The Journey of Legend Episode 22 Recap
> The Journey of Legend Recap
Xiao Qiushui reunited with Zuoqiu and Deng Yuhan, who were delighted to see his martial skills fully restored and his internal energy significantly increased. Xiao Qiushui explained to Master Dayin and Master Liang that his newfound power stemmed from the Supreme Elixir, which Shao Liulei had forcibly administered to him, unexpectedly boosting his internal energy. He confirmed that Shao Liulei was now dead.
He also revealed that not only the Power Gang but also Heavenly King Zhu were relentlessly searching for the Supreme Elixir, signaling impending chaos in the martial world as Wudang and Shaolin braced for conflict with the Power Gang. Master Liang advised Xiao Qiushui to refine his martial arts before seeking revenge, as his internal energy was still unstable. Master Dayin, grateful for Xiao Qiushui's rescue, passed on his unique "Breath-Returning Technique" to help him better control his internal energy.
Xiao Qiushui then announced that he had personally killed Kang Chuyu, avenging Tang Rou, and handed the Eagle Flute found on Kang Chuyu to Zuoqiu and Deng Yuhan, tasking them with investigating its origins. Master Dayin expressed his confusion over how the seemingly impregnable Sword Retreat had fallen. Xiao Qiushui explained the tragedy: Qiu, a long-loyal servant, had betrayed them by poisoning the water supply, rendering their defenses unsustainable.
His parents, in a desperate act, had sent him and his brothers out to protect Madam Wu, thereby saving their lives. However, upon their return, Sword Retreat was ruined, and his parents’ bodies were never found, leading them to erect only symbolic tombs. Master Liang found Qiu’s betrayal particularly perplexing, as the man was ascetic, solitary, and had no family to be threatened.
Xiao Qiushui suggested Qiu might have been forced to ingest the Power Gang’s sinister Better-Dead Pill, which inflicts unbearable torment. To verify this, they returned to Huanhua to exhume Qiu’s body, where Master Dayin used his internal energy to extract a corpse beetle, confirming that it was indeed the Ghost King’s creation containing the Better-Dead Pill. Master Liang lamented the terrifying power of such mind-control methods, emphasizing the urgent need for righteous sects to unite against the Power Gang.
Xiao Qiushui and his companions pledged their solidarity in the fight against their common enemy. While Xiao Qiushui diligently practiced the Breath-Returning Technique, he recalled his mother's teachings about the Heavenly Swordplay, realizing that integrating his newfound internal energy with his sword techniques was crucial for true advancement. Meanwhile, Xiao Yiren was tirelessly striving to revive the Huanhua Sect. Xiao Xueyu offered him a calming herbal soup and tried to reassure him, suggesting he shouldn't be so anxious.
She reminded him that even though the other Jin City sects had forsaken them, the unity of the four siblings could ensure the Xiao family’s eventual resurgence. She tried to soften Xiao Qiushui’s earlier harsh words, believing they were spoken in haste and without malice. However, Xiao Yiren, still consumed by his resentment, dismissed her, stating he had no time to entertain such thoughts and was focused solely on reopening the sect.
The day came for the collection of rent, but none of the tenants arrived. A servant reported that the Tang Sect was holding an ancestral worship ceremony, which had drawn all the Jin City martial artists. Xiao Yiren, knowing that the Tang Sect usually held such ceremonies during the full moon, realized this sudden, early event was a deliberate provocation against the Xiao family. Enraged, he and Xiao Kaiyan went to the Tang Sect to demand an explanation.
Tang Song, showing blatant disrespect, not only taunted them but also revealed that he had lured away the child apprentices from the Xiao family’s martial hall. He declared that Jin City’s martial world was now under the joint leadership of the Nangong family and the Tang Sect, leaving Xiao Yiren deeply humiliated.
As they left the Tang Sect, Xiao Kaiyan expressed his dismay at the treacherous nature of people, especially the Nangong family, who had been long-standing allies, turning against them so readily. Xiao Yiren, however, speculated that since both Tang and Nangong were prominent "unique schools of martial arts," they might have internal conflicts despite their outward alliance. He decided to humble himself and seek cooperation with the Nangong family, hoping to find a turning point.
Xiao Yiren then visited the Nangong Residence, where Nangong Wushang and Nangong Han were present. Nangong Han proposed two conditions for an alliance: either Xiao Xueyu marry Nangong Wushang as a show of sincerity, or the Xiao family surrender the Huanhua Swordplay manual. Xiao Yiren refused both, asserting that marriage should be based on mutual affection and the sword manual was the very essence of their sect.
He left empty-handed, but not before Nangong Wushang warned him that if he did not comply, the Xiao family would find themselves with no standing in Jin City. That night, a disheartened Xiao Yiren sought solace in alcohol. Nangong Xiaoyi found him and confessed that she was ashamed of her family’s actions, having sent a letter to sever ties, believing that martial artists should uphold righteousness above all.
This moved Xiao Yiren, and he reaffirmed his resolve to reclaim everything his family had lost. The following day, Nangong Wushang arrived at the Xiao family manor with what appeared to be betrothal gifts. Before Xiao Yiren could respond, Nangong Wushang dramatically produced the Huanhua Swordplay manual, revealing it had been stolen by the rebellious child apprentices and handed over to the Nangong family.
Nangong Wushang reiterated his demand: Xiao Xueyu must marry him, and the manual would be returned as her betrothal gift. Otherwise, he threatened, the Nangong family would ensure the Xiao family's complete eradication from Jin City within five days. Meanwhile, Zuoqiu and Deng Yuhan’s investigation into the Eagle Flute yielded significant results. They discovered it originated from a mysterious organization with ties to the North Wasteland, which had already infiltrated the Power Gang.
They also reported that two days prior, Fire King, one of the Power Gang's Eight Kings, had been executed by Liu Suifeng and his allies for colluding with the Eagle Flute organization, and the Power Gang was now intensely cracking down on internal traitors. Given that the Eagle Flute was found on Kang Chuyu, a confidant of Sword King Qu Hanshan, Xiao Qiushui suspected Qu Hanshan of working for the North Wasteland.
Zuoqiu and Deng Yuhan informed him that Qu Hanshan was currently in Jin City, residing at Tongfu Inn. They also explained that Li Chenzhou had orchestrated Liu Suifeng’s "bitter-meat stratagem" to expose these spies, even tricking the Sword King. Xiao Qiushui, knowing the long-standing animosity between Qu Hanshan and Liu Suifeng, realized Qu Hanshan would be furious and desperate given the Power Gang's ruthless hunt for traitors. He decided to confront Qu Hanshan, believing that a desperate man would be more likely to reveal crucial information.
