Episode Summary
Three years after being framed, Xiao Bei Ming resurfaces amidst a new series of bride murders that mimic the killer Ye Sha's signature style. Zhong Xueman, bent on revenge, confronts and injures him. To prove his innocence, Xiao Bei Ming knowingly ingests a poison she acquired, an act that causes her to doubt his guilt. He then reveals his theory that Ye Sha is an organization and that the Divine Capture Camp may be covering up the crimes. Together, they uncover that the murders form a ritualistic pattern, but they fail to prevent the final killing.
Spoiler Alert
Three years have passed, but the shadow of the killer known as Ye Sha still looms large. On a stormy night, a bride is murdered in a secluded hut, a silver needle piercing her heart.The brutal method is identical to the murders of Zhong Yun Chi and others, signaling the return of a nightmare.
This news reaches Zhong Xueman, who is still haunted by the death of her father, Zhong Yun Chi.Waking from nightmares, she swears vengeance upon Xiao Bei Ming, the man she holds responsible.Her resolve is hardened when she discovers another bride killed in the same gruesome manner.As she investigates, every clue seems to be deliberately planted to frame Xiao Bei Ming, as if an unseen hand is manipulating events.
Furious, Zhong Xueman storms into the Divine Capture Camp (Shen Bu Ying) to find the case files on Ye Sha.She's met with disrespect by Fang Yin, Xiao Bei Ming's junior, whom she quickly overpowers and throws out, a testament to her greatly improved martial arts skills.In the past three years, only her colleague Tong Shuang has been able to keep up with her.The new chief, Fang Tian Zheng, assigns Tong Shuang and another officer, Zhu Yi Tie, to the sensitive case, demanding absolute secrecy.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Kong Yun suspects Zhong Xueman is using the "Missing Bride Case" as a cover to hunt for Xiao Bei Ming.He finds her in a teahouse, where a storyteller is dramatically recounting the legend of Ye Sha to a captivated audience.Zhuge offers to help her investigation, even voicing the popular theory that Xiao Bei Ming could be Ye Sha himself.
Following a lead into the woods, Zhong Xueman comes face-to-face with a weary and desperate Xiao Bei Ming.He insists he has spent the last three years hunting the real Ye Sha to clear his name.Filled with hatred and disbelief, she refuses to listen and stabs him.
She drags the wounded Xiao Bei Ming to a cave, demanding to know what truly happened on the boat three years ago.He can only explain that he woke up to find his master and the others dead, with the murder weapon inexplicably in his own hand.To subdue him, Zhong Xueman seeks out a renowned coroner, Feng Qing Zhuo, for a drug that can neutralize a person's internal energy.However, Feng Qing Zhuo later realizes he gave her the wrong medicine by mistake—it's a fatal poison.Seizing the opportunity to prove his sincerity, Xiao Bei Ming swallows the poison without hesitation.
As Feng Qing Zhuo works frantically to save Xiao Bei Ming's life, Zhong Xueman waits outside, her resolve wavering as memories of their past flood her mind.Xiao Bei Ming is temporarily saved, but Feng Qing Zhuo admits he has not yet developed an antidote, and the poison will eventually kill him.Recognizing the infamous fugitive, Feng Qing Zhuo is relieved that, for now, the supposed Ye Sha is powerless.
Once conscious, Xiao Bei Ming presents a new theory: there was a sixth person on the boat who was likely already hiding on board before they set sail.He now believes Ye Sha is not an individual but an organization.He speculates that the Divine Capture Camp is involved in a cover-up, burning the brides' bodies to conceal the true nature of their deaths and pin the blame on the legendary Ye Sha to protect their own reputation.
By mapping the murder locations, Xiao Bei Ming helps Zhong Xueman discover a horrifying pattern: a "Si Fang Sha Zhi Ju" (Four-Corner Fiend Formation).Realizing only one corner of the formation is left, Zhong Xueman rushes to the location of the next potential victim.But she is too late. The final bride is already dead, her blood painting a tragic scene.
