Episode Summary
Zhang Qiling's memory returns. A flashback reveals that over a decade ago, he, Chen Wenjin, and a crazed Third Uncle encountered a deadly trap with eight doors. In the present, Zhang Qiling exposes Third Uncle's past betrayals, including swapping a valuable artifact and arranging for the only witness, Da Kui, to be eliminated. Wu Xie is left questioning everything he thought he knew about his uncle as the team realizes they are running out of time to escape.
Spoiler Alert
What Just Happened?
Wu Xie and Pang Zi make it to the bottom of whatever watery pit they're in. They find an inscription on the floor. It says something cryptic about walking through a door to become an immortal. Pang Zi is confused. They're underwater, not heading to the sky. Wu Xie figures it's just one of those philosophical riddles.
Then they turn around. Zhang Qiling is gone. He was right there a second ago. They start scrambling to find him. It doesn't take long. He's just staring at another line of text on the floor, completely zoned out. After a long silence, he finally speaks. He says he's been here before, more than ten years ago. And his memory is coming back.
The Big Memory Dump
We get a huge flashback. Over a decade ago, Zhang Qiling was here with Chen Wenjin's team. They found different writing on the stone drums. They guessed it was a "Palace in the Clouds" built by the legendary Wang Zanghai. Zhang Qiling, being the adventurer he is, wanted to check it out. A bunch of his colleagues wanted to tag along. Chen Wenjin tried to talk him out of it, but you know Zhang Qiling. He does what he wants. So, they all went in.
Deep inside, they found a stone monument. And next to it was Third Uncle. This was weird for a few reasons. First, he was supposed to be unconscious when they entered. Second, he was putting on makeup like a woman. Chen Wenjin called out to him, and he just started crying and running around like a madman.
The Eight Deadly Doors
Everyone rushed to grab the hysterical Third Uncle, but he just vanished into thin air. While everyone else was panicking, Zhang Qiling stayed calm. He noticed a loose brick in the wall, moved it, and revealed eight hidden doors.
Chen Wenjin immediately knew this was bad news. It was the "Qimen Dunjia," a mythical trap. Only one of the eight doors is a "life" door. The other seven lead to certain death. Zhang Qiling figured the crazed Third Uncle must have known which door to take. He tried to copy the weird pose he saw Third Uncle make. Then he felt a sharp pain in his head and everything went black.
Third Uncle Isn't Who You Think He Is
Back in the present, Zhang Qiling explains what happened next. He woke up in a hospital with amnesia.He forgot everything that happened in that room. It wasn't until he ran into Third Uncle on their last adventure that bits and pieces started coming back.That's why he's been keeping a close eye on him and why he came back to this place.
This new information makes Wu Xie's head spin. He starts thinking about his uncle's strange behavior back at the Lu Wang Palace.
The Gold Foil Swap
Zhang Qiling then drops another bombshell. Remember that gold foil they got from the "fox spirit"? Third Uncle secretly swapped it for a fake. And there was a witness. Da Kui knew about the switch. That explains why Da Kui was seriously injured and conveniently fell off a cliff. With him gone, there was no one left to prove what Third Uncle did.
Wu Xie is completely shaken. He's always looked up to his Third Uncle. Now, his entire perception of the man is shattered. But there's no time to process all this. They're still trapped, and they need to figure out a way to escape. Fast.
