Episode Summary
Lao Shandong and Tian Xiaogui intervene in a village dispute and are rewarded with a rare ginseng. At the gold mine, Jin Batou tries to kill his workers in a staged cave-in; Fuqing escapes but is captured and sent to a Japanese labor camp. There, he reunites with Tang Deyuan, who was also captured after his wounded companion took his own life. The episode ends with the revelation that Gao Yunhu survived the cave-in and the tavern owner, Da Kuo Zhi, has found him alive.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 2 Recap: Fights, Betrayals, and One Giant Root
A Long Walk and a Big Fight
Lao Shandong and Tian Xiaogui are still trying to get to Songlin Town. They're also dodging Japanese patrols. The journey is brutal. They're starving and exhausted. They survive by eating tree bark and roots. After three days of walking, Tian Xiaogui is ready to quit. But Lao Shandong pushes him to keep going.
The Ginseng Standoff
They stop to rest and hear a commotion. It turns out two groups of villagers are about to fight. They found a ginseng plant growing right on the border between their lands. The leaders, Lin Da Gezi and Lao Batou, both claim it. Things get violent fast. Lin Da Gezi gets the upper hand. He is about to kill Lao Batou.
Lao Shandong jumps in to stop the fight. He uses a stick to pin Lin Da Gezi by the throat. Tian Xiaogui helps him take down the rest of Lin Da Gezi's men.
A Deal Is Struck
Lao Batou tells his own villagers to stand down. He makes Lin Da Gezi an offer. He can have the ginseng. But in return, he must hand over all his money and food. He also has to promise not to dig for ginseng here for three years. Lin Da Gezi thinks it over and agrees.
Lao Batou thanks our guys for saving him. Just then, Tian Xiaogui faints from hunger. Lao Batou gives him some food. Later, as Lao Batou guides them, he finds something incredible. It's a massive, seven-leaf wild ginseng. He says it's at least a hundred years old. He performs a whole ritual to dig it up carefully. Lao Shandong and Tian Xiaogui just watch, completely stunned.
Trouble at the Gold Mine
Fuqing is not doing well. He has a high fever from his injury. Gao Yunhu begs the mine boss, Jin Batou, to get a doctor. Jin Batou flat-out refuses. So Gao Yunhu tries to carry Fuqing out himself. Jin Batou assumes they're making a run for it. He orders his men to kill Gao Yunhu.
Gao Yunhu acts fast. He grabs a foreman and holds him hostage. This forces Jin Batou to finally send for a doctor.
The Escape
The doctor works. Fuqing recovers. He and Gao Yunhu are put to work in the mine shafts. Fuqing still wants to get to Songlin Town to meet the other soldiers. But the mine is heavily guarded. There's no easy way out.
One night, Gao Yunhu hears a woman singing opera. He recognizes the voice. It belongs to Da Kuo Zhi, the owner of the Yelaihao tavern. He heard her singing the day he was captured.
Then things get bad. Jin Batou orders his men to cause a cave-in on purpose. Fuqing happens to be outside at that moment. He comes back to find the tunnel collapsed with Gao Yunhu inside. Jin Batou sees that Fuqing is alive. He orders his men to kill him. Fuqing runs for his life. He only escapes by jumping into a river.
Lost in the Mountains
We also check in with Tang Deyuan. He's on his own path to Songlin Town. Along the way, he finds another soldier, Li Ermao. Li Ermao's stomach is badly wounded. Tang Deyuan pulls him on a makeshift raft.
A Grim Promise
Li Ermao knows he is a burden. He asks Tang Deyuan to leave him behind to die. Tang Deyuan refuses. But he makes a dark promise. If they can't get out of the mountains in two days, he will do as Li Ermao asks.
A Tragic End
Two days pass. They are still lost. Li Ermao is barely hanging on. He begs Tang Deyuan to kill him. Tang Deyuan just can't do it. He leaves a knife on the ground and walks away. But he immediately feels terrible and turns back. He finds that Li Ermao has already used the knife on himself. Tang Deyuan has to continue his journey alone.
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Fuqing survives his escape from the mine. But his luck is terrible. He is immediately captured by a Japanese patrol. They take him to a place called the Datuziling labor camp.
Welcome to the Labor Camp
Fuqing is weak from his illness and hunger. He almost collapses. A Korean man next to him holds him up. The camp is a miserable place. A Japanese deserter named Katayama Shinji is also thrown in with the laborers. A resistance fighter bit one of his ears off. He tries to explain he's Japanese. The camp commander doesn't care. He beats him and puts him to work.
A Small Reunion
Then, Tang Deyuan gets captured. He is also sent to the same labor camp. He finds Fuqing there. It's a shocking reunion. Neither of them knows what happened to the rest of their unit. Tang Deyuan learns the Japanese are running more than twenty of these camps in the area. He knows they have to find a way to escape.
The Whole Rotten Scheme
We learn what's really going on at the gold mine. A man named Niqiu tricks men into working there. Then Jin Batou, the mine boss, arranges the fatal "accidents." He reports the deaths to the mine's owner, Da Jingui, to get compensation money. Jin Batou and Niqiu then split the cash.
A Body Isn't a Body
Jin Batou and Niqiu are at Da Kuo Zhi's tavern celebrating their scam. A man named Da Biaozi arrives. He's there to deliver the bodies from the latest cave-in. As Da Kuo Zhi looks them over, she makes a discovery. Gao Yunhu isn't dead. He is still breathing.
