Recaps

Chu Xuanzhen kissed and restrained Shen Yangge through the night, leaving him exhausted and chained to the bed. The next morning, Shen Yangge confronted Chu Xuanzhen over his treatment of him, but Chu Xuanzhen laid him back down before he could get away.

• Chu Xuanzhen kissed Shen Yangge, while the Eighth Prince approached the room but decided to postpone his urgent report.
• Chu Xuanzhen restrained Shen Yangge, and the rainy night passed without the Eighth Prince arriving.
• Shen Yangge woke exhausted, found a chain fastened to his wrist, and struggled to get out of bed.
• Chu Xuanzhen entered with porridge, checked on Shen Yangge, and did not remove the chain when Shen demanded it.
• Shen Yangge asked whether Chu Xuanzhen's treatment was what he meant by liking him, and Chu Xuanzhen carried him back onto the bed.

Shen Yangge remained confined by Chu Xuanzhen after their encounter while the two princes faced a rebellion surrounding the town. When Chu Xuanzhen left to deal with the crisis, the Eighth Prince told Shen Yangge they were trapped and learned that his brother had locked Shen Yangge in golden handcuffs.

• Chu Xuanzhen fed Shen Yangge porridge and promised to unlock his golden handcuffs once they returned to the Capital City, but Shen Yangge stayed cold toward him.
• Ji Guangchun learned that nearby towns had been occupied and that rebel forces were preparing to attack the town and seize both princes.
• Shen Yangge recovered over the next two days while Chu Xuanzhen brought him food, and the two remained at an impasse.
• On the third day, Chu Xuanzhen stayed away, and the Eighth Prince came to look after Shen Yangge.
• The Eighth Prince told Shen Yangge that enemies surrounded the town, and he realized Chu Xuanzhen had locked Shen Yangge up.

Shen Yangge remained tethered in Chu Xuanzhen’s quarters while recovering, and Chu Xuanzhen approached him with an intense confession about sharing life and death. Their conversation was interrupted by Zhang Xiaoshi, who entered and found Chu Xuanzhen beside the bed.

• Shen Yangge failed to break the tether on his wrist and remained unable to contact System 615.
• Chu Xuanzhen asked whether Shen Yangge felt better, but refused to release him and leaned against his shoulder.
• Chu Xuanzhen asked Shen Yangge whether he would share his bed in life and his grave in death if he lost the war.
• Shen Yangge recognized that Chu Xuanzhen was having another episode and asked whether he was confessing his feelings.
• Zhang Xiaoshi came to see Shen Yangge, entered the room, and bowed nervously to Chu Xuanzhen.

Shen Yangge refused Zhang Xiaoshi’s plea for help, while Chu Xuanzhen threatened him until Shen Yangge stopped him. As the bandit siege arrived ahead of schedule, Shen Yangge learned that Chu Xuanzhen had left a key that unlocked the restraint on his wrist.

• Zhang Xiaoshi begged Shen Yangge to buy back his indenture contract, but Shen Yangge refused to help him leave.
• Chu Xuanzhen drew his sword against Zhang Xiaoshi for addressing Shen Yangge as an equal, then put it away when Shen Yangge asked him not to kill anyone in the room.
• Five days later, Shen Yangge realized the siege was happening two years earlier than in the original novel and suspected Chu Tianyin had orchestrated it.
• Shen Yangge considered whether Jiang Qinghuan, the novel’s heroine, had met Chu Xuanzhen and whether she could cure his madness.
• A servant warned Shen Yangge that the bandits had broken into the city and said Chu Xuanzhen had gone toward the city gate.
• Shen Yangge asked for a way to remove the restraint on his wrist, and the servant used a key left by Chu Xuanzhen to unlock it.

Shen Yangge escaped Ji Guangchun’s estate during the Japanese pirate attack and headed for the breached city gate to find Chu Xuanzhen. After spotting Chu outside the city, he followed the Jiang Family’s carriage, where Jiang Qinghuan recognized him and allowed him to keep up.

• Shen Yangge slipped out of the estate disguised as a servant, evading Japanese pirates who were watching for Chu Xuanzhen’s weakness.
• Shen Yangge headed toward the city gate to warn Chu Xuanzhen that the Fourth Prince’s men were scattered throughout the city, and his servant followed him despite the danger.
• Shen Yangge and his servant encountered looters and reached a lane overlooking the breached gate, where they could not find Chu among the defenders.
• Shen Yangge spotted Chu Xuanzhen outside the gate and decided to follow the Jiang Family’s carriage to reach him.
• Jiang Qinghuan saw Shen Yangge following the carriage and told her maid to let him come along.

Shen Yangge spotted Chu Xuanzhen fighting outside the city and abandoned the Jiang family's carriage to rush to him. Chu Xuanzhen rescued him, shackled their wrists together again, and carried him with the troops as they fought to break through the raiders' encirclement.

• Jiang Qinghuan watched Shen Yangge run behind her carriage as it escaped the city, while Shen Yangge spotted Chu Xuanzhen fighting among the raiders.
• Shen Yangge suddenly charged toward Chu Xuanzhen, who leaped from his horse, killed a raider, and pulled Shen Yangge into his arms.
• Shen Yangge warned Chu Xuanzhen about the trouble inside the city and told him the Jiang family's people might be nearby as Chu Xuanzhen fought off more raiders.
• Chu Xuanzhen shackled Shen Yangge's wrist to his own, ordered his subordinate to begin the breakout, and carried Shen Yangge while fighting.
• The Eighth Prince joined the group protecting Chu Xuanzhen and Shen Yangge as they retreated toward the woods with the raiders in pursuit.

Shen Yangge and Chu Xuanzhen escaped their pursuers through a hidden passage, where Shen Yangge discovered Chu Xuanzhen was badly wounded. A system punishment then transformed Shen Yangge into a little bird, leaving Chu Xuanzhen to figure out how to explain it.

• Chu Xuanzhen carried Shen Yangge through an ambush and plunged with him into a river to escape the Japanese raiders, then followed the Eighth Prince into a concealed passage.
• After waking in the dark, Shen Yangge accidentally stepped on a resting black-clad man and realized Chu Xuanzhen had been nearby all along.
• Shen Yangge noticed blood seeping through Chu Xuanzhen's armor and confronted him for hiding his injury.
• The system announced that Shen Yangge had broken character and revealed new functions, including a transformation option that could not be used during a punishment.
• Shen Yangge asked for the lamp to be extinguished before his punishment began, then transformed into a little bird for ten days.

Shen Yangge, transformed into a little bird, fought to protect Chu Xuanzhen during the escape from the cave and then passed out from exhaustion. After Chu Xuanzhen feared the bird was dead, Shen Yangge woke, and Chu Xuanzhen kissed his beak, leaving him mortified.

• Shen Yangge discovered he had become a bird for ten days and perched on Chu Xuanzhen's shoulder as the Eighth Prince found him in the cave.
• The Eighth Prince's forces opened the stone door and fought the raiders while Chu Xuanzhen joined the battle with Shen Yangge tucked inside his collar.
• Shen Yangge flew out to attack a raider threatening Chu Xuanzhen, giving Chu Xuanzhen an opening to kill the man.
• Chu Xuanzhen collapsed from his waist wound, and the Eighth Prince treated him while Shen Yangge watched before passing out from exhaustion.
• Chu Xuanzhen feared Shen Yangge was dead until the bird woke, then kissed his beak and carefully cleaned the blood from his feathers.
• Shen Yangge blushed with embarrassment and pretended to faint again as Chu Xuanzhen stroked him.

Shen Yangge remained a bird as Chu Xuanzhen’s group struggled to escape the Fourth Prince’s blockade and repeated pirate attacks. After the group reached the mountains and prepared to fight back, the fleeing pirates faced a merciless interrogation.

• The Eighth Prince reported that the Fourth Prince’s troops had sealed the roads and intercepted their letters, while Chu Xuanzhen considered offering Jiang Heming a tempting benefit to secure an alliance.
• The Eighth Prince brought Shen Yangge a jar of insects, but Chu Xuanzhen threw it out after realizing Shen Yangge did not want to eat them.
• When pirates attacked during the group’s attempt to move into the mountains, Shen Yangge flew from Chu Xuanzhen’s sleeve, struck a pirate in the eye, and was sent flying.
• Chu Xuanzhen turned back for Shen Yangge despite his injuries, reunited with him, and fought through another pirate encirclement with the Eighth Prince’s help.
• The group escaped up the mountain, where the Eighth Prince triggered traps and rolling rocks that killed many pursuing pirates.
• At the mountaintop, Chu Xuanzhen and the Eighth Prince prepared their weapons as the terrified pirates tried to retreat, only to face interrogation.

The Eighth Prince suggested using Shen Yangge to carry a secret message because the messenger pigeons were being shot down. After Shen Yangge insisted on going, Chu Xuanzhen agreed and taught him the route, leaving the blue bird ready to undertake the mission.

• The Eighth Prince proposed sending Shen Yangge to deliver a message, but Chu Xuanzhen refused, worried about his safety.
• Shen Yangge decided to take the task and flew onto the Eighth Prince’s shoulder to show his resolve.
• Chu Xuanzhen called Shen Yangge back and, after he persisted, asked the Eighth Prince to fetch a map.
• Chu Xuanzhen showed Shen Yangge the route and carefully explained how to reach the destination.
• Shen Yangge nodded to show he understood, astonishing the Eighth Prince with his apparent ability to follow a map.

Shen Yangge completed his training and flew to Capital City to deliver Chu Xuanzhen’s secret letter, narrowly escaping an eagle attack along the way. After the letter reached the Xue Residence and prompted the order to send troops north, Shen Yangge was locked in a cage and spent the night missing Chu Xuanzhen.

• After two days of training, Shen Yangge set out with Chu Xuanzhen’s secret letter and received a farewell from Chu Xuanzhen and the others.
• An eagle attacked Shen Yangge in flight, but Chu Xuanzhen shot it down with an arrow.
• With System 615 guiding him, Shen Yangge reached Capital City and delivered the letter to the Xue Residence, where he met Xue Qian instead of the great general.
• Xue Qian showed the letter to his eldest brother, who ordered the troops sent north.
• The Xue brothers shut Shen Yangge in a cage, where he longed for Chu Xuanzhen and watched the moon.

Shen Yangge escaped the Xue Residence as a bird, changed back into a human, and asked General Xue Pingyuan to take him north. After returning from the storeroom, he was spotted by Xue Qian, who realized he was the little blue bird.

• Xue Qian discovered that Shen Yangge refused to eat bugs, and Shen Yangge escaped the birdcage by pecking Xue Qian’s hand.
• After hiding in a storeroom and changing back into a human, Shen Yangge disguised himself as a servant and stole a roast chicken from the kitchen.
• Xue Pingyuan found Shen Yangge eating and told him the army would march north the next morning; Shen Yangge asked to go with him.
• System 615 reminded Shen Yangge that the male lead was close to ascending the throne, and Shen Yangge wondered whether he could return to this world after completing his mission.
• Shen Yangge returned to the storeroom, changed into his own clothes, and ran into Xue Qian, who noticed a blue feather and deduced that Shen Yangge was the bird.

Shen Yangge learned why Shen Zhi had called him a monster, then traveled north with Xue Pingyuan’s army to reunite with Chu Xuanzhen. He found the mountain base devastated and raced toward a cave, fearing something had happened to Chu Xuanzhen.

• Xue Qian mistook Shen Yangge’s changed temperament for proof that he was a demon and secretly kept a blue feather.
• Shen Yangge visited Shen Mother, who told him he had been born without breath and with strange markings that vanished after lightning struck.
• Shen Yangge set out with Xue Pingyuan’s troops, which defeated forces sent by the Fourth Prince and fought through the garrison at Luquan Avenue.
• Shen Yangge and the army reached the northern mountain and found its camps destroyed, with bloodstains across the grass.
• Shen Yangge declared that the survivors must be in a cave and galloped off to find them.

Shen Yangge admitted that he loved Chu Xuanzhen and raced back to the cave, where he found Chu Xuanzhen’s bloodstained Ceremonial Sword broken but no sign of him. As survivors emerged from the cave, Shen Yangge demanded to know where Chu Xuanzhen was, and the Eighth Prince called out to him from behind.

• Shen Yangge confessed to System 615 that he loved Chu Xuanzhen, then swam across the river and hurried to the cave.
• Shen Yangge found Chu Xuanzhen’s bloodstained Ceremonial Sword in the grass, and it broke in two as he picked it up.
• System 615 reassured Shen Yangge that Chu Xuanzhen could not be dead because the world remained intact.
• The cave survivors came out to greet the Xue family’s troops, while Shen Yangge watched for Chu Xuanzhen.
• Shen Yangge seized the last person to leave the cave and demanded to know where Chu Xuanzhen was, but the Eighth Prince called to him before the man could answer.

Shen Yangge learned that Chu Xuanzhen had gone with three trusted men to meet Jiang Heming, so he joined the Eighth Prince and the Xue brothers on the journey to the Jiang Family Manor. There, Shen Yangge was allowed inside because the guards recognized him as the young man Jiang Qinghuan was seeking, and he came face-to-face with Jiang Heming.

• Shen Yangge returned with Chu Xuanzhen's broken Ceremonial Sword, and the Eighth Prince explained that Chu Xuanzhen had left to see Jiang Heming with three trusted men.
• Shen Yangge insisted on accompanying the Eighth Prince and Xue Pingyuan, and Xue Qian helped him rest before their journey.
• After a day and a night on horseback, the group reached the mountain below the Jiang Family Manor, where the guards let Xue Pingyuan and the Eighth Prince pass.
• Shen Yangge claimed he had come to see the young lady, and the guards recognized him from a picture and let him go up with the others.
• At the manor, Shen Yangge entered the main hall and found that Jiang Heming looked different from the man described in the original novel.

Shen Yangge struck a bargain with Jiang Heming: if he found Chu Xuanzhen, Jiang Heming would let the Crown Prince leave, but Shen Yangge would have to stay if he failed. Meanwhile, Chu Xuanzhen’s men escaped the Dungeon without him, and the guards found him still in his cell.

• Jiang Heming concealed that Chu Xuanzhen had arrived at the manor, while Jiang Qinghuan repeatedly watched Shen Yangge.
• Shen Yangge offered to find Chu Xuanzhen, and Jiang Heming agreed to release the Crown Prince if Shen Yangge succeeded or keep Shen Yangge at the manor if he failed.
• Shen Yangge privately showed a written message to Xue Pingyuan, the Eighth Prince, and Xue Qian in the guest room.
• Chu Xuanzhen’s trusted men staged a distraction, subdued the Dungeon guards, and took their keys, but none opened his cell.
• Chu Xuanzhen ordered his men to escape without him, and the next patrol found him still sitting in his cell with a small blue feather.

Shen Yangge searched the Jiang Family estate for Chu Xuanzhen and used his little dragon form to slip past the watchers. He found Chu Xuanzhen in a hidden underground cell, where their eyes met.

• Chu Xuanzhen stayed in the dungeon, revealing that his capture by Jiang Heming had been part of his plan.
• Shen Yangge searched the estate while Jiang Family servants watched him, and he noticed they reacted anxiously when he headed down a particular path.
• Shen Yangge followed the trail of dried blood, but the servants blocked his way before he could reach the suspected prison.
• Shen Yangge turned into a corridor and vanished from the watchers, then transformed into his little dragon form and followed Chu Xuanzhen's lingering scent.
• Shen Yangge entered a hidden underground passage behind a furtive figure and found Chu Xuanzhen in a cell.
• Chu Xuanzhen raised his head, and his gaze met Shen Yangge's in midair.

Shen Yangge returned to Chu Xuanzhen’s cell, where Cao Muzhe revealed that he was working for the Crown Prince and reported that nearly all evidence against Jiang Heming had been collected. Reunited with Chu Xuanzhen, Shen Yangge was reminded of the danger he had faced and struggled with his feelings for him.

• Shen Yangge slipped into Chu Xuanzhen’s cell as Cao Muzhe arrived and mistakenly bowed to him as the Divine Dragon.
• Cao Muzhe told Shen Yangge that he served the Crown Prince, and Chu Xuanzhen confirmed it.
• Cao Muzhe reported that they had gathered almost all evidence against Jiang Heming, with only the Liangzhou headless female corpse case remaining.
• Cao Muzhe left the cell key ring with Chu Xuanzhen and departed.
• Shen Yangge transformed into a boy, embraced Chu Xuanzhen, and was asked whether he had encountered danger.
• Shen Yangge remembered nearly losing his life and seeing Chu Xuanzhen’s broken sword, then silently confronted his feelings for him.

Shen Yangge reunited with Chu Xuanzhen in the cell and tried to soothe him after revealing the danger he had faced. At midnight, Jiang Heming entered with venomous creatures and declared his plan to steal Chu Xuanzhen’s identity, but Chu Xuanzhen stopped the creatures and Shen Yangge struck Jiang Heming.

• Shen Yangge hugged Chu Xuanzhen, told him he had nearly failed to return, and then recounted his recent hardships.
• After midnight, Shen Yangge heard someone approach, and Chu Xuanzhen hid him as Jiang Heming unlocked the cell door.
• Jiang Heming explained that he planned to use the Body-Swapping Technique to take Chu Xuanzhen’s place and seize the throne.
• Jiang Heming sent poisonous creatures toward Chu Xuanzhen, who scattered white powder that immobilized many of them.
• Jiang Heming rushed at Chu Xuanzhen, but Shen Yangge struck him across the face with his golden tail.

Shen Yangge revealed himself as a golden dragon while Chu Xuanzhen confronted Jiang Heming in the Dungeon. After Jiang Heming triggered a hidden earthquake and spike trap, Chu Xuanzhen pursued him, and Jiang Heming escaped through a passage behind a stone wall.

• Shen Yangge slapped Jiang Heming, whose venomous creatures turned on him after a snake bit him.
• Chu Xuanzhen pulled Shen Yangge into his arms and wiped his tail while Jiang Heming tried to reach a hidden corner.
• Jiang Heming activated a mechanism that shook the Dungeon, blocked the exit with a boulder, and fired spikes from the walls.
• Chu Xuanzhen dodged the spikes, told Shen Yangge to stay put, and confronted Jiang Heming.
• Jiang Heming realized Shen Yangge was a real golden dragon and opened a crack in the stone wall to escape inside.

Chu Xuanzhen and Shen Yangge escaped the collapsing dungeon while Xue Pingyuan’s soldiers captured Jiang Heming outside. Chu Xuanzhen reunited with his rescuers, leaving Jiang Heming stunned and demanding to know how he got out.

• Chu Xuanzhen led Shen Yangge through the underground passage, and Shen Yangge suspected that Chu Xuanzhen had let Jiang Heming capture him as part of a plan.
• The passage exit collapsed, and Shen Yangge used his golden glow to light the darkness as Jiang Heming escaped and gloated outside.
• Xue Pingyuan arrested Jiang Heming for attempted regicide, while Xue Qian threatened him for the dungeon entrance; Jiang Heming refused to reveal it.
• Chu Xuanzhen emerged from the dungeon and ordered Xue Pingyuan to bring Jiang Heming to him, while keeping Shen Yangge concealed in his arms.
• Jiang Heming stared at Chu Xuanzhen and demanded to know how he had escaped.

Jiang Heming unleashed his gu insects after escaping his bonds, but Chu Xuanzhen resisted his venomous centipede and wounded him. Jiang Heming lured Chu Xuanzhen into a hidden trap, then reappeared to face the remaining soldiers as swarms of poisonous creatures emerged.

• Jiang Heming broke his restraints and transformed, prompting Xue Pingyuan to order most of the soldiers to fall back.
• Jiang Heming sent a centipede to bite Chu Xuanzhen, but it exploded before it could harm him.
• Chu Xuanzhen attacked Jiang Heming, who was wounded and discovered that his decades-raised gu bug tried to crawl into Chu Xuanzhen.
• Jiang Heming released more bugs and fled, while Chu Xuanzhen, Xue Pingyuan, and Xue Qian pursued him.
• Chu Xuanzhen vanished into a trap Jiang Heming had prepared, and Jiang Heming reappeared behind the soldiers.
• Jiang Heming declared his restored strength and summoned countless bugs, snakes, and scorpions against the soldiers.

Xue Pingyuan and the others fled as Jiang Heming’s venomous creatures swarmed down the mountain, while Chu Xuanzhen and Shen Yangge escaped the underground pit. Shen Yangge’s dragon bloodline disrupted Jiang Heming’s control of the creatures as the estate burned, leaving Jiang Heming shaken.

• Xue Pingyuan ordered his soldiers to retreat, and he slapped Xue Qian into realizing he needed to flee; Xue Qian then hurried off.
• Xue Pingyuan warned the Eighth Prince about the swarm, and the prince tumbled downhill before Xue Pingyuan caught and carried the fleeing men.
• Chu Xuanzhen cut his wrist to repel the venomous creatures in the pit, and Shen Yangge stopped himself from licking the wound after 615 reminded him of dragon saliva’s side effects.
• Chu Xuanzhen activated a hidden switch that brought them to the surface, where Jiang Heming demanded to know how they had escaped.
• Shen Yangge confronted Jiang Heming, and his superior bloodline threw the creatures into chaos as the estate caught fire.

Jiang Qinghuan tried to reach her transformed father as Chu Xuanzhen fought Jiang Heming, but the battle ended with Chu Xuanzhen and Shen Yangge trapped in a burning courtyard. When Chu Xuanzhen threw Shen Yangge out to save him, Shen Yangge fought to return after System 615 warned that the world was collapsing, and he finally understood Chu Xuanzhen’s words.

• Jiang Qinghuan recognized her father by his scar, but a servant dragged her away as insects swarmed toward her.
• Shen Yangge helped Chu Xuanzhen fend off Jiang Heming’s creatures, but Jiang Heming caught Chu Xuanzhen’s sword and hurled him into the flames.
• The Eighth Prince and Xue Pingyuan fled from the mountain as Jiang Heming turned his attention toward the soldiers below.
• Chu Xuanzhen protected Shen Yangge inside his sleeve while searching for a way out of the burning courtyard.
• Chu Xuanzhen threw Shen Yangge out of the fire, and Shen Yangge tried to return after System 615 warned him to save the male lead.
• Shen Yangge deciphered what Chu Xuanzhen had said as he charged back toward him.

Shen Yangge transformed into a golden dragon, rescued Chu Xuanzhen, and brought him safely to Xue Pingyuan's army after Jiang Heming died from the gu worms in his body. As Shen Yangge fell asleep in Chu Xuanzhen's sleeve, he began shrinking, leaving Chu Xuanzhen uneasy.

• Shen Yangge swept away the collapsing structures, carried Chu Xuanzhen to safety, and left Jiang Heming to be devoured by the gu worms inside him.
• Shen Yangge sheltered Chu Xuanzhen from the rain and flew until he found the troops led by Xue Pingyuan.
• The soldiers knelt before Shen Yangge's dragon form, and Chu Xuanzhen reunited with Xue Pingyuan and discussed what had happened.
• The Eighth Prince realized that the little golden dragon was Shen Yangge, while Second Young Master Xue worried about Shen Yangge's absence.
• Shen Yangge curled up in Chu Xuanzhen's sleeve and fell asleep, but began shrinking until Chu Xuanzhen uncovered him and called his name in alarm.