Side Story of Fox Volant Episode 4 Recap
> Side Story of Fox Volant Recap
As the fire at Shang's Fort intensified, the iron-walled enclosure became an inferno, threatening to incinerate everyone within. Old Madam Shang, in a fit of madness, declared that if she had to die, everyone else would perish with her, believing her efforts to be worthwhile, "Jianming, did you see it? By heaven, my effort is not wasted." Fortunately, Hu Fei burst through, pushing a water cart.
Miao Renfeng, observing Hu Fei fighting Shang Baozhen, advised him to "attack his lower limbs" since Shang Baozhen's stance was unstable. After Hu Fei defeated him, Miao Renfeng offered further guidance to "treat the saber in your hand like nothing," which allowed Hu Fei to skillfully evade Old Madam Shang's subsequent attack and activate a mechanism, releasing everyone from the fiery trap.
After ensuring everyone's safety, Hu Fei retreated into a corner, his eyes fixed on Miao Renfeng, vowing silently that he would personally defeat him one day. Meanwhile, Old Madam Shang, filled with despair, used her broken staff to stab Ma Xingkong, eliminating at least one of her perceived burdens, even if she couldn't kill Miao Renfeng. Chen Yu quickly led his people to the flower garden, reporting the full extent of the disaster to Fu Kangan.
He urged Fu Kangan to leave immediately, emphasizing, "The fire will attract the local authorities. Your dignity is more important," and adding, "Miao Renfeng excels in martial arts. Your safety is more important." Fu Kangan glanced back at Ma Chunhua for a moment, but ultimately chose self-preservation and departed with his retinue. When Ma Chunhua eventually awoke, the carriage procession was long gone, only the faint echoes of its wheels remaining.
Shang's Fort lay in ruins, and Ma Chunhua, upon learning of her father's death, knelt beside him, weeping mournfully. Hu Fei visited Ping Si's grave, expressing his sentiments, "I rescued him this time. I've paid everything that I owed him. Now, we're square." He then pledged, "From now on, I'll listen to you. To master the martial arts of Hu Family. I'll go to him when I grow up. I want to defeat him fair and square!"
Years passed, and Hu Fei matured from a boy into a young man, his martial arts skills and breadth of experience growing daily. In contrast, Miao Renfeng remained ensnared by the past. He consistently traveled great distances to visit an inn on the anniversary of Hu Yidao and his wife's deaths, to mourn his departed friend. The innkeeper would remark, "Hero Miao, you come here every year to worship your deceased friend. I'm very impressed."
During this time, Nan Rentong, a retired official from the capital, was escorting the legendary Cool Moon saber back to the capital with his daughter, Nan Lan. They stopped at the same inn. Nan Lan, sensing a chilling "murderous look" from Miao Renfeng, grew apprehensive. Nan Rentong, doting on his daughter, ordered his guards to clear a path, pushing Miao Renfeng aside. The innkeeper apologized to Miao Renfeng, explaining, "they're the local authorities. We can't mess with them.
Please accept my apology." Miao Renfeng, respecting the innkeeper, simply moved to an inner chamber, observing his surroundings without a word. Nan Rentong, boasting to his daughter, "when we reach the capital. . . the first thing to do is to go and see Commander Fu. To present this treasure to His Majesty. If His Majesty is happy, your father will become a capital official. I'll buy you palace flowers every day by then."
Inside, Jiang Diaohou warmly received Nan Rentong and Nan Lan, eager to inspect the rumored treasure. Nan Lan, however, advised caution, remarking, "We should be more careful as we're away from home." Nan Rentong dismissed her concerns, stating, "It's broad daylight. Why do we have to be careful? Take a look." When a man at an adjacent table boastfully claimed his own weapons were unparalleled, Nan Rentong, ever competitive, challenged him, stating, "Its name is Cool Moon. It's extremely sharp.
It can cut the thinnest hair and iron easily. It's made with Dark Iron. Great care was taken at every step." The man scoffed, "All is not gold that glitters." Nan Rentong, angered by the man's disrespect for an imperial good, quickly took out the Cool Moon saber and easily severed the man's weapon. Jiang Diaohou, after praising the saber, seized an opportune moment and decapitated Nan Rentong in front of everyone.
The sudden, brutal act left Nan Lan utterly terrified and nearly unconscious. Miao Renfeng intervened to subdue the attackers. However, he was struck by Jiang Diaohou's poisoned arrow, and his consciousness began to wane. Recognizing Miao Renfeng as her only hope, Nan Lan disregarded societal conventions and, without hesitation, bent down to suck the venom from the wound on his calf. This act deeply touched Miao Renfeng, reminding him of Hu Yidao and his wife.
While he had initially intervened out of a sense of justice, he now resolved to protect this woman. As Miao Renfeng prepared to leave with Nan Lan, dozens of porcelain jars filled with lamp oil, along with torches, were hurled into the inn, setting it ablaze. High-skilled assassins relentlessly pursued them. Miao Renfeng shielded Nan Lan throughout the chase, eventually slaying all of them.
He then led Nan Lan to a secluded cave he frequented, a place where he and Hu Yidao had once shared drinks and conversation. With her father dead and no home to return to, Nan Lan entrusted the Cool Moon saber to Miao Renfeng, asking him to place it in a virtuous location so her father might rest in peace. Meanwhile, back in the capital, Emperor Qianlong was furious over the incessant natural disasters and civil unrest.
His court officials offered only flattery and fabricated auspicious omens, such as "celestial phenomena appear in Lunan, it's an auspicious sign that shows Qing is a stable and peaceful country which is worshipped by all nations," and claims of "Qing Cloud," but none presented real solutions for governing Yong'an. The Emperor admonished them, "Why would Shanxi experience a locust plague? Why would Henan experience floods? Why are there bandits in Liang Mountain? . . .
As you're being paid by Qing, you have to lighten my burden. Instead of currying favour with me and embellishing the issues." Fu Kangan, who had knelt outside the Imperial Study until the court dismissed, finally gained an audience. The Emperor criticized him, "When will you win credit for me? Do you know what you've done wrong?" Fu Kangan confessed, "I was careless and incompetent. Causing Your Majesty's imperial saber to be taken by the bad guys. Please punish me."
The Emperor pressed him, "Careless? How are you going to settle it?" Fu Kangan promised, "I'll go after the fugitives right away. To get the imperial saber back. And I'll punish the officials who don't fulfill their duties." Still unsatisfied, the Emperor hinted at a deeper concern, saying, "You still don't get it. . . The scholars violate the rules with words; the warriors flout the ban with martial arts. Try to understand these sentences.
Come here when you figure it out." After leaving the Emperor, Fu Kangan met with his mother, who helped him understand the true meaning of the Emperor's words. She questioned why the Emperor was so angry over the fact that a local official was killed and the imperial saber was taken. She clarified that the Emperor's concern was not just about the saber, revealing that the Red Flower Club posed a significant threat to His Majesty.
She explained, "No one knows His Majesty better than me. The Red Flower Club is like a thorn to him. It's a pain in the neck. If he mobilises forces to annihilate it, it'll generate controversies. His reputation will be affected. If he just lets it be, it'll be an eyesore, he won't be able to rest assured." She then asked, "What do you think he should do?"
Fu Kangan, finally enlightened, thanked his mother and vowed, "I'll work hard to share His Majesty's burden." Back in Foshan, Hu Fei, now a grown man, visited Ping Si's grave once more. He poured out his heart, "Fourth Uncle, you hadn't returned to Foshan for 13 years in order to accompany me when I was growing up. Now, I've brought you back here. You're back to your hometown. You can rest in peace now."
He reaffirmed his commitment to Ping Si's teachings, "In the past five years, I've never forgotten about what you said. With the passing of time, I've constantly practised martial arts." Concluding his visit, he declared, "Now that I've grown up. It's time for me to go to Miao Renfeng. To avenge my father and mother. Fourth Uncle, bless me." With Ping Si's spirit finally brought home, Hu Fei was ready to embark on his quest.
