Episode Summary
In this episode, Tang Lici and Liu Yan have a dramatic confrontation on a mountain, leading to a fall where Tang Lici sacrifices his own safety to save Liu Yan. While recovering, Tang Lici learns the tragic backstory of the demon king Yique Yinyang, revealing he was a kind being corrupted by betrayal. Tang Lici then makes a dangerous deal with a healer for three life-saving pills that will ultimately end his life. In a separate storyline, Zhong Chunjie is confirmed to be the Empress's long-lost daughter.
Spoiler Alert
A Showdown on the Mountain
The episode starts with Tang Lici on his way to Baojing Mountain. He's looking for Xiao Shi. But of course, things can't be that simple. Fang Pingzhai tips off Liu Yan about Tang Lici's exact location. He even tells Liu Yan that now is the perfect time to finally kill him.
Liu Yan is still holding onto that old grudge. He buys it completely. He races to the mountain to confront Tang Lici.
A Leap of Faith
They immediately start fighting. You know how it goes with these two. The problem is, Baojing Mountain is notoriously dangerous. People who go there to gather herbs tend to disappear. Tang Lici senses something is wrong during the fight.
Sure enough, the ground gives way. Liu Yan falls toward a cliff's edge. Tang Lici actually manages to catch him with his red rope. He could pull him up. But Liu Yan is stubborn and refuses the help. The rope slips, and Liu Yan plummets into the chasm.
Tang Lici watches him fall. Then, without a second of hesitation, he jumps in right after him. I'm not kidding. He just jumps. After all the times Liu Yan has tried to frame him and kill him, Tang Lici still can't let him go.
An Alliance in the Abyss
They both survive the fall and land at the bottom of the valley. Tang Lici wakes up first. He looks up and sees a strange air vortex, a potential way out. This triggers a memory. He remembers a special musical piece from his time at Zhaodi Lou. If two people play it together, their power increases massively.
He wakes up Liu Yan. He suggests they play the tune together. He also tells Liu Yan that he'll give him the one chance to escape.
The Escape
Liu Yan hears Tang Lici call him by his old name, the one from their shared past at Zhaodi Lou. In that moment, all the suspicion just melts away. He decides to trust Tang Lici with his life. He can tell from the music that Tang Lici's breathing is weak. He realizes Tang Lici is badly injured internally.
So Liu Yan focuses completely on playing his part. For the first time in a long time, they are perfectly in sync. When the moment is right, Tang Lici uses every last bit of his strength. He shoves Liu Yan up and into the vortex, sending him to safety. But this leaves Tang Lici with no power left. He just keeps falling deeper into the abyss. His last words to Liu Yan are to meet him at Zhaodi Lou in half a month.
Liu Yan makes it out. He's worried sick about Tang Lici and immediately heads for Zhaodi Lou.
The Truth About the Demon King
Tang Lici wakes up alone at the bottom of the valley. But he's not just seeing rocks. He's seeing memory fragments. These aren't his memories. They belong to the infamous demon king, Yique Yinyang.
This is a huge lore drop. We finally get the villain's origin story.
The Tragedy of Ye Mo
Yique Yinyang's real name was Ye Mo. He wasn't a demon. He was a celestial being who accidentally ended up in the Gumo Kingdom. He was pure and kind. There, he met and fell in love with Princess Xiya.
The king of Gumo was a snake. He lied to Ye Mo, telling him a plague was ravaging the kingdom. He begged Ye Mo to use his divine power to stop it. The good-hearted Ye Mo believed him. He unleashed his full life-force to heal the land. While he was weakened and defenseless, the king attacked. He tried to absorb all of Ye Mo's energy for himself. Luckily, a bracelet on Ye Mo's wrist activated and protected him.
Ye Mo saw the king's betrayal and killed him. The people of Gumo were terrified. They feared Ye Mo would take revenge on them all. So they captured him. They tied him to an iron pillar and burned him with fire for three days and three nights.
Ye Mo had regenerative powers. His body was trapped in a cycle of being burned to a crisp and then healing, over and over. It was absolute torture. Princess Xiya, the woman he loved, only showed up after the three days were over. That was the final straw. His heart broke, and his rage exploded. He destroyed the entire Gumo Kingdom. And that is how the kind Ye Mo became the feared demon king, Yique Yinyang.
Tang Lici realizes he had it all wrong. Ye Mo wasn't born evil. The greed and cruelty of the Gumo people made him that way.
A Deal with a Survivor
Tang Lici finally makes his way back. He finds Xiao Shi being looked after by a Divine Healer named Shui Duo Po. When she sees Tang Lici, she looks almost disappointed.
Tang Lici recognizes her from the memory fragments. Shui Duo Po was Princess Xiya's handmaiden. She is the only survivor of the Gumo Kingdom. She is terrified of Yique Yinyang.
Tang Lici comes clean. He tells her he has Fang Zhou's Heart Crystal inside him and needs medicine to prolong his life. Shui Duo Po knows the name Fang Zhou. She agrees to help, but it comes with a heavy price.
Three Pills to Live, and Die
She gives Tang Lici three pills. Each pill can instantly restore his strength and heal his injuries. It's a quick fix for any fight. The catch is a big one. Once he takes the third and final pill, his life is over. His time will be up.
To make sure he doesn't misuse them, Shui Duo Po decides she's coming with him. She will follow him back to the Central Plains Sword Association to keep an eye on him.
A Royal Reunion
The episode also checks in with Zhong Chunjie. The Empress summons her to the palace. She asks for a body inspection. The moment the Empress sees a specific butterfly tattoo on Zhong Chunjie, she breaks down. She tearfully recognizes Zhong Chunjie as her long-lost daughter.
The Emperor is thrilled. He showers rewards on everyone who ever took care of her, including her adoptive father, Sword Master Shao. He gets gold and a promotion.
Zhong Chunjie is overwhelmed. When the Empress calls her "daughter," she feels what it's like to have a mother for the first time. On her way back to the Sword Association, she brings gifts for everyone, happy to share her new fortune.
