoccupied with their own issues, Hu Zi, Zhao Xintong, and Wang Yuqian decided it was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate Yanluo Hall, believing it would be easier now. Meanwhile, the First Master, searching for Mo Guzi, visited Miaomiao at the Collection Pavilion. She subtly tested Miaomiao, asking about Mo Guzi.
Miaomiao claimed ignorance, but her failure to recall the taboo surrounding Mo Guzi's father's alcoholism, a well-known fact to those close to him, immediately raised the First Master's suspicions. Furthermore, she detected a faint herbal scent of dahurian angelica and beefsteak plant on Miaomiao. Following the faint herbal scent she detected on Miaomiao, the First Master and the Second Master embarked on a search through the forest.
After some time, the First Master precisely located a burial spot using a magic item. The Second Master dug, revealing Mo Guzi's body. The First Master deduced that he had taken "Soul Losing Powder," putting him in a state of false death, and swiftly used a spell to revive him. Mo Guzi, regaining consciousness, gasped out that Yi Mei was responsible for killing Miaomiao and had then impersonated her using her corpse.
He further revealed that Zhi Xie was Yi Mei's co-conspirator, admitting he had witnessed them secretly meeting in the capital. Mo Guzi, filled with vengeful resolve for Miaomiao, warned that their combined efforts were designed to unleash a far greater crisis. Back at Tiangang Hall, a revived Mo Guzi dramatically exposed Yi Mei's deception and her murderous alliance with Zhi Xie.
He accused them of orchestrating the disappearance of the demons and Miaomiao's death, and immediately proposed a three-hall trial for Zhi Xie. However, the Elders expressed hesitation about publicly confronting Yi Mei due to her revered status from five hundred years prior, fearing it would tarnish the Three Main Halls' reputation and incite public discontent. Despite their concerns, the First Master insisted on a full investigation, emphasizing the dire threat posed by the missing demons.
Ultimately, she suggested that the Chief Commanding Master, Zhi Xie's former student, personally interrogate him to discreetly ascertain the truth, leveraging their master-disciple bond. The Chief Commanding Master agreed and went to Zhi Xie's cell. Without prompting, Zhi Xie immediately began to speak, initially accepting blame for the missing demons.
However, he quickly revealed a cynical, long-held philosophy: the true reason the Three Main Halls had endured for five centuries was not their demon-slaying and protection of the people, but the ingrained human-demon rivalry, which fostered public fear and imperial dependence, thereby ensuring the Halls' power and status.
He concluded that demons were the very foundation of their power and success, and with his age, he felt compelled to finally share this "truth," questioning the unquestioned five-hundred-year-old narrative of human-demon animosity.
