The Wanted Detective Episode 21 Recap
> The Wanted Detective Recap
Huo Dairong recounted that while Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo went to investigate clues about Old Bug, she fainted while preparing food for Xiao Beiming. Feng Qingzhuo confirmed she had been drugged unconscious. Feng Qingzhuo initially suspected Zhuge Kongyun, Zhong Xueman quickly dismissed the idea, realizing that only Old Bug, who had escaped from Dingfeng Pavilion and was known for using poison, could have been responsible for Beiming's abduction.
She also noted that Beiming suspected Huang Wuchang was abducted by poison, a detail Zhuge Kongyun later confirmed. Zhong Xueman then realized that if Old Bug indeed kidnapped Beiming, the Secret Investigation Unit finding Old Bug would expose Beiming. She resolved that they must find Old Bug and rescue Beiming before the Secret Investigation Unit did, and then force Old Bug to detoxify Beiming.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, the Emperor angrily demanded an explanation from Zhuge Kongyun regarding the Yesha case and the escape of the key criminal, Huang Wuchang, from his custody. Zhuge Kongyun admitted his failure but asserted he had found a lead, linking Huang Wuchang's abduction to a wandering physician from Poison Valley named Old Bug, who also had connections to Yesha.
Zhuge Kongyun pleaded for three more days, promising to capture both Old Bug and Huang Wuchang, or face immediate execution. Xiao Beiming awoke to find himself bound and his pressure points sealed in an abandoned house. Old Bug confirmed Beiming's condition, dismissing his struggles. Beiming, sharp as ever, deduced that Old Bug had lied to Feng Qingzhuo and that Yesha was behind his actions.
He concluded that Old Bug was the true mastermind of the Yellow Heaven cult, not merely a hired hand, and that Huang Wuchang was just an executor. Beiming reasoned that Old Bug, risking exposure for the Yin-Yang Book, had abducted Huang Wuchang to appease Yesha, who was angered by Huang Wuchang's capture in Weizhou. Old Bug acknowledged Beiming's insight. Beiming then questioned why he wasn't killed at Dingfeng Pavilion if his death was inevitable, suspecting he served another purpose.
Old Bug confirmed Beiming's eventual demise but revealed he had other plans first. He explained his primary motivation was to prove his superiority over his Senior Wushuang, who had crafted the poison Beiming suffered from. Old Bug was determined to cure Beiming to demonstrate his mastery and avoid losing face to his senior.
He also admitted that Yesha was indeed furious about the destruction of Yellow Heaven and the theft of the red crystal, and Beiming's life was required as further compensation. Beiming understood Old Bug's intricate plan: to cure him first to uphold his reputation and satisfy his ego, and then kill him to appease Yesha and secure his own safety.
While searching for Xiao Beiming, Zhong Xueman was approached by a child named Shitou, who handed her a piece of cloth given by an old man with long hair and a sick young man. Following Shitou, Zhong Xueman was led to the abandoned house where Old Bug ambushed and knocked her unconscious, stating it was "a blow for a blow" for a previous encounter. Zhong Xueman awoke to find herself bound.
Old Bug announced he was detoxifying her lover and revealed his method: "blood-exchange therapy," using Zhong Xueman's "clean blood" to replace Beiming's poisoned blood. He declared that his victory over his senior depended on her. Xiao Beiming attempted to resist, but his sealed pressure points rendered him helpless. Zhong Xueman cleverly provoked Old Bug, arguing that such a method wouldn't truly prove his superiority over his senior, suggesting Beiming's gender would become ambiguous and his victory would be hollow.
Swayed by the fear of his senior's ridicule, Old Bug dismissed the blood-exchange idea. Meanwhile, Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo, searching for Zhong Xueman, questioned Shitou. Feng Qingzhuo, showing kindness, gave the child candied haws. Old Bug then concocted a new, highly perilous method: "Meridian Modification with Golden Needles." He explained that this technique, never before successfully performed, involved separating some of Beiming's meridians into "obsolete channels" and forcing the poison into them.
This would render the poison harmless and restore Beiming's internal energy, thus allowing Old Bug to claim victory over his senior. Old Bug admitted the procedure was "excruciating pain, barely better than death by a thousand cuts," with a "ten deaths, no life" survival rate, but he was resolute to attempt it. Before commencing, Beiming, accepting his fate, asked Old Bug three questions about Yesha's true identity, purpose, and the medicine.
Old Bug revealed that Yesha never showed his true face and sought the production of a "supreme elixir," a more potent version of the poison that killed Huo Zongyao and Chu Guangsha. He claimed that upon completion, this elixir would "change the world, and the Qi Kingdom will fall," elevating him to a position revered by all poison masters and physicians.
During the excruciating process, Xiao Beiming succumbed to the immense pain and fainted, while Zhong Xueman, still bound, watched helplessly. As Zhuge Kongyun fretted over the approaching deadline to find Old Bug, Old Bug exultantly confirmed Xiao Beiming's pulse, surprised he had survived the "Meridian Modification with Golden Needles." He boastfully declared his triumph over his senior and announced his intention to kill Beiming as final proof.
Just then, Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo, along with other members of the Elite Constabulary Unit, arrived and quickly subdued Old Bug. Zhong Xueman instructed Feng Qingzhuo to attend to the still-breathing Beiming and told the others to take him back, insisting she needed to speak with Old Bug alone and assuring them he was no match for her.
Outside, Feng Qingzhuo expressed his grave concerns to Tong Shuang about Beiming's condition, emphasizing that no one had ever survived the "Meridian Modification with Golden Needles," despite the poison being sealed. Tong Shuang, anxious about Beiming not waking up, wanted to find a solution. Feng Qingzhuo urged him to have faith, reminding him that Beiming had overcome an impossible feat and had many reasons, including Zhong Xueman, to wake up.
Tong Shuang, worried about Zhong Xueman's safety with the cunning Old Bug, resolved to return to the abandoned house, but Feng Qingzhuo offered to go instead, being swifter. Inside the abandoned house, Zhong Xueman interrogated the captured Old Bug, questioning him about Huang Wuchang, Yesha's elixir plot, and Yesha's identity. Old Bug, feigning cooperation, told her to come closer to reveal the information. As she approached, he cunningly poisoned her, swallowed a pill, and freed himself from his restraints.
He then struck her, knocking her unconscious. Shortly after, both Fang Tianzheng of the Elite Constabulary Unit and Zhuge Kongyun of the Secret Investigation Unit arrived, each eager to claim credit for Old Bug's capture. They discovered Old Bug's burned body and Zhong Xueman standing beside it. Zhuge Kongyun immediately accused her of murder, citing her presence at the scene. Zhong Xueman vehemently denied the accusation.
Feng Qingzhuo and Fang Tianzheng defended her, highlighting the illogical nature of her actions if she were guilty and suggesting she had been framed, possibly by Huang Wuchang. However, Zhuge Kongyun dismissed their arguments as lacking evidence and insisted the case be handled by the Secret Investigation Unit to avoid bias, as Zhong Xueman was from the Elite Constabulary Unit. Fang Tianzheng adamantly refused, leading to a tense standoff between the two units.
Zhong Xueman, maintaining her innocence, agreed to be taken into custody to allow time for evidence to be found. Recognizing the futility of further conflict, Fang Tianzheng reluctantly ordered his men to stand down, allowing the Secret Investigation Unit to take Zhong Xueman, but asserted that the Elite Constabulary Unit would remain responsible for her safety until the truth was revealed.
Back at their base, Tong Shuang informed a newly awakened Xiao Beiming that Old Bug was dead and Zhong Xueman had been taken by the Secret Investigation Unit, expressing deep concern for her well-being.
