Episode Summary
Li Quzhu and Dongfang Qinlan track down the swallows' leader, the Honey Badger Demon. Meanwhile, Anayan continues to manipulate Zhang Zheng, poisoning him to ensure his compliance in assassinating Wangquan Hongye. Dongfang Huaizhu and Wangquan Hongye capture the Honey Badger Demon and learn Zhang Zheng is the supposed killer. After a confrontation, Qingmu Yuan reveals Zhang Zheng's coerced situation. Wangquan Hongye then frees Zhang Zheng by burning his indenture contract. Later, Qingmu Yuan discovers Zhang Zheng has been poisoned by Gu Huo Niao venom and saves him through a risky blood exchange, which erases his memory of the event. Elsewhere, Jiu Huo informs Jin Renfeng of Anayan's incompetence. The episode also sees Wangquan Hongye attempting to connect with Dongfang Qinlan (as a way to understand Huaizhu better) and later taking Huaizhu to the Wulan Festival, promising her a peaceful future.
Spoiler Alert
First off, our intrepid duo, Li Quzhu and Dongfang Qinlan, finally cornered one of those pesky swallows. They slapped three talismans on the little critter and managed to track it all the way back to its nest in Liyuan Garden. And who's the mastermind behind these feathered fiends? None other than a Honey Badger Demon, a real piece of work known as "Ping Tou Ge" – apparently, this guy's nickname basically means "the one who can't be killed." Sounds like fun!
Meanwhile, the ever-scheming Anayan is still up to her old tricks. She's barking orders at her underlings to find more demons, and if they fail, well, let's just say it's their heads on the chopping block. She's also still got Zhang Zheng under her thumb, trying to force him to assassinate Wangquan Hongye by threatening him with his indenture contract and his family's safety. Poor Zhang Zheng is caught in a bind and has to play along, even enduring a meal with her. Big mistake, buddy! Anayan, in a classic villain move, poisoned his food, hoping to keep him under her control permanently.
Back at Liyuan Garden, Dongfang Huaizhu and Wangquan Hongye, being the formidable pair they are, easily located and subdued the Honey Badger Demon. Huaizhu, ever the pragmatist, pointed out that Ping Tou Ge was clearly at the end of his rope. She offered him a deal: spill the beans on where the real killer is, and they'd pretend they were never there, leaving him and his swallows in peace. Naturally, Ping Tou Ge sang like a canary, and our heroes were off to find their assassin.
Imagine their surprise when the "assassin" turned out to be Zhang Zheng! Before any swords could clash, Qingmu Yuan dramatically darted in to stop the confrontation. Wangquan Hongye was understandably miffed, both at Qingmu Yuan for keeping secrets and for assuming he's the type to strike first and ask questions later. However, after Qingmu Yuan explained Zhang Zheng's desperate situation, Hongye cooled his jets. He immediately sent a message back to the Yiqi Alliance, instructing Wangquan Zui and Yang Yitan to root out Anayan's spies and, crucially, retrieve Zhang Zheng's indenture contract.
Fast forward three days: Wangquan Hongye approaches Zhang Zheng with a bowl of wontons. Zhang Zheng, still suspicious and prickly, clearly doesn't trust him. But Hongye, in a truly stand-up move, pulls out that very indenture contract and burns it right in front of Zhang Zheng. His message was clear: he's not a scumbag like Anayan and wouldn't stoop to using such a thing for blackmail. He even returned Zhang Zheng's black sword, emphasizing that the Wangquan and Zhang families were never enemies, hoping Zhang Zheng would understand his intentions.
Later, Zhang Zheng caught a glimpse of Qingmu Yuan at the Ruyi Pavilion. She ran out after him, intending to give him a sword tassel she'd made. But then, she noticed something alarming: faint blue scales under Zhang Zheng's eyes. Bad news – it looks like he's been poisoned with Gu Huo Niao (a type of bird demon) venom!
The poison was already in his bloodstream, and Qingmu Yuan knew she didn't have time to get him back to the Ruyi Pavilion. In a desperate act of sacrifice, she used her Leech Demon clan's special blood-exchange cauldron. She transferred her own blood to Zhang Zheng, drawing the demon poison into her own body before it could fatally corrupt his heart, planning to find a way to suppress it within herself later. When Zhang Zheng woke up, he was alone by a campfire, his memory wiped clean once again. He has no idea that Qingmu Yuan just saved his life, at great personal cost.
On the villain front, we learned that the Golden Lotus, an ancient and powerful artifact, possesses self-healing abilities despite being previously destroyed. Jiu Huo used it to send a message to Jin Renfeng, essentially reporting that Anayan was failing in her tasks and that Jin Renfeng needed to head to Yuyao Country to sort things out. Trouble's brewing!
In some lighter, more romantic developments, Wangquan Hongye tried to charm Dongfang Qinlan with her favorite treat, tanghulu (candied hawthorns). Qinlan confessed that she admires the leader of the Masked Gang (who is, unbeknownst to her, Hongye himself) because her sister Huaizhu likes him, and more significantly, because she yearns for that kind of freedom and independence. Qinlan thought this admission might make Hongye reconsider his pursuit of Huaizhu, but nope, it only made him more determined!
Qinlan was feeling pretty down about how to repay Huaizhu for all her kindness, but a heart-to-heart with Li Quzhu seemed to lift her spirits. As Yuyao Country's annual Wulan Festival kicked off, Wangquan Hongye decided to take Huaizhu out for a stroll. Qinlan, ever the protective (and slightly meddling) sister, worried that Hongye might not be reliable, so she roped Li Quzhu into secretly following them.
It turns out Wangquan Hongye is quite the romantic. He knows Huaizhu cherishes a peaceful, quiet life, and he sincerely promised her that he would make that a reality for them – that such tranquility would be the cornerstone of their future together. As the crowds flocked to Wulan Lake to make wishes, Hongye led Huaizhu to do the same. Aww!
