Side Story of Fox Volant Episode 34 Recap
> Side Story of Fox Volant Recap
The All-knowing Nun stood calmly before Fu Kangan, admitting Sang Feihong was her disciple while refuting the accusations made by Official Tang and Feng Tiannan. Sang Feihong then explained their actions, stating that after arriving in the capital, they anticipated that Fu Kangan's World's Sect Leaders Gathering would inevitably affect certain people's interests. Given the recent unrest in the Commander's Residence, they had prepared in advance. During a secret investigation, Sang Feihong discovered someone abducting the two princes.
After retrieving them, they were ambushed. Feng Tiannan was enraged, claiming his son Yiming had died at their hands. He insisted that the Tianshan Sect and the Red Flower Club were colluding. Sang Feihong countered his arguments, revealing she had seen a letter with Red Flower Club markings in Official Tang's room. The All-knowing Nun corroborated this, adding that Tang and Feng had lavishly gifted Hu Fei with gold, silver, jewels, and a residence. Fu Kangan grew suspicious.
With both sides presenting conflicting accounts, he decided to have the princes identify their abductors. The children directly pointed to Official Tang and Feng Tiannan. Still unwilling to concede, the two men accused the All-knowing Nun of being cunning and requested Fu Kangan to order a search of their rooms to prove their innocence. Hailan Bi was dispatched to search the All-knowing Nun's room.
Inside her bundle, they found only a few changes of clothes, a Ruyi scepter and jade beads gifted by the Old Madam, and a western clock from Fu Kangan. Next, everyone proceeded to Official Tang's room. To avoid suspicion, Zhou Tiejiao had Hailan Bi lead the search. Moments later, they discovered ledgers documenting bribes to various sect leaders and manipulated competition results, along with a partially burnt letter with Red Flower Club markings in an incense burner.
Presented with the evidence, Fu Kangan was convinced that Official Tang was a spy. Tang vehemently protested his innocence, blaming the Nun for framing him and arguing that his manipulation of the tournament was for Fu Kangan's own benefit. Unmoved, Fu Kangan ordered both him and Feng Tiannan arrested. Feng Tiannan, seeing the situation was dire, broke through the encirclement and fled the Commander's Residence. Unbeknownst to him, Hu Fei was hiding nearby and pursued him into an alley.
After a fierce fight, Feng Tiannan, outmatched, ultimately fell to Hu Fei's blade, avenging the many people he had wronged in Foshan. By the time the soldiers arrived, Hu Fei had already left. Yuan Ziyi, who had been watching from a distance, looked at Feng Tiannan's body with a myriad of emotions, shedding tears before turning to depart. In prison, Official Tang tried to appeal to Zhou Tiejiao's sense of camaraderie.
He advised Zhou Tiejiao and his brothers to prepare for the Red Flower Club to disrupt the upcoming World's Sect Leaders Gathering, which would provide an opportunity for them to earn great merit and clear his name. The brothers feigned agreement, promising to speak well of him to Fu Kangan. Privately, however, Zhou Tiejiao realized Official Tang was trying to implicate them in the Hu Fei incident.
Concluding that Tang was setting them up, he decided that Official Tang, like Feng Tiannan, needed to be eliminated. They arranged to serve Official Tang a poisoned meal. That night, Zhou Tiejiao reported to Fu Kangan, admitting to having had dealings with Hu Fei, but claiming it was at the behest of Feng Tiannan and Official Tang. He insisted they were unaware of Hu Fei's connection to the Red Flower Club.
Fu Kangan had already investigated and found the core of the issue lay with Official Tang and Feng Tiannan. He accepted Zhou Tiejiao's explanation that he had been misled and did not pursue the matter further. Yuan Ziyi later visited Official Tang in the dungeon as he was dying from the poisoned food. She spoke of an old grievance involving her mother, Yuan Yingu. Thirteen years ago, Yuan Yingu, with her young daughter, fled Foshan.
They were saved from starvation by Official Tang, who was distributing porridge. In gratitude, Yuan Yingu went to work in his residence. There, she encountered her old enemy, Feng Tiannan, and discovered that Official Tang, the benevolent hero, was secretly colluding with him in countless wicked deeds. Tang discovered her eavesdropping and, fearing exposure, murdered her and sold seven-year-old Yuan Ziyi to traffickers. It was then that Yuan Ziyi was found by her master, the All-knowing Nun.
In his final moments, Official Tang looked at her and regretted not having killed her as well, before succumbing to the poison. Upon learning of Fu Kangan's troubles, Emperor Qianlong canceled the pre-arranged appointments for the Jade Dragon Cup, deciding it was safer to bestow such honors upon his own trusted men. He then appointed Hailan Bi as the sect leader of the Heilong Sect of Liaodong. Meanwhile, Manager Sai, acting on Fu Kangan's orders, arrived at the Tianlong Sect.
He informed Tian Guinong that due to Official Tang's treason, the internal appointments for the gathering were canceled. The competition would now be based on fair combat, with strength determining the victor. This meant Tian Guinong would have to win the Jade Dragon Cup through his own martial prowess. As compensation, he would be exempt from the preliminary rounds and proceed directly to the finals. Manager Sai expressed confidence in Tian Guinong's ability to win the cup on his own merit.
