Twelve Legends Episode 16 Recap
> Twelve Legends Recap
Xiao Tao awoke in a cave, overwhelmed with sadness and unable to accept that Yin Qing was a demon, a Blood Bat, and had deceived her. She knew she had loved him wholeheartedly, believing her hardships were finally over, only to discover that he was not human. Yin Qing tried to explain, admitting he was indeed a Blood Bat who had cultivated for hundreds of years but still struggled with his monstrous nature.
He confessed that his "sleepwalking" had been a lie, a cover for consuming blood, though he insisted it was only chicken blood. He told her that since meeting her, he genuinely wished to become human. Despite his explanations, Xiao Tao was terrified, crying out for him to stay away. Suddenly, Yin Hao, Yin Qing's brother, appeared at the cave entrance, looking injured.
Yin Qing instinctively shielded Xiao Tao, declaring to Yin Hao that he would break ties with the Blood Bat Clan and the Yin family. He stated he would never return to their clan, choosing instead to pursue the life he truly desired. Because of Yin Qing's words, Xiao Tao's internal conflict gradually subsided, and she realized she hadn't loved the wrong person, even if their paths were destined to be different as human and demon.
Yin Hao was enraged, emphasizing their shared destiny to revive the Yin Clan and the Blood Bats, a clan he called "sinners." He accused Yin Qing of abandoning his bloodline for a human woman and adopting human traits like hypocrisy and deceit. Yin Qing, in turn, told Yin Hao he only wished for a normal human life and reminded him that it was Yin Hao, not him, who was obsessed with the clan's revival.
Calling Yin Hao "Brother" one last time, Yin Qing announced he was no longer a Blood Bat and no longer Yin Hao's brother before taking Xiao Tao and leaving. Yin Hao cried out desperately for his brother, but Yin Qing did not respond. Outside the cave, they faced a daunting cliff with no visible path forward. Yin Qing embraced Xiao Tao, and with a powerful leap, revealed a pair of large wings, soaring into the sky.
Xiao Tao, looking up, saw the full moon as they flew between heaven and earth. Yin Qing confessed that he had fallen in love with her the first moment he saw her, dreaming of flying with her. He promised to take her to a distant place where no one could find them, where he would live as a human by her side forever. Xiao Tao readily agreed.
Meanwhile, Yin Hao reported back to the One-Eyed General, stating his task was complete, but lamenting that Jin Xingjian's strength had cost him over half of his centuries of cultivation. The One-Eyed General then killed Yin Hao, absorbing his demon essence for himself. Elsewhere, Yu Shao Bai, now freed from the painting, was extremely weak and sensitive to sunlight. Ye Ming drew the curtains for him as he expressed his fear of living permanently in the shadows.
He probed Ye Ming, wondering why Jin Xingjian had merely sealed him rather than killed him if he was truly cruel. Ye Ming argued that perhaps Jin Xingjian wasn't as bad as Yu Shao Bai claimed, as death would have been easier. Yu Shao Bai countered that "being neither dead nor alive" was far more agonizing. Yu Shao Bai then showed Ye Ming a vision of the past.
He recounted how Ye Ming had revived him with half of her Bright Night Pearl, an act that brought upon a terrible destiny, making him a target for other demons who coveted his inner elixir. During a battle, he absorbed the power of a Blood Bat that tried to seize his elixir, which transformed him from human to demon and caused him to fall into the demonic path.
He claimed Jin Xingjian, who never wanted them together, used the "excuse of justice" to seal him in the painting. He described his helplessness, watching Jin Xingjian seal him in the painting and separate him from Ye Ming, causing her suffering while he could do nothing. He said his body was now rotten to the core, bloodthirsty, and nocturnal, making him feel unworthy of Ye Ming.
Ye Ming, however, reassured him that she would not abandon him because of his current state, adding that she had come to realize that their suffering might stem from their relationship being "wrong since the beginning." As Ye Ming stepped out to fetch water, she encountered Jin Xingjian. She confronted him, stating that Yu Shao Bai had told her everything Jin Xingjian refused to explain and asking if he had anything more to say.
Jin Xingjian asked if she believed Yu Shao Bai, to which she replied "Why not?" She reminded him of his past vow to trust no one until her memories returned. She also pointed out that Jin Xingjian had always disapproved of their relationship, but now "you can no longer change anything." Jin Xingjian simply told her to protect herself, as he couldn't always be by her side.
When Ye Ming pressed him for an explanation, he stated that "the truth shall prevail" and "time will prove everything." After their conversation, Jin Xingjian returned to Hua Xue Gallery, only to find all the seals missing and Xiao Pi unconscious on the floor. Xiao Pi later clarified that he was hit by an unknown assailant and did not see who took the seals. Ye Li Na arrived at Hua Xue Gallery, intrigued by the events of the previous night.
She questioned Jin Xingjian about his true nature, asking if he was human or demon. Jin Xingjian revealed that he was born from the Divine Stone of Nuwa, while Ye Ming was a star in the lonely, dark galaxy who, unable to bear her solitude, descended to earth as a demon and landed on his jade mountain. He added that he had watched her grow over millennia.
Ye Li Na deduced he was speaking of Ye Ming and asked why he had released her now, after ten years of confinement. Jin Xingjian explained that ten years ago, the Blood Bat Clan set a trap to manipulate him, forcing him to injure Ye Ming to save her, leading to her decade-long imprisonment. However, knowing Ye Ming cherished the world's vibrancy, he couldn't bear to see her suffer in confinement.
He mused on the painful nature of love, stating that while it could lead to death, without it, one would rather be dead than alive. Ye Li Na confessed that she understood his love for Ye Ming and pledged to wait for him, just as he waited for Ye Ming.
Jin Xingjian expressed gratitude, lamenting that Ye Ming, after knowing him for thousands of years, still believed others more than him, unlike Ye Li Na who trusted him after a brief acquaintance. Meanwhile, Lian Xuan learned that the seals had been stolen. Jin Xingjian confirmed that Yu Shao Bai was the thief, and realizing the danger, Lian Xuan insisted they must retrieve them.
Before they could act, Bai Jin Gang, alerted by the One-Eyed General, stormed into Hua Xue Gallery with police, claiming a wanted criminal was hiding there. After an argument with Jin Xingjian about the search, Bai Jin Gang's men found and arrested Lian Xuan. In prison, Lian Xuan was brutally tortured, repeatedly refusing to confess to being a notorious robber or to implicate Jin Xingjian as an accomplice.
He remained defiant, telling his tormentors to kill him as he would never confess. Xiao Qing, concerned for Lian Xuan, snuck into the prison to free him. She urged him to escape, but he refused to leave without her. They were quickly caught in a trap set by Bai Jin Gang. Bai Jin Gang threatened to shoot Xiao Qing unless Lian Xuan confessed to being a robber and sacrificing the "little demon's life."
Though Lian Xuan initially claimed he had no relation to Xiao Qing, when Bai Jin Gang cocked his gun, Lian Xuan reluctantly confessed. However, Bai Jin Gang, a man of deceit, then declared that both would be executed at noon the next day, cruelly stating he was sending the "little lovers" to the execution ground for a "honeymoon in the afterlife."
In their adjacent cells, Lian Xuan chastised Xiao Qing for her foolishness, questioning why a demon would sacrifice herself for a demon hunter. Xiao Qing tearfully confessed her deep love for him, explaining that she had pursued him from West Lake to Shanghai, repeatedly saving him because she genuinely cared for him. She recalled their first meeting when she was still chubby after first taking human form and, mistaking his stare for affection, had instantly "had her eyes on" him.
Lian Xuan, however, reiterated his master's teaching that "humans and demons have different paths." As he spoke, Xiao Qing, heavily wounded, fainted, unresponsive to his panicked calls. Xiao Pi frantically informed Jin Xingjian that Lian Xuan and Xiao Qing were to be executed the next morning. Jin Xingjian immediately began carving a new seal, working until midnight. After finishing it, he instructed Xiao Pi to deliver the new seal to the Duan family residence.
Later that night, Yu Shao Bai appeared before Jin Xingjian, claiming he wished to end their "agonizing cycle of entanglement and grudge" for Ye Ming's sake and asked Jin Xingjian to treat her kindly. Jin Xingjian scoffed at Yu Shao Bai's "noble deed of letting go for love," reminding him of his ten years of suffering in the painting and accusing him of only knowing "deceit and exploitation."
Yu Shao Bai retorted, accusing Jin Xingjian of being "more cruel" for erasing Ye Ming's memories and imprisoning her in a secret room for a decade. Jin Xingjian, enraged by Yu Shao Bai's "distortion of the truth," warned him that if he had any affection left for Ye Ming, he should release her, otherwise "what you treasure will be gone forever." Jin Xingjian lunged at Yu Shao Bai, but Ye Ming suddenly appeared, yelling for him to stop.
