Episode Summary
In this episode, the group decides to fight back against the State Preceptor, who has taken over Zhongli. With the help of a ten-day poison suppressant and a surprise alliance with Gongsun Wuyu, they trap the State Preceptor in the palace. In a final twist, the supposedly weak Zhongli Yuan kills the State Preceptor himself, revealing his own hidden agenda.
Spoiler Alert
The Dauntless Youths: Episode 20 Recap
A New King's Problems
So, the State Preceptor is officially the new ruler of Zhongli. Guxi is there to congratulate him on his brilliant plan. She's all smiles. The State Preceptor, however, is not in a good mood. He's angry because the princes escaped the Su Ancient Tomb. He wanted them trapped, but they got out.
Guxi is stunned when she hears this. She swears she did everything he asked. She even offers to accept punishment for the failure. But the State Preceptor doesn't punish her. He says she is still useful to him.
A Ten-Day Deadline
Jiang Wenhuan has already put the pieces together. He knows the State Preceptor framed Zhongli Yuan to take the throne. The bigger issue is the Blood Crystal poison. It has already spread throughout his body. Jiang Yiyao is trying to find a solution. She warns him not to use his internal energy. Doing so will only speed up the poison.
But they're stuck on Qingluan Mountain. The State Preceptor's forces are everywhere. Jiang Wenhuan refuses to just wait around. He asks if there's any way for him to fight. Jiang Yiyao tells him about a drug. It can suppress the poison for ten days. After that, he must take an antidote, or he will die. For Jiang Wenhuan, ten days is more than enough time. He thinks hiding is a death sentence, so attacking first is their only shot.
An Unlikely Alliance
Xin Jia points out that their group is small. He doesn't think they can fight their way out. That's when General Lin steps forward. He says he will join their fight. He tells them that their key to victory is trust. They have to stick together to break through.
So the group starts planning. Qingqing goes to scout for a shortcut. Jiang Yiyao focuses on making the antidote. During her research, she makes a discovery. Human blood can nourish the Blood Crystal. In turn, a person infected with the poison becomes a host.
Qingqing returns with bad news. She couldn't find a way out. Just then, an arrow flies into their camp. It has a map of the Zhongli kingdom attached. They are all surprised. They figure someone powerful is trying to help them. Jiang Wenhuan wonders if it could be Guxi.
The arrow almost hit Jiang Yiyao. Chongyi Biao jumped in to save her. In the process, she pulled Jiang Yiyao's arm and dislocated her shoulder. Jiang Yiyao distracts her by pointing at the scenery. Then she quickly pops the shoulder back into place. She even carefully wraps it in a bandage. This moment creates a new connection between them.
The Puppet Cuts the Strings
The King of Shangshan learns that the State Preceptor has taken over Zhongli. He sends Gongsun Wuyu to handle the rebellion.
Jiang Wenhuan and his group make it off Qingluan Mountain. They enter the Zhongli kingdom without any trouble. The journey is a little too easy. They soon realize it was a trap. They are surrounded inside the Zhongli Palace. The State Preceptor sees General Lin with them. He calls them monsters that aren't human and need to be killed.
He's confident he can wipe them all out. But then, music starts to play. The State Preceptor's men begin to fall one by one. Gongsun Wuyu has arrived. She secretly joined forces with Jiang Wenhuan. They used the State Preceptor's own trap against him to get inside the palace.
The State Preceptor has nowhere to run. He grabs Zhongli Yuan and holds him hostage. He hopes this will give him a way out. Everyone slowly closes in. As the State Preceptor backs away, he trips and falls. Zhongli Yuan's back is to the others. His face changes into a vicious sneer. He pretends to stumble and plunges a dagger into the State Preceptor's heart. He says he has waited years for this moment. Once the State Preceptor is dead, Zhongli Yuan goes back to acting weak and terrified.
Gongsun Wuyu draws a charm on Jiang Wenhuan's body. She hopes it will help suppress the Blood Crystal poison. She thinks too many strange things have happened in Zhongli. She suggests they go back to Donglu for now. But Jiang Wenhuan refuses to leave. He feels like he is close to finding the truth.
Elsewhere, Guxi runs some tests. The kingdom of Zhongli isn't getting better now that the State Preceptor is dead. It's actually decaying even faster. She has no idea why. Zhongli Yuan is finally free from the State Preceptor's control. He rushes to see Guxi and invites her to a banquet. She turns him down. She reminds him that as a Zhen Nü, it's not her place to attend such events.
