Episode Summary
Wangquan Zui hypnotizes Cui Yu, revealing she was lured to Bai Yu Village, drugged, and taken to Jin Chen Inn where her demonic power was drained by golden liquid (Jin Shui). Her survival instinct created the "Red Eye" persona, which escaped and sought revenge before her "Blue Eye" self regained control. Yang Yi Tan and Wangquan Zui find Huai Zhu, learning she's working with Wangquan Hong Ye. At Jin Chen Inn, Jiu Huo reveals he uses the drained energy to create Jin Chen Xi fragments to repair his artifact. Huai Zhu secretly helps Wang Quan's group escape the inn during a confrontation, staying behind to manipulate Jiu Huo. The group travels 20 years into the future via Po Tian Guan and meets an aged, disabled Li Qu Zhu, who informs them the Mask Group was wiped out 18 years prior fighting the Black Fox. Their journey to the future seems destined, offering a chance to prevent this tragedy.
Spoiler Alert
Alright, so the episode kicks off with Wangquan Zui doing some serious mind-probing on Cui Yu via hypnosis. We finally get the lowdown on her traumatic experience back in Bai Yu Village. Turns out, she was originally there looking for her apprentice, Cui Yu Xiao Tan. She stumbled upon Sun Yuan Ji, who had a broken leg, and being the kind soul she is (at least initially), she helped him out and stayed at the Sun residence. Big mistake. They used knockout incense on her and shipped her unconscious self off to the nightmare fuel that is the Jin Chen Inn.
Now, this Jin Chen Inn is seriously creepy. It's filled with these large vats containing a strange golden liquid (Jin Shui). The purpose? To submerge demons (Yao) and basically suck out all their demonic power (Yao Li), draining their demon core (Yao Dan) and forming some kind of imitation core from the stolen energy. Driven by pure survival instinct, Cui Yu developed her "Red Eye" persona – a fiercer, perhaps darker side – which managed to bust her out of there.
This "Red Eye" Cui Yu wasn't about to let things slide. She headed straight back to Bai Yu Village for revenge, managing to kill Sun Yuan Li. But just as she did, her original "Blue Eye" self regained control, panicked, and fled the scene.
Meanwhile, Yang Yi Tan and Wangquan Zui are out and about when they spot a Mask Group symbol. This leads them to a bamboo tube with a message: "Wei Shi (1-3 pm), Li Zi Po (Pear Slope)." They head there at the appointed time and find Huai Zhu. They also learn she's already thrown in her lot with Wangquan Hong Ye. Yang Yi Tan and Wangquan Zui share everything they've discovered, but Huai Zhu is skeptical, doubting they can actually handle the big bad, Jiu Huo, and escape unscathed.
Speaking of Jiu Huo, he's already getting suspicious of Huai Zhu. When he learns Wangquan Zui and Yang Yi Tan want to do a prisoner exchange at the Jin Chen Inn, he flat-out refuses Huai Zhu's offer to come along. Instead, he orders Ye Yuan to accompany him, bringing Wangquan Hong Ye as the exchange bait.
At the Jin Chen Inn, Jiu Huo isn't exactly subtle. He openly explains the origin of the golden liquid – how he uses the drained demon power to forge Jin Chen Xi fragments, which he needs to repair his powerful artifact. He boasts that once repaired, this artifact will be even stronger than before.
Talk time over, Jiu Huo quickly makes his move. But plot twist! Huai Zhu, who's been secretly absorbing a ton of resentment and hatred (making her Yao Li much stronger), had followed them without Jiu Huo noticing. She manages to secretly undo Wang Quan's seals and lands a surprise attack on Jiu Huo from behind. She then cleverly uses Jiu Huo's apparent soft spot for her to manipulate the situation, allowing everyone else to escape. As a parting gift, Yang Yi Tan leaves behind an explosive talisman, blowing the Jin Chen Xi stash to smithereens. This explosion likely exposed Jiu Huo's true, nefarious activities to the people of Bi Luo City.
However, Huai Zhu isn't leaving with Wang Quan's group for Po Tian Guan. She tells Wang Quan that the only things capable of countering Jiu Huo are dragon bone and dragon blood, and that she'll wait for his return in Bi Luo City. Back in the city, she puts on a masterful performance – a "bitter flesh" ploy, pretending to be injured and out of favor (even mentioning someone named Jia Lan), all to dispel Jiu Huo's suspicions. It works like a charm. Jiu Huo falls for it, heals her wounds, and promises to tell her all his secrets the very next day.
Before the trio (presumably Wangquan Zui, Yang Yi Tan, and Mu Mie) heads to Po Tian Guan, Mu Mie shares details from a dream he had. Yang Yi Tan basically says, "Future stuff is future stuff; let's focus on Jiu Huo now." Yang Yi Tan also reveals he sent signals to the entire Mask Group, but only received replies from the Yang family and the Li family. This is significant because it implies that even twenty years later, members of the Li family are still around.
Finally, they enter Po Tian Guan and come face-to-face with Li Qu Zhu... from twenty years in the future. He's aged significantly, with white hair, disabled legs, and confined to a wheelchair. He delivers some devastating news: the Mask Group attempted to fight the Black Fox menace outside the protective circle, and all of them perished, except for him. He couldn't even retrieve their bodies. Li Qu Zhu remembers that Yang Yi Tan sacrificed his own Heavenly Eye (Tian Yan) to save him – a detail that chillingly aligns with Mu Mie's dream.
Li Qu Zhu leads them to a place with cenotaphs (Yi Guan Zhong - empty tombs with burial clothes). Wangquan Hong Ye learns the Mask Group's destruction happened 18 years before this future Li Qu Zhu's time (meaning roughly 2 years in their future). Yang Yi Tan, with his foresight abilities, realizes their trip to the future wasn't an accident. It's all connected; they have knowledge now that could potentially prevent this tragic outcome. And the reason future Li Qu Zhu has held on for so long? He was waiting for them, the Wang Quan group from the past, believing they could help repair the Mask Group's artifacts.
