Episode Summary
We learn the Empress Dowager has been pulling Jin Wujian's strings for years with poison after he was exiled from Wuling Mountain. To save a berserk Jin An, Li Shuang makes a deal with the new emperor to become his concubine, gets disowned by her father for her own freedom, and travels to Wuling Mountain. There, she uses her own blood to calm the rampaging spirit within Jin An, saving his life at great personal cost.
Spoiler Alert
The Empress Dowager's Long Game
Jin Wujian's Awful Backstory
So, we finally get the dirt on Jin Wujian. It turns out he got caught practicing forbidden magic for the Empress Dowager back in the day. His master was going to finish him. But Mo Yin, of all people, pleaded for his life.
The master agreed to let him live. But he stripped Jin Wujian of all his martial arts. Then he kicked him out of Wuling Mountain to fend for himself.
After getting kicked out, Jin Wujian went crawling to the Empress Dowager for help. She "saved" him, alright. She also fed him something called Brain Devouring Powder. Now he's basically her attack dog, completely under her thumb. The poison is acting up, but he's refusing to go to her for the antidote.
A Truly Vicious Plan
The Empress Dowager is playing for keeps. We learn she used Jin Wujian to put some kind of love curse on Duan Aoze. This is how she stole him from her own sister and had a son with him.
And it gets worse. She admits she personally set the fire that killed her sister.
She’s not done, either. She says Duan Aoze's brother, Duan Aodeng, is next on her list. Her goal is to make sure Duan Aoze has no one left to rely on but her. She wants everyone around him dead.
Li Shuang Makes a Terrible Choice
A Deal with the New Emperor
Li Shuang goes to the palace to see Su Muyang. He's the emperor now, and he's not subtle about it. He thinks Li Shuang has feelings for him and wants her to marry him. He reminds her he has real power now, unlike when he was just the crown prince.
Li Shuang isn't having it. She wants his permission to leave the capital. Jin An has been taken, and she refuses to leave him. She's sure he didn't kill Su Muli.
Su Muyang doesn't care about the truth. But he knows he can't stop her from trying to save Jin An. So, he makes a demand. She can go, but when it's over, she has to come back and become his royal concubine. Li Shuang, feeling like she has no other option, agrees.
A Father's Sacrifice
Li Wei finds out about the deal his daughter made. He asks her one simple question. Does she have feelings for Jin An?
Then he does something brutal. He tells her that from this day forward, she is no longer part of the Li family. She is not to come back.He's disowning her.
But you can see what he's really doing. He knows she has spent her whole life worrying about the Changfeng Army and her family's honor.This is his way of cutting her loose. He's giving her the freedom to follow her own heart.
Li Shuang says a painful goodbye to her father and leaves the capital. Ji Ran and a few others volunteer to go with her. They say they owe a debt to Xuan Yi Ke for saving them all.
The Rescue at Wuling Mountain
A Berserk Jin An
Li Shuang and her crew head straight for Wuling Mountain. At the same time, Jin Wujian gets wind of this and decides to go there too.
Things are bad for Jin An. Mo Yin can't remove the Jade Exquisite from his body. The attempt made Jin An go completely berserk, and Mo Yin has him locked up for now.
Li Shuang arrives and demands that Mo Yin show himself. He quickly brings her up the mountain. She sees Jin An's condition and is devastated.The Jade Exquisite inside him doesn't even recognize her anymore. Still, she insists on going into the room where he's being held.
Blood and Tears
She steps into the room. The crazed Jin An immediately attacks and starts choking her.
Mo Yin yells for her to strike Jin An's vital points. He says it would kill both Jin An and the shadow puppet inside him. Li Shuang refuses. Her tears start to fall, and for a second, it seems to snap Jin An out of it.
But the Jade Exquisite tries to take control again. Thinking fast, Li Shuang cuts her own arm. She feeds her blood to Jin An. This finally calms the Jade Exquisite down.
Later, Li Shuang is alone in the room. She sees drawings on the wall that Jin An made. They're all little scenes of their time together. She starts crying again. When Jin An finally wakes up, he's just happy and relieved to see that she is safe.
