What happens at the end of Sword and Fairy 1?
In the emotional finale of “Sword and Fairy 1,” Li Xiaoyao, portrayed by He Yu, watches helplessly as his beloved Ling’er, played by Yang Yutong, sacrifices herself to destroy the Bai Yue Water Beast. In this article, we’re going to recap and explain what happens in the ending.
You can read more about the final battle or watch the Sword and Fairy 1 episode finale here.
In a heart-stopping moment, the world around him comes to a standstill, and everything fades to white.
In the next scene, Li Xiaoyao opens his eyes. He finds himself alone in an open field of long, dry grass, the tall blades swaying gently in the breeze. The vastness around him feels both empty and overwhelming. The golden hues of the grass stretch endlessly under a soft, muted sky.
Suddenly, he hears a voice nearby—A’nu and Tangyu are having a playful banter.
“Little Tangyu, listen, you’re not allowed to be poker-faced anymore.”
“Yes, my lady” he replies obediently.
“A’nu, I’m hungry. I want to eat some sesame pancakes.”
“Alright, from now on I’ll make them for you everyday” she smiles.
“Li Xiaoyao!” Yueru calls out from a distance.
“Li xiong!” Jinyuan shouts excitedly.
“You silly rat, what are you standing there for? Dare to fight me?” Yueru says with a big smile.
“Don’t always talk about fighting, don’t always talk about-“
“He definitely can’t beat me!”
“Yueru! Scholar!” Xiaoyao exclaims, finally letting out a smile as he sees his dear friends again.
“A hero serves the country and the people.” Jinyuan continues.
“Boring,” Yueru retorts playfully.
“Yueru, Yueru!” A’nu gets their attention, and the two walk over to join them.
At last, he hears the voice he has longed for the most.
“Xiaoyao ge ge! Xiaoyao ge ge!”
~Travel Through the Memories and Run Toward You~ from the OST starts playing.
Xiaoyao is swept away by a surge of emotions. “Ling’er!” he exclaims, his eyes shining with joy and glistening with tears. A radiant smile spreads across his face as he rushes toward her.
The two finally reunite, and the happiness of the moment washes over them.
Xiaoyao then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cherry candy for Ling’er.
“Ling’er, here’s the cherry candy”.
In this moment, it becomes clear that Xiaoyao is responding to Ling’er’s final words: “Xiaoyao ge ge, I really want to eat the cherry candy you make.”
Ling’er holds the candy delicately between her fingers, her face aglow with joy.
Xiaoyao and Ling’er then join in with the others, who are laughing and playing with the dry grass and waving them in the air.
So, what just happened?
Is this heaven? Did everyone die? Is this all just Xiaoyao’s imagination, or could it be an alternate happy ending? Ultimately, there seems to be only one logical explanation.
If we revisit the opening shot of this scene, it feels strikingly familiar. I thought I was imagining things, so I went back to episode 34 to confirm, and there it is—the exact same sequence used when Li Xiaoyao was inside the Rakshasa Ghost Cave.
Li Xiaoyao is wearing the same clothes, carrying the same sword, and even the fade to white transition is the same.
All the characters are dressed in the same outfits they wore in episode 3, when Ling’er and Xiaoyao first left Yuhang for Suzhou, where they met Yueru. A’nu and Tang Yu also match their looks from that same episode.
Since this is the first time they’ve reused actual footage (not counting flashbacks), it suggests that Xiaoyao is now experiencing something akin to what he felt in Rakshasa Ghost Cave, when mourning Yueru’s death. Sheng Gu previously mentioned it’s a hallucination.
After such a traumatic experience, this is Xiaoyao’s way of coping after losing Ling’er. This entire scene reflects a deep longing for the happy ending he wishes they could have shared.
Sword and Fairy 1 ending credits scene
The final scene unfolds with him walking through the snow, carrying Yiru in his arms, a return to the harsh, cold reality he must face alone.
Who gets a happy ending?
In true “Chinese Paladin” fashion, none of our main characters receive a happy ending. The scene in the dry grass field stands as the closest glimpse of joy we get, where everyone is alive and together.
Tragically, Tangyu dies in A’nu’s arms while bravely defending her from Bai Yue’s henchmen. Yue’ru meets her fate in the Demon Locking Tower, falling to her death while saving Xiaoyao and Ling’er. Jinyuan is left alone, mourning the loss of Cai Yi, who sacrificed a thousand years of her cultivation in order to save him. And, of course, Ling’er faces her own tragic destiny as a descendant of the goddess Nuwa, forever bound to the mission of saving humanity.
What did you think of the Sword and Fairy 1 ending? Do you agree with my interpretation above or do you have other ideas? Drop a comment and share your thoughts! :)
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