Episode Summary
In this episode, Ming Yi and Ji Bozai's relationship implodes after she betrays him to steal the Fleeting Dream. He destroys the drug, and she lies that she never loved him. To save her life, Twenty-Seven sacrifices himself. As Ji Bozai grieves, he uncovers a wider political conspiracy. In a B-plot, Tianji and Yan Xiao finally reconcile.
Spoiler Alert
A Night of Betrayal
This episode starts right where you want it to. Ming Yi and Ji Bozai finally give in. They spend the night together. It’s intimate. It feels real. But this is a drama, so you know happiness never lasts.
The Morning After
Ming Yi wakes up first. She watches Ji Bozai sleep. Then, a memory hits her. She remembers him swearing an oath to Bo Yulan. He promised he would never let the drug, Fleeting Dream, exist in the world.
This is a huge problem. Ming Yi needs that drug to survive. But she also can't let Ji Bozai break his sacred vow. So she makes a choice. She decides to steal it. She grabs Twenty-Seven and they sneak off to the Spirit Vow Well to get the drug.
The Trap is Sprung
Here’s the gut punch. Ji Bozai had turned the Fleeting Dream into a bottle of "Heart's Delight" wine. That’s the same wine Ming Yi once gave him as a symbol of her affection. He basically wrapped a poison in a love letter.
Ming Yi manages to get her hands on it. The second she does, the whole place erupts in flames. It’s a trap. Ji Bozai appears instantly. The look on his face is pure shock. Then it turns into complete heartbreak.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
The confrontation you knew was coming is finally here. It's even worse than you probably imagined.
A Heartbreaking Lie
Twenty-Seven tries to fight Ji Bozai for the drug. He's loyal, but he's no match for him. Ji Bozai almost delivers a fatal blow. Ming Yi has to intervene. She uses her own power to shield Twenty-Seven.
To save him, she has to destroy Ji Bozai. She looks him in the eye. She tells him she never loved him. She says it was all a lie. Every moment was a trick. You can see him just shatter. He takes the Fleeting Dream and destroys it right in front of her. Then he severs their Heart Seal. The connection between them is gone. It’s over.
Twenty-Seven's Final Act
With the drug destroyed, Ming Yi's time is up. The last petals of her Sorrow Flower are withering away. She is dying. Twenty-Seven sees this. He makes the only choice a true protector can. He sacrifices himself. He pours his entire life force and all his spiritual power into her. His energy forges one last petal for her flower. Then, he disintegrates into nothing.
Ming Yi is devastated and immediately faints from the grief and the power surge. Just then, Situ Ling appears. He carefully gathers Twenty-Seven's scattered spirit into a small bell. He then picks up Ming Yi and carries her away. Ji Bozai arrives a second too late. He only sees Situ Ling's back as he leaves with Ming Yi. For him, this is the final proof. She was just using him all along.
The Aftermath
Everyone is left to pick up the pieces. For some, there isn't much left to pick up.
A Broken Man
Ji Bozai returns to the Sea of No Return alone. He sits in a room, completely hollowed out. Memories of his time with Ming Yi flood his mind. Her words. Her smiles. He now believes every single one was a calculated move in a long game. He just sits there all night. He doesn't speak. He doesn't eat or drink.
His subordinate, Bu Xiu, brings him some news. The report from Mu Xinliu was tampered with. Ji Bozai restores the original text. It reveals a massive conspiracy. All the major powers have been making secret deals in the Heaven of Parting Sorrow. Ji Bozai believes the Chasing Water Spirit Continent is pulling the strings. He knows he has to take down their leader, Chao Heng, to stop history from repeating itself.
New Alliances and Old Wounds
Situ Ling takes Ming Yi back to Zhang Tai's courtyard. She's still unconscious and fading fast. Desperate, Situ Ling uses a secret technique. He uses his own blood to temporarily slow down the poison inside her. He then comes clean to Ming Yi. He reveals his true identity and explains his past. He tells her he is going to get the Fleeting Dream from Ji Bozai.
Ming Yi wakes up just enough to stop him. She insists that Ji Bozai never had the Fleeting Dream. She's clearly lying to protect him, but Situ Ling doesn't know that.
Meanwhile, we get a small break from the tragedy. Tianji finds out that Yan Xiao has been secretly using his own blood to keep her late mother's flower blooming all year. She is deeply moved. Later, when he comes to give a report, she finally opens up about their past.
Tianji confesses she has always loved him. Her anger was never about his distance. It was about him carrying every burden alone and never letting her help. Yan Xiao realizes he was wrong to shut her out. He apologizes. Tianji breaks down in tears and they embrace. The misunderstanding between them is finally resolved.
