Psych-Hunter Episode 23 Recap
> Psych-Hunter Recap
Feeling defeated that the clues from Liu Zhi had led to a dead end with Zhao Ling’s case, and with only Jiang Shuo remaining as a survivor from that time, Qin Yiheng was comforted by Jiang Shuo, who urged him not to be one-sided and believe that Qin Yiheng’s father was still alive. Yuan Muqing also reassured him that Liu Zhi’s plot would fail since all three of them had survived, contrary to Liu Zhi's prediction.
Just then, Bai Kai arrived, delivering a new lead found at Shang Yu’s house: a map to the Yin River, confirming Liu Zhi’s ominous message that he would be waiting for Jiang Shuo there. Jiang Shuo, worried about Yuan Muqing’s safety, initially planned to go with Qin Yiheng alone. However, Yuan Muqing secretly joined them by deliberately draining their car’s fuel tank and offering a spare in exchange for being part of the investigation.
As they drove towards their destination, Yuan Muqing claimed to have seen a strange woman in white with a red string on her wrist, but Jiang Shuo and Qin Yiheng saw nothing when they looked. They decided to dismiss it as an illusion and continued their journey, eventually arriving at Yan Village. The village market was bustling that night. They checked into the Earthly Inn, where Madam Mei, the innkeeper, welcomed them.
Jiang Shuo playfully introduced himself as "Master Jiang," while Qin Yiheng revealed Yuan Muqing's prestigious background. They subtly inquired about local "rivers, lakes, and seas." They overheard other guests discussing the mysterious Palace of Ultimate Happiness, where people supposedly gained immense strength and wealth. They witnessed Liu Tuo, once sick and disabled, now demonstrating extraordinary strength, confirming the Palace's rumored powers.
The village chief, Yan Chen, then arrived and distributed red strings to four eager guests, instructing them to tie them on their wrists and promising someone would pick them up for the Palace by morning. He then left with Madam Mei. Jiang Shuo and Qin Yiheng suspected a connection between the Palace of Ultimate Happiness and the Yin River and decided to stay at the inn to observe.
Yuan Muqing still felt uneasy about the red strings and the peculiar villagers. The next morning, Jiang Shuo woke from a disturbing vision of Liu Zhi giving him a red string and uttering "Help me." He interpreted this as another clue. To their surprise, the entire village, including the inn, was deserted, as if it had become a ghost town overnight. They searched for answers and entered the Yan Family Ancestral Hall.
Inside, they found a genealogy book with names of living villagers, like Yan Chen, Lu Mei, Liu Tuo, and Wang Shi Liu, listed as if they were deceased, some written in red ink. This deepened their confusion about the red strings. As they left the ancestral hall, they encountered Su Min, Qin Yiheng’s senior from his studies in England.
Qin Yiheng was shocked to see his once ambitious mentor, who aspired to be a doctor and marry his fiancée Liu Qing, now working as a farmer. Su Min, visibly changed and evasive, explained that Liu Qing had disappeared after returning home, leaving him heartbroken and aimless. He claimed he knew nothing about a "Yin River" and warned them to leave Yan Village, dismissing it as a simple recuperation spot.
Jiang Shuo found Su Min’s behavior suspicious, but Qin Yiheng attributed it to grief. They decided to split up: Qin Yiheng would go to the post office to send a telegram to Bai Kai, asking for information on the names from the genealogy book, while Jiang Shuo and Yuan Muqing would try to get more information from Madam Mei. Jiang Shuo and Yuan Muqing returned to the Earthly Inn to question Madam Mei, but she provided no useful information.
As they passed a courtyard, they discovered Wang Shi Liu’s lifeless body. With Qin Yiheng still away, they sought help from Su Min, who initially refused, reiterating his warning to stop investigating. However, after Yuan Muqing revealed her identity as a deputy sergeant from Changshanzhou, Su Min reluctantly agreed to examine the body. He determined Wang Shi Liu died from an overdose of medicine.
Su Min then revealed that Yan Village's situation was far more complex than they imagined, mentioning a mass grave behind the mountain filled with many bodies bearing similar death marks. He refused to lead them to the grave, stating he was busy. Jiang Shuo, wanting to protect Yuan Muqing, feigned a leg cramp and sent her back to retrieve his "silver needles," while secretly heading to the mass grave himself.
There, he discovered many corpses, all with marks on their wrists where red strings had once been. Meanwhile, Yuan Muqing, instead of going back for the needles, returned to Wang Shi Liu’s body and saw Su Min removing the red string from his wrist. Realizing Su Min’s deception, she secretly followed him, leaving a "Help me" note for Jiang Shuo. When Qin Yiheng returned, he and Jiang Shuo found Yuan Muqing's note and immediately suspected Su Min.
Jiang Shuo recalled Su Min's earlier evasiveness and his lie about not reading medical books, coupled with his knowledge of the mass grave. They rushed to Su Min's house, only to find it empty. Unbeknownst to them, Yuan Muqing had followed Su Min into a hidden tunnel, where he ambushed and knocked her unconscious. Searching Su Min's house, Jiang Shuo and Qin Yiheng found specialized medical books on antidotes.
More importantly, they uncovered historical documents about the "Yan clan," not "Yan Village." These documents described the Yan clan as having six fingers and possessing mind-reading abilities, seen as "sorcerers." The texts also mentioned that the Yan clan built a magnificent sanctuary by water—the Palace of Ultimate Happiness—to worship their ancestors. Jiang Shuo speculated that this "water" could be the Yin River, and Qin Yiheng pondered if Liu Zhi himself was a member of the Yan clan.
They also found a box filled with red strings. Concluding that all clues pointed to the Palace of Ultimate Happiness and needing to find Yuan Muqing, they returned to the Earthly Inn and successfully bribed Madam Mei to arrange their entry into the Palace that very night. Qin Yiheng reassured Jiang Shuo that all their efforts were for Yuan Muqing, affirming their shared purpose.
