The Romance of Hua Rong Episode 8 Recap
> The Romance of Hua Rong Recap
Jin Yiwen brought Hua Rong to a restaurant, where he had ordered her favorite hometown dishes: dumplings with shepherd's purse soup, Gui Hua's lotus roots, and eel noodles. Hua Rong expressed how much she missed them, reminiscing about her childhood and how her father would buy her caramelized haws to cheer her up after punishments. Jin Yiwen subtly claimed it was a mere coincidence that he found a restaurant serving such dishes.
Later, Jin Yiwen went to buy caramelized haws for Hua Rong. A young beggar approached him, pleading for money, and discreetly stole his jade pendant. Jin Yiwen immediately noticed the theft and pursued the beggar. The beggar, however, delivered the jade pendant to Qian Dayou, who, after inspecting it and finding no useful information, instructed the beggar to keep Jin Yiwen busy for a while longer before returning the item.
Meanwhile, Hua Rong, Yue Feng, and Xiao Hui grew concerned when Jin Yiwen did not return. They went out to search for him amidst the festive lanterns. Hua Rong found it odd that various people kept approaching her to offer flowers and candy figurines. Yue Feng investigated and discovered that Qian Dayou had secretly arranged these gestures. Hua Rong then demanded that Qian Dayou lead her to Qin Shang Cheng.
Qin Shang Cheng took Hua Rong to the lantern night market. Hua Rong excitedly began solving the lantern riddles. Qin Shang Cheng challenged her, promising a gift if she could answer all of them. Hua Rong, spurred on, quickly wrote down the answers. Qin Shang Cheng then arranged her answers into a phrase: "Hua Rong loves Qin Shang Cheng," which left Hua Rong both embarrassed and annoyed.
At Qin Shang Cheng's signal, brilliant fireworks erupted into the sky, surprising and delighting Hua Rong. She wondered why the street was so empty, and learned that Qin Shang Cheng had rented the entire street for them to have it to themselves, with his men guarding the entrances. Hua Rong was furious at his overbearing act. Just then, Jin Yiwen and his servant, Lei Sheng, found them.
Jin Yiwen recognized the beggar who stole his jade pendant as Qin Shang Cheng's subordinate, revealing that Qin Shang Cheng had deliberately orchestrated the diversion. Hua Rong severely reprimanded Qin Shang Cheng for his actions. Soon after, a subordinate called Qin Shang Cheng away. Hua Rong continued to stroll. Suddenly, Yuan Ming, a disciple from Hua Fu, stopped her, attempting to take her back home. Hua Rong frantically ran away.
Jin Yiwen intervened, holding Yuan Ming back while Lei Sheng held his legs, preventing him from moving. Yuan Ming loudly threatened to report them to the patrolling guards. Qin Shang Cheng’s subordinate, Zhang Xian, helped Hua Rong escape in a carriage. He explained that although Qin Shang Cheng had left, he had sent Zhang Xian to protect her, revealing that Qin Shang Cheng had gone to the Black Dragon Band's Tangkou to avenge her.
Xiao Hui informed Hua Rong that the Black Dragon Band's Tangkou was rigged with numerous explosive traps underground. Worried for Qin Shang Cheng’s safety, Hua Rong rushed towards the Tangkou. Qin Shang Cheng and his men arrived and quickly subdued the Black Dragon Band members after a fight. Hua Rong, Yue Feng, and Xiao Hui secretly entered the underground area. Yue Feng began disarming the explosive mechanisms.
To ensure Qin Shang Cheng’s safety, Hua Rong hurried to the surface, finding him interrogating a Black Dragon Band member. In a moment of panic, Hua Rong tackled Qin Shang Cheng to the ground, warning him about the explosives. When no explosion occurred, Hua Rong happily concluded that Yue Feng must have disarmed the bombs, making Qin Shang Cheng pleased by her obvious concern for him.
Hua Rong visited the dungeon, where Xiao Hui told her that many women, abducted by the Black Dragon Band, had been imprisoned there with her, but they had since been moved. Qin Shang Cheng assisted Hua Rong in searching for clues. In a room within the Black Dragon Band's hideout, Hua Rong discovered a note indicating that the women were being held at the dock, to be sold within three days.
Driven by her sense of justice, Hua Rong was determined to rescue the women. In her room, she spoke to Xiao Hui about her admiration for the powerful Hero Cloud Crane, aspiring to be like him. They set up an incense altar and devoutly prayed for Cloud Crane's protection. Qin Shang Cheng, without knocking, burst into the room. Seeing them worshiping Cloud Crane, he scoffed at their efforts, dismissing Cloud Crane's supposed "useless" items like darts, rope, and wormwood.
He then told Hua Rong to call him "husband," promising he could crush the entire Black Dragon Band and save the women, rather than just one person. Annoyed by his inappropriate remarks, Hua Rong angrily threw him out. That night, Hua Rong and Yue Feng donned dark clothes and went to the dock. They found no resistance entering the ship's cabin; the two guards were already unconscious, and the room where the women were held was unlocked.
This allowed them to easily rescue the women. Yue Feng was puzzled by how smoothly their mission had gone, unaware that Qin Shang Cheng had already cleared out the dock's guards beforehand. When guards discovered the intruders, Pei Yong rushed forward with his men. Hua Rong stayed behind to cover the escape but was outmatched by Pei Yong. Just as she was about to be defeated, Qin Shang Cheng, disguised as Hero Cloud Crane, appeared and rescued her.
Yue Feng and Xiao Hui released the rescued women, providing them with money and clothes and urging them to flee far away. Qin Shang Cheng brought Hua Rong to a safe location. Believing him to be the true Hero Cloud Crane, Hua Rong was filled with admiration and gratitude. After much pleading, Qin Shang Cheng reluctantly gave her a small bell he plucked from a tree, promising to appear whenever she rang it if she was in danger.
Hua Rong returned to Yue Feng and Xiao Hui, still gushing about Hero Cloud Crane. Meanwhile, Qin Shang Cheng went back to the dock and confronted Pei Yong. He demanded to know if Pei Yong was the one who killed his father eight years ago and stole half of the treasure map. Pei Yong admitted to the murder and theft. As Qin Shang Cheng pressed him to reveal the true mastermind, Pei Yong attempted to name the King of Hell before cunningly escaping.
