Episode Summary
In this episode, the cave rescue concludes with Ning Ziyu's suicide and Jiang Wenhuan's reconciliation with E Shun. A'si learns of her father's death and a royal decree confiscates her home. In the cave, the discovery of blood crystal stones and a cryptic half-edict point to a larger conspiracy. A hidden note reveals A'si's true origin as the sole survivor of the Tushan Village massacre, raised by a blackmailed Elder Li. Finally, Ning Bohou, who was secretly alive, is killed by the true mastermind from Kui Fang after learning his son was turned into a monster and his immortality pill was a success.
Spoiler Alert
The Cave Aftermath
A Rescue and a Reckoning
The episode kicks off right in the middle of the cave rescue. Jiang Wenhuan and his crew successfully pull the trapped soldiers out. He gets A'si to safety first. Then he learns E Shun is still inside. Jiang Wenhuan doesn't hesitate. He dives right back in to find him.
But things go sideways fast. Ning Ziyu shows up and ambushes Jiang Wenhuan. Just in the nick of time, E Shun appears and saves him. Ning Ziyu knows he can't avenge his father anymore. He's completely alone. In his despair, he kills himself.
After the chaos, Jiang Wenhuan feels guilty. He knows he hurt E Shun by suspecting him. He gives E Shun a real, heartfelt apology. They talk it out and finally clear the air.
A'si's World Crumbles
Grief and a Royal Decree
A'si finally wakes up. She sees her family's servants all dressed in mourning clothes. She tries to tell herself her father's death was just a bad dream. But then she runs into the main hall. She has to face the truth. Her dad is really gone.
As if that isn't bad enough, an imperial edict arrives. The court accuses Elder Li of working with enemies to frame the army. His punishment is severe. The government is seizing his entire estate. Jiang Wenhuan rushes over to be with A'si. She refuses to accept the edict. Instead, she runs straight for the cave, desperate to find her father's body. All she finds outside are the prayer beads he once made for her.
The Plot Thickens
Blood Crystals and a Torn Edict
Back in the cave, Jiang Wenhuan finds something strange. Red, silk-like threads are wrapped around sword-shaped stones poking out of the ground. Jiang Wen Feng and Gongsun Wuyu show up. They know what this is. It's blood crystal stone.
They explain this stuff is bad news. It horribly mutilates any corpse it touches. A century ago, people burned it all to protect their dead. The fact that it's back now points to a huge conspiracy. They all agree they need to dig up this weird tomb and see what's going on.
They also find half of an old royal edict. It says that the blood crystal stone will reappear when the legendary immortality pill surfaces. But the second half of the message is missing. No one knows what the rest of it says.
The Truth Comes Out
A'si's Real Story
A'si is numbly staring at the ornament her father made for her. She accidentally drops it. A small, hidden note falls out. The note explains everything about her real identity.
Sixteen years ago, Ning Bohou heard the immortality pill was in a place called Tushan Village. He took his men there to find it. At the time, Elder Li was just a common bandit. He was hiding from soldiers in that same village, pretending to be a local. He happened to be away from the village on the day of the search. He watched from a distance as Ning Bohou's men massacred everyone.
Elder Li was about to run. Then he heard a baby crying from inside a box. He couldn't just leave the child. He grabbed the baby, the village's only survivor, and escaped. That baby was A'si. He raised her as his own.
Later, A'si came down with a dangerous fever. A fortune teller told him to get a gold lock to save her. He tried to steal the money for it but got caught and beaten. That's when Ning Bohou found him. Ning Bohou had a purse that Elder Li had dropped back in Tushan Village. He used the purse and A'si's life to blackmail Elder Li. From that day on, Elder Li was forced to be Ning Bohou's pawn.
The Mastermind's Move
Turns out, Ning Bohou isn't dead after all. He was saved by the mysterious Kui Fang and thrown into a cell. A masked member of Kui Fang pays him a visit. He tells Ning Bohou that the giant monster from the competition was his own eldest son. Ning Bohou is completely shattered.
The masked figure then reveals that the immortality pill Ning Bohou worked on was actually a success. Ning Bohou had no idea. The figure then takes off his mask. Ning Bohou is terrified by who he sees. The figure kills him on the spot.
Elsewhere, a Daoist advisor to the King of Shangshan senses that the immortality pill has appeared. He immediately orders the princes to go out and find it.
