Episode Summary
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Su Muyu directly threatens the Shadow Sect, surprising their leadership.He and his uncle, Su Zhe, debate whether to kill a prince or use him to destroy their enemies.The Three Officials ambush Su Muyu at a pavilion.Outnumbered and unarmed, Su Muyu uses a dangerous finger-based technique to fight back.Su Muyu is captured in front of Su Changhe, who is now being blackmailed.Spoiler Alert
The Opening Gambit
A Threat and a Warning
The episode kicks off with Su Muyu making a bold move. He walks right up to Yi Bu of the Shadow Sect. He doesn't mince words. Su Muyu says if they force Dark River's hand, he'll personally erase the Shadow Sect from the capital. It's a straight-up threat.
Yi Bu gets so angry he shatters a stool with his internal energy. A real mature way to handle things. But Zhuo Qing, who was also there, is actually impressed. He was using his power to hide his presence. Su Muyu detected him anyway. Zhuo Qing admits this new head of the Su family is more capable than the last. He tells Yi Bu he needs to bring more to the table. Dark River is not going to be easy to control.
A Night Out Gets Complicated
The Uncle's Plan
Su Muyu meets with his uncle, Su Zhe. They need a strategy. The mission to kill Prince Langya is a bad idea. The guy is too important. The job just isn't worth the risk. The real problem is the Shadow Sect. They have access to all of Dark River's files at the Wan juan lou. They could destroy them and cripple the organization.
Su Zhe has a counter-proposal. He suggests they can use Prince Langya. They could turn the situation around and use the Prince to destroy the Shadow Sect. Su Muyu feels like things are just getting more and more complex. His uncle basically says that's just how life is. Where there are people, there is conflict.
An Awkward Introduction
Later, we find Su Muyu at the Baihua Lou, a music pavilion. He looks completely out of place and reserved. A woman named Wan'er is performing on stage. Her friend, Tu Wan, decides she wants to befriend Su Muyu. She heard all the rumors about him being a vicious killer. But up close, she thinks he doesn't seem so bad.
We learn that Su Zhe set this whole thing up. He brought them here to test Su Muyu's character. The owner of the pavilion isn't convinced. He thinks Su Muyu is just a cold person by nature.
The Trap is Sprung
Ambush in the Alley
This is where it all goes wrong. The Three Officials from the Shadow Sect arrive. Their plan is to capture Su Muyu. They think having him will give them control over Su Changhe.
Tu Wan, who is now drunk, tries to drag Su Muyu to the next spot. The Three Officials use this moment to attack them in an alley. Tu Wan tries to block a few hits. Su Muyu tells her to get back. They are here for him. He has a problem, though. His uncle, Su Zhe, took his weapon. He's unarmed. Tu Wan lends him her dagger. Su Muyu remarks that he's always seen Su Changhe use a dagger. Now it's his turn.
While this is happening, Su Zhe figures out the dancers back at the pavilion were also assassins. He deals with them quickly and efficiently.
A Desperate Fight
Tu Wan realizes she's out of her league and backs away. Su Muyu is a good fighter, but he is outnumbered. The Three Officials are powerful, and he starts to struggle. He's clearly losing.
He then remembers a sword manual his father made him read. He closes his eyes for a moment. He visualizes the techniques. Then he attacks, injuring the Earth Official with just his finger. The Official is shocked. He knows that martial arts technique severely damages the user's fingers. Su Muyu's response is ice cold. He says he has ten fingers. That's more than enough to kill the three of them.
Friends and Enemies
A Little Help
Bai Hehuai arrives on the scene. He was furious that Su Muyu was at the pavilion. But his anger fades when he sees Su Muyu is injured. He gets the full story from Tu Wan. He tosses Su Muyu a bottle of medicine and tells him to focus on the fight.
Tu Wan is surprised that Bai Hehuai isn't worried. Bai Hehuai says he has complete faith in Su Muyu. He believes the winner has already been decided. Soon after, Su Changhe also arrives.
The Checkmate Move
There is more fighting. But then the Water Official makes his move. He captures Su Muyu. He does it right in front of Su Changhe. This was the entire point of the ambush. They now have Su Muyu. They plan to use him as a hostage to force Su Changhe to obey the Shadow Sect.
Yi Bu is now worried that Su Changhe is involved. Zhuo Qing reminds him that the Shadow Sect was always meant to be a "whetstone" for Dark River. A test. But he agrees that the Three Officials acted recklessly. Their plan is hard to read. The episode ends as Su Changhe demands to see his friend. A man named Crow tells him the choice is his. As The Patriarch, he will decide if Su Muyu is treated as a guest or as a prisoner.
