Episode Summary
The Baize monster is revealed to be a hoax. Huo You and Ding Heng are killed by a masked woman, who is part of a larger conspiracy. Li Nai'er betrays and stabs Lu Lingfeng, revealing her true allies: Huo Jing and her parents, the Baize Mountain Man and Azi. Their motive is to avenge Li Nai'er's mother, Shangguan Wan'er, who they believe was unjustly executed by the court.
Spoiler Alert
The Monster in the Temple
A Beast-Like Killing
They drag Wei Qi's body back into the temple. Su Wuming checks out the wounds. They are absolutely brutal. He says no ordinary blade did this. The bones are shattered. The flesh is ripped apart. This was not a human attack.
Xiao Jiao looks terrified. She says she saw something last night. It was huge, white, had a horn, and fangs. It looked exactly like the Baize statue in the hall.
Su Wuming isn't buying the monster story. He figures someone in the temple is faking it. He asks the Baize Mountain Man if there are any secret passages. The Mountain Man denies everything. Then he sees the body and puts on a big show. He yells that Wei Qi angered the Baize spirit and was punished. Lu Lingfeng doesn't believe in ghosts. But Ding Heng and Huo You look at each other. They are starting to get scared.
A Couple's Confession
The Stone Scholar and Xiao Jiao both beg Su Wuming for mercy. They are clearly in love. Xiao Jiao tearfully tells her story. A man assaulted her in the past. She swore an oath to punish men like him forever. She promised to marry anyone who helped her get revenge. That's how she met the Stone Scholar. They started their mission together and fell for each other.
Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng are moved by their story. They decide to let them go. Su Wuming gives them a tip. He tells Xiao Jiao to claim she's pregnant. He thinks the authorities might give her a lighter sentence. The two thank them and leave the mountain together.
The Trap Springs
The Secret Passage
Su Wuming inspects the kitchen. The stove fire is out. But the room is still incredibly hot. He knows something is wrong. Just then, another beastly roar echoes from outside. Lu Lingfeng grabs his sword and runs out to search. He finds nothing.
Su Wuming keeps looking around inside. He eventually finds a hidden hatch. It's under a prayer cushion in the main hall. He goes down into the secret passage alone.
The First to Fall
Huo You completely loses his nerve. He is terrified. He bows to Ding Heng, then makes a desperate run for the exit. He bolts out of the temple. The moment he crosses the threshold, a figure appears. It's a woman in a white robe and a beast mask. She moves fast. She cuts off Huo You's head in a single strike.
Inside the tunnel, Su Wuming finds several dried-up bodies. Chen He is one of them. He has been dead for a long time. The woman in the white robe suddenly returns to the tunnel. Su Wuming ducks into the shadows just in time. She doesn't see him.
The Betrayal
Lu Lingfeng bursts into the Baize Mountain Man's room. He orders the man and his wife to come with him. But then he hears Ding Heng scream. Lu Lingfeng runs outside. He finds Huo You's body on the steps. The wounds are identical to Wei Qi's.
Li Nai'er appears on the steps. She just stands there, looking cold. Ding Heng is enraged. He draws his sword to attack her. Lu Lingfeng steps in his way. Ding Heng argues with him. He says the Emperor is testing their loyalty. He reminds Lu Lingfeng they are both from the Jinwu Guard. He thinks Lu should help him deal with this threat.
Lu Lingfeng ends up fighting Ding Heng to protect Li Nai'er. Su Wuming rushes out from the temple. He yells at Lu Lingfeng to be careful of Li Nai'er. The warning comes too late. Li Nai'er pulls out a dagger. She stabs Lu Lingfeng right in the stomach.
The Truth Comes Out
The Real Villains
Everything unravels at once. The Baize Mountain Man and his wife, Azi, drop their act. And Huo Jing is there. She was supposed to be dead after falling from the cliff. Ding Heng is stunned. He accuses Lu Lingfeng of plotting with Li Nai'er. He swears to kill Li Nai'er and drag Lu Lingfeng back to the capital for judgment.
Ding Heng tries to fight Li Nai'er and Huo Jing by himself. He is no match for them. Azi throws a dart to stop Lu Lingfeng from helping. Then she throws a handful of lime powder into Ding Heng's eyes. He's blinded. Li Nai'er and Huo Jing move in together. They kill him and cut off his head.
The Motive for Revenge
Huo Jing notices Li Nai'er keeps hesitating to kill Lu Lingfeng. She suspects Li Nai'er has feelings for him. So Huo Jing decides to do it herself. She lunges for Lu Lingfeng's throat. Su Wuming throws himself in front of Lu to block the attack. While they all circle each other, Su Wuming starts connecting the dots.
He figures it out. Li Nai'er, Huo Jing, and Ling Ji were all students together. The Baize Mountain Man and his wife were their teachers. They are also Huo Jing's real parents. They adopted Li Nai'er, who is the orphan of the famous Shangguan Wan'er. The whole Baize monster legend was part of a revenge plot. They used Ling Ji to spread the rumors. But Ling Ji got cold feet. He refused to join their rebellion against the Tang dynasty. Huo Jing broke up with him over it. The trip to Lover's Cliff was a final test, and he failed.
Li Nai'er finally explains what this is all about. It's revenge. She says Lu Lingfeng and the court killed loyal subjects. Her mother, Shangguan Wan'er, was known as the "Red Plum Chancellor." She was a brilliant official who served Empress Wu. She even secretly protected the Tang royal bloodline. But she was framed as a traitor and executed.
A Final, Desperate Fight
Su Wuming actually agrees with her. He says Shangguan Wan'er's accomplishments should be remembered. He tries one last time to reason with them. He reminds them that the Princess, Lu Lingfeng's mother, was a close friend of Shangguan Wan'er. He asks how they could face Wan'er in the afterlife if they kill her friend's son.
Huo Jing isn't moved. She calls it nonsense and attacks Lu Lingfeng again. Li Nai'er raises her sword, too. The three of them are locked in a fight. Su Wuming can only stand at the side, screaming for them to stop.
