The Wolf Episode 1 Recap
> The Wolf Recap
Decades ago, the kingdoms of Jin and Yang were in opposition. King Chu Kui of Yang initiated large-scale war campaigns, causing widespread conflict. The loyal King of Jin, unable to resist Chu Kui, retreated to the North to rebuild his army, awaiting an opportunity for future confrontation. However, Chu Kui proved merciless, ordering his Adjutant General, Xiahou Yi, to eliminate all who resisted, including the royal family, establishing the Yang kingdom's dominance.
Ten years later, in Kuizhou City, the Feudal Lord Ma Ying governed the region, with his arrogant son, Ma Jun, serving as the temporary Feudal Lord. A rumor that wolf meat could cure any illness, making it incredibly valuable, drove a young hunter and his father to Langshou Mountain. Despite the father's fear of a "wolf monster," bringing a Demon Subduing Rod for protection, the son was focused on the potential wealth.
Deep in the mountain, an unnatural mist enveloped them. The young hunter was thrilled to find a large wolf in their trap, but their excitement turned to terror as they were seemingly surrounded by a pack of monstrous wolves. The father, terrified by what he perceived as a wolf monster, dragged his reluctant son away as he was trying to secure their catch.
The young hunter appeared before Ma Jun, recounting the terrifying encounter and how his father was now bedridden from fear, and implored him to rid the city of this evil. Ma Jun dismissed the tale as nonsense. When the hunter praised Ma Zhaixing’s care for the people in contrast to Ma Jun’s indifference, Ma Jun grew enraged. His sister, Ma Zhaixing, intervened. She calmly stated that the widespread rumors were affecting people’s lives and that an investigation was needed.
Madam Ma, Ma Jun’s mother, reprimanded the low-born Zhaixing for her impudence. However, Zhaixing subtly threatened Ma Jun by suggesting their father, Ma Ying, might revoke his temporary authority if he learned of his disregard for the people’s safety. Advised by his mother not to cross Zhaixing, whom their father favored, Ma Jun reluctantly agreed to her proposal: he would lead an expedition to Langshou Mountain.
If a wolf monster was found, he would seal the mountain, forbidding the hunting of wolves. Cornered by Zhaixing's sharp logic and goading, Ma Jun agreed to lead the investigation, warning her of the consequences if nothing was found. Zhaixing cleverly countered that finding no monster would be a cause for celebration. Ma Jun led his men up Langshou Mountain, but they were soon enveloped in a thick, disorienting mist. Terrifying, large wolves appeared, causing Ma Jun to panic.
After getting his leg caught in a trap, he screamed for the mountain to be sealed and fled with his men. Once they were gone, a young man known as Wolf Boy emerged, perfectly at ease with the wolves. Ma Zhaixing joined him, revealing the "wolf monster" was a ruse she orchestrated with a hallucinogenic mist to scare Ma Jun into sealing the mountain. Her goal was to protect Wolf Boy and his pack from hunters and their traps.
Zhaixing theorized that Wolf Boy was a human child orphaned on the mountain over ten years ago and raised by wolves. She explained their pretense was to stop the harmful rumor-driven hunting. Now that the mountain was sealed, she offered Wolf Boy a candied hawthorn as a reward, playfully retrieving it when he tried to take more.
Wolf Boy acknowledged that the traps were "bad," and Zhaixing emphasized that not all humans were bad, promising to take him down the mountain to prove it. As Ma Zhaixing prepared to take Wolf Boy to the city, Feudal Lord Ma Ying returned to Kuizhou. Ma Jun greeted him with false praise, but Ma Ying first attended to a distinguished guest: Commandant Xiahou Yi, the emperor's sworn brother, who was visiting because of the wolf meat rumors.
Ma Zhaixing took Wolf Boy to the bustling city market. He was overwhelmed by the crowds but captivated by new sights. To help him understand their bond, she arranged a shadow puppet show depicting their history. The play narrated how a lonely girl named Xing'er, searching for her late mother's favorite Usnea on Langshou Mountain, found a sick wolf cub.
She nursed him to health, and the grateful wolf later helped her find the herb, becoming her constant companion and teaching her to perceive the world in new ways. Moved by the story, Wolf Boy heard a vendor outside and left to buy a candied hawthorn for Zhaixing. Lacking the concept of money, he simply took a skewer, leading to accusations of theft from an angry crowd.
Ma Zhaixing rushed to his side, but it was a kind old woman selling steamed buns who de-escalated the situation. She paid for the treat and gave Wolf Boy a meat bun, claiming he had simply dropped his money. This act of kindness marked Wolf Boy’s first positive encounter with a stranger. Later, observing a mother kiss her child, Wolf Boy mimicked the gesture by kissing Zhaixing's cheek.
Startled but touched, she told him such affection was reserved only for her, and they solidified their bond by sharing their treats. At the Ma Manor, Commandant Xiahou Yi arrogantly belittled Ma Ying, calling him a mere "guard dog" for the emperor compared to himself, an "invincible wolf." Ma Zhaixing, returning at that moment, boldly retorted that wise wolves know when to retreat, unlike foxes who show off with borrowed power.
To save her from Xiahou Yi's wrath, Ma Ying feigned anger, publicly confining her to her room for seven days. Privately, he praised her for speaking her mind and releasing his own frustrations, while also lightly chastising her for returning late. Zhaixing explained she was showing her friend, Wolf Boy, around, sparking her father's interest. Still fuming, Xiahou Yi used the nourishing soup he was offered for his joint inflammation as a pretext to exact revenge.
Citing the wolf meat rumor, he ordered Housekeeper Wang to capture wolf pups on Langshou Mountain, threatening to report Ma Zhaixing's disrespect to the emperor if his demand was not met. Desperate, the housekeeper agreed. The next day, Wolf Boy, now more comfortable with people, visited the kind old woman from the market, offering her fruit as thanks. When he pointed to a roasted chicken, Ma Zhaixing, amused by his appetite, told him she had to return home as promised. She advised him to go back to the mountain safely and resolved to make him a new set of clothes for when he would eventually meet her father.
