The Journey of Legend Episode 33 Recap
> The Journey of Legend Recap
Xiao Qiushui confronted his second brother, Xiao Kaiyan, demanding to know why he had murdered their parents. Xiao Kaiyan, increasingly frenzied, explained that the entire Xiao family had waited for Xiao Qiushui and Xiao Yiren to return with reinforcements, yet no one believed he could save them. He declared his ambition was to change everything with the Book of Oblivion, asserting that he, too, could be the family's hero.
Xiao Kaiyan scoffed at Heavenly King Zhu's limited vision, stating his own ambitions were far greater. He proclaimed that the strong seize by brute force, while only the weak preach about morals and justice. Victory, he insisted, was the sole measure of worth, and once he conquered the world, everyone, including Xiao Qiushui, would bow before him. Xiao Qiushui, burning with anger, vowed that he would never let Xiao Kaiyan succeed.
As Xiao Qiushui turned to leave, Xiao Kaiyan attempted a sneak attack, but Xiao Qiushui deflected it with a swift sword stroke without even looking back. Hidden in the shadows, Liu Suifeng witnessed the entire exchange, finally understanding the truth. Alone in the backyard, Xiao Kaiyan reflected on recent events.
He recalled when Li Nan, whose soul had merged with his, had reminded him of their glorious life in another world, a life of effortless power, unlike his pathetic existence in this one. Li Nan revealed Xiao Kaiyan's original fate in the book: to be cannon fodder, always in Xiao Qiushui's shadow, forgotten in death. This revelation broke Xiao Kaiyan’s psychological defenses.
Driven by a desire to reshape his destiny and become the family's master, he succumbed to Li Nan's influence and entered the Sword Retreat, where he secretly learned the Book of Oblivion. During the siege of the Sword Retreat, Xiao Xilou and Sun Huishan, alerted by Xiao Qiushui before he left, had discovered Ironclad Constable Zhu Xiawu's true identity as an infiltrator seeking the Hero Token and had bound him.
Xiao Kaiyan, now empowered by the Book of Oblivion, confronted Zhu Xiawu and accidentally fatally wounded his mother, Sun Huishan, while attempting to use his new martial arts against Zhu Xiawu. Overwhelmed by self-reproach, Xiao Kaiyan was then found by Xiao Xilou. Zhu Xiawu, still alive but severely injured, seized the opportunity to denounce the Xiao family as hypocrites, claiming Xiao Kaiyan had purposefully used the Book of Oblivion to kill his mother.
Shocked by his wife's death and this accusation, Xiao Xilou confronted his son. As Xiao Xilou questioned him, Li Nan's voice inside Xiao Kaiyan's mind grew stronger, echoing that great individuals disregard minor details. Under Zhu Xiawu's manipulative influence, Xiao Kaiyan then killed his own father, Xiao Xilou. After being freed, Zhu Xiawu became accomplices with Xiao Kaiyan, assisting him in massacring everyone in the Sword Retreat to conceal the truth.
Xiao Kaiyan then used the Thousand Faces to impersonate Li Chenzhou and issue false orders to Liu Suifeng. After murdering Deng Qingfeng, Xiao Kaiyan decided Zhu Xiawu had outlived his usefulness, killed him, and took his place as Heavenly King Zhu, thereby seizing control of the Dragon River Waterway and securing the Emperor's favor.
Liu Suifeng returned to the Power Gang and reported to Li Chenzhou that Xiao Kaiyan, using the Thousand Faces, had impersonated Heavenly King Zhu, seized control of the Dragon River Waterway, and was responsible for the massacres of the Xiao and Deng families. Concerns arose within the Power Gang, as the false Heavenly King Zhu now commanded vast influence and the Emperor's backing, making him an unprecedented threat.
Blade King suggested uniting major sects like Shaolin and Wudang against him, but lamented that Liu Suifeng's past mistakes, having inadvertently killed the Shaolin and Wudang sect leaders, had alienated these powerful allies. After leaving the headquarters, Liu Suifeng resolved to take full responsibility for his past errors, which had inadvertently caused Power Gang's current predicament, vowing not to burden Li Chenzhou further. Meanwhile, Xiao Kaiyan, still disguised as Heavenly King Zhu, met with Xiao Yiren.
He presented an imperial decree, commanding Xiao Yiren to infiltrate General Wu's army on the frontline and secretly kill some North Wasteland soldiers to create chaos. This, he explained, would provide the Emperor with a pretext to recall General Wu. Xiao Yiren, knowing General Wu's loyalty and crucial role in defending Daxi, expressed his reluctance to commit such a dishonorable act. However, Xiao Kaiyan cynically pointed out that the Emperor's favor was paramount, not Jianghu reputation.
He threatened Xiao Yiren, stating he could either ensure the Xiao family's continued glory or brand them as traitors, destroying their century-old reputation, if Xiao Yiren refused. He mocked Xiao Yiren's moral high ground, claiming they were both driven by self-interest, but Xiao Yiren was merely more hypocritical. Xiao Kaiyan even suggested Xiao Yiren could cut ties with the family and let Xiao Qiushui take his place.
Liu Suifeng traveled alone to Shaolin and Wudang to atone for his actions, admitting he had been misled into killing the Venerable Tianzheng and Grandmaster Taichan. He offered his life to absolve the Power Gang, pleading that the two great sects cease their resentment.
A powerful voice from above declared that while his sins were grave, in these perilous times of martial world decline and Daxi's external and internal threats, his life would be spared, urging him to redeem himself by fighting for Daxi.
Xiao Qiushui sent a letter to Shaolin and Wudang via Zuo Qiu, informing them that he had received martial arts instruction from Shaolin's senior monks (Muye and Fanhua) and Wudang's elders (Yinping and Tieqi), along with other masters (East Swordman, West Swordman, Zhang Canjin, and Wan Suiyu), who had imparted their skills to him before their passing. He expressed his desire to join the two sects in defending Daxi.
He also revealed that someone had stolen the Fei family's Thousand Faces and orchestrated the massacre at the Sword Retreat, inciting conflict among various factions and attempting to divide Daxi's martial world. This imposter, he stated, was posing as Heavenly King Zhu. While unable to name the imposter without concrete proof, he promised to present evidence once found, warning all sects to be vigilant due to the imposter's cunning and the power of the Thousand Faces.
Xiao Yiren returned to his residence, finding Xiao Qiushui waiting at the desolate family gate. Xiao Qiushui, refraining from reproaching his brother, revealed that Xiao Kaiyan was the true murderer of their parents and the entire family. He explained that Xiao Kaiyan had secretly learned the Book of Oblivion at the Sword Retreat and had used the Thousand Faces to impersonate Heavenly King Zhu.
Xiao Yiren found this impossible to believe, pointing out that Heavenly King Zhu was already a renowned figure and Xiao Kaiyan, known for his gentle nature, couldn't have mimicked him. However, he recalled Xiao Kaiyan's uncanny ability to escape danger unscathed during the Sword Retreat's fall, which seemed uncharacteristic of his brother's usual martial prowess. While he had previously attributed it to good fortune, the details now seemed suspicious.
Despite these doubts, he was unwilling to accept the grim truth about his second brother. Later, Xiao Kaiyan revealed his true identity to Xiao Yiren, who had seen him use the Thousand Faces. Xiao Yiren directly accused him of their parents' murders. Xiao Kaiyan, however, denied acting disrespectfully towards their parents. He passionately explained that after the family's massacre, he was consumed by grief, vowing to do anything to avenge and restore the Xiao family.
He realized he could no longer rely on others and had to become ruthless. He claimed he poisoned the true Zhu Xiawu (the Ironclad Constable, who used the Thousand Faces to play dual roles and harbored malicious intentions) and used his organization as a stepping stone for the Xiao family.
He then contrasted his actions with Xiao Qiushui's, alleging that Xiao Qiushui, though outwardly heroic, was selfish, only pursuing powerful martial arts and influence over his elder brother, hiding the Hero Token and Supreme Elixir, and aligning with the Power Gang.
Xiao Kaiyan argued that his dealings with the North Wasteland were necessary for the family's advancement and aligned with the Emperor's true, unspoken desires, dismissing conventional Jianghu reputation as insignificant compared to the greater goal of restoring the Xiao family's glory.
