Episode Summary
In Episode 15, Lian Shu confesses to being controlled by an unknown force when she attacked Mu Dai. This attack triggered the emergence of Mu Dai's violent alter ego, "Black Mu Dai." Through flashbacks and revelations from Huo Zihong, it's revealed that Mu Dai developed a dissociative identity disorder after a traumatic event eight years prior, where her best friend Shen Wen was killed saving her. The episode culminates in a confrontation where Black Mu Dai, now in full control, coldly rejects Luo Ren and declares that her weaker personality, "White Mu Dai," will never return.
Spoiler Alert
The Seven Relics of Ill Omen: Episode 15 Recap & Spoilers
A Fractured Mind and a Past Unearthed
This episode delves deep into the psychological trauma that has shaped Mu Dai, culminating in a devastating confrontation that may have permanently shattered her. As Lian Shu's disturbing role is brought to light, the truth behind Mu Dai's violent fugue states reveals a dark, protective personality born from an unspeakable tragedy.
Lian Shu’s Unholy Confession
Following a clue, Luo Ren, Yi Wan San, and Cao Yanhua find Lian Shu’s abandoned vehicle. Splitting up to search for Mu Dai, they discover Lian Shu collapsed on the ground, covered in injuries. After sending Cao Yanhua away with Amber, Luo Ren and Yi Wan San press her for Mu Dai's whereabouts.
Trembling, Lian Shu confesses a bizarre and terrifying experience. From the moment she first met Luo Ren, she felt an inexplicable fear. This feeling intensified after she got close to Zheng Bo's group, where she felt drawn to a room on the second floor. Soon after, a voice began echoing in her mind, relentlessly commanding her: "Hang Mu Dai." She recounts attempting to carry out the order, but as she did, Mu Dai suddenly broke free from the rope and fought back with inhuman strength, as if she had become someone else entirely.
A Betrayal Revealed
As they talk, the Xin Jian artifact projects a watery image of a burning courtyard. This triggers a memory for Yi Wan San, who recalls the cave murals depicting Lian Shu's mother playing with her and a young "Wild Man." Lian Shu admits to the deception from her childhood. She pretended to teach the Wild Man how to draw as a ruse to get time alone. Later, she faked being poisoned to trick him into carrying her into the village. The moment they passed the entrance, she screamed for help, causing the villagers to violently expel the boy who had tried to save her.
This story of betrayal strikes a raw nerve with Yi Wan San, mirroring a deep trauma from his own past. Overcome with fury, he releases his grip on Lian Shu and roars, "You don't deserve a mother and sister like that!"
The Scars of the Past
Meanwhile, a frantic Luo Ren races through the streets searching for Mu Dai, only to be involved in a severe car crash. At the scene, a single, crucial piece of evidence is found: Mu Dai's cat-themed hair tie.
Mu Dai is rescued and rushed to the intensive care unit, but upon waking, she discharges herself and disappears. Luo Ren learns from Yi Wan San that Zhang Shu and the proprietress have also abruptly left their home. His search leads him to the Huacheng Psychological Clinic, where Huo Zihong finally reveals the full, heartbreaking story.
Eight years ago, a 15-year-old Mu Dai and her best friend, Shen Wen, skipped class and were cornered by a group of thugs. In an abandoned construction site, Shen Wen died tragically while protecting Mu Dai. During the chaos, Mu Dai fell, was knocked unconscious, and awoke with a fractured memory of the event. Shen Wen's family, consumed by grief, placed all the blame on Mu Dai. For the next eight years, Huo Zihong was forced to move from city to city with Mu Dai, seeking psychological help for her niece's deep-seated trauma.
The Emergence of Black Mu Dai
Inside the clinic, Huo Zihong shows Luo Ren chilling surveillance footage from Mu Dai’s room. The video shows her healing her own wounds after one of her personality shifts. A doctor explains the diagnosis: Mu Dai suffers from a dissociative identity disorder born from her trauma. Her core personality, the gentle "White Mu Dai," is dominant most of the time. However, when faced with extreme danger, a protective alter ego—"Black Mu Dai"—awakens to save her. The person who woke up in the hospital and is now walking free is not the Mu Dai he knows; she is entirely under the control of Black Mu Dai. At the same time, Cao Yanhua is struck by a terrifying vision of a blood-streaked cave, and the team scrambles to sync up their information.
A Final, Devastating Confrontation
Luo Ren finds Mu Dai and tries to reason with her, telling her the truth he's pieced together: taking the fateful shortcut and provoking the thugs wasn't her idea, and Shen Wen died a hero to save her.
But it is Black Mu Dai who answers him with a cold, mocking smile. "White Mu Dai can't remember the details, but I can," she sneers. "I provoked them on purpose."
She turns his words against him, exposing the fact that he had long suspected something was deeply wrong with her but chose to ignore it, calling his attempts to "open his heart" to her a hypocritical charade. Her eyes fall on the matching bracelet he still wears as a symbol of their bond.
"I threw mine away a long time ago," she says, her voice dripping with contempt. "White Mu Dai isn't coming back. I'm stronger alone."
With that, she turns and walks away, leaving a shattered Luo Ren in her wake. The soft clatter of his own bracelet as he lets it fall to the floor is deafening, a final, piercing sound marking the erasure of White Mu Dai. In the distance, dark clouds churn across the sky, a blood-red moon begins to appear, and in Cao Yanhua's hand, the Xin Jian artifact flashes violently in the encroaching darkness.
