Episode Summary
Jin Xiu confronts Tian Di about the disastrous events and the faulty artifact meant to suppress the Demon King, but Tian Di deflects blame. Meanwhile, Kunlun resists reincarnation until he knows his disciples are safe; the Empress intervenes, using Lu Yao (who is given a special reincarnation token) to forcibly make Kunlun reincarnate by tying a red thread to him. It's revealed Lu Jiu committed suicide out of guilt. In a hopeful turn, Bai Cha and other demons successfully resurrect Hong Ning. The story then shifts to the Wuzhang Country, where Jin Xiu is now a general, investigating a series of apparent revenge murders alongside the reincarnated Lu Jiu. Hong Ning, now living as Mu Xian, is also shown dealing with demons and has a mysterious encounter with a child. Jin Xiu suspects the "coincidental" revenge killings are part of a larger pattern.
Spoiler Alert
First off, our girl Jin Xiu is having NONE of Tian Di's (the Celestial Emperor, for those just tuning in) excuses. She marches right up to him, demanding to know why the heck the item she got from the Heaven's Book Venerable – which was supposed to suppress the Demon King's power – totally backfired. Tian Di, in classic powerful-being fashion, basically says, "It's your fault, sweetie." He claims it's all because Jin Xiu meddled with Hong Ning's destiny and that if she hadn't, Hong Ning would still be chilling in the mortal realm, probably sipping tea. And the whole Cangwu Mountain bloodbath? Tian Di washes his hands of it, blaming Grand Master Taiyi for going rogue to score brownie points. His "punishment" for Taiyi? A demotion to a lower immortal. Seriously? Tian Di then tries to tell Jin Xiu she's the future Emperor and shouldn't sweat the small stuff like, you know, mortals and demons. But Jin Xiu, bless her heart, basically tells him if being Emperor means stepping on others, she's out. You go, girl!
Meanwhile, over at the reincarnation station, Kunlun is throwing a full-blown tantrum. He’s supposed to be moving on to his next life but refuses to go until he knows his Cangwu Mountain disciples are okay. He even starts brawling with the heavenly officials! The Empress shows up, and you'd think she'd be a bit more understanding, but nope. She tells Kunlun those disciples are "irrelevant" and that Tian Di's path to power is paved with sacrifices. Kunlun is not about that life and tells his mom to go preach to his brother instead. Ouch. The Empress, fuming, then sends her people to find Lu Yao, who, get this, is currently on the run.
So, the Empress "rescues" Lu Yao and offers her a deal: a special reincarnation token that'll let Lu Yao slip past the heavenly soldiers, if she agrees to keep tabs on Kunlun. Lu Yao, probably seeing no other way out, takes the deal. And just as Kunlun is still stubbornly refusing to reincarnate, Lu Yao shows up, ties a red thread to him (talk about a forceful connection!), and literally drags him off to his next life. Drama!
Back with Jin Xiu, she visits Meng Po (the Lady of Forgetfulness who oversees reincarnation), who kindly shows her that the Cangwu disciples have all been successfully reincarnated. Jin Xiu promises to repay this huge favor. But then, shocker! Jin Xiu spots Lu Jiu there too. Meng Po explains that Lu Jiu, wracked with guilt over past events, took his own life. Man, this show does not pull its punches.
But wait, there's more! Bai Cha, using the combined power of a host of demons (talk about teamwork!), manages to bring Hong Ning's soul back together and resurrect her! Our girl is back!
We then jump to a new setting: the Wuzhang Country. It's a quirky little place where humans and demons coexist, which apparently makes it "lawless" in the eyes of others. Jin Xiu is now a general in this country, trying her best to advise the local Xian Wang, who seems more interested in partying than ruling. And who's by Jin Xiu's side? None other than the reincarnated Lu Jiu! They're on a case, investigating a murder where the victim was drowned and then strung up. Creepy.
Jin Xiu, ever the detective, senses something off about a lotus pond and, surprise, finds a Lotus Spirit. The spirit confesses to killing a man named Zheng Ke. Her motive? Revenge. Zheng Ke had murdered her benefactor – someone who had saved the Lotus Spirit when she was wilting and whom she, in turn, had helped find a treasure. Zheng Ke, being a greedy jerk, killed the benefactor for it. The Lotus Spirit, unable to save her friend then, finally got her vengeance. Jin Xiu, while understanding, still has to uphold some justice. She takes the Lotus Spirit's Nei Dan (her inner core of power) and tells her to go cultivate peacefully somewhere else.
And what about our newly resurrected Hong Ning? She's now Mu Xian, and we see her kicking butt, saving a child from a demon. She has a moment of déjà vu, thinking the kid looks just like the Chrysanthemum Official's Acolyte, but the child has no idea who she is. Mu Xian just brushes it off as a mistake. Hmm, is it really a mistake, though?
The episode wraps up with Jin Xiu noticing a string of similar cases – all seemingly revenge killings. Lu Jiu thinks they're just coincidences, but Jin Xiu's gut tells her that too many coincidences usually mean something bigger is going on. And we all know to trust Jin Xiu's gut!
