The Journey of Legend Episode 21 Recap
> The Journey of Legend Recap
After Song Mingzhu unexpectedly snatched the Supreme Elixir, Shao Liulei swiftly retrieved it and sealed her acupoints. Enraged, Song Mingzhu cursed Shao Liulei and threatened to kill him. Xiao Qiushui questioned Shao Liulei's actions, but Shao Liulei then exposed Xiao Qiushui's deception, revealing that Yan Kuangtu, far from feeling guilty, had abducted him for ten years and subjected him to daily torment from the Yang energy in the half-Yang pill he was forced to ingest.
Shao Liulei declared his hatred for liars, recalling how Heavenly King Zhu had used him as a shield and falsely promised him hero status, only for Shao Liulei to discover he was branded a traitor. He vowed to make Xiao Qiushui suffer the same torment he endured, not to offer the pill to Heavenly King Zhu, but to force Xiao Qiushui to take it.
He then turned to Song Mingzhu, planning to use her to alleviate his own Yang energy torment, as he had long searched for spiritual insects to balance his condition. Song Mingzhu warned him that Master Liu Suifeng would make him suffer if he touched her, but Shao Liulei scoffed at her threats. As Shao Liulei prepared to undress Song Mingzhu, Xiao Qiushui, enduring immense pain from the pill already in his system, condemned Shao Liulei for his lack of dignity.
Shao Liulei mockingly retorted, asking what right Xiao Qiushui had to speak of dignity when he hadn't endured Shao Liulei's decade of living "neither human nor ghost." To inflict his own suffering upon Xiao Qiushui, Shao Liulei forced the remaining Yang pill into Xiao Qiushui's mouth, explaining that without Yan Kuangtu's true energy to sustain him, Xiao Qiushui would perish in agony within two hours.
He then challenged Xiao Qiushui to choose between life and dignity, by using the helpless Song Mingzhu as an "antidote." Shao Liulei sealed Xiao Qiushui's acupoints as well and threw both of them off a cliff into a valley below, leaving them to their fate. After throwing them down, Shao Liulei resolved to seek vengeance on Heavenly King Zhu, promising to feed him poison instead of the Yang pill.
Suffering from the recurring Yang energy torment in the valley, Xiao Qiushui refused to harm Song Mingzhu and instead jumped into a cold lake to quell the raging energy within him. A white serpent then bit him. Although initially painful, the bite caused the runaway Yang energy in his body to disappear. Realizing this might be the spiritual insect Shao Liulei mentioned as the Yin pill, Xiao Qiushui channeled his newfound internal energy into the lake, causing water to surge.
He then unsealed Song Mingzhu's acupoints. Xiao Qiushui asked Song Mingzhu about the whereabouts of his parents' bodies, to which she truthfully replied that her master, Liu Suifeng, took them but she did not know their final resting place. Xiao Qiushui warned her not to lie and declared that he would have killed her and sent her corpse to Sword Retreat to avenge his family.
He then instructed Song Mingzhu to relay a message to Liu Suifeng and Li Chenzhou: he would seek vengeance for every one of the hundred lives lost from his family, settling their blood debts one by one. Song Mingzhu, witnessing Xiao Qiushui's assimilation of the Supreme Elixir, worried about the danger to her young master. Meanwhile, Shao Liulei met with a general under Heavenly King Zhu, presenting him with a seemingly well-intentioned elixir, which was actually a fake.
The general then ambushed Shao Liulei. Kang Chuyu appeared shortly after, delivering a fatal blow to Shao Liulei. As Kang Chuyu prepared to leave, Xiao Qiushui intercepted him, angrily condemning him for his betrayal, lack of morality, and the slaughter of innocents. Xiao Qiushui declared that Kang Chuyu's death would atone for the hundred lives of his family.
With potent internal energy, Xiao Qiushui struck down Kang Chuyu, finally avenging his brother Tang Rou and satisfying his grief for his parents and family. From Kang Chuyu's clothes, a whistle fell out, which Xiao Qiushui carefully picked up. Liu Suifeng continued to kneel before Li Chenzhou's door, seeking forgiveness.
Qu Hanshan, one of the gang's leaders, confronted Liu Suifeng, remarking that since Heavenly King Zhu now knew of Power Gang's opposition to Shaolin and Wudang, Liu Suifeng's continuous troublemaking was hindering the gang's operations. He informed Liu Suifeng that Master Li had already given him a chance to leave, but since he chose to stay and now sought an opportunity to atone, he must earn it himself.
Understanding this as Li Chenzhou's will, Liu Suifeng declared his immediate intent to travel to Wudang to atone. On the journey to Wudang, Qu Hanshan, treating Liu Suifeng harshly, ordered him to "wake up" and not die on the way, lest he delay Qu Hanshan's mission. Liu Suifeng calmly affirmed his determination to reach Wudang alive as per Master Li's wishes.
Along the way, a group of Wudang disciples intercepted them, claiming to be sent by their master to take custody of the "sinner." Blade King, another Power Gang leader present, grew suspicious as he had not been informed of such an arrangement. Although Qu Hanshan quickly confirmed the Wudang letter's authenticity, Blade King challenged the Wudang disciples, questioning how they knew Power Gang's route given their covert movements. Blade King then accused them of forging the letter with stolen correspondence.
Panicked, Qu Hanshan drew his sword, inciting the conflict. Power Gang members, outnumbered, were in dire straits until Zhao Shirong arrived to assist them. She ordered the captured Wudang imposters to be taken back for interrogation, stating she would take charge of Liu Suifeng. Zhao Shirong then revealed to Liu Suifeng that Li Chenzhou had not truly wanted him to die.
She reminded him of a past event where she saved him as a child, finding the "coldness" in his eyes intriguing. Liu Suifeng acknowledged that he had sensed Li Chenzhou's underlying plan during the journey. Zhao Shirong confirmed that sending him to Wudang was a ploy by Li Chenzhou to "lure out the snake from its hole."
She assured Liu Suifeng that both she and Li Chenzhou had always trusted him, knowing he would never betray them even if everyone else in the gang did. She explained that Power Gang's recent failures indicated the presence of spies, and Li Chenzhou had seized upon Liu Suifeng's involvement in the deaths of Tianzheng and Taichan as an opportunity to smoke out these hidden traitors.
Liu Suifeng expressed his profound loyalty, stating that his life was a gift from them, and without their trust, he would be but a living corpse. Zhao Shirong then instructed Liu Suifeng to rest while she returned to the gang to interrogate the captured traitors, promising to keep him informed. Song Mingzhu later found Liu Suifeng, worried about what he had been through, but he was solely focused on the Supreme Elixir's whereabouts.
She confessed that Shao Liulei's martial arts surpassed hers, preventing her from securing the pill, and that Shao Liulei had taken one part while Cai Qishen, the Flaming God, had stolen the other. Liu Suifeng was angered by the failure of the mission, which left Song Mingzhu disheartened, realizing her devotion to him, even to the point of death, elicited no genuine concern. Despite this, she found contentment merely being by his side.
Meanwhile, Blade King and Zhao Shirong interrogated a captured spy, who, under duress from threats of the Better-Dead Pill and corpse beetles, revealed that the Eagle Flute's leader would meet at Qingfeng Manor. Blade King went to Qingfeng Manor and sounded an Eagle Flute, summoning Fire King, who was one of the conspirators.
Blade King attempted to question Fire King about his superior within the Eagle Flute, but Fire King refused to cooperate and tried to escape, only to be blocked by Liu Suifeng and Zhao Shirong. Liu Suifeng presented evidence, including a Marching Pill formula found at Fire King's residence and an Eagle Flute, proving his collusion with the North Wasteland.
Zhao Shirong offered Fire King a chance to confess his superior's identity and reveal other Eagle Flute loyalists within Power Gang, but Fire King remained defiant, declaring the Eagle Flute's rise unstoppable. Liu Suifeng then pressed him about the Herbal Valley massacre, but Fire King, while admitting to stealing the formula from Diancang Sect, denied any involvement in the massacre.
Fire King further provoked them by mentioning Liu Suifeng's actions that angered the martial world, predicting Power Gang's downfall, and claiming his own actions were for a greater, long-term plan, hinting at more knowledge about the Hero Token. Zhao Shirong, citing gang rules for unrepentant traitors, ordered his punishment.
Fire King, anticipating this, revealed he had mastered the Meridian-Melting Art from an exotic land, allowing him to neutralize the Better-Dead Pill that Li Chenzhou had previously administered to the Eight Kings to prevent their betrayal. Thus, he believed he was immune to their methods and could kill them while they succumbed to their own poison.
However, as Fire King prepared to unleash his Blazing Palm, Zhao Shirong subtly activated her own countermeasure, instantly triggering the Better-Dead Pill in Fire King, rendering him powerless. Blade King then killed Fire King with his blade, "Gut Piercer." Zhao Shirong remarked to Liu Suifeng that while they recovered the formula, Fire King was not Liu Suifeng's true enemy, and his vengeance would have to wait. With Fire King's death, the Eagle Flute's superior remained unknown.
Li Chenzhou, considering the flawless disguises used by their enemies, suspected the Fei family's Three Arts, particularly the Thousand Faces Art, despite Old Master Fei's claims of its destruction years ago. Liu Suifeng confirmed rumors of the art's deceptive power, acknowledging the heightened difficulty if their enemies possessed it. Recognizing the urgency, Li Chenzhou tasked Liu Suifeng with investigating the Fei family immediately. He also urged Ghost King to expedite the production of corpse beetles.
Liu Suifeng reported that the Insect King, crucial for this, was near death, and only Tang Sect's Heaven-Earth Pool in Insect Valley could revive it. Access to the valley was restricted, and forced entry could harm the Insect King. However, Liu Suifeng suggested that the upcoming inheritor campaign at Tang Sect on the inheritor campaign night, when they would choose a new family head, might offer an opportunity to gain access.
Li Chenzhou cautioned extreme prudence, emphasizing the importance of not offending Madam Tang under any circumstances. Despite the complex challenges, Li Chenzhou remained suspicious of the sudden rise of Heavenly King Zhu of Long River and the ongoing attacks on Power Gang outposts by various sects, believing the Eagle Flute's ambitions extended far beyond merely disrupting the martial world. He resolved that Power Gang would directly confront the mastermind behind these challenges.
