Blood River Episode 1 Recap
> Blood River Recap
The martial world of Beili is a vast and tumultuous place, where the prestigious sects of Xueyue City, Wushuang City, and the Tang Clan strive to maintain order and light. Yet, beneath this veneer of brilliance, lurks Blood River, the most mysterious assassin organization, operating in shadow and indifferent to morality. Blood River's reach extends to assassinating high-ranking officials in the imperial court and wiping out powerful sects in the martial world.
Once a person joins Blood River, their life becomes merely a blade in another's hand. Su Muyu, one of Blood River's leaders and known as Lord Kui, often contemplates the true purpose behind his wielding a sword. His subordinate, Chou the Ox, brings him urgent news. After reviewing the message, Su Muyu calmly burns the paper and dons his mission mask, stepping into the world of assassins.
Meanwhile, Second Master Tang of the Tang Clan is peacefully playing the zither in a pavilion in Liaoluo City when the Patriarch of Blood River appears. The two men, old rivals, have converged to settle a duel they began thirty years prior. Their initial pact stipulated that the Patriarch would lead Blood River, and Second Master Tang would assist the Grand Master in rebuilding the Tang Clan, with a rematch set for three decades later.
Their clash is so intense that it alters the very surroundings, with countless leaves swirling amidst a storm of sword shadows. The Patriarch eventually injures Second Master Tang, but is also left gravely wounded from the exertion. As they stand exhausted, a barrage of crossbow bolts suddenly flies towards them from an unseen ambush. Su Muyu intervenes, deflecting the bolts and saving both of them from the ambush.
The Patriarch remarks that someone intended to kill two birds with one stone by exploiting their duel. He reflects that despite their formidable power, they are ultimately pawns in someone else's game. Realizing that news of his severe injury would immediately trigger the three dominant families of Blood River—Su, Xie, and Mu—to scramble for his position, the Patriarch decides against returning to Blood River.
He instructs Su Muyu to take him to Qiantang City to seek out an old acquaintance, Bai Hehuai, who is the martial senior of the King of Medicine, Xin Baicao. He believes the ambushers were likely agents of these very families. Three days later, in the early spring of the 11th year of Mingde's reign, the three families of Blood River gather.
The Heaven Official declares that whoever first brings back the Dormant Dragon Sword to Soul Reapers' Hall will be named the new Patriarch. This decree promises to plunge Blood River into chaos, with Su Changhe remarking that such an upheaval is necessary for a new leader to emerge. Su Zhe and Su Changhe from the Su family are dispatched to eliminate the physician capable of curing the Patriarch. They arrive at Baihe Medicine Hall.
To their surprise, a young woman named Bai Hehuai answers the door. Recognizing their hostile intent, she claims her master is out on house calls and offers to search for him, attempting to slip away. Su Changhe, having smeared a tracking ointment on her earlier under the guise of an apology, believes he has secured a way to follow her, but Bai Hehuai is already aware of his trick and discards the tainted ointment.
On her journey, Bai Hehuai encounters Su Muyu, who is also looking for the miracle physician of Baihe Medicine Hall. After some probing, Bai Hehuai reveals her identity. Su Muyu, in a hurry, urges her to ride with him to the Patriarch. Upon their arrival, Su Muyu's subordinate, Chou the Ox, mistakes Bai Hehuai for a mere disciple due to her youth. Bai Hehuai corrects him, stating she is the physician herself.
The Patriarch, Mu Mingce, greets her warmly, playfully recalling her as a "dirty kid with snot" from their last encounter, to which she retorts he was a "god of killing" back then. Their banter reveals a long-standing, amicable relationship. Bai Hehuai examines the Patriarch, who is suffering from "Snow Falls on a Plum Blossom," a unique and potent poison created by Second Master Tang, whom the Patriarch admits to having killed.
Bai Hehuai, confident in her ability to cure him, makes a lighthearted demand for payment, telling Su Muyu to rein in his killing aura so she won't accidentally kill the Patriarch with a trembling hand. Later, while Su Muyu roasts a chicken for the famished Bai Hehuai, she astounds him with her deep knowledge of Blood River, explaining its structure, the three families, the Spider Shadow, and the Twelve Zodiacs.
She accurately deduces his identity as Kui, the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs, from his blood-red demon mask. She then reveals that the previous Lord Kui was her father, a sensitive topic Su Muyu reluctantly deflects, citing confidentiality. She also questions the assassins' choice to make their identities so conspicuous, noting the irony. As she speaks, Su Muyu realizes that Su Zhe and Su Changhe are closing in.
He quickly calls Chen the Dragon to prepare for departure, but then, for her safety, instructs Mao the Rabbit to escort Bai Hehuai to Jiuxiao City instead. As they part, Bai Hehuai expresses hope to meet him again, and Su Muyu, for the first time, reveals his true name. Meanwhile, Su Zhe and Su Changhe, who had anticipated Bai Hehuai’s trick, receive a message via homing pigeon, revealing the Patriarch's location at an abandoned post on the outskirts.
Su Zhe notes that the Xie's blade and the Mu's ghost are already impatient, explaining his strategy of following closely behind others, arriving late but never missing anything. At the abandoned post, Xie Qianji and Xie Jinke of the Xie family, known respectively as the Purple Boot Ghost and Blade Yama, confront Su Muyu. Su Muyu, as the Umbrella Ghost, draws a line and forbids them to cross it.
They claim to be concerned for the Patriarch's health and wish to take him back for treatment, but Su Muyu sees through their deception. When they accuse him of sinister motives for refusing them access, Su Muyu declares that the only way their accusation could hold is if he kills them. A fierce battle ensues, showcasing Xie family techniques like the Wind Whirling Blade and Su Muyu's Inch Blade. Su Muyu defeats both of them.
He warns them to inform their family head to cease his schemes, or Spider Shadow will be ruthless. Despite the conflict, Su Muyu spares them, asserting that all Blood River members are family. Soon after, Su Zhe and Su Changhe arrive at the same abandoned post.
Su Zhe attempts to sway Su Muyu, reminding him of his Su family lineage and offering him the unprecedented freedom to leave Blood River and the Su family, a privilege never before granted to a Kui. However, Su Muyu remains steadfast, stating that as Kui, his sole duty is to protect the Patriarch's safety, and no offer or condition can supersede that. Frustrated by Su Muyu's unwavering loyalty, Su Changhe, acting on Master Su's orders, strikes him, knocking off his mask.
