Judge Dee's Mystery Recap, Plot, Synopsis
Judge Dee's Mystery Synopsis
In the early years of the Great Tang Dynasty, the symbolic Phoenix Seal, representing the Empress's authority, goes missing, triggering a series of events known as the 'Phoenix Seal Case.' This incident leads to the falsification of imperial edicts and the assassination of current officials, causing turmoil in the court.
While the conservative faction appears unaffected on the surface, they intensify their covert conspiracies. Meanwhile, Di Renjie, who is preparing for the imperial examination, unwittingly becomes entangled in a mysterious murder case.
The drama unfolds as Di Renjie, in the course of investigating, discovers a connection between the murder and the missing Phoenix Seal. As he fulfills his official duties across various regions, he repeatedly solves peculiar cases, punishes corrupt officials, protects the borders, suppresses criminal activities, upholds justice, and aids the people.
Simultaneously, the story unveils Di Renjie's journey to unravel the mystery of his own origins. The series portrays Di Renjie's life philosophy of integrating knowledge and action.
Judge Dee's Mystery Recap
Episode 1 Recap
Sunset descended upon Chang'an City, the night grew dark, thunder rumbled, and rain formed a misty cage. The imperial palace was fraught with unpredictable schemes; some sought to eliminate rivals by using the Empress's hand, fabricating an imperial decree to poison Chen Chuliang, the prefect of Yang Prefecture, leading to the complete eradication of his entire family. At the same time, heavenly fire burned an ancient phoenix tree, causing an uproar.
The imperial examinations now differed from previous years, as the Empress had reformed the system, removing restrictions based on family background. Consequently, numerous students in plain clothes arrived in the capital carrying their documents, lodging at the courier station where Di Renjie had long resided, making it exceptionally lively. As the regular civil service examination was approaching, Di Renjie remained indifferent, showing no inclination to sit for it.
His father's former subordinate, Hong Liang, could no longer sit still and rushed to find Grand Scholar Wei Wuji to request a recommendation letter and persuade Di Renjie to pursue a career through the examinations. However, Di Renjie still desired to travel the four corners of the world and had no ambition to enter officialdom. While they were speaking, a team of constables rushed into the courier station to apprehend the thief who had stolen a bright pearl.
As it was difficult to identify the thief's disguise, the constables decided to take everyone in for questioning one by one. Di Renjie was skilled at observation. Based on everyone's living habits, he first eliminated the homesick deserter, the elderly student nearing the end of his life, and the man with a family in tow. Finally, he locked onto two individuals with higher suspicion and deduced through clues that the thief was the bookkeeper.
Indeed, the fake bookkeeper confessed without hesitation, and the case was smoothly solved. Considering that the deserter had defended the border for the Great Tang and had both merits and demerits, Di Renjie pleaded with the leader to show leniency. Although the leader did not respond directly, he effectively gave his answer, lifting a heavy weight from Di Renjie's heart.
The guests at the courier station, having witnessed this event, bowed and thanked Di Renjie one after another, treating him with increased respect. Meanwhile, Ma Rong set up a gambling stall on the streets of Chang'an City, attracting crowds by using the incident of the heavenly fire burning the tree to speculate whether it was a natural disaster or human caused.
Qiao Tai deliberately took the opposite stance, insisting it was human caused, and ended up winning multiple rounds, making a huge profit. However, they were eventually discovered to be colluding and cheating. While Ma Rong and Qiao Tai were fleeing in embarrassment, several people were chasing a scholar on horseback, and this person was none other than Di Renjie's childhood friend, He Dajing.
Di Renjie righteously intervened to rescue his friend from danger, quickly dealing with the seemingly difficult attackers with a few punches and kicks. He then encountered his retainers Ma Rong and Qiao Tai, resulting in their entire group being arrested and thrown into the county yamen jail. Fortunately, his teacher Wei Wuji came to rescue them and further advised Di Renjie, hoping he would participate in the imperial examination the next day.
Di Renjie returned to the courier station with his retainers. Hong Liang warned Ma and Qiao to be discreet in Chang'an and not to discuss palace affairs casually. Unfortunately, the two were not easy to manage; after eating their fill, they sneaked into the dilapidated Di mansion, curious about Di Renjie's background. Even at this moment, Di Renjie was still uncertain whether he should take the exam.
Hong Liang imitated Ma Rong by using different colored stones to help him decide. Although Di Renjie insisted that his fate was in his own hands, his heart was still touched when he saw the board full of white stones. Ultimately, he decided to enter the examination hall with everyone else.
When night fell and the imperial examination ended, the students felt reborn, eager to go out, enjoy boating on the lake and viewing lanterns, and drink under the moon, immersing themselves in the festive atmosphere, seeking a space of freedom to console themselves. He Dajing took Di Renjie to a tavern to drink heartily, only to find that the tavern had been reserved by Grand Commandant Zhangsun Qing, forbidding anyone from entering.
A familiar tune from Bingzhou suddenly came from afar, attracting Di Renjie to follow the sound straight to the front of the Jushui building. The owner, seeing officials patrolling nearby, had to let them in, stating that the building was closed for the day and could not host guests. But He Dajing insisted on staying to drink, enjoying a lively drink with Di Renjie.
During this time, He Dajing revealed a piece of information to Di Renjie: Wei Wuji was working for the Empress and had been ordered to compile the 'Surname Records' based on the 'Zhenguan Genealogy', which included the Five Clans and Seven prominent Families. Therefore, in Di Renjie's view, the order of the world might undergo immense change, and the former esteemed noble families would likely face considerable difficulty.
As the two drank more and more wine, He Dajing gradually became disoriented, and Di Renjie also felt hazy with drunkenness. Only the owner was extremely anxious; taking advantage of a moment when they weren't looking, he slipped into a secret room to tell his sister Yaxin to hide well and absolutely not let the Jinwu Guard discover her whereabouts.
While searching for a changing room, Di Renjie unexpectedly spotted a secret door, but the owner found an excuse to lead him out of the building. That night, amidst the thunder and rain, a fire inexplicably broke out in the Jushui building. Di Renjie personally witnessed He Dajing perish in the fire, which instantly sobered him up.
Episode 2 Recap
Jushui Building, a courtesan house bestowed with a plaque personally inscribed by the Empress, was suddenly engulfed in a great fire overnight. Eight of the nine people perished, and only Di Renjie survived, making him the biggest suspect. Hong Liang, discovering that Di Renjie had not returned all night, went out into the street with Qiao Tai to look for him.
They happened to see Di Renjie being dragged by officers all the way to the county yamen to be interrogated and rushed to seek help from Wei Wuji. The magistrate forced Di Renjie to sign and confess that the fire at Jushui Building was a natural disaster, otherwise he would be deemed the arsonist. Di Renjie, connecting the previous and subsequent events, refused to sign and insisted it was man-made.
Just as the magistrate ordered torture to be applied to Di Renjie, Wei Wuji stepped forward to provide a guarantee and revealed that Di Renjie's father was the former Vice Director of the Left, Di Zhixun. With this connection, the magistrate naturally dared not treat Di Renjie lightly, but also worried that he might escape and be unable to answer to the Sage. Wei Wuji suggested putting dark iron leg shackles on Di Renjie to alleviate the magistrate's concerns.
Ultimately, the magistrate agreed to let Di Renjie investigate the case to prove his innocence, requiring him to report progress daily and find the real culprit within a Xun (ten days). On the first day, Di Renjie and others came to the morgue. Seven of the eight bodies were charred beyond recognition, but Yaxin's body was intact.
Furthermore, Di Renjie discovered that Yaxin carried a palace key and had an exquisite sachet at her waist, which was something no ordinary person could possess. He immediately instructed Qiao Tai and Ma Rong to investigate who purchased this type of incense. Afterward, Di Renjie returned to the Jushui Building to investigate the scene. He picked up a burnt rope knot used for locking the door.
Based on various clues, he deduced that Yaxin was suffocated by smoke while hiding in a secret room and was unable to escape. Qiao Tai found that the sachet contained a mixture of myrrh, sandalwood, and turmeric, all of which were favorite scents of the Empress. From this, it could be concluded that Yaxin was a palace maid responsible for treasures near the Empress. Di Renjie personally went to the Jinwu Guard Yamen to report this discovery.
As expected, Kang Zhiyi, a general trusted by the Empress, came to confirm her identity and ordered a thorough investigation of Pingkang Quarter. That night, the old officials led by Grand Commandant Zhangsun Qing put pressure on the Sage, claiming that Yaxin's theft of the Phoenix Seal was entirely due to the Empress's negligence, which allowed imperial power to fall into the wrong hands and be used by evildoers to kill loyal officials, causing widespread panic throughout the court.
The Sage was hesitant and made no decision, while the Empress remained in the palace, calming her mind by striking a wooden fish, remaining silent throughout. Two days passed in a flash. Until the third day, Jushui Building was still guarded by soldiers and inaccessible. Qiao Tai and Ma Rong gathered information on the streets.
Ma Rong couldn't shake off his old habit of petty theft; every time he passed some stalls, he would casually grab something, ending up filling a whole bag with snacks and fruits, leaving Qiao Tai quite speechless. At this moment, Di Renjie was drinking and lost in thought alone in the courtyard, the image and voice of He Dajing appearing in his mind, his mood exceptionally heavy.
During this period, everything or everyone the Empress favored seemed to successively encounter misfortune, making everyone suspect it was a divine punishment. Rumors spread widely in Chang'an City. Wei Wuji worried about Di Renjie's safety and asked about the progress of his investigation. Di Renjie was unwilling to believe the information in the tabloids but analyzed the situation based on what he had seen and heard.
He believed that the Empress's reform of the imperial examination system was aimed at breaking the monopoly of the gentry families, and the agricultural reform was to stop prosecuting registered vagrants, allowing them to settle nearby and allocate land so that the people had land to cultivate and the land could grow, all of which benefited the common people.
Therefore, in Di Renjie's view, the real culprits were among the hostile forces targeting the Empress, and there were bound to be people of high rank among them. Wei Wuji implicitly agreed with Di Renjie's view and also explained the stakes involved. They were not the true masters of Chang'an City, and any slight misstep could bring disaster upon themselves. Hearing these words, Di Renjie felt troubled and locked himself in his room.
Seeing this, Ma Rong prepared a plate of pastries and brought them over, and also took the opportunity to inquire about Di Renjie's background from Hong Liang. He learned that Di Renjie's parents had both died when he was young, and he suddenly felt a sense of shared sorrow. Although Hong Liang was a loyal servant of the Di family, he only knew that Di Renjie was fond of interfering in others' affairs and didn't fully understand his specific thoughts.
After a thunderstorm, another murder case occurred at a silkworm shed outside the city. Four people died in the fire, seemingly another case of natural disaster. Di Renjie took Ma Rong and Qiao Tai to the scene to observe. Hearing that the coroner had suddenly fallen ill and could not come, he volunteered to examine the bodies.
He determined that all the deceased were male, the calluses on their palms indicated they might be farmers, and their clean mouths showed they died before the fire. Afterward, with Ma Rong's help, Di Renjie found a token from the fire scene. The magistrate stopped Di Renjie from continuing the investigation and whispered to him that the fire was strange, perhaps a fight among deities, hinting at something.
Di Renjie understood clearly and had to leave with Ma Rong and Qiao Tai. On the roadside outside the city, they found four tall horses, one of which looked familiar to him. After careful recollection, he confirmed that the four deceased were all Imperial Guards.
Episode 3 Recap
On the fifth day, Di Renjie and the other two disguised themselves as porters and snuck into the archives to look for the list of personnel who had left the capital region nine days prior. Ma Rong couldn't participate because he was illiterate, but Qiao Tai found the register in time and confirmed that the four deceased were from the Imperial Guards.
Just as Di Renjie had suspected, they had been ordered to forge an imperial edict, poisoned and killed Chen Chuliang, and were then silenced. The three split up to search the market for clues related to the badge. A merchant from the Western Regions saw the badge in Di Renjie's hand and immediately recognized it as belonging to Emperor Taizong's Xuanjia Army, the former troops of the rebel general Kang Huaien.
On the other side, Qiao Tai accidentally discovered Kang Zhiyi's dossier that Ma Rong had brought back from the archives, and quickly handed it to Di Renjie, inadvertently finding that Kang Huaien was actually Kang Zhiyi's father. Di Renjie suddenly realized the truth and immediately found Wei Wuji to report the progress of his investigation, believing that both the case at the silkworm shed outside the city and the case at Jushui Building were related to Kang Zhiyi.
That year, when the Xuanjia Army campaigned against the Tuohan Kingdom, Kang Huaien rebelled and defected to the Xueyantuo tribe. This should have been a crime punishable by the extermination of the nine familial relations, but Zhangsun Qing stepped forward to guarantee his safety, and only after the former Emperor's passing was Kang Zhiyi able to return to Chang'an and join the Jinwu Guard, later becoming the Empress's personal guard.
Therefore, Di Renjie connected this to the night of the Jushui Building incident, when Zhangsun Qing secretly met with Kang Zhiyi after booking out a venue in Pingkang Quarter. Combining all the clues, he suspected that Kang Zhiyi had stolen the Phoenix Seal, forged an imperial edict, ordered the Yulin Army, and set the fire to burn the palace maid Yaxin, who was in charge of the seal, to death.
When Wei Wuji learned that Di Renjie was preparing to report to the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court and request a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices to vindicate the Empress, his expression grew increasingly solemn. Wei Wuji pointed out that Di Renjie was only speculating and lacked concrete evidence, making it difficult to file a case.
Furthermore, Zhangsun Qing had already jointly memorialized the Sage along with Situ Xu Yuan and Left Paladin Sun Zhining, making the matter of deposing the Empress likely unavoidable. Although the Empress also had officials who vigorously defended her, Zhangsun Qing held a high position and great power. As the leader of the Great Tang's meritorious noble families, the majority of the anti-Wu faction obeyed his every command.
He was like a massive tree, casting a shadow over the entire Chang'an City, and no one could easily shake him. Although Di Renjie believed that if Zhangsun Qing threatened the officials in court and commoners, it could also endanger the Sage's authority, and that someone whose achievements overshadowed the ruler would inevitably face backlash, he was currently uncertain about bringing down the other party and might even implicate Ma Rong and Qiao Tai.
Di Renjie stood in the pavilion, lost in thought. Suddenly hearing a Bingzhou tune, he recalled the scene of his grandfather jumping into the river and dying, realizing that court politics were far more complex than he had imagined. As a result, Di Renjie sought out his two companions to drink and talk, speaking with confusion and saying some inexplicable things.
Hong Liang snatched the wine pot and criticized Di Renjie, saying that more than half of the promised time limit had passed, yet he still had no evidence in hand and wasn't thinking about how to handle the situation. Di Renjie did not respond but instead advised Ma Rong and Qiao Tai to leave Chang'an.
Ma Rong suspected that Di Renjie had gotten into big trouble and thought that leaving Chang'an to observe from the shadows might be the best strategy. In contrast, Hong Liang saw that Di Renjie's thoughts were jumbled and encouraged him to follow his heart to find the answer and go all out. - In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day.
In order to contend with the Empress, after offering sacrifices to the national cypress, Zhangsun Qing paraded with the cypress to confess his sins, proclaiming that the Empress had provoked heavenly wrath and harmed the people. He declared his resolve to personally donate thirty thousand strings of cash for incense and candles to pray for peace and prosperity in the Great Tang, and his words and actions deeply won over the people.
Di Renjie suddenly appeared and prophesied that the heavenly fire would descend at least five times. The first three times had already burned Wutong trees, performers, and silkworm farmers, and the next time would burn the "Register of Surnames", because it was the Empress's biggest political initiative in recent years. He stated that if the heavenly fire arrived, it would be a natural disaster, and if it didn't, it would be a man-made disaster.
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd was in an uproar. Di Renjie glanced at Zhangsun Qing and Kang Zhiyi on the second floor, and left with deep meaning. Evidently, by doing this, Di Renjie was risking his life and property, intending to provoke Zhangsun Qing and Kang Zhiyi and force them to walk into a trap. Wei Wuji tacitly approved of Di Renjie's actions and decided to stay and watch the "heavenly fire".
If he could witness the true face of the manipulator of fate, he would have no regrets in this life. However, as Di Renjie and others acted according to the plan, the horses suddenly lost control. The stirrups had been tampered with, making it difficult for him to break free.
Episode 4 Recap
Di Renjie found it difficult to break free from the stirrups. At a critical moment, Ma Rong appeared, swung his saber, and cut the leather rope, joining forces with Qiao Tai to rescue him. Subsequently, Di Renjie led the others back to Di Renjie's mansion, where he was surprised to find that Ma Rong had cleaned the residence thoroughly.
Di Renjie instructed them not to light lamps after dark and not to make noise, to avoid being discovered hiding inside the mansion. In a corner of the main hall, lay Di Renjie's father's Rain Dragon Sword from his lifetime. Qiao Tai cherished it as a treasure, examining it carefully and sighing that if he were destined to die by a sword, he would rather shed his blood on this sword without regret. That night, a thunderstorm swept through Chang'an.
Di Renjie reflected that obtaining clues so smoothly along the way felt as if someone was deliberately guiding him. Soon, Di Renjie found Wei Wuji's previous vermilion annotations in Wei Wuji's residence, as well as a stone in the wine pot that could spontaneously combust. He suddenly remembered that He Dajing's wine pot leaked from the bottom and had an unusual smell, which he hadn't paid attention to at the time.
Now, it seemed that all of this was a carefully laid trap by someone. Di Renjie went alone to find Wei Wuji and pointed out that he was the real mastermind behind the scenes. Wei Wuji was deeply influenced by patriarchal ideology and felt a profound hatred for the Sage allowing the Empress to meddle in politics, considering it a violation of the balance between Yin and Yang.
Therefore, he wanted to use He Dajing's hand to ignite the examination hall and disrupt the imperial examination. However, this year, special inspectors were assigned to the imperial examination, and wine pots were no longer allowed into the examination hall. To prevent He Dajing from ruining things due to his fondness for wine, Wei Wuji smeared coptis on the wine pot, causing him to go to Jushui Building to drink instead.
As long as he could frame the Empress and create public opinion about heavenly wrath and disaster, he would not hesitate to sacrifice He Dajing. As for why Di Renjie survived, it was entirely due to his crucial role in the investigation, which was to direct the blame towards the Zhangsun Qing faction.
Facing the evidence Di Renjie presented, Wei Wuji admitted it frankly, stating directly that Empress Wu was a bane to the country and its people, and if the Great Tang fell into her hands, the consequences would be unimaginable. Wei Wuji criticized Di Renjie for being young and arrogant, only affirming the "new," but "new" does not necessarily mean good; on the contrary, it means change, chaos, and even dynastic change and widespread suffering.
As of today, Wei Wuji had no remorse for his actions. He immediately set himself ablaze, perishing in the sea of fire. Meanwhile, on the other side, a large group of black-clad men broke into the inner courtyard and engaged in a fierce battle with Hong Liang and Qiao Tai. Di Renjie arrived in time and chased one of the black-clad men to the mountaintop, shocked to discover that the other person was Kang Zhiyi in disguise.
Looking at the person standing next to him, who seemed to have been waiting for Di Renjie for a long time, she was none other than the Empress of the Great Tang. When Di Renjie woke up, he learned that he had been unconscious for three days and that earth-shattering changes had occurred in Chang'an City.
Kang Zhiyi confessed during the joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices, admitting that he was instructed by Zhangsun Qing to steal the Phoenix Seal. Before he was about to kill Yaxin, he found that someone had gotten there first, so he imitated the same method of crime and killed the four Imperial Guard soldiers who had forged the imperial edict. The Sage ordered a thorough investigation of Zhangsun Qing's mansion, but the Phoenix Seal was never found.
Considering Zhangsun Qing's status as a royal relative, no conclusion has been reached yet. Currently, Zhangsun Qing is staying at Qinglong Temple, as promised, offering thirty thousand strings of cash for incense and candles to pray for peace. The Sage decided to take the Empress there for a confrontation. Numerous ministers and common people had surrounded the temple, making it impassable, and Di Renjie was among them. The Empress proposed to negotiate with Zhangsun Qing personally.
Passing by Di Renjie, she cast a meaningful glance at him. Before Di Renjie fell unconscious, he had a face-to-face long talk with the Empress, knowing that she cared about the people of the world and, furthermore, would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, using Yaxin, Kang Zhiyi, and others as pawns to deal with the Zhangsun Qing faction. Her insight, wisdom, and even ruthlessness were extraordinary.
The Empress told Di Renjie that some things are not predetermined by fate but by human action, and as long as he was smart enough to see through the truth, he could seize power and determine the fate of others. Zhangsun Qing made no secret of his aversion to the Empress, insisting that heavenly principles and ethical norms were above all else.
He firmly believed that if the people of the world were not allowed to judge right from wrong, then justice would be lost. The Empress confirmed repeatedly that Zhangsun Qing had no intention of backing down, then she waited with determined eyes for the opportunity. As the surrounding firelight gradually heated up, the giant candle directly above Qinglong Temple suddenly collapsed, revealing the Phoenix Seal from within, shocking everyone present.
Just as the Empress said, Zhangsun Qing and his cronies represented the corrupt power of the meritorious noble families, who colluded with each other, posing a potential threat to the future of the Great Tang. They were not the Empress's enemies, but the enemies of the entire Great Tang.
Ultimately, Zhangsun Qing was defeated by a woman, and this woman became the chosen Empress in the eyes of the myriad people, destined to be the mother of the world in the future. The Prefect ordered Di Renjie's shackles to be removed, letting him carefully identify the evidence. At the same time, he reminded him that if he wanted to achieve something in his official career, he should never mention Wei Wuji again in the future, to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Di Renjie entered the list for the palace examination, which was personally overseen by the Empress. When she saw Di Renjie write an essay about the "new," she recognized that he was the talented individual she was looking for. Although Di Renjie did not pass the imperial examination with high honors, he secured the position of County Magistrate of Penglai. He appointed Hong Liang as Military Advisor, and Ma Rong and Qiao Tai as his retinue, and they set off to take office with him.
Episode 5 Recap
Di Renjie went to Penglai to take up his post. On the way, he discovered an unidentified male corpse, which aroused his suspicion. He decided to bring the corpse into the city for a detailed investigation. However, below the city gate, the soldiers were heavily guarded. Fortunately, Di Renjie was able to pass after presenting his identification. Although Penglai was not as prosperous as Chang'an, it had a unique serene beauty, with orderly markets and peaceful residents.
According to Hong Liang, the previous county magistrate was imprisoned for smuggling, yet the public remained orderly, indicating effective governance. Ma Rong noticed women in the street applying white powder. Out of curiosity, he asked a vendor about it and learned that it was the most popular beauty makeup of the time, which gave him an idea.
Teng Kan, hearing of Di Renjie's arrival, specifically came to welcome him and invited him to attend the Yichun Banquet to celebrate the festival. Di Renjie had heard a little about Teng Kan, knowing that his poetry had won first place in the capital region.
Since it was also a festive day and he found it hard to refuse the warm invitation, he simply let Hong Liang take Ma Rong and Qiao Tai back to the mansion first, while he went to the banquet alone. During the banquet, Teng Kan introduced his wife, Yin Lian, and their loving relationship made others envious. Guests congratulated Teng Kan on winning the poetry competition one after another.
Teng Kan thanked them all, and Di Renjie also raised his cup to toast him, creating a very harmonious atmosphere. The singer Cao An arrived late. Her song, a Pingzhou folk tune, stirred up endless thoughts in Di Renjie, giving him a sense of déjà vu. After three rounds of drinks, Di Renjie's eyes were hazy with intoxication. He rose to take his leave.
As he was leaving, he overheard guests discussing the Four Lacquered Screens and asked Teng Kan for details. Teng Kan brushed it off lightly, saying it was just a small family matter and not worth mentioning. But Di Renjie's and Yin Lian's eyes were cast towards the corridor, where a ghostly figure seemed to flash by, and he saw a panicked expression on Yin Lian's face. He temporarily suppressed the doubts in his mind.
Afterward, Di Renjie and Hong Liang examined the unidentified male corpse and found fatal stab wounds on both his chest and back. The killer's methods were cruel, seemingly stemming from a deep hatred for him. Hong Liang had Ma Rong find a painter to draw a portrait of the corpse for city-wide identification. Since the deceased had been disfigured by leprosy, it was difficult to identify him immediately and would likely take some time.
Meanwhile, Cao An looked in the mirror while doing her hair, recalling being nearly molested by a hoodlum from the Penghai Gang many years ago, and fortunately being rescued by the masked man "Black Flame". Now, meeting Di Renjie made her feel complicated.
The next morning, Di Renjie reviewed the county office files and was surprised to find that the position of Penglai county magistrate had been vacant for over three months, yet not a single citizen had filed a complaint. This level of tranquility was particularly strange, leaving him puzzled. Passing through Mingyue District, Di Renjie heard the Pingzhou folk tune again. Upon the disclosure by the person in charge, he learned that the singer was indeed Cao An.
After returning to the mansion, Di Renjie asked Hong Liang about the Cao family. Hong Liang recalled that Cao Hexian's family was raided for privately minting coins and that he had no friendship with Di Renjie's father. Ma Rong disciplined some ruffians on the street. Upon his return, he bought new boots for Di Renjie and applied white powder to look pretty. Unexpectedly, Di Renjie did not appreciate it and instead asked Ma Rong to return the stolen money bag.
Despite complaining endlessly, Ma Rong still threw the money bag into the man's courtyard to avoid causing trouble for Di Renjie. At this time, three bandits wanted to tie up Ma Rong to see the mountain king Ba Zong, but ended up defeated by him. Ma Rong, however, wanted to meet Ba Zong and willingly allowed himself to be tied up and brought to the mountain stronghold.
Although Ba Zong was a bandit leader, he had a code of conduct: he strictly prohibited stealing from the widowed, orphaned, lonely, or disabled, and offenders would have their hands crippled without exception. Ma Rong came forward to negotiate, warning Ba Zong to abide by the law, as Di Renjie had been appointed as the magistrate of Penglai and must uphold the rules. Ba Zong was dissatisfied and ordered his subordinates to teach Ma Rong a lesson.
Qiao Tai was hiding in the dark, poised and ready to act at any time. Unexpectedly, the other party proposed a drinking contest, which happened to be Ma Rong's strength. As night fell, Di Renjie visited Cao An to probe her identity. Cao An avoided the subject and played a pipa tune for him. The music contained deep meaning. A horrifying murder occurred at the Teng residence.
Teng Kan seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit, wielding a long saber and killing his beloved wife, Yin Lian. After Teng Kan regained consciousness, he walked aimlessly through the streets, constantly recalling the bloody scenes. Finally, he came to the county office entrance and beat the drum, begging Di Renjie to grant him death.
Di Renjie ordered people to first settle Teng Kan properly, then he took Hong Liang to the scene to investigate, discovering traces of a screen placement in a corner. The steward led Di Renjie and Hong Liang to the side hall and showed them the screens. The steward admitted that when the master purchased the Four Lacquered Screens, the image was originally a loving couple embracing, but five days ago, it inexplicably changed.
The man holding the cup turned into a vengeful spirit holding a sword and stabbing the woman. Since then, the Four Lacquered Screens seemed to be haunted by an evil spirit, causing unrest in the mansion. Furthermore, a maidservant witnessed the terrifying sight of the master being possessed by a ghost.
Episode 6 Recap
Teng Kna was determined to die, admitting that he killed Yin Lian during an episode of his madness, and pleaded with Di Renjie to sentence him to death. However, Di Renjie examined Yin Lian's body and found white powder on her hair, ears, and even the back of her hands.
Combined with the evidence that the body had been moved, he believed there were many suspicious points in the case, so he persuaded Teng Kan to stay at the mansion and patiently await the truth. Ma Rong returned to the mansion with a spring in his step, telling Di Renjie about his competition with Ba Zong last night, which ultimately won him a large sum of money.
Ba Zong gave Ma Rong three copper dice, promising that each die could help them accomplish one thing, while also wagering on whether Di Renjie could solve the unidentified corpse case. If the case was solved, he would surely abide by official regulations; if not, the officials and the Jianghu would not interfere with each other from then on.
Because Ma Rong had great confidence in Di Renjie, he immediately accepted the bet and used the money he won to buy a pair of boots for Di Renjie. Di Renjie did not decline but accepted them with a smile and went inside to change boots. Knowing Ma Rong's habit of stealing, he hinted that Ma Rong should change it early, but Ma Rong did not understand the hidden meaning.
Now Teng Kan was still deeply mourning the loss of his wife and wished he could die to atone. To this end, he mentioned his deep friendship with Di Zhixun, hoping Di Renjie could grant his wish. Di Renjie was slightly startled upon hearing this but insisted on handling things according to the law and inquired in detail about the events of the case.
Teng Kan recounted that he purchased the Four Lacquered Screens because of their rich content; the background depicted the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and the process of the loving couple meeting and falling in love was exactly like his and Yin Lian's story.
Recalling the scene five days ago when Teng Kan, in a fit of madness, overturned the study, a bowl of medicine spilled onto the Four Lacquered Screens, causing the image to suddenly change into the current scene of a husband killing his wife, which shocked and terrified everyone present.
Teng Kan knew his madness was difficult to control and worried that the prediction would come true, so he locked the Four Lacquered Screens in the storage room, but the tragedy still occurred. Di Renjie thought of the strange similarity between Yin Lian and the male corpse both suffering seven stab wounds, suspecting a connection between the two, so he showed Teng Kan the portrait of the male corpse, but unfortunately, Teng Kan had no impression of this person.
During the investigation, Di Renjie discovered that Yin Lian had four sisters before she got married. He personally took Hong Liang to visit the Lai residence. At the moment, only Er Niang zi of the Lai residence remained unmarried. Dressed in white, upon hearing Di Renjie's purpose, she spoke of Yin Lian with disdain.
In Er Niang zi's opinion, Yin Lian's death was pure retribution, simply because she was naturally promiscuous from birth, had an affair with Li Han before marriage, later grew tired of him and framed him to be sent to the yamen, and did not adhere to wifely virtues after marriage. In contrast, Er Niang zi remained infatuated with Xu Kai, her room filled with his paintings.
However, Xu Kai later became disfigured after contracting leprosy, and his whereabouts have been unknown ever since. She decided to remain unmarried for life waiting for Xu Kai. After leaving the Lai residence, Di Renjie decided to start with the old files, suspecting the male corpse was Xu Kai himself, and Li Han became the primary suspect.
At this time, the county yamen received a report that someone had broken into a calligraphy and painting shop and posted the wanted portrait of the unidentified corpse and a portrait of a woman suspected to be Xu Kai. Di Renjie quickly rushed to the scene to investigate. No valuables were stolen from the calligraphy and painting shop, but the painting scrolls were stained with the same white powder found on Yin Lian and the male corpse.
Therefore, Di Renjie, combining the characteristics of the tattered clothes, dirt, and appearance resembling a beggar, thought the powder might have come from the quarry. Hong Liang, based on Er Niang zi's words, found Li Han's file, confirming that Li Han was imprisoned for a crime and sentenced to hard labor at the quarry outside the city. Di Renjie immediately took Qiao Tai there, taking a copper die with him for potential use.
The person in charge, Chen Shouwei, refused to cooperate with the investigation, demanding that Di Renjie leave immediately unless he had a public document from the Prefect. Di Renjie cleverly bluffed Chen Shouwei into cooperating to find Li Han but learned that Li Han had died of leprosy.
Di Renjie requested to see Li Han's grave and found that the grave mound was entirely made of new soil, so he deliberately displayed the copper die to attract the attention of a young soldier. As expected, the young soldier, who had received kindness from Ba Zong, naturally recognized the token and actively helped Di Renjie and his group. As a result, there was no corpse in the grave, only a bundle of straw mats.
Di Renjie directly took Qiao Tai to subdue Chen Shouwei and threatened him to tell the truth. Chen Shouwei became angry and questioned Di Renjie, saying he didn't act like an official but more like a bandit. Di Renjie responded powerfully: He was "a magistrate when facing officials, and a butcher when facing bandits".
Episode 7 Recap
Di Renjie's official-yet-bandit-like demeanor genuinely frightened Chen Shouwei, who, in a panic, confessed that he had taken money to release Li Han ten days prior. As for the person who paid to redeem Li Han, he was dressed in long robes, wore a bamboo hat, and had a black veil over his face, making it impossible to recognize his appearance. After confirming that Chen Shouwei was telling the truth, Di Renjie left with Qiao Tai.
Qiao Tai believed that Li Han had a motive for murder because of his resentment towards Yin Lian. Subsequently, Di Renjie stepped into the Mingyue Brothel to ask Cao An about matters of love and desire. Cao An lit incense for him and played a pipa tune, which, in its melody, revealed the hearts of infatuated men and resentful women.
Di Renjie woke up and hurried to the Teng residence, where he was greeted by a scene of pure white mourning. The housekeeper, seeing him, rushed to Di Renjie for help, explaining that Teng Kan had locked himself in Yin Lian's room and had not eaten or drunk anything for a day.
Di Renjie gradually learned that Yin Lian and Teng Kan had slept in separate rooms before her death and discovered that Yin Lian was skilled at writing poetry, while Teng Kan's revised verses seemed somewhat inferior in comparison. Teng Kan invited Di Renjie to the side hall for a conversation, citing seeing objects and thinking of the person as his reason.
Di Renjie noticed a horsewhip hanging nearby, recalling that Teng Kan had abandoned martial arts for literature in his early years. During the conversation, Di Renjie revealed to Teng Kan that Li Han had pursued Yin Lian, but Yin Lian, annoyed by his harassment, had framed him and sent him to prison. From this, he inferred that the recent haunting occurrences at the Li residence were caused by Li Han, and he was the prime suspect in Yin Lian's murder.
Teng Kan was furious and expressed his gratitude to Di Renjie, hoping he could find the real killer to comfort his deceased wife's spirit. Because Teng Kan was engrossed in writing poetry, he often stayed in his room for days, not fully aware of Yin Lian's whereabouts. The housekeeper revealed that the madam had been in frequent contact with Er Niang zi of the Lai residence recently and often returned to her maiden home.
Di Renjie sensed something was amiss, recalling that Er Niang zi looked down on Yin Lian, and the two had long been estranged and completely cut off contact. Considering this, Di Renjie asked Ma Rong about places specifically for lovers to tryst. Ma Rong took him to a brothel and showed Ba Zong's token. The proprietress admitted that they did indeed have rooms for lovers. Di Renjie observed Yin Lian's handwriting and Xu Kai's lotus paintings on the wall.
From outside the window, he found sharp claw marks, guessing that Li Han might have witnessed Yin Lian's intimate moments with Xu Kai and left the marks in anger. After Di Renjie confirmed that Yin Lian had known Xu Kai before her marriage and was genuinely in love with him, he visited Er Niang zi of the Lai residence again, elaborating on the truth.
Er Niang zi denied that she was acting out of unrequited love and tore up Xu Kai's paintings in a fit of emotion, further confirming Di Renjie's speculation. Di Renjie had Ma Rong use the third token to request Ba Zong to spread the news that Yin Lian was not dead, to lure out Li Han, who was hiding in the shadows. This news caused a stir among the people in the city.
That night, Li Han sneaked into the Teng residence to find Yin Lian. When he realized he had fallen into a trap, he was ambushed by Di Renjie and others from the front and back, leaving him no time to escape. At a critical moment, Teng Kan appeared and killed Li Han, claiming he was avenging Yin Lian. Di Renjie noticed that Li Han muttered Yin Lian's name before he died and touched the cloth bag on his chest.
He personally examined Li Han's fingernails and was surprised to find that they did not match the claw marks on the window frame. This significant discovery shocked Di Renjie greatly. To verify his guess, he sought confirmation from Cao An again, and indeed, he found a new breakthrough point. Di Renjie hurriedly returned to the morgue and, combining the existing clues, analyzed that the murderer was someone else.
The next morning, Di Renjie arrived at the Teng residence and saw the servants busily moving boxes. Upon inquiry, he learned that Teng Kan was preparing to leave Penglai City. He found Li Han's lost pouch in the flower garden, containing a strand of hair, specifically the severed hair from the top of Yin Lian's head, which was enough to show his deep affection for Yin Lian.
Teng Kan had not yet noticed Di Renjie's strange behavior and still wore a sorrowful expression, then ordered the servants to discard the Four Lacquered Screens. Di Renjie subconsciously asked the name of the person who made the Four Lacquered Screens but did not receive an answer. As night fell, Qiao Tai was practicing boxing bare-chested, revealing the whip marks on his back, which reminded Di Renjie of the horsewhip hanging in the Teng residence. At this time, Hong Liang brought a significant discovery—he found the poisonous plant "Bimanzi" in the soil at the crime scene.
Episode 8 Recap
Cao An gifted Teng Gong's poetry collection to Di Renjie, subtly hinting at something, and promised to sing for him again when she had free time, her tender gaze causing Ma Rong's dissatisfaction. After Cao An left, Ma Rong questioned Di Renjie about how he knew Cao An, but Di Renjie avoided answering. Instead, he entrusted Ma Rong with a crucial task, emphasizing that there could be no mistakes.
Qiao Tai and Hong Liang were full of suspicion, but Ma Rong kept silent. Early the next morning, Di Renjie confronted Teng Kan, using a long saber to scrape off the special coating on the screen's surface, revealing the true reason why the Four Lacquered Screens changed when exposed to hot water.
Thus, Di Renjie exposed Teng Kan in front of everyone, revealing that he had faked madness, planned to murder Yin Lian, framed Li Han, and skillfully manipulated public opinion to gain the reputation of a man who cherished his wife like his own life. Teng Kan was actually not a brilliant poet; those popular poems were all written by Yin Lian, and he had even won the top prize in the capital region based on these manuscripts.
However, Teng Kan had long known that Yin Lian was having an affair with Xu Kai. To maintain his status in the poetry world, he could only suppress his anger and allow her to meet with Xu Kai up to seven times. Finally, Teng Kan angrily swung his saber, aiming at Xu Kai and Yin Lian, and in a fit of rage, stabbed her seven times.
Furthermore, Di Renjie found bloodstains on the horsewhip and speculated that Teng Kan had whipped himself daily to suppress his inner demons. Later, Teng Kan could no longer bear it. He colluded with Lai Er Niang zi to redeem Li Han from prison and fabricated the story of ghosts and evil spirits appearing. On the day of the crime, Teng Kan took the hallucinogenic plant Bimanzi, deliberately creating the illusion of being possessed by a ghost, and murdered Yin Lian.
Unexpectedly, Li Han appeared at the scene and, in his immense grief, cut off a lock of hair to cherish. Since both Li Han and Xu Kai were dead, Di Renjie did not yet have enough evidence to convict him, so Teng Kan was smug.
Just as Teng Kan ordered his servants to move the last box from his study, he was surprised to find that the box which should have contained Yin Lian's poetry manuscripts was filled with stones instead. It turned out that Di Renjie had secretly instructed Ma Rong to sneak into the Teng residence at night and take the poetry manuscripts. By this time, the manuscripts had already been sent to Chang'an.
Although Teng Kan could not be sentenced for murder due to lack of evidence, his act of forging the poetry manuscripts constituted the crime of deceiving the Emperor, and he could not escape death. Seeing that the situation was hopeless and there was no way to turn back, Teng Kan collapsed onto the ground, looking both sorrowful and mad. In the end, he drank poisoned wine and ended his own life.
Hong Liang and Qiao Tai hurried to the Lai residence. Lai Er Niang zi had trapped herself inside the building and set herself on fire, which was lamentable. As the truth of the case came to light and everything settled down, Ba Zong admitted defeat on his wager, and from then on, Penglai City was governed according to law. To thank Cao An, Di Renjie chose a piece of redwood and carved words on it as a gift.
Cao An liked it very much. """ A few days later, a storm raged, whipping up waves, and a multi-decked ship struggled to advance in the dark night. The sailor Wang Lide changed the course without authorization and reassured the leader not to worry. The leader turned back into the cabin and was horrified to see the crew members brutally murdered. By the time he realized who the killer was, it was too late.
Wang Lide cruelly murdered everyone, except for a Baekje sailor who had stowed away and was hiding in a dark cabin. Eunuch Liu arrived in Penglai on imperial order to make purchases. Yi Pan saw the gold, silver, and treasures prepared by the Gu family for him and couldn't help but feel jealous, mocking the Gu family for favoring some over others in their dealings.
Gu Mengbin's confidant, Bai Kai, was sophisticated and dissolved Yi Pan's resentment with a few words, leaving him speechless. Di Renjie encountered his friend Hou Yu at the wharf. Having parted ways in the capital city and reuniting today, both were exceptionally happy. Now that Empress Wu was regent and had carried out a purge of civil and military officials, Hou Yu was also inevitably implicated and dismissed from office.
Di Renjie revealed his purpose for this trip to Hou Yu: to intercept a ship owner named Gu Mengbin. He had summoned the man for a minor case for three days, but the man avoided meeting him every time. At the same time, Gu Mengbin appeared at the wharf with a group of people. The grandeur of his entourage surprised Ma Rong. Qiao Tai stated that Gu Mengbin was the biggest ship owner in Penglai.
Hundreds of ships entering and leaving the port belonged to the Gu family, showing their immense family power. Gu Mengbin ordered his men to quickly put away the gold, silver, and treasures, and specifically reminded Yi Pan not to mention gold, especially the words "Baekje gold". That night, Gu Mengbin hosted a banquet to welcome Eunuch Liu. Yi Pan and Hou Yu accompanied them. Eunuch Liu revealed that he loved two things most in his life: singing girls and gold.
Even with his glib tongue, Yi Pan was taken aback upon hearing this and, surprised, lied that Penglai never produced gold. Di Renjie was unable to meet with Gu Mengbin and decided to take his men to find him. By coincidence, they met Cao An carrying a pipa by the shore. Subsequently, Di Renjie and Cao An entered the painted boat together. Eunuch Liu treated Di Renjie with disdain and neglect but was quite interested in Cao An. In contrast, Qiao Tai proactively struck up a conversation with the Baekje singing girl Yusu but felt bored due to the language barrier.
Episode 9 Recap
Di Renjie's sudden appearance displeased Eunuch Liu. He immediately reported the case details to Eunuch Liu. Someone accused Gu Mengbin of employing agent Wang Lide, who was suspected of smuggling military weapons, severely violating the Tang Dynasty laws. Gu Mengbin angrily denied selling swords and crossbows upon hearing this, and Officer Yi Pan also stated he would investigate the tax evasion matter thoroughly.
On the other side, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai sneaked into the gift tent at the wharf and accidentally exposed their identities, attracting many soldiers. In desperation, Qiao Tai shouted for Di Renjie's help. Eunuch Liu confirmed that the two were the magistrate's attendants and did not pursue the matter further, dismissing the others and quietly conveying the Empress's decree to Di Renjie. According to investigations, Baekje gold has recently been flowing into the capital via Penglai.
Treacherous officials in court are using it to buy people's support, disrupt the markets, and plot rebellion. Therefore, the Empress has limited Di Renjie to one month to investigate this case. If he fails to solve it within the time limit, he will be punished the same as those who illegally trade gold. Di Renjie was startled upon seeing the contents of the decree. Before he could react, he suddenly heard a commotion nearby, and people gathered.
The sea surface was covered in thick fog, making it impossible to see clearly beyond five paces. Suddenly, a large multi-decked ship sailed head-on and crashed into the wharf. Early the next morning, Officer Yi Pan led people to investigate the ship. He then reported that the ship was truly strange; its origin was difficult to discern, the sailors had mysteriously disappeared, and none of the crew members survived.
After listening to Officer Yi Pan's report, Eunuch Liu took out two gold pieces for everyone to identify. Only Di Renjie saw that one of them was Baekje gold, suggesting that this large multi-decked ship was related to the smuggling of Baekje gold. Eunuch Liu praised Di Renjie's insight and agreed to let him inspect the ship personally. As expected, Di Renjie found a Baekje man who had been unconscious for a long time in the dark cabin.
This man was the younger brother of the Baekje cook. Subsequently, Di Renjie held court to try the case, inviting Yusu to translate, with Eunuch Liu, Hou Yu, and Officer Yi Pan among others observing. The thin man claimed that due to the war in his hometown, he had no choice but to stow away to the Tang Dynasty to sell rice cakes.
During this time, he had been hiding in the dark cabin below and witnessed the ship changing direction several times during the voyage, passing by a small white island. Di Renjie asked the thin man to identify Wang Lide's portrait, but Gu Mengbin became flustered and accused the thin man of lying constantly. At this moment, the thin man suddenly remembered seeing a crew member with a strange tattoo.
At Di Renjie's request, he drew the tattoo pattern with a pen - the Black Flame. Eunuch Liu showed a surprised expression and remembered it vividly. The Black Flame was an anti-Tang force scattered throughout the former dynasty's territories, and its most representative symbol was the black flame tattoo. In the 14th year of the Zhenguan era, the court's suppression of the Black Flame was quite effective, but Di Zhixun was found to be associated with the organization.
Now that the tattoo had reappeared, it meant that these people were about to make a comeback. Di Renjie's mood was also particularly heavy. Soon, news of the thin man's death came from the prison. It was confirmed that he had died from choking on food due to overeating. The boatman Jin Sang survived.
In court, he identified Wang Lide's crime of murder and said he had heard Wang Lide plotting with someone to smuggle gold, involving several important figures in Penglai, including Gu Mengbin, Officer Yi Pan, and even Di Renjie. Although Jin Sang's testimony required further verification, it aligned with the current investigation, such as Wang Lide's disappearance and the connection between the Penglai gold case and the Black Flame.
Di Renjie carried these doubts to the Mingyue Quarter to listen to music. He suddenly remembered some events from his youth, vaguely recalling his father having dealings with the Black Flame. Similarly, Cao An was reminded of someone by something; many years ago, she was rescued by a masked Black Flame member, and later she unexpectedly saved an injured Black Flame member. The time they spent together was her most unforgettable memory.
The investigation into the gold case had made no progress, but the rumor of the large multi-decked ship being haunted had spread completely throughout the area. That night, Di Renjie brought Hou Yu to catch the ghost and discovered a person in a black robe lurking about, who deliberately left behind a box containing an astrolabe and a nautical chart.
The route drawn on the nautical chart had an island marked on it, which seemed to be exactly the white island mentioned by the thin man and Jin Sang. Di Renjie felt that this island was the key to the case. Hou Yu also agreed with Di Renjie's opinion. The two reported the situation to Eunuch Liu, hoping to travel to the island as soon as possible to investigate and prevent others from getting there first.
Eunuch Liu immediately ordered a ship to be prepared and set sail, and summoned Yusu and others to accompany them. Di Renjie repeatedly warned Cao An not to get on the ship, but she did not heed his advice and was also among the group traveling together.
Episode 10 Recap
Strong winds and heavy rain were approaching, the roaring waves were terrifying. Under such extreme weather conditions, the fleet's progress was exceptionally difficult, and criminals even secretly damaged the masts and rudders, causing casualties. As the fleet scattered, everyone was isolated and helpless. Fortunately, there was still enough food on board, and they continued to hope for rescue.
Di Renjie sent a message to Hong Liang via carrier pigeon, instructing him to submit the letter to the court as evidence if they encountered misfortune, to ensure the truth would be preserved. Yusu was being harassed by soldiers. Qiao Tai appeared in time to rescue her. This act of a hero saving the beauty made Ma Rong understand immediately.
While Di Renjie and Hou Yu were talking, they suddenly thought that Wang Lide was skilled at observing stars and would verify the nautical chart whenever he reached a place. Therefore, they suspected that the nautical chart they had obtained might not be genuine, as there were no markings on it. Just as they were talking, Eunuch Liu summoned everyone on board to the cabin to search for an informant.
Jin Sang revealed that Wang Lide had a close relationship with a Baekje geji, implying that Yusu might know clues related to the gold. Eunuch Liu subjected Yusu to harsh interrogation. The scene was brutal, and Cao An couldn't bear to look. Di Renjie persuaded Yusu to reveal the whereabouts of Wang Lide and the gold, but Yusu only said that Wang Lide had promised to return to redeem her and that she knew nothing else.
As no useful clues were obtained from Yusu, she was taken away by the soldiers. Di Renjie calmed Cao An's emotions, signaling her with his eyes to remain calm. Afterward, Di Renjie publicly exposed that Officer Yi Pan had personally led a large ship out to sea in the dark. This happened to be on the same day Wang Lide had an accident. This situation was too coincidental, making Officer Yi Pan's excuse seem weak and ineffective.
Soon, a thick fog rose on the sea. Hou Yu notified everyone to return to the cabins to rest, in case of accidents. Di Renjie and Hou Yu analyzed the case together, believing that it was highly probable that Baekje people were using gold to smuggle Tang Dynasty military weapons. After the thick fog dispersed, everyone discovered that Officer Yi Pan was dead, his body was hanging from the mast. This incident caused Gu Mengbin extreme panic.
He ordered his attendants to guard him closely, not leaving his side for a moment. Also because the informant was still lurking on the ship, it caused widespread panic. Eunuch Liu suspected that everyone might have ulterior motives, even threatening Di Renjie that if he still couldn't find the murderer, he would personally interrogate Cao An. Qiao Tai worried about Yusu's safety.
He quietly sneaked into the bottom of the cabin to check on her condition and personally gave her water and applied medicine. Meanwhile, Ma Rong was carefully keeping watch outside. After night fell, Gu Mengbin observed the stars with an astrolabe. This action inspired Di Renjie. He believed the large ship was traveling with the ocean currents, which coincided with Wang Lide's route.
To prevent Yusu from revealing Baekje's secrets, Bai Kai decided to personally kill her, but he was discovered and stopped in time by Qiao Tai and Ma Rong. Bai Kai's assassination attempt failed. He was forced onto the deck by the crowd and simply admitted that he was the Standard Bearer Lieutenant of the Baekje Tiger Guards. Although Di Renjie guessed that Wang Lide had the support of high-ranking court officials, Bai Kai remained silent on the matter.
Within a day and night, many changes occurred on the ship. Yi Pan was suspected of being murdered, and after being apprehended, Bai Kai jumped into the sea and died. According to the astrolabe measurements, they had been drifting along Wang Lide's route. The clues for the gold case had gradually become clear. At the plea of Di Renjie and others, Yusu was able to return to the cabin to rest, and Cao An carefully attended to her.
Di Renjie found Cao An, asked her why she insisted on getting on the ship, and also asked Yusu about other circumstances regarding Bai Kai. Cao An remained silent, and Yusu also said she knew nothing about it. After Di Renjie left, Yusu voluntarily recounted her story with Wang Lide and perceived that the relationship between Cao An and Di Renjie was unusual.
In the investigation of the gold case, Di Renjie deeply felt that Hou Yu's knowledge of tides and celestial phenomena was extraordinary. Hou Yu smiled and explained that he had learned this knowledge from his grandfather, but rarely mentioned his grandfather to others. At the same time, Gu Mengbin brought gold to show respect to Eunuch Liu.
In front of him, he spoke falsely that Di Renjie deliberately shielded Wang Lide, fearing they were in cahoots, secretly controlling the gold smuggling. Eunuch Liu looked thoughtful upon hearing this. He stated that if Di Renjie were truly like that, he would have committed a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family.
Episode 11 Recap
After night fell, several small boats proceeded in the dark, gradually gathering to surround the official ship in the center of the sea. The leader was dressed in a black robe and dark armor, wearing a beast-head mask, his pair of dark eyes staring intently into the distance, seemingly ready to issue commands at any moment.
Jin Sang took the opportunity to bite and break a porcelain bowl, using the fragments to open his shackles, escape from the cage, and then held a soldier hostage to force information about Yusu's whereabouts. Following this, he took Hou Yu hostage, ordering Di Renjie to hand over Yusu in exchange for his safety. Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, someone suddenly shouted, "Ships are coming! " Jin Sang hurriedly blew a whistle.
Di Renjie realized the situation was bad and was about to warn everyone to take precautions, when a rain of arrows shot towards them. The officers and soldiers were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties. Hou Yu, disregarding his own safety, urged Di Renjie to quickly go and notify the Imperial Guards. Di Renjie had to turn back and found Gu Mengbin severely wounded.
On the verge of death, he revealed he had been ambushed, regretting that he and Officer Yi had coveted gold and provided ships to Wang Lide, leading to this outcome. The ship was still in chaos, but Di Renjie quickly regained his composure and commanded the Imperial Guards to defend against the enemy. In a short while, the enemy ships' offensive gradually weakened, and the officers and soldiers brought Yusu in time.
Jin Sang's hostage also changed from Hou Yu to Yusu. At this moment, Black Flame led a group of people rushing towards the official ship, during which they discovered Cao An hiding in a corner. Although Cao An showed panic, Black Flame did not kill her, which caused Cao An to fall into her memories. Di Renjie personally negotiated with Jin Sang, attempting to rescue the hostage.
Jin Sang believed the situation was under his control and had no more reservations. He admitted he was a member of the Black Flame organization, whose purpose was to deceive Wang Lide into helping them plunder gold, pretending to be Baekje survivors to divert their attention, intentionally leaving behind the nautical chart, and damaging the masts to isolate the official ship.
Just then, the masked man suddenly appeared and hijacked an officer, thanking Di Renjie for revealing the secret of the gold. Jin Sang held a knife to Yusu and questioned her about the location of the gold. Hou Yu seized the opportunity to grab an arrow and shoot Yusu, which caught everyone by surprise. Amidst the chaos, Jin Sang died from the arrow wound, and the masked man jumped off the ship and fled.
Cao An's gaze followed the masked man the entire time, only feeling relieved after confirming he was safe and sound. However, Hou Yu had no intention of stopping. After Eunuch Liu arrived, he immediately slandered Di Renjie, accusing him of colluding with external enemies, insisting on putting him to death. Since Ma Rong and Qiao Tai were subdued and unable to get close to Di Renjie, with a command from Hou Yu, dozens of arrows flew out simultaneously.
At the critical moment, Di Renjie grabbed Cao An and jumped into the rushing seawater. Ma Rong and the others were heartbroken, shouting Di Renjie's name loudly, but the two had disappeared into the vast sea, as if the shocking scene that had just occurred never happened. Di Renjie sank to the bottom of the sea, struggling to breathe.
The scene of his father jumping into the river appeared in his mind, like a life flashing before his eyes before death. Fortunately, Cao An was skilled at swimming and swam with Di Renjie to the shore. The two survived and built a fire on the shore to keep warm while waiting for rescue. Di Renjie guessed that Cao An got on the ship to meet someone and talked with her about his insights on life.
Cao An was full of worries, silently looking at the dark sea, humming a Bingzhou tune. Early the next morning, Di Renjie found Wang Lide's corpse, which had been rotting for many days, on the shore. Hong Liang and others also quickly arrived and reported to him the details of Officer Yi's night patrol and departure.
Di Renjie combined the clues provided by Yusu before her death and cleverly used a zither score to solve the mystery, finally identifying a key figure - the mysterious guest who possessed one of the three nautical charts. As for the other two nautical charts, they were in the hands of Black Flame and Wang Lide, respectively. According to the records in "Tidal Chronicles," a strange great tide appears in Penglai once every hundred years.
When the tide occurs, the water level recedes more than ten li, forming a trench. Now another hundred-year cycle is approaching. Di Renjie speculated that the tide would occur today. He rode alone to the location of the trench and indeed saw his old friend Hou Yu, who had previously disguised himself as the mysterious guest.
Episode 12 Recap
The Hou family were loyal and righteous, experiencing the ups and downs of being officials and generals for three generations, finally declining at the hands of Hou Yu, all because Empress Wu controlled the court and stripped him of his power. For many years, there was a constant stream of officials in the court opposing Empress Wu, and they even engaged in the smuggling of military supplies through this.
Hou Yu became the intermediary sent by these powerful figures, mainly responsible for negotiating with Wang Lide to jointly establish a maritime route. Coincidentally, Black Flame also targeted Wang Lide and threatened him to steal this gold. Wang Lide knew well that exchanging gold for military supplies involved powerful figures in the court, and the Black Flame organization was powerful and ruthless.
Neither side could be rashly offended, so he could only turn to Hou Yu for help, not realizing he was sending himself to his death. Hou Yu used the plan to his advantage; after Wang Lide killed all the crew members, he personally killed him. Although Wang Lide jumped into the sea to escape and hid on a small island for several days, he ultimately could not escape death.
Originally, Hou Yu thought that as long as Wang Lide was eliminated, he could rest easy, but he did not expect that there was also a Baekje stowaway hidden on the ship. Black Flame suffered heavy losses, and because their whereabouts were exposed and they were wanted by the court, they simply sent Jin Sang to impersonate a survivor, attempting to frame the important figure in Penglai.
Subsequently, Black Flame deliberately left behind the nautical chart to lure Di Renjie and others out to sea. Officer Yi thus revealed his flaws, and Hou Yu simply went all the way, strangling him and faking it as a suicide. Although Gu Mengbin did not know Hou Yu's secret, he was fearful of meeting the same fate as Officer Yi and was uneasy all day, but unfortunately, he was still shot and killed by Hou Yu.
Di Renjie gradually revealed Hou Yu's methods of committing crimes and was angry at his actions of killing many people to cover up the truth of the gold. Hou Yu claimed he did this for the people of the world, stating that only by controlling the gold could he win over court officials, secure his career, and prevent the wicked queen from wreaking havoc on the Great Tang.
Hou Yu possessed great talent but lacked great virtue, and ultimately went down the wrong path. He pleaded with Di Renjie to give him a way out, but Di Renjie's hesitation gradually disheartened him. Therefore, Hou Yu decided to strike first, launching a surprise attack on Di Renjie for a desperate fight to the death. Di Renjie defended against every move, unwilling to harm his friend's life.
In the end, a big wave struck, and Ma Rong and Qiao Tai took Di Renjie and fled the area. Hou Yu had already lost his mind, embracing the gold as he was buried at the bottom of the sea. And wasn't he, too, a pitiable person, a victim of political struggle? With the gold case completely solved, Eunuch Liu returned to the capital to report back.
Di Renjie promised Empress Wu that there would be no more privately traded gold from then on. A few days later, Di Renjie accompanied Cao An to the temple to offer incense, venturing to climb a cliff to pick a cherry branch for her, winning the beauty's smile.
That night, Hong Liang hosted a banquet at his residence to entertain Cao An, creating an opportunity for them to be alone, but Cao An thought for a moment and then rose to take her leave. In the following days, the Penglai County Yamen often received some minor cases. On this day, someone complained that the Zhongji Pawnshop refused to allow the redemption of pawned items. Di Renjie stated that he would investigate the reason and handle it impartially.
Just at this moment, the county yamen received another report, claiming someone had personally witnessed a "zombie," and the witness was a young child. Under Di Renjie's questioning, the child described playing hide-and-seek with his companions, mistakenly entering a reed swamp. While trying to find a way out, he unexpectedly came across a corpse floating on the lake surface, purple and rigid all over.
Di Renjie brought Ma Rong and Qiao Tai to the scene for investigation and indeed found several obvious bloodstains. They followed the bloodstains to a dilapidated watchtower. Hanging directly above the front was a huge and withered bird-man statue—a statue of the Rain Master worshipped by the common folk. Its excessive realism made it appear extremely bizarre and terrifying. On the second floor, Di Renjie found traces of someone having lived there.
Turning around, he saw the crazy young woman Huang Ying'er. A group of soldiers was ordered to patrol nearby. Di Renjie learned that Officer Li had arbitrarily ordered the soldiers to remove the corpse, so he decided to personally meet this person. Officer Li was dismissive of Di Renjie's arrival. Di Renjie insisted on seeing the corpse, but unexpectedly, he had already cremated it. Meanwhile, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai discovered erotic drawings in the soldiers' tent.
Immediately after, they heard footsteps outside and quickly hid. Several child soldiers, around their teens, supported each other as they entered the tent. They had suffered severe military flogging on their chests and backs but did not regret their actions of the previous night, believing it was worthwhile.
Episode 13 Recap
Officer Li saw Di Renjie was so insistent on the corpse, so he let him take it, reminding him that plague was prevalent recently and he needed to be extra careful. Di Renjie asked Officer Li why he only burned the corpse at noon after finding it this morning.
Officer Li was slightly stunned, but quickly reacted, stating frankly that the four child soldiers responsible for patrolling last night went out messing around and lost their military knives, and he found a pawn ticket from "Zhongji Pawnshop" on the corpse. Di Renjie and his group returned with the corpse.
Ma Rong guessed the child soldiers most likely went out for pleasure, and Qiao Tai agreed with Ma Rong's guess, saying that teenage boys in the military camp are energetic and thinking about women is inevitable. But regarding Zhongji Pawnshop, Ma Rong immediately thought of the report to the officials, and the stub of the pawn ticket was still with the shopkeeper, so he speculated the deceased was likely the missing shopkeeper Zhong Fang.
Afterward, Di Renjie and Cao An watched a shadow play. The story recounted the love between the Rain Master and a mortal woman, whose removal of the mask caused the Rain Master to turn into a bird and eternally hover in the air without being able to land, making the audience sigh at the capriciousness of fate.
Cao An knew well that Penglai was humid and about to enter a month-long misty rain season, so she personally sewed a well-fitting coir raincoat for Di Renjie, filling Di Renjie with joy. He wanted to express his feelings for Cao An, but found it hard to speak. Shopkeeper Lin came to identify the deceased. Upon seeing the corpse, he was deeply saddened and confirmed he was the head of the household, Zhong Fang.
On his way to Zhongji Pawnshop, Di Renjie unexpectedly learned that someone had witnessed Zhong Fang turn into a bird-man and fly away, which aroused his suspicion. Shopkeeper Lin described Zhong Fang as kind-hearted and simple, whose dream was to run Penglai's largest pawnshop. But ever since watching the shadow play by the troupe, he became listless, often going out in the middle of the night and returning in the early morning.
Furthermore, Zhong Fang also made many losing deals, always moved by the love stories of those swindlers, and even paid large sums for fake and inferior items. Di Renjie found a stack of scrolls at Zhong Fang's residence, took them back to the county yamen for careful study, and confirmed through comparison that they depicted the image of the Rain Master from the shadow play. Meanwhile, a maidservant delivered the coir raincoat, but Di Renjie was not there.
Ma Rong stepped in on his behalf, returned the raincoat, and warned Cao An to rein in her thoughts, revealing the news that Di Renjie was about to be transferred. Di Renjie remembered Huang Ying'er and went alone to the watchtower. Seeing her in a state of madness, alternately crying and laughing, with a valuable pawned item from Zhongji Pawnshop on her wrist, he quietly left and detourned to Mingyue Lane.
Cao An felt sad because of Ma Rong's words and was cold towards Di Renjie. When asked about Huang Ying'er, she revealed she had seen Huang Ying'er in the opera troupe, but Huang Ying'er was obsessed with the Rain Master, and each time she would ask how to resurrect the Rain Master, seemingly unable to distinguish between the play and reality. Ma Rong returned to the residence late at night and was discovered by Qiao Tai.
He admitted he went to see Cao An, and pulled out a conch from behind him. Qiao Tai realized he had gone to steal again. Just as Qiao Tai was about to criticize Ma Rong, Di Renjie returned from outside, clearly heard their conversation, and angrily rebuked Ma Rong for not changing his bad habits. Ma Rong felt upset and stood in the courtyard in the rain, unwilling to enter the house.
Later in the night, after Di Renjie finished sorting out the case clues, Qiao Tai felt pity and subtly reminded him, only then did he remember to call Ma Rong into the house. Seeing that Di Renjie was willing to forgive him, Ma Rong couldn't help but burst into tears.
To ascertain the truth, with the assistance of Hong Liang and others, Di Renjie successfully restored the image and equipment of the Rain Master and appeared before Huang Ying'er wearing it. At first, Huang Ying'er mistook him for the person she loved and embraced the "Rain Master," but upon seeing his eyes, she realized someone was impersonating the person she loved.
Di Renjie no longer pretended, removed the mask, and questioned Huang Ying'er about her relationship with Zhong Fang and the cause of Zhong Fang's death. Huang Ying'er seemed provoked, shouting and picking up a dagger to stab Di Renjie, but he easily subdued her. Upon closer inspection, the dagger turned out to be a military knife. Afterward, Di Renjie discovered Wang Sanlang hiding in the corner and peeping.
He immediately arrested the man and took him back to the county yamen prison. After interrogation, Wang Sanlang admitted to personally killing Zhong Fang.
Episode 14 Recap
Despite Wang Sanlang's confession, Di Renjie firmly believed the real killer was someone else. He personally sketched portraits of the four child soldiers and asked Ba Zong to investigate their specific whereabouts. Hong Liang investigated the military camp's procurement documents for Di Renjie; supplies had been quite ample recently, indicating a significant corruption problem.
Di Renjie was very angry about this and went to Mingyue Lane in the rain, telling Cao An through the door that he would talk to her after the case was over. Afterward, Di Renjie came to the watchtower and saw Huang Ying'er dressed in feather clothes, preparing to jump off the building. In desperation, he stopped Huang Ying'er by calling out the Rain Master's name and questioned her again about the cause of Zhong Fang's death.
However, Huang Ying'er was emotionally agitated; not only did she not answer Di Renjie's questions, but she also took advantage of his unpreparedness and jumped down. Almost at the same time, an eagle circled and cried out in the night sky, seemingly confirming Huang Ying'er's wish had come true. Di Renjie looked at Huang Ying'er's corpse, further confirming his guess. Initially, Zhong Fang met Huang Ying'er at the theater and fell in love with her at first sight.
Because Huang Ying'er was infatuated with the Rain Master, he dressed up as the Rain Master to meet her privately. As time went on, the two fell in love, but Zhong Fang never let Huang Ying'er see his true face. Later, Zhong Fang was murdered, and his body appeared at the watchtower.
Because he was not wearing a mask, Huang Ying'er saw Zhong Fang's true appearance for the first time and could not believe that the Rain Master she deeply loved was a mortal. In rage and breakdown, Huang Ying'er picked up the military knife left by the killer and added another stab to the already dead Zhong Fang, mistakenly believing she was the real killer.
During a night of thunderstorms, Cao An was worried about Di Renjie's safety and hurried to the county yamen, only to learn that Di Renjie had not yet returned. Hong Liang revealed that Di Renjie was about to be transferred to Lanfang and hoped Cao An could go with him. At this time, a soldier notified Di Renjie to quickly go and save people.
By the time Di Renjie arrived at the military camp, it was too late; he saw that the child soldiers had been hanged by Officer Li. Di Renjie angrily accused Officer Li of disregarding human life, saying he should have waited for him to find out the truth before drawing conclusions. But Officer Li stated that these four were beggars he had picked up from outside, and he had painstakingly taught them to shed their bad habits and become soldiers.
He did not want the dignity they had built up to disappear because of other crimes, making all his efforts futile. Officer Li warned Di Renjie not to interfere further, as the military camp was his territory. Di Renjie, feeling powerless after witnessing the deaths of Huang Ying'er and the soldiers, went alone to Mingyue Lane and confided in Cao An through a door, mocking himself for being unable to save anyone. Hearing this made Cao An feel uneasy.
The mistress of the lane knew Cao An was interested in Di Renjie, but Cao An was afraid to take that step. Facing the unknown environment and outcome, she felt uneasy. Following him without hesitation didn't guarantee a good ending. The next morning, Di Renjie woke up and found himself in Cao An's room. Cao An had left a maidservant to look after him but had disappeared herself.
Ba Zong's investigation results showed that the four child soldiers went out not for pleasure but to a restaurant. From the restaurant owner's confession, Di Renjie learned that they were not wearing knives. Instead, Officer Li and Shopkeeper Xie from the salt shop were discussing upstairs and later took them away. This clue completely overturned Officer Li's statement, proving he was deliberately lying and concealing something.
It was precisely because of this that Di Renjie followed Shopkeeper Xie all the way to the hiding place and discovered a large number of supplies that had been applied for by the military. Di Renjie took Qiao Tai and Ma Rong to arrest Officer Li, but they were countered. Officer Li first found out that Qiao Tai was a deserter and subjected him to brutal interrogation, leaving him severely injured. Qiao Tai was barely clinging to life.
Ma Rong recounted his past to Di Renjie, revealing that he was once a subordinate of General Meng and eloped with the sub-lieutenant's young wife because he fell in love with her. However, the young wife returned because she couldn't adapt to the difficult life, and he was left with the charge of being a deserter. Just as Ma Rong was angrily accusing Qiao Tai, Officer Li was preparing to execute Qiao Tai in public.
At the critical moment, Di Renjie, quick-witted, shouted out Officer Li's various misdeeds, stalling for time until Hong Liang arrived to expose Officer Li's embezzlement. Finally, Officer Li was brought to justice for his crimes, and Qiao Tai was safe and sound. Upon waking, he worried about Di Renjie knowing his past, but thankfully Ma Rong was willing to hide it for him. Ma Rong lied, saying Qiao Tai was framed in the military camp, and Di Renjie believed him.
The mistress of Mingyue Lane saw that Cao An and Di Renjie were mutually fond of each other, so she deliberately released the news that Di Renjie was in danger to make Cao An anxiously rush to find him. Cao An later realized the mistress's good intentions. When she returned to Mingyue Lane, she saw her playing the pipa solo, and a new recruitment notice had been posted outside. The two exchanged a smile.
Episode 15 Recap
After returning from the military camp, Di Renjie visited the Zhong Pawnshop and found that Manager Lin had already transferred the shop and was packing his bags, preparing to leave Penglai. With the help of the shop assistant's identification, Di Renjie confirmed that the handwriting on the dagger's pawn ticket belonged to Zhong Fang. Previously, Manager Lin and Zhong Fang had a fierce quarrel.
Later, Zhong Fang went out and did not return until the news of his death came back. At this moment, Manager Lin was stroking the wood carving as if possessed, murmuring that it would have been much better if Zhong Fang hadn't believed the story of the Rain Master.
Di Renjie's sudden appearance slightly surprised Manager Lin, who subconsciously covered the wood carving with a cloth and pretended to be busy organizing the accounts, but could not hide his inner panic. Di Renjie analyzed that Manager Lin developed murderous intent because Zhong Fang was not focused on the business and a crazy woman ruined their nearly twenty years of hard work.
Although Manager Lin had tried to persuade Zhong Fang, Zhong Fang's deep affection for Huang Ying'er led him to even embezzle shop funds to support her. This stubbornness left Manager Lin feeling disheartened. Manager Lin had worked hard with Zhong Fang until now, dedicating everything to it, enduring countless hardships and bitterness, having to greet difficult customers with a smile and swallow insults. But who could have anticipated that all this would be erased by Zhong Fang?
Manager Lin bitterly recounted Zhong Fang's actions and agonizingly admitted that his own actions were forced by circumstance. Finally, Manager Lin was escorted to the execution ground. The people along the road threw rotten vegetables at him, but he paid no attention, his eyes only on Zhong Fang's receding figure, as if seeing the man he once respected and loved. Meanwhile, Di Renjie cleared Wang Sanlang's suspicion.
He had confessed to killing Zhong Fang solely because he liked Huang Ying'er and wanted to take the blame for her; however, Huang Ying'er was also just a pawn in this murder case. There was no Rain Master in the world; it was merely a story born from people's imagination, yet some were deeply caught in it, unable to extricate themselves. The Rain Master case concluded, leaving Di Renjie with a sense of dissatisfaction.
Ma Rong, on the other hand, couldn't help but complain, believing that the three men were cowards who dared not openly express their love. Their unrequited love ultimately created this tragedy. Before parting, Ma Rong came to bid farewell to Ba Zong, giving him the wooden dice he had carved himself and making a pact that Ba Zong should come to Lanfang to drink with him someday.
Di Renjie went to Mingyue Lane to find Cao An, speaking his feelings through the door, but there was no response inside, leading him to return disappointed. The next morning, Di Renjie insisted on walking out of the city. Ma Rong was puzzled by this, but Qiao Tai and Hong Liang knew perfectly well. Fortunately, Cao An had been waiting at the teahouse for a long time.
She was dressed in dark practical attire, carrying a pipa and her luggage, clearly having made her choice and resolved to go to Lanfang with Di Renjie. After several days of travel, the group passed through the desert, which brought back memories for Di Renjie, Ma Rong, and Qiao Tai. It was here, years ago, that the three "starving ghosts" met.
Di Renjie clearly remembered the sand almost burying him, and worse, running into Ma Rong and Qiao Tai who had come to rob him. Having not eaten for days, their legs were weak and their mouths dry. Seeing the water flask in Di Renjie's bag, they seized the opportunity to approach and snatch his water and food, gradually becoming Di Renjie's close followers. Just as they were talking, a sandstorm suddenly rose in the desert, quickly sweeping towards them.
Di Renjie led everyone to hide behind a rock. In the chaos and haste, the official documents box accidentally fell onto the sand, scattering the case files everywhere. After the storm gradually subsided, Di Renjie got up to pick up the files and unexpectedly discovered a peach wood sword – the very same wooden sword he lost when he jumped into the river to save his father years ago.
Di Renjie had always worn the peach wood sword as a protective talisman. Now, retrieving the wooden sword in the desert, it foreshadowed that the journey ahead was uncertain and the trip to Lanfang would be fraught with danger.
Episode 16 Recap
As the sun set in the west and dusk clouds gathered, Lanfang, located in the frontier region, was far more complex than Di Renjie had imagined. This market town was unlike typical bustling towns; instead, it resembled a ghost village in desolate graves and wilderness, where hungry ghosts seized food and evil spirits committed violence everywhere.
Clearly, the Lone Wolf Gang was seen as those evil spirits by everyone; they monopolized the wells and even mocked and beat those who sought water, incidents that were all too common. Just as Di Renjie was about to step forward to intervene, a veiled young master ran over to stop them.
Although his voice was weak and his body frail, he still protected the suffering people with his own strength, and handed over a bag of silver to satisfy the gang and make them leave, no longer making things difficult for those fetching water. Seeing this, Di Renjie continued leading his horse forward, noticing many people openly observing them with aggressive gazes.
Ma Rong and Qiao Tai went ahead to investigate and returned to report that the county yamen had been burned down last night and was now a charred ruin. Di Renjie found it hard to believe and only accepted the reality after inspecting it himself. As the public order here was vastly different from Penglai and various forces were carving up the city, they had to choose the Red Pavilion as their lodging.
Compared to the chaos outside, the Red Pavilion was a rare haven of elegance, with embroidered chambers and vermilion towers lined up row upon row, accompanied by the unending sounds of clappers and string instruments, and featuring beautiful singing and dancing girls, like a secluded paradise on earth. The landlady Bi Yu led everyone upstairs, briefly introduced the situation of the Red Pavilion, and revealed to them the distribution of power in Lanfang.
Currently, Lanfang has three major gangs: the Azure Dragon Gang, the Lone Wolf Gang, and the Black Tiger Gang, in addition to over ten smaller gangs. In the past seven years, five county magistrates have taken office, but none could effectively govern Lanfang; the situation remained a chaotic scene of one group rising as another fell.
Di Renjie asked if Lanfang had always been this way, and the landlady said that Lanfang was once ruled by the Black Flame, but later the Black Flame was suddenly severely hit and subsequently disappeared completely. The Black Tiger Gang and the Lone Wolf Gang engaged in a fierce fight over the wells. The Black Tiger Gang leader, Qian Hao, brutally killed the Lone Wolf Gang leader and ultimately monopolized all of Lanfang's water sources.
Di Renjie and others witnessed this bloody fight from the upper floor, gaining a deeper understanding of Lanfang's chaos. At the same time, they saw that these gang forces were deeply rooted and probably difficult to deal with. They decided to hold their ground before the city defense troops arrived and draw a map based on their impressions. Afterward, Di Renjie went to ask Bi Yu about some matters and coincidentally met the courtesan Qiu Yue.
Qiu Yue had been taking care of Li Tao's food and daily life, but today she discovered that Li Tao had died by cutting his own wrists. Di Renjie leaned in for a look and found that the deceased was indeed the young master who had intervened and saved people during the day. Qiu Yue revealed that Li Tao had proposed to her and was rejected, implying that he committed suicide because he was troubled by love.
Di Renjie wanted to continue questioning, but Bi Yu came in from outside and interrupted the conversation. She signaled Qiu Yue with her eyes not to speak carelessly, sealed off the scene, and ordered Di Renjie to leave. That night, Di Renjie and his party sneaked into the room to examine Li Tao's body.
They noticed that the position where Li Tao's wrists were cut did not match the bloodstains on the ground, and there were inconspicuous needle marks on his neck. From this, they concluded that Li Tao did not commit suicide but was murdered. The group found some manuscripts under the carpet, many of which were IOUs from others to Li Tao, and even notes about not repaying borrowed money.
At this moment, Bi Yu brought County Lieutenant Li and caught them red-handed. Di Renjie had to reveal his identity, leaving Bi Yu stunned and County Lieutenant Li extremely respectful. Bi Yu's eagerness to classify Li Tao's death as suicide aroused Di Renjie's suspicion. Under repeated questioning, Bi Yu realized she had spoken incorrectly and stated that Li Tao had stayed at the Red Pavilion for forty-seven days, but she still knew nothing about him.
However, Di Renjie did not believe Bi Yu's explanation but could not find any definite points of suspicion about her, so he inquired about the situation from County Lieutenant Li. He learned that Bi Yu had once met a lovesick Young Master Lu, who hanged himself at the Red Pavilion after his proposal was rejected, and from then on, she became famous in Lanfang, with many young women following her example.
Di Renjie noticed that the signature on Li Tao's painting was extremely special. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the seal belonged to the former prefect Li Jingwei, so he followed County Lieutenant Li to visit him. Li Jingwei was still unaware that his son had been murdered and spoke at length about how kind-hearted and tolerant his son was.
Hearing this, Di Renjie felt compassion and, fearing that Li Jingwei would not be able to accept the news of his death, did not mention a word about it. It was precisely because of this that County Lieutenant Li believed Di Renjie was different from the previous five county magistrates. He admired his compassion and said that if Di Renjie intended to bring change to Lanfang, he would definitely assist him wholeheartedly.
Di Renjie took his people back to the Red Pavilion and saw the people spontaneously mourning Li Tao in the streets. There was a vast crowd with endless weeping, moving everyone present to sadness and emotion. Cao An sighed at how many people Li Tao had benefited, feeling that this case might be an opportunity for Di Renjie, an opportunity to break the deadlock in Lanfang.
Episode 17 Recap
Di Renjie set up a simple public court on the ruins, intending to clear up the order in Lanfang and rebuild the legal system. However, his actions did not gain the trust of the common people. Although there were many onlookers, no one was willing to step forward to report a crime. A young boy ran over hastily, accusing someone of breaking his grandpa's leg, but the man firmly denied it.
Di Renjie questioned him repeatedly without success and was at a loss. County Lieutenant Li had no choice but to reveal that the fire at the yamen was not arson but a natural disaster. Originally, this big fire could have been avoided, but everyone saw the fire start and had no intention of extinguishing it, because the county yamen, to them, was full of uncertainties and by no means a place that upheld justice.
Now every part of Lanfang has an overlord. Di Renjie knew he was outnumbered, but he still publicly pulled out the charred flag and declared the yamen's sovereignty to the people. Hong Liang worried that Di Renjie's action would cause trouble, but Cao An understood and supported his decision. This made Hong Liang very happy and relieved that Di Renjie had such a close confidante.
By sorting out documents, Cao An learned that Di Zhixun had been threatened by the Black Flame and, in despair, jumped into the river to commit suicide. Later, the Saint clarified the truth and cleared Di Zhixun's name, but the dead cannot be brought back to life. This incident still cast a significant shadow over Di Renjie. At the same time, the Black Flame was exposed due to Di Zhixun's death and was wiped out again.
Cao An was confused about the reason why Di Renjie's courtesy name "Huaiying" was carved on the peach wood sword, but Hong Liang avoided the topic, citing "a long time ago". When Coroner Hu examined Li Tao's body, he was always erratic and spoke nonsense, exhausting Di Renjie's patience.
Di Renjie sternly questioned Coroner Hu whether he saw any signs of poisoning in Li Tao, but Coroner Hu always found excuses to avoid the topic, insisting that Li Tao died by suicide. At this moment, someone came to pick up medicine, and Coroner Hu casually made a note in his book, which attracted Di Renjie's attention. He seemed a bit guilty. The investigation reached a deadlock.
Di Renjie ordered his men to count the number of people in the Red Pavilion, and then went alone to find Qiu Yue, questioning her about whether she imitated Bi Yu to kill Li Tao. He inferred this because the bloodstains on Li Tao's hands were not yet dry, and the ink on the table was still there, suggesting that Qiu Yue had disturbed the crime scene.
Qiu Yue refused to admit it and told Di Renjie about her past and her feelings for Li Tao. That year, Qiu Yue traveled with her father for business. While passing through the desert, they encountered a sandstorm, and only she survived from the entire caravan. During this period, five groups of people passed by but all refused to help, only Bi Yu took her back to the Red Pavilion, and she has remained in Lanfang ever since.
Therefore, when facing Li Tao's confession, although Qiu Yue felt touched and longed for it, she also had an unspeakable timidity. She could not believe that such beautiful feelings in this world would befall her. However, ever since Qiu Yue rejected Li Tao, his personality changed drastically. His attitude, which went from courteous to arrogant, made Qiu Yue believe that the so-called deep affection was illusory.
Although Qiu Yue knew that Young Master Li had thoughts of seeking death, she did not step forward to stop him. Even after he died, she searched for a suicide note, partly to prove her innocence and partly to raise her own value. Meanwhile, Hong Liang investigated the personnel at the Red Pavilion and discovered that the security guard Wei Cheng was missing. Everyone tracked him to Wei Cheng's home and found Wei Cheng himself, who was severely injured.
He was wounded by Qian Hao and was dying. Before his death, he stated that he would not kill his benefactor Li Tao, but rather someone had put out a bounty to find the real killer. Di Renjie immediately thought that the person who put out the bounty was likely Prefect Li, and immediately rushed to the Li residence to persuade him that he should not knowingly break the law.
Prefect Li confessed that he had pulmonary tuberculosis and did not have much time left, nor enough time to wait for Di Renjie's justice. Therefore, he wanted to find the murderer himself to avenge his son. The fate of the Li father and son deeply pained Di Renjie, and he immediately promised that he would never let a good person die wrongly and would certainly seek justice.
At this moment, Coroner Hu's residence was set on fire, and Li Tao's body was burned as well. After hearing the conversation between County Lieutenant Li and others, Di Renjie suspected that there was an mole in the team, so he asked Ma Rong and others to cooperate with him in staging a scene, releasing the news to the public that Coroner Hu had woken up and provided important clues. As expected, someone in the yamen secretly reported to Qian Hao, and Di Renjie immediately apprehended him.
Episode 18 Recap
Di Renjie chased Qian Hao alone, demanding he abandon the bounty mission. Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, a cold arrow shot from the dark. The two cooperated tacitly to subdue the attacker, finding it was a remaining member of the Lone Wolf Gang attempting revenge. Although Qian Hao let Di Renjie go out of gratitude for saving him, he firmly stated he would continue to accept bounty missions and would hunt down everyone he investigated.
Afterwards, Di Renjie returned to the Red Pavilion. Qiu Yue had left without saying goodbye, and Bi Yu refused to reveal Qiu Yue's whereabouts. Everyone speculated where Qiu Yue might have gone. Di Renjie pinpointed Hongliu Village, not far from the city. However, when they arrived, Qiu Yue had already been taken away by the Black Tiger Gang, leaving clear traces on the ground.
But the Black Tiger Gang knowing in advance meant there was still an mole in the yamen. The disappearance of Clerk Bai happened to illustrate this point. Di Renjie deliberately showed County Lieutenant Li that he was at a dead end and gave him a letter to deliver to Prefect Li. However, County Lieutenant Li opened the letter without permission and found it was Di Renjie's strategy to test him.
Seeing that the matter was exposed, County Lieutenant Li admitted that to protect his family's safety, he had to obey Qian Hao, which was an act of coercion. County Lieutenant Li believed Di Renjie should not blame them. If he was truly capable, he should immediately start changing the situation in Lanfang, otherwise more innocent people would suffer. That day, Di Renjie held court again, but the court table had been sawed off.
He found Qiu Yue's favorite hairpin in Hongliu Village. Combining this with the existing clues, he deduced that Bi Yu had hidden the truth about Qiu Yue's disappearance and staged a scene herself. To force Bi Yu to tell the truth, Di Renjie warned that if she didn't reveal Qiu Yue's hiding place, Qiu Yue would likely be in danger soon. Although Di Renjie's words were very clear, Bi Yu still refused to tell the truth.
Di Renjie had no leads and sought Cao An for answers. Cao An suggested Di Renjie try a different approach: if Qiu Yue and Li Tao truly loved each other, then Li Tao was very likely to have committed suicide for some reason. Di Renjie was greatly inspired by this. Hearing that Coroner Hu had woken up and was scribbling and drawing as if possessed, he rushed over and saw him drawing an image of sand fleas.
Coroner Hu stated that he personally saw a swarm of sand fleas emerge from a red spot on Li Tao's neck. In a panic, he set the body on fire to prevent others from getting infected. Prefect Li, convinced that Qiu Yue had killed his son, rushed into the Red Pavilion with a knife and took Qiu Yue hostage. Di Renjie tried his best to calm Prefect Li down.
He publicly revealed the truth that Li Tao's life was short due to a sand flea infection, and that the sand fleas came from the tulips Prefect Li was raising. It was precisely for this reason that Li Tao deliberately lost his temper with Qiu Yue to make her stop worrying about him.
He even left a suicide note before killing himself, but sadly the note was blown away by the wind and sand, leaving no trace, though it still showed his deep affection for Qiu Yue. Qiu Yue listened, tears streaming down her face. Prefect Li was filled with even greater sorrow. He apologized to Qiu Yue for misunderstanding her and felt guilty for inadvertently causing his son's death.
In front of everyone, Prefect Li pleaded with Di Renjie to give him some dignity. After saying this, he walked towards a room and tragically ended his life. A crowd of servants knelt and wept at the door, which made everyone present feel uneasy. Soon, the city defense army arrived in Lanfang, and the gangs that had been running rampant were wiped out.
Ma Rong and Qiao Tai jointly subdued Qian Hao, burned the gangs' flags, distributed food and clean water to the people, and restored peace to the area. During this time, a masked man sat by the street, his eyes fixed on Di Renjie's figure, subtly planning a new conspiracy. As the county yamen was completed, Di Renjie's prestige in Lanfang grew, and law and order were restored. However, beneath the surface of peace, another complex murder case quietly occurred.
Episode 19 Recap
This day, a case was heard in court. The accuser was a former helper in the Han residence. On the day of the incident, there was a banquet inside the residence, and due to a shortage of staff, her young daughter, Han Wangrui, was called in to help. However, the master of the residence, Han Yongnan, allegedly sexually assaulted Han Wangrui while drunk.
As she had not yet reached adulthood, this constituted a severe crime according to the Tang Dynasty laws. But Han Yongnan claimed that Ms. Jin willingly sold her daughter into the residence and even had a written agreement and receipt. Qiao Tai searched Ms. Jin's house and found 3,000 cash, proving that what Han Yongnan said was not false.
Han Yongnan, however, excused himself, stating that he had taken Wushisan, which caused him to have hallucinations and do something beyond his control. Although everyone disbelieved Han Yongnan's words, Han Yongnan exploited a loophole in the law, acted arrogantly relying on his considerable local reputation, and was certain that Di Renjie could do nothing to him.
Ultimately, the case of Han Yongnan assaulting a minor girl resulted in him being granted bail due to insufficient evidence, with a decision to be made another day. The crowd of people watching outside the gate was filled with righteous indignation. Suddenly, a boy rushed out to assassinate Han Yongnan. Upon questioning, he was identified as Han Wangrui's younger brother, Han Wangdong.
Han Yongnan used Han Wangdong's attempted assault in the street as a reason to demand Di Renjie handle the matter impartially. Di Renjie reluctantly took him into custody. Seeing this, the crowd was dissatisfied and cursed him as a corrupt official. Ma Rong knew the situation of Ms. Jin's entire family and felt great sympathy. Di Renjie stated that as an official, one must maintain rationality and always remember that emotion can never outweigh the law.
Cao An saw that Di Renjie was in a terrible mood and personally brewed him a pot of tea, reminding him not to care about others' opinions. She believed taking Han Wangdong into custody today was a form of protection and was confident that in due course, he would be able to uncover the truth.
Hong Liang and Qiao Tai examined the body of the deceased, confirming that this person was Yun Gang from Chongshanfang, also a notorious lecher in Lanfang who had deceived and harmed countless young girls and married women. Some time ago, a woman who had secretly conceived with Yun Gang hanged herself. As a result, not long after, Yun Gang's body appeared outside the city. Qiao Tai suspected it should have been the woman's relatives who hired someone to kill him.
Afterward, Di Renjie visited Han Wangdong in prison and unexpectedly heard Ma Rong declare that next time she would definitely not stop Han Wangdong from acting, and she even gave him a dagger. Han Wangdong was still sulking and being difficult, believing that Black Flame was the one who truly sought justice for the people. Di Renjie became increasingly annoyed as he listened and sternly reprimanded Ma Rong, ordering her to bring out the dagger, and criticized her behavior severely.
Han Yongnan held a banquet and indulged in pleasure at home, summoning two female entertainers and taking Wushisan to enjoy the feeling of ecstasy. The next day, the maids discovered that the female entertainers had been brutally murdered, and Han Yongnan was missing. Di Renjie led his men to the scene to investigate. Based on the clues, he inferred Han Yongnan's process of committing the crime and immediately went to the silver mine to demand a search.
However, the people there relied on the silver mine being a vital national resource and consistently refused to allow access. Di Renjie meticulously searched the stable and found Han Yongnan's discarded outer robe, as well as a box that had been overturned by a carriage, guessing that he had driven away. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai and others notified the villagers, asking them to provide any clues if they knew any in time.
Han Wangdong regretted reporting the case to the authorities and felt he should have gone directly to Black Flame. Di Renjie did not explain this but promised Ms. Jin that he would catch Han Yongnan and uphold justice for everyone. Unexpectedly, Ms. Jin was disappointed in him and directly drove him away. The surrounding villagers were all filled with righteous indignation and cursed and accused him one after another.
At this moment, a guard reported that a carriage had indeed left the silver mine and exited the city. Di Renjie deduced Han Yongnan's whereabouts using the map and tracked him all the way to an post station, where he unexpectedly encountered a masked man. After a confrontation, the masked man pulled off his mask, revealing a young face, and introduced himself as Diao Xiaoguan by name.
He said he had seen Han Yongnan before and was willing to help them search for this person together. Everyone noticed that the post station was somewhat suspicious, especially the door behind the postmaster, which was tightly shut, seeming to be holding something inside. The postmaster lied, saying it was hunted game, but Di Renjie didn't believe him at all. He ordered Qiao Tai to kick open the door.
The result was that they saw several young girls inside, and only then did he realize that the postmaster was using the post station as a cover to secretly engage in human trafficking. Because the postmaster held the girls' contracts of sale, they could all prove that the girls were willingly sold to him by their parents, so there was no violation of the Tang Dynasty laws. Di Renjie had no right to arrest him.
He could only pay out of his own pocket to buy the girls and warned the postmaster not to do such things again in the future, or he would definitely not be spared. A group of bandits suddenly surrounded the post station. Di Renjie and his group could only charge out and fight hard. Ma Rong saw Diao Xiaoguan shoot an arrow at Di Renjie and wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
Episode 20 Recap
Ma Rong was unable to stop it and was shocked internally. It wasn't until she saw two mounted bandits beside Di Renjie die from the arrow that she breathed a sigh of relief. Diao Xiaoguan, on the other hand, reacted quickly, completing a series of actions including drawing his bow, aiming, and shooting, which saved Ma Rong from a sneak attack from behind.
During this time, more and more bandits arrived, and Di Renjie and the others were about to be overwhelmed. Fortunately, government soldiers arrived in time. After leaving the post station, Diao Xiaoguan followed Di Renjie and Ma Rong all the way, seemingly guiding them to a place. Soon the three came to a bustling market, where merchants from all over the world gathered. Diao Xiaoguan was adept at cargo trading and also skilled in Western Region languages.
Di Renjie noticed an old man on the street who was grieving, so he asked Diao Xiaoguan to help inquire about the situation. However, Diao Xiaoguan's answer was off-topic, falsely claiming that the old man's daughter had been killed by Han Yongnan and that he knew where Han Yongnan had gone. Later, in the desert, the group met Huo Huaili and followed him to Zhenxi Fort.
This place was located in the city defense area, where soldiers guarded year-round against various dangers, solely to protect the peace of the surrounding people. However, Di Renjie learned that Han Yongnan was dead and wanted to lift the shroud to confirm his identity. A soldier warned him not to lift it easily because Han Yongnan had contracted the plague, but he found Han Yongnan's face disfigured and already unrecognizable.
According to Huo Huaili's account, they kindly took in Han Yongnan, but the other party repaid their kindness with enmity, not only trying to steal horses to cross the border but even killing a soldier named Zhou Changyi. When Diao Xiaoguan heard this name, he gave Di Renjie a meaningful look.
Di Renjie was startled when he heard Huo Huaili describe Han Yongnan's accent; he clearly remembered that Han Yongnan was born and raised in Chang'an and did not understand Lanfang dialect. Meanwhile, Ma Rong inspected the situation in the army and felt that something was strange. Coincidentally, Diao Xiaoguan, while drunk, bumped into military supplies. As the soldiers helped pick up the supplies, Ma Rong noticed that these men had whip marks of varying degrees on their wrists.
Thus, Di Renjie and Ma Rong concluded that the deceased was probably not Han Yongnan, and Huo Huaili's weapon was a three-section chain whip. The two groped their way to a thatched hut and found Huo Huaili's weapon, as well as the tragically killed soldier Zhou Changyi. At this time, "Huo Huaili" brought the soldiers outside the thatched hut.
Di Renjie exposed him as the real Zhou Changyi, stating that because Huo Huaili often mistreated soldiers and even tortured and killed his younger brother Zhou Changyong, he conspired with everyone to mutiny and kill Huo Huaili, then disguised himself as the escaped prisoner Han Yongnan. Zhou Changyi accused Huo Huaili of various heinous acts, which left them with nowhere to file a complaint. If they did not resist, they would only have to endure even more severe persecution.
To prevent the truth from coming out, Zhou Changyi imprisoned Di Renjie and Ma Rong. Ma Rong felt that Huo Huaili deserved his death, and if she were one of the soldiers, she probably would have wanted to kill him with her own hands.
But Di Renjie still insisted on the Tang Dynasty laws and the so-called etiquette, believing that Tang generals and soldiers should not mutiny based on their own temperaments just because of their superiors' alleged tyranny, leading to incidents of killing superiors. This would inevitably endanger the prosperity and stability of the Tang Dynasty.
Diao Xiaoguan listened to Di Renjie's words from outside the window and could not agree with them, stating that he was just an ordinary person and did not want to think about the laws and rules of officials like them. So Diao Xiaoguan only knew that regardless of status, beneath this skin, everyone is a beast. And beasts are divided into ferocious and arrogant ones and weak and incompetent ones.
Han Yongnan was a jackal in Lanfang, but here he wasn't even a rat. In the truly cruel and bloody coliseum, every beast has value, and that is to kill for survival; otherwise, they will be at the mercy of others. As soon as he finished speaking, sounds of fighting came from outside. It turned out that the bandits were attacking Zhenxi Fort fiercely.
The soldiers fought desperately but were still at a disadvantage; the disparity in numbers was so great that they were completely fighting like cornered beasts. Zhou Changyi personally came and released Di Renjie and Ma Rong, stating that Huo Huaili's death was his doing alone, unrelated to anyone else. He hoped that when Di Renjie reported the situation to the military headquarters, he would remember that the soldiers guarded the frontier loyal to the emperor and patriotic, without any fault.
After saying these words, Zhou Changyi rushed out and fought alongside everyone, hacking at the bandits with all his might. Diao Xiaoguan stood at a high place witnessing everything, trying his best to protect Di Renjie from harm, but Di Renjie personally witnessed the soldiers using their flesh and blood to resist the bandit invasion, fighting until the last man, and felt both shocked and grieved.
Episode 21 Recap
By the time Qiao Tai led the city defense soldiers to Zhenxi Fort, what they saw was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, filled with smoke. The bandits fled at the sight of them, and the once large Zhenxi Fort was completely unrecognizable. Di Renjie took out a letter and handed it to Qiao Tai, insisting on reporting the mutiny, which left Ma Rong disbelieving and confused.
Ma Rong questioned Di Renjie sorrowfully and angrily why he was doing this. The soldiers had fought desperately against the bandits, defending this land with their lives. If they were sent back to their hometowns, no one would know they had suffered abuse; they would only be treated as criminals, losing even their last shred of dignity.
Unfortunately, even though Ma Rong pleaded earnestly, Di Renjie still believed that killing enemies and repelling invaders was their duty, while murdering comrades was their crime, and the two could not be conflated. Therefore, Di Renjie asked Hong Liang to take two thousand cash to Zhou Changyi's home, and handed the military camp over to Qiao Tai and Ma Rong to manage, while he went alone to apprehend Han Yongnan. Diao Xiaoguan followed closely behind.
Seeing Di Renjie deep in the desert, hungry and thirsty, his consciousness had become somewhat hazy. At this point, Diao Xiaoguan came before Di Renjie and wondered if Di Renjie's persistence still held any meaning. He should have killed Han Yongnan earlier, and then he wouldn't have escaped from Lanfang, causing so many innocent people to lose their lives. Afterwards, Di Renjie went to the post station and found that the postmaster was trading and selling young girls with someone.
In his anger, he brought him to justice, tying him behind a horse and dragging him along the way. Upon returning to Lanfang, Di Renjie met the old man from the Western Regions and apologized to him with guilt for not being able to personally capture Han Yongnan. Someone nearby heard Di Renjie mention the name Hari and said that Hari was the old man's eagle. Di Renjie immediately realized that he had fallen into Diao Xiaoguan's trap.
Combining all the clues before and after, he finally concluded that Han Yongnan had not left Lanfang. Meanwhile, Diao Xiaoguan tied up Han Yongnan and incited Han Wangdong to personally kill his enemy to avenge his sister. Di Renjie arrived in time to stop it, but Diao Xiaoguan was faster than him. The two exchanged blows fiercely, fighting back and forth intensely.
Han Wangdong, on the other hand, seized the opportunity to plunge the dagger deep into Han Yongnan's thigh, causing Han Yongnan to scream incessantly in pain. Diao Xiaoguan told Di Renjie not to try in vain anymore. Han Yongnan's evil was far more complex than it appeared on the surface. He illegally excavated mines, harming the villagers. Every piece of land underfoot could potentially be dug through.
Although Di Renjie tried hard to persuade Han Wangdong to calm down and hand Han Yongnan over to him for legal disposal, Han Wangdong had lost trust in Di Renjie. Just as he was about to strike again, he was suddenly knocked unconscious by a misstep by the two of them. Di Renjie's eyes were about to split, and he no longer held back against Diao Xiaoguan. They fought fiercely, locked in a desperate struggle.
Seeing this, Han Yongnan broke free from the ropes and ran out. Han Wangdong woke up and grabbed hold of Han Yongnan tightly, plunging a dagger into his back until Han Yongnan could no longer move. Diao Xiaoguan and Di Renjie had only one arrow left. The two simply decided to settle the outcome with one move. However, after Di Renjie shot the arrow, he found that Diao Xiaoguan was already prepared to die.
He spat out fresh blood and fell to the ground. Before dying, he scoffed that the Tang Dynasty laws Di Renjie upheld were nothing but nonsense, unable to protect the weak or punish the truly evil. After saying these words, Diao Xiaoguan crushed the wolf attractant in his hand, attracting wild wolves within a radius of five li. Di Renjie hastily took Han Wangdong away.
Watching Han Yongnan struggle to hide inside the house, he still couldn't escape the fate of being bitten to death by the vicious wolves. Ma Rong and the others quickly found Di Renjie. Seeing his tragic, severely wounded state, they felt both heartache and anger, blaming him for being too stubborn. Fortunately, although Di Renjie's injuries were severe, they were not life-threatening. He would need a period of recuperation to recover.
Cao An came to visit Di Renjie and said that everything he had done was not wrong. However, when she learned that Diao Xiaoguan was Hei Yan, she still couldn't help but hide outside the door and cry bitterly, regretting that she hadn't been able to meet him. Qiao Tai and his men searched the mine tunnels and found skeletons, confirming that Han Yongnan's excessive excavation had caused water source pollution.
The villagers were unable to farm for a living and could only be hired by him as illegal laborers, later dying in mine accidents. Not long after, Di Renjie publicly announced that Han Yongnan would be executed by hanging, hoping everyone would jointly abide by the law and ensure the bottom line of humanity. After this incident, Han Wangdong completely changed his view of Di Renjie. The villagers also supported Di Renjie, believing that he would one day make the Tang Dynasty laws more perfect.
Episode 22 Recap
Ma Rong accompanied Cao An shopping outside. After only two hours, she was too tired to move, and her wallet was instantly empty, which she found a bit unbearable, so she complained a bit to Hong Liang. Hong Liang said that Di Renjie's money was Cao An's money, and the two would become a family sooner or later.
He also revealed to her that Di Renjie had been frequently going out to look for geese recently, probably to formally give Cao An a recognized status. On the other hand, Di Renjie and Qiao Tai had been hunting geese for several days without success, but they found a dead goose with Hei Yan's unique mark pressed underneath it. Qiao Tai vaguely remembered that Hei Yan always summoned people on the day of the new moon.
Coincidentally, tomorrow was that day. Ma Rong suggested setting up an ambush immediately, but Di Renjie refused. Di Renjie would never underestimate Hei Yan's strength, especially since the opponent was mysterious and unpredictable. He was afraid they would set a trap, so they should wait and see. Cao An personally bought handwear for Di Renjie, saying frankly that the cold wind in Lanfang was fierce, and he would need this when he frequently drew his bow to shoot arrows.
Seeing Di Renjie's surprised look, Cao An explained that she made this judgment based on the goose feathers on his shoe soles and the sand and stones on his clothes. Ma Rong overheard this conversation and felt particularly uncomfortable, thinking that no one was doing serious work now, and even Di Renjie's mind was no longer focused on solving cases after having Cao An.
Qiao Tai blamed Ma Rong for targeting Cao An, saying that if she didn't want to go shopping with her, she should find someone else. But Ma Rong retorted that everyone was biased towards Cao An and decided to track down Hei Yan's clues alone. That night, Ma Rong took it upon herself to release Chen Xiaoyun and have him lead her to the small woods where Hei Yan gathered his people. Unexpectedly, Qiao Tai followed them.
Although he scolded her a few times, he still brought a troop of men to accompany her in the investigation. Entering the woods, white mist filled the surroundings, making it impossible to see far. Figures were vaguely seen moving. Ma Rong rushed out ignoring Qiao Tai's obstruction. As a result, she found corpses hanging from multiple trees, with different appearances of death. Immediately after, countless arrows flew out from all directions.
Everyone reacted too slowly and fell to the ground one after another. Even Qiao Tai was injured by an arrow and fell unconscious. The poison he was hit with was unheard of by the foreign coroner, which filled Ma Rong with regret. Di Renjie returned to the county office. The yamen runner told Di Renjie that a dark shadow had flashed by, and then he saw a dead goose on the ground with a note on it.
There were sixteen characters in total: One day a nightmare, three days waking from a dream, Bo Qi devouring dreams, Qingchuan fulfilling dreams. Although Di Renjie analyzed that Hei Yan was using the goose to lure him into a trap, the truth was in Qingchuan, and he had to go there no matter what. Cao An knew that Di Renjie was determined to go, so she personally packed his bags for him and urged him to return safely.
She told him not to call her Cao Niang zi anymore when he returned, her meaning was obvious. Afterwards, Di Renjie rode his horse towards Qingchuan Town. Passing through a forest, he met an old man riding a donkey who called himself Mr. Hulu. The two traveled together.
After the old man helped him out and guided him, Di Renjie, posing as a quick doctor, escaped from the bandits and successfully entered Qingchuan Town, where he found that the bandits from the forest that day had died tragically on the street. The surrounding people were discussing animatedly. Commander Xiao, who was leading, rode towards him on a horse, extremely arrogant. Di Renjie incidentally saved a girl named Xiaowei, preventing her from being trampled by the horse.
To learn the cause of death of the deceased, Di Renjie revealed his identity to the military camp and personally visited Commander Xiao in Qingchuan. He proposed an autopsy but was ignored. Commander Xiao drank by himself, stating that the bodies had already been buried and there was no need to dig them up again. But Di Renjie felt that the matter was by no means simple.
If Hei Yan was causing trouble in this, he hoped Commander Xiao could send troops to suppress it. However, Commander Xiao again used the excuse of insufficient manpower and also refused to apply for troops from his superiors, simply thinking that Di Renjie was making a fuss over nothing. Afterwards, Di Renjie took his identity as a quick doctor and went to stay nearby, discovering that the girl Xiaowei was the errand girl at the shop.
Xiaowei was young but mature and sensible beyond her age. To thank Di Renjie for saving her life, she reminded him not to flaunt his wealth in Qingchuan Town, otherwise, it would attract unnecessary trouble.
Episode 23 Recap
Di Renjie came to the soup pool downstairs and saw a group of followers who didn't seem easy to mess with. The master, Lang Liu, was relatively polite, exchanging pleasantries with Di Renjie. One, as a merchant, hinted that there are many injustices in the world, while the other, as a quick doctor, vowed to cure all incurable diseases under heaven. The implied meanings were obvious.
That night, Di Renjie was drinking soup and eating cakes in the lobby, and seeing another table of guests bossing Xiaowei around, he intentionally tried to cheer her up. Coincidentally, Lang Liu went out at night with his followers. Di Renjie took the initiative to strike up a conversation to probe him and politely declined his invitation to go stargazing together. Afterwards, he learned from Xiaowei that this person was a silk merchant who owned dozens of warehouses nearby.
Thinking of what Mr. Hulu had said, Di Renjie felt suspicious and went out, seeing the innkeeper, Wei Sheng, rushing away in a carriage. Mr. Hulu suddenly appeared and directly recognized Di Renjie's identity. Di Renjie suspected that Mr. Hulu was Hei Yan, intentionally leading him to Qingchuan. Mr. Hulu neither admitted nor denied it, but instead reminded him to curb his curiosity lest he bring trouble upon himself.
Afterwards, Di Renjie came to the warehouse on the street corner and found some bloodstains inside. Although he had taken precautions, he still fell into a trap and was captured by three masked men with a large net. Fortunately, Hulu Laoren intervened in time, knocking out the masked men in a few moves and helping Di Renjie escape. When Di Renjie returned to the inn, he saw bloodstains on Wei Sheng's carriage and immediately connected it to that warehouse.
Out of instinct, he questioned him. Wei Sheng lied, claiming he had bought a few sheep a few days ago, and even felt that dead cows, dead horses, or dead people had nothing to do with him, suggesting Di Renjie should tidy himself up instead. Wei Sheng took Di Renjie to the carriage to pick a set of clothes.
Di Renjie noticed a piece of wooden hairpin in the clothes, which seemed extremely similar to the hairpin Xiaowei wore in her hair. Xiaowei was scolded a few times by Wei Sheng and brought a bucket of water to wash away the bloodstains. Di Renjie curiously asked her if she knew about Wei Sheng's delivery matters. Xiaowei's response was rather intriguing, hinting that what Wei Sheng was doing was not legitimate business at all.
Just as Xiaowei was lost in thought over something, Di Renjie came over to talk again. He learned that the hairpin was handmade by Xiaowei's mother, who suffered greatly after remarrying Wei Sheng. Later, she met a man who was good to her, but he mysteriously disappeared one day.
Now that Qiao Tai had not yet woken up, Hong Liang had invited all the quick doctors, but none could find any symptoms, so he could only search through ancient texts for a method of treatment. Ma Rong stayed by the bedside all night without sleep. Cao An worried about her health and brought her food, patiently advising and comforting her.
It was also during this conversation that Ma Rong learned that Cao An was not extravagant with money; she earned three hundred coins a month working at the yamen, and the hundred coins she spent on shopping were also from her own pocket, with some of it spent on Di Renjie. Ma Rong regretted having misunderstood Cao An and also felt that Cao An might look down on her.
Cao An said she admired Ma Rong greatly because she was free and uninhibited and did many things that most women would not dare to do in their entire lives. She also understood Ma Rong's unusual way of thinking and did not blame her for taking Chen Xiaoyun to investigate the case on her own, which led to Qiao Tai being poisoned. She simply hoped that instead of blaming herself and spacing out, Ma Rong could do something more useful.
Under Cao An's guidance, Ma Rong finally ate her meal seriously and stopped dwelling on her troubles. After one night, Cao An made a new discovery in the ancient texts. Hong Liang immediately thought of a method of object transference, which would cause the poisoned person to wake up within three days. Di Renjie thought carefully about the people and events he encountered in Qingchuan but found no clues. However, he heard Xiaowei singing in the lobby.
Before she could finish singing, Wei Sheng called her away to help him. Commander Xiao suddenly appeared at the inn. Using the excuse of shoulder and neck discomfort, he went into a room with Di Renjie for a detailed talk.
After confirming there were no outsiders present, he directly stated his purpose, admitting his mistake to Di Renjie and saying that if Hei Yan truly appeared in Qingchuan, he would be willing to bring a hundred or so men to help him. At first, Di Renjie was reluctant to pay attention, but upon hearing that Commander Xiao's ancestor was the fierce general Xiao Yiran, who was demoted here because of his upright character, he was overjoyed. He reached out and squeezed Commander Xiao's shoulder and neck, causing him to let out a painful cry to cover their conversation, and told him to be ready to act at his signal.
Episode 24 Recap
Early in the morning, Xiaowei sang while washing clothes, catching Di Renjie's attention. He gave her some money and asked her to sing another song. Di Renjie guessed that Xiaowei wanted to earn money to find her mother. Xiaowei said her mother taught her to sing and had promised to take her to the capital to become the most famous courtesan, but unfortunately, before that promise could be fulfilled, her mother disappeared half a month ago.
At this moment, Wei Sheng's scolding voice was heard. Di Renjie had a suspicion, so he told Xiaowei to take a note to Commander Xiao for help. After Xiaowei left, Di Renjie revealed his identity and questioned Wei Sheng about what goods he had delivered last night. Wei Sheng was evasive, further confirming Di Renjie's suspicion that he had something to hide and was trying to conceal the truth.
Di Renjie listed the evidence and exposed that Wei Sheng had dragged two bodies last night, one of which was Xiaowei's mother. Wei Sheng's expression did not change upon hearing this; instead, he mocked Di Renjie, saying his investigation was based entirely on speculation. As soon as he finished speaking, Commander Xiao rushed in with his men and surrounded the inn. Di Renjie immediately held court to interrogate Wei Sheng, who only then began to panic.
Wei Sheng insisted he had not committed murder. Di Renjie ordered a box of clothes to be brought in and accused him of murder and robbery, transferring the goods to Lang Liu's warehouse, and then dismembering and discarding the bodies. He just hadn't expected Di Renjie to suddenly come to Qingchuan to investigate the case.
Seeing the ironclad evidence, Wei Sheng had to admit his guilt, but then blamed it all on his wife, cursing that the woman's indecent behavior was why she ended up like this. By the end, he had become delirious and was finally taken away to await judgment. Lang Liu watched this whole scene unfold and took the initiative to greet Di Renjie.
After dismissing everyone, he stated frankly that he had come to Qingchuan on orders to help Di Renjie obtain the Black Flame roster from Lanfang.
Di Renjie suddenly understood, finally realizing that Black Flame leading him here was for two things: one was to investigate the case of the messenger's disappearance, who was the man secretly meeting with Xiaowei's mother; the second was the leader instructing Lang Liu to retrieve the roster to help Black Flame achieve its goals in Qingchuan. However, Di Renjie had never seen the so-called roster, which Lang Liu clearly did not believe.
He said that while the leader had not ordered Di Renjie's death, it didn't mean Di Renjie would be safe unless he could hand over what Lang Liu needed. Di Renjie felt wary. Sure enough, Lang Liu's attendant engaged him in a fight first, but was defeated in just two rounds. Seeing this, Lang Liu sent out Eleventh Mistress. Her martial arts were profound, causing Di Renjie to suffer repeated setbacks.
Fortunately, Di Renjie was someone who grew stronger against stronger opponents. He quickly changed his moves to counter Eleventh Mistress. From being at a disadvantage at the beginning, their fight became evenly matched, forcing Eleventh Mistress to take him seriously. Ultimately, Di Renjie turned the tables, directly controlling Eleventh Mistress's vital point. However, he did not strike.
Eleventh Mistress saw his compassionate and righteous heart, believing he would be a good official, and thus chose not to continue the entanglement and turned to leave. Precisely because of this, Lang Liu became enraged and wanted to ignite the bitumen box to die with Di Renjie. At the critical moment, Mr. Hulu reappeared and stopped him with a cane. Lang Liu was unwilling as he died, mocking that Di Renjie's insistence on "Ren" (benevolence) was "stupid" in his eyes.
After saying this, he lost his breath, which shocked Di Renjie. Mr. Hulu was also somewhat surprised, stating frankly that he could not stop someone who wanted to die. Cao An delivered food to Hong Liang, Ma Rong, and others as usual. Ma Rong's view of Cao An had completely changed. Di Renjie suspected Mr.
Hulu's identity and deliberately revealed that he had obtained the Black Flame list and would naturally submit it to the court, punishing the people on the roster according to the law. Mr. Hulu used an analogy from history to the present, telling Di Renjie not to view things in black and white; the reason for Black Flame's existence was the fundamental issue, and the real crime lay in breaking the law, not in being Black Flame.
He also reminded him whether he wanted to see Lanfang suffer widespread devastation and rivers of blood. Meanwhile, Cao An, under the pretense of going out to shop, met someone secretly. Later, she discovered a black eagle feather, her expression became flustered, and she walked back hurriedly.
Episode 25 Recap
Di Renjie, holding Xiaowei's hand, walked out of the inn, suddenly hearing bursts of thunder, seeming to signal rain. Although Di Renjie thanked Commander Xiao for his righteous assistance, the plight of Qingchuan still deeply worried him. Therefore, he made two requests to Commander Xiao: first, to relocate the people and strengthen the supervision of Qingchuan; second, to place Qingchuan Town under the jurisdiction of Lanfang County, managed separately by the military and the county.
Commander Xiao believed Di Renjie was a good official and readily agreed to his requests. Afterwards, Di Renjie entrusted Xiaowei to Mr. Hulu's care. Wandering the world may be difficult, but at least she would be free and untethered, no longer dependent on others. However, Di Renjie still had a doubt in his heart: why did Mr. Hulu rescue him, and he even felt somewhat familiar. Mr. Hulu smiled but did not answer.
What he said before leaving gave Di Renjie pause for thought. When leaving Qingchuan to return to Lanfang, Di Renjie sat behind a rock, staring blankly at the firewood, recalling the past when his Agong furiously scolded his elder brother for secretly learning unorthodox methods, eventually leading to a father-son split and his elder brother leaving home. Now, he seemed to understand something and personally burned the Black Flame list.
Meanwhile, Qiao Tai finally woke up, and Ma Rong cried tears of joy. In the blink of an eye, it was the Lantern Festival. The waning moon and scattered stars could not hide the bustling lights of Lanfang as the people jointly released sky lanterns to make wishes. Di Renjie climbed high and gazed out, his mind full of worries. He only spoke slowly when Hong Liang came over, guessing that Black Flame was currently lying dormant in some corner.
Previously, Di Renjie thought Black Flame was a vast organization, but after clearing the entire Lanfang, he found that those related to Black Flame were almost non-existent. Therefore, he speculated that the true Black Flame followers had never shown themselves and were always operating behind the scenes. Seeing the wedding date approaching, the entire Ming mansion was bustling with preparations.
Di Renjie rarely took time off to accompany Cao An and others to shop on the street, and he even saw a wedding procession. As night fell, the people of Lanfang set off fireworks and sky lanterns. A carriage slowly approached from outside the city, pulling paper figures and skeletons, causing shock among the crowd. Upon examination by Di Renjie, the deceased was a young and beautiful woman.
As for why the murderer hid the skull inside the paper figure, it remained a mystery for the time being, but he decided to start the investigation by looking into missing persons. Di Renjie and Ma Rong used the method of 'an old horse knows the way' to follow an old horse to a house. After entering, they followed the bloodstains and saw a newly married couple tragically killed.
The two were sitting opposite each other playing chess, their hearts were missing, and the scene was extremely bloody and cruel. From the crime scene to the case review and reasoning, Di Renjie seemed to see the newly married couple being forced to play chess, suffering a knife cut every time a piece was captured.
Therefore, besides the tragically killed couple, Di Renjie speculated that there was a third person at the crime scene, and he was the mastermind behind the murder. Di Renjie took Hong Liang and Ma Rong to examine the bodies. They found that the female deceased had no pierced ears during her life, and it was clear the earring was forcibly pushed in. Its exquisite craftsmanship and fine materials suggested it was likely a deliberate clue left behind.
In addition, Ma Rong learned through interviews that the deceased couple were kind people during their lives, had no enemies, and had been married only recently, making the possibility of a relationship change very small. In order to find out the origin of the earring, Ma Rong visited many black markets but found nothing. When she was at her wit's end, a sharp scream came from a distance.
Following the sound, she ran over and found a man castrating himself in the Red Pavilion. According to Qiuyue's description, the man was Long San, a butcher in the city and a regular customer of the Red Pavilion. Because he enjoyed abusing women, they refused to serve him. Who knew he would suddenly go mad tonight, mutilating himself while cursing himself.
Ayao, who used to serve the butcher Long, revealed that Long San seemed to be shouting at someone, begging them to spare his mother. During this time, Ayao noticed something unusual in the direction Long San was looking. Following his gaze, she saw a person wearing a cloak and a mask standing on the rooftop. The person turned and left before Ayao could get a good look.
Episode 26 Recap
Di Renjie and his companions came to Long San's shop to investigate and found two human hearts placed on the cutting board, clearly an intentional guide by the murderer to let Di Renjie see his presence. However, Di Renjie was already somewhat disappointed. He had been promoting laws in Lanfang for many years precisely hoping that the common people could live in peace, yet because of the appearance of such a paper figure, the entire city was turned upside down.
Everyone, for the sake of self-preservation, chose to know but not report, and see a case but not report it. Even the funeral shops on the street had not opened for two days, for fear of being implicated. Early the next morning, under Di Renjie's instruction, Hong Liang ordered people to post a notice inviting craftsmen to the county office to assist in solving the case, promising a monetary reward to all who came.
As expected, once the notice was posted, many craftsmen came for the reward money. However, the craftsmanship of this type of paper figure was so exquisite it could be called heaven-sent, and no one in the entire Lanfang could make it. At this moment, Di Renjie noticed an old man with an unusual expression, so he took him aside alone for questioning.
He learned that the paper figure looked familiar, very similar to Xiao Chunyu, the daughter of Xiao's Dye Workshop who had been missing for many years. Meanwhile, on the other side, Cao An found Long San's case file and saw that in the case of Xiao Chunyu's kidnapping, Long San had actually testified, allowing the officials to capture and bring Chu Lei to justice. Ma Rong took the earring and went around inquiring about the situation.
He noticed a dye shop and found that the paper figure next to it was extremely familiar. He went in to ask and only then learned that the shopkeeper was precisely Xiao Chunyu's father. When Shopkeeper Xiao saw the earring, he was extremely agitated, so he told Di Renjie and his companions about his daughter.
In his opinion, Xiao Chunyu had been a person with nimble hands and a clever mind since she was young, and the paper figures she made were beyond compare. He had originally been thinking of expanding the business, but unexpectedly, before he could implement the plan, she was kidnapped. It turned out that Chu Lei and Xiao Chunyu were childhood sweethearts, but he was just an ordinary scholar from a poor family background and was disliked by Shopkeeper Xiao.
Later, Chu Lei decided to abandon writing and join the military, swearing to make a name for himself to marry Xiao Chunyu. Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Xiao directly married his daughter off to someone else. On the day of the incident, Long San personally saw Chu Lei abduct Xiao Chunyu, intending to do something improper. Di Renjie felt that there were many loopholes in Shopkeeper Xiao's words.
Firstly, how could Long San clearly see the other person's appearance in the middle of the night? Secondly, Shopkeeper Xiao's room was right next door, so why didn't he hear anything? Carrying these doubts, Di Renjie and his party came to the mass burial ground to search for Chu Lei's body. After searching without results, they decided to go find the body collector, Lin Fan.
Meanwhile, Cao An took a zither to be repaired and unexpectedly met the stonemason Lin Fan. Entrusted by him, she went back to explain to Di Renjie about Lin Fan asking for meat. As it turned out, the stonemason Lin Fan was precisely that Lin Fan related to Chu Lei. Di Renjie personally went to Lin Fan's door to give him preserved sausage, which made him uneasy in his heart.
Outwardly, he was submissive and fearful, until Di Renjie revealed his identity as a former border soldier, only then did he finally calm down. Because both Lin Fan and Chu Lei were scholars who joined the military, they were always bullied by other soldiers in the military camp. Both of them had thought about suicide several times but lacked enough courage. Later, they developed the desire to escape, but were still caught and brought back for punishment.
Usually, ordinary people couldn't survive seven days, but precisely on the fifth day, heavy rain fell, allowing them to survive. From then on, Chu Lei's temperament changed drastically. He would never pity anyone again and became ruthless and cruel. Even more so during the suppression of rebellions, he treated human lives callously, not even sparing innocent infants. In Lin Fan's opinion, the Chu Lei before joining the military indeed had kindness in his heart.
Unfortunately, he later changed very thoroughly, making even him feel scared. Di Renjie heard the words and was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked Lin Fan how he viewed Black Flame. Lin Fan said that Black Flame had considerable prestige in Lanfang, and local villains and bullies were all very afraid of Black Flame. After he escaped from the military camp, he had thought about joining Black Flame. Coincidentally, Di Renjie came and defeated Black Flame.
While saying these words, an image of Chu Lei wearing a mask flashed in Lin Fan's mind. Di Renjie saw that he was hiding something but did not continue to question him, simply leaving first. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai called over the registered residents and distributed preserved sausages and preserved meat to them. Some families felt that things from dead people were unlucky and refused to take them.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the zither master took the repaired zither to Cao An. Cao An unintentionally saw Lin Fan, became curious, and so she followed him. As a result, she was attacked.
Episode 27 Recap
After Cao An woke up, she discovered that Black Flame was already standing next to her, and when she saw Lin Fan lying on the ground covered in blood, she thought the other party had been brutally murdered. Black Flame said he was giving Lin Fan a little punishment, and at the same time he wanted to completely disrupt Lanfang, and completely control this place.
The Bingzhou minor tune that Cao An now sings was learned from Black Flame, but her mood was extremely complex, for a moment she didn't know if she should worry about Black Flame, or worry about Di Renjie. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai sat by the street listening to gossip, the city residents often grumbled a phrase, discussing that Di Renjie couldn't control Black Flame, and were quite resentful towards him.
This phrase, implicitly containing "greed, anger, ignorance, evil, love, desire, hate", attracted Di Renjie's attention, he thought that only enlightened eminent monks in the world could be like this, even the meat Ma Rong brought back from Long San's shop, had to be associated with the word 'greed'.
Afterwards, Di Renjie went to find Shopkeeper Xiao again, discovered problems during the inspection of the dye workshop, inquired about some minor details concerning Chu Lei, immediately took Ma Rong and Qiao Tai and rushed to Tongkang Village, which was Xiao Chunyu's in-laws' home. But when they arrived at Tongkang Village, they found that the entire village had killed each other, with bodies everywhere, seemingly no one survived.
Di Renjie was surprised by this, finding it hard to imagine by what means Black Flame achieved this result. Suddenly a woman rushed out, with a frantic expression, attempted to kill Di Renjie but failed, she turned back under the tree, cut a rope, and reached out to catch an earthenware pot, but found that it was empty.
Almost simultaneously, the surrounding fire circles were instantly ignited, a large display of fireworks bloomed in the sky, contrasting with the bloody pile of corpses, which was both shocking and chilling. Only then, did Di Renjie realize the opponent's cunning, if Chu Lei was truly as elusive as Lin Fan said, it would be very difficult to apprehend him and bring him to justice again.
Di Renjie quickly rushed to the stonemason's shop wanting to ask for details, only to find the injured Lin Fan, and Cao An controlled by Black Flame, except she had fallen into a coma due to the effects of a drug.
After this incident, Cao An confessed to Di Renjie about her past with Black Flame, admitting she had met Black Flame before, the reason she hadn't mentioned it again, was also because Black Flame had previously jumped into the sea, although she had suspected Lin Fan to some extent, it was now proven that Lin Fan was not the murderer. Cao An explained very clearly, yet a rift formed in Di Renjie's heart, and a crack appeared in their relationship.
That day, Di Renjie brought Lin Fan back to the county office, ordered someone to treat his injuries, and protect his safety. Although Lin Fan already knew that Chu Lei was Black Flame, he truly did not know Black Flame's whereabouts, stating that when Di Renjie came looking for him, it meant his life was in the hands of Black Flame and Di Renjie, so there was no longer any talk of being timid.
The crazy woman, Lady Lang, was put into prison, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai returned to the crime scene, after a detailed investigation, they reported the truth to Di Renjie, judging that Lin Fan was an outsider. Di Renjie came to the prison to question Lady Lang, he wanted to know what exactly happened in Tongkang Village, and why the villagers killed each other.
When Lady Lang heard the news of her son's death, she went through a period of sorrow, crying and laughing, only after calming down did she slowly recount the whole story. The incident began three days ago, a notice was suddenly posted in the village, stating that the well water they drank had long been poisoned.
At first, everyone didn't believe it, until someone died from the poison which caused panic, later there was a new notice guiding them that if they wanted clues to the antidote, they had to get the earthenware pot on the tree stump in the village, and also ensure that only half the villagers remained after two days, otherwise, there would be no solution.
From that day onwards, the villagers began to suspect each other, in order to fight for this glimmer of hope for survival, they were in a stalemate, and fought fiercely, the desire for life turned every one of them into a demon, there was only killing and seizing. Lady Lang was the only survivor in Tongkang Village, and also a witness to this tragedy.
In fact, the villagers were not poisoned at all, the only person who died from poisoning, was poisoned by his own woman using arsenic, Black Flame precisely used this pretext to create chaos. Di Renjie concluded that Chu Lei was Black Flame, the reason for the village massacre, was because the Lang family's son married Xiao Chunyu.
Lady Lang thought of her entire family, young and old, and even the entire village losing their lives because of this, she was extremely grief-stricken. Di Renjie brought pastries to Lin Fan, and casually revealed the Tongkang Village tragedy during their chat, and suggested meeting Black Flame. Qiao Tai was ordered to protect Lin Fan's safety, but was discovered by Lin Fan, so he no longer concealed it. At this time, a notice was posted on the street again, it was from Black Flame, warning the entire county's residents that anyone without a Black Flame mark tattooed on their body, would be killed by him after five days.
Episode 28 Recap
At once, everyone in Lanfang felt unsafe, scrambling to tattoo themselves with the Black Flame mark, fearing death at his hands. Because the small wooden sword and the Black Flame mark appeared at the same time, Hong Liang chose to confess to Di Renjie that his elder brother was Black Flame, and the character "Ying" carved on the wooden sword represented the eldest young master, Di Ying. Soon two more dead bodies appeared on the street.
The wounds on their bodies varied in size and were not caused by the same weapon, thus leading to suspicion that the murderer was someone else. As expected, Di Renjie locked down suspicion on four men of different identities and professions. The reason they killed was that the deceased wanted to leave the city, and the announcement had stated that if one person left the city without permission, Black Flame would randomly slaughter a household.
So, in order to survive and protect the safety of their families, the four men struck first against the deceased. They felt they were not wrong, and even the onlookers agreed, which Di Renjie found quite absurd. He angrily slammed the gavel and countered, asking the scholar if he had ever considered that if Black Flame announced he would kill his entire family to save the people of the whole county, would he then commit suicide with his family?
The scholar was stunned for a moment, then angrily accused Di Renjie of being incapable of catching Black Flame, causing the people of Lanfang to be in danger. Lin Fan officially stayed at the Ming residence. Di Renjie, with Hong Liang and others, patrolled the streets, finding the whole street deserted, shops closed, and occasional pedestrians hurrying by. On both sides, flags of Black Flame were planted for protection.
Originally, Hong Liang advocated for requesting aid from the prefect to send troops to suppress, but seeing the current situation, he finally understood why Di Renjie had rejected that proposal. Not to mention implicating innocent people, it was likely that the entire county office prison couldn't hold these people. It was precisely for this reason that Di Renjie stayed in the morgue to deduce the case, believing that the Xiao Chunyu case was the beginning of this series of events.
He needed to seize the initiative and could no longer be led by the nose by Black Flame. Di Renjie sought out Lady Lang to inquire about Xiao Chunyu. Lady Lang confessed that she was very fond of Xiao Chunyu, saying she was a beautiful and skilled young woman. However, after marrying into the Lang family, she never smiled again, and had never consummated her marriage with her husband.
In her heart, she always remembered Chu Lei, with whom she had secretly betrothed herself. But no matter how angry Lady Lang was, she did not choose to annul the marriage. Instead, she considered that the Lang family was a prominent household in Tongkang Village and could not afford to lose face. Furthermore, in Lady Lang's view, the Lang family had been faultless from beginning to end.
It was entirely due to Shopkeeper Xiao's meddling that he ruined things for Xiao Chunyu and Chu Lei. Even if retribution was due, it should fall upon Shopkeeper Xiao. Little did she expect such a thing to happen in Tongkang Village. Di Renjie sighed, saying if Lady Lang had allowed the lovers to be together earlier, perhaps her son would not have died so tragically. Upon hearing this, Lady Lang was filled with deep regret.
Now, Di Renjie had an answer for the entire case. To confirm his judgment, he first went to test Shopkeeper Xiao's attitude. Shopkeeper Xiao admitted that he knew his daughter had not consummated her marriage with the Lang family's son. That night, Di Renjie summoned Lin Fan, Shopkeeper Xiao, and others, and reconstructed the events of the case and the truth for them.
It turned out that Xiao Chunyu originally intended to use visiting her parents as an excuse to go home, pack her belongings, and elope with Chu Lei. It just so happened that Long San saw Chu Lei climb through the window. To protect Xiao Chunyu's reputation, Chu Lei deliberately took away the paper effigy Xiao Chunyu had made, making people mistakenly believe that Xiao Chunyu had been kidnapped by Chu Lei. However, Long San had already conceived greedy intentions.
He planned to drag Xiao Chunyu back to his shop, occupy and kill her, seize all her treasures, and furthermore, report Chu Lei to the county office, achieving three goals with one stone. However, Long San, despite all his calculations, did not anticipate that he would face retribution ten years later. Because he was illiterate, he kept Xiao Chunyu's bundle cloth to wrap meat and wipe his knife, leaving behind a clue that proved he was the real murderer.
On the other hand, Shopkeeper Xiao, despite knowing that his daughter was very likely eloping, still acted as an enabler when Long San reported Chu Lei, in order to save face. Due to his selfish desires, he harmed his daughter and also harmed Chu Lei, causing Chu Lei to be wronged for many years. Shopkeeper Xiao, upon learning the truth, wept profusely, confessed on the spot, and was taken back to the yamen by Hong Liang and others.
To address the people's fear of Black Flame, the county office issued armbands printed with the Black Flame pattern to everyone. Only Di Renjie himself did not wear one, aiming to lure Black Flame to him. Cao An was in a fretful mood and played the zither to relieve it. Hearing a sound outside the door, she chased after it and saw Lin Fan's figure. She immediately stopped him and asked him to take her to see Black Flame. Di Renjie saw Cao An's note and went to find Lin Fan immediately as well, following him alone to meet Black Flame.
Episode 29 Recap
Once it was late at night and quiet, Di Renjie and Lin Fan went together to meet Black Flame. During this time, Di Renjie shared the story of Chu Lei with Lin Fan, recounting a completely different version. In this version, from a young age, Chu Lei befriended a group of criminals, deeply experiencing the treachery of human nature, and in their frenzied killings, he gradually tempered his will and inner self, eventually descending into extreme darkness.
In Di Renjie's narration, in order to survive, Chu Lei forced himself to confront death. After round after round of slaughter, all that remained in his heart was mockery, cold indifference, and monstrous rage. Because the daily beatings and humiliation he endured all came from Black Flame, whom he once yearned for, and for the sake of Black Flame, he chose to break ties with his father, Di Zhixun.
Sure enough, as soon as Di Renjie finished speaking, Lin Fan's expression changed drastically. Just as Di Renjie said, he projected his own story onto Chu Lei. The man who was ruthless and disregarded human life was actually Di Ying, Di Renjie's elder brother who had not returned home for many years. Di Ying took Lin Fan's identity to collect Chu Lei's body, making everyone think he was Lin Fan.
Yet, to clear his suspicion, he stabbed himself, staging a scene in front of Cao An where Black Flame taught Lin Fan a lesson. But Di Renjie never understood why Di Ying had hidden in Lanfang and refused to show himself, only willing to come out and meet today. Di Ying revealed his long-held plans, including the principles he adhered to.
As sons of Di Zhixun, the brothers had starkly different personalities, one righteous and one evil, standing on opposite sides. Di Ying said that without Di Renjie, he might have lived in Lanfang under a different name, because he liked Lanfang where "the strong prevail and the weak know their place. " In contrast, Di Renjie wished to see Lanfang where the strong abide by the law, the weak live in peace and contentment, and the law maintains order.
Unfortunately, every word Di Renjie spoke sounded like a joke to Di Ying. Di Ying advocated violence and power, disdained human nature and law, and firmly believed that the law of the jungle was the truth of the world.
Seeing his elder brother so indifferent to right and wrong, Di Renjie felt a chill in his heart, sighing that it was the right decision for their father to drive him out of the house back then, and that he looked truly pathetic now. These words completely infuriated Di Ying. The two began a fierce confrontation and struggle, neither able to gain the upper hand. Finally, Di Renjie used all his strength and pierced Di Ying's chest with his sword.
Before his death, Di Ying scoffed that the Di family was both his origin and his destination. After this, Di Renjie lay awake all night due to his elder brother's death, memories of the past constantly surfacing in his mind. He had lost his last remaining family member in the world and also lost the wooden sword that had grown up with him since childhood.
As the Double Ninth Festival approached, Ma Rong invited Cao An to ascend a height together to enjoy the scenery. After Hong Liang checked the almanac, he found that September was an auspicious month for weddings, so he asked Cao An to choose a date for the wedding. Cao An hesitated slightly and suggested that Di Renjie should make the decision. Di Renjie casually chose the twentieth, which happened to coincide with an extremely Yin and dark total solar eclipse.
Originally, the two planned to get married, but the matter concerning Di Ying created a rift. Hong Liang sensed that Di Renjie had a reservation and persuaded him not to run away. Before Hong Liang could finish speaking, Di Renjie turned and left. When passing by Cao An's room, the Bingzhou folk tune coming from inside reminded Di Renjie of Di Ying, leaving him with mixed feelings.
That day, Cao An came to find Di Renjie and said there was a Crescent Spring to the south that could relieve worries, and she wanted to travel there together during the Double Ninth Festival to pray and bless their future life. Di Renjie gladly agreed. When Hong Liang learned of this, he cautioned them not to go to temples or Taoist monasteries and to be extra careful on the road.
After watching Di Renjie and Cao An's carriage disappear into the distance, Hong Liang and others returned to the residence and found that Di Renjie had forgotten to bring his Yulong sword. Hong Liang guessed he had done it on purpose. After the carriage had traveled a distance, Di Renjie chose to stop and rest by the woods. He gathered firewood, made a fire, and grilled a pancake for Cao An to eat. The two remained silent throughout, and the atmosphere was particularly heavy.
Episode 30 Recap
The two passed through the "Tongfu Inn" in a dilapidated village to rest, where they encountered an old woman searching for her grandson Wei Xiaobao. Her behavior was erratic, but it did not attract much attention from the people present. Early the next morning, the village was covered in cold fog. Di Renjie saw that Crescent Spring was only separated from them by one mountain, so he decided to continue their journey, not wanting the trip to be in vain.
Halfway through their journey, the wind and snow gradually intensified. A group of refugees were walking towards them, and there was even an ox-cart stuck in a ditch, unable to get out. The crying of children seemed particularly pathetic. Di Renjie offered help and accidentally got injured. Seeing that the road ahead was covered by heavy snow, Cao An discussed returning to Lanfang first with Di Renjie.
However, due to an infection in his wound, Di Renjie developed a high fever, experienced hallucinations, and eventually fell unconscious. Cao An could only continue driving. Finally, she found Chaoyun Academy in the desolate wilderness. The door was opened by a young man named Zhou Li. When Cao An asked to see Mr. Cui Haoran, he directly refused. For this, Cao An showed her government official's token to explain their purpose.
Although Zhou Li had reservations, he still asked Cao An to wait at the entrance for a moment. Soon, Cui Haoran's student, Li Miao, came out with Zhou Li. He had some medical knowledge and offered to bandage Di Renjie's wound himself. However, because his teacher Cui Haoran was currently assigned by the Minister of Rites to compile local historical records, it was inconvenient for him to be disturbed.
He hoped that Cao An and her companions would leave as soon as possible. Seeing this, Cao An showed her government official's token to explain their purpose. As expected, Zhou Li had some reservations and asked her to wait at the entrance for a moment. Soon a young man followed Zhou Li out. This person was Cui Haoran's student, Li Miao, who had some medical knowledge.
He said he would personally bandage Di Renjie's wound but was also constrained because his teacher was assigned by the Minister of Rites to compile local historical records for this area and should not be disturbed by outsiders. He hoped it would be best for Cao An and her companions to leave as soon as possible. However, Cao An showed Li Miao Di Renjie's昏迷 state.
Li Miao also considered that the road was blocked by heavy snow and they had nowhere else to go. He couldn't bear the heavy responsibility if refusing them led to the death of a government official. So, he settled the two in a room where old books were stored. Meanwhile, Ma Rong learned about the snow disaster in the south from refugees.
Worried about the safety of Di Renjie and Cao An, he reported the situation directly to Hong Liang, and then rode south with Qiao Tai to search for them. Li Miao examined Di Renjie's body. Besides slight signs of poisoning, the main issue was accumulated heart fire and illness due to overwork. Di Renjie woke up and saw Li Miao. Learning that he was in Cui Haoran's Chaoyun Academy, he wanted to get up and go see him.
Because of Di Renjie's insistence, Li Miao could only lead the way for him and said that if he had any needs, he only needed to ask Cao An to instruct the disciples in the academy. Outside Cui Haoran's room, Di Renjie looked through the window and saw him sitting upright and solemn, his eyes slightly lowered, as if meditating. A strong scent of sandalwood filled the air.
Li Miao explained that his teacher, in order to gain clarity in his writing and seek true historical insight, would isolate himself in silence for focused meditation after studying historical materials, thus the sandalwood served a calming purpose. Precisely because Cui Haoran was in seclusion, it was truly inconvenient for Di Renjie to disturb him. He simply turned back and gave his cherished agarwood to Li Miao, hoping he would pass it on to the elderly Mr.
Cui Haoran on his behalf. On the way back, Cao An saw Zhou Li looking flustered. Although he said he was going to get firewood to warm Di Renjie, the direction he was heading was opposite to that of the wood shed. Cao An told Di Renjie to lie in bed and rest well, and then immediately went to help Li Miao decoct the medicine. Di Renjie found it difficult to fall asleep.
Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind blow open the door. As he dragged his ailing body out of bed to close the door, he saw a boy in a white robe running away from him, as if he had encountered something terrifying. However, Di Renjie's body couldn't handle it and he fainted in the snow. After Cao An and Li Miao helped him back into the room, he briefly described the strange incident he had just witnessed.
Li Miao thought Di Renjie was having hallucinations due to his illness, but Di Renjie insisted that he had seen it with his own eyes. Naturally, Cao An believed Di Renjie's words. Meanwhile, on the other side, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai were riding their horses in circles on the original path, unable to determine their direction.
This sent a chill down their spines as they recalled Hong Liang's warning that the south was prone to generating Yin and evil spirits. While taking care of Di Renjie, Cao An heard strange noises outside the door and felt suspicious. She went out and followed the sound, only to see Zhou Li standing on the rooftop, shouting and laughing loudly, muttering about monsters and demons. Zhou Li cast a glance at Cao An, seemingly with something to say.
Finally, he bit his fingertip and wrote a character on his palm, then immediately leaped and jumped, dying on the spot. Cao An examined Zhou Li's palm, and the blood-red character "嵬" was strikingly visible. She immediately suggested going to take a look at Zhou Li's room. Li Miao told Cao An that Zhou Li came from a poor background and stayed at Chaoyun Academy because of his sincere desire for learning.
He was originally a smart child, but a few days ago, he suddenly developed a hysterical disorder, often talking nonsense in the middle of the night. The disciple Lin Shu nearby added confirmation to this situation.
Episode 31 Recap
Di Renjie still had a high fever, his consciousness was blurry, and he kept muttering "A-xiong". Cao An therefore asked Li Miao to decoct two more doses of medicine. However, as soon as Li Miao left, a gust of wind blew open the door, scattering the papers and old books all over the room. Among them, an album with ghost and monster patterns caught Cao An's attention.
She recalled that Li Miao had described Zhou Li claiming to have opened his celestial eye before his death, able to see unprovoked disasters and unjustly deceased ghosts. As Cao An flipped through the album, she felt as if there were eyes staring at her, and shivers ran down her spine. Suddenly, the door slightly opened, and the sandalwood that Di Renjie had asked Li Miao to give to Cui Haoran appeared out of thin air.
Cao An followed her memory to search for it, was almost discovered by the disciples in the academy, and in her panic, she rushed into a hidden underground palace. The underground palace corridor was winding and circuitous. Cao An followed the candlelight to the end, pushed open a stone door, and before her eyes was a huge palace. In the front were placed various statues of gods and Buddhas, and opposite was the altar used for sacrifices.
Just as Cao An felt doubt, Li Miao suddenly appeared and explained the whole story to her. It turned out that Chaoyun Academy was originally a Taoist temple in its early years, also named Chaoyun. Coincidentally, during times of chaos, the temple specially sheltered many common people and scholars in addition to the Taoist priests.
However, one night, a group of bandits broke into the Taoist temple and carried out an inhumane massacre inside the temple in search of non-existent treasures. From then on, Chaoyun Temple was completely abandoned and dilapidated, becoming a haunted house. It was not until later that Cui Haoran came here by chance, renovated Chaoyun Temple, and placed the remains of the deceased spirits in the underground palace.
Li Miao told Cao An that the underground palace was built to appease and offer sacrifices to the deceased spirits. He also believed that there were gods, Buddhas, ghosts, and monsters in the world, and therefore believed that what Di Renjie saw was not an illusion, but most likely the accumulation of resentment from the deceased spirits, forming an apparition due to their own obsessions.
Upon hearing this, Cao An felt fear and did not dare to stay in the underground palace for long. -------------------------------------------------- When Di Renjie woke up, the sky was slightly bright, and he did not see Cao An in the room. When he went out to look for her, he encountered several disciples with panicked expressions, hurrying forward carrying a corpse. He had to call out several times before they stopped. Cao An and Li Miao came from the side.
Di Renjie asked about the situation, but Li Miao did not respond and instead asked Cao An to explain the situation to Di Renjie. Cao An described Zhou Li's abnormal behavior before he jumped off the building to Di Renjie, including the man's footprint she had found.
When Di Renjie learned that the sandalwood had appeared at the door for no reason, he linked it to the white-robed child he had seen when he was unconscious, and felt that Chaoyun Academy held a secret.
However, Cao An was worried that the solar eclipse mentioned by Li Miao would trigger the ferocity of the deceased spirits and interfere with Di Renjie's mind, so she advised Di Renjie not to delve deeply into this matter, believing it might be due to his own obsession. As soon as this was said, both of them simultaneously thought of Di Ying. Di Renjie insisted that the dead would not interfere with the living.
Due to a moment of anger, he spoke without thinking, scoffing that Cao An couldn't forget Black Flame, but he would never let the other party interfere with him. Before Cao An could speak, Li Miao had already decocted the medicine and brought it over. Di Renjie silently took the medicine bowl and no longer paid attention to Cao An. After Cao An fell asleep, Di Renjie searched for clues within Chaoyun Academy.
He first visited Cui Haoran and found that the room was empty, but the large tung oil jar next to it was extremely conspicuous. Since the disciples were patrolling nearby, Di Renjie could not investigate further. He could only go to the underground palace according to Cao An's description to look for clues. As a result, he saw a white-robed boy who, upon turning around, looked exactly like A-xiong. Immediately afterwards, he collapsed to the ground and fainted.
At the same time, Cao An was woken up by the sound of a clay pot breaking. Following the sound, she found the medicine pot overturned on the ground, and a small wooden sword left beside the bookshelf. Li Miao asked the disciples to help Di Renjie back to the room. Seeing the overturned medicine pot, his expression was dark and unclear. In his unconscious state, Di Renjie muttered about the wooden sword.
Cao An quickly picked up the wooden sword and examined it carefully, noticing that there was a character "Wei" on it. She instantly thought of the other half of the blurred character on Zhou Li's palm.
Episode 32 (Ending) Recap
Heavy snow did not cease for several days. Since Di Renjie came out of the underground palace, he had remained in a coma. Cao An suspected Di Renjie was affected by the altar and suggested leaving the academy that night. Li Miao arranged for disciples to carry Di Renjie onto a carriage, and Cao An drove the carriage alone.
In his dream, Di Renjie saw Cao An leave, but when he woke up, he only saw Ma Rong and Qiao Tai, with no sign of Cao An, only a note with eight characters written on it: "The axle is broken, I'll go find someone. " Di Renjie felt something was wrong and suspected Cao An was in danger.
As expected, the crazy grandma at the inn recognized the wooden sword Cao An had picked up and became extremely agitated, shouting her grandson's name, "Wei Xiaobao," which attracted Di Renjie's attention. Cao An had previously seen records about child sacrifice in the parchment scroll. Di Renjie looked up and saw an unusual celestial phenomenon, and immediately returned to Chaoyun Academy with Ma Rong and Qiao Tai. -------------------------------------------------- At this moment, the academy was unusually quiet.
The three hid in a corner of the main hall and witnessed a group of disciples wearing black robes enter the underground palace. Di Renjie followed closely behind. The disciple Lin Shu stood at the front, leading everyone in bowing their heads to pray, chanting obscure and incomprehensible incantations, their eyes filled with evil and greed, completely different from their usual selves.
Afterwards, Di Renjie found the underground palace prison based on his memory and discovered the missing boy, Wei Xiaobao. Just as he was swinging his knife to hack at the chains, Li Miao walked out from the side, admitting that he had killed Cui Haoran and imprisoned Cao An. However, before Di Renjie could approach, he waved his hand, released a smoke screen, snatched Wei Xiaobao, and disappeared without a trace, leaving only his voice audible.
Ma Rong and Qiao Tai fought their way into the underground palace. They did not see Cao An when they arrived, but found an old man's body in the tung oil jar in the study. At this point, another group of disciples blocked their path. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai were responsible for covering the rear, while Di Renjie rushed to the real altar and interrupted Li Miao's sacrifice ceremony.
Because of this, Li Miao became furious from shame and refused to reveal Cao An's whereabouts. Di Renjie's repeated questioning was futile. He then saw Li Miao poison himself. Before he died, he mocked Di Renjie, saying that even if he found Cao An, she would just be a corpse. Di Renjie realized that Cao An's life was in danger and was extremely anxious, but he tried hard to remain calm.
Through recollection and deduction, he figured out her location and finally found Cao An in a hole in a wall. Fortunately, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai arrived in time. The three of them worked together to chisel open the wall and rescue Cao An, who had been semi-conscious but gradually regained clarity. Through Cao An's narration, the mystery of the case was finally cleared up.
In fact, from the moment she picked up the small wooden sword, Cao An had a faint answer in her heart. Later, when she discovered Wei Xiaobao in a corner, she realized why Zhou Li had died. A year ago, Li Miao killed Cui Haoran, took over his place, and continued to recruit disciples under the name of the academy. In Li Miao's eyes, these disciples were all sacrifices.
He would kill people on ominous days, seeking the path to eternal life. Because the disciples had all been brainwashed by Li Miao, they completely did not feel there was anything wrong with killing a child. But Zhou Li still had a conscience and secretly released Wei Xiaobao, taking him to Cui Haora's room, which happened to be the night Di Renjie was going to visit.
In order to protect Wei Xiaobao, Zhou Li carried him on his back and backed away from outside to the door, leaving deep footprints. Finally, he used a snowball to hit the door to distract Cao An, and Wei Xiaobao took this opportunity to slip into the room. Zhou Li originally wanted to reveal the truth by sacrificing himself, but unfortunately, the clues were hidden by Li Miao.
Wei Xiaobao had no choice but to throw the sandalwood at the door to attract attention. Cao An sensed that Li Miao had become suspicious of her and had to pretend to go along with him, feigning fear of the deceased spirits. She made an excuse to escape by carriage that night, arranging to meet Wei Xiaobao at the foot of the mountain.
Unexpectedly, Li Miao had already seen through the plan, not only capturing Wei Xiaobao but also tying her up in a hole in the wall and plastering the wall with mud. As time passed, the air grew thin, and death approached. Cao An was not afraid of death; her only concern was for Di Renjie to be safe. Di Renjie was deeply moved by Cao An's words and carried her out of the underground palace.
Wei Xiaobao reunited with his grandma and gave Di Renjie the wooden sword as a gift to express his gratitude. After this event, Di Renjie completely let go of his inner knot. He personally put the earrings on Cao An, and the two embraced tightly, cherishing this moment of survival after the ordeal.
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