Treasure at Dawn Episode 28 Recap
> Treasure at Dawn Recap
Fu Sheng, having meticulously planned and anticipated Sun Siming's malicious intentions during a competition, cleverly ensured a fake jade plate was presented to the event. Subsequently, Sun Siming, eager to curry favor, presented this jade plate to Su Rang, only for Su Rang to immediately identify it as a poorly made fake. Faced with impending death, Sun Siming desperately pleaded for another chance.
He claimed to have been tricked but promised to retrieve the real Bird Jade Plate and the Painting of Luan. He strategically pointed out that attacking the well-fortified Xichuan city would take at least ten days, but he knew a secret passage that would allow him to enter the city and acquire the real treasures without any casualties. Intrigued by Sun Siming's tenacity, Su Rang agreed to his plan, giving him until midnight to deliver the real items.
Sun Siming gratefully accepted the terms. Meanwhile, inside Xichuan, Wen Yu and Jiu shared a moment of reflection. Wen Yu confided in Jiu, expressing his desire to be a good city lord and care for his people, now that their father was recovering. Jiu, deeply moved, promised to protect Wen Yu as long as he lived. This heartfelt exchange underscored Jiu's unwavering loyalty. Shortly after, Sun Siming and his elite team used the secret passage to infiltrate Xichuan.
They swiftly made their way through the city, ruthlessly killing guards. Wen Jiu, upon hearing of Sun Siming's invasion, decisively led an elite team to fiercely counterattack. Sun Siming's forces, however, soon received intelligence that Fu Sheng and the city lord, Wen Yu, who had been shot by an arrow, were at Wenfu Hall. Sun Siming then ordered his heavy-armored soldiers to converge on the clinic, determined to capture Fu Sheng and seize the jade plate.
At the clinic, Fu Sheng was entirely engrossed in a delicate surgery to save Wen Yu. Sun Siming's forces, including heavy-armored soldiers, surrounded the clinic. Outside, Wen Yu's sister confronted Sun Siming, rejecting his false overtures and accusing him of being a true villain. Sun Siming, aware that the jade plate he presented earlier was fake, demanded Fu Sheng hand over the real one. When she refused, he ordered his troops to breach the clinic doors.
The city guards valiantly defended the entrance, but their numbers were dwindling. Wen Yu's sister rushed back into the clinic to inform Fu Sheng that Jiu feared their defenses would crumble, and asked how much longer the surgery would take. Fu Sheng estimated he needed at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Wen Yu, despite his severe injury, urged Jiu to hold on, acknowledging their precarious situation.
Jiu, reaffirming his promise to protect Wen Yu, ordered Wen Yu's sister to return to Fu Sheng and ensure the surgery continued while he personally took on the overwhelming Jibei Army. Sun Siming, witnessing Jiu's fierce resistance, attempted to tempt him into surrender, claiming Wen Yu was dying and offering him a chance to join his side. Jiu, however, defiantly mocked Sun Siming's villainy and refused to yield, accusing him of merely trying to stall.
Enraged by Jiu's unwavering loyalty and defiance, Sun Siming offered a hefty reward of ten taels of gold to anyone who could kill him. The Jibei Army surged forward, and despite Jiu's valiant efforts, he was eventually overpowered. Sun Siming delivered a fatal blow to Jiu, then taunted his dying foe, promising to decapitate him, Wen Yu, and Wen Yu's sister (Wen Jue), hanging their heads on the city walls and casting their bodies into the river.
Inside, Fu Sheng, miraculously, had managed to perform the intricate surgery, finding that the arrow narrowly missed Wen Yu's main vein, saving his life. Wen Yu's sister discovered Jiu's lifeless body, grieving intensely before confronting Sun Siming. Ignoring his feigned condolences, she listened as Sun Siming threatened to execute a city guard every half an incense stick's time until Fu Sheng handed over the real jade plate.
Back inside, she relayed the tragic news of Jiu's death and Sun Siming's ultimatum to Fu Sheng. Despite warnings from his companions about Sun Siming's treachery, Fu Sheng, having completed Wen Yu's successful surgery, decided it was better for one to die than for all of them. He appeared before Sun Siming just as another guard was about to be killed, stopping the execution.
Holding the genuine jade plate, Fu Sheng laid down his conditions: Sun Siming must cease all killings and withdraw his troops. In exchange, Fu Sheng would accompany them and reveal the treasure, but only after meeting Su Rang. Fu Sheng further pressured Sun Siming by reminding him that this was his last chance to deliver the real treasure to Su Rang, or face Su Rang's wrath. Realizing his precarious position, Sun Siming reluctantly agreed to Fu Sheng's terms.
Sun Siming triumphantly presented the genuine Bird Jade Plate to Su Rang, claiming to have fulfilled his mission. He then informed Su Rang that Fu Sheng wished to speak with him. Su Rang, initially dismissive, listened as Fu Sheng boldly questioned if he knew how to "use" the jade plate and the Painting of Luan, revealing that he possessed the knowledge.
Fu Sheng explained that he and his friends were willing to join Su Rang in opening the Sealed Book Treasure. Su Rang noted that Fu Sheng reminded him of someone and asked his identity. Fu Sheng revealed his father was Sage Zhu, a man Su Rang recognized. This connection further solidified Fu Sheng's demand: he wished to enter the treasure site to understand his father's legacy, even if it meant his death.
Su Rang agreed, mockingly promising to ensure Fu Sheng's "death with understanding." Sun Siming, eager to participate, volunteered to accompany Fu Sheng to find the treasure entrance, promising to signal Su Rang with a beacon fire once it was located. Despite Guo Sishui's warnings about Sun Siming's untrustworthy nature, Su Rang dismissed her concerns. He explicitly stated that he was deliberately leveraging Sun Siming's ambition, knowing he sought control of Xichuan itself rather than just wealth.
Su Rang concluded that he would grant Xichuan to Sun Siming once he secured the Sealed Book Treasure. He then entrusted Sun Siming with the Painting of Luan. Fu Sheng, accompanied by Gu Tian, Wen Yu's sister, and Sun Siming, embarked on the journey with the Painting of Luan and the jade plate. Sun Siming quickly grew impatient, accusing Fu Sheng of deliberately wasting time by wandering aimlessly.
Gu Tian fiercely defended Fu Sheng, threatening Sun Siming's life if he harmed him, while Wen Yu's sister reminded Sun Siming that Fu Sheng was their only guide to the treasure. Sun Siming, acknowledging their shared predicament, apologized. Fu Sheng then explained that without the proper method, they could only proceed by trial and error.
He handed the jade plate (which Sun Siming referred to as a hollow bronze ball) to Sun Siming, indicating it was essential for solving the puzzle. Sun Siming, in turn, urged Fu Sheng to remember Su Rang's impatience. As Fu Sheng carefully placed the Painting of Luan onto the jade plate, it began to react, triggering a vivid childhood memory.
He recalled his father showing him a map of Xichuan and playing a game that involved light and shadows, where rotating objects revealed different patterns, some resembling a dragon. This memory illuminated the true meaning of the Painting of Luan. Fu Sheng then confidently declared that he knew the treasure's location: the "dragon head" at the mountain peak.
Meanwhile, in a separate but related development, Su Rang was sternly admonished by his father, the King of Jibei, for his perceived foolishness. The King emphasized the critical importance of securing the Sealed Book Treasure for their survival, reminding Su Rang that his position was entirely dependent on the King's will. Back at the mountain, Sun Siming's men discovered murals and a hidden door after carefully clearing away vegetation.
Believing they had found the entrance, Sun Siming ordered a beacon fire lit to alert Su Rang before impulsively rushing inside himself, leaving his men to guard the entrance. Su Rang, seeing the beacon, ordered Guo Sishui and a team to follow him into the cave, leaving his father to secure the rear, expressing suspicion about Sun Siming's eagerness.
Inside the intricate and dark cave, Sun Siming found evidence of recent habitation, including a still-burning fire and cooking food, which puzzled him given the assumed isolation of the place for decades. Fu Sheng, Gu Tian, and Wen Yu's sister, now separated from Sun Siming, found themselves in darkness. Wen Yu's sister called out for her companions and proposed they light a bonfire.
She found animal bones and a rag, but recognized the rag carried "Que Xian" spice, a dangerous substance they had encountered before in Shangyi, and warned against burning it. Suddenly, a masked figure emerged from the shadows. Before Fu Sheng or Gu Tian could react, Wen Yu's sister was ambushed from behind, knocked unconscious, and her clothes were quickly changed by two mysterious masked figures who then vanished into the depths of the cave. Separated in the dark and complex passages, Sun Siming was also ambushed and knocked unconscious.
