The Legend of the Condor Heroes Episode 26 Recap
> The Legend of the Condor Heroes Recap
After drifting for many days, Huang Rong, Hong Qigong, and Ouyang Ke finally reached the shore of an uninhabited island. Huang Rong, exhausted, had collapsed in the sea and was rescued by Ouyang Ke. On land, Hong Qigong was gravely ill from snake venom, and Ouyang Ke claimed to have no antidote.
Huang Rong quickly found a cave to settle her master, giving him a Nine Flowers Dew Pill to temporarily alleviate the poison, though it was not a lasting solution. Seizing the unexpected opportunity for solitude, Ouyang Ke, cheerful, began to flirt with Huang Rong. Despite her predicament, Huang Rong was not one to be easily bullied. She used her Soft Hedgehog Armor to injure him, warning him to never bother her again.
Undeterred, Ouyang Ke remained outside the cave, hoping to spend the rest of their lives together. Inside the cave, Huang Rong wept over her master's critical condition and the unknown fate of Guo Jing. Hong Qigong tried to console her, attributing their circumstances to fate and assuring her that heaven would be kind to people like them who possessed love and righteousness.
He then remembered the Beggars' Sect meeting on the 15th day of the 7th month in Yueyang City, where he was meant to announce his successor. Despairing that he was stranded and Guo Jing was nowhere to be found, he confessed his intention to pass the leadership to Guo Jing, praising his moral character. Suddenly, Hong Qigong looked at Huang Rong, recognizing another suitable candidate.
Huang Rong, discerning his intention, hesitated, worried that her playful nature made her unfit for such a weighty responsibility. Seeing her reluctance, Hong Qigong dramatically bemoaned to the Beggars' Sect ancestors that the sect would be ruined in his hands. Unable to bear her master's distress, Huang Rong finally agreed. Despite the primitive surroundings, Hong Qigong held a solemn ceremony, proclaiming Huang Rong the 19th chief of the Beggars' Sect and bestowing upon her the Dog-beating Staff.
He instructed her to attend the Yueyang assembly on the appointed date. Huang Rong admired the beautiful, emerald-green Dog-beating Staff. Hong Qigong explained that it was not merely a symbol of leadership but also came with the 36 Dog-beating Staff Routines. He began teaching her the first move, "One Staff against Two Dogs." Shortly after, while Huang Rong was gathering wild fruits, she returned to find Hong Qigong unconscious. Ouyang Ke, seeing his chance, moved to attack the weakened master.
Huang Rong, using her newly learned Dog-beating Staff Routines, fiercely fended him off. Hong Qigong, with a surge of energy, intervened with a powerful, albeit bluffing, strike, startling Ouyang Ke and sending him fleeing. Hong Qigong warned Ouyang Ke to behave or face dire consequences, then quickly collapsed again, having used his last reserves. Huang Rong realized her master's intervention was a facade, and their situation remained perilous.
She worried how they would survive if Ouyang Ke realized Hong Qigong was bluffing. Feeling helpless, Huang Rong walked along the island, searching for a solution. She spotted a large boulder perched precariously on a cliff, sparking an idea. Later, she roasted some delicious clams for her master on the beach. Ouyang Ke, drawn by the aroma, approached them. This time, Huang Rong did not reject him. She offered him food and even went for a walk with him.
Taking this as an opportunity, Ouyang Ke passionately declared his love for her, recounting his feelings since their first meeting and promising to treat her better than anyone. Distracted by his fervent confession, he failed to notice Huang Rong discreetly wrapping vines around his leg. He walked forward innocently, still professing his love, when suddenly the giant boulder from the cliff cascaded down, crushing his leg and eliciting screams of agony.
At that very moment, Guo Jing and Ouyang Feng finally washed ashore. Upon seeing his nephew trapped, Ouyang Feng furiously lashed out at others present.
Realizing they were no match for Ouyang Feng in his rage, Huang Rong strategically proposed three conditions for their help in rescuing Ouyang Ke: Ouyang Feng must not harm them on the island, he must never again propose marriage to her father, Huang Yaoshi, on Ouyang Ke's behalf, and if they failed to save Ouyang Ke, Ouyang Feng could not take his anger out on them. Desperate to save his nephew, Ouyang Feng reluctantly agreed to all conditions.
The four of them—Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Hong Qigong, and Ouyang Feng—strained to push the massive boulder, but it was too heavy. Huang Rong suggested they needed to use ingenuity rather than brute force, proposing a windlass system similar to how her father moved large objects. Guo Jing and the others went to gather vines and logs. As they worked under the scorching sun, Huang Rong offered Ouyang Ke some water wrapped in a lotus leaf.
He thanked her, to which Huang Rong, unable to resist, revealed that she had engineered the trap. Ouyang Ke quickly cut her off, fearing his uncle would overhear her confession and punish her. Once the windlass was constructed, they all pulled together, and the boulder began to shift. Ouyang Ke, seeing a sliver of hope, struggled to pull his leg free, but suddenly, the vines snapped, and the rock crashed back down, negating their efforts.
Back in the cave, Huang Rong fumed at Ouyang Feng's bullying. She wondered if Hong Qigong would still save such a person if given another chance. Hong Qigong, looking at her earnestly, affirmed he would, saying it was fate, and that Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Ke also had their own destinies. Huang Rong, heartbroken, cried and promised to cook all his favorite dishes.
Hong Qigong gently consoled them, philosophizing about the inevitability of goodbyes in life and expressing his contentment with a life lived as a "blissful and carefree wanderer." Later, Huang Rong and Guo Jing walked along the sandy beach. Huang Rong asked if he wanted to be the chief of the Beggars' Sect, but Guo Jing quickly demurred, stating he was incapable of managing such an organization. Huang Rong then noticed the rising tide with a worried frown.
She realized that Ouyang Ke, trapped in a low-lying area, would soon be engulfed by the seawater. She expressed concern that if Ouyang Ke drowned, Ouyang Feng would surely seek revenge on them. Hearing this, Guo Jing immediately declared his intention to save Ouyang Ke, a display of pure-hearted compassion that Huang Rong deeply admired.
