Episode Summary
Dongfang Huaizhu infiltrates the Nangong family's sword forging ceremony to rescue Mu Xiaowu. She partners with a compromised Wangquan Hongye to investigate the sword furnace, where they discover Nangong Ye's cruel manipulation of demons. A confrontation looms as their alliance faces a test of trust.
Spoiler Alert
"Love in Pavilion" Episode 3: Recap & Spoilers
Ten days have passed, and the Nangong family's sword forging ceremony is finally here. Dongfang Huaizhu is ready to make her move, hoping to rescue Mu Xiaowu with a single, decisive strike, with Yang Yan's help. Nangong Ye positions her as a sword attendant to his left, and Wangquan Hongye can't help but notice. He realizes Nangong Ye's playing a deeper game than he initially thought.
Nangong Ye presents four swords, each forged with a demon core, to the heads of four prominent families. Most accept the gifts with smiles, but Wangquan Hongye refuses. A dancer uses a pipa to trigger a sound-based killing formation hidden behind Wangquan Hongye, causing him to lose all senses except touch. Nangong Ye, unsure if the trap worked, sends Dongfang Huaizhu to investigate.
Dongfang Huaizhu quickly realizes Wangquan Hongye is just putting on a brave face. After a brief exchange, Wangquan Hongye is defeated, but he refuses to relinquish his sword, earning Dongfang Huaizhu's respect. As she suspected, Wangquan Hongye is desperate to hide his condition from Nangong Ye, so he's being extra cautious. Dongfang Huaizhu throws him into a pool, knocking him unconscious.
Next, Dongfang Huaizhu places a curse on Wangquan Hongye, temporarily linking their sight and hearing as long as they stay within five steps of each other. Wangquan Hongye wakes up, drinks some tea, and finds his sense of taste restored. But the moment he moves more than five steps away from Dongfang Huaizhu, his senses vanish again. Dongfang Huaizhu has him right where she wants him – his only option is to cooperate.
Meanwhile, Wangquan Zui attempts to use a magical artifact to mind-control Nangong family servants, but she fails to uncover Nangong Ye's plans for the sword forging ceremony. She only learns a bunch of flaws about the Nangong young master. Yang Yitan interrupts her, pointing out that such mind control is useless against powerful individuals.
Dongfang Huaizhu and Wangquan Hongye finally sit down to talk. As Dongfang Huaizhu points out, she's only here because Nangong Ye made her a promise, and Wangquan Hongye can make her a better one. Wangquan Hongye uses an invisibility talisman, and he and Dongfang Huaizhu head towards the sword furnace. Outside the furnace is a Xuan sound formation that gets stronger the deeper they go. Dongfang Huaizhu helps Wangquan Hongye break through the formation, and they enter the Nangong waterside pavilion's sword furnace, finding it completely unguarded.
Inside, the furnace blazes, fueled by countless demon cores. Cages covered in talismans surround the furnace. A Bifang bird demon named A Nan sits nearby, controlled by a talisman. Dongfang Huaizhu removes the talisman and learns that Nangong Ye tricked her into believing that her mother would return once the demon swords were forged.
The Nangong young master is using the demon fire within the bird race to control the sword furnace, all to fuel the demons' hatred. Demons can't survive after their demon cores are extracted. Nangong Ye is cruelly manipulating little A Nan, using her fire to refine her own mother's demon core. Someone like Nangong Ye deserves to die a hundred times over.
Dongfang Huaizhu wants to destroy the furnace, but Wangquan Hongye stops her. He insists that the demon swords must be forged, or it will ruin his plans. In his urgency, Wangquan Hongye blurts out Dongfang Huaizhu's name, revealing that he knew her identity all along. The Nangong young master is already outside, demanding they leave the furnace immediately. Dongfang Huaizhu is unsure if she can trust Wangquan Hongye, but he tells her to trust her instincts.
