Episode Summary
Zhao Bingwen attempts to kill Zang Hai in prison, but Gao Ming fakes Zang Hai's death using a sedative, allowing him to escape with Xiang Antu. Gao Ming sacrifices himself by drinking poisoned tea to ensure their getaway. Zang Hai and Xiang Antu head to Dong Xia to stop Zhao Bingwen from raising an army. Upon arrival, Xiang Antu's sister, the new Queen Mingyan Yinshu, suspects Xiang Antu of vying for the throne and arrests them both. Zang Hai is imprisoned, and Xiang Antu is forced to agree to a political marriage to save Zang Hai from daily torture.
Spoiler Alert
"Legend of Zang Hai" Episode 38 Recap & Spoilers
The episode opens with a tense confrontation: Zhao Bingwen confesses his entire scheme to Zang Hai, revealing his intention to kill Zang Hai to ensure his silence. Gao Ming, present and heartbroken, finds himself powerless to intervene. Zhao Bingwen, however, makes a concession, promising to leave Zang Hai’s body intact. Gao Ming’s only request is to prepare one last meal for Zang Hai, allowing him to eat his fill before facing his fate. Zhao Bingwen readily agrees to this.
Gao Ming prepares Zang Hai's favorite dishes, which are delivered to him in the high-security prison. Zang Hai consumes the meal quickly. Soon after, Zhao Bingwen arrives personally to oversee the execution. He orders the "Tie Jia Guan" torture to be performed on Zang Hai – a brutal method of suffocation where layers of wet paper are applied to the victim's face. Gao Ming, hiding nearby, watches in agony as Zang Hai is tormented. Zhao Bingwen, relentless, orders the torture to be intensified. Before long, Zang Hai stops breathing. Convinced of Zang Hai's demise, Zhao Bingwen instructs Gao Ming to collect the body.
Just then, an envoy from Prince Yongrong arrives to see Zhao Bingwen, forcing him to depart the prison temporarily. In what appears to be a near-death experience, a dazed Zang Hai finds himself in an ethereal realm. He is joyfully reunited with his younger sister, Yue Nu, and their mother. However, his mother gently tells him that he does not belong there and must return to the world of the living. Zang Hai is reluctant to leave, but Kuai Duo appears, urging him to live on. His mother, Yue Nu, and his martial arts brothers also bid him a sorrowful farewell. With a heavy heart, Zang Hai departs the afterlife.
The truth behind Zang Hai’s apparent death is revealed: through the combined, desperate efforts of Gao Ming, Guan Feng, and others, Zang Hai is revived and his life is no longer in danger. It transpires that Xiang Antu had previously approached Gao Ming for help. Gao Ming had ingeniously laced Zang Hai's final meal with a powerful sedative, deceiving Zhao Bingwen into believing Zang Hai was truly dead. Prince Yongrong’s timely summons, which drew Zhao Bingwen away, was the crucial window needed for Gao Ming to successfully revive Zang Hai.
Meanwhile, Zhao Bingwen places Prince Yongrong under house arrest. He then dispatches his butler, Shen Yong, with a message for Zang Hai: before the Emperor met his end, he had repeatedly called out Zang Hai's name, admitting that Zang Hai had been right all along. Through Shen Yong, Zang Hai also learns of Zhao Bingwen's dangerous plan to travel to the Dong Xia region to raise his own army. Determined to thwart him, Zang Hai decides he must go to Dong Xia. Xiang Antu resolves to accompany him. Gao Ming quickly arranges a carriage, and after bidding farewell to Shi Lei and others, Zang Hai and Xiang Antu depart from The Capital.
Gao Ming escorts Zang Hai and Xiang Antu to the city outskirts, intending for them to join a merchant caravan heading towards Dong Xia. He himself plans to remain in The Capital to monitor Zhao Bingwen’s activities. To get past the city gates, Gao Ming has Zang Hai and Xiang Antu disguise themselves as corpses, victims of a sudden plague outbreak. When the city gate guards insist on an inspection, Gao Ming feigns illness, suddenly vomiting blood. The guards, fearing he too has contracted the plague, hastily allow the carriage to pass. Safely outside the city, Gao Ming gives Zang Hai all his life savings. From a distance, the Eighth Master (Ba Gongzi) watches their successful departure with a sigh of relief.
Tragedy strikes when Zang Hai discovers a farewell letter from Gao Ming. In it, Gao Ming reveals he had knowingly drunk tea poisoned by Zhao Bingwen. Aware that his own life was forfeit, he had deceived Zang Hai about his well-being to ensure Zang Hai's escape. Zang Hai is overcome with grief and desires to return to save his friend, but it's too late. Gao Ming stumbles a few steps before collapsing, dying on the spot. Devastated but knowing he cannot risk further complications, Zang Hai forces himself to suppress his sorrow and continue the perilous journey.
Zang Hai and Xiang Antu press on towards Dong Xia, traveling with great urgency and enduring harsh conditions. Xiang Antu expresses a wish to contact her sister, who has recently ascended to the throne in Dong Xia, hoping to gather intelligence. Zang Hai, however, is cautious, concerned that her sister might be constrained by her new position or view their arrival with suspicion. He suggests they first find lodging near the Dong Xia royal court to assess the situation. Soon, they arrive at the foot of Yuren Mountain, where Xiang Antu pauses to make a wish.
Their arrival in Dong Xia does not go unnoticed. The new Queen of Dong Xia, Mingyan Yinshu, who is Xiang Antu's sister, personally comes to meet them. She reveals she had received a letter from Da Yong, alerting her to Zang Hai and Xiang Antu's clandestine arrival. Suspicious that Xiang Antu harbors designs on the throne, Queen Mingyan Yinshu orders both of them to be arrested and escorted to the royal court.
Zang Hai is thrown into the formidable "Sky Prison." In protest and defiance, Xiang Antu begins a hunger strike. Queen Mingyan Yinshu, unmoved, presents Xiang Antu with a lavish dowry and informs her she is to be wed to the prince of the Haidongbu Mo'ersa tribe, a group that recently submitted to Dong Xia's rule – a clear political marriage. Xiang Antu vehemently refuses, even threatening to take her own life. In response, the Queen issues a cruel ultimatum: one of Zang Hai's fingers will be severed each day until Xiang Antu consents to the marriage. Cornered and desperate to save Zang Hai from further mutilation, Xiang Antu is left with no choice but to agree to the Queen's demand.
