Episode Summary
In this episode, Chi Ying reveals her tragic past involving a vengeful Prime Minister, which explains her secrecy. The team exposes a fake medium named A Ling, who was scamming people to escape her abusive mother-in-law. Pei Xijun and Lu Lingfeng defy the monks' warnings and clean a sacred mural at the Great Buddha Hall, leading to a confrontation. The investigation then zeroes in on a seemingly harmless old man, Tao Bo, after he leaves behind a scented clue. The episode ends with Chu Yīngtáo confronting Tao Bo, revealing he has secrets of his own and is a skilled fighter.
Spoiler Alert
A Lion's Legacy and a Temple's Secrets
This episode finally gives us some answers. But it also throws a whole new pile of questions onto the fire. The case at the temple is getting weirder. And the people involved are more connected than we thought.
Chi Ying's Story
We finally get the full, tragic story from Chi Ying. It turns out her family were famous lion dancers. She grew up on the road with her father. Her husband was also a dancer. He was her dad’s best student. They were childhood sweethearts and a perfect team.
They were so good, they beat a lion dance team sponsored by the Prime Minister. This was a huge mistake. The Prime Minister was the Empress’s nephew. He had a fragile ego. He got angry and framed them for an assassination attempt. To save everyone else, Chi Ying's father took all the blame. He died in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Chi Ying was devastated. She wanted to die, too. But then she found out she was pregnant. Her husband arranged for her to move to Chang'an for safety. A little while later, she heard the news. Her husband tried to get revenge for his master. He attacked the Prime Minister in the street and was cut down by guards.
This explains everything. It's why she’s so fiercely protective of her daughter. She's terrified someone from her past will find them and bring more trouble. Her whole "Hundred Phoenix House" story was a lie to cover her tracks.
The Man in the Mural
Chi Ying also tells us about a strange encounter. A white-haired man saw her daughter, Wuyang. He said Wuyang looked exactly like a woman he used to love. Chi Ying was furious and dragged her daughter away.
Pei Xijun draws a sketch of the man from Chi Ying's description. It’s a perfect match for the white-haired mountain man they saw at the inn. The drawing shows an old man. But you can tell he must have been incredibly handsome when he was young.
Chi Ying doesn't see it that way. She scoffs at the drawing. She says the man looks demonic. She even compares him to a demon painted in a mural at the Great Buddha Hall. Pei Xijun has a lot of respect for artists. She gets genuinely angry at Chi Ying for insulting the artwork and storms out. Lu Lingfeng goes to comfort her. After she calms down, she decides she wants to go clean the dust off that mural herself.
Unmasking a Fake Medium
While all this is happening, Lu Lingfeng is still working the case. He notices the dustman, A Mu, keeps looking at them. He goes over for a chat. A Mu gives him some new details about the night Kuai Wu fell into the well.
This new information leads the team to a woman named Aunt Ling. They quickly figure out she's a fraud. She's been pretending to communicate with spirits to scam people out of money.
Chu Yīngtáo follows her home. She learns Aunt Ling's real name is A Ling. Her husband is dead, and she lives with her cruel mother-in-law, who beats her. The local watchman felt sorry for her and gave her the night watchman job. She started the medium scam to earn enough money to finally escape her terrible home life. Su Wuming hears this and feels for her. He's mad about the scam, of course. But he promises that after the case is over, he's going to have a serious talk with her mother-in-law.
Chaos at the Great Buddha Hall
Pei Xijun goes to the Great Buddha Hall alone. She's looking at the mural and gets emotional. Suddenly, she spots Layman Chenkong struggling to get up off the floor. His head is bleeding. His face looks very familiar to her.
Chenkong claims two thieves broke in during the night. He says he fought them off and got injured. He insists he doesn't want to report it to the authorities. Then he gets really aggressive. He forbids Pei Xijun from cleaning the mural and kicks her out of the hall. She leaves, completely confused by his behavior.
Later, Lu Lingfeng sees Pei Xijun isn't eating. He knows she's still upset. He pretends he's taking her for a walk to clear her head. But he actually sneaks her back into the Great Buddha Hall so she can clean the mural.
While they're there, they find an old man named Tao Bo resting in a corner. Pei Xijun feels sorry for the lonely old man. She offers to let him stay in a spare room at her house. Lu Lingfeng looks at her with real admiration.
Just as they finish cleaning, the head monk Guangxiao arrives with his followers. He absolutely loses it. He accuses them of defiling the mural and releasing the demons painted on it. Su Wuming and the others show up. They press Guangxiao about the woman's voice they heard in the temple. He looks terrified but refuses to say anything. To calm the monks down, the whole team decides to spend the night in the hall. They'll wait for this so-called demon to show itself.
A Scent and a Secret
In the middle of the night, Master Fei gets a whiff of something. He smells Immortal Maiden Powder in the exact spot where Tao Bo was resting. Lu Lingfeng immediately thinks of the suspicious old man. He tells Chu Yīngtáo to follow him.
She tails Tao Bo to an old, abandoned house. Inside, he's all alone. He's burning incense at a memorial tablet for someone called the "Duke of Zhao." He suddenly notices a golden slip is missing from under the incense burner. He panics and makes a run for the door.
Chu Yīngtáo blocks his path. The old man is not what he seems. They immediately start to fight.
