Episode Summary
In Episode 26, Wenwen gives birth to a son as a violent tomb raid unfolds. Fang Kun is seriously injured trying to stop the thieves, who are later intercepted by Li Yuanguang. He seizes the stolen artifacts for himself and his partner, Mu Jianhui. The looted tomb is revealed to be a priceless "Yuefu Pit" containing ancient musical instruments, and Li Yuanguang solidifies his new power by informing Zhao Youlin of his successful heist.
Spoiler Alert
The Lost National Treasure - Episode 26 Recap & Spoilers
A Birth in the Night, A Violent Heist
The episode opens in the dead of night as Wenwen, on the verge of giving birth, feels a sudden discomfort. Her call to Li Yuanguang goes unanswered. Instead, it's Mu Jianhui who receives a call from the hospital and rushes to be there, anxiously waiting outside the delivery room for news.
Meanwhile, a somber Qi Youliang pays his respects at his ancestral graves. Fang Kun observes him from a distance, guessing that the daytime opera performance had its intended effect. Later, when Qi Youliang goes to a grain storeroom to find Li Chunlai, he is ambushed and knocked out by a group of tomb raiders.
Li Chunlai, who was not at the storeroom, runs to get help from Fang Kun and Yan Shoucun. Fang Kun immediately alerts Qi Dacang before racing to the scene with Li Chunlai. They find Qi Youliang unconscious but otherwise unharmed. Fang Kun instructs Li Chunlai to get Qi Youliang to safety while he stays behind to keep an eye on the thieves.
As Yan Shoucun and Qi Xiaoman rally the men of the village, the raiders make a move to escape with their stolen artifacts. Fang Kun attempts to stall them by pretending to be a drunkard, but the thieves don't buy it and speed off in their vehicle. In a desperate move, Fang Kun latches onto the speeding car and manages to pull one of the men out. However, he suffers a severe blow to the head in the process and loses consciousness just as Qi Xiaoman and the other villagers arrive to call for an ambulance.
A New Power Play
In a separate, swift operation, the notorious "King of Southern China" is ambushed in his hotel room, beaten, and abducted.
The tomb raiders, expecting a different rendezvous, are intercepted by a masked Li Yuanguang and his crew. Li Yuanguang lowballs them, offering a mere few hundred thousand for the priceless haul, much to their anger. When one of the raiders tries to take him hostage, Li Yuanguang turns a blade on himself, a shocking act of self-harm that intimidates the thieves into taking the cash and leaving empty-handed.
The Aftermath and Accusations
The next morning, Qi Dacang investigates the crime scene, finding nothing but the charred shell of a burnt-out car.
At the hospital, Mu Jianhui is still waiting when he receives a call from Li Yuanguang confirming the success of their mission. Just then, a doctor emerges to announce that Wenwen has safely delivered a healthy baby boy. An overjoyed Mu Jianhui tells Li Yuanguang to come to the hospital immediately.
The mood is less celebratory elsewhere in the hospital, where Fang Kun is being treated for a serious head injury. A furious Yan Shoucun confronts Li Chunlai, accusing him of collaborating with the tomb raiders. His words hit Qi Xiaoman hard, and she rushes home to demand a divorce from her husband. The confrontation is interrupted by Qi Dacang, who begins to question Li Chunlai as part of the official investigation. It is only then that Qi Xiaoman realizes her husband was not involved in the crime.
Back in the maternity ward, Mu Jianhui fusses over the newborn, but Wenwen gives him the cold shoulder. Her demeanor changes completely when Li Yuanguang arrives. He expertly soothes the crying baby and presents a small outfit he knitted himself, a gesture that moves Wenwen to tears.
Uncovering the Devastation
Qi Dacang brings in experts Guo Shilin and Luo Qing to assess the tomb. Inside, they discover that explosives have shattered numerous terracotta figures. Guo Shilin finds a thin fragment of what he and Luo Qing identify as gilt bronze. Overwhelmed by the scale of the destruction, a tearful Luo Qing vows to bring the culprits to justice.
Reporting their findings to Qi Dacang, Luo Qing explains that the fragments confirm the site was a "Yuefu Pit"—a burial chamber for musical instruments, likely containing priceless sets of chime bells and stone chimes. The magnitude of the cultural loss is immeasurable.
At the same time, Li Yuanguang delivers the stolen artifacts to Mu Jianhui, who explains that the value of the chime bells alone is enough to secure their financial future for the rest of their lives. Mu Jianhui tells Li Yuanguang that with a child to think of now, they must leave their lives as "rats in the ground" behind and climb the ladder of power.
In the final scene, Li Yuanguang pays a visit to Zhao Youlin, informing him that they are the ones who successfully looted the great tomb of Yin Village.
