Episode Summary
After discovering the body at the crime scene may not be who they think, Xiao Beiming's team plots to examine the corpse stored at the Dark Detective Camp. While Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo infiltrate the morgue with help from Huo Dairong's diversion, Zhuge Kongyun, facing a deadline, decides to frame Zhong Xueman. He secures an execution order with the Emperor's authority. At the execution, just as all seems lost, Xiao Beiming appears and poisons himself, forcing Zhuge to arrest him and halt the execution to preserve his only lead in a larger case.
Spoiler Alert
With Zhong Xueman arrested and framed for murder, her allies scramble to uncover the truth before it's too late. Xiao Beiming, upon waking and learning of her capture, immediately returns to the scene of the crime—an abandoned house—to search for clues. He notes a peculiar absence: the smell of kerosene, which should be present at a burning site. Instead, a strange odor lingers in the air. Feng Qingzhuo's sharp eyes uncover a secret poison from the Valley of Ultimate Poisons, the "Seven Star Powder," known to easily render a person unconscious.Xiao Beiming remains puzzled by the killer's methods until he discovers a burnt piece of grass with a cloyingly sweet scent, sparking a crucial suspicion: the charred body might not be the Old Bug after all.
A clever plan is set in motion. Xiao Beiming sends Tong Shuang to secretly meet with an old contact, successfully learning the location of the Old Bug's supposed corpse and the guard schedule for the formidable Dark Detective Camp. Although his internal energy is returning, Xiao Beiming is persuaded by Tong Shuang to stay behind as a crucial backup, a last resort should their infiltration go wrong.
Meanwhile, inside the prison, Zhuge Kongyun attempts to manipulate Zhong Xueman. He admits he knows she is innocent but, eager to close the case and take the credit, pressures her to sign a confession. He promises that a plea of accidental homicide would spare her from execution. Enraged by this blatant corruption, Zhong Xueman tears the confession to shreds, condemning the Dark Detective Camp for its treacherous tactics.
Under the cover of darkness, Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo ambush and drug the guards of the Dark Detective Camp. With the help of Huo Dairong's masterful disguises, they boldly walk into the morgue. As Feng Qingzhuo begins the autopsy on the burnt corpse, their mission is nearly compromised by the sudden arrival of Zhuge Kongyun. Huo Dairong quickly hides while Zhuge, alerted by a faint noise, storms in to investigate. He finds nothing, but just as he is about to check under the bed, Huo Dairong creates a brilliant diversion. She stumbles outside the prison, pretending to be drunk and loudly demanding to see Zhong Xueman, even going so far as to vomit on Zhuge Kongyun. Disgusted, he orders her to be escorted away. It's only after the guard returns that Zhuge realizes he has been duped by one of Huo Dairong's people.
With his three-day deadline expired and no real killer found, Zhuge Kongyun decides to pin all the blame on Zhong Xueman. The Dark Detective Camp and the Divine Capture Camp convene for a joint trial where Zhuge Tong presents a mountain of fabricated evidence, formally sentencing Zhong Xueman to beheading the following day. Fang Zheng of the Divine Capture Camp vehemently protests the absurd ruling, but Zhuge Tong silences all opposition by producing a token directly from the Emperor, confirming the execution for high noon.
As Zhong Xueman is led to the execution ground, the crowd murmurs with disbelief, unable to accept that she is a killer. Her allies, including Tong Shuang, blend into the crowd, preparing to rescue her by force. At the lake, Xiao Beiming reflects on a promise made to his master's dying wife to protect Zhong Xueman at all costs, steeling his resolve.
Just as the executioner's blade is about to fall, Fang Zheng and the Divine Capture Camp arrive, drawing their swords against Zhuge Tong in a tense standoff. At that moment, Xiao Beiming makes his dramatic entrance. Zhong Xueman is overjoyed to see him alive and well but terrified for his safety. In a stunning move, Xiao Beiming consumes a vial of poison in front of everyone. He declares that if he does not receive the antidote within half an hour, he will die, and with him, all of Zhuge Tong's leads on the infamous "Night Devil" will be lost forever, leaving Zhuge unable to answer to the Emperor. Cornered, Zhuge Tong has no choice but to arrest Xiao Beiming, throwing both him and Zhong Xueman back into the prison cells.
