Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Episode 21 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Recap
Lu Lingfeng, having made no progress in the investigation, received a visit from Pei Xijun. Upon hearing his account, Pei Xijun examined the medical journal at the Hall of Life. Her keen eye, developed since childhood, immediately detected that the entry for the day before Winter Solstice had been written later than the actual date. The assistant, fearing repercussions, quickly admitted that Lady Hui had indeed come for acupuncture and that Dr. Zhai had altered the journal.
Embarrassed, Dr. Zhai confessed that he had been seduced by Lady Hui's beauty and had secretly met her multiple times in the backyard storeroom. On the day before Winter Solstice, Lady Hui, complaining of a severe headache, was directed by Dr. Zhai to the storeroom, where he gave her the key while he attended to other patients. However, when he arrived later, Lady Hui was gone.
He initially assumed she had been frightened by the tomb in the attic and fled, intending to instruct her to keep silent upon her return. But when news broke of Lady Hui's dismembered body, fearing both suspicion and the exposure of their affair, Dr. Zhai tampered with the medical journal. His assistant corroborated that Dr. Zhai returned home early that evening and had his feet washed, suggesting Lady Hui was not harmed within the Hall of Life.
Meanwhile, Chicken Fed returned, fuming at Lu Lingfeng for tricking him. He recognized eight potent herbs on the cloth Lu Lingfeng provided, declaring them far too strong to be used in liquor. When Lu Lingfeng admitted the cloth was a fragment from the body bags, Chicken Fed identified the mixture of herbs as suitable for treating headaches, but noted that only "Old Weirdo Meng" would dare combine them in such an unconventional way.
Intrigued, Lu Lingfeng pressed Chicken Fed about his connection to Meng Donglao. Disturbed by recurring dreams of his elder fellow, Chicken Fed revealed that Meng Donglao was his senior disciple-brother and expressed a strong desire to visit his tomb to ease his restless spirit.
To prevent Pei Xijun from discovering the actual, unsettling location of the tomb in the attic, Xue Huan quickly intervened, fabricating a story that Meng Donglao was buried on Shou Mountain, forty miles northwest of Ju County. Pei Xijun, after interviewing several more witnesses who had seen individuals discarding the body bags, and Lu Lingfeng both concluded that the culprit was a single person who had used various disguises.
Pei Xijun synthesized the common features described by the witnesses into a single portrait. Just then, Chicken Fed returned, exhausted and frustrated from his fruitless journey to the distant Shou Mountain. He immediately recognized the man in Pei Xijun's drawing as Meng Donglao, mistakenly believing she had drawn it to comfort him in his longing. This startling recognition, coupled with Lu Lingfeng’s memory of a similar portrait found near the tomb in the attic, confirmed their suspicions.
Lu Lingfeng then led Chicken Fed to Meng Donglao’s actual burial site, a tomb built within the Hall of Life's attic. They were astonished to find a statue of their revered master, Sun Simiao, placed at the tomb to stand vigil over Meng Donglao.
Chicken Fed explained that Meng Donglao, whose birth name was Meng Dongxiao but was playfully nicknamed "Donglao" due to his premature white hair, had been expelled from their master's tutelage for grave robbing to dissect bodies and study human meridians. Chicken Fed admitted he was the one who informed their master, leading to Meng Donglao's enduring resentment. He also revealed Meng Donglao's unusual affection for cats.
The mention of several cats of different colors immediately clicked with Lu Lingfeng, who recalled Su Wuming's autopsy report noting various colored cat hairs found on the victims. Realizing the profound danger, Lu Lingfeng instantly ordered everyone to evacuate the Hall of Life and instructed Xue Huan to stay by Pei Xijun's side, protecting her without fail. After a night of intense thought, Lu Lingfeng concluded that Liang Sanqi's suicide was to protect Meng Donglao's dark secret.
He sought the Magistrate's permission to open Meng Donglao's coffin, strongly suspecting that Meng Donglao was not only alive but also the true perpetrator of the dismemberment murders. The Magistrate, fearful of a scandal that could ruin his career and cause public panic, reluctantly agreed, but urged Lu Lingfeng to handle the matter with utmost discretion.
Lu Lingfeng devised a clever scheme, announcing to the public that "cat demons" in the Hall of Life would be "purged by fire" at noon and advised residents to avoid the area to prevent the spread of evil spirits. Ignoring Dr. Zhai's desperate pleas to respect his uncle's grave, Lu Lingfeng ordered the coffin to be opened.
To their surprise, the coffin did not contain Meng Donglao's remains, but rather the skeleton of a tall woman, as confirmed by Chicken Fed. Further investigation beneath the coffin revealed a hidden secret room. Simultaneously, Xue Huan discovered an exit to a secret passage in a nearby abandoned house, deducing that this was the route Liang Sanqi used to deliver food, drinks, and the severed heads to Meng Donglao.
Inside the secret room, they confronted a very much alive Meng Donglao. He calmly confessed to having killed Guan Zijun forty years prior, stating his intent was to preserve her complete skeleton for medical research and to write a "Book of Bones" to benefit future generations.
He explained that six months ago, to dedicate himself to solving the mystery of headaches, he ingested a self-made concoction that induced a state of false death, allowing him to be buried in the attic and continue his research in secret.
Meng Donglao revealed that Liang Sanqi, whom he had saved from an illness, was loyal to him but was also a lecher, often bringing beautiful women who, unfortunately, did not suffer from headaches and were therefore useless for his research. He recounted how he encountered Lady Hui, recognized her severe headache condition, and subsequently murdered her for study. He dismembered her body and discarded the parts in temples, seeking a twisted form of "psychological comfort."
Meng Donglao displayed no remorse for his actions, instead expressing a profound belief that in a thousand years, his groundbreaking medical treatises, like his "Book of Curing Headaches," would be celebrated, and no one would remember him as a murderer. He even suggested that he be imprisoned in his secret chamber to complete his work, after which a temple should be built in his honor with a plaque proclaiming him the "Reincarnation of Hua Tuo."
Lu Lingfeng, utterly repulsed by Meng Donglao's heinous crimes and unrepentant attitude, ensured his swift execution. In the aftermath, Lu Lingfeng confided in Pei Xijun, expressing doubt about the absolute correctness of his decision and pondering how Su Wuming might have handled the complex case. Meanwhile, Chicken Fed, unexpectedly, chose to remain in Ju County. He dedicated himself to treating the widespread headache affliction among the populace, skillfully applying his medical knowledge.
His successful cures earned him immense gratitude from the villagers, who showered him with gifts and bestowed upon him the esteemed title of "Reincarnation of Hua Tuo." He even took Dr. Zhai as his new disciple. On Pei Xijun's birthday, Lu Lingfeng celebrated with her, and the following day, he escorted her to the border as she prepared to return to Nanzhou. Before parting, Pei Xijun once again subtly conveyed her heartfelt affection for him.
Upon his return to the county government, Lu Lingfeng was summoned by Magistrate Lei, who, with a somber expression, presented him with an imperial decree. The decree, originating from the imperial court in Chang'an, stripped Lu Lingfeng of his official position, citing his "bewitching of the populace with the heresy of cat demons." As Lu Lingfeng, accompanied by Xue Huan, prepared to depart Ju County, the grateful townspeople lined the roads, kneeling in respect and bidding him an emotional farewell. Even Magistrate Lei and the county constables, filled with newfound admiration, saluted him as he left the city.
