Episode Summary
Ming Yi starts to heal, but everyone mistakenly gives the credit to Situ Ling, who performed a dangerous blood ritual and is now losing his mind. The real hero is Ji Bozai, who secretly gave her the "Fleeting Dream" artifact, leaving himself vulnerable to a fatal poison. Meanwhile, Ming Yi agrees to fight in a tournament for the new ruler, Tianji, in exchange for future justice, and becomes determined to win when she learns the prize can resurrect her companion beast.
Spoiler Alert
The Grand Misunderstanding
So, the episode kicks off with She Tianlin being totally baffled. He checks on Ming Yi after their trip to Zhangwei Mountain. Her deadly "Heaven of Parting Sorrow" poison is vanishing. It's almost undetectable. Ming Yi just jokes that the Bo family's house must have good vibes.
Of course, that's not what's happening. We learn the real reason right away. Ji Bozai never actually destroyed the "Fleeting Dream" artifact. He secretly transferred it into Ming Yi's life force. He saved her. But nobody knows.
A Bloody "Gift"
This is where things get messy. Situ Ling decides he's going to be the hero. He finds Fu Yue and asks for her help with a dangerous ritual. He literally carves into his own chest to get his heart's blood. He then refines it to transfer his own life force to Ming Yi.
Before Ming Yi can even process what's happening, he shoves the blood in her mouth. Then he dramatically collapses. Great. Now Ming Yi is stuck taking care of this guy. She's grateful, I guess. But she's also clearly thinking he needs to stop sacrificing himself for everyone else.
The Fallout
The ritual has consequences. On his way back, Situ Ling is hit with a massive backlash. He's in agony. Fu Yue rushes to his side. She warns him that he has to fight through it or he'll lose his mind completely. She even lets him bite her wrist to get through the pain. Her arm is a wreck afterwards, but she just smiles and tells him it's okay.
It's not okay, though. Situ Ling is now super weak from losing so much of his life force. The evil aura from his Blood Moon Ring starts messing with his head. He flashes back to all the awful things that have happened to him. His sanity starts to crack.
Back with Ming Yi, she discovers she's growing new spiritual veins. Even her cat's bell is reacting. Everyone immediately assumes it's because of Situ Ling's heart blood. Now Ming Yi feels like she owes him big time. She has no idea how to repay him. She Tianlin is the only one who seems suspicious. He thinks this is just a temporary fix.
A New Tournament and a New Deal
We cut to the politics over at Jixing Yuan. The immortal officials are all gossiping. They don't think the new, young ruler Tianji is up to the job.
Ji Bozai isn't having it. He steps forward and shuts everyone down. He gives Tianji his full public support. This gives Tianji the confidence to make a bold promise. She declares that if she can't lead Jixing Yuan to victory in the upcoming Qingyun Tournament, she will step down immediately. Later, she has a nice moment with Yan Xiao. He promises to support her no matter what.
Tianji Makes Her Move
Tianji needs a winning team. She goes straight to Ming Yi. She begs her to join the Shouhua Pan Palace and fight for Jixing Yuan in the tournament. She reminds Ming Yi how she forged the incredible Demon-Suppressing Umbrella. With her skills, their team would have a real shot.
Ming Yi is a tough sell, but she eventually agrees. She has one condition. When all the Six Realms are gathered for the tournament, Tianji must publicly expose the crimes of Chao Heng and his cronies. Tianji agrees without hesitation.
The Real Prize
She Tianlin hears about Ming Yi's plan to join the tournament. For once, he doesn't argue. He actually gives her some useful information. The grand prize for the winner is a Black Ganoderma. This magical item can resurrect a companion beast.
Ming Yi is floored. The thought of bringing her companion back is all the motivation she needs. She is now 100% committed to winning. She immediately gets to work, forging custom weapons for each of her new teammates.
Secrets and Jealousy
This whole situation creates some serious drama for our main couple. Ji Bozai is the last person to find out that Ming Yi has joined the tournament team. And he is not happy.
He's stuck watching everyone praise Situ Ling for "saving" Ming Yi. He's incredibly jealous. But he can't say a word. He can't tell her that he was the one who actually saved her with the Fleeting Dream. So he just has to sit there and sulk.
The Truth About Situ Ling
While Ji Bozai is stewing, his assistant Bu Xiu reports back with some interesting news. He was investigating Situ Ling. It turns out the Situ family doesn't have a younger son. The guy is a complete fraud. His real identity traces back to the Chasing Water Spirit Continent. Ji Bozai puts the pieces together. Situ Ling must be after the Fleeting Dream.
Ji Bozai's Secret Sacrifice
The real bombshell drops when Bu Xiu learns what Ji Bozai did. He is horrified. Years ago, Ji Bozai was also poisoned with the "Heaven of Parting Sorrow." Bo Yulan managed to suppress the poison, but she never fully cured it. Now, Ji Bozai has given the Fleeting Dream to Ming Yi. It was the one thing keeping his own poison in check. If his poison comes back, there is no cure for him. He has basically signed his own death warrant to save her.
