The Legend of Taotie Episode 9 Recap
> The Legend of Taotie Recap
Zhao Heng acquired a rare pearl—emerald-green, large, and exceptionally beautiful. Admiring its brilliance, he praised it endlessly. At that moment, Zhu Chengbi arrived, expressing her fondness for the pearl and offering a high price to purchase it. However, Zhao Heng refused to sell it, explaining that he was preparing an expensive gift to welcome an important visitor from the palace. In the city of Wu Xia, a carriage slowly approached.
Inside was a noble princess, visiting Wu Xia for the first time. She was filled with excitement. She had long been infatuated with Zhao Heng, and the two had been betrothed for years. This time, she came under imperial orders to marry Zhao Heng. Zhao Heng personally led his men out to greet the honored guest. However, upon seeing only the princess and not his long-anticipated father, he was visibly disappointed and turned away, heading back to his room.
Later in the afternoon, Zhao Heng questioned the princess about palace affairs. She presented the emperor’s decree, revealing that her visit to Wu Xia was solely to fulfill the imperial mandate of marriage. Zhao Heng felt even more disheartened. That evening, the princess made an effort to improve relations, burning soothing pine incense in the room. Zhao Heng relaxed slightly but was soon jolted awake by a nightmare. Realizing it was already the 14th, he hurriedly dressed and left.
Zhao Heng went straight to Tianxiang Tower, where he shared drinks with Zhu Chengbi. Although he had refused to give her the pearl earlier that day, in the quiet of the night, he gifted her the precious gem. Deeply touched, Zhu Chengbi thanked him. Suddenly, Zhao Heng began hallucinating and found himself kissing Zhu Chengbi in a vision. As the scene grew clearer, he realized he might have been affected by the princess’s incense.
With his awareness intact, he quickly excused himself and left. Early the next morning, Zhou Guangping’s mother frantically searched for him. Zhou Guangping was at the ancestral hall offering incense. Seeing his mother’s overwhelming anxiety at not being able to see him, he sighed deeply. Her suffocating love left him breathless. Meanwhile, Chang Qing had already painted an identical likeness of Zhou Guangping, intending to secretly replace him in the Zhou household and grant Zhou Guangping his freedom.
However, within two minutes, someone accidentally spilled water on the illusionary paper figure, instantly revealing its true form. Staring at the soaked portrait on the ground, Chang Qing sighed, knowing Zhou Guangping would endure further torment in the coming days. Zhu Chengbi, suspecting that Chang Qing had secretly visited Zhou Guangping, was furious at his disobedience.
She threw Chang Qing’s belongings into the hall and declared that he was now banished to living on the first floor and forbidden to go upstairs. After discarding his belongings, Zhu Chengbi felt a pang of regret. Facing the Lotus Heart Pagoda, she silently asked the monk of Lotus Heart if she had once again been too willful. According to the plan, Ruifang and Zhou Guangping were supposed to escape together that night.
However, due to the paper figure being exposed earlier, Zhou Guangping failed to get away. Unaware of the situation, Ruifang slipped out during the day and waited at the agreed meeting point at night. When her husband didn’t show up, she grew increasingly anxious. Suddenly, a monstrous beast lunged at her with its gaping jaws. With a blood-curdling scream, Ruifang collapsed into a pool of blood.
By morning, rumors spread across the streets that Ruifang, the wife of the Zhou family, had been killed by a strange creature. Upon hearing about the tragedy, Chang Qing realized he might have been indirectly involved and rushed to the scene. There, he saw Ruifang’s face nearly unrecognizable, with her chest soaked in blood. Chang Qing felt deeply distressed.
Zhu Chengbi, who already knew the identity of the culprit, told Chang Qing not to worry, assuring him that someone would come to Tianxiang Tower to confess later that day. Sure enough, before long, Zhou Guangping’s mother arrived. She confronted Chang Qing, accusing him of promising to help her son escape from the Zhou residence. Observing her domineering demeanor, so unlike an ordinary person’s warmth, Chang Qing instinctively stepped back.
Zhu Chengbi stepped in front of him and questioned Zhou’s mother’s intentions. Enraged, Zhou’s mother revealed her true form—a white tiger. In response, Zhu Chengbi unleashed her own power, revealing herself as the gluttonous Taotie. “Do you think I’d fear a mere tigress? ” she retorted.
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