Episode Summary
The Plum Blossom Sect is attacked, leaving Plum Blossom Ninth Mistress dead and Mu Dai missing. The culprit, a woman named Cheetah, reveals herself and captures Mu Dai after a brutal fight. She taunts Luo Ren, revealing a personal vendetta and luring him into a trap by threatening his friends. As Wan Fenghuo and Shen Gun uncover clues linking Cheetah to a generations-old feud involving the relics, Cheetah makes her final move: she begins to bury Mu Dai alive, forcing Luo Ren to a solo confrontation as Cao Yanhua secretly watches.
Spoiler Alert
"The Seven Relics of Ill Omen" Episode 27 Recap: A Sect's Tragedy and a Hunter's Trap
This episode throws our heroes into their most desperate crisis yet, as a direct assault on the Plum Blossom Sect leaves one dead, another missing, and Luo Ren facing an impossible choice. The mysterious hunter, Cheetah, finally steps out of the shadows, revealing a personal vendetta and a meticulously planned trap that threatens to shatter the entire group.
A Grim Discovery
The episode opens with a sense of dread at the Plum Blossom Sect's headquarters. Zheng Mingshan discovers signs of an intruder, confirming their worst fears. A search of the fog-shrouded back mountain turns tragic when Cao Yanhua stumbles upon the body of Plum Blossom Ninth Mistress, covered in what appear to be multiple stab wounds. The horror is compounded when they realize that Mu Dai is nowhere to be found.
The Hunter's Call
The mystery of the attacker is solved in the most chilling way possible: a phone call to Luo Ren. The caller, a woman who identifies herself as Cheetah, coolly informs him that she has Mu Dai. To prove her reach, she describes the movements of his friends at their bar in Lixi, revealing she has them under surveillance. She gives Luo Ren an ultimatum: return to Lixi immediately.
Rattled, Luo Ren makes the difficult decision to pull his team back, leaving the sect vulnerable. While Zheng Mingshan stays behind to tend to his master's funeral arrangements, Luo Ren tasks Qing Mu with fortifying the bar and enlists the help of Wan Fenghuo to run a deep background check on this new enemy, Cheetah.
A Fateful Return
As the team retreats, a crucial piece of information comes from Zheng Mingshan: Plum Blossom Ninth Mistress was not murdered. Her death was from natural causes, likely exhaustion from a final, desperate fight. The gruesome wounds were inflicted after she had already passed.
The revelation comes too late. That night, Mu Dai, having escaped the initial chaos, makes her way back to her deserted home. As she’s on the phone with Luo Ren, the sound of approaching footsteps sends a chill down the line. Luo Ren urges her to make a preemptive strike, but she is no match for Cheetah. In a brutal, one-sided fight, Mu Dai is severely injured and captured.
Revelations and Regret
Cheetah wastes no time in taunting Luo Ren with her victory. She reveals that the dense fog on the mountain had initially prevented her from capturing Mu Dai; she only succeeded because Luo Ren, in his panic, withdrew everyone from the sect. The confession leaves Luo Ren spiraling into guilt. Cheetah also discloses that just before her death, Plum Blossom Ninth Mistress had sent Mu Dai on a mission with the Silver-Eyed Bat to retrieve a special token.
Meanwhile, two separate investigations begin to yield critical clues. The "Divine Stick" Shen Gun witnesses a man named Mr. Yin being struck by a car driven by Zhang Guanghua. With his dying breath, Mr. Yin speaks of delivering a message and a "half key hidden in the family tree." Shen Gun recovers the Yin family's genealogy book. Simultaneously, Wan Fenghuo's investigation hits pay dirt: he traces Cheetah's ancestry to a place called Xiacheng Town.
The Weight of Vengeance
In captivity, Mu Dai confronts Cheetah, asking how her master truly died. Cheetah describes the duel, admitting that the old woman's power suddenly gave out mid-battle, and she died before unleashing her ultimate technique. Enraged and cheated of a true victory, Cheetah stabbed the lifeless body nine times to vent her frustration.
Her motives become terrifyingly clear: she holds a deep-seated grudge against Luo Ren for blinding her in a past conflict. Her goal is not just to defeat him, but to "pull out all his claws and tame him like a house dog." Overcome with grief, Mu Dai performs a ritual tea ceremony, kneeling in the direction of her home. Fearing his judgment is clouded by emotion, Luo Ren hands over command to the stoic Qing Mu, who makes a chilling declaration: if it comes down to it, Mu Dai's life is a worthy sacrifice to ensure Cheetah is killed.
The Final Gambit
Wan Fenghuo's research uncovers a generations-old blood feud. Cheetah's ancestors committed a grave crime in Xiacheng Town and were brought to justice by the Five Heroes of the Plum Blossom Sect. This historical event directly corresponds to the five kneeling statues in Cao Family Village, suggesting the conflict over the relics is far older than they knew. In a shocking twist, Zhang Guanghua—the driver in the hit-and-run—is revealed to be the host of the seventh relic. He was secretly manipulating Cheetah, but now finds himself losing control of his vengeful puppet.
Cutting through all the planning, Cheetah makes her final move. She calls Luo Ren and sends him a live video: Mu Dai is bound in a deep pit, with dirt being shoveled in, burying her alive. Cheetah demands Luo Ren come to a designated location, alone. As Luo Ren faces this impossible ultimatum, the camera reveals one last player on the field: hidden in the trees, Cao Yanhua watches the entire scene unfold, a silent witness to the deadly trap being sprung.
