Episode Summary
In Episode 14, the wandering heroine Meng Changqin saves an abused mother and daughter, an act witnessed by Li Qingyue. Later, when she is ambushed by soldiers, Li Qingyue uses his powers to rescue her. This leads Meng Changqin to ask him to be her master. After witnessing the horrors of a famine-stricken village, she renounces her faith in gods. Meanwhile, Li Qingyue returns home to find Bai Jiusi in a staged matchmaking session, which Li Qingyue jealously interrupts, revealing their complex feelings.
Spoiler Alert
Feud, Episode 14 Recap: A Heroine's Trial and a Master's Test
This episode throws our wandering heroine, Meng Changqin, into the fire as her commitment to justice is tested, her past haunts her, and she forges an unexpected—and reluctant—new alliance. Meanwhile, Li Qingyue is forced to confront his own attachments when he returns home to a dramatic confrontation orchestrated by Bai Jiusi.
Key Takeaways from Episode 14:
- Meng Changqin solidifies her role as a righteous warrior, saving a family from a cruel patriarch.
- After being cornered by soldiers, Meng Changqin is saved by Li Qingyue's mysterious powers, leading her to ask him to become her master.
- A horrific discovery in a famine-ravaged village shatters Meng Changqin's faith in divine beings, strengthening her resolve to rely only on herself.
- Li Qingyue returns home to find Bai Jiusi in a matchmaking session, and his jealous interruption reveals the true depth of their complicated relationship.
Full Recap & Spoilers
The episode opens with Meng Changqin witnessing a man brutally abusing his wife and daughter, even attempting to sell them. Unable to stand by, she intervenes, and finds an unexpected ally in Li Qingyue, who quietly helps her drive off the villain. Meng Changqin gives the man a harsh lesson before leaving some silver for the grateful woman. When the little girl asks for her name, she departs without a word, cementing her status as a silent protector. Her fierce, uncompromising sense of justice leaves a deep impression on Li Qingyue. Their moment of shared purpose is quickly interrupted by a con artist who, claiming she has the "bones of an immortal," tries to sell her a worthless sword.
As they travel, they approach Li Qingyue's home. He invites her to take shelter there, but she flatly refuses. Her grandfather, Meng Chi, works as a steward in the household, and Meng Changqin cannot fathom why a man from their once-prominent family would accept such a position. Now a wanted woman, she refuses to bring trouble to his doorstep and bids Li Qingyue farewell. Her solitude is short-lived; as she walks through the woods, she’s ambushed by a squad of soldiers. She draws her blade and fights valiantly, but she is hopelessly outnumbered.
Just as Li Qingyue is heading home, he crosses paths with Bai Jiusi, who offers a few sharp words of reproach before moving on. At that very moment, the soldiers close in on Meng Changqin, their swords raised for the killing blow. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind tears through the forest. When it subsides, Meng Changqin has vanished without a trace.
She awakens to find herself safe, rescued once again by Li Qingyue. He informs her that his magic has transported them a thousand miles away from any danger. Staring at him with newfound determination, Meng Changqin fetches a bowl of water. She offers it to him, not as a drink, but as a symbolic gift. She declares that this is her offering, and she is asking him to be her master. Li Qingyue is left utterly speechless.
Later that night, Li Qingyue grows worried when Meng Changqin doesn't return. Following a mystical butterfly, he finds her in a nearby village, standing frozen in horror. The entire village has been wiped out by a devastating famine; the dead lie where they fell, a testament to a slow, agonizing end. The grim reality of their suffering shakes Meng Changqin to her core.
Back at a temple, she confronts Li Qingyue about the nature of gods. When he confirms that divine beings live without care or worry, possessing immense power yet refusing to intervene in mortal suffering, something inside her breaks. Filled with righteous fury at the injustice of the world, she makes a solemn vow: from this day forward, she will never believe in, nor pray to, any god.
The next morning, Li Qingyue tries to persuade her to return home, but she refuses. She will not face her grandfather while she is a fugitive, and she is more determined than ever to forge her own path. Seeing he cannot change her mind, Li Qingyue makes a strange request. He uses a sliver of bamboo to draw a single drop of blood from her hand before letting her go.
Returning home alone, Li Qingyue learns from a handmaiden that Bai Jiusi is in the middle of a matchmaking session. He finds him being courted by a young woman who is clearly smitten, all under the watchful eye of a professional matchmaker. A wave of jealousy washes over Li Qingyue, and he deliberately sabotages the meeting by introducing himself as Bai Jiusi's wife. The stunt works. Bai Jiusi later admits the entire setup was a ruse to provoke Li Qingyue and to serve as a warning: stop getting involved in the affairs of mortals. Their tense moment is interrupted when the matchmaker, eager for a commission, brings in another candidate—a famous and beautiful courtesan.
