Episode Summary
The Master uses a fake death and a bounty to hunt for the jade plate. Fu Sheng saves Qin from execution and learns that a painting may have hypnotized him. The investigation reveals a heavy mechanism was used to kill Song Jingye. Gu Tian and Fu Sheng capture an assassin who reveals secrets about Prince Jibei and the "Wall-Breaking Organization," but Yunting ambushes them and knocks everyone unconscious.
Spoiler Alert
The Mastermind Behind the Screen
We start with a cough in the dark. The Master is hiding behind a screen. He sounds sick, but his mind is sharp. He is orchestrating a massive search for the jade plate. Yunting slips in to report. She has updates, but the big news concerns Ruan Changfeng. Everyone thinks he is dead. He isn't. He is actually pulling the strings from the shadows. He had Li Zhizhuo issue a bounty. It’s a trap. He wants the reward to lure the jade holder out of hiding. They suspect the target is already in Xichuan.
The Scapegoat
Li Zhizhuo moves fast. He arrests Qin and wants to execute him right there. He claims it will calm the public. Fu Sheng intervenes. He knows this smells wrong. He suspects Li just wants to silence a witness. Li backs down and takes Qin to jail instead. They torture Qin all night. He is covered in wounds. He still refuses to confess to killing Song Jingye.
Fu Sheng visits the cell. He wants the truth. Qin finally talks. He remembers entering the Lin mansion with Song. Then Song vanished. Qin saw a painting of a Golden Monkey. Then he saw a real, living monkey. He panicked and passed out. He woke up at home covered in blood. His wife said he walked home alone. He remembers nothing. The city bell rang eight times. That meant Song was dead. Fu Sheng drops a heavy theory. The painting hypnotizes people. Qin starts to doubt his own sanity.
Investigating the Scene
Fu Sheng and Gu Tian hit the streets. They analyze the murder. Gu Tian is an expert on weapons. He says Qin’s sword is too dull. It could never dismember a body like that. That clears Qin. Fu Sheng realizes something else. The incense at the mansion was always burning. It wasn't for prayer. It was to create a spooky atmosphere. The killer wanted people to fear ghosts and stay away.
Yunting visits the Chamber of Commerce. Li Zhizhuo swears he will find the jade. She doesn't stay for small talk. She vanishes in a blur of motion, leaving only a faint scent behind.
Back at the Lin mansion, the investigation continues. Wenyu spots a clue on the top floor. Something heavy was moved. Based on the damage to Song’s body, the killer used an object weighing eight hundred pounds. It acted as a mechanism to tear the victim apart. They look at the stone lions outside. Moving those upstairs would be impossible without help.
The Night Vision Pill
Sun Siming shows up at the mansion. He has a torch. He wants to burn the place down to hide the evidence. A man in black interrupts him. The stranger kidnaps Sun and drags him deeper into the complex. Gu Tian and Fu Sheng see this. They give chase. They dodge hidden arrows and stumble into a secret room.
It is pitch black inside. The enemy is fast. Gu Tian takes a beating. Fu Sheng pulls out a special pill. He gives it to Gu Tian. Suddenly, Gu Tian can see in the dark. He spots the assassin and drags him out into the light.
The Wall-Breaking Organization
The assassin is terrified. He thinks Gu Tian and Fu Sheng are from the "Wall-Breaking Organization." Gu Tian plays along. He tricks the man into talking. We get the backstory. The organization serves Prince Jibei. Five sages run the show. The Prince himself is just a puppet now. This assassin wants out. He admits he helped kill Song Jingye, but claims he was used. He offers a cloud-shaped jade as a bargaining chip.
He hands over the jade. He thinks he is free. Suddenly, Yunting walks in. She wears a mask. She moves silently. Before Gu Tian or Fu Sheng can react, she drugs them. They hit the floor.
