Episode Summary
Fu Sheng solves a murder committed with a tiger bone by scaring the culprit with a fake ghost. He then discovers that a local religious statue is covered in poisonous red paint, which is causing sickness among the villagers. The hunter proves the toxicity by eating the paint. This leads to a confrontation with the Jibei Chamber of Commerce, revealing that the statue was a cover-up for a past massacre over water rights.
Spoiler Alert
The Tiger Bone Murder
Fu Sheng takes a close look at the victim. The cause of death is strange. It was a tiger bone. The team tracks down a hunter who recently killed a tiger. He admits to eating the meat. He sold the bones to a man named Zhang Mazi to sell as medicine.
The group heads to Zhang Mazi’s place. Zhang acts nervous. He makes an excuse to grab the bones and tries to run for it. The team catches him easily. Zhang confesses, but not to murder. He ran because he sells fake medicine made of dog bones. He swears he sold the real tiger bone to Jizhi Hall.
A Ghost in the Window
Fu Sheng visits Jizhi Hall. He pieces the tiger skeleton together. One leg bone is missing. The clerk claims the set was incomplete when they bought it. Fu Sheng decides to play a mind game. He asks Gu Tian to find a mask.
Gu Tian dresses up as a ghost and lurks outside the hunter's window. The hunter is terrified. He panics and spills the truth. Fu Sheng already suspected him. The hunter admits to the killing. He blames the Ma tribe for the sores plaguing the villagers and the death of his family. He wanted to take them down with him.
The Poison in the Paint
Wen Yu is impressed by Fu Sheng’s trick. Fu Sheng shifts his focus to the water. He tastes the lake water himself. It is not poisonous. He watches the locals. They drink the water, pray to a statue, and wash their faces with water from the statue.
Fu Sheng realizes the problem. The red paint on the statue is toxic. The water runs over it and becomes poison. He announces this to the crowd. The villagers get angry and accuse him of disrespecting the god. Xu Buhuai scrapes off some red paint to test it. The hunter grabs the paint and eats it. He wants to prove a point or perhaps just end his suffering. He collapses in agony. The poison is real.
Old Grudges and New Enemies
We see the other side of this conflict. Song Jingye, the head of the Jibei Chamber of Commerce, arrives in town. A slave named Sun Siming acts as a human stepping stool for him. Servants wipe their shoes on Sun Siming’s clothes. Sun Siming is furious but keeps his head down.
Vice President Li Zhizhuo asks Song about a new warrant involving a jade plate. Then news breaks that the Ma tribe found the poison source. Song orders Li Zhizhuo to strike first.
Back at the village, Fu Sheng saves the hunter’s life. The hunter finally sees the truth. The statue killed his family, not the Ma tribe. He helps the crowd push the statue over. Song Jingye arrives with his men. He is angry about the destroyed statue. Xu Buhuai reveals the dark history. Years ago, Song fought for this water source and lost. Bodies piled up in the river. Song installed the statue to cover up the carnage and "bless" the area. It was never about peace.
