Episode Summary
Sima Jiao sacrifices his life to save Liao Tingyan, who then grieves for nineteen years. She discovers he was reincarnated as a mortal prince and immediately goes to find him, only to accidentally interfere with his politics and catch his eye.
Spoiler Alert
A Garden and a Goodbye
The episode kicks off with Sima Jiao showing Liao Tingyan a new garden he built for her. It’s a beautiful, thoughtful gift. He designed it to look exactly like her Shenfu, her spiritual safe space. But this isn't just a sweet moment. Liao Tingyan is still a little annoyed with him. She thinks he was just using "closed cultivation" as an excuse to delay their wedding.
The real reason for the garden becomes clear very quickly. As soon as she closes her eyes to enjoy the peace, Sima Jiao starts transferring his cultivation power to her. She wakes up and immediately tries to stop him, but it's too late. He keeps pushing all of his Spirit Fire into her.
He explains everything as he fades. He was born without any family and never had much to live for until he met her. Now, he has two different Spirit Fires clashing inside his body, which means he was on borrowed time anyway. He reveals he was cultivating Fengshan's spiritual blood. This was the only way to control the demon core inside Liao Tingyan and keep her alive. He figured it was better if at least one of them survived.
With that, he's gone. He leaves her with a wedding ring, and she is absolutely shattered.
Nineteen Years Later
We jump forward nineteen years. Liao Tingyan has stepped up. She's now managing the affairs of both the Immortal and Demon realms. She’s keeping the peace and doing a good job. But she’s still heartbroken. During the day, she handles her duties. At night, she returns to the garden Sima Jiao built, reliving their memories and grieving.
Ye Ruling and Nian Jiu have watched her do this for almost two decades. We learn that Sima Jiao managed to save a single thread of his divine spirit before he died. Liao Tingyan, desperate to give him another chance, sent that spirit fragment out into the world to find a new host. But for nineteen years, it's been lost.
The Big Secret
Ye Ruling mentions to Liao Tingyan that Nian Jiu has been acting strange and secretive lately. He’s been missing their meetings and seems to be busy with something. This gets Liao Tingyan’s attention. She knows Nian Jiu wouldn't just blow off Ye Ruling.
She confronts him directly. She immediately notices something is off and smells something familiar on him. It’s Sima Jiao’s scent. Backed into a corner, Nian Jiu finally tells the truth. Sima Jiao was reincarnated nineteen years ago. He is now the 30-year-old prince of the Hu Kingdom. Nian Jiu has been secretly watching over him. He warns her that it's a dangerous situation. The prince's life has been hard, and the political climate is unstable. Plus, her own powers will be limited in the mortal realm, making her vulnerable.
A Trip to the Mortal Realm
Liao Tingyan doesn't care about the danger. After nineteen years of waiting, she's not about to sit back now. She immediately prepares to go to the mortal world to find him. Ye Ruling goes with her, acting as her protector.
On the way, Ye Ruling shares some local gossip. The prince has a terrible reputation. He's known for being a womanizer who has already taken several concubines. Liao Tingyan brushes it off. She's just happy to know he's alive; the rest is just noise.
An Awkward First Impression
They arrive just in time to see the prince, Sima Jiao's reincarnation, about to execute a man named Wei Xianyu. Not knowing the full story, Liao Tingyan and Ye Ruling intervene and save the man's life. It turns out Wei Xianyu is a corrupt official who was plotting against the prince.
Later, a "Doctor Huo" visits the rescued Wei Xianyu. She tells him to get rid of the prince quickly, or their mysterious "master" won't be happy. So, Liao Tingyan just saved a key player in a conspiracy against the man she's trying to find.
The episode ends as the Hu Prince looks out his window. His eyes land on Liao Tingyan, who is wearing an orange dress. He is instantly captivated. He orders his guards to bring her to him.
