Tiger and Crane Episode 25 Recap
> Tiger and Crane Recap
Wang Yuqian and Hu Zi disguised themselves as alluring dancers, using their performance to entice Xie Zhi (the balm thief) into appearing. They seized the opportunity to capture the demon. As Qianyu State lacked the 'eternal divine power' they sought, Hu Zi and his companions decided to return to Fulong State.
During their emotional farewell, the Imperial Preceptor and the King expressed their reluctance to see Wang Yuqian depart, with the King even granting his son a rare smile for the first time. As they prepared to leave Qianyu City, Zhao Xintong felt a growing sense of unease. She found the events since Xie Zhi's capture suspiciously smooth.
Recalling the night of the capture, she realized she hadn't detected any scent of blood from Xie Zhi, yet during their recent farewell, she vaguely caught the scent of blood from the Imperial Preceptor. Deepening her suspicions, Zhao Xintong concluded that the Imperial Preceptor was complicit and feared for the King's safety. They immediately rushed back to the palace, where they encountered a demon actively feeding on human blood.
As the four prepared to apprehend the demon, the Imperial Preceptor suddenly appeared and stopped them. He revealed that the demon was, in fact, the King. He explained that days earlier, the King had personally led troops to battle invading demons but was unfortunately wounded by a Gudiao demon. Since then, every night during the 'zi shi' period (approximately 11:00 p. m. to 1:00 a. m.
), he would transform into a blood-sucking demon, only regaining his human form and calming down after consuming human blood. The Imperial Preceptor had sought help from several skilled doctors, hiding the King's identity, but all had declared the King's condition had penetrated his primordial spirit and bone marrow, making it beyond cure. Overcome with guilt, Wang Yuqian stayed by his father's bedside until the King awoke.
The King, aware of his son's medical knowledge, asked for an honest assessment of his condition, and Wang Yuqian did not hide the truth: the demon poison had spread throughout his body, threatening to fully transform him into a demon within days without a cure. The King then invited Wang Yuqian to walk with him through Qianyu City. Once a bustling hub, the city now appeared desolate, prompting the King to express shame at his inability to protect his people.
Wang Yuqian reassured him, praising his reign of peace and prosperity, suggesting that Yi Mei, who released the demons, was truly to blame. The King reminisced about Wang Yuqian's two-year absence and admitted that he had previously encouraged the messenger to conceal his own injuries from Wang Yuqian. He confessed that he too had once yearned for freedom and escaped the palace in his youth, but eventually accepted his destiny to rule.
He revealed that his strict upbringing of Wang Yuqian was to prepare him for kingship, but he also cherished Wang Yuqian's desire for freedom. As they strolled, Wang Yuqian bought a pair of new, comfortable shoes for his father, personally helping him put them on. He began affectionately calling his father "Dad," a term that deeply moved the King, who recalled the last time his son used it was when he was only two or three years old.
From atop the city walls, the King shared a long-held secret: the legend of the Qiling God was true. Five hundred years ago, their ancestor, Wang Qianyu, formed a contract with the Qiling God. The deity helped him establish the kingdom, and in return, all descendants of the Wang family were destined to become vessels for the Qiling God's divine consciousness. This divine power, passed down through their bloodline, was the lifeblood of Qianyu State's prosperity.
However, once released, the vessel would lose self-consciousness and be replaced by the divine consciousness, similar to how Wang Qianyu passed away shortly after using it. The King then revealed that this divine power resided within Wang Yuqian himself, explaining his talent for healing. He had kept this truth hidden to protect Wang Yuqian from being exploited. Though a blessing, it was also a curse, trapping the Wang family as prisoners of God for generations.
Wang Yuqian, realizing the profound responsibility, immediately thought of using this power to cure his father, but the King urged him to live his own life and pursue happiness. Meanwhile, Hu Zi and Zhao Xintong, wanting to alleviate Wang Yuqian's worries, discussed quickly locating Yi Mei in Peak Valley to find a way to cure the King's demon poison.
Upon returning to the palace, Wang Yuqian, now fully aware of the great burden he carried, searched for a solution with Hu Zi and Zhao Xintong. He discovered an ancient method known as "blood for blood, life for life," but learned that while it could save the afflicted, it would exhaust the life force of the one giving blood, leading to their demise. Both Hu Zi and Zhao Xintong vehemently opposed this method for Wang Yuqian.
That very night, rather than consume human blood, the King chose to end his own life, leaving Wang Yuqian utterly devastated and in profound grief, having lost his father so suddenly. Meanwhile, Qi Xiaoxuan's body was recovering rapidly, though his speed still needed improvement for actual combat.
With the help of Mo Guzi and the Thousand Thread, Qi Xiaoxuan could connect his consciousness with Mo Guzi's and utilize Mo Guzi's spirit essences, significantly enhancing his strength and enabling him to perform complex movements seamlessly. Wang Yuqian ascended to the throne, but his rule was met with widespread skepticism. Numerous ministers resigned, and citizens began migrating, doubting the newly crowned King's capabilities.
With the Imperial Preceptor, Hu Zi, and Zhao Xintong present, Wang Yuqian revealed the truth about the Qiling God and the divine power within him, explaining that releasing it would lead to him losing his self-consciousness as his body would be occupied by the deity. Hu Zi and Zhao Xintong adamantly refused to let Wang Yuqian sacrifice his life for the divine power.
Unexpectedly, the Imperial Preceptor took an uncharacteristically forceful stance, vehemently demanding that Wang Yuqian sacrifice his life and allow the Qiling God to govern Qianyu State, claiming it was the only way to save the nation from its current crisis and restore morale. Wang Yuqian, feeling inadequate as a ruler, considered abdicating in favor of the Imperial Preceptor, whom he believed was more competent.
He prepared an edict of abdication and attempted to leave Qianyu State with Hu Zi and Zhao Xintong. However, they were intercepted at the city gate by Xiao Yunzi and other guards. When Wang Yuqian insisted on leaving, the Imperial Preceptor arrived and used Xiao Yunzi as leverage, threatening him.
Faced with this coercion and the Imperial Preceptor's impassioned pleas for him to fulfill his destiny and save the nation, Wang Yuqian was left with no choice but to remain and participate in the sacrificial ceremony the following day, where he was to offer his life to the Qiling God. The Imperial Preceptor then scorned Wang Yuqian, calling him unfilial and lacking the virtue of a benevolent ruler for attempting to abandon his country during a time of national mourning.
