Episode Summary
Gou Lingfeng's hero dreams are crushed as Ma Yingdan leaves him. Zhuge Heng is disillusioned with Gou Lingfeng's blind faith. A fake fight with Omni-Hero leads to public humiliation for Gou Lingfeng. Ma Yingdan struggles with poison, and Deng Yunfeng reappears. Gui Lao returns, revealing Liu Guang's plan to rebuild their cult.
Spoiler Alert
"Hidden Master" Episode 23 Recap & Spoilers:
This episode is all about disillusionment and tough choices. It starts with Ma Yingdan and Zhuge Heng having a clandestine meeting where they express their doubts about Guangming Xia (Bright Hero). They suspect he might not be as righteous as everyone thinks. Of course, Gou Lingfeng, Guangming Xia's biggest fan, overhears this and gets seriously defensive. He vehemently defends his idol, insisting that Guangming Xia is a true hero who's dedicated to fighting the corrupt Deng Gong. Zhuge Heng, seeing Gou Lingfeng's blind faith, tries to reason with him, suggesting he's chasing a false ideal. Even Ma Yingdan throws shade, calling Gou Lingfeng's "Loyal Hero" title an empty compliment.
The conversation ends on a sour note, and Zhuge Heng finds himself alone at a tavern, drowning his sorrows. He's worried about Gou Lingfeng, who was once a promising and righteous individual but is now consumed by his obsession with becoming a "hero." Ling'er arrives to comfort Zhuge Heng, assuring him that he'll never change, no matter what happens.
The next day, Gou Lingfeng is basking in the attention of his fans, who believe he's about to fight the renowned "Omni-Hero." Despite some reservations, Gou Lingfeng is thrilled, feeling closer than ever to achieving his dream of becoming a legendary hero. However, when he returns home drunk, he discovers that Zhuge Heng and Ling'er have left, leaving only Ma Yingdan behind.
Ma Yingdan, completely fed up with Gou Lingfeng's obsession, decides to leave him. Gou Lingfeng desperately tries to convince her to stay, promising that he'll become famous after his fight with Omni-Hero. Ma Yingdan gives him an ultimatum: leave with her or say goodbye forever. Gou Lingfeng, still clinging to his dream, chooses the fight. Ma Yingdan leaves him, and Gou Lingfeng collapses, heartbroken and alone.
Meanwhile, Ma Yingdan is struggling with her own problems. The poison within her flares up, causing her intense pain. Deng Yunfeng appears, offering his help, but she refuses. He figures out she's going back to Poison Immortal Valley and insists on accompanying her, claiming he would never betray her after all these years. Ma Yingdan rejects his offer, but Deng Yunfeng grabs her hand, getting poisoned in the process. Ma Yingdan leaves him with an antidote and continues on her way.
The day of the big fight arrives, and the arena is packed with spectators. Gou Lingfeng, dressed for battle, faces off against the famous Omni-Hero, who is second only to Guangming Xia in popularity. Wang Zipeng is there to oversee the event, looking rather pleased with himself.
But here's the twist: Omni-Hero pulls out a flute and starts playing a tune. It turns out he's a fake! He confessed to Zhuge Heng that he's a terrible fighter and begged him to take his place in the fight, promising to promote the Jianmeng Sect. Zhuge Heng was disgusted and refused.
Back at the arena, Gou Lingfeng and Omni-Hero stand there awkwardly, neither making a move. Wang Zipeng declares a draw. Zhuge Heng jumps into the ring, and Gou Lingfeng assumes he's finally going to get his fight. However, Omni-Hero announces that the match is over and that Zhuge Heng is simply taking out his anger on Gou Lingfeng because Ma Yingdan left. To make matters worse, Gou Lingfeng's fans abandon him, declaring Omni-Hero the true hero.
Later that night, Gou Lingfeng is alone and miserable in an inn, haunted by nightmares of everyone abandoning him. He wakes up crying, only to find Gui Lao crawling out of the restroom! It turns out that Liu Guang saved Gui Lao after the massacre at Five Mile Slope, but he's furious that Gui Lao's incompetence led to the cult's downfall. Liu Guang is now determined to rebuild the cult, no matter the cost. Gui Lao explains that he survived using a special breathing technique, but he's still weak. Gou Lingfeng tries to help him by transferring some energy, but accidentally sends him flying.
