Episode Summary
Jin Buhuan's attempt to ambush Yuan Yingxing fails, resulting in him losing an arm. Meanwhile, Wang Yue's plan to seduce Yang Qing backfires, leading to a misunderstanding. A mysterious plague, later revealed to be poison, breaks out in the village, turning the locals against Yang Qing and his disciples. In a final confrontation, Jin Buhuan poisons Yuan Yingxing, but Yao Fu saves him by taking a fatal blow and jumping with him off a cliff.
Spoiler Alert
A Forbidden Marriage: Double-Crosses and Desperate Measures
Episode 9 of A Forbidden Marriage begins with the Valley Lord absolutely furious. Yao Fu and Yuan Yingxing have escaped, and Jin Buhuan is taking all the heat for the failure. Desperate to get back in the Lord's good graces, Jin Buhuan pitches a new plan: give him a team of archers, and he'll ambush Yuan Yingxing himself. The Valley Lord agrees.
Armed with his archers, Jin Buhuan sets out, but he gets a surprise when Yuan Yingxing appears right in front of him. Jin Buhuan immediately drops to his knees, trying to play the victim, but Yuan Yingxing has seen his true colors and isn't falling for it. When the fake apology doesn't work, Jin Buhuan gives the signal, and the archers let their arrows fly. In a seriously cool move, Yuan Yingxing uses his flute to block every single arrow, the sound waves even causing pain to Jin Buhuan and his men. Jin Buhuan tries to make a run for it, but Yuan Yingxing catches him. Instead of killing him, though, he just cuts off one of his arms, leaving him crippled before heading back to Biluo Valley.
When the princess sees the now one-armed Jin Buhuan, she's enraged. To make matters worse, Lu Xuanxuan returns to the valley empty-handed, without the children she was sent for. She tries to reassure her father that even though the kids are alive, she's erased all trails leading back to them. He doesn't buy it and orders her to go back and finish the job. With no other choice, Lu Xuanxuan has to track down Yang Qing again.
Meanwhile, Wang Yue, Ling Yin, and Ming Yang are keeping an eye on Yang Qing. While Wang Yue and Ling Yin share some light-hearted banter, Ming Yang is puzzled about whether Yang Qing has figured out that Wang Yue is the Saintess. Wang Yue herself suspects he knows but is choosing to play dumb.
Determined to go with Yang Qing to the Cloud Sect, Wang Yue comes up with a bold plan. She decides to sneak into his room at night, use a special aphrodisiac incense, and force the situation so he has no choice but to take her with him. The plan backfires spectacularly. The incense has no effect on Yang Qing, and to make things worse, Wang Yue discovers letters he's kept concerning Yao Fu. She jumps to the wrong conclusion, assuming he's in love with Yao Fu. A heated argument erupts, and Wang Yue storms off. Later, she's seen crying to Ling Yin, complaining about Yang Qing.
The next morning, things get even more complicated. The local villagers surround Yang Qing and the other Cloud Sect disciples, accusing them of starting a plague that has broken out, beginning with the children. Wang Yue immediately feels something is off about the sickness. Ling Yin and Ming Yang learn from Fan Hao that the plague might have been started deliberately. After examining the children, Ling Yin confirms their suspicions: it's poison. With the villagers threatening to burn their house down the next day, Shang Huai is furious at being blamed after they tried to help. Yang Qing holds his disciples back, refusing to let them harm the common people. He sneaks out to investigate and finds Wang Yue, Ling Yin, and Ming Yang already tending to the sick villagers, and he quickly joins in to help.
Elsewhere, Yuan Yingxing is still recovering from his injuries, with Yao Fu faithfully by his side. Jin Buhuan, ever the opportunist, shows up again, this time pledging his undying loyalty. He even presents a map of Biluo Valley as proof of his sincerity. Though wary, Yuan Yingxing is caught off guard—the map is coated with poison. As Yuan Yingxing weakens, Jin Buhuan makes his move. In a final act of devotion, Yao Fu shields Yuan Yingxing from the attack, taking the blow herself, before grabbing him and leaping off a cliff to escape.
