Side Story of Fox Volant Episode 15 Recap
> Side Story of Fox Volant Recap
People gathered noisily at the dock, where a large ship was anchored in the Xiang River. Onboard stood Chief Yi Ji of the Nine Dragons Sect, bowing to those who had come to see him off. His disciples cheered, "Master, you must win!" as firecrackers were lit, but suddenly, stone fragments were thrown from the air, severing the strings of firecrackers. Before anyone could react, Yuan Ziyi and Hu Fei landed neatly on the deck.
Yi Ji's disciples immediately brandished their weapons. Hu Fei's companion, Yuan Ziyi, announced that the broken firecrackers were a bad omen for Chief Yi's auspicious day. When one of the disciples questioned her, she dismissed their fortune-telling warlock as a conman for not foreseeing such an event. She then pointed out that Chief Yi had a dark forehead, indicating misfortune.
Though she admitted to only a superficial understanding of the Study of Five Elements of Qi, she claimed her master was well-versed in it. The warlock called her a "young girl who knows nothing better," but she challenged him to a debate. The warlock insisted they leave, but Yuan Ziyi warned Chief Yi that if he proceeded, his mast would break, and the ship would overturn within a hundred miles, causing everyone on board to perish.
She accused the warlock of sending Yi Ji to his death and offered to read Yi Ji’s fortune by analyzing his name. Yuan Ziyi explained that the character for "Yi" (易) is made up of "day" (日) and "no" (勿), implying "no day," meaning a short life. Since he was traveling by water, adding "water" to "Yi" creates "soup" (汤), signifying "to be in hot soup."
She further analyzed the characters that could be formed by adding "foot" (足) or "knife" (刀) to "Yi," predicting he would either be "kicked to death" or the Nine Dragons Sect would be "cut off." When a disciple interjected, Yuan Ziyi rebuked him for saying "done" (完), as it could signify the end of things.
She concluded that while "Ji" (吉) meant luck, when combined with "Yi" (易), which means change, it implied changing away good fortune, leading to bad luck. Hu Fei praised her, calling her his "darling" and "master," much to the amusement of the onlookers. As the disciples became aggressive, Hu Fei mocked their leader's cowardice, prompting Chief Yi to challenge him to a duel on the ship, with the losing party facing the winner's will.
Hu Fei agreed, stating that if he won, the ship would become his "wife's." Chief Yi, eager to teach the "ignorant young people" a lesson, accepted. While Chief Yi's skills were steady and ruthless, Hu Fei fought with quick and fierce precision. Deciding to end the fight, he launched a more ferocious attack, overpowering Chief Yi until the latter lost his balance and fell into the river. His disciples immediately dove in to save him.
Finding the confrontation amusing, Hu Fei and Yuan Ziyi departed in a small boat, enjoying their conversation as they rowed down the river. Hu Fei complimented Yuan Ziyi's intelligence, recalling how her cleverness had once made Iron Scorpion and Zhu Rong turn on each other, and now she had infuriated Chief Yi. He then jokingly analyzed his own name, "Hu Fei," suggesting it predicted a future as a high-ranking official.
Yuan Ziyi playfully countered, splitting his surname "Hu" (胡) to mean he would suffer nine stab wounds every month. However, she then reinterpreted the "Fei" (斐) in his name, saying it would turn his misfortunes into good luck. Hu Fei thanked her, quipping that otherwise, he would have to rely on her for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, Miao Renfeng, after entrusting his daughter Ruolan to an aunt's care, returned home earlier than usual and saw Nan Lan.
Without a word to her, he took Ruolan, leaving Nan Lan heartbroken and crying for her child. At Tianlong Sect, Tian Guinong returned to find Nan Lan looking pale and unwell in bed. Physician Wen informed him that she was suffering from severe morning sickness and feeling a little ill.
Tian Guinong initially thought she missed him and presented her with a jade buckle for their baby's safety, as well as a Guanyin buckle from Putuo Mountain for the child's lifelong happiness. Nan Lan, however, was distant, merely saying she was tired and wished to sleep. Tian Guinong later overheard his nanny and another servant, Hong, whispering.
The nanny told Hong that the character "Miao" was forbidden at Tianlong Sect and that they shouldn't mention Miao Renfeng or Miao's villa, implying Nan Lan's illness was caused by him. Infuriated, Tian Guinong confronted the servants, who confessed it was Nan Lan's order not to reveal her visit to Miao's villa. He then angrily called for Hong. A fierce storm raged, with lightning, thunder, and heavy rain blowing open the windows.
Nan Lan, trying to close them, slipped on a puddle and fell, experiencing severe abdominal pain. Tian Guinong knelt before his ancestors, begging them to protect his wife and unborn child, vowing to spend a fortune to repair their ancestral tombs and repaint their statues with gold paint if they survived. Soon after, Supervisor Tao rushed in with Physician Wen, urging the physician to hurry due to the critical condition.
Physician Wen assured Tian Guinong he would do his utmost to save them. Meanwhile, Hu Fei and Yuan Ziyi found shelter from the storm in a Guanyin Temple. Hu Fei built a fire to warm her and, seeing her shiver, took the cloak from the Guanyin statue to wrap around her. When Yuan Ziyi emerged wearing the red cloak, Hu Fei jokingly remarked that she looked like a bride.
She playfully kicked him, but he feigned a serious leg injury, prompting her concern. After a moment, however, Yuan Ziyi felt unwell, her face and forehead burning. Hu Fei noticed she had a fever and suggested she rest on a straw mat while he intensified the fire.
As she drifted off to sleep, Yuan Ziyi dreamt that Hu Fei was proposing to her, offering a token of love and vowing to spend the rest of their lives together, "for better or worse." But then, her dream took a terrifying turn, and she saw the boatman was Feng Tiannan, which jolted her awake. Still hearing the thunder outside, Yuan Ziyi realized Hu Fei was gone.
She knelt before the Guanyin statue, recalling her master's teachings about love leading to worry and fear. She mused that her illness was not a coincidence, believing it to be a punishment for lingering in worldly attachments. Deciding she must leave that night, she sat by the fire, sewing Hu Fei's clothes. Hu Fei soon returned, oblivious to her change of heart, carrying a bounty of fresh fruits.
He offered her a fruit, noting that her ability to taste it meant she was recovering. Yuan Ziyi then began to give him serious advice: his martial arts foundation was unstable, his temperament too impulsive, and his judgment of people poor, citing how Feng Tiannan had previously deceived him. She urged him not to trust others so easily, warning of dire consequences.
Hu Fei, trying to lighten the mood, promised to think twice before acting and suggested he should simply follow her everywhere to be safe. Yuan Ziyi grew annoyed, reminding him it was a serious conversation. Hu Fei, still playful, insisted he was merely trying to repay her kindness for saving his leg, a debt he felt was even greater than her saving him in Foshan. Exasperated, Yuan Ziyi laid down and ignored him.
Seeing her anger, Hu Fei sat by the temple door and told her a story. He recounted catching a rabbit while picking fruits, but then released it, remembering his promise to Yuan Ziyi to be vegetarian. To his surprise, the rabbit later returned with a freshly picked fruit, the same one he had given her. Hu Fei concluded that even a small rabbit knew how to repay kindness, and he felt he owed Yuan Ziyi an even greater debt.
