Episode Summary
The investigation into a human trafficking ring leads Xiao Beiming and Zhong Xueman to a mountain ritual, where they expose a "divine miracle" as a cover for kidnapping. Their primary suspect is rescued by mysterious men whose identities seem linked to the powerful Marquis Jingshan. As Zhong Xueman confronts the Marquis at his residence, his son is suddenly kidnapped, with a clue left behind that points the investigation toward an iron salt factory.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with a chilling flashback to a night two months ago. A group of women are forced from a carriage at the Hu Residence. One makes a desperate run for it, spotting a guesthouse that seems to promise safety. Her hope is short-lived as she's dragged back and tied up in a woodshed. A figure approaches, brandishing a wood-chopping axe, and with a single strike, the girl's blood splatters across the cold ground.
In the present, Xiao Beiming and Zhong Xueman, cleverly disguised as villagers, calmly make their way to Hua Man Mountain. Meanwhile, Zhuge Kongyun and his men attempt to tail them, hoping to uncover a lead. However, the mountain's complex terrain proves too difficult, and Zhuge soon loses their trail, leaving him frustrated and clueless.
A grand sacrificial ceremony begins on the mountain, the atmosphere thick with solemnity. The guest of honor is Marquis Jingshan, who was left with a limp after being wounded while protecting the emperor's family. For his sacrifice, he is highly favored by the emperor and holds significant power. A "Saintess" is brought onto a stage before a crowd of devout villagers. As fireworks light up the sky, the Saintess vanishes into thin air. The stunned villagers, believing they've witnessed a divine miracle, fall to their knees in worship.
Later, Zhong Xueman's keen observation skills allow her to see through the deception. She realizes that the mastermind, Sada, used the dazzling fireworks as a distraction to hide the Saintess in a secret compartment within a wooden board. Zhong Xueman quickly opens the hidden chamber, revealing not just the Saintess but numerous other kidnapped women. With his scheme exposed, Sada begins to confess to save himself. But just then, a group of mysterious men dressed in black appear and rescue him. Xiao Beiming holds Zhong Xueman back, insisting that their priority must be the rescued women.
Watching Xiao Beiming's heroic actions, Feng Qingzhuo's opinion of him begins to change. He starts to see him as a good man and even wonders if he was truly framed. Feng also notices that Zhong Xueman's feelings for Xiao go far deeper than just a guard watching her charge.
Elsewhere, Zhuge Kongyun secretly infiltrates the Zhong Residence, setting a trap in a cave to capture Xiao Beiming. When Zhong Xueman discovers the plot, she is outnumbered and can only watch anxiously. Zhuge approaches the figure he believes to be Xiao Beiming and pulls back the hood, only to find Tong Shuang underneath. Realizing he's been tricked, he points to bloodstains on the ground, demanding an explanation. Feng Qingzhuo calmly states it's animal blood, but Zhuge remains unconvinced. In a moment of quick thinking, Zhong Xueman discreetly applies a substance to her hand and pinches Zhuge, causing him to vomit blood and flee in a pale-faced panic.
Xiao Beiming finds refuge in Dingfeng Pavilion, a place full of memories with Zhong Xuemei and one he considers perfectly safe. The investigation hits a snag when Zhong Xueman realizes one of the kidnapped women, Xiao Fu, is still missing. A human trafficker they question has no information. The next day, the team discovers the courtyard where Xiao Fu was last seen. Inside, they find a gruesome scene: Xiao Fu has been brutally murdered, and a man named Hu Shisan lies dead beside her. An investigation reveals that Xiao Fu was pregnant.
The team deduces that Sada must know the identity of the men in black who rescued him. They recall that two of Marquis Jingshan's personal guards carried swords identical to those used by the assailants. Furthermore, one of the men in black was wounded on his left shoulder during the fight. A simple check of the guards' shoulders could reveal the truth.
Zhong Xuemei proceeds to the Marquis's residence to investigate but is blocked by his guards. Just as tensions rise, Fang Zheng arrives with his own men to back her up. Zhong Xueman publicly declares that Sada was captured and then rescued by the two guards standing before them. To prove their innocence, she demands they show their shoulders. Marquis Jingshan himself appears and orders his men to comply. They remove their upper garments, but their bodies are covered in a mess of old and new scars, making it impossible to identify a specific recent wound. Unwilling to give up, Zhong Xueman insists on searching the entire residence, explaining the serious implications if they don't cooperate. The Marquis listens, his brow furrowed in deep, troubled thought.
Suddenly, a new crisis erupts: the Marquis's son has vanished, and bloodstains are found in the backyard. The Divine Capture Camp uses this as a pretext to launch a full search of the property. During the search, they find several female singers who have been drugged and knocked unconscious. Tong Shuang, sniffing the ground, detects the distinct smell of iron salt and concludes that the Marquis's son was abducted by people from an iron salt factory.
