Episode Summary
Xiao Huan discovers the Saintess is his mother and refuses to kill her. Du Tingxin admits to murdering the royal family and reveals she plans to take the throne. She uses mind-control poison on the guards and Qianqing. Ling Cangcang is captured and tortured while trying to save Zhong Lin. Qianqing shares a final emotional moment with Xiao Huan before the poison fully takes him over.
Spoiler Alert
Family Reunions and Villain Monologues
We start with a heavy standoff. The Saintess tells Xiao Huan to just kill her. She says it is the only way to stop the Ghost King and end the Lingbi Sect chaos. But Xiao Huan spots a tattoo. It matches his mother’s. He can’t pull the trigger on his own mom. He locks her up instead.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qianqing is finally connecting the dots. Zhong Lin brings him proof that Xiao Huan didn’t kill their mother or sister. It was a setup. All the witnesses from the palace vanished years ago. Someone orchestrated this whole mess.
The State Preceptor Comes Clean
Qianqing finds a letter from his late mother. He realizes his sister, Xiao Ying, knew the truth the whole time. The only person with access to the poison was State Preceptor Du Tingxin.
Du Tingxin doesn’t even try to hide it. She walks right in and admits everything. She says the Empress Dowager ordered the hit on the Princess. But here is the kicker. The Princess took the poison willingly to help Qianqing secure the throne.
Qianqing can’t handle this. He refuses to believe his mother would play dirty politics like that. Du Tingxin keeps twisting the knife. She admits she gave the Empress Dowager a "fake death" pill. But she hated how the royals treated her. So she just let the old woman die for real.
A New Queen in Town
Qianqing snaps and slaps Du Tingxin. She barely flinches. She rings a little bell, and guards swarm the room. They aren't loyal to the crown anymore. They are infected with "Heart-Eating Poison." Even Zhong Lin falls under her control.
Qianqing tries to pull rank. It doesn't work. Du Tingxin mocks him. She plans to take the throne herself. She claims she has royal blood too and wants to start a new dynasty. She is completely unhinged.
She also reveals a nasty surprise for Qianqing. He is infected with a "Gu" parasite. He is slowly turning into a mind-controlled puppet.
Sacrifices and Traps
Xiao Huan goes back to the Saintess. He knows she is his mother now. She admits she stayed away to find a cure for his poison. She is ready to die to save him. Xiao Huan shuts that down immediately. He refuses to trade her life for his. She eventually hands over a resurrection medicine instead.
Du Tingxin is losing patience. She uses Zhong Lin as bait to lure out Ling Cangcang. Cangcang knows it is a trap. She goes anyway.
Qianqing fights through his mind control to help from the shadows. Cangcang manages to save Zhong Lin, but she gets overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.
One Last Brotherly Chat
Zhong Lin notices Qianqing is fading fast. The puppet spell is taking over. Qianqing goes to see Xiao Huan one last time. He offers to go on a suicide mission to kill the State Preceptor. A life for a life.
Xiao Huan tells him to trust the plan. Qianqing gets emotional. He says he wants to be Xiao Huan’s younger brother again in the next life. It is a gut-punch of a scene.
The Empress is Captured
Du Tingxin finally gets her hands on Ling Cangcang. She is thrilled to have the Empress as a prisoner. She wants to test out her new poisons on her. Cangcang gets tortured, but she doesn’t break. Du Tingxin keeps her alive just to show off her impending victory.
Xiao Huan makes a move to pardon the Lingbi Sect members. He gains a lot of followers. But a traitor leaks the info. Du Tingxin finds out Xiao Huan is still alive. She is furious. The war is just getting started.
