Episode Summary
A major misunderstanding caused by the Sand Fox King's impersonation of Fan Yunfei nearly derails his 101st proposal to Li Xueyang. After they fight a demon together and Fan Yunfei saves her life, the truth comes out and she finally accepts his proposal. At the same time, Qingtong travels to Tushan for answers about her visions and learns from Tushan Rongrong that her unique ability to refine a Black Bitterness Tree seed may be the key to defeating the Black Fox.
Spoiler Alert
The Proposal That Wasn't
So, we start with Qingtong. She's seeing some strange things. Visions of a world outside the known circle. It's enough to make her decide she needs a trip to Tushan Mountain, and fast.
But the main event is with Li Xueyang and Fan Yunfei. He has proposed to her one hundred times. Today is supposed to be the big one hundred and one. Even her own soldiers are betting she’ll finally say yes.
There's just one problem. He never shows up.
She waits all day. Morning turns to night. Nothing. Li Xueyang starts to worry that something bad happened to him. She grabs her spear and goes looking.
A Royal Screw-Up
She finds him, alright. Or at least, she thinks she does. She sees Fan Yunfei surrounded by other women. He's talking trash about her, calling her a "tigress." He says he just wants to marry her to get the throne.
It’s a gut punch. She is absolutely heartbroken. She walks up and slaps him right across the face.
Of course, it wasn't him. The real Fan Yunfei was busy fighting off some demon. The guy she saw was actually the Sand Fox King. He used a disguise just so he could go out drinking. What a jerk.
A Fiery Interruption
Li Xueyang is walking home, completely crushed. That's when the Snake-Haired Fire Fiend decides to show up and pick a fight.
Just as things get bad, the real Fan Yunfei appears. He saves her at the last second. She immediately confronts him. She asks why he isn't off having fun with other women. He has absolutely no idea what she is talking about.
He tries to explain, but it's a mess. They don't have time to sort it out. They have to team up to fight the Fire Fiend. The fiend is strong, though. It injures both of them and traps them.
Li Xueyang is hurt badly. To save her, Fan Yunfei unleashes the power of the Water-Controlling Pearl. In that moment, she realizes something huge. He was the one who saved her life that one time, long ago.
The Truth Comes Out
Fan Yunfei carries the injured Li Xueyang back to her camp. Before he leaves, he kisses her. He promises he will come back tomorrow.
While all this is happening, Qingtong makes it to Tushan. She meets Tushan Rongrong. Rongrong is stunned. She sees that Qingtong is actually refining a Bitterness Tree seed. Rongrong explains she scattered those seeds hoping a new tree would grow. The one from Qianji City was stolen. Qingtong is there for answers about her visions.
Back at the camp, Li Xueyang wakes up. She learns about the kiss. She's embarrassed but also pretty happy about it.
Fan Yunfei, meanwhile, is with Quan Rumu and Wangquan Fugui. He asks them what "seeking pleasure" means. When they explain it, he completely panics. The Sand Fox King finally comes clean and tells him the whole story. He tells Fan Yunfei to go explain things to Li Xueyang immediately.
The Real Proposal
Fan Yunfei shows up with an armful of flowers for proposal number 101. He's terrible at explaining the whole doppelgänger situation. But it doesn't matter. Li Xueyang chooses to trust him.
She finally says yes.
Her parents have to weigh in, naturally. Her father gives Fan Yunfei a series of threats. Her mother hands him a list of fourteen house rules. Despite the fact that he's a demon, they support their daughter's choice.
The Black Bitterness Tree
The episode closes out back at Tushan Mountain. Tushan Rongrong gives Qingtong some advice. She needs to return to the place where she first got the seed.
We learn this isn't just any seed. It's from a Black Bitterness Tree. Rongrong believes that if Qingtong can refine this black seed, she can handle the one outside the circle. She thinks this little spider demon might be the one to change their fate against the Black Fox.
For Qingtong, everything clicks into place. She finally accepts that Wangquan Fugui is dead. And she realizes Qingcheng has lied to her twice.
