Episode Summary
Wu Guangming wants Ma Yingdan back and suspects Gou Lingfeng knows where she is. Ma Yingdan is grounded at Poison Immortal Valley by her mother, Ma Linglan, who avoids questions about Ma Yingdan's father. Gou Lingfeng learns about Ma Yingdan's past and heads to Poison Immortal Valley with Deng Yunfeng, Zhuge Heng, and Ling'er. They face poisonous obstacles, and Gou Lingfeng goes on alone, only to be confronted by Ma Linglan, who reveals he's under an illusion.
Spoiler Alert
"Hidden Master" Episode 24: Recap & Spoilers
The episode kicks off with He Changzai reporting to Wu Guangming that Ma Yingdan has left Huizhou City. Wu Guangming is clearly not happy about this and orders He Changzai to keep a close eye on Gou Lingfeng. Wu believes Gou Lingfeng knows where Ma Yingdan is hiding and wants her brought back by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Ma Yingdan is back at Poison Immortal Valley, grounded by her mom, Ma Linglan. Ma Yingdan tries to get some answers about her father, but Ma Linglan dodges the questions and instead asks if Ma Yingdan has feelings for Gou Lingfeng. Talk about awkward family time!
Speaking of Gou Lingfeng, he's sitting by Guilao's bedside, convinced there's more to the Five Mile Slope massacre than meets the eye. Guilao warns him to watch out for Wu Guangming, but Gou Lingfeng is still blinded by his admiration for Wu, blaming Guilao's "evil" teachings and the fight with Zhuge Heng for everything. Guilao, fed up, slaps some sense into Gou Lingfeng (literally!), telling him that "Omnipotence Hero" is a fraud and that the Wulin heroes are just a bunch of hypocrites from top to bottom. Ouch!
Later that night, Gou Lingfeng is drowning his sorrows with some booze when Deng Yunfeng shows up. Deng Yunfeng spills the beans about his history with Ma Yingdan and asks for Gou Lingfeng's help to find her at Poison Immortal Valley. Deng Yunfeng also brings Zhuge Heng and Ling'er along for the ride, but Zhuge Heng makes it clear they're not there to forgive Gou Lingfeng; they're only there because Ma Yingdan's situation is urgent.
The group sets off for Poison Immortal Valley, and Deng Yunfeng fills everyone in on what he overheard. Apparently, Ma Yingdan is the daughter of Liu Guang, the former Demonic Sect Leader! Liu Guang, desperate to master poisonous skills, had his wife, Ma Linglan, test poisons on herself. This turned her into a poisonous being, and after a huge fight, Ma Linglan left, not knowing she was pregnant. Liu Guang, filled with regret, threw away the antidote, which was later recovered and used to save Ma Yingdan's life.
Gou Lingfeng is shaken by this revelation, remembering Ma Yingdan saying she wanted to return home. He feels guilty for not going with her and speeds up his pace. As night falls, Deng Yunfeng notices they're being followed by at least twenty people, guessing that Wu Guangming suspects Gou Lingfeng. Gou Lingfeng decides to hold off on explaining things to Wu Guangming for now.
Zhuge Heng, wanting to ditch He Changzai and his crew, gives them some laxatives. The group finally arrives at Poison Immortal Valley, which is surrounded by toxic fumes and dense forest. Anyone who enters unprepared will be poisoned. Gou Lingfeng, fearless, wants to go in alone, but Zhuge Heng and Deng Yunfeng refuse to let him. They decide to enter together.
They haven't gone far when everyone except Gou Lingfeng starts showing signs of poisoning. Gou Lingfeng uses his skills to help Ling'er, but Deng Yunfeng and Zhuge Heng are also affected and need to rest. Gou Lingfeng calls out to the valley, announcing that they are friends of Ma Yingdan and asking for a meeting.
Inside the valley, Ma Yingdan is happy to hear they've arrived but hesitant because her mother has set up many obstacles. Meanwhile, Gou Lingfeng uses what Ma Yingdan once told him to get through the first barrier. However, Zhuge Heng and the others are too poisoned to continue and have to retreat. Gou Lingfeng tells them to rest and ventures deeper into the valley alone.
After navigating through the mist, Gou Lingfeng finally reaches the heart of the valley. He sees a beautiful woman standing there, none other than Ma Yingdan. She asks if he's hurt, showing genuine concern. Gou Lingfeng's heart melts, but he quickly realizes something is off and that this isn't the real Ma Yingdan.
In a flash, the woman transforms into Ma Linglan, who reveals that Gou Lingfeng has been poisoned by an illusion and is seeing what he desires most. Luckily, his heart is pure, so the illusion is just Ma Yingdan. Back outside the valley, Deng Yunfeng is recovering from the poison, Ling'er is still weak, and Zhuge Heng is staying by her side, making Deng Yunfeng feel like a third wheel.
What a cliffhanger! Will Gou Lingfeng survive Ma Linglan's tests? Will Zhuge Heng and Ling'er finally get together? And what will Wu Guangming do next? We'll have to wait for the next episode to find out!
