Episode Summary
Fu Sheng uncovers a plot involving drugged horses and lightning traps while trying to prevent a war between local factions. Hulu reveals himself as a double agent to save Fu Sheng, but the villain Sun Siming murders a key witness to cover his tracks. The episode ends with Fu Sheng exposing a mole within their own ranks.
Spoiler Alert
Treasure at Dawn Episode 18 Recap
Things in Xichuan are getting ugly. We are looking at six dead bodies already. These aren't random nobodies, either. The victims are big shots from both the Horse Gang and the Chamber of Commerce. The tension is thick enough to cut with a knife.
The Steward Who Can't Read
Sun Siming has positioned himself as the steward of the Chamber. It’s a bold move. He sits there while a subordinate hands over the ledgers and cash. There is just one problem. Sun Siming is illiterate. He stares at the books for a second, realizes he’s out of his depth, and tells the guy to keep managing the accounts.
Fu Sheng crashes this little party. He needs to know if anyone is missing. The accountant jogs his memory. A worker named Shunzi ran off a few days ago. That sounds like a lead.
Fu Sheng’s Investigation
Fu Sheng doesn't waste time. He goes straight to where Shunzi bolted. He spots something odd on the ground. Lightning marks. This changes the theory about the fire that almost killed Xu Buhuai. It wasn't an accident. Shunzi likely used iron chains to lure the carriage right into a lightning strike.
Then there is the horse. Fu Sheng checks the stables. He finds the horse that pulled the carriage that night. The animal is sick. It’s been eating "Waiyin grass." This stuff is bad news. It makes horses addicted. That explains why the horse bolted and left Xu Buhuai to burn. Someone set this whole thing up.
The Double Cross
The feud between the Horse Department and the Chamber is about to explode. Fu Sheng tries to stop the violence. He realizes a third group, led by Jia Xiaolong, is stirring the pot.
Fu Sheng walks into a deserted temple to face Jia Xiaolong alone. Jia thinks he has the upper hand. He decides to kill Fu Sheng right there. But he didn't account for Hulu.
Hulu pulls out his medicine box. He triggers a hidden mechanism. Bam. Jia’s men drop to the floor, unconscious. Hulu wasn't a traitor after all. He was undercover the whole time, feeding info to Fu Sheng.
The Cloud Jade
Jia Xiaolong knows he lost. He gives up. Fu Sheng tells him to turn over a new leaf. Jia shakes his head. He thinks he’s too far gone. He pulls out a Cloud-shaped Jade. He admits people died for the treasure connected to this thing. He offers the jade in exchange for his men's lives.
Before they can shake on it, two masked figures jump from the shadows. They grab Jia and vanish.
Street War and a Cold Murder
Chaos breaks out in the streets. The Horse Department and the Chamber are at each other's throats. Fu Sheng drags Jia’s captured men to the scene. He screams that they are all being played. It doesn't work. Both sides have lost friends. They want blood.
Sun Siming watches from the sidelines. He wants the body count to go up. He plans to kill someone just to make the riot worse. But Wen Yu shows up. He talks everyone down. The crowd disperses, and Sun Siming’s plan fails.
Later, we see where the masked men took Jia Xiaolong. Sun Siming has him. He demands the "Jade Plate." Jia refuses to talk. He knows Sun is a snake. Sun loses his temper and kills him. He lies to everyone else, claiming it was self-defense. Fu Sheng and Gu Tian don't buy it for a second.
The Mole
The next day, Fu Sheng makes a surprising call. He takes in Jia’s surviving men. They protected him earlier, so he figures they aren't all bad.
Then he drops the hammer. He arrests Fang Zhiyuan in front of everyone. Jia Xiaolong let something slip before he died. That slip-up proved Fang was working from the inside. The conspiracy is finally unraveling.
