Zhan Zhao Adventures - Episode 22 and 23 RECAP
EPISODE 22
Bai Yutang was keeping his eyes closed and pretending sleep, but Zhan Zhao could see straight through him. He repeated the Jin Xue Wen story, claiming that there must be deeper facts. Although Jin Xue Wen's claim that he collected medicinal plants at night seemed foolish, he said that if he had really planned to lie, he would not have made up such an awkward and easily false justification.
Given his expertise in medicine, Zhan Zhao even asked Bai Yutang whether there were any herbs that needed to be harvested at night in the mountains. But Bai Yutang remained utterly depressed and disregarded everything he said, not even opening his eyes. Zhan Zhao left, feeling powerless. When he went outside, he saw that Huo Linglong and her brother, Huo Feng, had already departed for Linglong Manor. Uncertainty haunted Huo Linglong during her return trip.
She remembered how her aunt's remains had been returned and quickly buried in a single day. She now understood that the family's motivation was only to silence spreading rumors and preserve the family's image, even if at the time they said it was due to fear of the plague. She felt that her father was concealing something, and she was quite unhappy that even Huo Feng, her morally good brother, agreed with this choice.
Her aunt's life was not nearly as significant to them as the status of Linglong Manor. Zhan Zhao went by himself to the dilapidated house on Huaihua Lane. He found a ripped piece of paper with the name "Jin Yue Wen" barely visible on it while searching among the debris. In the meantime, Si Ming called Shao Ji Zu to talk about the capital's Zhongxiao Court case inquiry.
Regardless of the case's outcome, Si Ming directed him to personally compose an apology tribute because the event had taken place inside Xiangzhou's jurisdiction. Happy that Huo Linglong was leaving, Shao Ji Zu thought their wedding was approaching and that she would no longer meddle in their master's business.
Ming Zhu Er and Zhao Zhi Er wanted to look for Huo Linglong at the inn, but Zhan Zhao stopped them, saying that solving the case was the only way to get her back. Bai Yutang fled the inn before morning, unable to deal with his inner pain. To find Bai Yutang, Zhan Zhao led Zhao Zhi Er and Ming Zhu Er into the mountains.
They encountered a local hunter who had been there for more than 20 years. When asked if anything out of the ordinary had occurred around the Double Ninth Festival fifteen years prior, the hunter recalled that despite the plague's widespread incidence at the time, two careless lovers had disobeyed the government's order to make an attempt in the pavilion at Flying Petals Col. Despite the fact that there was no immediate sign of Bai Yutang, they returned to the inn, where the innkeeper gave Zhan Zhao a letter left by Huo Linglong.
In the end, Huo Linglong made the decision to go back, confront her worries, and work with Zhan Zhao once more in order to discover the truth for her aunt. Bai Yutang was found by Zhan Zhao by a distant river. He approached him firmly, insisting that he take responsibility for discovering the truth about what transpired fifteen years ago rather than fleeing like a coward. Angry and irritated, Bai Yutang dived into the deep sea.
He overcame his lifelong fear of drowning as he thought back to his older brother teaching him calligraphy. Zhan Zhao reached out and dragged him back onto the shore when he eventually overcame his fear and burst through the water's surface. To investigate the crime scene, the team went back to the victim's home. Huo Linglong said that the wood furniture raised suspicions since her aunt would never have possessed it due to a severe cedar wood allergy, suggesting that the original furniture was changed following the murder.
Additionally, they found fluid, skillful sword marks on the door frame, which demonstrated the presence of a martial arts master, a third person, on the night of the crime because neither Jin Xue Wen, the scholar, nor her youthful aunt could have left such markings. They intended to collect the case files since they knew they required the official documents. The magistrate clearly tried to erase the evidence that night when the county office storage caught fire. Luckily, Bai Yutang moved quickly to save the case files from the flames. Over the course of the night, they examined the data that had been recovered and discovered a notable disparity. The confession's material matched his brother's handwriting, but the signature "Jin Yue Wen" did not.
In contrast to the poorly written signature on the paper, which suggests it was fabricated or written under pressure, his brother had always taken pleasure in his fine handwriting, making the strokes of his characters particularly lengthy. Three crucial testimony from the initial trial were also included in the files. First, Jin Xue Wen said he only spoke to Huo Linglong's aunt because she appeared to be in difficulties and had no malicious intent, but Xu An, the Jin family butler, testified that Jin Xue Wen often harassed her. Second, on the night of the murder, Mrs. Jiao and her two maids claimed to have witnessed Jin Xue Wen enter the nearby courtyard.
Finally, Jin Xue Wen had insisted on his innocence, saying that he had spent the entire night in Flying Petals Col picking herbs and that he had seen Tang Ji of the Tang Sect enjoying love at Chunxin Pavilion with a white-veiled lady. Tang Ji, however, had strongly denied ever seeing Jin Xue Wen or being present. Huo Linglong proposed asking Mrs. Jiao another question, but Zhan Zhao recognized Tang Ji as the key. The gang returned to speak with the hunter after recalling his story.
They also made the decision to go back to the old Jin house and go through his medical books for any plants that could only be collected at night in order to demonstrate that Jin Xue Wen was speaking the truth about collecting herbs. Bai Yutang was reminded of his early years by the dusty books, when his brother Jin Xue Wen would gently reprimand him for not studying and urge him to work on his writing for the coming Suwen Assembly.
EPISODE 23
While waiting for Zhan Zhao and the others to return, Ming Zhu'er and Zhao Zhi'er were occupied in the outdoor space arranging and drying scrolls. Bai Yutang, meantime, was prompted to hone his needling skills in preparation for the coming Suwen Assembly by a sudden, vivid memory of his late brother, Jin Xuewen. After recalling this, Bai Yutang found his brother's written prescription by searching a secret area in his bed.
The document described the "Dawn-Dusk Cocoon," a highly toxic specimen that was taken from the cliffs of Eagle Beak Rock in Flying Petals Col. Jin Xuewen explained his midnight climb on the night of the incident by writing that the cocoon could be an essential component of the long-lost Naihe Decoction, which is used to treat rare poisons. Motivated by these hints, Bai Yutang explored the vicinity of a dry well and found the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon preserved in the chilly darkness, just as his brother's notes had indicated. Bai Yutang, overcome with sadness, came to the realization that his brother had not been lazy but had put up great effort to win the assembly. He deeply regretted missing his brother's trial so he could hear his defense.
After analyzing the data, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang concluded that the Seven-Day Drunken Dream toxin was the true source of the horrific disease that occurred fifteen years ago. It was clear that Jin Xuewen had discovered this plot, which ultimately led to his death. In order to get additional information, the group decided to divide up. Huo Linglong visited Mrs. Jiao to inquire about the murderous night.
Mrs. Jiao claimed to have seen a scholarly person who showed a striking resemblance to Jin Xuewen, indicating that her aunt's passing was really connected to him. Suddenly, Jiao Siyuan showed up and accused Linglong Manor of killing his father, Jiao Chaogui. He pointed out that his father had been killed by a sword through the Baihui point, a signature move of Linglong Manor known as "A Fleeting Glimpse." Huo Linglong defended herself, saying that Jing Yiming's assassins were the ones who had mastered the ultimate moves of various sects.
In order to calm her son and avoid a confrontation, Mrs. Jiao swiftly stepped in. Huo Feng, Huo Linglong's brother, wanted to take her back to the mansion after she left the Jiao household. Huo Linglong loudly announced to her brother that she had decided to break off her engagement, swearing never to marry such a stupid, arrogant, and boastful guy, sensing that Shao Jizu was hiding nearby to listen.
Her words infuriated Shao Jizu, who withdrew to train martial arts intensely as a way to release his rage. Si Ming watched him and told him that, depending on his level of ruthlessness, there were several methods to return Huo Linglong. Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao strolled across the town asking locals about the last pandemic. The villagers recounted how the victims had acted as though they were dreaming, exhibiting tremendous, supernatural power and waking up with no knowledge of what they had done. The Seven-Day Drunken Dream poison was heavily suggested by this description. Fourth Aunt Zhang Shi got hesitant and said she didn't know the medicine used to treat the plague when they questioned her about it.
Suddenly, Jin Zhenping came over and told Bai Yutang, whom he called "Little Seventeen" because of his childhood nickname, not to bother his aunt and to let her live in peace. In the meantime, Tang Ji got a pigeon note from Si Ming, which made him reluctantly agree with his requests. Huo Linglong, Bai Yutang, and Zhan Zhao met that evening to discuss their research. Zhan Zhao believed that the Seven-Day Drunken Dream disease was an unintentional consequence of the Tang Sect's initial desire for Yemotian. Huo Linglong made the decision to look into the matter further after realizing that Zhang Shi knew a number of prominent women and that the mysterious white-clad woman was wearing a dress with a distinctive light red floral design.
When Huo Linglong visited the Jin Mansion the following morning, he noticed a screen in Chunxin Pavilion that showed a man and a woman meeting in a pavilion. This image exactly matched the hunter's description of the hidden lovers. She informed Bai Yutang right away, but he didn't think his aunt could be involved. But when they questioned one of the mansion's maids, she verified that Zhang Shi had a white dress with faint red blossoms concealed at the bottom of the chest. Zhang Shi had left to worship at Moyun Temple, the maid said. They rushed to Moyun Temple and spotted Zhang shi switching carriages and changing her clothes.
While Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang pursued Zhang Shi to a secret cave at Flying Petals College, Huo Linglong stayed behind to look for the abandoned dress. At the temple, a maid burning a joss paper told Huo Linglong that Zhang Shi had been whispering apologies to "Little Seventeen" (Bai Yutang). Zhan Zhao heard water flowing inside the cave, suggesting a hidden channel. A cloud of poisonous white smoke was released when Bai Yutang unintentionally opened a wooden box while they were searching. In a hallucination brought on by the poison to Bai YuTang, he thought Zhan Zhao was Tang Ji and pulled out his sword to strike. Zhang Shi was overcome with remorse as he watched from behind a stone wall and ran away, promising never to see Tang Ji again.
Bai Yutang's delusion changed within the cave, and he started to perceive Zhan Zhao as Jin Xuewen, his late brother, passionately vowing to save him. Tang Ji gave the command for his warriors to throw flaming arrows outside, igniting the cave and reducing them to ashes. Thankfully, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were able to save themselves from the flames by breaking through the stone wall and allowing the underground river to flood the cave once Bai Yutang recovered consciousness.
She revealed, heartbroken, that she and Tang Ji had been childhood sweethearts but were forced to marry into the Jin family because of their disparate socioeconomic situations. She acknowledged that when their investigate got too near, Tang Ji had set up the underground trap to silence them. She sobbed and said that the pandemic was an accident and that they had no intention of hurting anyone. She begged Bai Yutang to give her some dignity by keeping her scandalous history a secret from the rest of the Jin family and letting him decide what would happen to her.
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Posted May 25, 2026, 2:47 PM UTC