Episode Summary
Xiao Qiushui finds a clue in Deng Qingfeng's mouth pointing to the "Iron-Clad Divine Constable." He then races to find Fei Yuchiao, a retiring master, to ask about the Marrow-Shattering Finger technique. At Fei's retirement ceremony, chaos erupts when estranged family members and other sects demand a treasure called the Thousand-Person Mask. Xiao Qiushui intervenes to protect the Fei family, and in the aftermath, they discover the family tomb has been desecrated. Meanwhile, Tang Fang tries a risky method to save her father, Tang Yaoshun.
Spoiler Alert
The Deng Family's Mess Just Got Messier
Alright, let's get into it. The investigation into Deng Qingfeng's death is getting complicated. It always does.
A Conflicting Timeline
Xiao Qiushui is trying to piece together the murder. He questions Deng Yulan, who finally remembers what happened that night. She says she saw Liu Suifeng about to leave the courtyard. She decided to follow him. Bad idea. He spotted her, got behind her, and knocked her out cold. She's certain about the time because she heard the night watchman's call just before she passed out.
But her brother, Deng Yuhan, says that can't be right. He was in their father's room at a later time. He thinks she must be mistaken. Xiao Qiushui listens to both of them. He figures they're both probably telling the truth. That means only one thing. Someone else went into Deng Qingfeng's room after Liu Suifeng.
A Clue from the Grave
While Deng Yuhan prepares the bodies of his family for burial, Xiao Qiushui notices something. There's something in Deng Qingfeng's mouth. He pulls it out. It's a small, bloody piece of paper with two words: "Iron-Clad."
Xiao Qiushui immediately guesses what he was trying to write. It must be the "Iron-Clad Divine Constable." He remembers that when they were collecting bodies at the Sword Hut, the Constable was the only one they never found. The whole situation makes Xiao Qiushui feel guilty. He thinks if he hadn't been so obsessed with his own parents' deaths, the Deng family would still be alive. Deng Yuhan tells him not to blame himself. He promises to meet up with Xiao Qiushui after he buries his father.
Trouble at the Tang Clan
Over at the Tang Clan, things are just as tense.
A Desperate Cure
The Medicine King has arrived to check on Tang Yaoshun. The news isn't good. He says Tang Yaoshun has been sick for a long time. The chances of a full recovery are slim. There is one risky treatment, though. A healthy person would have to take a poison pill and then transfer its power to Tang Yaoshun. It's a classic "fight poison with poison" scenario.
Tang Fang is already exhausting herself by transferring her own internal energy to him. The Medicine King warns her to take it slow. In the middle of all this, Tang Qing shows up. She's supposedly there to deliver soup, but she's really trying to spy on Tang Yaoshun's condition. Tang Fang blocks her at the door. Tang Qing can't force her way in, so she leaves with a warning. She says everything will be settled at the clan's upcoming martial arts tournament.
A Race Against Time
Xiao Qiushui is back on the road, but he quickly gets a new lead.
The Retiring Master
He overhears some travelers talking about a man named Fei Yuchiao. Fei is a legendary figure who is about to hold his "golden basin hand-washing" ceremony in three days. That means he's retiring from the martial world for good. Once he does, he'll take all of his secrets with him. This is huge news for Xiao Qiushui. He knows Fei is one of the few people who mastered the Marrow-Shattering Finger, the technique that killed his parents. He has to get to the Fei family home within three days.
Chaos at the Ceremony
Xiao Qiushui makes it to the Fei family estate just in time. Liu Suifeng shows up around the same time, which is never a good sign. Xiao Qiushui introduces himself and gets straight to the point. He asks Fei Yuchiao to use the Marrow-Shattering Finger once so he can verify how his parents died. Fei agrees, but only after his retirement ceremony the next day. He doesn't want any trouble before then.
The next day, the ceremony is packed. Representatives from many different sects are there. It doesn't take long for things to go south. Someone accuses Fei's eldest son of injuring one of his men. He demands the "Thousand-Person Mask" as compensation. Fei Yuchiao explains that his son, Fei Danfeng, died years ago while carrying the mask. He says the mask was burned and the remains are buried in their ancestral tomb.
Just then, two of Fei's estranged grandsons crash the party. They also demand the mask. Fei fights them but gets hit with a poisoned palm.
Xiao Qiushui Draws a Line
The two grandsons then try to attack Fei's eldest grandson. Xiao Qiushui has seen enough. He steps in to stop them.
The Sword in the Stone
The other sects are annoyed. They tell Xiao Qiushui to mind his own business. He's not having it. He says he can't just stand by and watch people bully an old man and a child. He takes his Long Song Sword and drives it deep into a massive stone. He makes a bet. Anyone who can pull the sword out of the rock can do whatever they want.
The two grandsons go first. They use all their internal energy, even shattering the stone around the blade, but they can't budge it. They admit defeat and hand over the antidote for the poison. As the crowd leaves, a servant runs up with bad news for Fei Yuchiao. Someone has dug up the family's ancestral tomb.
