Episode Summary
Mei Si buys cursed ink that brings his paintings to life, unleashing an army of ink demons on Chang'an. Wu Zhen fights them, but it takes Mei Zhuyu and his magic sword to stop the invasion. The chaos leads to a major sacrifice from the white tea tree, and Wu Zhen gets a clue that there's more to Mei Si's condition than just the ink.
Spoiler Alert
A Cursed Gift
So, Mei Si gets his hands on some new, special ink, and he is completely obsessed with it.He decides he's going to paint a whole bestiary of demons for Liu Taizhen as a gift.Xuanhui, who is always lurking, starts feeding him stories about the most vicious demons not found in any books. He pays special attention to a tale of a thousand-year-old tiger demon.
Mei Si immediately gets to work painting it. Xuanhui watches him, thinking his artwork is just plain ugly.
The First Monster Escapes
That night, the tiger demon literally crawls right out of the painting. Xuanhui sees the whole thing happen. He knows instantly that the ink is cursed with some kind of dark magic. But does he do anything to stop it? Of course not. He figures this could stir up some serious trouble for the Demon Market, so he just lets it happen.
Across town, Wu Zhen feels a wave of dark energy. She tracks it down to a dark alley and finds the tiger demon, a massive white tiger with black stripes. They have a brutal fight. The thing is powerful, but Wu Zhen manages to take it down.
An Obsession Takes Hold
The next day, Mei Zhuyu hears about a demon sighting. He goes to the alley and finds the huge tiger paw prints left behind. He knows something is wrong.
Meanwhile, Mei Si wakes up and sees that the tiger in his painting has faded. He also finds bloody paw prints on his floor. Before he can panic, Xuanhui is there, telling him he must be seeing things. The bloody prints magically turn back into wet ink stains. Convinced he was just tired, Mei Si goes right back to painting, becoming more and more frantic.
The whole city is now buzzing with rumors about demons, and people are starting to get scared. Mei Zhuyu suspects someone is deliberately spreading the panic. He starts his investigation at the local ink shops. The shopkeeper is terrified when Mei Zhuyu shows up and hands over the customer log. Mei Zhuyu is shocked to see his cousin, Mei Si's, name in the book.Just after he leaves, Hu Zhu shows up and asks to see the shop's detailed account books.
A Rude Awakening
Mei Zhuyu rushes over to the Mei Manor. He finds the place covered in paintings of demons. Mei Si looks like a ghost. He's pale, his eyes are glazed over, and he's on the floor, still painting like a man possessed.
Mei Zhuyu doesn't hesitate. He grabs Mei Si, drags him out into the courtyard, and dunks him headfirst into a giant vat of water. The household staff tries to intervene, but Mei Zhuyu screams at them to back off. After struggling for a bit, a thick, orange-colored mist pours out of Mei Si's mouth and nose. After the mist disappears, Mei Si finally comes back to his senses.
All Hell Breaks Loose
While this family drama is unfolding, Empress Wu summons Wu Zhen.She's worried about Wu Zhen's future and tells her to finally choose between marrying Mei Zhuyu or Pei Jiya. Wu Zhen flatly refuses. She says she will only marry for love, and if she can't find it, she'll stay single. The Empress is furious.
Suddenly, ink demons start appearing all over Chang'an. They attack citizens, they attack Wu Zhen, and they even attack Mei Si. Xuanhui's own demonic power is still too weak, and he can't protect Mei Si. At the same time, Wu Zhen is losing a fight against a powerful ink deer demon, which has cornered Princess Yuanzhen.
Just when it looks like both Mei Si and the princess are done for, the white tea tree makes a choice. It uses all of its remaining power to destroy the ink deer demon, sacrificing itself in the process. It dies in Princess Yuanzhen's arms.
The Cleanup
With the city in total chaos, Mei Zhuyu steps up. He draws his Heavenly Master Sword and single-handedly cuts down every ink demon in Chang'an.
Elsewhere, Pei Jiya feels the shift in power and starts to panic. She's terrified that her benefactor will find out their plan has failed.
Later, after things have calmed down, Hu Zhu tells Wu Zhen where the ink demons came from. Wu Zhen goes to the Mei Manor to check on Mei Si and runs into Mei Zhuyu. All of the cursed ink has been used up. As Wu Zhen is leaving, she notices something strange on Mei Si's wrist. She decides not to say anything about it and leaves quietly.
