Episode Summary
Iron Mo soldiers lock down the capital, trapping the terrified citizens. A despondent Xiao Wenjing finds hope when he tastes Xie Huaian's cooking at a noodle shop and receives a secret message to wait. Huaian meets with allies at a medical clinic, revealing he has already smuggled elite troops into the city. The Iron Mo leader, Wu Zhongheng, grows paranoid and realizes Huaian is organizing against him. Wenjing is captured again and refuses to sign an unfair treaty demanding massive tributes from the kingdom.
Spoiler Alert
The Vendetta of An Episode 26 Recap: The City Goes Dark
Lockdown in the Capital
The morning starts on a grim note. Citizens pack their bags and head for the city gates. They want out. They find a nasty surprise waiting for them. The usual guards are gone. Iron Mo soldiers have taken their place. These new guards don't stand at attention. They lounge on the ground. They look lazy but dangerous. They deliver the bad news. The city is under martial law. No one leaves. The atmosphere in the capital shifts instantly. Panic sets in. The people have no weapons. They can't fight back yet. They have to swallow their fear and wait.
A Bowl of Hope
Xiao Wenjing looks terrible. He walks down the street like a man with no soul. He looks like a stray dog. A noodle shop owner watches the street closely. He spots Wenjing. He calls him over. He pretends it's just business. He offers Wenjing a meal.
Wenjing sits down. Guilt eats at him. He thinks about his past crimes. He assumes the owner would kick him out if he knew the truth. Then the food arrives. It's fried rice. Wenjing takes a bite and tears up. He knows this specific taste. Xie Huaian made this.
The owner leans in. He whispers a message from Huaian. "Be patient. Wait." That simple message changes everything. Wenjing sees a path forward. He believes his brother, Xiao Wuyang, might actually survive this. He decides he will help drive the Iron Mo out.
Gathering the Troops
Xie Huaian doesn't stay idle. He spends two days at Cen Weizong’s house. Then he heads out with Xiao Qing. They go to a medical clinic. This isn't a random stop. The clinic connects to his father, Liu Ziwen. The owner is a woman dressed in flashy, revealing clothes. She sees Huaian and gets to work. She orders Xiao Qing to guard the door.
She leads Huaian to a secret room. A man waits inside. He asks the hard questions. Is Huaian ready? Can they actually win against the Iron Mo numbers? Huaian doesn't blink. He has a plan to clear the city. He also has the soldiers to do it.
We learn how he pulled this off. It goes back to the plot against Yan Fengshan. Huaian played the long game. He sent a Tiger Guard out with a secret order from Gu Yu. This order mobilized the White Kiss Tiger unit. They visited five different garrisons. They pulled the elite troops from each one. Those soldiers are already here. They infiltrated the capital. They are hiding in the shadows right now.
The Enemy Gets Nervous
Wu Zhongheng holds Chang'an. But he isn't celebrating. He fears the five garrisons stationed outside the city. He freezes his plans. He consults his divination tools. The results are bad. His anxiety grows.
Then his spies report in. They saw Wenjing at the noodle shop. They noticed the owner watching the Iron Mo tails. Wu connects the dots. Xie Huaian is definitely back. Wu realizes his enemy has reached Wenjing. He suspects Huaian has found Cen Weizong too.
The Treaty
Wenjing ends up back in captivity. The Iron Mo soldiers throw him in a secret room. They tie him up tight. He can't move. They shove a contract in his face. They want his signature. The terms are brutal. The Iron Mo want huge chunks of farmland. They demand annual tributes of gold and silver. They want massive amounts of horses, cloth, and grain.
Wenjing refuses. He knows what hunger feels like now. He won't sign away the people's food. He tells them to get lost. He warns them that an invasion would be easier than this. The citizens won't accept these terms without a fight.
