The Seven Relics of ill Omen Episode 23 Recap
> The Seven Relics of ill Omen Recap
A pit had collapsed at the bottom of the cave, and since the air hadn’t circulated in a long time, Luo Ren told Mu Dai to wait by the side for a while. Yan Hongsha secretly took a photo of the memorial tablet set up at the wedding but noticed that Cao Jinhua seemed distracted. The character on the tablet was the ancient symbol for "earth." Before the wedding ceremony began, everyone had to pay their respects to the tablet.
Cao Jinhua explained to Yan Hongsha that the village used to make pottery for a living, and this was a tradition to thank the earth for nurturing them. Although Yafeng had clearly been abducted, she was smiling happily during the wedding, which made Yan Hongsha feel something was seriously wrong. Luo Ren told Mu Dai that he left Black Sand Island because he had offended a local bigwig.
He thought the matter had passed, but recently he received word that the man was planning revenge and might target the people around him, which was why he had been so on edge. Mu Dai comforted Luo Ren, saying she could protect him too—and besides, she had her master and senior brother behind her. Once the air in the pit normalized, Luo Ren went down first to investigate.
During the banquet, Yan Hongsha secretly added a drop of her own blood into a bottle of liquor. When Yafeng came to toast, she noticed something unusual in the wine’s smell, so she pretended to be drunk and deliberately spilled Cao Qingshan’s wine as well. Cao Jinhua slipped away to the spot where Cao Qingshan had been talking earlier and found Cao Yanhua, who was bruised and tied up.
As she was about to untie him, Yan Hongsha knocked her out. Cao Yanhua brought Cao Jinhua to the mill at the foot of the mountain, where they met up with Yan Hongsha and went together to the mountainside to find Luo Ren and the others. In the pit, Luo Ren found two skeletons and several clay figurines kneeling in a circle. After examining them, he realized it was a tomb chamber.
Luo Ren said the people inside had been buried alive in ancient times. On the wall was carved “Seven Stars Returning to Position,” which he speculated was connected to the Heart Brand. As for the sacrificial items and figurines, Luo Ren guessed that someone had escaped, dug a tunnel, planted the offerings and the kneeling figures, and set up a trapdoor mechanism.
Cao Yanhua explained to Yan Hongsha how he had been framed and revealed that Yafeng was actually the true host of the Heart Brand. As Yan Hongsha and Cao Yanhua were figuring out how to rescue people from the cave, Cao Jinhua woke up. Cao Yanhua calmed her down, and thanks to her offhand remark, they actually found the trapdoor switch on the ground.
Yan Hongsha secured the rope, and after Cao Yanhua stepped on the switch, she dropped into the trap. Once Luo Ren learned everyone was safe, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yafeng and Cao Qingshan arrived. Yafeng handled Cao Yanhua, while Cao Qingshan moved to untie the rope. Though Cao Jinhua was still dazed, she followed Cao Yanhua’s instructions, held onto the rope, and kept her foot on the trapdoor to prevent it from closing.
Cao Qingshan appeared to be under some kind of control, and in a moment of crisis, Cao Jinhua kicked him unconscious. Luo Ren tied a dagger to the rope and hooked it onto Yan Hongsha’s backpack. Sensing the cue, Yan Hongsha tied the rope around her waist. Mu Dai then used her lightness skills to fly up the rope, just in time to rescue Cao Jinhua and kick Yafeng aside.
Cao Yanhua confirmed that the Heart Brand was on Yafeng, so Mu Dai went to confront her, while Cao Yanhua gave Cao Qingshan a thorough beating. Yafeng couldn’t overpower Mu Dai and tried to flee. Luo Ren arrived just in time, and the two of them subdued Yafeng. Luo Ren noticed that Yafeng’s hand was burned—turns out, when he had handed back the blood-stained hairpin earlier, Yafeng hadn’t shown any reaction because she had endured the pain in silence.
Cao Qingshan escaped in the chaos. As he passed by Luo Ren’s car, Thirteen-Thousand spotted him. Startled, Thirteen-Thousand reflexively dove into the car and slammed the door shut. Luo Ren and the others escorted Yafeng down the mountain. Suddenly, Yafeng began screaming for help, crying that she didn’t know what had happened. Only then did everyone notice a bloody patch on her back—the Heart Brand was no longer on her.
