Episode Summary
Wangquan Fugui lives as a lantern maker while searching for the Water-Controlling Pearl and dealing with a mysterious sand fox. Qingtong is trapped by her brother, Qingcheng, who reveals a dark secret about his past. The sand fox is revealed to be a runaway prince named Fan Yunfei, who is also tasked with finding the pearl. Fugui and Fan Yunfei are both taken to a bandit camp, where they meet again. We learn Qingcheng is possessed by a Black Fox, which explains his dangerous obsession with Qingtong.
Spoiler Alert
Wangquan Fugui's New Gig
A Quiet Life That Isn't So Quiet
So, Wangquan Fugui is hiding out in the Western Regions. He’s making a living by selling paper lanterns. He tells the local villagers his last name is Wang. They start calling him Craftsman Wang. It’s a simple life. He doesn't need much money to get by. You'd think this would bring him some peace. But it doesn't. Every night, when all the lanterns in the village light up, he feels a strange emptiness.
He's also trying to get his strength back. He practices every day to recover a little bit of his internal power. He doesn't want to rely on anyone. He misses Qingtong, of course. But he knows there's still danger around. He's also stuck with that movement restriction curse. His main goal right now is finding the Water-Controlling Pearl. He needs it to figure out a way to break the curse.
An Uninvited Guest
A strange guest has been showing up at his house. It's a sand fox. This isn't just some random animal, though. The fox has strong demonic power. It probably took human form a long time ago. At first, Fugui thought it just wanted food. But he refused to give it any meat. Now the fox has a personal grudge against him. Fugui gets so tired of it that he goes to the market to buy it meat. While he's there, he overhears some people. They're looking for a lost Second Prince of the sand foxes. He starts to wonder if that annoying little fox is actually royalty.
Qingtong and the Possessive Prince
A Warning Shot
Qingtong finally gets away from Lady Yin. She's desperate to find Wangquan Fugui. But her problems aren't over.
Her brother, Qingcheng, catches the spies from Thousand Silk Cave that Qingtong had summoned. He sends one back with a clear message for Lady Yin. Qianji City and Thousand Silk Cave should stay out of each other's business.
Qingcheng then dresses Qingtong in fancy, elaborate clothes. She feels really uncomfortable. She demands to know what really happened in Qianji City. Qingcheng finally tells her a piece of the story. He says the old city lord used to capture demons and drain their power. Qingcheng was one of his victims. He somehow survived having all his power taken. Then, he killed the city lord. He refuses to explain how he did it. This just makes things weirder. He then begs Qingtong to give him the love she has for the "Weapon Human." His plea just makes her feel even more guilty and trapped.
A Royal Pain
The Runaway Prince
The Sand Fox Emperor has been looking for his Second Prince this whole time. The little fox that's been bugging Fugui is him. The Emperor's men find him and drag him home. They force him to take his human form. We learn his name is Fan Yunfei.
He's been on the run for years. He always felt his father didn't care about him. He was also afraid. He thought taking human form would somehow cause his older brother to lose everything. But then his brother died. Fan Yunfei snuck back home once after that. The Emperor is a crying mess. Fan Yunfei feels bad and finally agrees to take his human form. Big mistake. The Emperor immediately orders him to go get the Water-Controlling Pearl. Fan Yunfei is furious. He complains that he never wanted to be human in the first place.
Kidnapped and Reunited
Into the Bandit's Den
Wangquan Fugui gets a nasty surprise. A female bandit and her crew kidnap him and a bunch of other villagers. He thinks the bandit leader might have the Water-Controlling Pearl. He decides to go along with it to investigate.
The Sand Fox Emperor has his own plan. He sends Fan Yunfei into the same bandit camp. He's presented as a "beautiful" gift to the female bandit. It's a convenient way to get him inside.
The bandit leader brings Fugui before her. Then they bring in the new "beauty," Fan Yunfei. Fugui immediately recognizes him. It's the stray dog that's been bothering him for days. The bandit leader tries to flirt with Fugui, but he's not having it. She gets angry and sends him off to do hard labor. Later, Fugui decides he's had enough. He uses his power to control a leopard demon. He starts a fight to save himself and the other villagers.
The Truth About Qingcheng
We get one final, huge reveal. Qingcheng is possessed by a Black Fox. That's his big secret. The Black Fox's power is how he managed to kill the old city lord. Now, the entity inside him will do anything to keep Qingtong by its side.
