Episode Summary
The episode opens with Da Yong's conquest of Dong Xia and the subsequent construction of the Fengshan Terrace, where a mysterious sinkhole reveals a hidden labyrinth and treasure, leading to General Kuai Duo's initial peril. His resourceful son, Zhi Nu, is introduced. Tensions rise when the victorious Marquis Zhuang Lu Yin returns, and an accidental clash involving Zhi Nu, the Dong Xia Princess, and Zhuang Lu Yin's son sets off a tragic chain of events. Kuai Duo, after a brief, joyful reunion with his family, is cornered by Zhuang Lu Yin, who demands the treasure. In a brutal confrontation, Kuai Duo's apprentices, wife, and daughter Yue Nu are murdered. Kuai Duo takes his own life, urging Zhi Nu to survive. Zhi Nu witnesses the massacre and the burning of his home, escaping through a secret tunnel, his heart filled with hatred for Zhuang Lu Yin.
Spoiler Alert
"Legend of Zang Hai" Episode 1 Recap: Seeds of Revenge
The story throws us into the Zhenshun Year 6, where the mighty Da Yong army has just triumphed over Dong Xia. To really rub it in and show off their dominance, Da Yong starts renovating the Fengshan Terrace on Dan Cui Mountain, right on the Dong Xia border. Fast forward three years to Zhenshun Year 9, and it's a brutal winter. Workers are freezing their butts off, rushing to finish the Terrace under the watchful eye of Grand General Kuai Duo. Just as they’re about to call it a wrap, disaster strikes. A sinkhole opens up at the construction site, and Kuai Duo bravely descends into the abyss.
What they found down there was wild: a massive hidden mine! The workers who first broke through a large rock were mysteriously knocked out by fumes. Kuai Duo and his men rappelled deeper, discovering a huge labyrinth. At its very heart lay a glittering treasure. But just as Kuai Duo leaned in for a closer look, a horde of zombie-like figures swarmed them.
Meanwhile, we meet young Zhi Nu, Kuai Duo's son. This kid is sharp, brave, and a chip off the old block when it comes to construction skills, having learned from his dad. He’s even secretly dug a tunnel from his room to the kitchen – pretty resourceful!
The city is in a celebratory mood as Marquis Pingjin, Zhuang Lu Yin, returns victorious with his troops from the Dong Xia campaign. Everyone’s out to welcome the heroes. Zhi Nu, hoping to greet his father Kuai Duo who was supposed to be with the returning army, can't find him. He cheekily hops onto a fancy carriage, only to find the Dong Xia Princess inside. He tries to make a quick exit, but the princess, feeling disrespected, chases after him, whipping him and injuring his back. Zhi Nu, not one to take things lying down, grabs a stone to defend himself. The princess whips the stone out of his hand, and it flies off, hitting a horse. The startled horse bolts, crashing into the carriage carrying Zhuang Lu Yin's son, who gets thrown and injured. Chaos ensues.
Zhi Nu’s buddies, Guan Feng and Gou Sheng (who are also Kuai Duo's apprentices), rush in to rescue him and tend to his whip wounds. Later, Zhuang Lu Yin's son, who apparently wasn't too badly hurt, bumps into them. When Zhi Nu asks about his father, the Marquis's son chillingly claims Kuai Duo died when the Fengshan Terrace collapsed. Zhi Nu refuses to believe it, but the boy insists.
Zhi Nu vividly remembers the night before his father left. Kuai Duo had asked him to look after his little sister, Yue Nu, and had even praised Zhi Nu's secret tunnel. The next morning, Yue Nu hears groans from the tunnel and tells their mother. Turns out, Zhuang Lu Yin's son had been stashed there! Zhi Nu gets a serious scolding from his mom, who orders all his tunnels sealed and punishes Guan Feng and Gou Sheng.
Zhi Nu, still hoping his dad will return to see his handiwork, gets a harsh slap from his mother for his defiance. He reluctantly seals the tunnels, even taking his frustration out on his sister Yue Nu. That night, unable to sleep, Zhi Nu is moping in the courtyard when, miraculously, Kuai Duo appears! The reunion is tearful and joyous, with Zhi Nu clinging to his father and his mother overcome with emotion at seeing her husband alive.
But the relief is short-lived. Kuai Duo urgently tells his wife to pack and gather everyone – Yue Nu, Guan Feng, the lot – they need to flee the capital immediately. Zhi Nu rouses his friends, but before Kuai Duo can explain, they realize their house is surrounded. Their mother tells Zhi Nu to take Yue Nu and hide in the backyard.
Zhuang Lu Yin himself leads the men who've come for Kuai Duo. He demands Kuai Duo hand over the "treasure" taken from the secret mine at the construction site. Kuai Duo refuses. At Zhuang Lu Yin's command, his soldiers begin executing Kuai Duo's apprentices one by one. Still, Kuai Duo won't yield.
Tragically, a killer finds Yue Nu's hiding spot and drags her before Zhuang Lu Yin. The Marquis then threatens Yue Nu's life to force Kuai Duo's hand. Kuai Duo is enraged. Meanwhile, Zhi Nu, having desperately reopened a passage, reaches the kitchen. Peeking through a crack in the bricks, he witnesses the horrific scene in the courtyard. He sees Zhuang Lu Yin mistakenly identify Guan Feng as Kuai Duo's son and order him killed, followed by the brutal murder of his little sister, Yue Nu.
Zhuang Lu Yin then orders Kuai Duo's wife to be taken away, planning to torture her to death. She fights back, stabbing a killer with a dagger, but is quickly and cruelly cut down. Kuai Duo, forced to watch his wife and daughter die, is consumed by grief and fury. He finally admits he hid the treasure from Dong Xia but swears Zhuang Lu Yin will never have it, not even after his death. Kuai Duo then snatches a weapon from a killer and takes his own life, but not before giving Zhi Nu a look that screams, "Live!" Zhi Nu is utterly devastated, his entire family wiped out in one night, leaving him an orphan.
Zhuang Lu Yin orders Kuai Duo's body searched, and they find a collar. With dawn approaching, Zhuang Lu Yin departs with his key men, leaving his steward to clean up the massacre. The steward has his men loot anything valuable from Kuai Duo's home before setting it ablaze, burning the bodies of Kuai Duo's remaining apprentices inside. Zhi Nu, hidden in his tunnel, sees it all, his heart hardening with an all-consuming hatred for Zhuang Lu Yin. Overcome by smoke, he passes out, only to be rescued by an unknown person just in time.
And that, folks, is how the "Legend of Zang Hai" begins – with tragedy, betrayal, and a young boy's life irrevocably shattered, setting the stage for what promises to be an epic quest for revenge.
