Episode Summary
The Yiqi Alliance's top demon slayer, Wangquan Fugui, brutally clears a demon-infested city but shows a moment of mercy to a small spider demon. We learn he is a "living weapon," raised without emotion by his cold father. The spider demon infiltrates his home as a spy and gets tangled in a failed romantic plot. The episode ends with a major confrontation where Fugui's father reveals that this cruel life was actually the dying wish of Fugui's own mother.
Spoiler Alert
A City of the Dead
The show kicks off with a total nightmare. We're in a place called East City. It's been overrun by demons. The Mu family, who are part of a demon-slaying group called the Yiqi Alliance, sends in their young master to handle it. He arrives with his crew. The city is silent. Everyone is dead.
Before they can even process the horror, a shadow zips through them. It takes out the master's disciples in seconds. Then, the young master himself vanishes into a cloud of smoke. It's a brutal opening.
The distress call reaches the head of the Yiqi Alliance, Wangquan Hongye. He runs the powerful Wangquan Mountain Villa. He's already sent his best weapon to the scene.
The Demon Slayer and the Spider
That weapon is his son, Wangquan Fugui. He arrives in East City and finds the bloody, terrified Mu family master. The kid is babbling for help. A demon is right behind him. Fugui doesn't even break a sweat. He dispatches the demons in a few clean moves. He is clearly on another level.
He then follows a strange red light. The light coalesces and forms into a person. This is Huodou, a powerful demon lord. She and Fugui are evenly matched. They go at it, and the fight is intense. Huodou unleashes her special karma fire. She thinks she has him burned to a crisp.
But Fugui just walks straight out of the flames. He isn't hurt at all. The fire actually seems to part for him, like it's afraid. He then kills Huodou with one final, decisive strike. The guy is an absolute machine.
On his way out of the city, he spots a tiny spider demon trying to escape. Her name is 12580. He's about to kill her. But then he learns she used her silk to help wounded humans. She was trying to stop their bleeding. So, he lets her go.
A Deal with a Cave Master
This act of mercy doesn't go unnoticed. The leader of 12580's group, the Thousand Silk Cave Master, sees the whole thing. He notes that Fugui might have a soft spot. The Cave Master is a real piece of work. He wants to kill another spider demon, 12581, who 12580 considers her little brother.
She begs for his life. She offers the Cave Master a deal. If he helps her get onto a cargo ship headed for the Wangquan Mountain Villa, she will become his spy.
The Weapon of Wangquan Mountain Villa
We get a closer look at Fugui's life. He's not just a slayer. He's a "living weapon." He was raised for one purpose. To kill demons. He doesn't need reasons or emotions. He just needs to follow orders.
His father, Wangquan Hongye, is furious with him. Fugui failed to execute a legendary sword technique during the fight. As punishment, Hongye orders him to go reflect in a cold spring.
Fugui's backstory is bleak. His mother was incredibly powerful, but she died giving birth to him. Since he was a child, his father has forced him to train for eight hours every single day. His life is nothing but training. He's supposed to be an empty vessel, a perfect weapon. But he still can't master that final sword move. His father shows him no affection. He only cares about his progress as a killer.
A Birthday Invitation
Meanwhile, 12580 makes it onto the cargo ship. She's immediately caught by a girl named Feng Tingyun. To save her own skin, 12580 offers to fix Feng Tingyun's torn dress.
Feng Tingyun has a better idea. She shows 12580 a picture of a beautiful, intricate dress. If 12580 can make it for her, she'll let her go free. Feng Tingyun is in love with her senior from the clan. She wants to wear the dress for his birthday. That senior is, of course, Wangquan Fugui.
12580 volunteers to deliver an invitation letter for her. She sneaks into Fugui's room that night. He recognizes her as the little spider demon he spared. She begs him to take the letter and meet with Feng Tingyun. Later, Feng Tingyun puts on some truly wild makeup for her big night. 12580 tries to gently tell her it's a bit much, but Feng Tingyun loves it.
It doesn't matter in the end. Fugui never shows up. Feng Tingyun is left heartbroken.
The Mask and the Truth
Fugui is preoccupied. He's holding a mask that belonged to his father. His mother gave it to him. No one is ever allowed to touch it. Today is Fugui's birthday. It's also the anniversary of his mother's death. That's why his father refuses to see him.
He asks the family butler about the mask's story, but the butler is too afraid of Wangquan Hongye to say anything.
We see Hongye alone, mourning his wife, Dongfang Huaizhu. He admits to himself that he can't be a good father. He's too focused on fulfilling his wife's wish to turn their son into the perfect weapon.
Fugui finds his father's private memorial. And 12580, being a spy-in-training, has secretly followed Fugui. Hongye spots his son immediately. The tension between them is thick enough to cut with a sword. Hongye tells him to get rid of all emotion and weakness. Fugui finally pushes back. He just wants to know why he has to live like this.
He puts on the forbidden mask.
Seeing the mask on his son's face sends Hongye into a rage. It reminds him of his own past, when his emotions led to a great failure. He attacks Fugui and knocks the mask off his face.
He finally tells him the truth. The plan to create a "living weapon" wasn't his. It was his wife's. It was Dongfang Huaizhu's grand design. To honor her memory, Hongye has forced his son to give up his humanity. And in the process, he has forced himself to live without joy, too.
