Episode Summary
In this episode, Han Li uncovers the truth behind Qu Hun's possessed body, learning from a demonic cultivator about a treacherous conspiracy that dooms the Seven Sects to defeat. After defeating a Golden-Backed Demonic Spider to claim the cultivator's hidden treasures, Han Li reports the dire news to his master. The episode concludes with a somber meeting with Chen Qiaoqian, who asks Han Li to help her escape her constrained life.
Spoiler Alert
While searching in the mountains, Han Li discovers a man living in a secluded house who bears the body of Qu Hun but possesses the cultivation of a 6th or 7th-level Qi Refining practitioner. Initially thrilled by the possibility that his friend Zhang Tie has returned, his hopes are complicated when a young girl appears, calling the man her father. That night, Han Li returns to confront the man and uncover the truth.
The mysterious occupant claims to have amnesia. When Han Li calls him Zhang Tie, the man seems to question if that is his own name. However, Han Li is not fooled, declaring that a person's eyes don't lie, and this man's are filled with cunning and calculation. A fight is about to break out when the man's wife and daughter emerge. To avoid alarming them, the two cultivators pretend to be old acquaintances catching up.
Unable to defeat Han Li, the man confesses his true origin. He is a cultivator from the Imperial Spirit Sect, one of the six Demonic Dao sects. During a battle with an enemy, he was gravely injured and his spirit fled his original body. He stumbled upon the soulless body of Qu Hun and possessed it to survive. He was later introduced to the mother and daughter and decided to live a peaceful life with them. The man then reveals a startling secret: the Seven Sects and the Six Demonic Sects have a hidden agreement concerning the war, a pact that ensures the Seven Sects will ultimately fall. He warns Han Li not to get involved, remarking that betrayal is inevitable when benefits are on the line.
As a gesture of surrender, the man offers Han Li all his magical artifacts, which he can no longer use in his current, weaker body. He provides the location of a hidden cave. Upon arriving, Han Li is ambushed by a formidable Golden-Backed Demonic Spider. After a difficult battle, he vanquishes the beast and claims the considerable treasures hidden within the cave.
When Han Li returns, the demonic cultivator is stunned that he survived the spider and accepts his fate. His only request is for Han Li to spare his wife and child, whom he admits he has grown to care for deeply. As his family comes out and witnesses the scene in shock, he knocks them unconscious to spare them the trauma. After dealing with the man, Han Li sends a message to his master, Li Huayuan, detailing the conspiracy he has uncovered. He notes that the Sect Master advised him to remain silent, but he felt his master had to be warned. Meanwhile, Li Huayuan and the other elders are seen relaxing, with Fuyunzi even suggesting a game of mahjong to pass the time.
Later, Han Li receives a message from Chen Qiaoqian, who asks to meet him. During their meeting, she confides in him about her constrained life, confessing she has never been able to make her own choices. She asks if Han Li can take her away with him to a place where they can be free. Han Li remains silent in the face of her desperate plea. As they part, she gifts him a set of clothes, and he gives her some beauty-enhancing pills in return. Han Li then watches her walk away, her request left unanswered.
