Legend of Zang Hai Episode 9 Recap, Plot

> Legend of Zang Hai
> Legend of Zang Hai Recap

When Zang Hai was eight years old, he witnessed the murder of his parents and younger sister. He escaped death by hiding in a tunnel. A masked warrior rescued him and took him to Master Xing Dou to study the art of architecture and geomancy. Zang Hai dedicated himself to ten years of study. Master Xing Dou then asked his disciple Gao Ming to accompany Zang Hai to the capital to seek revenge on Zhuang Luyin.

Upon his arrival in the capital, Zang Hai encountered Xiang Antu at the Zhenlou Pavilion. Xiang Antu explained the current political situation in detail. Shortly after, she helped Zang Hai out of a dangerous situation at Zhenlou, cleverly allowing him to escape death. Three months later, Xiang Antu heard that not only had Zang Hai survived the perilous underground palace, but he had also become Zhuang Luyin's top adviser.

Curious about him, she sent someone to invite Zang Hai to Zhenlou and had the manager, Xu Benjiaban, test him. Zang Hai saw through the ruse at once. Impressed, Xiang Antu invited Zang Hai to be an honored guest at Zhenlou, but he declined politely, repeatedly claiming that he had joined Zhuang Luyin's ranks purely for fame and fortune. This angered Xiang Antu, who declared that he would one day come begging to her.

Zang Hai remained firm, and Xiang Antu had no choice but to let him go. The Eighth Young Master, a close friend of Xiang Antu, had been observing Zang Hai from the shadows. She sensed he was no ordinary man. Xiang Antu grew wary of Zang Hai, believing that with his talent, he would soon help Zhuang Luyin rise to great power and lead military campaigns to expand the territory of Great Yong.

Not wanting her compatriots to suffer the ravages of war, she began considering how to eliminate Zang Hai. However, as he was currently in his prime, she could only bide her time and wait for an opportunity. News that Zang Hai had become Zhuang Luyin’s top adviser quickly spread. Civil and military officials rushed to send him congratulatory gifts. Zhuang Shan showed Zang Hai the rare and exotic treasures one by one.

Zang Hai noticed that the gift list lacked names and deduced that these officials would come seeking favors. Zhuang Shan subtly implied that these were gifts expecting returns and that Zhuang Luyin was aware of them. Early one morning, Zang Hai distributed porridge to the people at the Marquis of Pingjin’s residence, using Zhuang Luyin’s name. The people all expressed their gratitude to Zhuang Luyin.

Zhuang Luyin praised Zang Hai for not only quelling the officials' gifting intentions but also using the opportunity to enhance his own reputation. He encouraged Zang Hai to study military texts and gave him free access to his study. Seeing Zang Hai's rising reputation in the capital, Xiang Antu had the Eighth Young Master spread several false rumors.

Children quickly spread them through songs: Zang Hai was said to be a sorcerer seeking an elixir of immortality for Zhuang Luyin, a spy planted by political enemies, and even Zhuang Luyin’s illegitimate son. Zang Hai guessed Xiang Antu was behind the rumors. Gao Ming advised Zang Hai to apologize to her to avoid hindering their plan to assassinate Zhuang Luyin.

Zang Hai went to Zhenlou to apologize, but Xiang Antu refused to see him and had her servant lie that she was out. When Zang Hai returned to the marquis’s residence, he received several gifts, along with a letter exposing his ulterior motives for being there. That night, he sneaked into the treasury and unlocked a hidden room beneath it.

Inside, he found gold, silver, and jewels, as well as the fish token taken from his father Kuai Duo by Qu Jiao, and his parents’ bloodstained clothes. Overcome with sorrow and memories of his family, Zang Hai coughed up blood in grief. Kneeling, he vowed to kill Zhuang Luyin in revenge and to give his parents a proper burial. Zang Hai took out a bottle of poison, hoping to find a chance to kill Zhuang Luyin.

But every time Zhuang Luyin invited him to play chess, Zhuang Shan was always present. Zang Hai had to wait for a time when they could be alone. While out on business, Zang Hai was ambushed and, upon regaining consciousness, found himself tied up by the marquis’s advisers Hui Jian and Shi Lei. As they tried to interrogate him, Zang Hai secretly worked to untie the rope behind his back.

After Yang Zhen’s death, Hui Jian and Shi Lei were dismissed and bore a deep grudge against Zang Hai. They wanted to kill him for revenge. Zang Hai managed to loosen his bindings and dodged furiously, but Shi Lei subdued him. Hui Jian took out a set of eight willow-leaf-shaped knives, intending to skin Zang Hai’s face. Zang Hai immediately recognized them as the knives his father Kuai Duo had once given to Guan Feng.

He desperately questioned Hui Jian about his purpose in entering the Marquis of Pingjin’s residence. Hui Jian admitted he was avenging his master. Zang Hai realized Hui Jian was his senior brother Guan Feng and asked him to start cutting from his back, intentionally revealing his whip scars. Though Hui Jian did not recognize Zang Hai’s surgically altered face, he did recognize the scars on his back—he had personally treated those wounds.

Hui Jian was overwhelmed upon realizing Zang Hai was his long-lost junior brother Zhinu. Zang Hai briefly recounted his experiences over the years, and the two embraced and wept. Years ago, after Guan Feng made a mistake, their master’s wife punished him by sending him to chop wood in the back mountains. When he returned, he found Kuai Duo’s family had been slaughtered.

Ever since, he had wandered the land with the eight willow-leaf knives Kuai Duo had given him, vowing to avenge his master’s family. Guan Feng was once caught stealing buns by the reclusive cultivator Kai Zhen. Kai Zhen paid for the buns and took him in. From then on, Guan Feng became Shi Lei’s apprentice. After Kai Zhen died, Guan Feng and Shi Lei relied on each other and eventually found a way to enter the marquis’s household as advisers.

Zang Hai had thought Guan Feng was the one delivering messages to him, but now realized it was someone else. He suspected the person was after the treasure Kuai Duo had brought back from Dongxia. Guan Feng recalled that Kuai Duo had returned from the southwest, and Zang Hai deduced that his father had hidden the treasure in Liu Xian’s tomb.

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