To Get Master Recap, Plot, Synopsis

To Get Master Synopsis

The pampered Princess Li Song'er of Zuimeng Kingdom unexpectedly transmigrates into the novel "Only I Am Supreme", where she coincidentally meets the "Great Devil," Gu Yuan. Li Song'er tries every trick in the book to escape the "Great Devil." However, since Gu Yuan holds the key to her return to Zuimeng Kingdom, she is forced to remain by his side, leading to a tumultuous love-hate relationship.

To Get Master Recap

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Li Song'er was born in a time of national peace and prosperity. She was the daughter of the Eldest Princess, but her mother had an unhappy marriage. Li Song'er’s father left without a word when she was still a child. Because of this, the Eldest Princess was extremely strict about choosing a husband for her daughter. When Li Song'er grew up, she became very beautiful, but the Eldest Princess turned away every suitor who came to propose.

Later, Li Song'er founded Ningxiang House, the most famous fragrance shop in Zuimeng City. However, her business didn't go well, and something very strange happened. One day, Li Song'er encountered a strange old man on the road. He gave her a storybook titled Supreme Tyrant. Li Song'er found it baffling. That night, back at her residence, she had her maid Qian read it to her.

But the story was all about fighting, which she had no interest in—until she heard the name “Ningxiang House.” To her shock, in the book, Ningxiang House was actually a brothel. Li Song'er was furious. Just then, an assassin broke into the courtyard. In a panic, Li Song'er used some Bewitching Incense. Unexpectedly, everyone present, including herself, was knocked out by the incense.

In Chiqian City, at Xiaoyao Ridge’s Sun and Moon Palace, the palace master Gu Yuan was engaged in a battle with members of other sects, just as it had been described in the book. None of the other sect members were a match for Gu Yuan; all were defeated by him. Nan Chuimeng was a flirtatious man with no martial arts skills. He tried to slip away but couldn’t escape Gu Yuan’s tracking.

At that very moment, Li Song'er suddenly fell from the sky, giving Nan Chuimeng the opportunity to flee. Gu Yuan used his lightness skills to catch Li Song'er. Seeing the three-colored bracelet she wore, Gu Yuan mistakenly thought she was Chu Mengdie, since the bracelet was her signature item. Gu Yuan and Nan Chuimeng were both rivals and enemies. So Gu Yuan decided to use Li Song'er to locate Nan Chuimeng.

Li Song'er was nearly buried alive by Gu Yuan and his attendant, but she was clever. Though she didn’t know how she had ended up there, after listening to Gu Yuan’s conversation with his attendant, she realized the situation matched the story in the book. She then lied, claiming she knew Nan Chuimeng’s whereabouts, and managed to save her own life.

Gu Yuan decided to deliberately let Li Song'er go and ordered his men to follow her, hoping to track down Nan Chuimeng’s location. Since Chu Mengdie and Nan Chuimeng were about to get married, she was sure to know where her future husband was. But what Gu Yuan didn’t expect was that Li Song'er was so clumsy. Even when he intentionally gave her a chance to escape, she ended up falling from the roof directly into his bath.

Gu Yuan was speechless and had to personally point out an escape route for her, assigning an attendant to follow her to prevent any mishaps. After leaving the Sun and Moon Palace, Li Song'er was recognized on the road by one of the girls from Ningxiang House. That girl also identified her as Chu Mengdie because of the three-colored bracelet.

Li Song'er simply decided to temporarily use Chu Mengdie’s identity and lied that she had come to Ningxiang House to choose concubines for her husband, to ensure the continuation of their bloodline. Thus, she entered Ningxiang House. Li Song'er went there partly to take advantage of Chu Mengdie’s identity for free food and drink. But the meal turned out to be anything but easy.

She had a chance to slip away but was stopped and forced to perform martial arts in front of everyone. Nan Chuimeng happened to be there too. Since he had never seen this fiancée from an arranged marriage, he decided it was a good opportunity to check her out. Unexpectedly, Li Song'er knew nothing at all. She had no choice but to flail around awkwardly on stage. When she saw someone seemed to be rushing toward her to catch her, she publicly pointed at Gu Yuan to create a chance to escape.

Gu Yuan was seen as a ruthless demon lord who killed without blinking an eye, but when he was young, he didn't even dare to touch a sword. His father patiently taught him martial arts but never warned him about how treacherous people in the martial world could be. Later, his father died under the sword of a friend, and his mother took Gu Yuan into hiding, living under assumed identities, trying to stay far away from worldly conflicts.

However, those in the martial world did not leave them alone. Those who wanted to steal the Xiaoyao Manual nearly wiped them out. Gu Yuan witnessed his mother being killed with his own eyes. That was the first time he smelled blood—it was the final scent of his family. Ever since, Gu Yuan only felt peace and happiness when holding a sword. Li Song'er still failed to escape. This time, Nan Chuimeng was also captured.

Gu Yuan threatened the two of them, saying he would bury them alive together. Li Song'er revealed her true identity, knowing Gu Yuan might not believe her, but she had no choice—after all, she wasn’t Chu Mengdie, and didn’t even know how to make up a convincing lie. Gu Yuan took them back to the Sun and Moon Palace, where Li Song'er was locked up in the dungeon and guarded by Hanyan.

Li Song'er noticed that Hanyan was reading a romance storybook, so she deliberately tried to befriend her, claiming that she knew the author and could invite them to her residence, and that she also wanted to find out what happened in the next volume. This time, Li Song'er was a bit smarter—she knew how to play to someone’s interests. She took the opportunity to knock Hanyan out with Bewitching Incense, stole the keys from her, and escaped the cell.

Wearing Hanyan’s clothes, Li Song'er accidentally entered a forbidden area and was rendered unconscious by toxic mist. When Li Song'er woke up, she began hallucinating and saw her mother. Gu Yuan had already arrived by then, having been informed by Hanyan, and came to search for Li Song'er. He discovered that she was experiencing hallucinations and had to quickly take her away, otherwise her life would be at risk.

At one point, Li Song'er even mistook Gu Yuan for a Goubuli bun and lunged forward to kiss him. Gu Yuan struck an acupoint to knock her out and took her to a mountain cave. When Li Song'er regained consciousness, she recalled kissing Gu Yuan and wished she could disappear into the ground out of embarrassment. She saw Gu Yuan lying motionless and planned to sneak away, but he grabbed her by the foot.

Gu Yuan was having a cold poison attack and asked Li Song'er to collect herbs for him. This was the condition for her to leave the place—otherwise, there was no way for her to get out. With no other choice, Li Song'er agreed. Following Gu Yuan’s instructions, she drew blood from his back and applied the herbal remedy. Afterward, he passed out. When Gu Yuan woke up from a nightmare, he found Li Song'er roasting fish.

She was trying to replenish his nutrition, but one glance at the fish told him it would be hard to eat, so he handed it back to her. Li Song'er misunderstood, thinking he was being guarded against her, and deliberately tried to annoy him by claiming the fish was hers. After taking a bite, she immediately spat it out—it was far worse than she had imagined. Gu Yuan kept his word and let Li Song'er go.

He told her that if she ever ran into trouble in the future, she could come find him at Wind Whisper Valley. Li Song'er finally escaped, but she still couldn’t return to her original world. Later, when she went to a place to bathe, she again encountered the old man who had previously given her the storybook. The old man said another strange thing: he claimed Li Song'er was originally male.

Then Li Song'er's voice suddenly turned into that of a man’s. The old man also provided a solution—she had to defeat the vicious people she had encountered recently, and then she would be able to return to her original world. Li Song'er realized that the person referred to was Gu Yuan. Remembering that Gu Yuan had mentioned Wind Whisper Valley, she decided to go there and find him.

Gu Yuan had been secretly searching for Nan Chuimeng’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Li Song'er was also on her way to Wind Whisper Valley. Gu Yuan received news that someone was planning to assassinate Chu Mengdie, so he sent people to secretly protect her. However, they were a step too late—by the time they arrived at the scene, Chu Mengdie was already dead. On her journey, Li Song'er had encountered their wedding sedan and was following behind.

Witnessing the murder frightened her so much that she shut her eyes and ran forward, kneeling before the "hero" and begging for mercy. When she opened her eyes and saw that it was Gu Yuan, she was finally at ease. With Chu Mengdie dead, Gu Yuan had a new idea. After all, no one had ever seen Chu Mengdie’s true face. So he negotiated with Li Song'er: if she agreed to impersonate Chu Mengdie, he would give her the antidote.

Li Song'er recalled the words of the old man and believed that as long as she could stay by Gu Yuan’s side and find a chance to eliminate him, she could return to her original world. Disguised as Nan Chuimeng, Gu Yuan brought the fake Chu Mengdie with him to Wind Whisper Valley. Their senior, Zhou Hang, welcomed them. Since it had been over twenty years, Zhou Hang didn’t realize that the person before him wasn’t truly his junior.

Though Zhou Hang didn’t suspect their identities, the deeply calculating Uncle Bai began to subtly test Nan Chuimeng. Fortunately, Gu Yuan had done his homework in advance and casually mentioned details about Nan Chuimeng’s childhood. Uncle Bai pretended to unintentionally glance at a burn scar on Gu Yuan’s arm, but Gu Yuan was prepared for this and didn’t let anything slip. Uncle Bai was currently acting sect leader.

Li Song'er deliberately addressed him as “Acting Sect Leader,” which infuriated him—he thought her emotional intelligence was extremely low. Uncle Bai had originally prepared a welcome banquet for them, but Gu Yuan, worried that Li Song'er might act unpredictably, carried her away under the pretense that she was exhausted from the journey and needed rest. Li Song'er had no choice but to cooperate with Gu Yuan for the time being. The real Chu Mengdie was not dead.

Though seriously wounded, she was hiding in a thatched hut to recover. Assassins soon arrived, but fortunately, Baili Xingchen, who was traveling the martial world, arrived in time and took them out. After briefly encountering Chu Mengdie, he said nothing and left. Chu Mengdie desired the Xiaoyao Manual, but along the way, someone had tried to kill her again and again. It became clear that obtaining the Xiaoyao Manual would not be easy, so she decided to find another path.

Li Song'er had Han Yan purchase a large amount of rouge and makeup products, which raised suspicion among Uncle Bai’s people, since everyone knew Chu Mengdie disliked such vulgar powders. Acting under his master’s orders, Zhou Hang deliberately went to check Nan Chuimeng’s room. Fortunately, Gu Yuan had already foreseen this problem and worked out a plan with Li Song'er.

The two of them put on an act in front of Zhou Hang, with Li Song'er claiming this was a popular martial arts training method in the martial world. They thought they had fooled Zhou Hang, not realizing that he too was deeply cunning. He decided to send people to investigate whether such a training method truly existed. In fact, it was he who had sent the very first group earlier, and now his subordinates feared the matter would be exposed and discovered by Nan Chuimeng.

Baili Xingchen arrived at Wind Whisper Valley, earning the chance to stay through a martial arts competition. However, due to his lack of social tact, he ended up being assigned to hard labor in the woodshed. Gu Yuan finally met his uncle Nan Wentian.

Since Nan Chuimeng was the only male in the Nan family and Nan Wentian had no sons, Nan Chuimeng had no choice but to fulfill the marriage agreement made long ago between Nan Wentian and Elder Chu. Gu Yuan successfully obtained the task of escorting the Xiaoyao Manual to the martial arena, while Zhou Hang received the sword their master had removed from the stone wall. Zhou Hang harbored ulterior motives.

He secretly met with Lin Pi, the martial arts competition champion from two days prior, unaware that this was actually Chu Mengdie in disguise. Zhou Hang planned to use Lin Pi to eliminate Chu Mengdie during a sparring match. He didn’t state it outright—he simply told him to “hold back.” From Zhou Hang’s words, Lin Pi deduced that the person who had tried to assassinate her was from Wind Whisper Valley, but she still didn’t know who was impersonating her.

On the day of the competition, Gu Yuan and Han Yan worked together to divert the attendants. Originally, Gu Yuan could have taken the Xiaoyao Manual and left this place of trouble, but upon learning that Li Song'er had been taken to the arena by Zhou Hang, he calculated that she was likely still alive and decided to go check on her. At first, Zhou Hang asked Li Song'er to demonstrate some martial arts.

She improvised and started leading the crowd in a fitness routine. Although the audience, knowing her as Chu Mengdie, didn’t understand what she was doing, they respectfully applauded. Lin Pi, seeing this, challenged her to a match. Li Song'er politely declined. Lin Pi, thinking she was a disgrace, was deeply embarrassed on her behalf. Fortunately, Gu Yuan arrived just in time.

With his help, Li Song'er struck out, and unexpectedly managed to send the highly skilled real Chu Mengdie flying with one palm. Everyone present was stunned and praised Li Song'er for her immense internal strength. Gu Yuan handed the Xiaoyao Manual to Zhou Hang, who foolishly opened and read it, only to be poisoned—his entire face swelled up. Their master, seeing him in that state, was furious, calling him useless and far too impatient.

Since Nan Wentian was bound to pass the title of Valley Master to Zhou Hang, the master believed Zhou Hang’s eagerness would only backfire. The poison had been deliberately placed on the manual by the master as a test for Gu Yuan, but unexpectedly, Zhou Hang fell into the trap. Moreover, the manual was a fake. The master told Zhou Hang that the real Xiaoyao Manual wasn’t something either of them could access.

Their task was to open the gate to the secret manual only after the marriage between Chu Mengdie and Nan Chuimeng. Gu Yuan had opened the box and seen the Xiaoyao Manual, instantly recognizing it as a fake. As a child, he had once spilled tea on the real manual, leaving stains, but there were no stains on this one. Now, to find the real Xiaoyao Manual, he could only continue to make use of Li Song'er.

Zhou Hang was Nan Wentian’s son-in-law, having married Nan Feiyan. He was a true henpecked husband. Nan Feiyan, knowing exactly what kind of person Zhou Hang was, requested a tonic to boost inner strength from her father and, in her husband’s name, issued a challenge to Gu Yuan. This scared Zhou Hang out of his wits. At that moment, Gu Yuan was having tea with Uncle Bai—Zhou Hang’s master.

Upon receiving the challenge, Gu Yuan informed Uncle Bai, who cursed Zhou Hang as a disgraceful disciple. While he outwardly appeared courteous, he privately asked Gu Yuan to show mercy. Gu Yuan, however, politely declined under the excuse of feeling unwell.

Over the past few days of spending time with Gu Yuan, Li Song'er began to develop feelings for him. She even misunderstood Gu Yuan’s gaze as being filled with affection, when in fact, he was simply teaching her swordsmanship—because he didn’t want her to interfere with his plans. As for Zhou Hang, knowing his martial arts skills were lacking, he changed his strategy. If he couldn’t kill Gu Yuan, injuring him would be enough.

Though Li Song'er was somewhat infatuated with Gu Yuan, she remained clear-headed. She still wanted to return to her original world, so she decided to poison Gu Yuan’s wine on his birthday. However, Gu Yuan had already anticipated her plan, assigning his subordinates to watch her and preparing countermeasures. Gu Yuan took Li Song'er to have a portrait painted, and afterward they went to a restaurant.

During the meal, Gu Yuan ordered a large amount of wine, giving her no opportunity to slip poison into his cup. Unexpectedly, Li Song'er drank all the wine herself. Surprised, Gu Yuan watched as the slightly tipsy Li Song'er made her very first bowl of noodles—her birthday gift to him. However, Gu Yuan accidentally saw her adding seasoning to the noodles and mistakenly thought she was poisoning them.

So when Li Song'er offered him the bowl, he refused to eat it and outright accused her of poisoning him. Heartbroken, Li Song'er took a bite herself to prove it wasn’t poisoned. She had meticulously prepared the birthday surprise for him, only to be misunderstood. She ran out in tears. Seeing how upset Li Song'er was, Gu Yuan realized he might have misunderstood her.

After she ran off, he took a bite of the noodles—and was shocked to find they tasted like his mother’s cooking. Originally, Li Song'er had indeed intended to poison him, but she had changed her mind at the last moment. She couldn’t believe Gu Yuan had wrongly accused her. She declared she no longer wanted to play along in his act and was about to leave when Gu Yuan scooped her up into his arms.

On their way back, they were ambushed by assassins—an attack arranged by Zhou Hang. However, his subordinates had made a mistake. They were expecting ten assassins, but only one showed up: a killer named Shi Ren, who turned out to be an elderly man. The ambush failed because Shi Ren only worked within the time limit of ten incense sticks. Once time was up, he packed up and left.

When Zhou Hang’s men returned to report the failure, he was furious. But his subordinate argued that fear was powerful and tried to scare Zhou Hang instead—oddly enough, it worked, and Zhou Hang was convinced. On the day of the duel with Zhou Hang, Gu Yuan had a servant deliver a letter to Zhou Hang that said, "I forfeit." Zhou Hang was overjoyed, thinking Gu Yuan had been frightened into surrender.

In truth, Gu Yuan believed that keeping Zhou Hang alive might work to their advantage. There was no need to expose his true strength or kill Zhou Hang just yet. Previously, Baili Xingchen had seen Gu Yuan flying over rooftops while sweeping the grounds. He was instantly captivated and became a diehard fan. When he saw Gu Yuan again, he knelt and begged to become his disciple. But Gu Yuan had no intention of taking him in.

Nan Wentian planned to teach the Xiaoyao Manual’s core techniques to Li Song'er and needed Uncle Bai’s cooperation. Uncle Bai first wanted to test Li Song'er’s martial arts abilities to avoid exposing the ruse. Li Song'er grabbed his wrist and made a few remarks based on medical knowledge, advising him to treat his kidney deficiency. This lucky bluff helped her escape unscathed. On her way back to her room, she was stopped by the real Chu Mengdie, who revealed her identity.

Li Song'er recognized Chu Mengdie's identity and managed to secure her safety using her sharp tongue. She claimed that Nan Chuimeng had forced her to impersonate Chu Mengdie and obtain the Xiaoyao Manual, threatening to kill her otherwise. She insisted she had no choice. Chu Mengdie was shocked that Nan Chuimeng would coerce such a helpless girl. Feeling sympathy for Li Song'er, she decided to help her.

Knowing that Li Song'er was about to begin training with the introductory manual, Chu Mengdie devised a plan: she would write a fake set of techniques that would cause Nan Chuimeng to suffer a qi deviation and die, allowing Li Song'er to escape his control. Li Song'er was secretly delighted—she had been worrying about how to deal with Gu Yuan, and now with Chu Mengdie's help, she was one step closer to returning to her original world.

On her way back to her room, Chu Mengdie saw Baili Xingchen immobilized by pressure point strikes. Out of kindness, she unsealed his meridians, but Baili insisted on being restrained again, believing it was a test from Nan Chuimeng. Chu Mengdie found him ridiculous and walked away. Li Song'er returned to her room and found Gu Yuan waiting for her.

He knew she was about to start learning the introductory heart technique and feared for her safety, so he had come to show his concern. He gave her several protective items and promised to watch over her from the shadows. Han Yan worried that Li Song'er might give Gu Yuan a fake manual, but Gu Yuan believed his care would move her.

Besides, since Li Song'er didn’t know martial arts, the Xiaoyao Manual would be useless to her, so he figured she wouldn’t deceive him over this matter. Li Song'er went to Gu Yuan’s room and happened to see the wedding robe. She couldn’t resist trying it on, but it didn’t fit quite right, so she asked Gu Yuan to adjust it. The next day, Li Song'er went to study the manual with Uncle Bai.

She didn’t understand it at all and simply practiced what she had been given each day. Coincidentally, Zhou Hang’s subordinate secretly copied the moves and demonstrated them for Zhou Hang, who began secretly practicing as well. Both of them were smug about their supposed cleverness. Li Song'er and Chu Mengdie went to a guest inn for bathing and skincare. As they came out, they were spotted by Gu Yuan and his attendant.

Gu Yuan assumed she had rented a room with Lin Pi, not knowing that Lin Pi was actually Chu Mengdie. Li Song'er quickly lied, saying they had just run into each other and she would never share a room with a man. Gu Yuan brought Li Song'er some pastries made specifically to her liking, claiming they were made by someone Han Yan had found.

But Li Song'er could hear the truth behind his words and realized Gu Yuan just didn’t want to admit he was being nice to her. She took a bite—it really did taste like the pastries from Drunken Dream City—but she pretended it tasted awful. She told Gu Yuan not to try to please her anymore and to focus on mastering the manual so he could finish it quickly and send her home.

Chu Mengdie sent a message to Li Song'er, warning that Nan Chuimeng was starting to suspect something and that they would need to be extremely cautious from now on. Li Song'er attempted to pass the techniques of the Xiaoyao Manual to Chu Mengdie by drawing them, but her understanding was flawed, and her sketches were inaccurate. Chu Mengdie was troubled by this. Later, after receiving the fake manual from Chu Mengdie, Li Song'er gave it to Gu Yuan.

However, Gu Yuan, feeling jealous after seeing her pulling at Lin Pi’s sleeve, deliberately had Han Yan serve a table full of green-colored dishes. Chu Mengdie told Li Song'er that at the hour of xushi (around 7–9 p. m. ), Gu Yuan would suffer a fatal qi deviation. They needed to flee immediately—if the sect master suspected her involvement, Li Song'er would be in grave danger.

While delivering food, Han Yan chatted with Li Song'er, revealing why Gu Yuan wanted to retrieve the Xiaoyao Manual and the tragic story of his parents’ deaths. Li Song'er began to feel regret. As the fatal hour approached, she rushed to check on Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan kissed Li Song'er, then deliberately commented that her kissing skills were mediocre. Li Song'er grew angry and ran out. After she left, she thought back to how Gu Yuan had referred to himself as “this young master” and called her “Sister Chu,” which was odd—after all, they were alone in the room. The only possible explanation was that someone else had been present. Realizing something was off, Li Song'er quickly rushed back.

When she returned, the light was already out. She pushed the door open and found a masked person exchanging blows with Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan shielded Li Song'er while probing for the intruder’s identity. He deliberately took a hit, and the assassin left after wounding him. Gu Yuan kept up the act until the silhouette outside the window disappeared.

He then told Li Song'er that the assassin had used techniques from Mirror Cloud Manor, but he believed the attacker was from Wind and Rain Valley. Gu Yuan had faked his injury to see who would be eager to visit him the next day. Now that Gu Yuan and Li Song'er were officially married, they had to share a bed to keep up appearances. Li Song'er was very nervous.

Gu Yuan, who had gradually developed feelings for her, held her in his arms and gently kissed her on the forehead. That night, Baili Xingchen had a nightmare. He dreamt that because his master had married, Lin Pi would try to kill Gu Yuan. Startled awake, Baili didn’t want Lin Pi to leave the room, fearing the dream would come true. He suggested drinking together—after all, alcohol could ease sorrow.

He worried that Lin Pi would be heartbroken over losing the woman he loved due to his master’s marriage. They drank together, but Baili couldn’t hold his liquor and ended up completely drunk. The next morning, he awoke to find Lin Pi making hangover soup for him. Touched by Lin Pi’s care, he said, “If you were a woman, I’d definitely marry you.” Lin Pi was flustered—because she actually was a woman.

Gu Yuan and Li Song'er woke up and went out for breakfast. On the way, Gu Yuan noticed a silk tree blossom petal on Li Song'er’s hair and helped her remove it. He then made a promise to admire the blossoms with her again next year. While they were eating, Zhou Hang came to visit, sent by his master to probe them. Gu Yuan and Li Song'er performed a scene together to deceive him.

Li Song'er suspected Zhou Hang might be the assassin, but Gu Yuan thought his martial arts weren’t at the same level as last night’s attacker. Based on that, Li Song'er speculated that the real suspect might be Uncle Bai. Baili came by to present a wedding gift to his master and mistress. Li Song'er was shocked to see him, as in Drunken Dream City, Baili had been her blind date.

At that time, she had used her specially made Truth-Revealing Incense, and it quickly revealed that Baili was a mama’s boy. But the man in front of her, who shared the same name and appearance, clearly didn’t recognize her. Li Song'er chased after him with the jade pendant she’d found in the gift box, but lost track of him—only to run into Chu Mengdie along the way.

Li Song'er told Chu Mengdie about Gu Yuan’s assassination attempt and whom she suspected. She also shared the story between her and Baili, explaining that she was only trying to find out some things and had no romantic feelings for him. That night, Chu Mengdie arranged to meet Baili, who was surprised to find that the one waiting for him was Li Song'er. As they talked, Gu Yuan suddenly appeared.

Gu Yuan kissed Li Song'er, then deliberately commented that her kissing skills were mediocre. Li Song'er grew angry and ran out. After she left, she thought back to how Gu Yuan had referred to himself as “this young master” and called her “Sister Chu,” which was odd—after all, they were alone in the room. The only possible explanation was that someone else had been present. Realizing something was off, Li Song'er quickly rushed back. When she returned, the light was already out. She pushed the door open and found a masked person exchanging blows with Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan shielded Li Song'er while probing for the intruder’s identity. He deliberately took a hit, and the assassin left after wounding him. Gu Yuan kept up the act until the silhouette outside the window disappeared. He then told Li Song'er that the assassin had used techniques from Mirror Cloud Manor, but he believed the attacker was from Wind and Rain Valley. Gu Yuan had faked his injury to see who would be eager to visit him the next day.

Now that Gu Yuan and Li Song'er were officially married, they had to share a bed to keep up appearances. Li Song'er was very nervous. Gu Yuan, who had gradually developed feelings for her, held her in his arms and gently kissed her on the forehead.

That night, Baili Xingchen had a nightmare. He dreamt that because his master had married, Lin Pi would try to kill Gu Yuan. Startled awake, Baili didn’t want Lin Pi to leave the room, fearing the dream would come true. He suggested drinking together—after all, alcohol could ease sorrow. He worried that Lin Pi would be heartbroken over losing the woman he loved due to his master’s marriage.

They drank together, but Baili couldn’t hold his liquor and ended up completely drunk. The next morning, he awoke to find Lin Pi making hangover soup for him. Touched by Lin Pi’s care, he said, “If you were a woman, I’d definitely marry you.” Lin Pi was flustered—because she actually was a woman.

Gu Yuan and Li Song'er woke up and went out for breakfast. On the way, Gu Yuan noticed a silk tree blossom petal on Li Song'er’s hair and helped her remove it. He then made a promise to admire the blossoms with her again next year. While they were eating, Zhou Hang came to visit, sent by his master to probe them. Gu Yuan and Li Song'er performed a scene together to deceive him. Li Song'er suspected Zhou Hang might be the assassin, but Gu Yuan thought his martial arts weren’t at the same level as last night’s attacker. Based on that, Li Song'er speculated that the real suspect might be Uncle Bai.

Baili came by to present a wedding gift to his master and mistress. Li Song'er was shocked to see him, as in Drunken Dream City, Baili had been her blind date. At that time, she had used her specially made Truth-Revealing Incense, and it quickly revealed that Baili was a mama’s boy. But the man in front of her, who shared the same name and appearance, clearly didn’t recognize her. Li Song'er chased after him with the jade pendant she’d found in the gift box, but lost track of him—only to run into Chu Mengdie along the way.

Li Song'er told Chu Mengdie about Gu Yuan’s assassination attempt and whom she suspected. She also shared the story between her and Baili, explaining that she was only trying to find out some things and had no romantic feelings for him. That night, Chu Mengdie arranged to meet Baili, who was surprised to find that the one waiting for him was Li Song'er. As they talked, Gu Yuan suddenly appeared.

Gu Yuan forcefully carried Li Song'er away. He was actually a little jealous but stubbornly refused to admit it. He only told Li Song'er to be cautious in her actions. They had just gotten married, and her secretly meeting another man could easily arouse suspicion from those with ill intent. Li Song'er explained to Gu Yuan that she simply wanted to know how Baili came to this place—whether it was through the same means as her.

She only wanted to ask Baili about her mother and whether she was doing well. Hearing this, Gu Yuan was somewhat moved and could understand her deep homesickness, though there were more urgent matters at hand. As the time had come to open the secret chamber, the people from Mirror Cloud Manor arrived. Uncle Bai deliberately summoned Li Song'er to join him in receiving Jing Shu and his party. Fortunately, Chu Mengdie also arrived at the gate.

She gave a subtle signal to Jing Shu, who then played along instead of exposing Li Song’er's identity. Chu Mengdie later snuck into Li Song'er’s room mainly to deliver a tricolor bracelet. This bracelet was personally crafted by her father and must be used together with the jade pendant from Nan Wentian to open the chamber. To prevent Li Song'er's identity from being exposed, Chu Mengdie handed her the bracelet in advance. Li Song'er’s bracelet looked exactly like Chu Mengdie’s.

Knowing her father had a reputation for flirting in his youth, Chu Mengdie began to suspect they might share the same father. Li Song'er insisted that was impossible. Zhou Hang’s subordinate suddenly barged into Li Song’er’s room and nearly discovered Chu Mengdie, but she managed to hide just in time. Li Song'er was then summoned to open the secret chamber and retrieve the Xiaoyao Jue. Unexpectedly, in her panic, Li Song'er picked the wrong bracelet.

In front of everyone, she failed to open the chamber. She and Jing Shu improvised, claiming that there were two bracelets precisely to confuse outsiders. Li Song'er explained she had grabbed the wrong one, though initially no one believed her. Jing Shu supported her by saying he had come to deliver the real bracelet. Uncle Bai demanded she retrieve the genuine bracelet immediately. Not knowing where Chu Mengdie was, Li Song'er grew nervous.

Gu Yuan stepped in and suggested giving her more time. Li Song'er promised to bring the real bracelet and open the chamber by the same time the next day. Gu Yuan placed Li Song'er under house arrest—not to punish her, but to protect her. After all, her failure to open the chamber might have exposed her identity. Now trapped, she had no way to get in touch with Chu Mengdie.

Gu Yuan had Liu Yingying imitate Chu Mengdie’s handwriting to write a note and slipped it through the door of Li Song’er’s room. Believing it was real, Li Song'er tried to communicate with Chu Mengdie using their usual voice tube method, but there was no reply. When she opened the window, she saw Gu Yuan and quickly ducked back inside.

Gu Yuan overheard Li Song'er calling out to “Brother Lin” and deduced that Lin Pi must be from Mirror Cloud Manor. He went to look for Lin Pi, still unaware that Lin Pi was actually Chu Mengdie, and assumed the one who had died in the valley before was a stand-in for her. Chu Mengdie suspected that Li Song’er might be immobilized, so the next day she brought her a meal and secretly delivered the real bracelet.

Li Song'er’s token and the jade pendant Gu Yuan had finally matched and successfully opened the secret chamber. But just as it opened, a masked figure snatched the Xiaoyao Jue, vowing that once they had mastered it, they would bathe the Six Great Sects in blood.

The person who stole the Xiaoyao Jue disguised himself as Gu Yuan. Now that the Xiaoyao Jue was stolen in front of everyone, Li Song'er was furious. She suspected that Wind and Rain Valley was connected to the demonic sect, and the people from Mirror Cloud Manor also spoke up in her defense. They gave Bai Wuxie three days to retrieve the Xiaoyao Jue.

The thief was intercepted by Chu Mengdie on the way, but she was no match for him. She took a palm strike and injured her foot. While she was tending to her injury, Baili stumbled upon her and foolishly thought she was Gu Yuan. Chu Mengdie didn’t correct him and even told Baili to report her. Though afraid, Baili didn’t do so. Instead, he went back to his room to get medicine to treat Chu Mengdie’s wound.

When Chu Mengdie finally told him she wasn’t Gu Yuan, Baili was overjoyed. Chu Mengdie was utterly defeated by Baili’s innocence. Given the situation at Wind and Rain Valley, Nan Wentian was also furious. He declared that whoever retrieved the Xiaoyao Jue would become the new sect leader. This gave Zhou Hang an opportunity, and he hoped to use it to earn favor with his father-in-law. However, he had no real leads.

At this moment, Li Song'er approached him with a plan. She wanted to use Zhou Hang to organize a foot-soaking competition at Wind and Rain Valley. This came about after an argument between Li Song'er and Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan explained that he had spoken harshly because he was worried about her. He accidentally let slip that he was fond of her. Li Song'er hadn’t expected that their feelings were mutual.

However, according to the script she’d read, Gu Yuan would still die. To prevent that, she needed to find someone with a swallowtail-shaped mark on the sole of their foot. She used the search for the Xiaoyao Jue thief as a reason to convince Zhou Hang to hold the foot-soaking event. Eager to prove himself and not thinking clearly, Zhou Hang believed Li Song'er was helping him and agreed.

During the event, Gu Yuan arrived and declined the idea of soaking feet in broad daylight. But when Li Song'er gave him a look, he played along and claimed that foot baths help enhance internal strength. With that one statement, everyone scrambled to soak their feet. Zhou Hang was in charge of checking everyone’s soles for the swallowtail mark. However, the overwhelming stench of feet knocked him out before he could find anyone.

When Baili heard about the event, he thought soaking might help Chu Mengdie’s injured foot. So he brought a basin to her room for a soak. Chu Mengdie asked Baili if he was married or had someone he liked, but clueless Baili didn’t understand what she was asking, nor did he know what “like” meant. Chu Mengdie explained that “like” meant to be fond of someone. Baili then straightforwardly said he liked her.

After spending so many days with him, Chu Mengdie had developed different feelings for him too. Thinking about her imminent departure made her feel a bit sad. Zhou Hang, while leading people to search for Gu Yuan’s whereabouts, accidentally came across a mask.

Zhou Hang brought the mask to Bai Wuxie, declaring that he must find Gu Yuan and retrieve the Xiaoyao Jue, and that he intended to earn the position of Valley Master through his own merit. Bai Wuxie hinted that Zhou Hang had done enough already, but Zhou Hang completely missed the underlying meaning. Bai Wuxie hadn’t expected Zhou Hang to be this dense.

Chu Mengdie knew that Baili had feelings for her—and she liked him too—so she took out a dagger engraved with the words “to be gifted to my beloved” and gave it to Baili, saying it was a custom from her hometown. But Baili was so startled he jumped, unsure how to face Lin Bi afterward. Li Song'er went for a foot soak with Gu Yuan, Liu Yingying, and Han Yan.

During the soak, Li Song'er shared her beauty and skincare tips from Zui Meng City with Han Yan, who listened with admiration. But now, Li Song'er wasn’t in a rush to return to Zui Meng City—after all, she had someone she cared about here. Seeing the affection in their eyes, Han Yan and Liu Yingying sensibly carried their foot basins away and left the two alone. That night, Gu Yuan and Li Song'er shared a bed.

Li Song'er was surprised that even after her confession, Gu Yuan didn’t make any move. So she took the initiative and wrapped her arms around him. Gu Yuan turned to kiss her, and the two finally consummated their marriage. The next morning, Li Song'er mentioned she wanted pastries. Gu Yuan took her to see Nan Wentian, explaining that as newlyweds, they hadn’t yet gone out for a stroll and would like to shop for a few things.

Nan Wentian approved, and Li Song'er was thrilled. In truth, Gu Yuan had another motive—he wanted to secretly investigate the identity of the imposter who had posed as him. At the tailor’s shop, Gu Yuan deliberately chose a fabric identical to the one worn by the fake Gu Yuan that day. Li Song'er suddenly remembered that in the storybook, Gu Yuan had died wearing that exact color, and she refused to let him buy it.

She said it didn’t suit his age and looked too old-fashioned. Gu Yuan ignored her and asked the shopkeeper, who confirmed that an old man had indeed bought that fabric a few days ago. They then went to a blacksmith’s shop. Gu Yuan took out the mask and asked who had made it. After the shopkeeper explained, Gu Yuan and Li Song'er followed the directions to find the mask-maker. But they accidentally wandered into a bamboo forest.

Luckily, an elder appeared and showed them the way out. They arrived at a rundown house where Li Song'er noticed bloodstains on the table. Not wanting Gu Yuan to be in danger, she tried to cover it up and hurried to leave with him. However, Gu Yuan still spotted the blood. Meanwhile, Zhou Hang arranged to meet with the mask-maker. The man was supposed to be deaf and mute, yet responded to Zhou Hang’s words. Sensing danger, Zhou Hang looked up at the man—and his eyes widened in shock.

Gu Yuan and Li Song'er found the craftsman, but they were a step too late—he had already been killed. Hanging inside was a piece of clothing, and sewn into the lining was the Xiaoyao Jue. Without delay, Gu Yuan began practicing it. Although Li Song'er was frightened, she still decided to guard Gu Yuan with all her might. The next morning, while out buying breakfast for Gu Yuan, Li Song'er spotted Zhou Hang’s junior, Da Xiong, searching the streets.

She followed him and was shocked to discover Zhou Hang’s corpse. As she picked up the knife from Zhou Hang’s body, Bai Wuxie and Da Xiong suddenly arrived with others. They accused Li Song'er of murdering Zhou Hang and further discovered that she wasn’t Chu Mengdie at all—she had no inner power. Li Song'er was taken back to Wind and Rain Valley.

Chu Mengdie had already noticed that Baili was avoiding her on purpose, so she revealed her identity as a woman. The news hit Baili like a bolt of lightning—after sharing a room with her for so long, he had had no idea. Upon learning that Li Song'er's identity had been exposed, Chu Mengdie rushed to rescue her with her people. Chu Mengdie revealed the truth and stated that Li Song'er was her close friend.

Because she had been targeted for assassination, she asked Li Song'er to impersonate her, while she infiltrated Wind and Rain Valley under another identity to investigate. In sharp contrast, Gu Yuan appeared first but did not defend Li Song'er—instead, he acted as if he wanted to distance himself. Li Song'er believed he was merely putting on a show in front of others and played along with him.

Fortunately, Chu Mengdie arrived in time, or Li Song'er might truly have been in danger. With her identity revealed, Li Song'er could no longer stay at the main residence and was taken by Chu Mengdie to a thatched hut. Baili happened to be there as well, still reeling from the revelation that Lin Bi was a woman. Unaware that Li Song'er was about to drop another bombshell—Lin Bi was actually Chu Mengdie—he was stunned.

Realizing that the woman his master loved was actually interested in him, Baili felt he couldn’t betray his master and decided to sever his feelings. So he took a dagger and went into the forest to bury it. While digging, he noticed another figure in black burying something nearby. He managed to say a few words before the figure vanished. Only then did he realize that what the person had buried was the Xiaoyao Jue.

Life in the thatched hut was fairly peaceful for Li Song'er, and she felt content. She had just made herself a bowl of steamed egg custard when Da Xiong and his men showed up to avenge Zhou Hang. Li Song'er stood no chance against them and could only run. Thankfully, Gu Yuan arrived in time and scared them off. However, he was still harsh toward Li Song'er. She understood someone might be watching, so Gu Yuan couldn’t speak freely.

She played along, crying as she ran into the house. Gu Yuan’s condition had worsened over the past few days. Due to his intense training and the toxins in his body, his health was failing. After Li Song'er ran into the room, Gu Yuan couldn’t hold back anymore—he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Baili Xingchen handed over the Xiaoyao Jue, and Nan Wentian kept his word, appointing Baili as the Young Valley Master—a development that took everyone by surprise. As the newly appointed Young Valley Master, Baili announced that since Chu Mengdie had used someone else to assume her identity, Wind and Rain Valley would no longer honor the promise to let her study the Xiaoyao Jue.

Chu Mengdie hadn’t expected them to stoop to such behavior, and the fact that Baili went along with it left her deeply disappointed. Enraged, she left. That night, Li Song'er went to the inn, where Gu Yuan was waiting for her. He had specially brought a variety of pastries that she liked. But before they could talk much, Da Xiong caught up with them and tossed Li Song'er’s bundle at her.

She tried to send him away, but Da Xiong sensed someone else might be in the room. Thinking quickly, Li Song'er cried out “molester!” to scare him off. Li Song'er and Gu Yuan were reluctant to part—they just wanted a little more time together, but fearful of being discovered, they could only steal a brief meeting like this. On her way out, Chu Mengdie was met by Gu Yuan, who deliberately came to see her off.

Chu Mengdie seized the moment and took the jade pendant from Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan intended to lure out the enemy—with the jade pendant in Chu Mengdie’s possession, once it combined with the tricolored bracelet, she would have a chance to obtain the second scroll of the Xiaoyao Jue. Then, all Gu Yuan needed to do was keep an eye on her. So, his farewell was a setup to let her take the jade pendant.

Da Xiong kept showing up at the thatched hut to cause trouble for Li Song'er. Once again, he came with a group of men. Last time, they were held back by Gu Yuan’s protection—this time, no one seemed to be around to protect her. Da Xiong came under the orders of Senior Sister Nan Feiyan to arrest the murderer of Zhou Hang. Though Gu Yuan wasn’t present, Baili, as the Young Valley Master, was.

However, Da Xiong didn’t take Baili seriously at all. His disdain was especially evident when he spoke contemptuously about them living in a thatched hut. Li Song'er seized the opportunity to give him a lesson, saying that his narrow-mindedness blinded him to the true value of character—after all, even a humble hut could be full of virtue. Da Xiong hadn’t expected to be mocked instead.

Baili ordered them to leave in his capacity as Young Valley Master, warning that refusal would be a direct violation of Valley rules. Da Xiong got nervous, noticed the weather was turning bad, and left with his group under the pretense of collecting laundry. Grateful that Baili had helped her out of the situation, Li Song'er offered to give him a foot soak in return.

Baili accepted, but the moment he took off one sock, Li Song'er spotted the swallowtail mark on the sole of his foot. Baili explained it was a birthmark. After a long search, she had finally found the very protagonist described in her storybook—it had come so effortlessly in the end, and Li Song'er was overjoyed.

Li Song'er found out that Baili was the main character in the storybook. In order to prevent the events from unfolding as written, she decided to change the situation. Li Song'er planned to "rebrand" Baili, claiming she would help him become a respected authority in the martial world. However, he must swear never to become an enemy of his master. Naturally, Baili would never betray or harm his master, so he swore the oath without hesitation.

To ensure her safety and a legitimate identity while staying by Baili’s side, Li Song'er proposed to him that she would become the Young Valley Master’s wife. This identity would serve to protect her as well. When Gu Yuan learned about this, he was furious. Although he knew it was fake, it still hurt deeply. They left Wind and Rain Valley under the pretense that Li Song'er was taking Baili out to gain worldly experience.

Gu Yuan and the others were part of this journey as well. To prevent Baili from ever turning against Gu Yuan in the future, Li Song'er kept subtly influencing his mindset. Li Song'er devised a fame-building plan for Baili, aiming to turn him into one of the top martial heroes. Baili was moved by her words. However, Gu Yuan overheard the plan for “Hero Yin Die” and became displeased.

Determined to shift Li Song'er's attention back to himself, he rebranded himself as “Hero Chuimeng” and began saving women in despair and defeating bandits in the martial world. His deeds quickly spread through the land, and storytellers everywhere began recounting his exploits. Meanwhile, no one had heard of the Hero Yin Die persona Li Song'er was building for Baili. Li Song'er was furious and confronted Gu Yuan, demanding an explanation.

Gu Yuan bluntly told her it was because he cared about her. Li Song'er didn’t know how to explain herself. She said everything she was doing was for Gu Yuan’s sake, though it was hard to make him understand now. She truly had no romantic feelings for Baili, and one day Gu Yuan would see that. She just hoped he wouldn’t sabotage her plans any further. Because her plan had been disrupted, Li Song'er took the initiative.

She brought Baili to an armory, intending to take weapons on credit, but the owner chased them out. Gu Yuan, knowing they wouldn’t succeed alone, offered to join them. The three of them visited a master painter to have portraits made, planning to use the “create a legend first, then attract followers” strategy. After the painting was finished, Gu Yuan called Baili aside and asked him what kind of person Li Song'er was.

Baili said although Li Song'er had some little quirks, she was genuinely a good person and had a sincere desire to help him grow. He was very grateful to her and held her in high regard. Gu Yuan agreed—after all, "a day as husband and wife, a hundred days of grace"—and he vowed to treat her well. At that moment, Gu Yuan decided to take Baili as his disciple. Baili was overjoyed and immediately knelt to formally become his student.

Later, Baili caused trouble when he accidentally twisted the arm of the owner of the Tianshui Inn. He had wrongly assumed the innkeeper served leftovers to beggars. Now the innkeeper was demanding compensation. Li Song'er was furious and explained that the innkeeper was actually very kind to beggars—he even prepared vegetarian meals on the first and fifteenth of each month because he knew they didn’t eat meat on those days. And yet Baili had injured him.

Gu Yuan left without saying goodbye, leaving behind a letter for Li Song'er. In it, he said he had other matters to attend to and needed to go ahead first. From now on, Baili would accompany her on the journey. Li Song'er was furious, and Baili tried to comfort her. Soon, Li Song'er pretended to pull herself together—after all, she still had her own things to accomplish and couldn’t stay heartbroken over a man for too long.

But when you love someone deeply, it’s not so easy to forget. While ordering food, she still picked the dishes Gu Yuan liked. When Baili asked if she missed her master, Li Song'er denied it. Chu Mengdie returned to Mirror Cloud Manor and saw many of her senior and junior disciples injured.

In the few days since she had been back, it seemed as if the other sects had coordinated their moves, each sending letters claiming to “protect” Mirror Cloud Manor. Chu Mengdie realized that these people must have found out her father was no longer at the manor. So, she had Jing Shu plant signs of her father’s presence around the manor to make it appear that he was still there.

Gu Yuan was also secretly observing the situation at Mirror Cloud Manor, aware that someone was deliberately framing him. Li Song'er and Baili encountered a pair of martial lovers. As soon as they met, the couple attacked them. Fortunately, Li Song'er was quick-witted and used a trick to knock them unconscious. Then, just like Gu Yuan had done before, she buried them partially in the ground to interrogate them about why they had tried to harm her and Baili.

The couple confessed they thought Li Song'er had betrayed Gu Yuan and couldn’t stand to see such disloyalty, so they had tried to “punish” her on Gu Yuan’s behalf. Facing death, they told their story. The girl had originally been promised to someone by her family, but she met the bandit Ge Yang, and they fell in love. They decided to elope, and when they ran into danger, it was Gu Yuan who had saved them.

That’s why they couldn’t bear to see anyone betray love. Li Song'er was moved and let them go. That night, back at the inn, she reflected on what the girl had said and thought that Gu Yuan must have had his reasons—she should trust him. Chu Mengdie, feeling upset, drank and went to her mother’s grave to speak her heart.

She told her mother that she had fallen in love with someone and could no longer fulfill the marriage pact that had been arranged for her. Gu Yuan had originally followed her there, but when Liu Yingying reported that Li Song'er was in danger, he immediately left to find her. After Chu Mengdie paid respects to her mother, a drawer suddenly popped out from the base of the gravestone—inside was the lower scroll of Xiaoyao Jue.

Just as she retrieved it, Nan Chuimeng arrived with his men and surrounded her. He claimed he had no ill intent and merely wanted whoever possessed Xiaoyao Jue to lead the martial world’s alliance and unite the sects against the demonic cult. Chu Mengdie believed him. Gu Yuan arrived at the burial site, thinking he had come too late. He broke down in tears, but just then, Li Song'er appeared. Seeing that she was unharmed, Gu Yuan was finally relieved.

Chu Mengdie decided to hand over the lower scroll of Xiaoyao Jue at the Rising Waves Assembly. Wind and Rain Valley hosted a grand banquet, with representatives from all the major sects in attendance, including Chu Mengdie. When Baili saw her again, he felt uneasy. After just a couple of drinks, he left early claiming he was unwell. Chu Mengdie also left the banquet shortly after and ran into Gu Yuan on the way.

Gu Yuan told her that Xiaoyao Jue was her last bargaining chip to protect Mirror Cloud Manor, but Chu Mengdie had already made up her mind. With the demonic cult now running rampant, only by handing over Xiaoyao Jue could the martial world unite to fight them. Gu Yuan noted that since she now had the lower scroll, she could return the jade pendant to him, and she did. Chu Mengdie then had someone summon Baili to her room.

Knowing that Baili was deliberately avoiding her, she took the initiative. She asked him why he didn’t come to see her off when she left Wind Whisper Valley. Baili explained that he wanted to establish his own achievements so he could stand beside her as an equal and protect her. Chu Mengdie replied that if that was his intention, then he had already agreed to become her husband.

Baili didn’t know how to respond, but the two eventually agreed that Baili must win the upcoming tournament at the Rising Waves Assembly—if not, he would accept whatever consequences Chu Mengdie imposed. Gu Yuan hoped Li Song’er would participate in the tournament with him, believing it would one day become a romantic tale of its own. But Li Song’er didn’t know martial arts and didn’t want to embarrass herself.

Later, Gu Yuan slipped a ring onto Chu Mengdie’s finger, promising that from now on, there would be no more separation between them. Taking advantage of the moment, he asked Li Song’er if she had agreed to both accompany him to the tournament and become his wife. Li Song’er hadn’t expected Gu Yuan to be so cunning, trapping her like this. Under the romantic night sky, Gu Yuan carried Li Song’er into the room.

The next day, Gu Yuan took Li Song’er to his childhood home, now a rundown ruin. He told her his story. Li Song’er was shocked by the twisted logic—those people had stolen from the Gu family and then turned around and accused them of being with the demonic cult. In that moment, she became even more determined to stand by Gu Yuan’s side and help him win the tournament and reclaim what rightfully belonged to the Gu family.

In the first round of the tournament, participants were divided into pairs and locked in sealed rooms. The goal was to find the key to the door lock. Coincidentally, Baili was paired with Chu Mengdie, while Gu Yuan was paired with Li Song’er. Instead of rushing to solve the puzzle, each group first focused on personal matters. Gu Yuan pretended to argue with Li Song’er, then produced a marriage contract. Li Song’er signed it.

Afterwards, following Baili’s suggestion, they found a key—but it didn’t open the door. In the neighboring room, Chu Mengdie and Baili faced the same issue. Chu Mengdie quickly noticed that the hanging lanterns in the room resembled the layout of Wind and Rain Valley. From this, she deduced that the key was hidden beneath the azalea flowerpot. However, that key didn’t open the door either.

Then Baili remembered a letter he had secretly opened the day before, written by Nan Wentian. In it, Nan Wentian revealed that Nan Chuimeng had long been in league with the demonic cult, and that Baili must win this round. The letter contained the true location of the key.

Li Song’er couldn’t wait any longer—she picked the lock with her hairpin. Since the rules didn’t specify otherwise, unlocking the door still counted as success. She felt martial artists were far too rigid in their thinking. Baili, following the instructions from the letter, found the correct key. Chu Mengdie didn’t overthink it, believing her judgment had been right—Baili wasn’t as silly as he appeared. In fact, he was quite clever.

Ever since reading Nan Wentian’s letter, Baili had become slightly wary of Gu Yuan, though he remained conflicted, as he was still Gu Yuan’s disciple. In the next round of the competition, Baili answered a question incorrectly, yet all the judges still passed him. He was speechless—the cheating was blatantly obvious. But the judges refused to admit anything, insisting that Baili’s answer was correct. On the other side, Li Song’er and Gu Yuan were answering questions together.

Gu Yuan was slightly better and won against Li Song’er. Soon, only the final round of the tournament remained. Nan Wentian deliberately arranged a private meeting with the leaders of the other sects. He put on a noble front, expressing his wish for Baili to take the championship. He praised Baili as pure-hearted, fully devoted to martial arts, and free from ulterior motives. The others understood what Nan Wentian meant and naturally wouldn’t let him down.

Gu Yuan, eavesdropping outside, listened thoughtfully. As expected, Baili easily defeated his opponent in the next match, aware it was all arranged by Nan Wentian. Later, while having tea with Bai Wuxie, Bai Wuxie poisoned Baili’s tea and sent a message to Chu Mengdie, informing her that Baili had been poisoned. If she wanted the antidote, she had to lose their match.

Gu Yuan deliberately lost to Chu Mengdie, as he couldn’t reveal his true identity or display his real skills. Now, only Chu Mengdie and Baili remained for the final duel. Before the match began, Gu Yuan instructed Han Yan to take Li Song’er away. Although he had lost the tournament, he was determined to expose Nan Wentian’s true nature. During the match, Baili began to show signs of poisoning. At first, Chu Mengdie focused only on defense, not attacking.

While the two fought, Gu Yuan appeared wearing a mask. At the same time, another masked man was also present. A duel ensued between the two, and Gu Yuan overpowered him, forcing the man to reveal his true identity—Nan Wentian. His plan had been to take Xiaoyao Jue for himself. Gu Yuan then removed his mask and revealed his true identity in front of everyone. He tossed Xiaoyao Jue into the air, its pages scattering to the ground.

Everyone rushed to grab them, proving that no one could resist the temptation of a martial arts manual. Gu Yuan turned and walked away. Bai Wuxie and Nan Wentian both realized that their grand scheme had completely fallen apart. Baili voluntarily conceded, proclaiming Chu Mengdie as the leader of the martial world. The others quickly voiced their support.

Han Yan escorted Li Song’er back to the Sun Moon Palace, as only by doing so could Gu Yuan reclaim Xiaoyao Jue under his own identity. Upon learning this, Li Song’er fully supported Gu Yuan. She had long seen through the hypocrisy of the martial sects—labeling others as the demonic cult, when in truth, they were the ones harboring sinister intentions. Chu Mengdie ascended to the position of Martial Alliance Leader and showed no mercy to Nan Wentian.

Over the years, Nan Wentian had assumed Gu Yuan’s identity as the demonic cult figure, committing atrocities everywhere in order to tarnish Gu Yuan’s reputation. To obtain Xiaoyao Jue, he had even pretended to be paralyzed for over a decade. Nan Wentian was ruthless—after Zhou Hang discovered his true identity, he murdered him. Bai Wuxie was heartbroken whenever he recalled the incident.

Even if Zhou Hang had known it was his father-in-law who had stolen Xiaoyao Jue, he would’ve kept it a secret for the sake of family. But Nan Wentian had declared that the dead were more useful than the living. Now that Baili was no longer of any use to Nan Wentian, he ordered Bai Wuxie to have someone drive him out to avoid further irritation. Da Xiong came to the thatched cottage to throw Baili out.

Chu Mengdie arrived just in time and ordered Da Xiong to leave. She couldn't stand seeing anyone bully her man. Da Xiong dared not go against the Alliance Leader and backed down. Chu Mengdie checked Baili's pulse and discovered he hadn't been poisoned, meaning the letter was a ploy to make her lose the match. Chu Mengdie was ready to return to Mirror Cloud Manor and decided to take Baili with her.

Meanwhile, Gu Yuan went to a tavern and encountered a ragged, eccentric old man. The old man spoke to an empty seat and even tried to snatch Gu Yuan’s wine cup. His martial arts were formidable—even Gu Yuan was no match for him. The old man left behind a storybook titled A Peerless Beauty and then departed. Gu Yuan kept the book, but while drinking, he suddenly fell ill. Liu Yingying quickly rushed him away.

Back at the Sun Moon Palace, Li Song’er brewed medicine and took meticulous care of Gu Yuan. After he regained consciousness and began walking around, he casually opened the storybook and was shocked to find it told the story of Li Song’er in Drunken Dream City—with a tragic ending. Gu Yuan was killed by Chu Mengdie, and Li Song’er later returned to Drunken Dream City, as if everything had been nothing but a dream.

Gu Yuan could not accept this ending. He tore out the final pages and hid the book away. Li Song’er was overjoyed to see him awake. Though he was still weak, she helped him to the bed before going to prepare more medicine. Meanwhile, Chu Mengdie and Baili passed through the Baili River—Baili’s hometown. He took Chu Mengdie to meet his future father-in-law. Baili had both a foster father and his foster father’s sworn brother, whom he called godfather.

When Chu Mengdie met the godfather, she couldn’t hold back her tears. She rushed over, hugged him, and cried, “Father.” Baili was surprised at first that Chu Mengdie would change how she addressed him so quickly, but soon discovered that the man was none other than Chu Mengdie’s real father—Chu Wuya. Chu Wuya no longer recognized Chu Mengdie. He only remembered having a daughter, but couldn't recall her face. His mind was slipping, alternating between clarity and confusion. Chu Mengdie still had important matters to handle, so she entrusted her father’s care to Baili. She promised to return and take them home once everything was resolved. Baili agreed.

Gu Yuan had learned of his own fate. Not wanting to implicate Li Song’er, Liu Yingying, or Han Yan, he told Li Song’er that he had already envisioned a future for the two of them. But since his body had not fully recovered, he hoped she could go to the mortuary to purchase some things for him. Li Song’er didn’t overthink it and agreed.

As for Liu Yingying and Han Yan, the two of them had been saved by Gu Yuan when they were children and had grown up together like childhood sweethearts. Now it was time for them to live a life of their own. Though they were reluctant to leave Gu Yuan, since he planned to live a secluded life with Li Song’er in peace and quiet, they knew it wasn’t right to continue lingering by his side.

Chu Mengdie had a physician examine her father. The physician said there was nothing he could do. Watching her father live happily in this small fishing village, Chu Mengdie didn’t want to drag him around seeking treatment anymore. She decided to let him live out his twilight years peacefully here. With the major sects soon arriving at Mirror Cloud Manor, Chu Mengdie understood they were pressing her to deal with the demonic cult swiftly.

Baili, knowing how heavy her responsibilities were, promised to take good care of his foster father and wait for her return here. He prepared many things for her to eat along the way. Though Chu Mengdie was reluctant to part, as the Martial Alliance Leader, she had to set aside personal emotions for the greater good. Da Xiong reported to Nan Wentian about Chu Wuya being hidden in the small fishing village.

Back then, if Chu Wuya hadn’t spared Gu Yuan’s life, Gu Yuan wouldn’t be alive now to seek revenge against Nan Wentian. Nan Wentian had long been displeased, but back then, he had little power and could only obey Chu Wuya. Taking advantage of Chu Mengdie’s absence from the village, Nan Wentian arrived. Seeing that Chu Wuya no longer recognized him and was mentally unstable, Nan Wentian felt great satisfaction.

Having been suppressed by Chu Wuya for half his life, he could finally act freely. Nan Wentian tried to kill Chu Wuya, but Baili arrived just in time and stopped him. As a junior, Baili knew he had no right to speak on the matter, but he still hoped Nan Wentian wouldn’t do something that would make the younger generation lose respect for him. Nan Wentian ignored him and walked straight toward Chu Wuya.

Baili blocked his way and ended up stabbed by Nan Wentian. Just then, Bai Wuxie arrived and stopped Nan Wentian. He begged his senior brother to spare Chu Wuya. After all, the man had lost his mind and no longer posed any threat—why not let him live peacefully in the fishing village? Nan Wentian finally sheathed his sword, saying he wouldn’t harm Chu Wuya.

They left with Chu Wuya, but no one checked on Baili, who lay bleeding on the ground. In the end, Baili bled to death. At that moment, Gu Yuan stood in the Sun Moon Palace, wearing the same clothes as in the Supreme Tyrant storybook, waiting for the arrival of the major sects. He knew Li Song’er hadn’t wanted him to wear this outfit, but fate was beyond anyone’s control. He had to fulfill his mission and was destined not to grow old with Li Song’er. Their promised rendezvous in Flower City—Gu Yuan would never be able to keep it.

Li Song’er arrived at the designated place with the letter Gu Yuan had given her, but there was no one there as he had said. She assumed Gu Yuan had been deceived, so she stopped by the roadside to eat. As she looked at the letter, she noticed the name "Li Gongye" written on it, which she realized was her own name.

She opened the letter and, after reading it, discovered that Gu Yuan had lied to her—he was planning to die just like in the "Supreme Tyrant" story in exchange for sending Li Song’er back to Zuimeng City. Li Song’er rushed back to the Sun Moon Palace. By the time she arrived, Gu Yuan was already surrounded.

He deliberately provoked Chu Mengdie and agreed with what Nan Wentian had said, even admitting that he was the one who killed both Chu Wuya and Baili Xingchen. After a round of fighting between Gu Yuan and Nan Wentian in which Gu Yuan was clearly on the losing end, Nan Wentian ordered Chu Mengdie to strike. To everyone’s surprise, Chu Mengdie killed Nan Wentian.

Chu Mengdie had previously received a solution from Gu Yuan via the storybook, which instructed her to kill Nan Wentian first and then him. Chu Mengdie didn’t know the truth behind it and tried to ask Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan claimed he had done it on purpose, believing it would be too difficult to deal with both Chu Mengdie and Nan Wentian at the same time, so he had deliberately caused discord between them.

Chu Mengdie, enraged again, took the opportunity and stabbed Gu Yuan, injuring him. Gu Yuan believed in Chu Mengdie’s character. As the Martial Alliance Leader, he knew she would govern the martial world well. Just then, Li Song’er arrived and witnessed the scene. Heartbroken, she misunderstood Chu Mengdie, believing she had been using her all along to find a chance to hurt Gu Yuan. With Gu Yuan dead, Li Song’er’s body began to turn transparent—she disappeared.

When Li Song’er woke up, she found herself back in Zuimeng City. She ran around crying, searching for Gu Yuan, but no one knew who she was talking about. She then discovered that two new servants had been hired at the estate, and they looked exactly like Liu Yingying and Han Yan. When Li Song’er saw Baili Xingchen, she kept asking him about Gu Yuan, but he had no idea who she meant.

However, an offhand comment from Baili reminded Li Song’er of something, and she pulled him along to find a street vendor selling storybooks. She found a sequel to "Supreme Tyrant", while Baili, confused, picked up a different one called "Sole Dominator". Upon reading the sequel, Li Song’er learned that Gu Yuan had deliberately arranged for Chu Mengdie to kill him. Feeling guilty for having misunderstood Chu Mengdie, Li Song’er became consumed with searching for Gu Yuan.

She began painting portraits of him, one after another. The Princess, seeing her daughter in such a state, felt heartbroken. As a mother, she couldn’t bear to see her like this anymore, so she drugged her unconscious. Using the portraits, the Princess searched the city streets and found a man who looked exactly like Gu Yuan. His name was Nan Muxiang, a traveler from out of town.

She brought him back to the residence and asked him to marry Li Song’er, promising him a lifetime of glory and wealth. But Nan Muxiang said he wasn’t in it for the money—he agreed to the marriage simply because he believed saving someone’s life was a noble cause after hearing the Princess’s story. Though Nan Muxiang looked exactly like Gu Yuan, he was not Gu Yuan. Their personalities were worlds apart.

Meanwhile, Baili Xingchen, following his father's arrangement, was set to meet a young lady from the Lin family for a matchmaking session. However, after reading the book, he had become captivated by Chu Mengdie and had no interest in the Lin girl he had yet to meet. But when he finally met her, he discovered that she looked exactly like Chu Mengdie and, just like her, dreamed of life in the martial world. She wanted Baili to join her on an adventure, and without hesitation, he followed her and left.