Episode Summary
Youhuang reluctantly helps Lingying investigate Xin'an Wang's disappearance in the underground city. Banxia searches for information about her past, encountering demons and demon hunters. Xuanye follows Banxia, leading to conflicts and revelations about his family connections.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 17 Recap & Spoilers:
We kick things off with Chu Youhuang sipping tea on the road when Sima Lingying comes chasing after him. Youhuang is adamant about not going back to see Sima Lingying's mom, no matter how persistent she is. But plot twist! Sima Lingying pulls out Song Daren's token, revealing that she's now in charge of the missing Xin'an Wang case. She requests Youhuang's help, and he reluctantly agrees to return to Shendu with her, hoping to get some answers from an old man. Surprise! The old man is Sima Lingying's mother. Talk about awkward family reunions.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shangyun is expecting a guest, and who should arrive but Duan Banxia. Jiu Xuanye, overcome with guilt for breaking his promise to his father, kneels before his father's token, begging for forgiveness because he's determined to follow Banxia to the underground city.
The next day, Xuanye and Chi Xue show up at Banxia's door, only to find it locked. The neighbors spill the tea: Banxia packed her bags and left early. Worried, Xuanye and Chi Xue chase after her. Xuanye flashes a special token to enter the underground city, and they hop on a boat that takes them to the waterlogged depths.
Banxia and Shangyun settle into the underground city. Shangyun gets Banxia and Tingzhou settled and heads out to scout the area. Banxia wants to tag along, but Shangyun thinks she'd be a hindrance, so she stays put. Banxia feels a strange sense of familiarity, remembering being kidnapped and brought here as a child.
Chi Xue gets spooked by the snake demon vibes at the entrance to Xiaodongtian. Luckily, Lv Chunmian steps up to guide them through a tunnel covered in vibrant murals. The murals are surprisingly well-preserved despite the dampness, and they seem to be painted by someone with a real fighting spirit.
The underground city looks flashy, but it's basically a money pit. Chunmian takes Xuanye and Chi Xue there after they enter the city, but Xuanye declines, then Chunmian goes off to pay respects to someone, hinting that he might be setting Xuanye up.
A city guard named Song Qi notices Chi Xue clutching a big package and assumes it's full of valuables. He brings Xuanye to Xiaodongtian, explaining that all transactions in the underground city go through there, where you exchange silver for vouchers. Xuanye uses Wu Xiang Shui and realizes that Song Qi is a demon! When the demon asks about the vouchers, Chi Xue opens the package to reveal...radishes. Talk about anticlimactic.
Down on their luck, the swordsmen Xiang Shan and Xiang Feng are still searching for Xin'an Wang, but they're running out of money and getting worried about ending up in the basement.
Back to Youhuang and Lingying, they arrive in the underground city and start looking for the city guards. Song Qi offers his services, and Lingying shows him a portrait of Xin'an Wang, offering a hefty reward for any information within three days. Youhuang grumbles about Lingying's spending habits, just like her mom.
Then, another person shows up claiming to be a city guard, and Lingying throws more money and portraits at them, scattering the bait far and wide.
Tingzhou gets impatient waiting for Shangyun and Xue Qiao to return, feeling like they don't care. Banxia decides to go looking for them herself.
Song Qi quickly learns that Xin'an Wang was looking for Huangfu Bai, who only sees three people a day. Song Qi even gets in line to get a meeting token, and Lingying generously pays him. Youhuang complains again about Lingying trusting people too easily, but just then, the door opens automatically.
Youhuang reveals Xin'an Wang's identity, asking if Huangfu Bai has seen him. Huangfu Bai says that Xin'an Wang came to him because he was terminally ill, but he arrived too late and is probably already dead.
Song Qi notices Banxia and Tingzhou getting their wallets stolen and helps them get them back. He offers to help them find someone, and Tingzhou blurts out that they're looking for Tihu Studio. Banxia doesn't trust Song Qi and pulls Tingzhou away.
Xiang Shan bumps into Xuanye and starts a fight. Xiang Feng tries to smooth things over, but Xuanye ignores them and walks away, infuriating Xiang Shan.
Shangyun and Xue Qiao realize Banxia is missing and go looking for her, running into Song Qi. They quickly realize he's a demon and chase after him. Banxia, who also figured out Song Qi was a demon, sees the demon hunters attacking him. When a stack of barrels is about to fall on Banxia, Song Qi protects her. Banxia, realizing Song Qi is a good guy, knocks down a bamboo pole to stop the demon hunters and help Song Qi escape.
Shangyun scolds Banxia for letting the demon go, but Banxia argues that even demons can be good. Shangyun accuses Banxia of not being able to distinguish between humans and demons. Xuanye arrives and yells at the demon hunters, then takes Banxia back to her room and scolds her for trusting strangers. Banxia accuses him of using her, and Xuanye gets angry and starts to leave, but Banxia grabs him. Xuanye sees that she's hurt and can't bring himself to continue scolding her, so he helps her bandage her wounds.
Banxia complains about Xuanye being disobedient and coming here. They argue about who's being reckless and getting into trouble, but it's clear they care about each other. Banxia explains why she argued with Shangyun, saying that he shouldn't judge people. Xuanye, realizing that Banxia hasn't found any useful information, offers to help her look tomorrow, reminding her that they need to discuss things before acting.
Youhuang and Lingying discuss the Xin'an Wang case, concluding that he wouldn't have killed himself if he knew he only had a hundred days to live. Youhuang, despite acting cold towards Lingying, gives her the demon-slaying dagger and insect repellent that Xuanye gave him, claiming he's afraid of being a burden but clearly showing his concern for her.
Finally, Lv Chunmian takes Xuanye to meet the owner of Xiaodongtian, Shen Tunan, who turns out to be Xuanye's uncle!
