Psych-Hunter Episode 2 Recap
> Psych-Hunter Recap
Jiang Shuo reading a letter addressed to him. The sender, known as Six-Finger (Liu Zhi), instructs Jiang Shuo to sell three specific properties to three designated individuals, promising that the profits would then be his. As Jiang Shuo’s gaze fell upon memorial tablets, pausing on one with his own name inscribed, the calm was shattered by the sound of an axe. A man in black burst in, wielding the weapon.
Thinking quickly, Jiang Shuo threw ash to obscure the attacker’s vision, buying himself precious seconds to flee. He raced to the rooftop, where, to his surprise, Qin Yiheng was waiting. Although unfamiliar with his rescuer, Jiang Shuo, in a moment of life and death, chose to trust Qin Yiheng and leaped with him off the building. Without time for pleasantries, Jiang Shuo quickly made his escape from the perilous location.
Later, Chief Bai was in a furious state at the police station over Jiang Shuo’s successful escape. Yuan Muqing, daughter of a highly respected family, entered with Qin Yiheng. Seeing them, Chief Bai instantly reined in his temper. Qin Yiheng cut straight to the chase, presenting his analysis of the case. He posited that Jiang Shuo was likely not the murderer.
He explained that the first victim, Zhang Meng, had bought a house from Jiang Shuo at a low price before his death, which was initially disguised as suicide but was actually strangulation. Similarly, the second victim, Ah Xiang, and his friend Liu Xin, who witnessed Ah Xiang's attack, also bought houses from Jiang Shuo at low prices before they too were murdered.
Qin Yiheng highlighted that the three victims, Zhang Meng, Ah Xiang, and Liu Xin, were all acquainted and unemployed. Their deaths aligned with dates on memorial tablets the murderer had made, including one for Jiang Shuo himself, dated October 15. The true culprit, he suggested, was probably Mr. Six-Finger (Liu Zhi), the original owner of the "Houses of murder," who was also suspected of kidnapping Qin Yiheng's father.
While other officers had found no new leads, Jiang Shuo, who was still in hiding, covertly passed a crucial piece of information to Yuan Muqing: a note identifying the Wang family in Chengxi as the houses' original owners. That evening, Chief Bai and Yuan Muqing headed to the Wang family residence in Chengxi to investigate. Jiang Shuo trailed discreetly behind them and slipped inside.
Mr. Wang, who was in the midst of Chinese alchemy, was interrupted by a servant announcing the police's arrival. The butler informed the officers that Mr. Wang was unwell and unable to see guests, offering to relay their questions instead. While the butler then led them further inside, a distraught carpenter named Old Zhang walked past them. The butler offered a brief explanation for Old Zhang's state, mentioning his intelligent daughter's recent tragic death.
As the butler offered to retrieve property records, Jiang Shuo, who had been eavesdropping from outside, seized the opportunity to leave and headed to investigate one of the "Houses of murder" himself. At one of the crime scenes, Jiang Shuo encountered Qin Yiheng, who was also investigating.
Observing the house, Jiang Shuo concluded that the feng shui had been deliberately manipulated to bring bad luck, specifically noting the blue carpet resembling a lake, a goldfish tank, and white curtains on the ceiling, all combined with the "scissors road" outside. Qin Yiheng agreed, asserting that the murderer must be someone knowledgeable in feng shui.
He pointed out similar ominous arrangements in the houses of other victims: a tree like a needle piercing Liu Xin's heart, and Ah Xiang's house having a "scissors door." Convinced, Qin Yiheng then led Jiang Shuo to the first victim, Zhang Meng's, house. There, they discovered a hidden cellar or ice room beneath the property, confirming the unnaturally cold temperature Jiang Shuo had sensed. As they explored the ice room, Qin Yiheng abruptly shut the door, trapping them inside.
He confessed that this entire "setup" was his doing. He explained that he had previously discovered this ice room and was aware of Western methods to treat amnesia through extreme environments. His goal was to unlock Jiang Shuo's memories, particularly regarding Six-Finger (Liu Zhi), asserting that they would both freeze to death if he didn't get the answers he sought within half an hour.
Undeterred by Qin Yiheng’s ultimatum, Jiang Shuo declared his fearlessness of threats and, using his brass coins, hypnotized Qin Yiheng. During the hypnosis, Qin Yiheng relived a moment of regret, feeling that his father's disappearance might have been prevented had he not left. Images of Jiang Shuo, Six-Finger (Liu Zhi), and the date October 15 also flashed in his mind.
When Jiang Shuo regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a bed, his hypnosis tools on the nightstand beside him, and Qin Yiheng seated nearby. Lady Shi San informed them that she had found them both unconscious and opened the door. Qin Yiheng, now awake, dismissed the hypnosis as a shared hallucination caused by the extreme cold.
He reiterated that he had set the trap to access Jiang Shuo's memories about Six-Finger (Liu Zhi), but now, from Jiang Shuo's perspective, it was clear he was not Six-Finger and had no connection to him, and that his amnesia didn’t require Qin Yiheng’s cure. As Jiang Shuo prepared to leave, Lady Shi San let out a scream. Another dead body had appeared in the house, hanging from a chandelier. It was Mr. Wang, who had disappeared the previous night.
Chief Bai and Yuan Muqing arrived at the crime scene. The butler of the Wang family also rushed in, displaying exaggerated grief, which Qin Yiheng subtly noted. While everyone's attention was on the deceased Mr. Wang, Jiang Shuo quietly slipped away. He returned to the Wang family's mansion, where servants were fleeing in terror, convinced that a curse was upon the family.
Amidst the chaos, Jiang Shuo briefly saw the strange carpenter Old Zhang and then noticed the butler behaving suspiciously. Following the butler into a secret room, Jiang Shuo used his mind-reading ability. He discovered the butler’s guilt and learned that the three previous victims were former estate guards of the Wang family who had been driven away.
The butler confessed that he only knew the buyer of the properties as "Mr. Six-Finger (Liu Zhi)" who always wore a mask, but distinctly remembered that he had six fingers. Afterward, Jiang Shuo confronted the butler, asking if he and Mr. Wang knew that the feng shui of the three residences and the Wang family courtyard had been tampered with.
Jiang Shuo explained that the seemingly auspicious arrangements in the Wang family courtyard, such as cranes and turtles, were actually twisted into symbols of early death and misfortune by subtle changes like adding koi (cranes eat fish) and orienting the turtle westward. The butler, alarmed by the revelation of manipulated feng shui, pondered who could have done this. He then recalled that the carpenter, Old Zhang, had recently had access to all three of the ill-fated properties.
