Episode Summary
In Episode 15, Duan Banxia and Jiu Xuanye face off against the puppet master Feng Wuniang and her father Feng Tian. Feng Wuniang's deception is revealed, leading to a tragic confrontation where Feng Tian sacrifices himself and Feng Wuniang in a fire. The episode also delves into Feng Tian's past and the sacrifice of a loyal black cat. Meanwhile, Jiu Xuanye and Duan Banxia's bond deepens as they navigate the dangers and secrets surrounding them.
Spoiler Alert
So, Duan Banxia nabs Jiu Xuanye's sword and makes a run for it, dodging creepy puppet servants along the way. She links up with Chu Youhuang and the gang, and Jiu Xuanye wants everyone to bail together. But plot twist! They run into Feng Tian. Feng Wuniang is visibly shaken, and Jiu Xuanye, being the stand-up guy he is, suggests Feng Tian join them.
Duan Banxia, bless her heart, pipes up that Feng Tian wouldn't hurt Feng Wuniang because, duh, he's her dad. This sets off alarm bells for Jiu Xuanye. He checks Duan Banxia's hand and realizes the protective charm he drew is GONE. Feng Wuniang, busted, attacks Jiu Xuanye and bolts.
Feng Tian finds Feng Wuniang chilling in her room, except she's a lifeless puppet. Cue the waterworks! But wait, the real Feng Wuniang strolls in. Feng Tian chews her out for all the innocent lives she's taken, but can't bring himself to punish her. He says he kept her there to protect her, but Feng Wuniang's all, "I can't be the daughter you want!" Feng Tian caves and says he'll take her away, as long as she stops killing. Feng Wuniang turns ice cold, declares Feng Tian's not her father anymore, and peaces out to live her own life. Feng Tian is left heartbroken.
Later, Jiu Xuanye's looking for Duan Banxia, and Feng Wuniang shows up. But with a simple eye cover, Jiu Xuanye knows who the real Duan Banxia is. He attacks Feng Wuniang. Feng Wuniang thinks she and Jiu Xuanye are a match. She even offers to change her face if he gets bored! Jiu Xuanye shuts her down, saying fake can never be real, and she doesn't understand emotions. Duan Banxia adds that a bad heart stays bad, no matter the face.
Back at the ranch, Feng Tian's about to off himself out of grief, but a black cat stops him. Feng Wuniang and Jiu Xuanye throw down, and she summons a puppet army. Jiu Xuanye protects Duan Banxia, unleashing the fire power of his sword, shredding puppets left and right. One puppet gets a lucky shot with a spear aimed at Duan Banxia, but Jiu Xuanye shields her, and she has a flashback to a boy saving her.
Jiu Xuanye's about to finish off Feng Wuniang when Feng Tian begs for her life. Feng Tian offers to take Feng Wuniang home to see their family, promising to stay by her side forever. Feng Wuniang's thrilled, but wants to take out Jiu Xuanye first. Feng Tian stabs Feng Wuniang, telling her she can't kill anymore. She accuses him of betraying her again, and as she goes to attack him, Feng Tian throws her into a fire. Then, he stabs himself and tries to join her, but Jiu Xuanye stops him. Feng Tian watches helplessly as Feng Wuniang burns to ashes.
The black cat sacrifices its last life to save Feng Tian. When Feng Tian wakes up, he finds the cat dead. Jiu Xuanye calls it an act of gratitude. Feng Tian remembers a time when he was stationed at the border during a plague, and he was starving. He caught a black cat to eat, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He even shared his food with it, named it Jiu Ming, and told it his troubles.
Later, a strange man taught him how to make puppets, and he created Qingshan and Feng Wuniang. After they gained consciousness, he never saw the black cat again. He assumed it left. But Jiu Xuanye reveals the cat never really left. It stayed away because Feng Tian had a family and ignored it. Feng Wuniang even chased it away. Seeing Feng Tian's despair, the cat deliberately endangered itself to get Jiu Xuanye's attention and lead him to Feng Tian, hoping to save him. Feng Tian is devastated.
Turns out, Jiu Xuanye knew all along that the wooden eyes were watching them. He knew Feng Wuniang was spying. So, he played along, pretending to drink the "Floating White" wine. It only clouds the mind, not completely, so he could still tell truth from lies. Duan Yanqiu only got truly drunk because he didn't have anything important to focus on. Jiu Xuanye pretended to get wasted with Duan Yanqiu, secretly writing a message on his hand, telling him Duan Banxia was in danger and needed his help. They faked their drunkenness to trick Feng Wuniang into making a move.
Duan Banxia asks Jiu Xuanye if he really drinks Floating White often. He dodges the question. On their way home, Duan Banxia's shoes get wet, so Jiu Xuanye carries her. She tells him to drink with her next time he wants to, instead of drinking alone. He doesn't say anything, but he's touched. Duan Banxia asks him to draw another protective charm, but he reminds her it drains his energy and she can't keep asking.
Duan Banxia notices Jiu Xuanye's hands are cold and warms them up. He's moved. As he leaves, she sees more white hair on his head.
Jiu Xuanye drinks alone in the courtyard, hoping to see his dead family. He sees them, and they talk to him. He's heartbroken. He goes back to his room, sets out his family's memorial tablets, and kneels before them for a long time. He pours them wine before leaving.
The next day, Chi Xue barges in, looking for Jiu Xuanye. He's at Wen Jian's house, but Wen Jian's wife's cooking is terrible, and Chi Xue's still hungry. He asks Jiu Xuanye for money, but Jiu Xuanye refuses. Chi Xue doesn't believe him and searches his room, finding a box of money. He only takes a small piece of silver, puts the rest back, but accidentally leaves a letter outside.
