Episode Summary
Unable to find a blacksmith willing to help her, Song Xiaoyu is lured into the dangerous underground black market, Can Jiang Yue, to find a solution for the Satin Blade technique. Inside, a series of events unfolds: she unexpectedly wins a gambling match, and her attempt to rescue an abused dancer leads to her being hunted by the market's thugs. During the chaos, she is repeatedly and inexplicably saved by the market's leader, Li Shiliu, who seems physically unable to let her come to harm. Song Xiaoyu identifies Nan Heng as the man behind the assassination plot and manages to escape, but a new plan is set in motion to exploit Li Shiliu's mysterious connection to her.
Spoiler Alert
A Dream Within a Dream, Episode 6 Recap: A Dangerous Game in the Black Market
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and for Song Xiaoyu, that means diving headfirst into the criminal underworld. Her quest to uncover the elusive "Satin Blade technique" has hit a wall. Fearing the powerful Qianyu and Xuanjia Armies, every blacksmith in the capital has refused her business, leaving her with no legitimate options. But her adversary, Nan Heng, won't leave things to chance. Determined to eliminate the variable that is Song Xiaoyu (also referred to as Song Yimeng), he sets a trap. His men stage a transaction of stolen goods, ensuring Song Xiaoyu overhears the name of a place where anything can be found: the underground black market known as Can Jiang Yue. Taking the bait, she and her companion, Yingqiu, venture into the city's dark heart.
Can Jiang Yue is a hornet's nest of intrigue from the moment they arrive. While the Third Boss, Po Yunlong, guides them in, the cunning Second Boss, Shangguan He, has already received his orders to deal with Song Xiaoyu. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Big Boss, Li Shiliu, is busy handling intelligence that the Qianyu Army, led by Chu Guihong, is infiltrating his territory.
Thrust into the chaos, Song Xiaoyu’s money pouch is knocked from her hands in a gambling den. The brutish Fourth Boss, Duan Shanhu, seizes the opportunity, declaring her fallen coins a bet. Annoyed, Song Xiaoyu throws the dice and, against all odds, rolls three sixes—a perfect "leopard." The win, however, is no stroke of luck; it was secretly orchestrated by Shangguan He for his own purposes.
Just as she’s about to leave with her winnings, Song Xiaoyu witnesses a wealthy merchant humiliating a mute dancing girl he is auctioning off. Her conscience won't let her stand by, and she intervenes, sparking a violent confrontation. The merchant and his men give chase, and in the ensuing chaos, the dancer is struck by an arrow. As the merchant raises his blade for a final blow against Song Xiaoyu, a figure appears out of nowhere, taking the full force of the attack—it’s Li Shiliu.
This is where the episode pivots into a compelling mystery. From that moment on, Li Shiliu becomes Song Xiaoyu’s involuntary guardian. Every time she is attacked, he is physically compelled to shield her with his own body. The phenomenon is so absolute that he even catches a hidden dart thrown by his own second-in-command, Shangguan He, with his bare hand.
Shangguan He, ever the strategist, immediately recognizes this as a critical, exploitable weakness. He openly tests his theory, confirming that Li Shiliu is seemingly incapable of allowing any harm to befall Song Xiaoyu. When questioned in private, Li Shiliu deflects, insisting he has no desire to be entangled in the court's political struggles.
With the situation escalating, Song Xiaoyu pieces things together and astutely reveals that she knows Nan Heng is the one who hired Can Jiang Yue to kill her. Seeing an opportunity, Shangguan He proposes a new strategy: since Song Xiaoyu has a soft spot for heroes, Li Shiliu should pretend to get close to her to extract her secrets. Publicly, Li Shiliu rejects the plan, maintaining his neutral stance and allowing Song Xiaoyu to leave. But it’s another calculated move. Shangguan He insists on "escorting" her out, forcing the two together under a new, tense pretext. As they exit the relative safety of the black market, the threat from Nan Heng remains, waiting in the shadows.
