Episode Summary
Fu Sheng learns his father killed to hide a map to a cursed treasure. Framed for murder by Magistrate Yang, Fu Sheng and Gu Tian flee to Xichuan. There, they find a village plagued by disease and a suspicious gold mine. The City Lord tries to marry off his daughter Wen Yu to General Xu before he dies. Fu Sheng investigates a mage's assassination and discovers the killer used a lethal bone needle.
Spoiler Alert
The Old Man's Secret
Fu Sheng spends this episode obsessing over his late father’s suicide letter. He sits in his study and hallucinates his father’s face. The old man gives him one final lecture. We finally get the motive for the mass murder of those hundred doctors. His father did it to bury a secret. It involves three specific jade pieces. You need the Cloud, Water, and Mountain jades. Combine those with a jade plate and you unlock a treasure. But this treasure is bad news. It triggers war and chaos. If Fu Sheng wants peace, he needs to track down his father’s master.
On the Run
Gu Tian has good instincts. He spots Magistrate Yang approaching the house with a small army. Wen Yu steps up to play the hero. She stalls the magistrate so Fu Sheng and Gu Tian can slip away. By the next morning, the narrative changes. The magistrate claims Fu Sheng murdered his wife. He puts a bounty on Fu Sheng’s head. Gu Tian gets intel from Xiao Xiao that the wife died under suspicious circumstances. The room was disinfected. Someone clearly set this up. They can’t stick around to clear their names though. The duo flees to Xichuan.
Family Drama in Xichuan
Wen Yu gets dragged back to Xichuan. She tries a classic fake stomachache to ditch her escorts and find Fu Sheng. It almost works until her senior brother, Wen Jiu, blocks her path. She begs him to let her go. He ignores her tears. He carries her back to the family estate like a sack of potatoes.
Meanwhile, Fu Sheng and Gu Tian reach Xichuan right as the locals hold a sacrifice ceremony. We see a shaman step into the woods for a bathroom break. He gets knocked unconscious from behind.
The Sick City Lord
City Lord Wen wants his daughter, Wen Yu, to learn patience. He makes her meditate. She lasts less than one incense stick. Since she won't calm down, he tries to marry her off to General Xu Buhuai. He gives her the general's bracelet. She hates it. She accuses her father of selling her out.
We see a softer side of the City Lord with Wen Jiu later. Wen Jiu cuts fruit for him and is super careful about the portion sizes. The Lord is touched. He admits he is dying. His body is failing him. He just wants to build a safe haven for his daughter before he is gone.
The Gold Mine and the Rot
The village in Xichuan is a mess. Locals have rotting sores on their faces. They warn Fu Sheng to stay away from the lake water unless he wants the same skin condition. The local economy relies on the Chanxing Gold Mine. Soldiers watch over the diggers. The deal is simple. Dig up gold and you get rich or get to go home. An old man strikes gold and immediately plans his retirement. It feels too good to be true.
The Bone Needle Murder
Wen Yu storms off to return the engagement bracelet to General Xu. Their argument gets cut short by news of an assassination. A mage is dead. Fu Sheng and Gu Tian rush to the scene. General Xu tries to block them. He claims the death is divine punishment. Fu Sheng ignores him and examines the corpse. It is definitely murder.
Xu’s men find the dead mage’s robes nearby. Then they find the naked, unconscious guy from earlier. The killer swapped places. Fu Sheng pulls a needle made of toxic bone out of the victim's skull. It was an instant kill.
