Episode Summary
In episode 3, Luo Ren reveals his tragic past to Mu Dai, explaining how his uncle, Luo Wenmiao, became strangely powerful and violent after a trip to Luoma Lake, leading to his mysterious death and his daughter Luo Pinting's catatonia. As they investigate, they link Luo Wenmiao's death to a series of bizarre cases, suspecting a "relay race" of death. The episode culminates in a trap set by Luo Ren and Li Tan, forcing Huo Zihong to confess her true identity as Li Yaqing and her connection to the past, though many questions remain unanswered.
Spoiler Alert
The Seven Relics of Omen: Episode 3 Recap & Spoilers
The episode opens with Luo Ren taking a significant risk. He arranges a meeting with Mu Dai, choosing a bustling café with heavy surveillance—a clear sign of his lingering distrust. The air between them is thick with unspoken questions; Luo Ren is both impressed and wary of Mu Dai, while she is determined to uncover his true motives. Finally, Luo Ren drops the charade. He hands her a necklace, and inside the pendant is a small, folded photograph of his uncle, Luo Wenmiao, with his family. With this gesture, Luo Ren begins to unravel a dark and perplexing story from his past.
Luo Ren's Family Secret
In a flashback to two years ago, Luo Ren recounts how his uncle, Luo Wenmiao, moved to the small town of Xiao Shang He with his daughter, Luo Pinting, for a new job. Their lives took a bizarre turn after Luo Wenmiao made a trip to Luoma Lake. He returned a changed man, his eyes bloodshot with terror as he begged Luo Ren to lock him up, confessing a horrifying fear that he was going to kill someone. Just as suddenly, he seemed to forget the entire episode, carrying on as if nothing had happened.
Sometime later, Luo Ren found his uncle in his study, fiddling with a length of fishing line. A few days after that, Luo Wenmiao vanished, climbing over the wall of their home and disappearing into the night. Luo Ren tracked him, only to stumble upon a chaotic scene: a neighbor's house was ablaze, and a fierce fight was underway. There, he witnessed a man with striking silver hair who possessed inhuman strength—Li Tan. Assuming Li Tan was the aggressor, Luo Ren fought and managed to knock him unconscious. The real shock, however, came when he saw his uncle, Luo Wenmiao, exhibiting the same impossible speed and power. It was then that Luo Ren began to fear that his uncle was no longer entirely human.
Connecting the Dots of the Luoma Lake Case
When Luo Ren returned home, he found his uncle drenched in blood. He quickly tied him up, but Luo Wenmiao died under mysterious circumstances shortly after. The trauma of witnessing her father's death caused Luo Pinting to suffer a complete mental breakdown. This personal tragedy propelled Luo Ren into a deep investigation of the strange events connected to Luoma Lake. He soon learned that a woman named Huo Zihong seemed to hold the key to the truth. Her name was also connected to another cold case—the Zhang Guanghua case—which, along with a third incident known as the Dalentel case, appeared to be pieces of the same sinister puzzle.
Luo Ren invites Mu Dai to his home to help him piece together the timeline. They uncover a web of connections: Zhang Guanghua had lived next door to a woman named Li Yaqing at Luoma Lake, and his remains were later discovered in the city of Datong. Another victim, Liu Shuhai, died in Jiquan, his body distinguished by a gruesome detail: a piece of skin was missing from his back. The most chilling connection is that Luo Wenmiao had recently taken a business trip to Jiquan, where he stayed at a small inn run by a woman named Cen Chunjiao. Luo Ren posits that this is a deadly relay race: after Liu Shuhai died, his uncle was the next to "take the baton," and at the moment of his own death, his daughter Luo Pinting was the one by his side.
Investigation and a Calculated Deception
While the investigation deepens, a side plot emerges as Cao Yanhua asks Mu Dai to be his master, a request she quickly shuts down. Mu Dai decides her best lead is Huo Zihong. She confronts the woman directly, telling her that both Luo Ren and Li Tan are victims in this and urging her to confess what she knows. The accusation sends Huo Zihong into a rage, and she storms away.
Later, Luo Ren meets with Li Tan, but the meeting takes a strange turn when Li Tan ties him up, cryptically claiming that he has already found the killer. Just as Mu Dai and a frantic Huo Zihong rush to Luo Ren's home, Huo Zihong suddenly confesses that she is Li Yaqing. The confession, however, is not what it seems. It's revealed that the entire scene was an elaborate trap set by Luo Ren and Li Tan, a desperate gambit designed to shock Luo Pinting's consciousness and pull her from her catatonic state. Amused by the theatricality of it all, Mu Dai speculates that they might be dealing with supernatural forces, a comment that finally makes the stone-faced Luo Ren crack a smile.
In the end, Huo Zihong apologizes to Li Tan, confessing to a long-held grudge between her and Zhang Guanghua. With a bitter laugh, Li Tan leaves, dropping the thermos he had been clutching the entire time. As Luo Ren and Mu Dai's partnership solidifies, they are closer than ever to the truth, yet Li Tan's enigmatic departure and Huo Zihong's confession have only raised more questions, suggesting the mystery is far from over.
