Guardians of the Dafeng Episode 21 Recap, Plot

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> Guardians of the Dafeng Recap

Xiao Rou was the first to fight Henghui. There were few in the world who could rival Henghui, and after only three rounds, Xiao Rou was thrown to the ground and severely injured. Yang Yan, seeing his partner gravely wounded, immediately rushed to assist. Surprisingly, Yang Yan managed to pierce Henghui’s chest with his sword. However, inexplicably, Henghui instantly recovered to full strength.

Fortunately, Yang Qianhuan delivered a critical strike just in time, forcing Henghui to flee, aware he was no match for them. Yang Qianhuan, Yang Yan, and Xiao Rou began to ponder: Henghui’s arm didn’t seem like his own. No ordinary person could possess such overwhelming power. Who was controlling him behind the scenes? None of them could figure it out. Meanwhile, Yang Qianhuan heard that the Night Watchmen had assigned a bronze gong to investigate the case.

Intrigued, and not wanting a mere bronze gong to outshine him, Yang Qianhuan decided to meet Xu Qi’an in person. Henghui fled to his hideout, an abandoned well, where Hengyuan was meditating in silence. Seeing Henghui stumble back, injured and staggering, Hengyuan tried to persuade him to abandon his ways, but Henghui remained unmoved. Instead, he intended to devour his senior brother to replenish his energy.

Xu Qi’an returned to Wei Yuan’s office to find Xiao Rou and Jiang Jinluo heavily injured, their bodies and heads wrapped in bandages. Jiang Jinluo even had a black eye, prompting a laugh from Xu Qi’an. According to Yang Yan’s account, Henghui’s martial arts likely reached the first rank, and it was now up to Xu Qi’an to uncover the mastermind behind these events.

Wei Yuan reminded Xu Qi’an not to use aura-sensing techniques on officials of fourth rank or higher but hinted that he could bring a sorcerer along. Xu Qi’an initially thought he could bring Cai Wei again, but Yang Yan mysteriously stated that someone even more skilled would accompany him this time. Who could this more skilled individual from the Directorate of Celestials be? Xu Qi’an wondered. Upon arriving at the Directorate, he discovered it was Yang Qianhuan.

Xu Qi’an recognized his name from the words embroidered on his robe, but the man refused to reveal his face. No matter how Xu Qi’an tried, he couldn’t catch a glimpse of Yang Qianhuan’s true appearance. As a fourth-grade formation master, Yang Qianhuan effortlessly evaded Xu Qi’an, his movements light and elusive. Xu Qi’an, not one to give up easily, decided to lower Yang Qianhuan’s guard by composing a poem for him.

The poem, “I grasp the sun and moon, pluck the stars; none on earth are like me,” flattered Yang Qianhuan so much that he agreed to accompany Xu Qi’an to interrogate Minister of War Zhang Shen. As expected of a fourth-grade formation master, Yang Qianhuan waved his fan, and in an instant, he and Xu Qi’an were at Zhang Shen’s residence.

With his back to Zhang Shen, Yang Qianhuan could tell that Zhang Shen was lying in response to all of Xu Qi’an’s questions. After two hours of working together, Xu Qi’an still hadn’t managed to see Yang Qianhuan’s face. Just then, Xu Qi’an’s jade mirror signaled. Someone had discovered Hengyuan’s whereabouts. Xu Qi’an immediately rode out with the Night Watchmen. At the scene, they found not only Hengyuan but also the lifeless body of Henghui.

Hengyuan explained that the night before, Henghui had chosen to sacrifice himself to save him. Hengyuan then revealed Henghui’s secret: a year ago, Princess Pingyang had refused the emperor’s arranged marriage. She enlisted the Earl of Pingyuan’s legitimate son to obtain the artifact that could block auras and sought trusted allies to help her escape under the cover of night. However, their escape was doomed from the start.

Princess Pingyang, a sheltered noble unfamiliar with the ways of the world, and Henghui, a free-spirited wanderer untouched by power and darkness, were an ill-fated pair. A trusted servant, Zhang Yi, the son of Deputy Minister of War Zhang Shen, pretended to help but had ulterior motives. As soon as their carriage left the capital, Zhang Yi revealed his true nature, stoning Henghui to death and attempting to assault Princess Pingyang.

The princess resisted with all her might, ultimately taking her own life with a hairpin. Although Henghui had died from the stoning, his body was later manipulated by a skilled practitioner of demonic arts. Yang Yan, listening to the account, immediately deduced that Henghui had been turned into a corpse puppet and used as a vessel for dark magic. Following Hengyuan’s directions, Xu Qi’an excavated Princess Pingyang’s burial site and found her remains.

Upon hearing of the princess’s tragic fate, Lin An rushed to the morgue. Lying there was her dearest sister, someone she had often reunited with in her dreams. Now, they were separated forever. Lin An compared the hairpin found at the scene with her own and confirmed it belonged to Princess Pingyang. Overcome with grief, she wept bitterly. Princess Pingyang’s mother also came to the morgue. Having already lost her husband, she now mourned the loss of her daughter.

Her cries of despair echoed through the hall. Even the Eldest Princess, upon hearing the news in the palace, lost her composure, angrily dismissing the messenger. Learning that Princess Pingyang’s death was caused by the Earl of Pingyuan’s legitimate son and Zhang Yi, Lin An silently wept. Upon returning, she wrote a letter in blood, which she personally presented to the emperor and the court officials.

During the morning court session, Lin An, dressed entirely in white mourning clothes, tearfully recounted Princess Pingyang’s tragic story while holding the blood letter. Once carefree and cheerful, Lin An now stood as a sobbing figure, her pale face accusing the Deputy Minister of War of heinous crimes. The officials, upon hearing the details, were stricken with fear and dread.

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