Episode Summary
Xiao Qiushui forms a temporary alliance with Li Chenzhou and confronts the Deng family, uncovering a 15-year-old secret about Deng Qingfeng's lost power. Just as Deng Qingfeng decides to reveal the full truth about the Baicao Valley incident, he is assassinated, leaving behind only a few cryptic clues.
Spoiler Alert
An Unlikely Alliance
The episode kicks off with Xiao Qiushui meeting Li Chenzhou. This is the head of the Power-wielding Gang, so you know it's tense. Xiao Qiushui doesn't buy Li Chenzhou's whole "for the good of the country" act. He thinks it's a poor excuse for grabbing power.
Li Chenzhou has a different take. He argues that without his gang, the martial world would be even more chaotic. He's just using a different method to keep order. Then he pulls out an eagle whistle. He says he found it at Nantian Dang. This suggests Xiao Qiushui's father was set up.
Because of this, Li Chenzhou proposes an alliance. Xiao Qiushui was already planning to confront the Hai Lin Sword Sect anyway. So, he agrees. But he has one condition. He asks Li Chenzhou to arrange for the Medicine King to treat Tang Fang's father. It's a big ask, since the Power-wielding Gang and the Tang Sect aren't exactly friends. Li Chenzhou agrees to make it happen.
The Trap at the Hai Lin Sword Sect
After paying respects to his parents, Xiao Qiushui heads out with Deng Yuhan. They're going to the Hai Lin Sword Sect, Deng Yuhan's home. Xiao Qiushui suggests bringing a gift for his father. Deng Yuhan brushes it off. He says his relationship with his dad has always been strained. Still, he defends him. He insists his father would never have harmed Xiao Qiushui's parents.
When they arrive, things get weird fast. Deng Yuhan's sister, Deng Yulan, separates them. She sends Deng Yuhan to his father's study. The moment he walks in, he's tied up.
Meanwhile, Deng Yulan serves Xiao Qiushui a meal. Of course, it's poisoned. She waits for him to finish, planning to capture him too. But Xiao Qiushui saw this coming. He immobilizes her with a quick strike to her pressure points. He knows her father, Deng Qingfeng, is hiding in the room. He calls for him to come out.
A Father's Secret
Deng Qingfeng refuses to show his face. He attacks from behind a screen using hidden mechanisms and projectiles. Xiao Qiushui has had enough. He shatters the screen to force him out. They exchange a single palm strike. Deng Qingfeng goes down hard. It's immediately obvious he's incredibly weak.
Just then, Deng Yuhan breaks free from his ropes and rushes in. He helps his father up, demanding to know what's going on. Xiao Qiushui explains that Deng Qingfeng was already severely injured before their fight. He also points out an echo wall behind the screen. It was used to amplify his voice, making him sound powerful like a lion's roar. Deng Qingfeng has been faking his strength for years.
The Truth Comes Out
Cornered, Deng Qingfeng finally confesses everything. Years ago, he was caught in a thunder-fire bomb explosion in Baicao Valley. The blast destroyed his meridians and wiped out his martial arts abilities. For fifteen years, he's been a shut-in, using tricks and traps to protect his family from old enemies. He was desperate. That's why he allied himself with Zhu Datianwang.
He also reveals something huge. Xiao Qiushui's father, Xiao Xilou, was the only person who knew his secret. But he never told a soul. To repay that kindness, Deng Qingfeng tells Xiao Qiushui the truth now. In a moment of grace, Xiao Qiushui uses a technique from the Great Seal Master to help him. It only restores a fraction of his power, but Deng Qingfeng is deeply grateful.
A Secret to Die For
Later, after Xiao Qiushui leaves, Liu Suifeng shows up. He's here for revenge for the Baicao Valley clan. He has a written testimony from a Northern Wilderness spy. It proves the valley was framed. They were making food pills for the poor, not military-grade marching pills.
Deng Qingfeng admits he was there with Xiao Xilou during the investigation. They saw Northern Wilderness soldiers moving the pills. He says they gave the valley master a chance to explain, but he stayed silent. Liu Suifeng doesn't buy it. He infects Deng Qingfeng with a Gu insect to torture the truth out of him. Pushed to the edge, Deng Qingfeng snaps that Xiao Xilou never should have saved Liu Suifeng's life. This is news to Liu Suifeng. Before he can press further, someone approaches outside, and he's forced to flee.
That night, Deng Yuhan confronts his father. He begs him to stop hiding the truth about Baicao Valley and to cut ties with Zhu Datianwang. After his son leaves, Deng Qingfeng decides to write down the whole story. But before he can finish, an assassin in black breaks in and kills him.
The next morning, as Xiao Qiushui and Deng Yuhan prepare to leave town, Deng Yulan runs to them with the news. They rush back to the house. Xiao Qiushui examines the body. He finds a Gu insect on his hand and a piece of paper on the desk, torn in half.
