Episode Summary
He Yan, a woman who won fame as the male "General Feihong," is betrayed by her family, who steal her identity for her brother. After being framed for a military disaster, blinded, and left for dead, she is rescued and healed by her master. Taking on a new name, she vows revenge and sets out to rejoin the army, which is now being led by Xiao Jue, the very man whose family was ruined by her family's conspiracy.
Spoiler Alert
For her entire life, He Yan has lived a lie. Born the daughter of the He family, she was forced to disguise herself as a boy, her face perpetually hidden behind a mask. She lived as a substitute for her brother, He Rufei, a name she carried into the heart of battle. On the blood-soaked fields of war, she climbed the ranks from a nameless soldier to the invincible "General Feihong," earning immense glory for her family. But the honor she bled for was never truly hers to keep.
The story begins in the 20th year of the Qingyuan era of the Great Wei dynasty, when the Wutuo tribe invades again. Emperor Chengping commands the great general Xiao Zhongwu, who had defeated the Wutuo five years prior, to lead the defense. At the decisive battle of Mingshui, however, the 30,000 soldiers of the Xiao family army are ambushed. He Yan, leading the Fuyue Army, arrives too late. Xiao Zhongwu is killed in action, and his son, Xiao Jue, develops a deep resentment for the "He Rufei" he believes is responsible. In his grief, he snatches back the Qinglang Sword—a famed blade his father had gifted to He Yan, a testament to the high hopes he once held for them both.
Upon her "triumphant" return, He Yan is introduced by her father to the man she has never met: the real He Rufei. The family's plan is revealed—He Yan is to shed her male identity and return to being a woman, while her brother will assume her title and all the accolades she earned. Meanwhile, the imperial court, seeking a scapegoat for the disastrous defeat at Mingshui, denounces the late Xiao Zhongwu. Emperor Chengping strips the Xiao family of their military authority and decrees that the celebrated general be buried with the rites of a commoner.
In the grand hall, Xiao Jue, now holding the title of General Fengyun, kneels to plead his father's case. When General Feihong is summoned, the real He Rufei steps forward. He falsely testifies that there were no extenuating circumstances, cementing the narrative that Xiao Zhongwu was a reckless warmonger. Enraged by this betrayal, Xiao Jue lunges forward and shatters He Rufei's mask with his sword, revealing the imposter to the court. All the while, the true general, He Yan, has been drugged and hidden away by her family, oblivious to the conspiracy that has doomed the Xiao family.
For his outburst, Xiao Jue is punished with twenty strokes of the cane. Immediately after, he volunteers to recapture the lost territory of Que City, signing a military pledge to not return until he succeeds. The emperor grants his request but provides him with no soldiers, leaving Xiao Jue to face an impossible task alone in his quest to clear his father's name.
The He family's cruelty towards He Yan continues. They have her blinded with medicine and abandoned at Yuhua Temple. Believing she is still a threat, He Rufei orders his guard, Ding Yi, to eliminate her. Ding Yi's first attempt to stage an accidental drowning is unexpectedly foiled by Xiao Jue, who rescues her. Undeterred, He Rufei devises a new plan, allowing He Yan to leave the temple only to be ambushed by Ding Yi on the road.
Despite her superior martial arts skills, He Yan is no match for the assassin in her blinded state. She is stabbed in the chest and falls from a cliff into the water below. But fate intervenes. She is found and saved by her master, Liu Buwang, who miraculously heals her eyes. With her sight restored, He Yan casts off her mask and severs all ties with the family that betrayed her. She is no longer a substitute; she is simply He Yan, a woman reborn.
Her heart burns with a single purpose: revenge against He Rufei for stealing her identity and trying to murder her. She resolves to return to the military and reclaim everything that was taken from her. The episode closes as He Yan, once again dressed as a man, rides towards a recruitment post. Above, standing on a pavilion and surveying the new recruits, is the commanding officer: Xiao Jue.
