Episode Summary
Convinced Song Yimeng is a spy, Nan Heng plots to kill her. He provokes the imprisoned Chu Guihong by spreading rumors of his affection for Yimeng, causing Chu Guihong to break out of jail and abduct her. During a forest confrontation, Nan Heng's attempt to shoot Yimeng with an arrow backfires spectacularly when his own body moves to intercept the shot. This triggers a series of comical failures where every attempt to harm her—by strangulation, poison, or drowning—is mysteriously turned back on himself, forcing him to become her unwilling savior and leaving him utterly powerless to carry out his murderous plan.
Spoiler Alert
A Dream Within a Dream, Episode 4 Recap: A Killer's Curse
This week, Nan Heng's murderous intentions toward Song Yimeng are hilariously and repeatedly thwarted by a mysterious force that turns every lethal attempt back on himself. What begins as a deadly serious plot to eliminate a perceived threat descends into a black comedy of errors, proving that in this story, trying to kill the heroine is hazardous to your own health.
A Deadly Miscalculation
The episode opens with Nan Heng more convinced than ever that Song Yimeng is a spy sent by his rival, Nan Rui, or even the Emperor himself. With his trusted aide Fugui confirming parts of her story, Nan Heng's suspicion only deepens. Fearing his secrets are at risk, he formulates a plan: he will kill her while her father, Song Yude, is away from the estate.
Meanwhile, in his prison cell, Chu Guihong clings to a sachet from Yimeng. He has pieced together the conspiracy behind his army's defeat at Pingrong City, suspecting Nan Heng manipulated the entire battle for personal gain. His visitor, Nan Rui, dismisses these claims as baseless. Seizing the opportunity, Nan Heng has his guards spread a rumor that he has taken a keen interest in Song Yimeng. The gossip reaches Chu Guihong, who, inflamed with jealousy, believes every word.
An Escape and an Abduction
Elsewhere, the woman inside Song Yimeng's body, Song Xiaoyu, is having a crisis of her own. She knows from the "script" that Nan Heng is the villain, but she has no idea how to fabricate the "Satin Blade Technique" he so desperately wants. After a fruitless night of brainstorming with her maid, Yingqiu, a stressed-out Xiaoyu decides her only option is to run for her life. However, her escape is cut short the moment she steps outside the gates—she's abducted by none other than the freshly escaped Chu Guihong.
In a secluded forest, Chu Guihong draws his blade, demanding to know the secret of the Satin Blade Technique. "You are not Song Yimeng!" he declares, accusing her of being Nan Heng's spy. Thinking fast, Xiaoyu brings up their "love token" to prove her identity. While Chu Guihong produces the item, he refuses to divulge any secrets in return. Their standoff is interrupted by the arrival of Nan Heng and his elite Xuanjia Army.
As Nan Heng accuses Chu Guihong of being a fugitive, Xiaoyu screams, "It's a trap!" While Chu Guihong shields her, Nan Heng seizes the moment and fires a deadly arrow straight at her. In a shocking twist, his own body lurches forward, taking the arrow for her.
The Backfire Bureau
Baffled and injured, Nan Heng is convinced Song Yimeng is using some form of sorcery against him.His attempts to harm her become a series of farcical failures. When he tries to strangle her, his own right hand fights to pry his left hand off her neck. After Nan Rui arrives and scolds him for abusing his power, Nan Heng concocts a lie about being invited by Yimeng to clear the air.
Back at his residence, the dark comedy escalates. He ties Yimeng to a post in the courtyard, but his attempts to shoot her with a crossbow and then kill her with throwing darts both end with him injuring himself instead.His final plan, to force-feed her poison, goes spectacularly wrong when he accidentally swallows the concoction himself, leaving his lips grotesquely swollen.
An Unwilling Savior
At his wit's end, Nan Heng chains himself up in his room and orders Fugui to push Song Yimeng into a nearby body of water. As she sinks and begins to drown, Nan Heng's body acts on its own yet again. He shatters the iron chains, dives into the water, and performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save her life.
Upon waking, a defiant Yimeng shoves him back into the water. Climbing onto the bank, she mocks him with a triumphant smile: "You can't kill me at all!"
The episode concludes with Chu Guihong's release by imperial decree. As Fugui has Yimeng "escorted" away under surveillance, Nan Heng watches her go, his teeth gritted in frustration. "This woman absolutely cannot be allowed to live," he vows. But Song Xiaoyu, feeling the damp "script" hidden in her clothes, is left to wonder just when—and how—the next backlash will strike.
