Episode Summary
In this episode, Jiang Wenhan successfully traps the Gui Fang forces, but a deeper conspiracy is revealed when the captured leader is assassinated. While returning to camp, Jiang Wenhan and his friends are caught in a deadly mystical maze. Yao Shuliang, who had been set free, returns to save them but is killed in the process. In a rage, the young masters defy orders and attack the Gui Fang city to rescue Yao Shuliang's family and avenge his death.
Spoiler Alert
The Trap Springs
The episode kicks off right where we left off. Gui Fang has signaled the attack.They think they’re about to storm the city. But Jiang Wenhan is playing it cool. He tells his men to just wait a second. He has a plan, and it's a good one.
Sure enough, smoke signals start rising from all over the Donglu Kingdom's territory. The Gui Fang forces look around. They realize they've walked straight into a trap. Panic sets in, and they try to run. It's too late, though. Jiang Wenfeng and his soldiers pop up and have them completely surrounded.
Bo Gu, the Gui Fang leader, tries to bluff his way out. He claims his main army is on its way to back him up. Jiang Wenfeng isn't buying it. He calmly informs Bo Gu that his "reinforcements" have already been dealt with. They were intercepted and suffered heavy losses.
A Rigged Game of Chance
With the immediate threat handled, a new problem comes up. What do they do with Yao Shuliang? Jiang Wenhan is adamant about letting him go. Chong Yibiao, however, wants to drag him back to the young masters' camp. They're at a total standstill.
A Si, ever the quick thinker, suggests they leave it to fate. She proposes a game of chance with dice to decide. The dice are thrown, and the result is to let Yao Shuliang go free.It all seems fair, but Xin Jia sees right through it. He noticed that A Si used two different colored dice that somehow landed showing the same color. He realizes the game was rigged from the start. No matter how they landed, the outcome would have been to release Yao Shuliang. Xin Jia keeps this to himself, though. Yao Shuliang is just grateful and says his goodbyes.
A New Enemy in the Shadows
Back with the prisoners, Bo Gu is still running his mouth, refusing to admit defeat. Jiang Wenfeng tells him that Donglu Kingdom's real strength isn't its defense map. It's the unity of its people. But something is bothering Jiang Wenfeng. He notes that this whole attack felt off. The tactics weren't Gui Fang's usual style. He suspects someone more skilled was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Just as he says this, a hidden arrow flies out of nowhere and kills Bo Gu.This confirms Jiang Wenfeng's theory. Someone is cleaning up loose ends. A horrible thought then hits him. He realizes Jiang Wenhan is in danger.
The Forest Maze
His instincts are spot on. Jiang Wenhan and the other young masters are walking through a forest, trying to get back to camp. They soon realize they're just walking in circles. Xin Jia spots a weird-looking stone statue. He reaches out to touch it and accidentally triggers a mechanism.
Suddenly, arrows start flying out from the trees. The group scrambles for cover, but not everyone makes it. There are multiple casualties. Jiang Wenhan figures out they're trapped in an ancient formation, a kind of mystical maze. He explains that the statue was just one part of it. To get out, they have to find the "Life Gate." He starts analyzing the positions of other statues and the time of day to locate the different "gates." He identifies the Harm Gate and the Rest Gate before finally figuring out where the Life Gate is. They all brace themselves to make a run for it, blocking arrows as they go.
A Hero's Sacrifice
On his way back to his own country, Yao Shuliang hears a three-whistle signal. He instantly recognizes it as a specific distress call from the camp. It means Jiang Wenhan and the others are in serious trouble. Without a second thought, he turns back.
Yao Shuliang understands the meaning of the whistles, which guide him directly to the Life Gate of the formation. He rushes forward and smashes the central stone statue. The arrows stop. The smoke in the forest begins to clear. Everyone is saved. They rush to thank him, only to see he has an arrow sticking out of his back.
It turns out there was an ambush waiting right at the Life Gate. He was hit but forced himself to stay up long enough to destroy the statue and save everyone.As he's dying, his only request is for Jiang Wenhan to take his body back to his homeland.
Revenge for a Friend
A devastated Jiang Wenhan carries Yao Shuliang's body back to camp. Everyone is filled with rage. They demand Jiang Wenfeng let them go out and get revenge. Jiang Wenfeng looks grim. He reminds them that military rules forbid unauthorized attacks. But then he adds that he won't interfere. He says they are acting on their own to avenge a friend, and their lives are in their own hands.
That's all the permission they need. The group rides out, storms the Gui Fang camp, and smashes through the city gates. Fueled by anger, they fight their way to the city center. They successfully rescue Yao Shuliang's captured family.
Later that night, Jiang Wenhan can't shake a feeling about E Shun. There's something familiar about him. It reminds him of the mysterious person who saved the young slave earlier. He tells Xiao Ding to find out what happened to that slave.
