Episode Summary
Wu Xie frees himself from a vine trap only to land in a coffin with two mysterious corpses. After dealing with a clingy female corpse and a possessed Fatty, he retrieves a key that causes one of the bodies to disintegrate. The group reunites just in time to be saved from a fox-demon attack, but their relief is cut short by the discovery of a horrifying tree covered in dead bodies.
Spoiler Alert
Waking Up in a Nightmare
Wu Xie wakes up in the worst way possible. He is hanging upside down from a tangle of vines. Below him, there's an open coffin. Inside, he sees two bodies, a man and a woman. He assumes they have to be fake. No real corpse looks that well-preserved. The woman is wearing a mask, but you can tell she was a beauty.
The Coffin Guests
Wu Xie needs to get down. He spots a short sword on the male corpse and manages to grab it. He cuts the vines and drops right into the coffin between the two bodies. Then things get really strange. The female corpse's arms suddenly wrap around his neck. When Wu Xie struggles to his feet, her body just clings to him. It is seriously creepy.
A Little Help from a Friend
Suddenly, Wu Xie hears someone yelling for help. It's Fatty. He is also caught in the vines. Wu Xie throws the sword up to him, and Fatty cuts himself free. Fatty drops down and is immediately freaked out by the dead girl stuck to Wu Xie. He warns Wu Xie not to look at the male corpse.
Things Get Weird
This is where the episode really leans into the strange. The tomb is not just a tomb. It's full of illusions and traps designed to mess with your head.
Don't Look at the Fox-Man
Fatty points out that the male corpse has a fox-like face, a sharp chin, and dark, bluish skin. It is a perfect match for the legendary Lu Shang Wang. Wu Xie realizes that looking directly at the corpse triggers terrifying hallucinations. He quickly shuts his eyes and turns away.
The Wrong Fatty
Wu Xie notices something in the female corpse's mouth. As he's about to investigate, he hears Pan Zi whispering to him. Pan Zi tells him to hit the back of the corpse's head to make it release him. Wu Xie does it, and it works. But Pan Zi has another warning. The Fatty standing next to him isn't the real Fatty. This impostor has been pushing Wu Xie to get a "key." Wu Xie realizes this version of Fatty has been acting strangely, especially about getting the object from the corpse's mouth.
The fake Fatty sees that Wu Xie didn't get the key and gets angry. He starts choking Wu Xie. Desperate, Wu Xie grabs a heavy bronze vessel and smacks the impostor on the head. The blow knocks him out and seems to bring the real Fatty back to his senses.
The Key and the Collapse
With the immediate threat gone, they turn their attention back to the puzzle. Wu Xie inspects the bronze vessel and finds a keyhole. The shape looks like it matches the object in the female corpse's mouth.
A Risky Move
He knows he has to go for it. The real Fatty holds the vessel while Wu Xie carefully pulls the key from the corpse's mouth. He sees a very thin string attached to the end. He recognizes it from his reading as a trigger for a trap, possibly a crossbow hidden inside the body.
The moment the key is free, the female corpse's arm crumbles into dust. Wu Xie is startled, but Fatty, ever the veteran, tells him not to worry. The key was probably the secret to her preservation. With air getting inside, her body is simply oxidizing.
The Reunion
Wu Xie and Fatty head back to find the others. Third Uncle shouts for them to watch their backs. Wu Xie turns to see the fox-faced demon from the coffin on Fatty's back, ready to bite his neck. Luckily, Third Uncle and Pan Zi fire an arrow, killing the creature instantly.
The team is finally reunited. Pan Zi is injured but in good spirits. Their relief doesn't last long, though. They spot a massive tree in the distance that appears to be moving. As they get closer, they realize the things hanging from its branches aren't nests. They are corpses.
