Zhan Zhao Adventures Episode 20 Recap
> Zhan Zhao Adventures Recaps
Huo Linglong meets with Mrs. Jiao, her aunt's friend, and gently asks if her husband died of an illness, noting that the martial world has remained quiet about his passing. Mrs. Jiao sighs that her husband had no such fortune. In a world where men live and die by the sword, he took lives, and eventually, his own was taken. She explains that several experts recently infiltrated Shengyun Stronghold, carried out a brutal massacre, and abducted him.
When her son, Si Yuan, finally discovered his body, it had already been left rotting in a mountain pass for several days. Si Yuan kept the details of his quest for revenge hidden to spare her from worry, but she deeply fears that his actions will only invite further bloodshed. Noticing Huo Linglong coming out of the neighboring old house in Huaihua Lane, Mrs. Jiao asks about her business there.
Huo Linglong explains that the house belongs to a friend and that they are merely handling some affairs. Assuming Huo Linglong has no lodgings, Mrs. Jiao warmly invites her to stay with her, but Huo Linglong politely declines. At the Jin Mansion, a servant rushes to Jin Zhenping with urgent news of a major disturbance at Qinghui Hall. Bai Yutang has registered for the upcoming Suwen Assembly under the name of his deceased brother, Jin Xuewen.
Butler Xu An's face turned pale upon seeing the name, and he is currently locked in a fierce argument with the registrant, drawing a massive crowd of onlookers. Realizing he has been lured into a trap, Jin Zhenping immediately sets off. At Qinghui Hall, bystanders gossip about the sudden return of Jin Xuewen. While the younger residents are unfamiliar with the name, the elders recall that he committed a crime and died in prison over a decade ago.
Blending into the crowd, Ming Zhuer and Zhao Zhier loudly declare that the old case was highly suspicious and that Jin Xuewen was likely wronged. They accuse the wealthy Jin family of heartlessly abandoning their own kin to die of illness in prison, successfully turning public opinion against the family. Butler Xu An tries to silence the instigators, but Zhao Zhier mocks his advanced age, telling him to slow down.
Pushing them aside, Xu An accuses them of being in cahoots. Jin Zhenping arrives and orders the crowd to disperse, telling Xu An not to waste his breath on outsiders. Once the crowd clears, Jin Zhenping dismisses the butler as well. Left alone, Bai Yutang mocks Jin Zhenping's authoritative demeanor as the family chief, noting that he has dropped his refined act. Jin Zhenping immediately recognizes him as Young Seventeenth and expresses surprise that he survived the shipwreck years ago.
Bai Yutang sneers, accusing Jin Zhenping of sending men to ensure his death back then. He demands the antidote to the Yemotian Poison, threatening to disgrace the Jin family name at the Suwen Assembly if his demand is ignored. Jin Zhenping feigns ignorance of the poison and accuses Zhan Zhao of orchestrating the scheme.
Bai Yutang retorts that it was actually Fourth Aunt who used the Naihe Yin to save Zhan Zhao's life, rendering Jin Zhenping's claims of being a savior hollow. He mocks the chief for repeatedly falling for simple diversions. Fourth Aunt enters the room in tears and embraces the grown-up Bai Yutang, admitting she thought he had died fifteen years ago.
Bai Yutang reassures her of his strength and explains that he returned to reclaim his identity and apologize to Fifth Uncle for kidnapping the Jin disciples. He adds that Fifth Uncle has already been informed of Jin Zhenping's actions and has ordered the chief to kneel in the courtyard for two hours. Leaving Jin Zhenping to kneel in the pouring rain, Bai Yutang escorts Fourth Aunt inside.
Indoors, Fourth Aunt laments that the family abandoned the search for Bai Yutang years ago, leaving him to wander alone. Bai Yutang reassures her that he learned martial arts during his travels and asks for her help regarding the Yemotian Poison. She acts evasive, suggesting that Jin Zhenping's refusal to help might simply stem from his limited medical skills. Bai Yutang insists the chief can cure it but refrains from sharing further details.
Fourth Aunt promises to try and persuade Jin Zhenping, and Bai Yutang asks to stay in his late Fourth Uncle's study, which she gladly permits. Zhan Zhao arranges for Ming Zhuer and Zhao Zhier to pose as Bai Yutang's servants so they can gather information. That night, the two companions get the Jin Mansion servants drunk and learn that Jin Zhenping has a habit of collecting medical formulas, though the hiding spot remains a mystery.
Their investigation is cut short when Butler Xu An furiously drives the servants away, threatening to fire them. Meanwhile, Fifth Uncle questions Jin Zhenping in his chambers. While Fifth Uncle forgives the unauthorized use of the Naihe Yin to save a life, he reprimands Jin Zhenping for keeping the elders in the dark. Jin Zhenping vehemently denies any alliance with the Tang Sect, portraying himself as a victim of Bai Yutang's vengeance, but Fifth Uncle remains skeptical.
The next morning, Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, and Huo Linglong return to the Huaihua Lane old house. Under Zhan Zhao's guidance, Bai Yutang recalls the day of the murder fifteen years ago. He had returned from a neighboring county with Xiang Cai to find officers carrying out the victim's body. At home, his brother Jin Xuewen was asleep, covered in scratches and blood, claiming he was injured while gathering herbs.
The officers subsequently arrested Jin Xuewen after discovering his dirty robe and a dagger in the house. While the court concluded that Jin Xuewen killed the girl in a failed assault, Zhan Zhao points out the glaring inconsistencies. If Jin Xuewen had been sober enough to hide the murder weapon, he would have cleaned the blood and disposed of the evidence instead of simply sleeping in his bed.
Inspecting the study, they find an untitled book with suggestive drawings belonging to Jin Xuewen, which causes Huo Linglong to leave the room in embarrassment. They examine the blood-spattered bedroom, noting that the medical prodigy family's supposed failure with knockout smoke seems highly improbable. Their investigation is interrupted when Zhao Zhier rushes in, pleading with them to save Ming Zhuer.
Returning to the Jin Mansion, they find that Butler Xu An has bound Ming Zhuer to a tree, loudly slandering both Jin Xuewen and Bai Yutang to the other servants. Zhan Zhao intervenes, pointing out that accusing the young boy of theft without evidence constitutes a punishable false accusation. They rush to the Library Pavilion only to find that Jin Zhenping has burned the medical formulas.
Jin Zhenping mockingly addresses him by his birth name, Jin Yuewen, and points out that even he doubted his brother's innocence back then. He claims that Bai Yutang's childhood plea for the Naihe Yin in the rain was merely a calculated performance to win Fourth Aunt's pity so she would raise him.
Bai Yutang recalls how, as a child, he had indeed remained silent and failed to defend his brother when the old servant Xiang Cai urged him to appeal the case. Shattered by these realizations, Bai Yutang asks to be alone. Determined to help, Zhan Zhao and Huo Linglong appeal to Fourth Aunt. Huo Linglong passionately describes the hardships Bai Yutang endured as an abandoned child.
Moved to tears, Fourth Aunt relents and provides the antidote formula for the Yemotian Poison, claiming she drafted it from ancient texts to protect Jin Zhenping. Unaware of this development, Jin Zhenping intentionally takes a secluded path for a house call, hoping to lure Bai Yutang into an ambush by the Tang Sect. Bai Yutang follows him, seeking to uncover the hidden formulas.
Fortunately, Zhan Zhao intercepts Bai Yutang before he can walk into the trap, revealing that they already have the formula thanks to Huo Linglong's intervention. Zhan Zhao reassures him that the formula is already being sent to Xiankong Island to save his sworn brothers. He then encourages Bai Yutang to comfort Ming Zhuer, who was deeply hurt by the false accusations. They find Ming Zhuer and Zhao Zhier happily grilling fish by the river. Grateful and relieved, Bai Yutang joins them, asking Huo Linglong how she managed to sway Fourth Aunt.
