Episode 23 recap: Huo Xing Chen obtained the Xuanbing Grass.
After arriving at Kunlun Mountain, Huo Xing Chen told her grandmother about her father's poisoning. Her grandmother informed her that the Xuanbing Grass grows at the top of Kunlun Mountain, and in order to obtain it, she must cultivate the Heavenly Scroll. Without cultivating the Heavenly Scroll, it would be impossible to reach that place. Upon hearing her grandmother's words, Huo Xing Chen decided to cultivate the Heavenly Scroll. However, her grandmother told her that cultivating the Heavenly Scroll is not easy. So far, only one person in the martial arts world has succeeded in cultivating it, and if one fails, it could lead to severe consequences such as meridian damage or even death.
In order to save Jiang Bu Ting and her father, Huo Xing Chen made up her mind. She secretly went to the library of the Tianjue Sect and stole the Heavenly Scroll. But before she had a chance to cultivate it, Jiang Bu Ting discovered her. Jiang Bu Ting wanted to stop Huo Xing Chen from cultivating, but seeing her determination, he earnestly told her that if she died, he would not live alone.
To prevent others from disturbing her, Jiang Bu Ting decided to protect Huo Xing Chen while she cultivated. The leader of the Mu Sect led his men to attack the Tianjue Sect. Seeing the hostile intruders, Huo Xing Chen's grandmother fought back with the disciples of the Tianjue Sect. The goal of the Mu Sect this time was Huo Xing Chen. While his subordinates fought against the enemy, the leader hurried to the place where Huo Xing Chen was cultivating. However, he was stopped by Jiang Bu Ying and Yao Guang.
Yao Guang looked at her father, somewhat incredulous, and asked him why he was doing this. The leader of the Mu Sect didn't answer her question, but beckoned her to come closer. When Yao Guang approached him, he struck her with a palm, knocking her unconscious. When Jiang Bu Ying came forward with her sword, the leader of the Mu Sect waved his hand, and four black-clad individuals blocked Jiang Bu Ying. He bypassed the battlefield and went straight towards Huo Xing Chen's location.
Jiang Bu Ting blocked the leader of the Mu Sect's path, but he told him that Jiang Bu Ting was not his opponent. As he spoke, he swiftly moved aside, and Song, the Divine Physician, appeared in front of Jiang Bu Ting.
Jiang Bu Ting asked his master in confusion, "Why is all this happening?" The leader of the Mu Sect answered on behalf of Song, the Divine Physician.
It turned out that the Divine Physician had been using Jiang Bu Ting as an experimental subject. Initially, Jiang Bu Ting only had minor ailments, which the Divine Physician had already cured. However, the subsequent illnesses were acquired when the Divine Physician used him for experiments. The reason the Divine Physician chose Jiang Bu Ting as a test subject was that Jiang Bu Ting's meridians happened to be similar to those of the leader of the Mu Sect.
Jiang Bu Ting looked at his master in disbelief. When his master attacked, Jiang Bu Ting didn't let him strike as he usually did. The Divine Physician used his habitual moves, but this time he didn't hit Jiang Bu Ting. After Jiang Bu Ting opened his dagger, he wounded the Divine Physician's shoulder with a sword.
Seeing the Divine Physician's defeat, the leader of the Mu Sect took out a flute. As the sound of the flute echoed, Mu Bing He suddenly descended from the sky. The Divine Physician looked at Mu Bing He and couldn't help but exclaim, "Perfect." In order to control Mu Bing He, at the request of the leader of the Mu Sect, the Divine Physician gave him a pill. After taking the pill, one's cultivation instantly increased several times, but the fatal flaw of the pill was that it caused a person to lose their rationality. This was exactly the effect the leader of the Mu Sect wanted because he knew that Mu Bing He would never harm Huo Xing Chen while he was still conscious.
Under the influence of the drug, Mu Bing He easily defeated Jiang Bu Ting and rushed into the room where Huo Xing Chen was cultivating. Huo Xing Chen realized that Mu Bing He was being controlled. When he choked her, she called him "Brother Mu." Seeing Mu Bing He stop, the leader of the Mu Sect rushed forward to attack Huo Xing Chen, but unexpectedly, Mu Bing He stood in front of her and took the full force of the leader's strike. At the last moment, Mu Bing He told Huo Xing Chen that he had finally protected her once.
The leader of the Mu Sect, the Divine Physician, and the others were captured by Huo Xing Chen's grandmother. When Yao Guang went to see her father, the leader of the Mu Sect pretended to be insane, deliberately making his daughter give up on him. After Yao Guang left, the Divine Physician checked his pulse and said that he had reached his limit, and success or failure would be determined in this final move. Jiang Bu Ting also went to see his master and asked him several questions because he realized that his master and the leader of the Mu Sect being captured seemed more complicated than they appeared on the surface, but his master didn't give him any answers.
Huo Xing Chen successfully cultivated her divine skill and finally reached the top of Kunlun Mountain. However, just as she obtained the Xuanbing Grass, an avalanche occurred there. Fortunately, she was unharmed. When she returned, her grandmother looked at the Xuanbing Grass in her hand and sighed, shaking her head. Huo Xing Chen pressed her grandmother for the reason, only to learn that the Xuanbing Grass was a pair of male and female plants. The one she brought back was only one of them. One Xuanbing Grass pearl could only save one person. At this point, her grandmother didn't let Huo Xing Chen choose whether to save Jiang Bu Ting or her father.
The character with the strongest tragic elements in the drama is undoubtedly Mu Bing He. He is the protector of the Cang Wei Sect and childhood sweetheart of Xing Chen. In his youth, due to his cowardice and fear, he failed to stand up and protect Xing Chen in time, which later became his inner demon and obsession. So at the beginning of the drama, Bing He habitually says to Xing Chen, "I'll protect you," without understanding that what Xing Chen desires is not to be a caged bird behind a man but to soar in the sky like a mythical bird. Therefore, they are destined to be incompatible. Bing He is well aware of this, but he constantly emphasizes or deceives himself into believing that Xing Chen loves him. When this illusion is shattered by someone else, there is a momentary expression of disappointment and sorrow on his face. He desperately wishes that Xing Chen's love for him is genuine. In the end, he sacrifices himself by taking a blow from his own father in front of Xing Chen, dying in her arms. Xing Chen holds his hand while crying, and Bing He achieves his redemption. He finally protects Xing Chen, but it is too late. One wrong step after another, he ultimately cannot fulfill his promise of becoming a heroic duo with Xing Chen. Life is not always perfect, and regrets are a common occurrence. On the road back to the martial world, they came with dust and dirt, after all, gods do not alleviate the suffering of all beings.