Episode Summary
Wangquan Hongye plants a listening charm on Dongfang Huaizhu, suspecting Jiu Huo. Jiu Huo discovers the charm and sets a trap at Northwest Pear Slope. The story jumps 20 years later, revealing the Yi Qi Meng alliance has fallen and Jiu Huo brought Huaizhu to this future time, possibly connected to Hongye's nightmares about a menacing tree called Yong Ye. Hongye foils Jiu Huo's trap but gets separated, pulling Huaizhu into the Xuankong Mountain barrier. Meanwhile, Wangquan Zui and Yang Yitan infiltrate Jiu Huo's base, uncover details about restoring the "Jin Chenxi," fight Jiu Huo, and escape, though Yitan is injured. Inside Xuankong Mountain, Hongye and Huaizhu must play a strange stripping game against the Fox Demon Jia Lan to escape before poison mist fills the area.
Spoiler Alert
Love in Pavilion: Episode 11 Recap & Spoilers
Alright, so things are getting tense. Wangquan Hongye is seriously worried about Dongfang Huaizhu and needs answers. During a confrontation, he manages to sneak a listening charm onto her. Smart move, or maybe a desperate one?
Meanwhile, Huaizhu isn't just sitting pretty. She's recalling how Jiu Huo almost lost his cool earlier, and combined with what Hongye told her, she's convinced Jiu Huo is hiding something major. She doesn't keep the day's events secret from Jiu Huo, but plot twist! Jiu Huo spots the listening charm. Instead of blowing up, he cleverly tells Huaizhu to play along with his plan, setting a trap for Hongye and his crew at a place called Northwest Pear Slope (Xibei Lizi Po). Crafty!
Flash Forward Alert!
Suddenly, we jump 20 years into the future. Things look different. The once-powerful Yi Qi Meng alliance is basically irrelevant, and that mysterious Mask Group? Vanished without a trace. Wangquan Zui, Hongye's sister, is clearly spooked. Instead of running an errand with Yang Yitan, she's hiding out upstairs, nursing some weak wine. Hongye, being the good big brother, finds her and reassures her, promising he won't let her lose anyone else. Aww.
But Hongye has his own demons, literally. He's plagued by nightmares featuring this massive, creepy black tree. In his dreams, the tree's trunk and roots are getting bigger, thicker, and radiating pure despair. The tree even talks (yikes!), calling itself "Yong Ye" (Eternal Night) and warning that when a specific flower (a Datura/Mandala) blooms, Dongfang Huaizhu will disappear. This adds a whole new layer of urgency!
Yang Yitan returns from his scouting mission with some intel. The original ruler of Biluo City was Ye Yuan, the Demon King of the Yellow Springs Clan. But about four months ago, a powerful "Sky Demon" (Tian Yao) rolled in and took over – and surprise, surprise, it's Jiu Huo. The big question is: why did Jiu Huo bring Huaizhu 20 years into the future? Hongye has a gut feeling it's somehow connected to that nightmare tree.
Showdown at Pear Slope
Back at Northwest Pear Slope (in the present timeline relative to the trap being set, though the overall setting is now 20 years later... time travel, gotta love it!), Hongye, Zui, and Yitan easily get the drop on Huaizhu. Turns out, Hongye totally saw through Jiu Huo's trap and decided to strike first. He activates his "Golden Lotus" (Jin Lian) trying to pull Huaizhu back to their time.
But Jiu Huo, who was watching the whole thing, zaps onto the scene instantly to stop them. Hongye knows he's no match for Jiu Huo in a straight fight. Thinking fast, he tells Yang Yitan to get Wangquan Zui out of there now. Hongye has an ace up his sleeve, though – he grabs Huaizhu's hand and pulls them both into the Xuankong Mountain barrier, a separate dimension or protected space.
Meanwhile... Shenanigans!
Wangquan Zui and Yang Yitan can't immediately return either, so they decide to do some snooping in Jiu Huo's place. The first thing they notice? A strong smell of blood. Uh oh. Yang Yitan uses his special "Heavenly Eye" (Tian Yan) ability and senses overwhelming demonic energy coming from the main hall, but the vision isn't clear.
They then overhear Ye Yuan reporting to Jiu Huo. The "breeding ground" (yikes again!) is ready with the remaining fragments of something called "Jin Chenxi" (Golden Morning Sun?), and they should arrive within days. It'll take less than ten days to fully restore it. There's a snag, though: a Water Leech Demon escaped, and Ye Yuan has to personally track it down.
Naturally, Zui and Yitan decide they need to grab that leech demon first. But just as they're about to follow Ye Yuan, Jiu Huo returns and sees right through their invisibility charms. A fight breaks out! During the chaos, Yang Yitan manages to analyze Jiu Huo's demonic energy signature and even temporarily copies some of his techniques, allowing them to barely escape.
Trapped in Xuankong Mountain & Elsewhere
Inside the Xuankong Mountain barrier, Hongye and Huaizhu meet its master: a Fox Demon named Jia Lan. She delivers some bad news: soon, the entire mountain will fill with deadly poison mist, and no living thing can escape... unless they can beat her in a game.
Elsewhere, Zui and Yitan find refuge in a rundown building. Yang Yitan tries to hide that he was injured during the escape, but Zui isn't fooled. She confronts him and personally dresses his wound. Poor Yitan has lost a lot of blood and eventually passes out.
Back with Jia Lan, a strange bet is made. Hongye, Huaizhu, and Jia Lan agree to a challenge: win just once against Jia Lan, and they can leave. The catch? The loser of each round has to remove an item of clothing. Lose all your removable clothes, and you've truly lost. Things get weird! Hongye loses the first round and has to take off his outer robe. In the second round, Huaizhu steps up but deliberately concedes defeat. However, instead of making her remove clothing, Hongye simply takes off one of her earrings. Interesting choice, showing some restraint or perhaps a different kind of strategy?
