The Legend of White Snake Episode 10 Recap
> The Legend of White Snake Recap
Bai Suzhen found herself trapped in prison, bound by the powerful Demon Binding Rope. The prison was also covered by golden talismans, which, combined with the rope tightening with every struggle, prevented her from transforming or breaking free. Ke Xin, the fox demon, appeared, gloating over Bai Suzhen's predicament, confirming Bai Suzhen's earlier suspicions. Ke Xin revealed her ability to read minds and recounted how she obtained the Demon Binding Rope from Jing Song, a former disciple of Rulai.
Ke Xin mockingly explained that Jing Song, a "mouse" demon, desired only Xu Xian's life and mistakenly believed his magic could prevent her from harming Bai Suzhen. Ke Xin confessed her true ambition was to steal Bai Suzhen’s millennial demon core to amplify her own power and potentially ascend to immortality, sneering at Jing Song's naive schemes. Bai Suzhen, realizing Ke Xin was a demon, attempted to devise a plan to bind her.
However, Ke Xin, reading her thoughts, scoffed at her foolishness. Just as Ke Xin prepared to extract the demon core, the sound of a drum, beaten by Xu Xian, echoed from outside, signaling his appeal. Ke Xin, startled, fled the prison.
Distraught by Bai Suzhen's arrest, Xu Xian, after learning of the situation, immediately rushed to the government office to appeal, ignoring the pleas of Ruyi and her father (the owner of Jishi Clinic) to stay out of the dangerous affair. Ruyi, having orchestrated Xu Xian's delay through her servant, Yinxiang, to prevent him from returning to the clinic, vehemently argued that Bai Suzhen was a murderer.
However, Xu Xian insisted that he was the one who prepared Magistrate Liang's medicine and that Bai Suzhen was innocent. He reasoned that Jishi Clinic's reputation would be ruined if Bai Suzhen's name wasn't cleared. In court, the prefect repeatedly attempted to force a confession due to a lack of witnesses and evidence. Xu Xian bravely faced the prefect, declaring Bai Suzhen's innocence and offering to publicly consume the medicine himself as proof.
As Xu Xian, having taken the medicine, showed no ill effects, a verdict of innocence seemed imminent. However, Prime Minister Liang Mohan dramatically arrived, announcing that the deceased Magistrate Liang Jun was his own son. Xu Xian immediately recognized Prime Minister Liang Mohan, knowing that this was his father's killer, Xu Huairen, and that his own death was now certain.
Prime Minister Liang Mohan's surprised reaction upon seeing Xu Xian also caught Bai Suzhen's attention, leading her to suspect a pre-existing connection. Ke Xin, witnessing the trial, used her mind-reading to delve into Prime Minister Liang Mohan's thoughts, uncovering his deep-seated animosity towards Xu Xian's late father, Xu Huairen, and the convenient timing of his son’s death. Seizing the opportunity, Ke Xin possessed Prime Minister Liang Mohan.
Under her influence, Liang Mohan dismissed Xu Xian's medicine test, arguing that what was harmless to a healthy person might be fatal to an ailing one. He then ordered Bai Suzhen's torture. Xu Xian immediately intervened, shielding Bai Suzhen and boldly asserting that without witnesses or evidence, any use of torture constituted a forced confession. Prime Minister Liang Mohan, still under Ke Xin's possession, then called his son's concubine, Hu Ke Xin (the fox demon), to the stand.
Hu Ke Xin presented falsified medicine dregs as evidence. The coroner, under scrutiny, confirmed the dregs contained "thorn apple" (洋金花), a toxic herb, rather than the prescribed "rose periwinkle" (长春花), and that Liang Jun's symptoms were consistent with thorn apple poisoning. However, the coroner hesitated, noting the small amount of "thorn apple" found in the dregs. Hu Ke Xin falsely accused Bai Suzhen of murder, claiming it was revenge for rejecting Liang Jun's advances.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qing, having arrived at the court after hearing rumors, noticed the Demon Binding Rope restraining Bai Suzhen and her inability to resist. As guards prepared to carry out the torture order, Xu Xian, to protect Bai Suzhen, took full responsibility for the alleged crime, claiming he was the one who prepared the medicine. Xiao Qing, using magic, created a commotion that appeared to be divine wrath, prompting the public to demand Bai Suzhen's release.
Swayed by the public outcry and Ke Xin’s manipulation, Prime Minister Liang Mohan acquitted Bai Suzhen. However, Xu Xian's confession was accepted, and he was condemned to death row. As Bai Suzhen attempted to question the hurried verdict and the many remaining suspicious points, she was forcibly removed. Xu Xian, accepting his fate, urged her to take care of herself and his sister, Li. His sister, Li, was devastated to learn of his sacrifice.
Ke Xin, having "fainted" after achieving her goal, departed, observed with suspicion by Xiao Qing. Xiao Qing, having followed the suspicious Ke Xin, remained determined to uncover the truth. Prime Minister Liang Mohan, still uneasy about Xu Xian, sent his aide, Qin San, to ransack Xu Xian's sister's home for any hidden documents but found nothing. Liang Mohan also attempted to extract information from Xu Xian through extreme torture, but Xu Xian remained righteous and unyielding.
Liang Mohan then visited Xu Xian in his cell, trying to coerce him into revealing a crucial official document that his father, Xu Huairen, had supposedly hidden. Liang Mohan reminded Xu Xian of his father's fate, mocking his current predicament, and offered to spare his life in exchange for the document.
Xu Xian, defiant, accused Liang Mohan of overstepping his authority and of manipulating the legal process due to his personal vendetta and conflict of interest, all while questioning the integrity of the law. Enraged, Liang Mohan ordered Xu Xian to be beaten again, aiming to silence him permanently in this predicament. Bai Suzhen and Li, back at Xu Xian's home, meticulously cleaned his room.
Li fondly spoke of Xu Xian's diligent medical notes, asserting that such a careful person could never poison anyone. While cleaning, Bai Suzhen discovered an entry in Xu Xian’s medical notes from March 16, 1138 – the day before Magistrate Liang Jun's death. The entry explicitly stated that Jishi Clinic and the entire city of Lin'an had run out of "thorn apple", and Xu Xian had used "yellow azalea" and alcohol as a substitute for a trauma patient.
Bai Suzhen realized this was a critical piece of evidence. Ruyi arrived, once again blaming Bai Suzhen for Xu Xian's predicament, but Li defended Bai Suzhen's character. Meanwhile, in prison, a new prisoner, disguised as a common thief, was placed in Xu Xian's cell. Xu Xian quickly discerned, from the man’s calloused hands and disdain for prison food, that he was an assassin sent by Liang Mohan.
Bai Suzhen, determined to understand why Prime Minister Liang Mohan was obstructing justice, used ventriloquism to impersonate the ghost of Magistrate Liang Jun, extracting a confession from a terrified jailer that Prime Minister Liang Mohan had ordered him to suppress the truth. Bai Suzhen was bewildered as to why Liang Mohan would prevent an investigation into his own son's murder. Accompanied by Li Gongfu, she rushed to Xu Xian’s cell, arriving just as the assassin attacked.
Bai Suzhen cried out, and Li Gongfu intervened, announcing his relation to Xu Xian, causing the assassin to flee. Bai Suzhen, seeing Xu Xian's injured hand, pressed him for answers, particularly about the critical detail of the "thorn apple" in his notes. Xu Xian, seeking to protect her, tried to send her away, but Bai Suzhen insisted on staying, reminding him of their bond and her desire to stand by him as he had for her.
Finally, Xu Xian confessed that Prime Minister Liang Mohan was the true killer of his father, Xu Huairen, and therefore, no amount of evidence would ever make Liang Mohan allow his case to be reopened.
