Episode Summary
In Episode 16, Mu Dai runs away, leaving Luo Ren and Huo Zihong to launch a desperate search. She finds refuge working at a hot pot restaurant after saving a young woman, Zheng Li. While hiding, Luo Ren uncovers clues linking her trauma to her mother. Mu Dai's own investigation into her past leads her to the infamous Tengma Bridge, where she learns the horrifying truth: her mother, afflicted with a gruesome disease, committed suicide by jumping from the bridge years ago. The episode ends with Mu Dai having a terrifying nightmare of pushing a man from the same bridge, suggesting the fourth relic's dark influence is taking hold.
Spoiler Alert
The Seven Relics of Ill Omen, Episode 16 Recap: The Ghost of Tengma Bridge
The episode kicks off with the gut-wrenching discovery that Mu Dai has vanished. After a tense conversation where she absolves a guilt-ridden Huo Zihong of any responsibility for her deteriorating mental state, Mu Dai leaves a simple note and disappears. Meanwhile, Luo Ren, while driving away, has a powerful epiphany: his future is meaningless without Mu Dai. He immediately turns his car around and speeds back to the clinic, only to be met with the devastating news that she’s already gone.
Finding refuge on a train, Mu Dai’s protective instincts flare up when she saves a young woman, Zheng Li, from a group of thugs. Grateful, Zheng Li offers her a place to stay and a job at her aunt's bustling hot pot restaurant. Choosing to hide in plain sight, Mu Dai takes a position as a dishwasher, hoping to disappear into the anonymity of the kitchen.
The search, however, is anything but quiet. With Huo Zihong at a loss, Luo Ren puts the grand opening of his new business on indefinite hold to lead the frantic search. He uncovers a heartbreaking clue tucked away inside Mu Dai’s childhood teddy bear: a faded drawing of a mother and daughter. This confirms his suspicion that the root of her trauma lies with her mother. The team mobilizes: Luo Ren sends Wan Fenghuo to investigate an orphanage in Linguo City, while Yi Wan San leverages his network of online bloggers to cast a wider net. Even as Yan Hongsha frets, Yi Wan San experiences a bizarre, unsettling vision, hinting that more supernatural forces are at play. Adding to the mystery, a shaman-like figure visits Phoenix Tower, leaving behind a crucial bracelet before vanishing.
Trouble inevitably finds Mu Dai at the hot pot restaurant. A local gang, led by a man known as "Brother Chao," repeatedly harasses Zheng Li. When Mu Dai steps in to deliver their food, she is met with provocation. Her response is swift and brutal. In a flash, she has a dagger pressed against Chao's carotid artery, silently bringing the entire restaurant to a standstill. When Zheng Li's aunt expresses a desire for her to stay, Mu Dai coolly replies, "A dishwasher can also provide security." Unbeknownst to her, the fourth relic is growing more active, amplifying Luo Ren’s fear for her safety while she's on her own.
Following a fragmented memory, Mu Dai asks Zheng Li for help searching for information related to "red high heels." The search results point to the Tengma Bridge, a location infamous for local horror stories. Mu Dai instantly recognizes the shoes in an old photo as belonging to her mother. Drawn by the ghost of her past, she goes to the bridge alone that night. The moment she steps onto it, she’s overwhelmed by a flood of disorienting childhood memories. There, a pancake vendor reveals the horrific truth she could never remember: years ago, her mother, suffering from a terrible illness that caused her skin to decay, stabbed a doctor before taking her own life by jumping from the bridge. The site has been considered cursed ever since. Mu Dai later finds her childhood home, now nothing but a desolate ruin. Just as she confronts this, Cao Yanhua’s intel confirms her location in Nantian, and Yan Hongsha immediately relays the information to a desperate Luo Ren.
The episode culminates in a chilling sequence at the bridge. Mu Dai encounters Zhang Tong, one of Brother Chao's lackeys, pressing his ear against a wall, listening for a "heartbeat" within the structure. In the distance, a shadowy figure of a woman in high heels watches them both. That night, Mu Dai is plunged into a terrifyingly vivid nightmare. She sees herself standing on the bridge, clad in a red leather jacket and high heels—her mother’s attire. A dissociated, cold version of herself stands by and watches as she shoves Zhang Tong off the high platform to his death. Under the sinister influence of the fourth relic, the line between nightmare and reality has begun to dissolve completely.
