The Legend of the Condor Heroes Episode 2 Recap
> The Legend of the Condor Heroes Recap
Qiu Chuji arrived at Zuixian Tavern with a large cauldron, as per his three-day agreement with Master Jiaomu. He found Jiaomu alone and immediately demanded to know the whereabouts of the vile official Duan Tiande. Jiaomu, feigning ignorance about Duan Tiande, admitted he had invited some "reputable friends" hoping to peacefully resolve the issue. Qiu Chuji, however, saw through this, calling Jiaomu a "sneaky old monk" for delaying for three days to gather reinforcements.
He declared that no matter who came, he would not rest until Duan Tiande was handed over. Soon, Jiaomu's invited friends arrived, revealing themselves to be the renowned Seven Heroes of the South, though they modestly referred to themselves as the Seven Freaks.
They were led by the blind Master Ke Zhene, known as the Flying Bat, and included the Marvelous-handed Scholar Zhu Cong, Horse Deity Han Baoju, Hidden Hero in the City Quan Jinfa, Laughing Buddha Zhang Asheng, Southern Hill Woodcutter Nan Xiren, and Yue Maiden Sword Han Xiaoying. Ke Zhene inquired about the dispute.
Qiu Chuji explained he bore no personal grudge against Jiaomu but was pursuing Duan Tiande, who had captured his friend Guo Xiaotian's pregnant widow, Li Ping, and hidden her in Fahua Temple. He sought to rescue her and another missing widow, Bao Xiruo, wife of Yang Tiexin. Qiu Chuji believed it was his chivalrous duty to intervene, a sentiment Ke Zhene agreed with. However, Jiaomu vehemently denied harboring any woman or Duan Tiande, calling the accusation "untrue and absurd."
Zhu Cong suggested that Qiu Chuji might be misled by rumors, implying Qiu Chuji was lying. Feeling insulted and seeing the impasse, Ke Zhene proposed settling the matter "the martial artist's way." Qiu Chuji, despite stating he had no animosity towards them, accepted the challenge. During the ensuing fight, Zhu Cong cleverly managed to take a poem from Qiu Chuji's person without causing him harm, leading Qiu Chuji to admit defeat to the Seven Heroes of the South.
Despite his loss, Qiu Chuji remained resolute, declaring he still had to save his friend's family and intended to search Fahua Temple. As Qiu Chuji made his way to Fahua Temple, the Seven Heroes of the South again confronted him, leading to another intense battle. During the fierce fighting, both sides sustained injuries, and Qiu Chuji himself was poisoned.
As the poison began to take effect, Duan Tiande emerged from within the temple, intent on seizing the opportunity to kill the weakened Qiu Chuji. However, Master Jiaomu intervened, trying to de-escalate the situation by calling it a misunderstanding and defending Qiu Chuji as a "good man." Amidst the commotion, Li Ping, who had been disguised as a man, struggled and her disguise fell apart, revealing her true identity as a woman.
Both Qiu Chuji and Ke Zhene, seeing her, realized the true nature of Duan Tiande's deception. Jiaomu, aghast, then understood that he had been manipulated by Duan Tiande all along. Enraged by the betrayal and the damage to his reputation, Jiaomu cursed Duan Tiande, declaring he would destroy him. In response, the ruthless Duan Tiande fatally stabbed Master Jiaomu. With Jiaomu dead, Duan Tiande seized Li Ping and fled towards the river.
Despite the Seven Heroes' valiant efforts to rescue Li Ping and Ke Zhene's attempt to kill Duan Tiande, the cunning official managed to escape by coercing a boatman, under threat to his family, to take them across the river to the Jin-occupied North. Qiu Chuji, injured and poisoned, urged Ke Zhene to prioritize saving Li Ping. Back at Fahua Temple, the remaining martial artists mourned Master Jiaomu, whose death Ke Zhene declared undeserved.
Ke Zhene expressed the Seven Heroes' shame at being "fooled by a nobody," admitting they would become the "laughing stock of the world." Qiu Chuji humbly apologized for his "reckless behavior" and for offending them. Despite Qiu Chuji's apology, Ke Zhene stated that their severe injuries meant the matter could not be settled easily. He proposed a rematch, suggesting they meet again at Zuixian Tavern one year later.
Qiu Chuji accepted the challenge but requested to set the criteria for the match, which he warned would be a "rather long time" but would be a true "demonstration of real abilities" rather than just "impetuous courage." He reminded them that their original conflict stemmed from the desire to save the children of his two great friends, Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin. He confirmed that the woman abducted by Duan Tiande was Guo Xiaotian's pregnant wife, Li Ping.
He also mentioned Yang Tiexin's pregnant wife, Bao Xiruo, whose location remained unknown. Qiu Chuji proposed a unique bet: he would dedicate himself to finding and teaching Yang Tiexin's child, Yang Kang, while the Seven Heroes would find and instruct Guo Xiaotian's child, Guo Jing. Then, when both children turned eighteen, they would gather for a grand banquet at Zuixian Tavern, and the two young men would engage in a martial arts contest to determine whose disciple was superior.
Ke Zhene, finding the proposition suitable, agreed, and the eighteen-year bet was sealed. Some time passed. Li Ping, now a captive, was forced to labor alongside many other Song people by Jin soldiers in the harsh, snowy mountains. A Jin general, indifferent to their suffering, declared that these weak laborers would be killed once their work was done, and new captives would replace them. Amidst this arduous journey, the group was ambushed by bandits.
In the ensuing chaos, Li Ping seized the opportunity to escape. She fell down a snowy slope, and there, in the bitter cold, she desperately clung to life, speaking to her unborn child, "You can't die! Hang on till you give birth to Jing! That's what you promised Xiaotian!" She endured the pain and gave birth to her son, Guo Jing. Miraculously, a passing group of Mongol warriors heard the baby's cries.
Discovering Li Ping and her newborn in the snow, one of the warriors offered the baby milk, and they took the mother and child in, saving their lives. Years later, on the vast Mongolian grasslands, a young Guo Jing came across a severely wounded man who had fallen from his horse, being pursued by warriors.
After offering the man water, Guo Jing, remembering his mother's teachings to "give without taking anything in return," agreed to hide the man in a haystack. Soon, Temujin's soldiers arrived, questioning Guo Jing about the man's whereabouts. Despite being whipped repeatedly, Guo Jing bravely refused to divulge the secret. His mother, Li Ping, rushed to protect her child, enduring the beating herself. Unable to witness the injustice, the wounded man emerged, proclaiming, "Real men don't bully women and children!"
He introduced himself as Jebe, defiantly stating that he was a great archer and it would be a "shame" to be killed by anyone other than a true hero. Temujin, recognizing the name "Jebe" as meaning "great archer" in Mongolian, was impressed. His son revealed that Jebe had previously shot Temujin. Bo'orchu, Temujin's loyal right-hand man and a skilled archer himself, stepped forward to avenge his Great Khan.
Temujin, however, proposed an archery challenge: if Jebe could defeat Bo'orchu, he and the child would be spared. Jebe accepted, even boasting he would use a bow without an arrow. In a remarkable display of skill, Jebe won the contest by using his bowstring to strike Bo'orchu's arrow mid-flight. Temujin, moved by Jebe's prowess and the boy's integrity, declared he would spare both Jebe's life and Guo Jing's.
A grateful and humbled Jebe immediately pledged his lifelong loyalty and service to Temujin. Temujin offered Jebe a gold ingot as a gift, but Jebe, in turn, tried to give it to Guo Jing. Guo Jing, once again adhering to his mother's principles, refused the gift. Impressed by Guo Jing's "backbone," Temujin allowed Li Ping and Guo Jing to move into his military camp, experiencing life alongside him.
Furthermore, Temujin instructed Jebe to teach archery to both his own son, Tolui, and Guo Jing. Some time later, Jin envoys arrived on the Mongolian grasslands, led by the Jin Third Prince and Sixth Prince. Their stated purpose was to confer official titles upon the Mongols, which they presented as a "great honor." Temujin's son openly questioned why the Mongols should accept titles from the Jin or remain subservient to them, reflecting Temujin's own unspoken resentment.
The Jin Third Prince, displaying extreme arrogance, began to throw gold coins at the Mongols, declaring it "My act of generosity" and ordering them to "Pick them up!" as if they were begging dogs. Young Guo Jing, witnessing this blatant disrespect and humiliation, bravely stepped forward and retorted, "Nobody wants your stinky money." Infuriated by the child's defiance, the Jin Third Prince, ignoring his brother's attempt to restrain him, immediately drew his bow, shouted "Die!" , and shot an arrow directly at Guo Jing.
