Episode 22 recap: The Great Beggar's Alliance - Yang Kang's Conspiracy to Usurp Power
At the Beggar's Alliance Grand Assembly, Yang Kang was surrounded and escorted to the Xuanyuan Platform, where he underwent the investiture ceremony and took up the 19th position as the Beggar Clan Chief, wielding the Dog-Beating Cudgel. Guo Jing, who was confined, studied the changes in the stars and found them similar to the Grand Formation of the Complete Truth Sect. After comprehending it, his internal energy advanced, and he successfully broke free of the ropes.
Yang Kang, accompanied by Mu Nian Ci, went to meet the Elders Jian Zhang Lao, Peng Zhang Lao, and Liang Zhang Lao of the Beggar Clan. Mu Nian Ci was overjoyed to learn that Yang Kang had become the Beggar Clan Chief, and Yang Kang assured her that he would fulfill his ideals and aspirations within the Beggar Clan and not disappoint her.
Yang Kang intended to marry Mu Nian Ci on the day of the Beggar's Alliance Grand Assembly, with the help of the Beggar Clan's preparations. Yang Kang handed the painting containing clues to the whereabouts of the Testament of Wu Mu to Wan Yan Hong Lie, who was delighted to learn that the book was located on Iron Palm Peak.
Yang Kang stated that if the Beggar Clan as a whole were to migrate south, it could spare them much trouble, as the Beggar Clan had been a hindrance to the Jin's southern advance. He said he would arrange this matter after assuming the position of Beggar Clan Chief.
Ou Yang Feng came to find Yang Kang, seeking Ou Yang Ke. Upon returning to Niu Jia Village, he could not find Ou Yang Ke, and the usual communication links had disappeared. Enraged, Ou Yang Feng was about to kill someone, but Yang Kang intervened, claiming that Guo Jing had killed Ou Yang Ke.
Yang Kang told Ou Yang Feng that Guo Jing and Huang Rong were now in his hands, and that he was about to become the Beggar Clan Chief. He regretted his lack of ability and hoped to be accepted as Ou Yang Feng's disciple to gain the skills to unite the Beggar Clan.
At the Beggar's Alliance Grand Assembly, Peng Zhang Lao announced the news of Hong Qi Gong's death, and Yang Kang appeared before the Beggar Clan members, falsely accusing Huang Yao Shi, Huang Rong, and Guo Jing of killing Hong Qi Gong.
Lu You Jiao did not believe Yang Kang's words, as he felt Hong Qi Gong and Huang Yao Shi were close, and would not have killed each other. The Elders of the Clean Clothes Faction wanted Yang Kang, who wielded the Dog-Beating Cudgel, to become the Beggar Clan Chief, while the Dirty Clothes Faction believed Hong Qi Gong had intended for Lu You Jiao to succeed him. Despite the disputes, the Dirty Clothes Faction had to acknowledge Yang Kang's position as Clan Chief due to Hong Qi Gong's instructions and his possession of the Dog-Beating Cudgel.
Yang Kang ascended the Xuanyuan Platform and successfully became the Beggar Clan Chief. He then ordered the capture of Guo Jing and Huang Rong and accused them of killing Hong Qi Gong, vowing to kill them to avenge Hong Qi Gong.
Lu You Jiao and the others did not believe that Guo Jing and Huang Rong had killed Hong Qi Gong, and they hoped that Yang Kang could investigate this matter. Guo Jing and Huang Rong were acupressured to be mute, and Yang Kang threatened Huang Rong's life to force Guo Jing to confess under questioning.
Seeing that Guo Jing and Huang Rong were about to be killed by the Beggar Clan, the Iron Palm Clan came to pay a visit to the mountain. Lu You Jiao took the opportunity to persuade Yang Kang to temporarily imprison Guo Jing and Huang Rong, and to deal with them after the reception of the Iron Palm Clan.
Qiu Qian Ren led people to the Beggar Clan, and learned that the Beggar Clan had a new leader that day. He brought numerous treasures as an offering. Qiu Qian Ren claimed that these treasures were given by the Sixth Prince of the Jin Dynasty, and persuaded the Beggar Clan members to migrate south. Yang Kang also agreed to the Beggar Clan's southward migration, but Lu You Jiao believed that the Beggar Clan's northern base should not be easily relinquished, and that the Jin's gifts should not be accepted.
The Pure Clothing Sect followed Yang Kang's order, but Lu You Jiao resolutely refused to withdraw from the north, and some of the Beggar Clan members also vowed to not become traitors. Seeing that he could not succeed, Qiu Qian Ren attacked and killed two members of the Beggar Clan to make an example. Guo Jing unexpectedly gained insight into the mystery of the Northern Dipper through stellar changes, and finally mastered the Nine Yin Manual. He then broke free from his bindings and rescued Huang Rong to attend the Beggar Clan meeting.
Qiu Qian Ren planned to kill the unyielding Lu You Jiao, but Guo Jing appeared and saved Lu You Jiao. Qiu Qian Ren found Guo Jing's kungfu to be impressive, and not wanting to engage in a protracted competition before the upcoming Huashan Sword Contest, he chose to leave with his men instead of following Yang Kang's arrangement.
It turned out that the real Qiu Qian Ren had earlier sent his brother Qiu Qian Zhang to deal with the Mongol envoy, and he himself had come to the scene because the Beggar Clan group was about to take action. Yang Kang ordered Peng Zhang Lao to attack Guo Jing and Huang Rong, intending to kill them. Guo Jing helped Huang Rong escape the Beggar Clan's encirclement, and Huang Rong used the Beggar Clan's martial arts to take back the Dog Beating Stick from Yang Kang, revealing that Hong Qi Gong was not dead, and that Yang Kang had deliberately spread rumors.
Holding the Dog Beating Stick, Huang Rong told the Beggar Clan members that she was the successor appointed by Hong Qi Gong. She also revealed that Yang Kang's true surname was Xuan, and that he was the son of the Prince of Zhao of the Great Jin, coming to seize power and destroy the Song dynasty.
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