Truth or Dare Episode 14 Recap
> Truth or Dare Recap
Lord Nocturnal-elf found Guo Baiwan, who immediately called for the officers, falsely claiming Lord Nocturnal-elf was seeking revenge. Lord Nocturnal-elf, in turn, exposed Guo Baiwan as a salt trafficker violating national law and harming the people, urging the officers to arrest him instead. Despite Guo Baiwan’s denials, Lord Nocturnal-elf presented a map marking the hidden stashes of illegal salt. Just as the officers began to investigate, a mysterious figure ordered his men to attack, revealing an ambush.
Realizing they were surrounded, Lord Nocturnal-elf quickly instructed the officers to retreat, covering their escape. During the chaotic fight, Xiao Wanzi unexpectedly appeared and assisted Lord Nocturnal-elf with her slingshot. Although her help was timely, they were outnumbered and forced to flee, eventually evading their pursuers. Once safe, Lord Nocturnal-elf, who is Mei Shiqing, chided Xiao Wanzi for following him, emphasizing the danger and telling her she was more of a hindrance than help.
Xiao Wanzi argued that she was merely concerned for his safety, just as he was fearless. She then pressed him to acknowledge her help, asking if it was so difficult to say "thank you." Mei Shiqing, with a slight hesitation, quietly thanked her, but before Xiao Wanzi could fully process it, he quickly moved on. After their escape, Wang Biao contacted his master to apologize for failing to capture Lord Nocturnal-elf.
His master, showing leniency, sent Wang Biao to Dragon Stockade. Meanwhile, Xiao Bao took Lu Yingyao to visit He Yizhi in prison. Despite the guards' initial refusal, Xiao Bao bribed them with silver, allowing Lu Yingyao to deliver food. While there, Xiao Bao noticed Wang Biao, a former associate, arriving at the stockade. Wang Biao later presented Nan Batian with lavish gifts from his master.
He then proposed an alliance, asking Nan Batian to help capture Lord Nocturnal-elf, who had continually disrupted their operations. Though initially reluctant to provoke Lord Nocturnal-elf, Nan Batian's resolve wavered when Wang Biao offered 200 taels of gold upfront, with an additional 500 taels if Lord Nocturnal-elf was captured alive. Nan Batian, recalling Wang Biao's master as his former capable subordinate, eagerly accepted, promising good news.
Xiao Bao, secretly overhearing this conversation and preventing Wu from listening, confidently declared himself the only one capable of such a task. Later, Nan Batian gathered his men, announcing the task from the Salter Cartel and promising a reward of 500 taels of silver for Lord Nocturnal-elf's capture. Xiao Bao, uninterested in the monetary reward, made a plea to Nan Batian: if he succeeded, he wished to marry Xiao Wanzi.
Nan Batian, who had hoped to marry Xiao Bao to his own daughter, Nan Xiang, was initially enraged but softened by Xiao Bao's sincere confession that he only viewed Nan Xiang as a sister and that Xiao Wanzi was unique. Moved, Nan Batian agreed, promising Xiao Bao could marry Xiao Wanzi if he captured Lord Nocturnal-elf.
Overjoyed, Xiao Bao immediately shared the news with Lu Yingyao, who was greatly relieved at the prospect of not being forced to marry Nan Batian. Xiao Bao reassured her, promising that he would not compel her to marry him after completing the task, as her freedom was paramount. He also expressed his hope that, one day, she would genuinely fall in love with him, a sentiment that subtly touched Lu Yingyao's heart.
That night, Mei Shiqing chided Xiao Wanzi for her reckless actions, dismissing her involvement as child's play. Offended, Xiao Wanzi declared she didn't want to see him again unless he retracted his words, and accused him of being ungrateful before storming off. The next morning, Xiao Wanzi, drawn by the aroma of food, discovered a table laden with delicacies, including her favorite sweet and sour spare ribs, which a servant informed her Mei Shiqing had specially bought from Felicity Tavern.
Determined not to lose face, she refused to eat, despite Mei Shiqing deliberately eating in front of her to provoke her. Still stubborn, she left, leaving an exasperated Mei Shiqing to instruct Siheng to finish all the food. Later, Qiaoyun, sensing the tension between them, inquired about the quarrel. Xiao Wanzi claimed she was punishing Mei Shiqing for looking down on her, though Qiaoyun pointed out that it was Xiao Wanzi who was suffering by missing out on good meals.
Returning to her room, Xiao Wanzi found a male outfit. Mei Shiqing then revealed his intention to have her disguise as a man to help him with a task, playfully suggesting he would ask Siheng instead if she wasn't interested. Eager to help, Xiao Wanzi quickly agreed, promising to follow his every command. Mei Shiqing's task for her was to find an illegal salt trafficker and lead them to a secluded spot for him to question.
Xiao Wanzi set out, but her mission was complicated by public sentiment. On the streets, she heard people complaining about the high price of official salt and praising the cheap illegal salt, even criticizing Lord Nocturnal-elf for interfering with their access to affordable goods. Xiao Wanzi passionately defended Lord Nocturnal-elf, explaining that while illegal salt seemed cheap now, its proliferation would eventually diminish official salt supplies, leading to higher prices and ultimately harming the common people.
Her arguments, however, fell on deaf ears, with people only caring about immediate savings and some even threatening Lord Nocturnal-elf. The salt dealer quickly dispersed the crowd and fled, leaving Xiao Wanzi's mission a failure. Unbeknownst to her, Mei Shiqing, disguised as Lord Nocturnal-elf, had witnessed the entire scene from a distance. Back at Mei Mansion, a despondent Mei Shiqing pondered whether Lord Nocturnal-elf's actions were truly righteous. Xiao Wanzi, sensing his mood, offered him comfort and perspective.
She acknowledged that for ordinary people struggling to survive, buying cheaper illegal salt was a pragmatic choice. However, she explained, from Lord Nocturnal-elf's standpoint, his duty was to uphold the law and prevent illegal salt trade, which, though seemingly beneficial in the short term, ultimately harmed society by making official salt scarcer and more expensive.
She concluded that his actions were indeed right, and reassured him that despite public misunderstanding, Lord Nocturnal-elf was "heading to the sunshine against the darkness" and remained her greatest hero. Her words visibly uplifted Mei Shiqing, helping him regain his conviction. Wu continued to taunt Xiao Bao, mocking his inability to catch Lord Nocturnal-elf and suggesting that Xiao Wanzi would be an old woman by the time he succeeded.
Xiao Bao retorted angrily, vowing that once he captured Lord Nocturnal-elf, everyone would have to kowtow and call him "Grandpa." Lu Yingyao, having accidentally overheard this conversation, later asked Xiao Bao about his task, expressing concern that he seemed troubled. Xiao Bao reassured her, insisting that nothing was too difficult for him and that he was determined to succeed for their future.
Lu Yingyao then pleaded with Xiao Bao not to pursue Lord Nocturnal-elf, whom her father had described as a benevolent figure beloved by the people of Qing for his daily good deeds. Her words unexpectedly sparked an idea in Xiao Bao's mind. He decided to impersonate Lord Nocturnal-elf and perform various mischievous acts across Qing, hoping to provoke the real Lord Nocturnal-elf into revealing himself.
Soon, rumors spread throughout Qing about Lord Nocturnal-elf's uncharacteristic misdeeds: setting fires, drawing on the face of Qingfeng Academy's president, and even peeping at women in Spring-breeze House. Hearing these slanders, Xiao Wanzi angrily defended Lord Nocturnal-elf, insisting it was a malicious attempt to ruin his reputation. Mei Shiqing, however, quickly pulled her away from the crowd. Back at Mei Mansion, Mei Shiqing, Siheng, and A-Rou discussed the alarming situation.
A-Rou confirmed that the Salter Cartel was behind the smear campaign and had colluded with Dragon Stockade to lure out Lord Nocturnal-elf. Enraged by these underhanded tactics, they resolved to find and apprehend the imposter immediately.
