Rattan Episode 24 Recap
> Rattan Recap
Qin Fang, recognizing Bai Ying's illusion, found himself suspended in mid-air. Bai Ying instructed him to tell Si Teng, if he survived, that she was determined to merge with her, regardless of Si Teng's will. She ominously suggested he wait for Si Teng in the afterlife if he failed. Despite Qin Fang's desperate struggle to hold on, he eventually lost his grip and plummeted from the tall building.
Si Teng, who had been waiting with her back to him, turned at the commotion, her eyes widening in disbelief as she saw Qin Fang lying covered in blood. Si Teng slowly approached Qin Fang, her hands trembling as she reached out to him, realizing tears streamed down her face. From above, Bai Ying watched, recognizing Si Teng's newfound vulnerability as the key to forcing their merger.
Qin Fang, though severely injured, was not dead and was rushed to the hospital. Si Teng silently stayed by his side while he clung to life. A doctor grimly informed Si Teng that Qin Fang's bones were extensively fractured and his internal organs severely damaged; he was barely clinging to life, perhaps fueled by a strong desire to see someone. Si Teng, devastated, attempted to infuse her power into Qin Fang, but it was inexplicably repelled.
Sensing something profound, she pressed her forehead against his, delving into his consciousness. There, she witnessed a towering Heaven-Supporting Tree, a memory from when she first descended to earth as a rattan and the great tree she clung to transformed into human form. Si Teng realized Qin Fang was a descendant of that very tree, a revelation that rendered her silent. She then quietly left the hospital, leaving a distraught Yan Furui anxiously calling after her.
Yan Furui, unwilling to give up, pursued Si Teng. Si Teng expressed her true feelings, questioning Yan Furui if he thought she was inferior to Bai Ying. Yan Furui admitted he saw Bai Ying as stronger and questioned if their separation was truly about Bai Ying wanting to be human and Si Teng remaining a Yi, remarking that Bai Ying seemed more ruthless and Yi-like.
Si Teng retorted that their nature as rattans was to live in harmony with nature, not to harm humans, and that she herself never desired human form or its constraints, preferring her free life in the mountains. She reflected on Bai Ying's nine years spent in the human world, acknowledging the immense suffering and trials Bai Ying must have endured to become the 'monster' she now was, realizing she had been complacent underground while Bai Ying struggled.
She concluded that their fates were inextricably linked, and it was her responsibility to rectify the wrongs Bai Ying had committed. She resolved to kill Bai Ying to ensure Qin Fang could truly live as a human again, which relieved Yan Furui. Meanwhile, a figure named Bai Jin, bound by vines, struggled to break free. Just as he was about to escape, Bai Ying reappeared.
Bai Jin immediately confronted her, accusing her of harming Qin Fang and reigniting the centuries-old conflict between humans and Yi through her obsession. Enraged by his accusations, Bai Ying violently flung him into the air. Out of her sight, Bai Jin swiftly spread his wings and flew to freedom.
Qin Fang was carefully moved back to Si Teng's residence, where the doors and windows were kept sealed to prevent any impure energies from entering his room, vital for his fragile recovery. Si Teng believed that if her power could be infused, Qin Fang would recover completely. However, she speculated that Qin Fang's body rejected her power because he feared she might lose to Bai Ying. To address this, Si Teng summoned Canghong and Wang Qiankun, urgently seeking their aid.
She inquired about Qiu Shan's past methods of tracking her down after their fallout, noting that despite her elusive escape routes, he always found her. Canghong revealed that Qiu Shan possessed a "Seven-Stars Stone Disk," an ancient artifact that fell to Earth with the Yi Tribe, capable of precisely locating Yi by their DNA. Si Teng deduced the disk likely belonged to the Huang family, given the historical presence of Yi around Granny Huang's pancake stall.
She requested Canghong to retrieve the disk from Granny Huang, subtly implying dire consequences if he refused. After agreeing, Canghong departed, and Yan Furui, seeing him off, was offered a complimentary bun by a sympathetic vendor, noticing his weary demeanor. Returning home, Yan Furui found Si Teng and Wang Qiankun. Si Teng then demonstrated her power by making Wang Qiankun appear exactly like her, much to Yan Furui's astonishment.
Si Teng explained her strategy to them: Bai Ying, having attacked Qin Fang, would undoubtedly make a follow-up move, as both wanted to eliminate the other. Si Teng intended to use Wang Qiankun as a decoy to lure Bai Ying into the house. By extending her illusion to the entire house, Bai Ying would be affected upon entry, preventing her from immediately detecting the trap. Elsewhere, Qiu Shan, visibly unwell, struggled to eat at a restaurant.
He encountered a former assistant, but before he could react, his old age caught up to him, and he collapsed, needing to be rushed to the hospital. Back at the house, Si Teng tenderly shaved the unconscious Qin Fang's beard, confessing her secret desire to live as a human, which she revealed was the true reason for Bai Ying's existence.
She admitted to Qin Fang that she had wanted to tell him, even before his accident, that she yearned for an ordinary life with him – eating, watching movies, and shopping like any other young person. She affirmed that this longed-for life would have to wait until the conflicts with Bai Ying and Qiu Shan were definitively resolved.
After her heartfelt confession, Si Teng stepped outside the room and subtly wove her power into the doors and windows with rainwater, reinforcing the trap for Bai Ying. The sound of her casting the spell startled Yan Furui awake. As he stirred to check on Qin Fang, he suddenly collapsed into unconsciousness, falling right into Si Teng's carefully laid plan.
