Episode Summary
Following Luo Sen's dying warning about a monster in Xiaogu City, the team journeys to the blood-soaked ruins. They survive an attack from a swarm of deadly insects in a hidden chamber by discovering their weakness to salt. After escaping another trap involving a mechanical doll, they find themselves trapped in an ice cave, only to be saved by Feng Qingzhuo's intellect and a special ring belonging to Zhong Xueman's father.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with Feng Qingzhuo's grim diagnosis: Luo Sen has been afflicted with a bizarre and previously unknown poison.While Feng Qingzhuo can use his medical knowledge to temporarily ease the symptoms, a true cure is beyond his grasp. Seeing his brother's suffering, Luo Shu agrees to a desperate plan to let Luo Sen have a moment of clarity for his final words.In his last breath, Luo Sen recounts a harrowing discovery in Xiaogu City, where he was seeking winter supplies. He speaks of a place called Beihai Ju and a man from Beihaiqi who unleashed a man-eating monster before he succumbs to the poison and passes away.
Grief-stricken, Luo Shu and his people give Luo Sen a traditional cremation. In a solemn moment, A Xing bestows sacred grass ropes upon Zhong Xueman and the others, a tribal blessing for their safety.Witnessing this, Xiao Beiming and his group become even more resolute in their quest. They set off for Xiaogu City, determined to bring peace back to the land.
Upon their arrival, they are met with a horrifying sight: the city's moat has turned into a river of blood, and the city itself is a desolate ruin.As they venture deeper, Tong Shuang discovers a strange, unmarked stone tablet. Xiao Beiming senses an eerie quality to the courtyard; it's unnaturally clean, devoid of weeds, yet thick with a strange atmosphere. His suspicion proves correct when he accidentally triggers a mechanism on the tablet, revealing a hidden stone door in the ground.
With torches in hand, they descend into a secret underground chamber. Their presence is immediately challenged when a bug with glowing green blood appears, which Zhong Xuemei swiftly dispatches.This, however, provokes a swarm. The group finds that fire has no effect on the creatures, and they are quickly cornered. In a selfless act, Feng Qingzhuo shoves Huo Dairong out of harm's way, only to be engulfed by the insects himself.Amid the chaos, Xiao Beiming makes a crucial discovery: salt repels the bugs. Using this newfound weakness, the group manages to fight their way out of the immediate danger.
With no path to retreat, they press forward. Xiao Beiming takes the lead across a narrow cliffside path. He then notices a wooden doll on Lu Zhong, which, when hit by light, activates a hidden trap. With no time to react, the team is forced to leap from the cliff into a river below to survive. In the ensuing confusion, they stumble upon a shortcut on the mountainside. However, the moment they step through it, they are transported to a frigid, icy cavern, and a stone door slams shut, trapping them inside.
Facing the threat of freezing to death, they desperately search for an escape. The observant Feng Qingzhuo notices symbols on the floor that he recognizes as medicinal notations from the Valley of Ultimate Poisons. He correctly deduces that these are clues left by previous visitors and form the code to unlock the exit.Drawing on the profound medical skills taught by his master, he deciphers the pattern, causing an exit to materialize. The door is marked with a pattern identical to the one on a thumb ring belonging to Zhong Xueman's father. She quickly uses the ring, twisting it in the lock. The stone door grinds open, revealing their path to safety.
