The Legend of the Condor Heroes Episode 29 Recap
> The Legend of the Condor Heroes Recap
Zhou Botong suddenly appeared on the boat, revealing he had survived jumping into the sea. He had brought with him a stick, which he claimed had saved a shark, thus proving Ouyang Feng had lost their bet to kill all sharks in the sea. Hong Qigong agreed that Ouyang Feng had indeed lost, and Ouyang Feng, reluctantly admitting defeat, asked what Zhou Botong desired.
Zhou Botong first suggested throwing Ouyang Feng into the sea, then comically proposed making him pass gas publicly. Huang Rong intervened, stressing that their priority was Hong Qigong’s recovery and that they needed a boat to leave. Ouyang Feng, bound by his lost bet, instructed Wanyan Honglie to prepare a vessel for them. As they prepared to depart, Guo Jing urged Yang Kang to join them, but Huang Rong knew he would refuse. The group successfully disembarked.
Huang Rong wanted to settle accounts with Zhou Botong, reminding him that his earlier blunders on Peach Blossom Island had caused them great suffering. He apologized and promised that the next time he saw Huang Yaoshi, he would clarify that Guo Jing had been unaware it was the Nine Yin Manual he possessed. Their journey then led them to Niu Village, Guo Jing’s ancestral home.
Standing amidst the serene landscape, Guo Jing felt a profound sadness, realizing he did not know which house was his own, despite his mother's vivid childhood descriptions of the village's stream, crickets, fireflies, and the comforting smells of home. Overwhelmed by emotion, Guo Jing vowed to personally slay Wanyan Honglie to avenge his father, with Huang Rong adding her support to his pledge. Meanwhile, Huang Yaoshi, playing his flute, navigated the vast waters in search of his daughter.
He soon encountered Wanyan Honglie’s ship. Ouyang Feng feigned politeness, offering greetings. Huang Yaoshi inquired if Ouyang Feng had seen Huang Rong, but Ouyang Feng falsely claimed he had not. Ouyang Feng then introduced Wanyan Honglie as Prince Zhao. As Huang Yaoshi prepared to continue his search, Sha Tongtian spoke up, asserting that three days prior, he had seen the bloated body of a fifteen-year-old girl in a green outfit floating in the sea.
Ouyang Feng added to the deception, suggesting that based on the description, it sounded like Huang Rong and expressing feigned sorrow for her tragic, young death. Believing their lies, Huang Yaoshi’s voice trembled with anguish. In a fit of grief and rage, he violently struck Sha Tongtian, knocking him into the water. Huang Yaoshi then sailed away alone in a small boat, forlornly reciting a poignant “Grief Poem for Daughter” by Cao Zijian.
Huang Rong's group soon arrived at a deserted establishment called Qu San Tavern. Huang Rong, feeling uneasy, wondered if the place was haunted. Zhou Botong, ever playful, donned a mask and tried to scare her. Soon after, a young woman named Shagu, holding a watermelon, appeared in the yard. Zhou Botong, mischievous, snatched her watermelon, provoking a scuffle. During their fight, Hong Qigong and Huang Rong noticed that Shagu was using moves from Peach Blossom Island’s Blue Wave Palms.
Huang Rong decided to test her skills and discovered that Shagu only knew the upper-body routines, lacking any footwork. Guo Jing, ever kind, cautioned Huang Rong not to harm the girl. At Guiyun Manor, Lu Chengfeng received a letter from Huang Yaoshi. The letter tragically informed him of Huang Rong’s supposed death at sea, claiming she had drowned while pursuing Guo Jing’s ship. Huang Yaoshi, in his grief, blamed Guo Jing and ordered Lu Chengfeng to find him.
However, Lu Chengfeng, respecting Guo Jing’s character, believed in his innocence. He immediately instructed his son, Lu Guanying, to locate Guo Jing as quickly as possible and warn him to go into hiding, promising to find a way to resolve the misunderstanding with his master later. He also sent men to notify the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, who might have heard from Guo Jing. Lu Guanying quickly received word of a sighting of Guo Jing near Lin’an and set off.
Back at Qu San Tavern, Huang Rong was preparing a meal and asked Zhou Botong to fetch some bowls. While searching, Zhou Botong stumbled upon a secret chamber. Inside, they found two skeletons. One of the bodies had a crippled leg, and they found an iron Eight Diagram, leading Huang Rong to identify it as her senior disciple, Qu Lingfeng, given the tavern’s name. They also found an imperial token belonging to Shi Yanming, the Defender of Zhongzhou.
Zhou Botong then found another secret chamber, revealing a trove of treasures, including a Dragon Tripod, Zhou Ju’s Vessel, and a painting of Buddha by Wu Daozi, all rare artifacts from the Imperial Palace in Lin’an. Huang Rong deduced that Qu Lingfeng must have stolen these treasures to present to her father, but this act led to a fatal confrontation with Shi Yanming, resulting in both their deaths.
Zhou Botong, disappointed that he hadn’t found any martial arts manuals, quickly lost interest. Later, Huang Rong practiced her Dog-beating Staff routines. She confided in Guo Jing that she did not wish to become the chief of the Beggars Sect, expressing her desire to simply live a carefree life with him after they avenged his father. Guo Jing suggested that once Hong Qigong fully recovered, they could ask him to appoint a more suitable disciple as chief.
Hong Qigong, overhearing their conversation, became enraged. He passionately recounted the century-long history of the Beggars Sect, emphasizing its role in upholding justice and defending the country, lamenting the possibility of it ending in his hands. Zhou Botong then intervened, revealing Hong Qigong’s declining health and scolding Huang Rong and Guo Jing for upsetting him. Though Hong Qigong downplayed his condition, Huang Rong felt immense guilt and promised to attend the Yuezhou Assembly on July 15th to assume her responsibilities.
She then remembered Ouyang Feng mentioning that someone named Emperor Duan could heal Hong Qigong. The moment she spoke his name, Zhou Botong reacted with extreme fear and abruptly fled. Hong Qigong, without explanation, sternly forbade them from ever mentioning Emperor Duan again. Elsewhere, members of the Iron Palm Sect were harassing local people, prompting some Beggars Sect disciples to intervene. During the ensuing skirmish, Cheng Yaojia, a disciple of Sun Bu’er of the Quanzhen Sect, happened upon the scene.
She bravely joined the fight, utilizing her Quanzhen Swordsmanship and invoking her master's name, which, coupled with their numbers, prompted the Iron Palm Sect members to retreat, vowing to return. Cheng Yaojia told the Beggars Sect disciples that her family’s Tongren Pawnshop in Baoying had been destroyed in a fire, leaving her orphaned. Following her father's dying wish, she was traveling to Niu Village to find her master's senior, hoping to find a new home.
After bidding them farewell, she was ambushed by Iron Palm Sect members. She initially mistook Lu Guanying, who was also passing by, for one of her pursuers, but he quickly came to her aid, driving off the attackers. Cheng Yaojia apologized for her mistake and introduced herself, learning that Lu Guanying, a Xianxia Sect disciple from Guiyun Manor, was on an important mission.
In a bustling market, Guo Jing and Huang Rong were shopping for ingredients to prepare a tonic meal for Hong Qigong. They spotted Sha Tongtian, leading them to suspect Wanyan Honglie was nearby. They cautiously entered a nearby inn and overheard Wanyan Honglie, Yang Kang, and Ouyang Feng in a private room. Wanyan Honglie explained the connection between an old poem and Jin, then recited a poem by Emperor Wanyan Liang, recounting the Emperor’s ambitious desire for Lin’an.
Impressed, Yang Kang humbly asked Ouyang Feng to accept him as a disciple. Ouyang Feng politely refused, citing his sect’s strict rule of only ever having one disciple, and suggested they could learn from each other after their current mission. Wanyan Honglie then brought up the Wumu Manual, stating that the impending alliance between Mongolia and the Song Dynasty would be the perfect opportunity to seize it.
Huang Rong recognized the name, recalling Wanyan Honglie having mentioned it previously at Zhao Wang Fu. She explained to Guo Jing that the Wumu Manual was a military treatise left by General Yue Fei, containing his lifelong military strategies. Guo Jing immediately realized its immense importance, declaring that they could not allow it to fall into the hands of the Jin. He proposed they acquire the Wumu Manual, give it to a patriotic hero, and then finally kill Wanyan Honglie.
Huang Rong admitted her fear of Ouyang Feng, but conceded that the Wumu Manual was too crucial for the Song Dynasty's fate, leaving them no choice but to fight for it.
