Guardians of the Dafeng Episode 18 Recap, Plot

> Guardians of the Dafeng
> Guardians of the Dafeng Recap

The death of the Taikang County Magistrate in prison was a major event. The officials responsible for his detention were deeply anxious. Xu Qi'an did not dwell on their negligence and immediately ordered a coroner's examination. Xu Qi'an asked Chu Caiwei to observe the aura of the scene. She discovered that the magistrate had died in his sleep, a highly unusual circumstance.

Xu Qi'an questioned the coroner if they had encountered this type of murder method before, and the reply pointed to the work of a Wu Shenshi. Li Yuchun, recognizing the term, explained that many soldiers in Yunzhou had died at the hands of these people in the past. Their bodies bore no wounds, and they died peacefully and silently. The bizarre nature of such killings left Li Yuchun uneasy.

As watchmen who relied on martial skills, how could they counter an enemy who left no trace? Xu Qi'an believed the priority was to capture Zhou Chixiong immediately and set out to head for Yunzhou. However, Yunzhou was unfamiliar territory and teeming with bandits. Rushing in without preparation would be reckless. Xu Qi'an turned to the Heaven-Sealing Guild chat group and asked if anyone was in Yunzhou.

Member Number One quickly reached out to Member Number Two, asking for her help in investigating Zhou Chixiong. Number Two flatly refused, citing that Number One was a court official, and she would not assist anyone from the imperial court. Listening to the conversation, Xu Qi'an deduced that Number Two was based in Yunzhou. Since they were both members of the Heaven-Sealing Guild, they likely had considerable abilities.

Remembering that Number Two had once sought his help with Hengyuan, Xu Qi'an invoked their prior agreement, asking her to investigate Zhou Chixiong in exchange for clearing the debt. Number Two agreed. While waiting for Number Two to track Zhou Chixiong, Xu Qi'an went to report to Wei Yuan. This time, when entering Wei Yuan's room, Xu Qi'an was notably more restrained. He stopped three meters away, respectfully saluted, and began reporting his findings from the investigation.

Wei Yuan, aware that Xu Qi'an had directly reported the case to Emperor Jingdi previously, noticed his cautious demeanor. It was clear that Xu Qi'an was still apprehensive about the near-execution judgment from before. Wei Yuan was unbothered and, after listening to the report, carefully advised Xu Qi'an to investigate Zhou Chixiong’s background. As a mere seventh-rank official, how had Zhou managed to escape under their noses? Moreover, the watchmen had yet to uncover his trail.

Wei Yuan speculated that Zhou might have used a magic artifact to conceal his presence. He urged Xu Qi'an to look into who had provided Zhou with such an artifact and suggested seeking answers from the Eldest Princess. He then handed Xu Qi'an a dossier on Zhou Chixiong's background, revealing that Wei Yuan had preemptively investigated Zhou, which explained the timely delivery of the materials.

Xu Qi'an realized that Wei Yuan had been secretly assisting him all along, even finding a way to save him from his death sentence in the past. On the journey back to the palace, Xu Qi'an and Wei Yuan shared a carriage. Wei Yuan confided in Xu Qi'an that during the announcement of his death sentence, plans had already been made to secretly transfer him to safety and have him continue the investigation under a hidden identity.

He asked if Xu Qi'an minded this arrangement. Xu Qi'an admitted he did not care as long as his life was preserved, but he expressed a strong desire to solve the case openly rather than live in fear. Wei Yuan, seeing Xu Qi'an's growing confidence, reminded him to remain calm and patient in critical moments. Although he appeared to have everything under control, Wei Yuan cautioned that clarity could sometimes alienate others.

The imperial court and the watchmen’s ranks still harbored deep-rooted issues that could not be resolved overnight. For the first time, Xu Qi'an entered the palace. He noticed that many palace attendants would glance at him, whisper, and chuckle. Overhearing some of the gossip, he was shocked to hear rumors that he was the Eldest Princess's "favorite.

" This startled Xu Qi'an, leading him to suspect that the rumors had been deliberately spread by Princess Lin An to recruit him into her faction. Unaware that he had been misled about the identity of the Eldest Princess, Xu Qi'an worried the rumors might create doubts about him. He resolved to clarify matters with the princess. At that moment, a poetry gathering was being held in a pavilion with Huai Qing, Lin An, and several imperial princes in attendance.

From a distance, Lin An saw Xu Qi'an approaching and, alarmed, immediately instructed her maid to lead him away. Xu Qi'an was confused when he was turned away, but Huai Qing noticed Lin An’s anxious demeanor and, unaware of the situation, ordered Xu Qi'an to be brought back. Xu Qi'an finally realized he had been deceived by Lin An. Earlier, in front of the group, he had openly declared his loyalty to Princess Lin An, which drew considerable laughter. Fortunately, the Eldest Princess did not take offense and instead asked him about the progress of his investigation.

Episode 17 Recap

Episode 19 Recap

Related Posts