Psych-Hunter Episode 19 Recap
> Psych-Hunter Recap
Qin Yiheng and Jiang Shuo meticulously examined Zhang Zong Bao's room, uncovering clues suggesting the room’s setup was used to stage his fall from the balcony after his death. Qin Yiheng deduced that a nail held something in place, and a blade severed it, though the precise object remained a mystery. Their investigation was interrupted by shouts from downstairs. An attendant from Zhang Mansion had arrived, searching for his young master and butler.
He recognized the car parked outside as Young Master Zhang’s recently acquired vehicle and expressed confusion, as the driver, Mr Wu, had reportedly lost his sanity and the car keys on the night of its purchase. Jiang Shuo immediately suspected Mr Wu’s sudden mental decline was linked to Zhang Zong Bao’s demise. They confronted Butler Zhang, who initially denied any knowledge of Mr Wu.
Under Qin Yiheng’s stern questioning, emphasizing Mr Wu’s vulnerability as a potential next victim, Butler Zhang reluctantly revealed that Mr Wu was confined in an abandoned courtyard near the Young Master’s house. Upon arriving at the abandoned courtyard, Jiang Shuo and Qin Yiheng found Mr Wu in a disoriented state, on the verge of taking his own life. They managed to intervene and rescue him.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Shuo entered Mr Wu’s Psych, observing its strange, animated house moving towards a location significant to Mr Wu. Inside, Mr Wu was distraught, repeatedly apologizing to an unseen presence and muttering about a female ghost. This ghost soon manifested and attacked them. Qin Yiheng recognized her as Mo Li, a missing dancer whose file he had previously seen in Captain Bai’s office.
Leaving the Psych, they found themselves in a desolate area, which Qin Yiheng identified as a place he had passed while undercover. Jiang Shuo noticed a gathering of stray dogs and disturbed soil, concluding the ground had been tampered with. They contacted Captain Bai, who quickly joined them. Together, they excavated the site and uncovered two buried bodies.
Back at the police station, Captain Bai confirmed that one of the retrieved bodies, dressed in a white cheongsam, was indeed Mo Li. The identity of the second victim, however, remained unknown, despite a restored portrait. Qin Yiheng then took Jiang Shuo to the dance hall. A dancer there mentioned Mo Li had been "hired" by Young Master Zhang, which Qin Yiheng clarified was a euphemism for being a "sugar baby."
The dance hall supervisor further explained that Mo Li, a star dancer, was forced into her profession by circumstances. She initially resisted Young Master Zhang’s advances but reluctantly accompanied his driver to avoid causing trouble for the supervisor. Mo Li never returned to work, and the driver later claimed she had taken money and gone back to her village. The supervisor suspected Young Master Zhang’s involvement in Mo Li’s disappearance and death but did not recognize the second victim.
Returning to Yuan Mansion, they found the guests growing impatient, eager to depart citing various commitments. However, General Yuan’s orders, relayed by Yuan Muqing, prohibited anyone from leaving until the murderer was found. Qin Yiheng then dramatically declared that the culprit was among them, causing a nervous silence and compelling everyone to remain seated.
Further inquiries among the hotel staff revealed details about a former magician named Shi Shi, renowned for her "White Ribbon Magic Dance" which utilized a specially made elastic white ribbon. She, too, had a tragic encounter with a wealthy man—implied to be Young Master Zhang—which led to her losing her sanity and subsequently disappearing. Jiang Shuo and Qin Yiheng then investigated the hotel’s flower wall, suspecting it might have been used to conceal a body.
The staff confirmed the wall was a theatrical prop, installed at Yamada’s suggestion, as he was familiar with their setup. Searching Yamada’s room, Qin Yiheng discovered a vial containing potassium cyanide in his overcoat. This potent poison matched the substance found on Zhang Zong Bao’s personal utensils. Qin Yiheng confronted Yamada, accusing him of poisoning Zhang Zong Bao. Yamada vehemently denied the murder, asserting he was only present to thwart the alliance between the Yuan and Zhang families.
However, he suddenly collapsed, having poisoned himself, and died still protesting his innocence. General Yuan, despite Yamada's denial and suspicious death, publicly declared Yamada the murderer. He accused Yamada of killing Zhang Zong Bao to sow discord between the two families and then committing suicide to conceal the Japanese military’s involvement.
Privately, General Yuan confided to his subordinate that his actual motive was to sever ties with the Japanese, using Yamada as a convenient scapegoat to quickly close the case and provide an explanation to General Zhang. Later, Qin Yiheng acknowledged to Jiang Shuo that Yamada was not the real murderer, noting Zhang Zong Bao had not even been present at the banquet, let alone consumed any poisoned food.
He recognized General Yuan’s maneuver as a politically astute move, but realized the true killer remained at large, a fact that did not align with Liu Zhi’s typical methods. As the guests prepared to depart, Captain Bai arrived with the updated forensic report. He confirmed the identity of the two victims: Mo Li and Xu Ya Shi, the magician known as Shi Shi.
The report detailed that Mo Li was buried alive, while Xu Ya Shi was run over by a car before being buried alive—events that explained Mr Wu’s mental breakdown. Adding another critical piece of evidence, Yuan Muqing presented a white ribbon that her men had retrieved from the hotel’s trash bin. With this, Qin Yiheng confidently declared he knew the murderer’s identity. To expose the truth, Qin Yiheng and Jiang Shuo staged a dramatic recreation.
As the guests were exiting, Jiang Shuo drove a car to the spot beneath Zhang Zong Bao’s balcony, while Qin Yiheng tossed a puppet, dressed in his coat, from the balcony. The shock of the falling figure halted everyone. Qin Yiheng then revealed that Zhang Zong Bao was not poisoned, but strangled with the wide white ribbon.
He explained how this type of ribbon could cause suffocation without leaving discernible marks, and reiterated that Zhang Zong Bao’s lack of head or neck injuries proved he did not die from the fall. Qin Yiheng elaborated on the intricate setup: the ribbon was fastened to a nail, connected to a loosened flower platform on the balcony, with a blade positioned behind the door.
When Yuan Muqing opened the door as planned, the blade severed the ribbon, causing the platform to give way and Zhang Zong Bao’s body to fall. He pointed out that the ribbon later disappeared, indicating the killer had removed the evidence. Qin Yiheng then directly accused Xu Ya'an, highlighting her motive: her sister, Xu Ya Shi, was one of Zhang Zong Bao's victims.
He dismissed a guest’s doubt about how a "handicapped" person could execute such a complex murder, revealing that Xu Ya'an’s wheelchair was merely a prop, and she was not truly disabled. Jiang Shuo confirmed this by pulling out another, uncut length of the elastic white ribbon from her wheelchair.
Qin Yiheng further solidified the case by pointing out that the mud on Xu Ya'an’s shoes matched the soil from her sister's burial site, proving Xu Ya'an had visited the burial site. With irrefutable evidence, Xu Ya'an abandoned her pretense, stood up, and confessed to killing Zhang Zong Bao. She expressed regret for not having acted sooner, believing her sister would still be alive if Zhang Zong Bao had died earlier.
She had meticulously planned the murder, following instructions that promised her vengeance. Jiang Shuo then clarified to Xu Ya'an that while Qin Yiheng had exposed her, he had also brought forth the sole witness to her sister’s death. Captain Bai then presented a still-frightened Mr Wu, who, under duress, confessed his role. He frantically explained that Zhang Zong Bao forced him to bury the two women.
Mr Wu recounted how Xu Ya Shi had bravely intercepted his car, attempting to save Mo Li. He accidentally struck her, killing her, and despite his desire to help, Zhang Zong Bao, fearing wider implications, ordered him to bury both Xu Ya Shi and the already deceased Mo Li. He admitted Zhang Zong Bao had offered him money to marry, sealing his complicity. Xu Ya'an denounced Mr Wu as a "despicable accomplice."
Qin Yiheng then somberly noted the tragic irony: Xu Ya Shi died attempting to save a life, while Xu Ya'an, driven by revenge, chose to take one. Despite the resolution of Zhang Zong Bao’s murder, General Yuan remained suspicious of Jiang Shuo, believing his connection to Liu Zhi was still unclear. Yuan Muqing pleaded with her father, asserting Jiang Shuo’s innocence and urging him to drop his grudge.
Qin Yiheng intervened, arguing that Jiang Shuo was crucial to their hunt for Liu Zhi, as his mind-reading ability offered the quickest path to the elusive mastermind. Yuan Muqing echoed Qin Yiheng’s sentiment, warning that eliminating Jiang Shuo would mean never finding the true Liu Zhi. General Yuan relented, but imposed a strict condition: Jiang Shuo was forbidden from approaching his daughter.
On the day of Xu Ya'an’s scheduled execution, despite newspaper headlines falsely lauding Zhang Zong Bao as a hero and labeling Xu Ya'an a mere assassin, a different kind of justice began to emerge. Qin Yiheng visited Xu Ya'an, where a group of women, all victims of Zhang Zong Bao’s heinous acts, bravely came forward. They expressed their solidarity, decrying the media’s false narrative and refusing to let the truth be buried.
Although Xu Ya'an initially felt resigned, believing no one would listen, the women shared their own stories of shame and silence. Empowered by her stand, they resolved to publicly expose Zhang Zong Bao’s atrocities in the newspapers, declaring he was no hero and Xu Ya'an no assassin. Many other women, similarly wronged, joined their cause, eager to share their experiences and reclaim their voices. Xu Ya'an, moved by their courage, expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
