Episode Summary
Finalizing the Recap
Spoiler Alert
A Not-So-Convincing Faint
So, we pick up right where Ming Yi gets caught. Situ Ling sees her use her powers. She panics. Her brilliant solution is to just collapse on the ground. She pretends to faint.
Ji Bozai comes running, all worried. He helps her up. Ming Yi immediately launches into a story. She claims a demon beast attacked her. She says Situ Ling was the one who saved the day. She was secretly getting ready to use her magic on Situ Ling. She needed to make sure he kept his mouth shut. But then something strange happens. Situ Ling just goes along with her lie. He takes the credit for saving her. This completely throws Ming Yi off.
Mu Qibai is standing right there. You can tell he doesn't buy any of it. He looks super suspicious. But with Situ Ling backing up the story, he has to let it go. Ji Bozai insists he'll investigate how a rare demon beast just appeared out of nowhere.
The Plot Thickens
Back at Wugui Hai, Twenty-Seven is not happy. He tells Ming Yi she was way too reckless. Ming Yi doesn't regret saving Ruo Shui, though. She thinks the whole day felt off. First, Ruo Shui told her about Hou Zhao's poison scheme. Then a demon beast that hasn't been seen in a century shows up. She figures this big mess might actually be a good thing. It could force a real investigation into the Chen Yuan poisonings.
A Bedside Vigil
Later, Ji Bozai stops by to check on Ming Yi. He fusses over her and takes care of her late into the night. He sits by her bed, waiting for her to fall asleep. He only leaves when his attendant, Bu Xiu, comes to get him.
Here’s the thing. He had no idea she was awake the whole time. Ming Yi was just pretending to be asleep. She wanted to see what he was really up to.
The Truth About Hou Zhao
Ji Bozai wasn't just going home. He and Bu Xiu head straight to the Sky Prison. After Situ Ling finishes his official "punishment" of Hou Zhao, Ji Bozai steps in. He drops all pretense. He calls out Hou Zhao for being a monster who sold out his own daughter.
We learn the real story. The entire Hou family line suffers from a genetic disease. They call it the "Withered Branch" sickness. It kills all their children. To save his bloodline, Hou Zhao found a Tree Spirit. He made a twisted deal. He used his daughter, Ruo Shui, as the contract. The plan was to give her a specific herb. It would destroy her mind. Then she would be sacrificed to the spirit. In return, Hou Zhao would get more heirs.
With his plan totally exposed, Hou Zhao just falls apart. His spirit is completely destroyed. And who was hiding in the shadows listening to all of this? Ming Yi. She finally understands. Ji Bozai set this whole thing up. It was all to get revenge for his master.
A Game of Wits
Ming Yi goes back to her place with this new information. She starts to suspect the poison inside her is part of a much bigger plan. Twenty-Seven tries to warn her. He tells her not to let this new knowledge change her goals.
But Ming Yi gets it. She knows Ji Bozai isn't done with his revenge. She also knows she is still a very useful piece in his game. From now on, it’s a battle of wills. It’s about who has the sharper sword. And who has the harder heart.
Guilt, Gifts, and New Threats
Ji Bozai feels pretty bad about the whole situation. He knows he used Ming Yi's genuine desire to help for his own selfish plot. The guilt is eating at him.
Ji Bozai's Failed Apology
On the way back from the prison, he tells Bu Xiu to get Ruo Shui somewhere safe. He also wants to get intel on Mu Qibai before Mu Qibai can make a move. Ji Bozai wants to make things right with Ming Yi. He just has no idea how. Bu Xiu asks Granny Xun for advice. She tells him the answer is simple. Ji Bozai should just apologize.
But he can't. The words "I'm sorry" just won't come out. So he comes up with a different plan.
A Timely Rescue
The next day, there's a big meeting at the Jixing Yuan palace. Everyone is cornering Ji Bozai. They demand to know about the antidote, "Huang Liang Meng." He's trapped.
Then, Ming Yi walks in. She calmly saves him. She announces that the special wine she brews is actually called "Huang Liang Yi Meng." It's a clever play on words that gets him off the hook. Later, in the carriage, Ji Bozai gives her a pile of spirit stones. He says it's a reward. But it's really his silent apology. And you can tell he feels a little better.
Old Enemies Return
Mu Qibai isn't giving up, though. He secretly calls back one of his generals, a man named Xun Ming. This is a big deal. Xun Ming was one of the men who murdered Ji Bozai's master, Bo Yulan.
Xun Ming is from the You Su Fox Clan. He is a master of hiding his presence. No one can track him. He thinks Ji Bozai is no threat at all. At the same time, Ming Yi worries her cover is blown. She decides she needs to find out what Situ Ling really knows. She heads to the Si Pan Hall to test him.
Episode Summary
Ming Yi fakes an injury to cover her tracks, but her lie draws her and Ji Bozai closer. Ji Bozai reveals a dark secret about Hou Zhao's plan to sacrifice his own daughter, which Ming Yi overhears, realizing she is a pawn in Ji Bozai's revenge plot. Wracked with guilt, Ji Bozai rewards Ming Yi instead of apologizing, while an old enemy connected to his master's death is summoned by Mu Qibai.
