The Legend of Taotie Episode 13 Recap
> The Legend of Taotie Recap
Zhao Heng, accompanied by the princess, was on his way to the imperial palace in the capital to meet the emperor. Along the way, he encountered many refugees. Due to poor harvests this year, many farmers were left without food. A group of starving people gathered in front of a noodle shop, pleading with the proprietress for food. However, she impatiently drove them away. As an official, Zhao Heng couldn’t stand by and watch the harsh treatment.
Though there was no imperial edict for disaster relief, meaning the granaries could not be opened, Zhao Heng used his own money to buy food for the refugees, ensuring they could fill their stomachs. Grateful, the refugees revealed to the Langya King that the poor harvests were caused by a demon beast, the *Gu Long* (Drum Dragon). Lu Ying reminded Zhao Heng to resume their journey, warning that delaying too long might anger the emperor.
Recently, Zhu Chengbi had often been lost in thought, gazing at the Shennong Cauldron she had obtained from the white tiger and looking toward the Lianxin Pagoda with a faint smile, lost in memories. Many years ago, she first encountered Lianxin when she had just completed a thousand years of cultivation and taken on human form. Due to the toll of cultivation and her nature as a *taotie* (a mythical gluttonous beast), she had an enormous appetite.
One day, she caught the scent of something delicious and eagerly followed it to find a monk peacefully making peach blossom *qing tuan* (sweet green rice balls). Using a small trick, Zhu Chengbi "borrowed" a large number of *qing tuan* from the monk. Later, when the monk was preparing to leave the village, the locals, terrified, pointed toward the seaside and spoke of a demon haunting the area.
Naturally, the monk set out to slay the demon, only to discover Zhu Chengbi was the culprit. Upon learning that she was a demon beast, the monk tried to persuade Zhu Chengbi to abandon her wicked ways and consider traveling the world with him to sample all kinds of food. Zhu Chengbi, unwilling to give up her hard-earned territory, refused. The two fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand. Remembering this, Zhu Chengbi couldn’t help but shed tears.
Now, the monk had sacrificed himself to become the Lianxin Pagoda, and she could no longer hear his voice. Seeing Zhu Chengbi looking pale and coughing frequently, Chang Qing decided to cheer her up by cooking for her. He spent an entire day making various types of pastries, leaving the kitchen in complete disarray. However, when Zhu Chengbi saw the pastries, she had no appetite and demanded to eat demon beasts instead.
Determined to fulfill her wish, Chang Qing went to the market to buy demon beasts. Unable to bear the thought of killing a live one, he bought a dead beast. However, when he brought it home, his compassion got the better of him, and he buried the beast instead. When Zhu Chengbi, exhausted, heard that Chang Qing had gone to buy a demon beast, she immediately ordered two maidservants to help her check.
Upon seeing a small grave near the kitchen, she understood what had happened. This time, she didn’t blame him and instead asked Chang Qing to carry her up the mountain. Carrying Zhu Chengbi on his back, Chang Qing climbed to the mountaintop. Once they reached the destination, Zhu Chengbi asked him to set her down. It was at this very spot, years ago, that she had stopped to rest when she was tired.
Back then, Lianxin had encouraged her to keep moving forward, telling her that beyond this point was Wuxia, a place filled with delicious food. Zhu Chengbi had since kept her promise and protected Wuxia for many years, though she could no longer see Lianxin. Zhu Chengbi guessed that the *Gu Long* must be suffering from extreme thirst, as the drought had caused great hardship.
She planned to persuade the *Gu Long* to let go of its grievances, believing rain was the only solution to ease the disaster. Just then, a young boy appeared, tossing down two *qing tuan* identical to the ones Lianxin had made. The boy called them "Heaven and Earth in Spring. " As soon as the *qing tuan* were offered, a light drizzle began to fall. The boy introduced himself as Shi Yiwu, nicknamed Stone.
Having received teachings from his ancestral master, he had learned to make *qing tuan*. Seeing Zhu Chengbi’s pale and malnourished appearance, he brought her to his home and personally made *qing tuan* for her. Watching the young monk skillfully sprinkle flour and knead dough, Zhu Chengbi thought of Lianxin, whom she had longed for day and night. After eating the monk’s *qing tuan*, Zhu Chengbi’s strength began to recover. Noticing Zhu Chengbi’s improved health, Chang Qing was overjoyed.
Hearing the maidservants gossip about recent stories of dragons and immortals, he explained there was a book called *The Tale of Mei Sheng’s Encounter with Immortals* that recorded many accounts of immortals. Intrigued, Zhu Chengbi asked Chang Qing to tell her a story from the book every day.
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