Young Blood Episode 25 Recap
> Young Blood Recap
The fake Yun Ni offered Yuan Zhongxin and his companions a substantial commission to swiftly locate and protect Yun Ni. She revealed that Yun Ni was being hunted by the Liao Secret Agent Department, explaining that their strongholds in Kaifeng had been eliminated and new agents dispatched with the primary mission of assassinating Princess Yunni.
Yuan Zhongxin attempted to uncover the true motives behind Yun Ni's predicament and the Secret Agent Department's pursuit, but the fake Yun Ni remained tight-lipped, only stressing the urgency of finding Yun Ni. Meanwhile, a group of Liao Secret Agent Department agents, noting fresh scratches at their meeting point, speculated that a colleague might still be alive. They reaffirmed their top priority in Kaifeng: to kill Princess Yunni, citing her disloyalty and a desire for revenge for their dismantled department.
They resolved to infiltrate the courier hostel to carry out the assassination. However, upon arrival, they found the hostel mostly deserted, as everyone was out searching for Yun Ni, with only Jing left behind. Realizing their earlier assassination attempt might have tipped off their target, the agents decided to subtly surround the hostel. Yuan Zhongxin and Zhao Jian reported to Lu Guannian about the missing Liao dance troupe.
Lu Guannian advised them to approach the troupe under the guise of a performing group, stressing the importance of maintaining peace and not disrupting the upcoming Empress's birthday banquet. Yuan Zhongxin questioned Lu Guannian about the Liao agents' unusual directive to kill their own princess. Lu Guannian then took them to consult Han Duanzhang, who was confined in a secret chamber.
Han Duanzhang mused that his past actions—selling intelligence on the Liao Secret Agent Department in Kaifeng to Song—might have indirectly led to Yun Ni's current danger. He explained he had arranged for all incriminating evidence to point to Prince Yun'an as a scapegoat to deflect suspicion from himself. Han Duanzhang admitted he didn't know the exact reason for Yun Ni's targeting, suggesting they might intend to eliminate both her and Prince Yun'an.
He then instructed Yuan Zhongxin and Zhao Jian to check the eighth alley from east to west on Nanxie Street, where Liao agents would leave coded messages for communication if their stronghold was compromised, and provided Yuan Zhongxin with a codebook to decipher them. Following the lead, the Liao Secret Agent Department agents deciphered a message from the Nanxie Street alley directing them to a teahouse. Despite their caution about a potential trap, they proceeded.
Yuan Zhongxin and Zhao Jian also found and decoded the same message, leading them to the teahouse. There, they discovered Yun Ni. As Yuan Zhongxin and Zhao Jian tried to approach her, Yun Ni, aiming to create a distraction for her escape, falsely accused Yuan Zhongxin's group of selling girls to brothels. Amidst the confusion, a hidden Liao assassin, Mr. Huo, shot an arrow at Yun Ni.
Yuan Zhongxin courageously positioned himself to shield her, resulting in both of them being struck by the same arrow. Zhao Jian, arriving on the scene, was visibly distressed and deeply concerned for Yuan Zhongxin's condition. Mr. Huo later confronted his agents who had fled the teahouse, chastising them for their impulsiveness and inquiring about Yuan Zhongxin's identity. Yuan Zhongxin, though wounded, assured them the arrow had not pierced his heart.
Overwhelmed with worry and a twinge of jealousy, Zhao Jian prepared to remove the arrow that had impaled both Yuan Zhongxin and Yun Ni. She explained that she had to saw the arrow shaft between them to minimize blood loss before extraction. However, the sight of Yuan Zhongxin's wound caused her to panic, rendering her unable to perform the delicate procedure. Xiaohua, the fake Yun Ni, rushed in, sword drawn, deeply concerned for Yun Ni's well-being.
Yun Ni, however, assured her that Yuan Zhongxin's group meant no harm and that she trusted them. She ordered Xiaohua to put down her weapon and leave, stating that her distress would only hinder the process. Outside, Wei Yanei questioned Xiaohua, who then revealed her past actions: she had knowingly impersonated Yun Ni, ready to take a fatal blow on her behalf, demonstrating her profound loyalty. Zhao Jian, eventually overcoming her initial panic, successfully removed the arrow.
Yun Ni decided to return to the hostel to recover from her injury. Zhao Jian urged her to cancel her performance at the Empress's upcoming birthday banquet, but Yun Ni adamantly refused. She explained that the success of the dance was crucial for her family's standing in Liao and that she had already committed too much to turn back. Back in the room, Zhao Jian meticulously tended to Yuan Zhongxin's wound.
Wei Yanei, observing their attentive interaction, remarked that they resembled his parents and playfully suggested they should marry soon. Zhao Jian vehemently denied any romantic feelings between herself and Yuan Zhongxin, but he, clearly amused, continued to playfully tease her about her reaction. At the hostel, Yun Ni questioned Xiaohua, who confirmed that the assassins were indeed from the Liao Secret Agent Department.
Yun Ni expressed her bewilderment, wondering why they would try to kill her in Kaifeng rather than in Liao, especially since her brother, Prince Yun'an, had already been captured. When Xiaohua suggested seeking assistance from Song, Yun Ni dismissed Yuan Zhongxin and his companions as merely a "folk performing troupe" incapable of offering significant aid. Shortly after, Jing came to visit.
To protect Jing and push her away from the impending danger, Yun Ni spoke harshly, denying their friendship, claiming she never liked Jing, and ordering her to leave. Once Jing had departed, Yun Ni's stoic facade crumbled, revealing her profound sadness. She then instructed Xiaohua and her other attendants to leave Kaifeng immediately, declaring that she would perform the dance alone and wished to distance herself from Yuan Zhongxin and Zhao Jian to prevent them from being implicated.
Yun Ni then unveiled the true, perilous objective of her performance: to assassinate the Song Empress. Despite the certainty of death, Xiaohua and the other attendants declared their unwavering loyalty, vowing to dance and die alongside her. Yun Ni recounted her original plan to have the Secret Agent Department safely send her companions away, acknowledging that it was no longer feasible. They resolved to face their shared fate together.
Heartbroken by Yun Ni's cruel words, Jing was comforted by Wang Kuan, who suggested that Yun Ni might not have been speaking from her heart. Jing then confided a long-held secret to Wang Kuan: she was a descendant of the Bohai royal family, a lineage tragically decimated by Liao.
She had been sent to Liao by Lu Guannian, under the guise of an art exchange, with the mission to find and potentially establish contact with Bohai survivors who resented Liao rule, in an effort to benefit Song. However, her efforts had only led her to Yun Ni. Feeling inferior to her talented companions in Section 7, Jing expressed her determination to improve and prove herself worthy of their trust and Wang Kuan's care.
Yuan Zhongxin, still recovering from his wound, instructed Tian Hu to increase security at the courier hostel in preparation for the Empress's upcoming birthday banquet, citing his own assassination attempt as justification. Unbeknownst to them, Mr. Huo, the Liao Secret Agent Department leader, was indeed planning to infiltrate the hostel disguised as a performing troupe to make another attempt on Yun Ni's life.
Yuan Zhongxin, anticipating this move, had already advised Tian Hu to instruct all hostel occupants to remain indoors. Recognizing that his injured state would make an immediate departure from the hostel too dangerous, Yuan Zhongxin decided on a daring strategy: he would use himself as bait to lure out the Liao assassins.
