Resumo do episódio 16 de The Unclouded Soul
> Resumos de The Unclouded Soul
Lu Pianpian’s search for Tan’er was abruptly cut short when she was intercepted by Immortal Lord Suimeng. Bing Zhu was brought in under guard, and Suimeng revealed a devastating secret: Bing Zhu was the man who had killed Pianpian’s brother, Lu Tong, using a demon-slaying blade. Heartbroken and feeling deceived, Pianpian’s attitude toward Bing Zhu turned cold as she begged the Immortal Lord for mercy, admitting she had been momentarily blinded.
Bing Zhu, resigned to his fate of being turned into fertilizer, pleaded with Suimeng to spare Pianpian, claiming he was the one who had led her astray. Mocking their sentimentality, Suimeng ordered the pair to be bound in the Biexin Courtyard to be turned into living corpses by venomous insects as a public warning.
Facing death, Pianpian reflected on her sixteen years of service, confessing that while she enjoyed wealth, she had committed many atrocities—such as extracting human essence and destroying souls—simply because she never dared to say no to the Immortal Lord. \n\nSeeking a way to save them and secure Hong Ye’s freedom, Xiao Yao proposed a deal: she and Bing Zhu would retrieve the Kunlun Mirror fragments for Suimeng. Suimeng agreed, promising to release Hong Ye, Tan’er, and Pianpian if they succeeded.
She directed them to Mount Qiansui, warning that the fragments were guarded by Taosha, a ferocious ancient beast that left all who approached it either dead or maimed. As Xiao Yao and Bing Zhu set off, a spirit herb—a protective charm left by Hong Ye—began to act up.
The herb, acting out of Hong Ye’s jealousy, bit Xiao Yao and grumbled about her being alone in a room with a "pretty boy" like Bing Zhu, demanding she maintain her distance and propriety. \n\nUpon reaching the outskirts of Mount Qiansui, the duo was met with a hail of arrows. Bing Zhu de-escalated the situation by clarifying that they were there to slay demons, not collect taxes.
The villagers, led by a man named Ali and the Tribe Leader, were relieved. They described Taosha as a terrifying monster with three heads and six arms that breathed fire. However, Xiao Yao noticed that the villagers were grinding red pigment and that the "claw marks" and "bloodstains" on the village walls were crudely fabricated.
Her suspicions grew when a young boy named Zixiu showed her a drawing used for target practice and whispered that the real Taosha looked nothing like the picture. \n\nThat night, an alarm was raised that the beast had entered the village. While the villagers claimed to have driven it away, Bing Zhu remained skeptical after examining Ali’s arrows. Seeking the truth, Bing Zhu asked Ali about his wife, Ya’er.
Ali recounted how, during a time of heavy taxation and his own illness, Ya’er had gone into the mountains and returned with a bottle of "Yuli Spring" water she claimed was from an immortal. During an argument, Ali accidentally broke the bottle, and the shards cut her hand. Ya’er later vanished in the mountains, leaving behind only her clothes and a broken jade pendant. Ali claimed he had seen blood-red eyes staring at him from the forest where she disappeared.
\n\nMeanwhile, Zixiu led Xiao Yao to a desolate graveyard where villagers who died strange deaths were buried. Xiao Yao set up a spiritual formation, but noticing her sensors remained undisturbed, she realized no actual demons were present in the immediate area. She performed a fire trick that forced several "ghosts" to reveal themselves, catching the Tribe Leader and the villagers red-handed.
The Leader confessed that because Mount Qiansui was barren and they could not afford extortionate taxes, they had faked the monster attacks and spread rumors to keep officials away. While they had dressed as ghosts to scare outsiders, they insisted they had no intent to harm. Despite the deception, Bing Zhu and Xiao Yao remained committed to their mission, demanding the villagers hide nothing more as they prepared to face the genuine threats lurking in the area.
