Tientsin Mystic Episode 24 (Ending) Recap
> Tientsin Mystic Recap
As the factory chimney exploded with a great bang during the battle, debris rained down, leaving Ding Mao and Xiao Lanlan unconscious and covered in dust. Ding Mao awoke in the chaos, desperately calling out for Xiao Lanlan, who lay unresponsive beside him. He was startled to see Yu Si nearby, realizing Yu Si had protected them from the falling rocks. Steel rebar had pierced Yu Si’s abdomen, and blood streamed from his mouth.
Yu Si, gravely injured, told Ding Mao that he was dying and felt uneasy about leaving, remarking that their brothers were all dead. He urged Ding Mao and Xiao Lanlan to go, saying there was no need to waste time on him, as his life was already indebted to the Old Master and Ding Mao, and he considered his death a worthy repayment.
Ding Mao cried out Yu Si’s name as Yu Si succumbed to his injuries, with Xiao Lanlan stirring and helping to push away the heavy rock that Yu Si had used his body to block. Meanwhile, Guo De-you followed Lian Huaqing deep into the exposed underground cave towards the origin of Evil Water.
Reflecting on a belief that "a river must flow to the sea, and the world cannot stop it," Guo De-you felt he had lived a meaningful life, believing that even if it didn't cause a big stir, it was better than merely "washing leaves and stones in the mountains." Lian Huaqing, however, expressed a cynical view, stating that while the Demonic Cult could be eradicated, the human heart could not be cleansed.
He listed numerous atrocities and betrayals committed by various individuals, concluding that the Demonic Cult members were merely victims suffering from pain, and their desire to alleviate it was not wrong. Lian Huaqing declared that the root of this pain and the origin of the Demonic Cult lay within the cave they were exploring. Guo De-you pressed Lian Huaqing on how the Demonic Cult had regained followers after being driven to the fringes twenty years ago.
Lian Huaqing explained that their value lay in "knowing and using pain" for evolution, not eradicating it, offering people a choice to embrace the cult for a "second chance at life." When Guo De-you questioned if unconscious bodies truly represented a new life, Lian Huaqing asserted that they possessed the consciousness of the Demonic Cult itself. As they advanced, Guo De-you noticed signs that others had sought the origin of Evil Water before, only to perish.
He questioned why Lian Huaqing would repeat the mistakes of "predecessors," but Lian Huaqing dismissed them as "fools," proclaiming that no one understood evolution better than he did. Following Guo De-you and Lian Huaqing, Ding Mao and Xiao Lanlan navigated the treacherous, dark, and damp underground passages. Xiao Lanlan, observing the hollow rock walls and the smell of kerosene, quickly identified a hidden mechanism.
Shortly after, she slipped and nearly fell into a chasm, but Ding Mao swiftly grabbed her hand, pulling her back to safety. Their perilous journey was interrupted by Xiao San, who had been completely infected by Lian Huaqing. Lian Huaqing had planted insects in Xiao San to control living deads and infused Demonic Cult blood into him, transforming him into a monstrous, half-human, half-beast figure.
Xiao San struggled with the parasitic control, his eyes showing tears as he fought Ding Mao and choked Xiao Lanlan, a fleeting sign of his former self. Despite his internal battle, Xiao San launched an attack. During the struggle, a giant statue collapsed, pinning Xiao San underneath. Ding Mao, quickly pulling Xiao Lanlan away, urged her to keep moving to find Guo De-you at the origin of Evil Water.
Lian Huaqing then revealed his grand plan to Guo De-you, explaining that the origin of Evil Water, existing independently underground, was not connected to any other water system. He recalled how a past earthquake caused its poisonous waters to infect Qiming Village, and now he intended to detonate bombs to release the entire reservoir into the Hai River. This act, he declared, would infect all of Tianjin, strengthening the Demonic Cult.
Lian Huaqing painted a picture where he and Guo De-you, possessing the cure (the holy child's blood), would emerge as "Tientsin Mystics" to save the populace, thus becoming revered as River Gods. Guo De-you, however, scoffed at the idea of others claiming such a title, asserting his Master would never allow it and that he himself found it undeserving, refusing to cooperate with Lian Huaqing's destructive scheme.
Unexpectedly, Senior Tientsin Mystic, Guo Chun, appeared with Gu Ying, who was temporarily blind from the poison she had consumed. Gu Ying, addressing Guo Chun as Uncle Guo, questioned how he was so certain Guo De-you was not the holy child. Guo Chun revealed that after the Demonic Cult's defeat years ago, he took in an orphaned boy, Guo De-you, only to discover he was infected. Through his efforts, Guo Chun accidentally developed a bathing medicine that suppressed the infection.
He also revealed that he had saved another girl, Gu Ying, at the same time, but had entrusted her to Witch Zhang due to the impracticality of raising a girl himself. Guo Chun clarified that his intention in bringing Gu Ying was not solely to save Guo De-you, but to save all of Tianjin. As the final confrontation unfolded, Ding Mao, Xiao Lanlan, and Gu Ying arrived at the origin of Evil Water.
Guo De-you tasked Ding Mao and Xiao Lanlan with blocking the outlet mechanism, warning that if the water ran out, the bomb would fall and explode, poisoning the Hai River. He told Ding Mao to leave Lian Huaqing to him, to which Ding Mao agreed, but demanded an explanation for his actions. Witch Zhang also appeared, invoking her witchery to aid the Tientsin Mystic against the "River Demon."
Just then, Xiao San, having broken free from beneath the statue, reappeared, now fighting on Lian Huaqing's side. In the ensuing struggle, Gu Ying, despite her blindness, bravely intercepted Xiao San's attack, taking his iron claws through her shoulder to protect Guo De-you. Guo De-you, filled with grief, took a forensic knife from Ding Mao and plunged it into Xiao San's throat, ending his suffering.
With Lian Huaqing pinned by Ding Mao, Guo De-you, his thoughts on the people of Tianjin, entrusted Gu Ying to Ding Mao's care, playfully teasing both Ding Mao about Xiao Lanlan and reassuring Gu Ying about her temporary blindness in their final moments. With a somber farewell, Guo De-you turned and jumped into the treacherous waters of the origin of Evil Water, with Gu Ying, expressing her love, immediately following him.
They embraced and shared a final kiss in the water before Guo De-you, pushing Gu Ying away, swam deeper into the abyss. In a heroic act, he found the bomb and, with his eyes closed, severed a crucial wire, sacrificing himself to prevent the catastrophe. The ultimate fate of the Demonic Cult, whether the evil water escaped, and the whereabouts of Senior Tientsin Mystic, remained an enduring mystery.
