Episode Summary
In this episode, Chi Yun is tricked into escaping prison and is lured into a trap. Sword Master Shao sacrifices himself to save his student, Zhong Chunjie, from Ghost Peony and Xifang Tao. After a brief moment of clarity thanks to Bai Suche, Chi Yun succumbs to his poison, kills his own men, and is ultimately killed by a heartbroken Tang Lici to prevent further tragedy.
Spoiler Alert
Whispers of Fate: Episode 38 Recap and Spoilers
This one was brutal. I'm just going to say it upfront. Get ready.
The Great Escape
The episode kicks off late at night. Xifang Tao shows up at the prison with a food box for Chi Yun. The guards stop her from going inside. They take the food in for her, and she gets turned away. You can tell from her face that something is up.
Sure enough, the next morning, a guard runs to Tang Lici. He reports that Chi Yun has escaped from prison.
Tang Lici was in the middle of drawing his own blood. He was trying to create an antidote for Chi Yun. He was just hoping his friend could hold on a little longer. Then he gets the news. When he learns Xifang Tao visited the night before, he is furious. Right on cue, she shows up, pretending to be concerned. Tang Lici is so angry he shoves her to the ground. But he doesn't have any hard evidence against her yet. He gives her a death glare and then rushes off to find Chi Yun.
A Master's Sacrifice
The Ambush
Sword Master Shao is on a mission. He's taking a medicine formula from Tang Lici to a doctor. On the road, he gets ambushed by Ghost Peony. I know, we all thought he was dead. Shao is completely outmatched.
Luckily, his student, Zhong Chunjie, was following him. She runs in to help when she sees her master get hurt. But then Xifang Tao also appears. She wastes no time. Right in front of Shao, she reveals that Zhong Chunjie is a fake princess. Shao knows this is bad. He realizes that one of them has to survive this fight. Someone needs to tell Tang Lici that Ghost Peony is alive. So he focuses all his energy on protecting Zhong Chunjie.
An Impossible Choice
Ghost Peony sees how close the master and student are. He decides to kill Zhong Chunjie just to be cruel. But Xifang Tao steps in and says she'll handle it. She walks over to Zhong Chunjie. She hands her a sword. She tells her to kill Sword Master Shao herself.
Shao doesn't want to put her through that. He grabs the sword from her and kills himself. Zhong Chunjie just collapses, holding his body and screaming. The most important person in her life just died in her arms. For a second, you can see something flicker in Xifang Tao. She seems to remember how she was once trapped in a similar way.
The Trap Springs
So, why did Chi Yun escape? We find out Xifang Tao hid a note in the food box. The note said his clan, the Fire Cloud Fort, was in danger and needed him. As the leader of the fort, he obviously bolted immediately.
On his way, he gets attacked by assassins. His mind is still clear, so he manages to fight them off and escape. He finally finds his clansmen. But things get weird. They are also traveling, and they have a letter. It's a distress signal supposedly from Chi Yun, asking for their help.
Chi Yun never wrote that letter. And his clan never sent him one either. He knows it's a trap. But the evil pill he was given starts to mess with his head. His mind comes and goes. Soon, he can't even recognize his own people.
A Friend in the Shadows
Just then, Bai Suche arrives. She gives Chi Yun a pill that Tang Lici had prepared for him. He instantly becomes lucid again. The madness fades. He looks at the woman in the white veil and feels like he knows her from somewhere. He trusts her completely. When she tells him to do something, he does it. He even tells an innkeeper to swap his wine for tea. His men are shocked at his sudden change in personality. They can't see her face, so they have no idea who this woman is.
Chi Yun tells her he feels a connection to her. He says hearing her voice makes him happy for reasons he can't explain.
An Unforgivable End
The peace doesn't last. The poison in Chi Yun flares up again. He completely loses his mind. He goes on a rampage and kills all of his own men standing around him. Then he turns on Bai Suche.
She accepts her fate and prepares to die. But Tang Lici arrives right at that moment. He sees the carnage. He sees his best friend turned into a monster. Tang Lici remembers what Shui Duo Po told him. If Chi Yun's mind ever broke completely, he had to be killed quickly. Otherwise, he would become a monster who hurts innocent people.
Tang Lici also knows the truth. If Chi Yun ever became sane again and saw that he had slaughtered his own clan, he would be destroyed by the guilt. He tries calling out his name, over and over. But Chi Yun doesn't recognize him at all. Tang Lici has no choice. He drives his sword into his friend's body.
In his final moments, Chi Yun's mind clears. He seems at peace. He tells Tang Lici he waited for him for so long. He waited from day to night, and from night to day. He was just happy to see him one last time. The two brothers embrace. Tang Lici just keeps apologizing. Chi Yun, ever the smart-aleck, replies with his last breath. "Forgive you in the next life."
