Episode Summary
In a dramatic turn of events, a poisoned Xiao Beiming uncovers a conspiracy to murder Marquis Jingshan, but is too late to prevent it. After a chase, the killer, Ye Sha, escapes by jumping off a cliff, and a weakened Xiao Beiming accidentally falls as well. Though presumed dead, he survives and returns with a shocking revelation: the killer is an imposter named A'Jia, who has been using a human skin mask to infiltrate the Divine Catch Camp and manipulate the investigation from the inside.
Spoiler Alert
With Xiao Beiming's life hanging by a thread from a potent poison, Tong Shuang desperately pleads with Feng Qingzhuo to save him. However, the detective, driven by an unyielding sense of duty, ignores his own failing body. He insists on pursuing a critical lead, and Tong Shuang, left with no choice, has to physically support him to the scene. A concerned Zhong Xueman tries to intervene, but seeing Xiao Beiming's unwavering determination, she steps aside.
They arrive at a grim backyard, the air thick with tension and the ground scarred by shocking bloodstains. As Feng Qingzhuo meticulously follows the trail of blood, the clues begin to form a horrifying picture, and the truth starts to emerge. But the effort is too much for Xiao Beiming; his strength finally gives out, and he collapses, unconscious.
Meanwhile, members of the Shen Bu Ying (Divine Catch Camp) are searching an iron and salt factory for the missing "Gongzi" (Young Master). In a dark, foreboding dungeon, they make a gruesome discovery: the Young Master is found near death, his body horrifically pierced by threads that nail him to a wooden board, which is stained crimson with his blood.
The situation escalates when the An Zhen Ying (Dark Detective Camp) arrives, aggressively accusing the Shen Bu Ying of hiding Xiao Beiming. In a clever move, Fang Zheng loudly berates Zhong Xueman, creating a diversion to send her away. He then single-handedly stalls Zhuge Tong, buying precious time for his colleague.
Frantic, Zhong Xueman rushes home to the unconscious Xiao Beiming. Overwhelmed with guilt and despair, she makes a desperate and shocking decision: she administers a poison to him before slumping to the floor, tears welling in her eyes.
Elsewhere, Zhuge Kongyun, convinced that Xiao Beiming is the one who murdered the son of Jing Shan Hou (Marquis Jingshan), correctly deduces he is hiding at the Marquis's estate and hurries there with his men.
Just then, Xiao Beiming awakens. He urgently tells Zhong Xueman that the true target of the black-clad assassin was never the son, but Marquis Jingshan himself. The kidnapping was a twisted plot to have the son, once freed, kill his own father. A horrified Zhong Xueman races back to the Marquis's residence, only to find she is too late—the Marquis has been brutally murdered.
As Zhuge Kongyun and his men converge on the scene, Zhong Xueman chases the killer to the edge of a cliff. Without hesitation, the assassin, identified as Ye Sha (Night Devil), leaps into the abyss. Xiao Beiming arrives just in time to see Zhuge Kongyun and is forced to hide on the precarious cliff face to avoid capture. After learning from Zhong Xueman that Ye Sha jumped, Zhuge Kongyun scans the chasm below but finds no trace of a body and eventually leaves. In the aftermath, the weakened Xiao Beiming loses his grip and tragically falls from the cliff.
That night, a search party led by Zhong Xueman finds no sign of either Xiao Beiming or the killer. Feng Qingzhuo is consumed by guilt, blaming himself for giving Xiao Beiming the wrong medicine, which he believes led to his fall. The case hits a dead end; with no bodies, Fang Zheng's suggestion to Zhuge Tong to close the case is impossible.
Unwilling to accept that Xiao Beiming is dead, Zhuge Kongyun investigates a black market, suspecting the detective may have purchased a human skin mask there. Though the shopkeeper reveals nothing, Zhuge Kongyun's resolve doesn't waver. The next day, he daringly jumps from the same cliff and discovers a hidden cave. Inside, he finds a body killed with Ye Sha's signature method, leading him to laugh triumphantly, now certain that Xiao Beiming is still alive.
In a stunning twist, Zhong Xueman returns to her residence to find Xiao Beiming waiting for her. He explains that he fell onto a ledge halfway down the cliff, where he discovered the cave. Inside were a human skin mask and a corpse. He escaped through another exit. He now believes he knows the true identity of Ye Sha—someone deeply connected to a person named Xiao Fu. Zhong Xueman agrees, suspecting the killer's motive is revenge for Xiao Fu.
Putting their theory to the test, Xiao Beiming and Zhong Xueman go to the house where Xiao Fu was buried and confront a fake "A'Jia." Calmly, Xiao Beiming and Zhong Xueman lay out the evidence, pointing to his recent strange behavior and how he secretly guided the Shen Bu Ying's investigation. Xiao Beiming reveals the final piece of the puzzle: he found the real A'Jia's body in the cave. The imposter has been wearing A'Jia's face all along, operating from within their own ranks.
